Vasyl Lomachenko hacked out a majority decision victory over Gary Russell Jr. to win the WBO featherweight title in his third professional fight. With the win, Lomachenko tied Thailand’s Saensak Muangsurin for the fewest number of fights to win a world title.

Second Time’s the Charm

Lomachenko was masterful as he overwhelmed the previously unbeaten Russell with his skill, power and size while deflecting majority of his opponent’s punches. The two time Olympic champion finally lived up to his hype after losing to Orlando Salido last March 1 in his first attempt at the same WBO featherweight belt.

In that fight, Salido repeatedly hit Lomachenko with un-penalized low blows which seemed to  take the Ukrainian star off his concentration. Lomachenko tried to rally in the latter rounds but Salido already amassed a big lead and won the bout via split decision. But because Salido did not make weight, he had already yielded the belt before the fight. Hence, the title was declared as vacant. And because of the controversial nature of his loss, Lomachenko was given a second chance at the belt.

Lomachenko made the most of his second chance. He won by the scores of 116-112,116-112 and 114-114. Most fight experts saw Lomachenko winning 118-110.

Firing Blanks

Lomachenko first staggered Russell in the fifth round by punishing him to the ropes with body shots that appeared to hurt him. Lomachenko hurt Russell again in the closing seconds of the seventh round with body shots and then dazed him with a beautiful right uppercut as Russell was pulling back. After the final bell, Russell’s face and body language was that of a beaten fighter.

According to compubox, Russell connected only 83 out of 806 punches or a measly 10%. On the other hand Lomachenko landed 183 out of 597 punches for a better 31% accuracy rate. Lomachenko also connected on 57 power shots to the midsection which prevented Russell from getting off with good combinations.

No Excuses

Rusell offered no excuses and called it a “fair decision.” He said he didn’t stick to his game plan of “initiating the action and cutting off the distance.”  He credited Lomachenko as being “strong” and said that he “would love to fight him again, any time and any place.”

But Russell may be asking too much for his own good.

Uneven Terms

Right from the opening bell, the bout was fought on uneven terms. Russell had scored 14 KOs in his 24 wins, but it was pretty clear in the first round that he had never fought somebody with the championship pedigree of Vasyl Lomachenko. Lomachenko connected on a picture perfect three punch combo that started with a left-right to the midsection and  capped off by a hook to the head. It was what Lomachenko wanted.

Lomachenko said that he followed his game plan to perfection. He said that his team wanted him to work the body and catch the head. And he did that all night long.

Russell still had his quick hands and fast combinations. But most of  his puncheswere deflected. Lomachenko used excellent footwork to avoid Russell’s blazing fists and although Russell didn’t look frustrated, he was being outclassed by a true world class boxer.

Silencing the Critics

The clinical destruction of Gary Russell Jr. vindicated Lomachenko. He was being criticized for being given a title shot “too early ” in his pro career. Those critics claimed that there are rated contenders who have fought to earn their ranks. But Lomachenko is not an ordinary new comer.

He is regarded as the greatest amateur boxer of all-time. He finished his amateur career with two Olympic Gold medals and an eye-popping record of 396-1. And while Russell turned pro in 2009, he fought no-names and lowly competition to build up his fight record. On the other hand, Lomachenko has fought the best of the best in amateur boxing. He didn’t have to fight as long as Russell did to get his first crack at a world title. He was ready when he first came and he proved that on Saturday night.

The bout was the first to feature a top rank figher against a GBP product since Erislandy Lara faced Vanes Martirosyan in 2012. While GBP won in 2012, Top Rank’s Lomachenko evened the score. And with the newfound alliance of the two promotions, expect more fights like this in the future where the fans are the true winners.

Shortly after his win over Mark Munoz last May 31, Gegard Mousasi said that he wanted a “winner” for his next fight. He mentioned #5 Luke Rockhold and #6 Tim Kennedy. Apparently the UFC was listening, and set him up for match with a higher ranked winner: #4 Jacare Souza.

Climbing Up the Ladder

The Armenian-born Dutch mixed martial artist has fought just three matches in the UFC and has a record of 2-1 with 1 submission. Mousasi moved to the middleweight division after his first UFC bout and faced Lyoto Machida. He lot via unanimous decision in a Fight of the Night winner. But Mousasi rebounded with a submission win over Filipino Mark Munoz last month to climb up the middleweight rankings at number 7. And while Mousasi felt the rise in his stock following the win over Munoz, he made the reasonable statement to fight a “winner” to get him closer to the top.

