Boxing ring will be busy Saturday

Boxing will take center stage this weekend, as several local fighters will take to the ring.

The Rock Boxing Gym in Salinas will play host to Rock War VIII, an amateur boxing show featuring more than 40 fighters, many of them local. The event takes place at 1 p.m. Saturday and will go into the night.

More than 20 fights will be on the card. There aren’t multiple rings, which means each fight is going to be front and center in front of the audience.

“It’s going to be one fight right after another,” said James Jimenez, head boxing coach and owner of the Rock Boxing Gym.

This is also going to be one of the first events in which new U.S. amateur boxing rules will be implemented. Of note, fighters with older than 19 will not wear headgear. The International Boxing Association made the changes with the hopes of making amateur boxing, which is an Olympic sport, closer to pro boxing. Also being implemented is a 10-point scoring system.

Jimenez said it’s unlikely his fighters will change their approach going into Saturday’s contest.

“We’ve always taught hands up and defense,” Jimenez said.

At least five fighters from Rock Boxing are scheduled to compete in Saturday’s card. Among the five is Angel Alfaro, an 11-year-old competing in his 40^th fight. The 66-pounder is 14-6 in his last 20 fights, according to Jimenez.

Alfaro is a unique boxer because he’s been taught how to box in a methodical way rather than punch as much as possible. As he’s continued to fight, he’s gotten used to the style and can now control the pace of a contest, Jimenez said.

“He sits on punches while other kids are (punching) like bongo drums,” Jimenez said. “Now, he can jab and move, and he hits harder than most. He’s advanced for his age.”

Alfaro practices about 15 hours a week, and he’s no pushover in the gym, even getting respect from the older veterans, Jimenez said.

Other gym participants include:

» Sean Lopez, 9, competing in his fifth fight at 55 pounds

» Pedro Escamilla, 19, making his debut at 135 pounds

» Guillermo Jimenez, 21, making his debut at 155 pounds

» • Ricardo Ayala, 20, making his debut at 195 pounds

imenez said it’s been a joy to watch fighters he and strength and conditioning coach Daniel Corona train over the past year.

“The enjoyment I get is watching them accomplish stuff they couldn’t accomplish as far back as three months ago,” he said. “Having parents there and having their back, that’s the reward.”

Tickets are $15 for people ages 13 and older, $10 for children 5 to 12 and free for children under 5.

The Rock Boxing Gym is located at 285 E. Alisal St., Salinas.

Back in the ring

Salinas boxer Paul Mendez will take on Alfredo Contreras of Los Mochis, Mexico, in a 10-round bout on Saturday at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City.

The fight will be Mendez’s first since competing on Dec. 15 at the Salinas Storm House as part of a Solo Boxeo event televised on Telefutura.

Mendez is 11-2-1 as a pro. He has won his last four fights. Contreras is 13-15-2 as a pro; he’s lost his last two fights. Saturday’s fight will be his first in Northern California; three of his previous four bouts have been in venues throughout Southern California, including the Honda Center in Anaheim.

The Mendez-Contreras fight is the main event of a Don Chargin and Paco Presents boxing card.

Tickets are $35, $45 and $60. Tickets can be purchased at foxrwc.com or at 650-631-3781.

Lacrosse honors

Several Monterey and Santa Cruz county high school lacrosse players received all-American honors from US Lacrosse earlier this month.

Stevenson’s John Jackson was named an all-American by the organization. Jackson, a midfielder, helped Stevenson win the MTAL title.

Palma’s Mario Enea was named the Coach of the Year.

Watsonville’s Alan Medina was named an Academic All-American, and Aptos’ Tyler Sweeney-Marquez was named an All-American. Phil Dundas, an assistant at Aptos, was named the Assistant Coach of the Year.

Softball realignment

The Monterey Bay League didn’t go through much change in the softball ranks.

Only two teams will switch positions among the 14 teams in the league. Seaside, the champions of the Pacific Division, will head up to the Gabilan Division. Monterey, which finished near the bottom of the Gabilan Division, goes down.

Although Seaside comes in as the champions and with a young squad, it will get tested, as three of the other six teams in the division will play 2014 as a defending CCS champion. (Source)

Floyd Mayweather to fight Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 14

Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez agreed to terms late Wednesday to fight in a WBA/WBC super welterweight unification bout. The match will be held at a maximum weight of 152 pounds and will be at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

Showtime will distribute the pay-per-view.

