Tag Archives: Boxing

Vasyl Lomachenko To Face Nicholas Walters on November 26th

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The second time was the charm for Vasyl Lomachenko and Nicholas Walters.

Second Time Was The Charm

After failing to come to terms to a June 2016 bout earlier this year, the camps of Vasyl Lomachenko and Nicholas Walters have come to terms on a November 26 bout:

According to Top Rank VP Carl Moretti, Nicholas Walters finally signed on the dotted line last Tuesday. This after Walters rejected the first offer to fight Lomachenko last June, with the Axe Man rejecting a $550K purse and demanding a sky high $1M to face the greatest amateur fighter of all-time. Lomachenko even went to the point of offering Walters $300K of his purse should the Jamaican beat him. Still Walters decided to sit it out and wait for the right deal.

Conquering Another Weight Class

While Walters decided to wait for a better offer, Lomachenko paraded his greatness last June 11 when he defeated Roman “Rocky” Martinez to win the Junior Lightweight title and capture his second title in as many weight classes. Despite having just seven professional bouts, Lomachenko ( 6-1, 4 KOs)  is now a two division champion after knocking out the durable Martinez in a dominating five round performance.

Walters ( 26-0-1, 21 KOs) meanwhile is coming off a controversial draw against Jason Sosa in his 130 pound debut. Prior to that, Walters lost the WBA featherweight title on the scales against Miguel Marriaga in June 2015. Walters won that title with a sensational knockout of 2012 BWAA  Fighter of the Year Nonito Donaire Jr. in 2014.

Explosive Bout

Lomachenko and Walters will fight for the Ukrainian’s WBO Junior Lightweight title. The bout will be held at the Cosmopolitan Hotel of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is expected to be one of the biggest bouts to close out 2016 and given the explosive nature of both fighters, it’s hard to think it’s going to disappoint.

Walters has an impressive record and a standout career but it’s hard to dispute Lomachenko’s pedigree. Lomachenko finished his legendary amateur career with a record of 396-1 with his only loss to Albert Selimov avenged twice. He fought for a world title in his second professional bout but was derailed by Orlando Salido in a controversial decision. One fight later, he won the WBO Featherweight title by beating Gary Russell Jr. and then went on to defend the belt thrice before moving up in weight to challenge Martinez last June. In beating Martinez, Lomachenko became the fastest fighter in history to win two weight classes.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Back to Chase Money and 50th Win?

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The rumors of a Floyd Mayweather comeback are catching fire. That’s because the former number one pound for pound fighter in boxing has returned to gym to train. In a video posted by Mayweather himself via Instagram, the undefeated Mayweather is shown doing jump rope and a light workout:

Staying on Top

Mayweather ruled the sport of boxing during a legendary career which began with a bronze medal during the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. 49 professional fights later, Mayweather retired unbeaten and on top of the boxing world, tying the record of the great Rocky Marciano.

But even after Mayweather announced his retirement immediately after beating Andre Berto last September, many were not convinced he would stay retired for too long. For someone who has an unquenchable thirst for money and an unending quest for greatness, returning for fight number 50 seemed inevitable.

Win Number 50

Win number 50 would not only create separation between him and Rocky Marciano, it will also put him on a pedestal no mortal has ever been before. Mayweather may be turning 40 come February but when he fought Berto last September, he showed no signs of aging nor slowing down.

Earlier this year, Mayweather created a lot of buzz when he was rumored to be fighting MMA superstar Conor McGregor in a crossover boxing bout that would’ve reportedly earned each of them $100M. Money has always been in Mayweather’s mind and he’s always declared that he won’t return for a fight where he won’t earn at least $100M.

McGregor went on to fight Nate Diaz earlier this month but after a McGregor victory, the talks of a Mayweather vs. McGregor bout resurfaced when McGregor admitted that his future plans could involve doing business outside the UFC. Of course that cryptic statement could have meant doing movies, but it could also have meant a fight with Mayweather.

Mayweather’s rival Manny Pacquiao also ended his retirement by announcing a November bout with WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas. Mayweather and Pacquiao fought to the highest grossing PPV boxing event of All-time in May of 2015. Pacquiao has maintained that a shoulder injury led to his defeat. The Filipino Senator is now training to fight once again. A rematch between the two may not be likely. But if Mayweather returns and Pacman wins in November, it could be well talked about once again.

Other options like Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter and even Kell Brook. Mayweather was even once linked to a catchweight bout with Gennady Golovkin.

Roman Gonzalez vs. Carlos Cuadras Odds and Prediction

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Chocolatito is rolling. And he’s eyeing another weight class.

Roman Gonzalez, the Pound for Pound best boxer in the planet, will be moving up a couple of pounds for his next world title fight. As announced by K2 Promotions last Wednesday, Chocolatito will be challenging 115-pound champion Carlos Cuadras on September 10th at the Forum in Inglewood, California:

Chasing A Fourth Weight Class

Aside from being the Ring’s #1 Pound for Pound fighter, Gonzalez is currently the WBC, Lineal and Ring Flyweight champion.

Previously, Chocolatito held world titles in the minimum weight and light flyweight division. But having almost cleaned house in those three weight divisions, Gonzalez has decided to chase a fourth weight class and enhance his status as the best fighter in the planet.

Gonzalez is only the second boxing world champion from Nicaragua, with his mentor and idol Alexis Arguello as the other. He is unbeaten in 45 bouts and has an 84% KO ratio or a total of 38 wins by way of knockout.

After fighting mostly in Nicaragua, Mexico and Japan, Gonzalez made his first U.S. mainstream appearance in May of 2015, defeating former champion Edgar Sosa in two rounds at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Since then, Gonzalez has defended his flyweight titles two more times against former world champions Brian Viloria and McWilliams Arroyo, beating both ex-champs in dominating fashion.

First US TV Fight

Like Gonzalez, his opponent is a newcomer in the US market. Carlos Quadras will be making his second US appearance but this will be the first time that he will be fighting on a televised card and a big HBO event at that.

The 27-year old Mexican won the WBC Super Flyweight title by defeating Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2014. He has since defended the belt a total of six times.

Like Gonzazes, Cuadras in unbeaten  at 35-0 with 27 KOs but has one draw in his record. That solitary blemish happened during his first title defense against Jose Salgado. The bout ended in a technical draw after Cuadras was unable to continue following an accidental clash of heads in Round 4. Otherwise, Cuadras has been just as destructive as Chocolatito.

A former 2007 Pan American Games gold medalist, Cuadras is coming off an emphatic 8th round stoppage of FIlipino challenger Richie Mepranum last April 23rd. Gonzalez opened as a solid -600 favorite to dethrone his Mexican opponent who came at +400 in most sportsbooks.