With #1 Anderson Silva out with injury, #2 Vitor Belfort having a cancelled bout and #3 Lyoto Machida challenging for the title, the number four guy was the best he could get. And that’s what he just got, even after just a 1-1 record in two fights at the UFC middleweight division.

But he is no stranger in the MMA world as Mousasi was the former and last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion. In 2010, Mousasi won the DREAM Light Heavyweight GP Final to  become the DREAM Light Heavyweight champion . In 2008, Mousasi also won the inaugural DREAM Middleweight title, where he defeated Jacare Souza in the finals.

Mousasi and Souza campaigned in Japan a long time ago in the DREAM promotion. Their paths crossed on September 23, 2008 in the DREAM 2008 Middleweight GP Final. After winning their semi-final matches with one round submissions, both men immediately squared off for in the finals.  The submission expert Souza took Mousasi down early in the fight, but Mousasi struck Souza with an upkick that knocked out the Brazilian. Mousasi won the first ever DREAM middleweight belt and sent Souza packing to Strikeforce.

Alligator’s Den

The move to Stirkeforce was the break Souza had always wanted. Souza won the Stirkeforce Middleweight title in his third bout when he beat Tim Kennedy in August 2010. And although he lost the belt to Luke Rockhold is his second title defense, Souza whose nickname Jacare means alligator, had turned the Strikeforce Middleweight division into the Alligator’s Den by dominating with a record of 7-1 with 4 submissions and 1 KO.

Souza was among the holdovers brought in by the UFC when it purchased Strikeforce. In three fights at the UFC, Souza has clapped his way to impressive wins over Chris Camozzi, Yushin Okami and Francis Carmont.  Although he admits that Mousasi was “better” when they first fought he thinks that he has more experience and a better cardio this time around. Souza believes that a title shot is the “only option” after the Mousasi rematch.

Back in Strikeforce, they gave Mousasi the nickname “Dreamcatcher”. Gegard told them he did not want a nickname but the outfit gave it to him anyway. Most fans thought it was lame and did not fit a tough guy like Mousasi. But the Dreamcatcher was woven by the Native Americans to trap bad dreams in its web and let the good ones go to the head of the sleeper. As Mousasi is climbing the ladder as a winner in the UFC, maybe he’d like to be the Dreamcatcher now. So he can catch the dream of winning the UFC middleweight title very soon.

And that starts with beating Jacare Souza again in UFC 176 on August 2.

Sergey Kovalev will return to the ring for the second time this year to defend his WBO Light Heavyweight titles against unbeaten Blake Caparello on August 2nd at the Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Kovalev said that he was “happy to be back in the ring” and that he is looking forward to facing an unbeaten opponent in Caparello.  Although Caparello is an unknown in the international boxing scene, Kovalev said that Caparello “will be in the fight looking to take his title away.” But he added that he has already started preparing for the bout that he will be “ready (and) in good condition” come fight night.

Kovalev is coming off a 7^th round knockout of American Cedric Agnew last March 29 in his second title defense. He was slated to face WBC and Ring Light Heavyweight title holder Adonis “Superman” Stevenson for a unification match, but the bout did not push through even though both camps had agreed on a “deal to fight under HBO in the fall”. Instead, the Stevenson camp took their act to Showtime and he ended up fighting Polish Andzej Fonfara last month in Canada.

Kovalev’s promoter, Main Events, has already sued Stevenson, Canadian promoter Yvon Michel, boxing power broker Al Haymon among others for the supposed breach in their agreement.

Knockout Artist

Kovalev is one of the sport’s rising stars and most prolific punchers. He has a record of 24-0-1 and 22 KO’s. Kovalev has knocked out his last eight opponents and none of those bouts lasted for more than seven rounds.

He won the WBO title by challenging Nathan Cleverly in his hometown of Wales last August and demolished him in four one-sided rounds. He returned three months later to defend the title against Ukrainian Ismael SIllakh in Canada. He made quick work of SIllakh and put him away in two rounds.

Before winning the WBO crown, the Russian born Kovalev held the NABA USA Light Heavyweight title and the WBC Asian Boxing Council Light Heavyweight title. His most notable victories were against Cleverly and Gabriel Campillo.