The bout is, arguably, the most significant that can be made from a pay-per-view standpoint. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said he thinks the fight has a chance to surpass the 2.5 million sales that Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya generated in 2007 to set the record.

Mayweather, 36, will be fighting just four months after a 12-round decision over Robert Guerrero on May 4. Mayweather hasn’t fought twice in a four-month period since 2001, when he met Diego Corrales on Jan. 20 and then fought Carlos Hernandez on May 26.

“Floyd wanted to give the fans what they wanted to see and this is the fight the fans and the media were calling for,” said Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “Nobody believed him, but Floyd stood up there [at the podium at the post-fight news conference after the win over Guerrero] and told everyone he’d be back in September.

“Canelo is a good young fighter, but he’s bitten off more than he can chew. Floyd said, ‘I’m going to whip that ass.’ This is a whole other level we’re talking about.”

Asked if he saw any way that Mayweather could lose, Ellerbe said, “Impossible.”

Alvarez, who will be 23 in July, is unbeaten like Mayweather, though he has one draw blemishing his record. Mayweather is a perfect 44-0, while Alvarez is 42-0-1 with 30 knockouts. He respects Mayweather, but said he won’t be intimidated and thinks he’ll win.

“He’s a great fighter, but I have intelligence in that ring and I have the same speed he has,” Alvarez said through interpreter Eric Gomez. “I can use my head, but I have that special thing: I have some power that will help me.”

Ellerbe said Mayweather was always focused on making a deal with Alvarez and said no other opponents had been discussed.

Top Rank president Todd duBoef said he will move his fight card featuring a super lightweight title match between Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley Jr. – originally planned for Sept. 14 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas – to Oct. 14 so as not to conflict with the Mayweather-Alvarez fight.

Also, the LVH sports book in Las Vegas opened Mayweather as a slightly better than 2-1 favorite. It has Mayweather at minus-250 and Alvarez at plus-210. (Source)

Floyd Mayweather Jr. can’t be considered greatest of all-time due to lack of elite competition

Floyd Mayweather showed yet again why he is, conclusively, the greatest fighter of his generation.

He brilliantly outboxed Robert Guerrero on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden, cruising to a wide unanimous decision in their WBC welterweight title fight that probably would have been a stoppage had he not injured his right hand in the middle of the fight.

Mayweather is far beyond being judged against his peers, but the lack of depth and quality among them keeps him from seriously being regarded as one of the 10 best fighters ever.

Sugar Ray Robinson is, without question, the greatest fighter who ever lived. He was 128-1-2 before he suffered his second defeat, and he beat enough Hall of Famers to fill a football team.

The thing that Robinson, and more recent superstars such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, had over Mayweather was elite opposition.

“Let me tell you this right here about the boxing game,” Mayweather’s father, Floyd Sr., said. “There were much better fighters when Sugar Ray Robinson was coming along. There were much better fighters when Joe Louis was coming along. But that’s not my son’s fault. My son beat who’s here today, and if they can’t protect themselves, oh well.”

Mayweather fought most, though not all, of the best of his era. He missed Kostya Tszyu when he was at 140 pounds and to this point, he hasn’t fought Manny Pacquiao.

But he’s reeled off 44 in a row and, in truth, none of them were close. He routed Guerrero on Saturday, connecting on an incredible 60 percent of his power punches while holding Guerrero to just 19 percent overall.

Guerrero had some success in the first two rounds in trying to pin Mayweather along the ropes, where he could maul him. All three judges gave Guerrero the first round for that. But that was it.

Love him or hate him – there is usually no in-between – Mayweather always figures it out. He’s a boxing savant and has been since the first time he pulled on gloves as a child in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Mayweather, who was extraordinarily classy and respectful at the post-fight news conference, took the high road when he was asked where he’d rank himself.

Prior to the fight, he declared himself the best who ever lived. He backed off that on Saturday.

“I take my hat off to Sugar Ray Leonard and all those other fighters who paved the way for me to be where I am at today,” Mayweather said. “I’m not here to match myself against them because, like I said before, I’m not in their era. I respect them. I take my hat off to them. But I’m in my era, and I just do what I do.”