One of Kovalev’s bouts ended in tragedy when his opponent Roman SImakov died three days after lapsing into a coma. Simakov was knocked out by Kovalev in the 7^th round of their bout in 2011. Although it was not his fault, Kovalev apologized to Simakov’s parents and gave them his prize money for his next bout.

Feared Opponent

Kathy Duva, the CEO of Main Events said that they would have preferred Kovalev to be fighting marquee names like Stevenson. But she said that it was “obvious” that these guys were “avoiding” Kovalev because they are “afraid” of facing the heavy hitting Kovalev.  Kovalev’s trainer John David Jackson agreed and said that it is “difficult to find an opponent who wants to step in the ring with Sergey.” He is hoping that Caparella will “step up to the plate” against Kovalev.

But Lou DiBella is confident about his fighter Caparella. He claims that Caparella is one of the best pure boxers in the division and that his guy has the skills to “give Kovalev fits.” He added that this bout will be the classic match-up between slugger and boxer.

Caparella said that he’s “ready for the fight” and that “he won’t disappoint”. He will be the third unbeaten fighter in Kovalev’s last four bouts. But Kovalev has knocked out all previous three spotless opponents.

Wladimir Klitschko will be looking to defend his IBF Heavyweight title for the 17th consecutive time as he battles unbeaten Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev possibly on Sept 6 in Hamburg, Germany. But will Pulev be another stepping stone to Dr. Steelhammer’s invincibility?

Extending the Reign

Klitschko’s 16 successful title defenses in his second reign is the third most in history behind Joe Louis (25) and Larry Holmes (20). His reign as IBF champion since April 2006 is the second longest in heavyweight boxing history, and is next only to the 11 plus years of Joe Louis’ title run. It is also the longest title reign in IBF heavyweight history. He also holds the record for the longest title reign in IBO and WBO heavyweight history.

Since 2006, Wladimir has dominated the Heavyweight boxing scene. After capturing the IBF and IBO Heavyweight titles in 2006 against Chris Byrd, he also annexed the WBO, Ring and WBA Heavyweight titles to make him the most decorated boxing champion today with five belts around his waist.

The Pulev fight will give him one title fight more than Muhammad Ali’s 25, making him the solo second placer behind Joel Louis who fought 27 world title fights. A win over Pulev will put him one win closer to Holmes and Louis in successive title defenses.

Legend Grows

Klitschko’s legend grows with every fight. And with that, so does his stake to being the greatest heavyweight boxer of all-time becomes more credible. And although Wladimir will not become the greatest, he may be the most dominant of all-time. Remember that this reign is Klitschko’s second as heavyweight champion. Let’s compare his reign to Joe Louis:

Wladimir Klitschko

*present day is 6/18/14

Joe Louis’ reign was 11 years 8 months and 8 days or 4271 days. The difference is 415 days. If Klitschko gets past Pulev and fights again in May next year, that would be 317 days (on May 1). Should Wladimir win his next fight, he will eclipse the great Brown Bomber’s total reign.  With the opposition and competition that Wladimir has in the heavyweight division today, winning his next two bouts doesn’t look like a tall order.

Invincibility?

Tom Loeffer of K2, who promotes Wladimir Klitschko says that Pulev is considered as one of the best in the Heavyweight division and he will be a test for Dr. Steelhammer. But he believes that Klitschko is in a different level than anybody else in the division. Loeffer was close to saying that his boxer is nearly invincible after 16 straight title defenses.

Despite that, Pulev is no patsy. He is the IBF’s mandatory challenger for Wladimir. He has a record of 20-0 with 11 KO’s, He earned this title shot by defeating American Tony Thompson. Since winning that bout, Pulev has fought and won twice. Both have been knockouts.

Pulev said that he was at Ringside when Wladimir fought Lepai a couple of weeks ago. He said that it was a walk in the park for Klitschko. But Pulev said that he will cause problems for Wladmir when they meet in the ring and he will prove that Klitschko is not invincible.

That remains to be seen though.

The UFC’s smallest champion once again proved to be its most dominant champion.

Mighty Mouse

Demetrious Johnson outclassed and outpointed challenger Ali Bagautinov for five rounds to defend his title for the fourth consecutive time via a convincing unanimous decision win at UFC 174 in Vancouver Canada. With the win, Johnson remains the only flyweight champion in UFC history and established himself as one of its most dominant champions.