It’s unfortunate that he hasn’t had those kinds of rivals. The Pacquiao fight fell through for a myriad of reasons, despite intense interest from the fan base.

But other than Tszyu and Pacquiao, there aren’t a lot of elite fighters that he hasn’t faced. He’s beaten at least four guys who figure to wind up in the International Boxing Hall of Fame – Arturo Gatti, Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto – and may have several more victims who sneak in.

He’s planning to fight on Sept. 14, the first time in about a dozen years that he will have fought twice in four months. He brushed aside questions about Canelo Alvarez, who is probably the biggest threat he faces.

Adrien Broner is the only boxer who is in the same realm with Mayweather in terms of physical gifts, and he’s just moved to welterweight, Mayweather’s division.

But when Broner was asked about a potential fight with Mayweather, his good friend, he made an obscene gesture with both hands.

Any other fighters who might face Mayweather, guys like Amir Khan, Danny Garcia, a potential rematch with Victor Ortiz, would be massive underdogs.

He is so astute, he knows when he needs to adjust, and he did that by bringing his father back to train him. His father taught him the game and helped build him into a fighting machine. He also made him one of history’s foremost defensive boxers.

After his 2012 win over Cotto, Mayweather knew he had to fix things.

“Miguel Cotto hit me with some shots I shouldn’t have been hit with, so I had to bring the defense master back, my father,” Mayweather said as his father, seated a few feet away, beamed.

The elder Mayweather was mortified when he first resumed working with his son and saw bigger fighters, who in the past would have never laid a glove on his son, tagging him with clean shots.

He knew they needed to do some work, and to Floyd Jr.’s credit, he was willing to do what he needed to do.

“I got in his ear and started telling him he can’t take no more punches like that,” Mayweather Sr. said. “In two days, he wasn’t taking those punches any more. He started capitalizing and countering. As we went along, he kept making them miss and then capitalizing. He just got better and better.”

He’s done that throughout his career, and that’s why he is unquestionably the best of this time. But his lack of opposition will never allow him to be compared to guys like Robinson, Henry Armstrong, Muhammad Ali and the sport’s other super elite. (Source)

Scots champ McCallum added to Limond undercard

Heading the undercard is current Scottish middleweight champion Gary McCallum, who will make the first defence of the title he lifted in March this year.

With a professional record of nine wins, McCallum picked up his lastest win with a 98-93 points win over the durable Paul Allison and now will defend his title against Wishaw’s Ryan Scott on the June 7^th card.

The bill will also feature Darren McAdam, George Thomson, Jordon McCorry and Craig Kelly in action. Former Commonwealth title challenger Eddie Doyle also returns to action.

While delighted with acquiring a title, the fighter from Castlemilk area of Glasgow admits he didn’t have it all his own way in his fight with Allison.

“It did take me a few rounds to find my range. Paul is a game fighter, and always comes forward. I lost a few rounds as he was catching me, but after viewing the fight I can see were I can make the improvements, and I hope I can bring those into my title defence.

“I would love to fight for more titles down the line, but I am in no rush. I learnt a lot from my last fight and I look forward to having more of them as I want to develop myself so I can reach my full potential. I will have the right experience if the big title fights come my way. My trainer Willie Downie has kept me ticking over recently and for the Scott fight we have had a good training camp with lots of hill runs and hard sparring.

“I’ve also been working on my strength and conditioning with coach Graeme Downie who will ensure I will be in great shape come June 7^th.” (Source)

Price plans to sleep his way to the top

David Price will be in bed fast asleep shortly before his make or break rematch against Tony Thompson.

The Scouse heavyweight was shocked two rounds by the American southpaw in February, but goes for revenge at Liverpool’s Echo Arena on July 6.

Price, 29, has spent three weeks working under former undisputed world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in Canada. And the laid back fighting great reckons Price would be more relaxed if he went to bed after he arrived at the venue.   British and Commonwealth champion Price, who stands 6ft 9in tall, has now ordered promoter Frank Maloney to deliver a king sized bed to his dressing room.

Price said: “I will have to get a king size bed but I will certainly have one there after listening to Lennox telling me what he used to do.