The UFC recognizes Jon Jones as the top pound for pound fighter in the sport. Johnson is fourth on the list behind featherweight champion Jose Aldo and heavyweight king Cain Velasquez. But Johnson’s dominance of the flyweight division since its inception has been very one-sided. And that’s the reason why the 5-3 125lbs champion is called the Mighty Mouse.

The Dominator

Against the game and hard hitting Bagautinov, Mighty Mouse was the Dominator. He bested his challenger in every category and avoided his biggest weapon. Bagautinov was a former combat sambo champion and he possessed one punch knockout power and blazing hard fists. But none of that showed in the face of Johnson, who looked as fresh as he was before the bout started. He even looked like he was ready to go for another five rounds after the fight.

Bagautinov was a beaten man. His face was swollen and bleeding. Before the final round, he looked and waved his arms to the crowd in an attempt to pump himself up. But by that time, there were already empty seats in the house that saw an attendance of 13,506. Johnson was clearly in the driver’s seat and only a knockout would’ve stopped the Might Mouse’s reign.

Johnson chopped away at Bagautinov’s lead leg with inside leg kicks in the first two rounds. He nailed Bagautinov with vicious knees to the body and sharp elbows to the face during clinches. He avoided takedown attempts and moved around the octagon like a blur to avoid Bagautinov’s power punches.

Bagautinov scored on a body slam in the third round, but the Mighty Mouse was up and standing in a couple of seconds. The Dagestani tried his best in the last two rounds to catch Johnson with a clean shot, but aside from the one big punch in the fourth which DJ took easily, Johnson was unbelievably elusive. In the final round, Johnson landed a flurry of punches while holding Bagautinov at the fence.

As the final bell sounded, it was another clear victory for the champion. All three judges scored the bout 50-45 in favor of Demetrious Johnson. He remained unbeaten as a flyweight and improved his overall record to 20-2-1 with 4 KO’s and 7 submissions.

Next in Line

Next for Mighty Mouse could be a familiar face and name. John “The Magician” Dodson beat John Moraga via TKO last week and he is the consensus number one challenger for Johnson. UFC president Dana White also alluded to Dodson as the next challenger. But Mighty Mouse Johnson said that while “he will take on all comers” he would like to face a “new challenge” next.

Johnson fought a tough battle with Dodson in January 2013, but he clearly beat Dodson via unanimous decision.  Johnson added that there are “a lot of new challenges in the weight class” that he needs to fight. He said that he has already overcome Dodson and that he prefers to fight new opponents. He singled out Zach Makovsky when pressed for a name. But Johnson said he’ll leave it to the UFC to choose his next opponent. He believes that the UFC does a great job at match-making.

But even then, with a dominant champion like Demetrious Johnson, Match-making becomes mis-match making most of the time.

It was a fight that resembled the movie “Rocky”. But this time it wasn’t the Siberian Rocky. It was the partly Italian stallion from Huntington New York who stole the show.

Looked Beaten Up

With a swelling and closed right eye, American Chris Algieri fought with one good eye for most of the second half of his WBO Light Welterweight Championship match against Ruslan Provodnikov. But that was not a problem. Although Algieri’s face resembled a fighter that had just been beaten up in the ring, he walked away with a split decision win to stay unbeaten and capture his first major title in a big upset win over Ruslan Provodnikov.

Surviving Round One

The key to the fight for Algieri was surviving Round 1. Although the crowd cheered him on, Ruslan Provodnikov immediately shut them up by knocking down Algieri with a massive left hook. Moments later, with Provodnikov furiously pursuing him, Algieri took a knee after a series of shots punctuated by an left uppercut staggered him again.

Algieri later said that the key to the fight was “getting out of the first round.” He said that he took the knee because “his lip was numb” and that he wanted to ” clear his head and see how the eye was”. Algieri said the second knockdown was more intentional on his part rather than a punch that Provodnikov hit him with. But he admitted that the first knockdown was from a “pretty good shot” from Provodnikov.

Algieri added that the “shots in the first round were the most powerful, but they were few and far between.”