“He always had a bed in his dressing room and had something like two hours’ sleep before the fight after getting to the arena early.

“He said that helped him get rid of all the pre-fight tension because he would switch off, go to sleep, and then wake up.

“It’s a good idea and something I will certainly be trying. Look – if someone like Lennox Lewis benefitted from that approach, it can’t do me any harm, can it?”

Lewis will fly into Britain two weeks before his 12 round non-title clash against two time world title challenger Thompson.

Price added: “We always work hard before every fight, but working with Lennox took me to a whole new level of training.

“We got to see what he used to do when he was at the top of his game and it was an eye opener. There would be three people watching me punch a bag and as soon as I made a mistake they were on me. It was a refreshing change and a lot of the training completely different. It was also good to sit down and talk to Lennox about the obstacles he had to overcome.

“He showed me so many different things that I wouldn’t be able to use them all in this one fight.”

On the same bill British light-welterweight champion Darren Hamilton, will be making his second defence of his title against Adil Anwar. (Source)

Afolabi - ‘I’ll do whatever it takes to beat Huck’

On June 8, the man from London will renew his feud with defending champion Marco Huck (35-2-1, 25 KOs).

After previously losing and fighting Huck to a draw, Afolabi believes that now it is his time to shine at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin, Germany. For that reason, the 33-year-old has brought himself into tremendous shape due to changes in his preparations leading up to the fight.

In the following interview, Afolabi explains what he has done differently this time round and why he is time has come at last.

Ola Afolabi, it has been over a year that you last stepped into a ring. In May 2012, you fought out a draw against your very next opponent Marco Huck. What do you remember of the fight?

Ola Afolabi: It was extremely tough. Towards the end of it, I lost my focus. That allowed him to get back into the bout. My mental preparation ahead of the fight was not ideal and that took its toll back then.

How is your training going? You have been in Germany for a few weeks now…

Ola Afolabi: It has been really good. I have started my preparations back in November of last year. I went to Big Bear in California to work on my conditioning, which I have also been working on while we were staying in Zinnowitz, Germany. If I compare my current fitness level to previous camps, it is a difference of day and night.

According to yourself, you have been preparing for this fight since November. Is there any danger that you might have been doing too much and that your intense training could have cost too much energy?

Ola Afolabi: No, there is no danger whatsoever. I have mostly been working on my conditioning by running a lot as well as on my mental strength. Sparring only started a few weeks ago. I will be at my best when I step into the ring come June 8.

What do you mean when you say, that you have been doing things you were not doing in your previous preparations?

Ola Afolabi: I have been learning from fight to fight. As I did not have an amateur career, I had to gain experience by fighting against professionals. I am still a raw product. A big difference is that I have changed my diet. I am eating properly and take vitamin supplements. I quit eating cheeseburgers and other junk food and have turned to healthy food instead. It makes a huge difference. I could make the weight for the fight right now. So by not having to make weight I can concentrate on my training and keep my focus.

You have been quite openly talking about your preparations via the social media, keeping your fans but also your opponents up to date with the progress. Why do you do that and isn’t there a danger of giving away too much?

Ola Afolabi: I am very proud of myself and the way the preparation has been going so far. I want my fans to know, that I am not just talking but backing it up. It also keeps me motivated when the supporters give me a positive feedback. Moreover, I am only posting photos of my progress. I do not talk about my sparring and I do not go into detail. All it does is that it should motivate Huck. He knows that I am ready. So he better be ready himself.

On June 8, you will try to grab the WBO World Championship off Huck for a third time. With what kind of attitude are you going into the fight?

Ola Afolabi: My attitude is pretty simple. This was my belt, this is my belt and I am coming to finally take it from him. I honestly do not see how I could lose this fight. I have been working to hard on myself and on the tactics. I should already have won the title last year. Now the time has finally come.

After two previous encounters, you must know Marco Huck quite well now. Where do you see his strengths and weaknesses?

Ola Afolabi: Huck always comes to fight. When he turns up, he is going for it. He is a bit like a robot and just keeps coming. He is actually too tough to know when he has been hurt. I do not want to talk about his weaknesses. You can ask me again after I beat him.

Obviously, you are planning to win. If everything works out for you, would you then be prepared to face him a fourth time?