Tough Kid

Algieri proved to be a tough kid. With his eye starting to swell in the third round, he fought bravely by boxing and jabbing out of harm’s way. But against a punching monster like Ruslan Provodnikov, Algieri ate a lot of left hooks and right hands along the way. But despite the physical beating that he took in the ring, Algieri hung on.

And in the end, the judges favored his output and effective boxing over the clearly powerful shots and two knockdowns of Ruslan Provodnikov. The judges had it 114-112,114-112 and 109-117. Most fight experts gave the fight to Provodnikov, especially after he won Round 1 by 10-7.

But nobody questioned Algieri’s heart in a fight that everyone agreed was too close to call and could have gone either way. Compubox numbers had Algieri outpointing Provodnikov 288-205 in the entire bout.

Tough Style to Fight

Provodnikov had captivated the world with his toe to toe brawling style. He was Manny Pacquiao’s former sparring mate and fought two incredible wars in 2013. Although he lost to TImothy Bradley in his bid for the WBO Welterweight title, he proved that he could fight with the best. Later last year, he submitted Mike Alvarado by methodically beating him with body punches to capture the WBO Light Welterweight title. The Algieri fight was his first title defense.

After the bout, Provodnikov said that Algieri had “the worst style” for him, He said that that he prefers guys who “stand in front of him and who fight him.”  And while Bradley and Alvarado were willing dance partners, Algieri fought with a strategy. There was only one way to beat Ruslan Provodnikov that night and that was to outbox him. Algieri followed his game plan to the last letter. And it frustrated Provodnikov.

“Runner are not my style”. Provodnikov said through an interpreter. He also said that Algieri just ran and touched him then grabbed and touched him. Perhaps he never knew the old boxing saying that says “styles make fights.”

It’s a lesson that Ruslan Provodnikov must learn to make the leap from champion to greatness. Because the great ones know how to manufacture a plan B when they’re in the actual fight, and whether their opponents just “run and grab”.

In a shocking announcement, Chael Sonnen has officially retired from mixed martial arts one day after failing a drug test.

Walking Mouthpiece

Sonnen broke out the news during Wednesday’s edition of The UFC Tonight, where he serves as analyst. He was scheduled to fight Vitor Belfort on July 5 in Las Vegas when the fight was cancelled after the failed drug test. His retirement marks the end of a career that started in 1997 and included three failed attempts to win a UFC belt. Sonnen bids goodbye with a record of 28-14-1. He will always be remembered as the UFC’s walking mouthpiece, the guy who talked his way to big fights.

Banned Substances

On Tuesday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed that the 37 year old Sonnen had tested positive for two banned substances: Anastrozole and Clomiphene. The former is a drug which is usually taken to treat early stages of breast cancer. The latter is mostly used in cases of female infertility. Both drugs are anti-estrogen medications and are included in the World Doping Agency’s banned substances list.

Sonnen admitted to taking both drugs for fertility reasons and to prevent the side effects of quitting Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) which was banned by the NSAC last February. Before the ban Sonnen was able to compete because he had medical approval and exemption to use TRT.

Health and Family First

Sonnen stated that “legitimate medical conditions” won’t allow him to stop taking those medications, hence retirement was the only option. He added that he has put his health and family first, noting that “if he knew before” that the medications worked and get his wife pregnant, he would “do exact thing 20 times.” Sonnen added that there will be a day when he “will no longer have the title of fighter” but he “never wants to see a day that he doesn’t have the title of parent, father and husband.”

Sonnen then went on to thank a lot of people and organizations. Of course, he never forgot to thank former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Rivalry with Anderson

Sonnen’s career peaked in 2009 when he began calling out and taunting then middleweight king Anderson Silva in various interviews and public appearances. Sonnen got his wish and fought Anderson Silva at UFC 117 in August 2010. Surprisingly, he dominated the Brazilian legend for four rounds before losing by submission via triangle choke in the final round. The fight earned praises for Sonnen and his career took off.

Sonnen was able to get a rematch with Silva at UFC 148 in July 2012. But this time, Silva took care of business in just two rounds and defeated Sonnen via TKO. The bout remains as the UFC’s highest grossing event in Las Vegas with a live gate receipt of $7M and an attendance of 15,016.

In his retirement statement, Sonnen thanked Silva whom he called as a “dance partner” and the most important opponent he had. He said that he couldn’t have gotten to where he is without Silva. He then ended the topic of Silva by thanking him for the “invitation to the barbeque” even if he didn’t take Silva up on it.

Sonnen’s departure from active competition will leave a void in the UFC especially since Chael has been one of its top draws and attractions with his uncanny ability to talk his way into the heads of bigger named fighters. But Sonnen is expected to remain with the UFC as an analyst, where he can use his gift of gib in the proper venue.

As if juggling between being a lawmaker and boxer isn’t enough, Manny Pacquiao added yet another major title to his belt: Head Coach in the Philippine Basketball Association.

Surprise Call

Kia Columbian Autocar Corporation, one of the three expansion teams in the PBA’s upcoming 40^th season, formally introduced WBO Welterweight Champion Manny Pacquiao as its Head Coach in a press conference last June 9 at the Pacific Star Building in Makati City, Philippines.

Ending weeks of speculation, KIA made the surprise call to name the world famous boxer as head coach of its PBA team. The boxer/lawmaker seemed to be an unlikely choice to coach a professional basketball team in Asia’s premier basketball league given his lack of amateur and professional basketball experience. However his drawing power and popularity in his home country will earn a lot of fans for KIA and sell a lot of basketball tickets for the PBA next season.

But the team’s decision to tap Pacquaio as coach was questioned by many PBA followers.

PBA’s Defense

But the PBA was quick to come to the Pacman’s defense. PBA Commissioner Chito Salud pointed out “the wow factor, the point of interest and the pulling power” as the main reasons why the PBA approves of Pacquiao being a PBA coach. Salud added that Pacquiao is the “embodiment of what the PBA is striving for” and that is “the highest degree of excellence and sportsmanship with regard to the fans and the public interest.”

Love of Basketball

For his part, Manny Pacquiao said that before he was into boxing, he was already “in love” with basketball. He adds that while he has achieved great things in boxing, he has not forgotten about basketball and that it “is still in his heart”. Pacquiao called it a “new chapter” in his life and said that he wants to prove himself in basketball just as he did in boxing. Pacquiao even joked that he got into boxing by signing a contract he thought was for basketball.

Big Concern

But the big concern of his boxing fans in this new endeavor is how he will be able to divide his time between training, lawmaking and coaching a full season in the PBA. Pacquiao was quick to reply “time management” and “discipline”. He believes that he can handle all of his chores and manage all of them well.

The PBA’s 40th season opens on October 19 and by that time, Pacquiao would be in deep training for his proposed November 23 boxing bout. By fight month, the PBA Philippine Cup conference will be entering the latter stages of the eliminations and the early round playoffs. Critics say Pacquiao could be “torn between two loves.” Again, Pacquiao was quick to reply “time management” as the key to balancing his act. He added that he will be doing his boxing training in the Philippines.

Not Serious

Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum wasn’t too pleased to hear the news from the Philippines. Arum said that Pacquiao is a far more superior boxer than a basketball player. He said that Pacman is a good “club player” but then “that’s about it.” He added that he doesn’t think that the coaching job “is serious.”

Pacman fans hope that Arum’s right on this one, or else this may be another boxing distraction that he refuses to admit.

Former WBC and IBF Light Welterweight champion Devon Alexander hopes to bounce back from his December 7, 2013 loss to Shawn Porter on June 21 at the Stub hub Center in Carson, California. But Alexander won’t only be fighting for a win over Mexican warrior Jesus Soto Karas, he will be fighting to get credit as one of the best fighters in the world.

A Statement Fight

Alexander has called the Soto Karas bout a “statement fight” because there has always been skepticism in his victories, especially in his wins over top caliber fighters. He believes that he has never gotten any credit for any of those victories and that there have been “a lot of excuses” instead of “praises”. Alexander though, believes that the “greats don’t get the credit that they deserve until they die.”

Alexander says that he just has to continue to fight at his best and stay on top of his game. Devon handles all the negativity by surrounding himself with people who motivate him and those who believe that he is “one of the best out there”. He said that he just needs to win more in order to counter the criticisms and prove all of his detractors wrong.

Loaded Resume

But despite all the issues surrounding his biggest victories, there is no denying that Devon Alexander’s fight resume is loaded with former world champions. In fact, Alexander has fought seven present or former world champions in his last nine fights, losing only two of them to Timothy Bradley and Shawn Porter. Two of those victorious fights have been back to back decision victories over top Argentinian sluggers Lucas Matthysse in 2011 and Marcos Maidana in 2012.