Ola Afolabi: I do not know. If it is good business why not. But first, I would like to take on the mandatory challenger Firat Arslan. After that, I would go for Huck again.

What will be the outcome of June 8?

Ola Afolabi: I am not going into the fight looking for a knockout. That would increase the risk of over-pacing during the first few rounds. However, I see myself stopping Huck early. Regardless of that, I am going to do whatever it takes to leave the ring as the winner. (Source)

Ravens CB Jimmy Smith takes up boxing regimen, loses 10 pounds

The last time that imposing cornerback Jimmy Smith shadowed a wide receiver in an actual game, his physical coverage of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree provided an edge in the final moments of the Ravens’ Super Bowl victory.

Months later, Smith has been honing his game and getting into optimal shape and health after dealing with a sports hernia surgery last season that sidelined him for five games.

Through a rigorous boxing regimen with a local trainer in Timonium, the 6-foot-2 former first-round draft pick has dropped 10 pounds to get down to a lean 200 pounds.

“I feel great, I feel like I did in college,” Smith said. “I actually did some boxing and trying to get my core strength. My trainers told me to work on that for my back and groin. I’m doing conditioning drills, speed bag, no heavy bag.

“A defensive back needs quick hands. The groin really hurt my game last year, playing through that all of last season and finally having surgery. Now that’s better. I feel 100 percent better.”

Smith finished the regular season with 31 tackles and no interceptions, but had a strong postseason where he displayed the potential the Ravens had identified in him as an All-Big 12 Conference selection at the University of Colorado.

A history of injuries has curtailed Smith’s impact in his first two seasons, limiting him to five starts, 49 career tackles, two interceptions and 11 pass deflections.

Smith dealt with a high ankle sprain that prevented him from playing in four games as a rookie and also had a bout with back spasms.

Now, he’s slated to compete with veteran Corey Graham for a starting job. However it turns out, both cornerbacks figure to get a hefty workload.

“Anybody can emerge and be a starter,” Smith said. “I’ve been wanting to starter since Day One, but God had a plan. I’m still just learning, trying to become a better player in the classroom and on the field, trying to diagnose plays and read things and be a student of the game.

“You always want to go uphill. You never want to digress. I’m trying to pick up where I left off and do even better. I feel like I’ve improved. Everything is a work in progress. I’m still trying to climb the mountain. I’m not where I want to be yet, but I’ll be there.” (Source)

5 Hot Names in Boxing Whose Popularity Won’t Last

LA Boxing Opens New Location in Park Slope

LA Boxing will be opening a new location in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Located on the corner of 3^rd Street and Fourth Avenue, LA Boxing will take the entire 6,000-square-foot second floor of the three-story commercial property at 340 Fourth Avenue.

The deal comes in light of the fitness franchise’s plans to open nearly 30 gyms in the New York area over the course of a year and a half, Crain’s reported a year ago. At the start of the expansion, LA Fitness operated out of one location in Long Island City, Queens.

The gym’s expansion plans seem to be executing slower than expected as this will only be the fourth location, in addition to the recently opened gym on John Street in the Financial District and another in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn.

Timothy King, managing partner of CPEX, noted that the retail location received a great deal of the attention and that the landlord was looking for a quality tenant. Another tenant, Blinds to Go, will be taking the ground-floor space.

CPEX’s Ryan Condren, Kristina Triglia and George Danut represented the landlord, a local investor, in the transaction. The lease was set for 10 years.

“Park Slope is on fire,” added Mr. King on the commercial and retail market in the area. “Demand is significantly up in the past few years.”

LA Boxing will be in a short proximity to Whole Foods, its first Brooklyn location slated to open in late 2013 and a rival to the beloved Park Slope Food Coop. Given the large family demographic, the slope has welcomed other tenants like the Mozarts and Einsteins preschool, as The Commercial Observer reported earlier this year.

“The Brooklyn landscape is seeing the most activity since Moses,” Mr. King further commented. “That’s Robert Moses, of course.” (Source)

Mayweather should beat Canelo, says Joe Cortez

“I want to see the fight in person, to chat with fans and talk about this matchup that will be very special,” said Cortez, who entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011 and retired last year. “This will be one of the biggest fights in boxing in the last 10 years.”

Cortez officiated four Mayweather fights and one Alvarez bout, when the junior middleweight titlist knocked out Josesito Lopez last September. That was also Cortez’s farewell fight.

When asked what impressed him most about Mayweather, Cortez pointed to the pound-for-pound king’s intelligence and preparation.

“In the ring, having been with [some of the best fighters in the world], I could see that Mayweather had an amazing style. He’s always thinking, he knows when to throw his combinations,” said Cortez, 69, who oversaw Mayweather’s controversial knockout of Victor Ortiz in 2011. “Mayweather throws his punch, and most times he’s going to land that punch.

“He’s very smart, he brings style and spirit [to the ring]. When he moves in the ring, you say, ‘Wow!’ He’s very hard to beat.”

But Cortez, who refereed almost 3,000 fights in a career that lasted 35 years, also was impressed by Alvarez in the Lopez fight (after which the Mexican star symbolically placed his title belt on the referee’s waist, knowing it was Cortez’s last fight).

“He was very poised, never lost his control in the ring and had tremendous power,” Cortez said of Alvarez. “He connected with good body shots, good combinations and had good defense. He looked like a much more experienced fighter than [his age implied].”

That said, Cortez considers Mayweather the favorite against Alvarez. He warns, though, that boxing always has the potential to surprise, and Alvarez could hurt Mayweather with his powerful right hand, as he did in a win over Austin Trout in April.

“Canelo Alvarez is a superstar today, he’s a kid who is 22 and has a great future, a boxer with a tremendous style and a guy who is hungry,” Cortez said. “I don’t know if he has the experience yet that he should have in one or two more years. Mayweather is 36, and 36 is not the same as 22, but he brings a lot of experience to the ring and has a style that is very hard to beat. He has good power, and I think that right now it will be a little hard for Canelo to beat him because Mayweather has the experience and he, in his last fight, fought like a 22-year-old boxer.

“It will be really interesting because I think the two are coming to battle, but the experience always wins over the youth. It’s going to be very close, but I’m favoring Mayweather simply because of the history he already has.”

Cortez was the referee in another megabout—the first meeting between Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar De La Hoya, in 1996 -- which he says resembles the Mayweather-Alvarez matchup.

“Mayweather being Julio and Canelo, Oscar—one being older and the other younger,” Cortez said.

Young De La Hoya, undefeated at the time and already a star in his own right, won that fight 17 years ago. When Alvarez tries to follow his lead on Sept. 14, Cortez plans not to miss it. (Source)

Floyd Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez bout gets boxing off canvas

Come to find out, boxing is about to get back to boxing.

Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr., will fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in Las Vegas on Sept. 14. This time, pre-fight talk may actually include some substance. Every fight is always “going to be great.” This one might be.

The tone will be set when Mayweather and his father, Floyd Sr., start spouting and pouting. This is a train-wreck family.

No need to nudge the public to get excited. Emotions will not have to be encouraged. Five minutes after Golden Boy Promotions announced Wednesday night that the fight had been made, countless fans had their side picked. In a poll, seven librarians in Greenland said they didn’t care. Everywhere else, hands went up for one corner or the other.

The cliche works best here. For boxing, this fight is a perfect storm.

Start with the ethnic rooting interest.

Mayweather is African American; Alvarez is Mexican. In boxing, those are fighting words. That alone might propel this fight past the all-time record of pay-per-view buys, the 2.525 million sold when Mayweather beat Oscar De La Hoya six years ago.

Then throw in the obvious contrasts.

Mayweather always talks trash. He probably threatens the shower curtain. Alvarez still struggles to speak English, so if he talks trash, much of the audience doesn’t know it. Mayweather has a big smile and a menacing scowl. Alvarez has red hair and freckles.

Their fight history, contrasting styles and statistical comparisons add greatly to this.

Mayweather is unbeaten and reminds you of that only when he talks. His 44-0 includes 26 knockouts. Alvarez is unbeaten and his 42-0-1 includes 30 knockouts. Mayweather is 36, Alvarez 22. They will fight at a catchweight of 152 pounds. Mayweather is most comfortable at 147, Alvarez at 154.

Mayweather is never out of shape, even between fights, and his weight seldom surpasses 160. Alvarez, the bigger man, may balloon to as much as 170 for fight night, the day after the weigh-in.