Among Alexander’s notable victories were against DeMarcus Corley, John Urango and Andreas Kotelnik. Against Jesus Soto Karas, he will be facing a one-time title contender seeking another run at a world title.

Dreaming of a Title

Although Soto Karas has been involved in a lot of big fights, he’s always ended up in the losing side of those bouts. But Soto Karas has been in a win streak as of late, winning four out of his last six bouts. Last year, he came up with the biggest win of his career when he knocked out Andre Berto in the 12th round of their NABF Welterweight title bout. His last two losses were knockouts suffered at the hands of Marcos Maidana and Keith Thurman. The bout against Thurman was for the interim WBA Welterweight title.

Although he is the underdog in the June 21 bout, Soto Karas relishes that role which he has played most of his career. Soto Karas says that the Alexander will be a tough one for him because he’s always struggled when fighting southpaws. Although Soto Karas still dreams to win a world title one day he’s decided to take it one fight at a time. He believes that if it’s God’s plan for him to be a world champion, it will happen. But otherwise, he’s thankful for what boxing has done for his life. For now, he says his main motivation is to give the fans another great fight come June 21.

So will it be Alexander’s recognition or Soto Karas’ dream? We’ll find out on June 21.

Former UFC Heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski makes his octagon return on June 14 at UFC 174 against Brendan Schaub.

Return of the Pitbull

The re-signing of the 35 year old Belarusan Pitbull was a surprise to many UFC fans. Arlovski left the UFC in 2008 to join the then formed-MMA outfit Affliction. He won his first two bouts under Affliction by stopping Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson. He then lost via KO to former Strikeforce Heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko in his third bout.

His move to Strikeforce in 2009 was a major career disaster. He lost three straight bouts and was staring at retirement. He has since gone 6-1 with one no contest, and three knockouts. The resurgence caught the eye of UFC president Dana White who immediately gave Arlovski the second opportunity once his team came knocking at the UFC’s door.

White said that it was Arlovski who left the UFC back in 2008 because he had a better deal with Affliction. White added that he has no grudges against “people who try to better their lives.” White added that he has a lot of respect for Arlovski and his people.  And because he has proven that he can still compete at the elite level, there was no reason not to take him back.

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion

Arlovski first won the interim UFC Heavyweight title in 2005 when he submitted Tim Sylvia. He defended it twice before getting knocked out by Sylvia in their rematch at UFC 59. Sylvia once again defeated Arlovksi at UFC 61 to close their UFC rivalry in 2006.

The duo would once again face off at One FC: Pride of a Nation in Manila, Philippines on August 31,2012. The bout ended as a no contest when Arlovski struck Sylvia with a kick while on the ground. But that and his loss to Anthony Rumble Johnson in WSOF 2 were the only blots in his last eight bouts. Arlovski has a record of 21-10 with one no contest and 15 KOs.

Not His Nemesis

When news of Arlovski’s UFC return broke out, people were speculating that the UFC would also be bringing back hi nemesis Tim Sylvia. But Dana White was quick to say no and pointed out that while Arlovski is back on the winning track, Sylvia’s career is on a downward spiral. Sylvia is 0-3-1 in his last four contests.

Fighting the Hybrid

For his UFC return, Arlovski faces #14 ranked Heavyweight contender Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub. Schaub wasa former professional football player with the AFL’s Utah Blaze. He was the runner-up in The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights reality TV show, losing to Big Country Roy Nelson in the finals via first round knockout.

But he rebounded from the TUF loss by winning four straight UFC bouts, three by knockout. His victims included Gabriel Gonzaga and Mirko Filipovic. But Schaub lost two straight bouts to Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera and Ben Rothwell and sent him reeling back in the rankings. Once again, Schaub has racked up two successive wins and he hopes to add Arlovski to his growing list of victims. Schaub has a record of 10-3 with 7 knockouts.

Arlovski left the UFC on a three fight winning streak that included a win over current number 1 heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum. His last tormentor Anthony Rumble Johnson has also made a successful return to the UFC. A lot of big fights and story lines lie ahead of Arlovski if he can prove on June 14 that Belarus’ most famous Pitbull still has the bite to take a chunk off the UFC heavyweight picture.