Mayweather is a defensive genius. He’s like trying to hit a lightning bug — when it’s lit. Alvarez is a bulldozer, always moving forward. Whatever he connects with usually crumbles. To date, nobody has made Mayweather crumble.

Finally, there is the biggest driver of interest in this fight. Hate.

Many fans will want Mayweather to lose. Some will be kneeling in church with hands together in prayer, lighting candles and asking a higher power for a broken jaw and a 10-count.

Mayweather’s ranting and chest-thumping are legendary. Also off-putting. Some is ego-driven, some born of a wonderfully instinctive understanding of what sells a fight. He is not the highest-paid athlete in the world without reason.

He markets obnoxious behavior like Campbell’s markets soup. It is his brand. Sadly, he also has practiced what he spews. He spent time in jail last summer after roughing up his former girlfriend, the mother of his children.

Alvarez is one of eight children — his six brothers once fought on the same boxing card. He acquired his nickname because his manager and advisor, knowing he was taunted as a child for his red hair and freckles, wanted a friendlier, softer image. So Alvarez became Canelo, or cinnamon.

Golden Boy’s chief executive, Richard Schaefer, closed the deal around 8 p.m. Wednesday, clearing the final hurdle with an agreement on a fight weight.

“Canelo was here, in L.A., in our office,” Schaefer said. “I knew it was close, so I flew him in. I was talking on the phone to Al Haymon [Mayweather’s advisor] and he was talking to Floyd, who was driving.

“When I told Canelo we had the deal, he had goose bumps on his arms. He gave me a hug.”

A big part of boxing went down for a long count when Manny Pacquiao took the shot from Juan Manuel Marquez last December and needed smelling salts. Now, we seem to be destined to watch Pacquiao fight in China, where his promoter, Bob Arum, is seeking to mine new boxing gold.

“Our focus is on boxing in the U.S., the greatest country in the world,” said Schaefer, smacking down Arum.

Well before Pacquiao went down — after also losing a bizarre judges’ decision last year to Tim Bradley — the sport was wallowing in muck, even more than usual.

There were drug suspensions for the likes of Andre Berto, Lamont Peterson and Julio Chavez Jr. The heavyweight division, a.k.a. the Klitschko brothers, fights almost exclusively in Europe. Perhaps the most-skilled fighter in the world, Andre Ward, is primarily seen in a tuxedo at ringside, microphone in hand. Sergio Martinez goes home to fight, fills a soccer stadium in Argentina and then nearly loses. Shane Mosley makes a comeback and we kneel in prayer.

Schaefer, De La Hoya and Golden Boy have clearly pitched a save for their sport with this one.

So let the anger, hate, ethnic taunts, overblown egos, foolish braggadocio and unfiltered hype begin.

Boxing’s back. (Source)

Longtime Duluth boxing trainer dies

Boxing was Jerry LeGarde’s calling card as a competitor, trainer and father of five boxing sons.

The lifelong Duluthian, who was a member of Minnesota’s Chippewa tribe and also owned a painting contract business, helped his wife raise 14 children (seven boys and seven girls) and was an avid physical fitness participant into his 70s — horseshoes, bowling, softball and distance running.

LeGarde died Thursday of natural causes, spending his last 2½ years at Diamond Willow Assisted Living in Proctor. He was 84.

“My dad always preached ‘You reach your goals through hard work,’ and he was the perfect example,” son David LeGarde of St. Paul said Friday. “He was highly competitive and tough, and was definitely stern (at home). We had our rules and you knew he, and our mom, were the boss.

“But he also had a great sense of humor and was so good in working with so many youngsters, hundreds, over 30 years as a boxing coach. He knew how to motivate. He left his mark. And he was a tremendous help to his own children through their lives with advice on everything.”

Jerry LeGarde, 5-foot-10 and 135 pounds, fought professionally as a lightweight and had a 7-3-1 record from 1949 to 1951. He married Patricia Stovern in 1950 and operated LeGarde Painting and Decorating for nearly 40 years. He trained boxers for the Duluth Amateur Boxing Association at the Duluth Police Gym, above Erik’s Body Shop, on East First Street and two other locations.

Two of LeGarde’s best-known fighters were sons Johnny (at 132 pounds) and Denny (at 147), who competed at the Golden Gloves level and as professionals.

Jerry LeGarde, who served in the U.S. Army, spoke with the News Tribune in 1980 about son Johnny, a Duluth Denfeld junior fighting at 106 pounds at age 16:

“He’s an excellent boxer, probably as good as you’ll ever see around here. He works hard. I don’t even have to tell him to; he does it on his own. In fact, sometimes I have to tell him to take a day off. He’s in the gym seven days a week.”

Jerry LeGarde coached boxing through 1992, but hardly slowed down. He ran to stay in shape while boxing and picked up the sport again during the running boom of the 1980s. He kept a daily running log, owned a treadmill and encouraged his children to give it a try.

At age 68, in a warm 1997 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, he finished fifth in the men’s 65-69 age group in 2 hours 17 minutes, 19 seconds.

“Running was a great challenge for him and he loved the Grandma’s Marathon weekend races,” said David LeGarde, 46, a former Duluth Denfeld basketball and baseball player who is a high school counselor at West Education Center in Minnetonka, Minn. “Running has become a family thing for the LeGardes because of him.”

Jerry LeGarde is survived by his wife of 63 years, Patricia, 14 children, 29 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren.

Visitation is 12:30 p.m. Monday at St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish, 325 East Third Street. A 2 p.m. funeral Mass follows with interment at Calvary Cemetery, and a reception at the church is after the service. (Source)

Top boxing cutman honored by chance to inspire

Jacob “Stitch” Duran’s career as a cutman in boxing and the Ultimate Fighting Championship has allowed him to travel all over the world.

Duran, 61, has worked with some of the greatest fighters. His career has given him an opportunity to have a part in movies with Hollywood stars like Sylvester Stallone and Kevin James.

However, the highlight of his career came when he was asked to be a commencement speaker at Friday’s Le Grand High graduation.

“It’s the biggest honor bestowed on me during my entire career,” said Duran, who grew up in Planada and graduated from Le Grand in 1970. “To come back home and give kids the encouragement I wish I had. I’m going to try to put them on the same path I took. I’m going to talk from my heart.”

Each year the Le Grand senior class is given the opportunity to choose a keynote speaker for graduation. The administration then reaches out to the person selected to try to make it happen.

“He was excited to come back,” Le Grand Principal Javier Martinez said. “We’re delighted to have him on board. He’s pretty good at working his magic in the corners to keep fighters upright. We’re hoping he can use some of his magic to uplift the graduates.”

Learning the craft

Duran’s path started in Planada, where he grew up working on farms. After graduating from Le Grand, he had a short stint at Merced College, where he tried to play baseball.

“Getting to school in the morning was easy because I could catch a ride with friends,” Duran said. “I just couldn’t find a ride home after practice. Eventually I had to quit, and I decided to join the Air Force.”

After his time in the service, Duran moved back to California, eventually opening a kickboxing gym. While training fighters, he began learning the craft of a cutman — the person in the corner armed with swabs, Vaseline, gauze and other tools used to help control bleeding and keep the swelling down during fights.

Much of what Duran learned was picked up on the job.

Duran moved to Las Vegas in 1994 and quickly built his reputation in boxing. One of his biggest nights came in 1997 when he amazingly was able to keep Raul Marquez in a fight with Keith Mullings.

“He had two gashes on his forehead, two big cuts on his cheek and one on his nose,” Duran said. “He was a bloody mess, but I kept him in the game. There’s not many people who could have kept him fighting. Marquez needed 75 stitches after that fight.”

Making move to UFC

In 2001 Duran joined the UFC and has become one of the most recognizable figures in the sport.

“People come up to me all the time in restaurants or airports,” Duran said. “I love it. When we traveled to Brazil for a fight, the customs agent said, ‘Stitch, welcome to Brazil.’ “

Duran started out with UFC 32 and since has worked every UFC event (UFC 160 took place last weekend in Las Vegas) unless there was a boxing conflict.

Since then he’s worked with the top talent in the UFC, including fighters like Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar, Anderson Silva, B.J. Penn and Jon Jones.

“I’m very comfortable doing what I’m doing now,” Duran said. “I’ve seen every cut. I’ve seen every knockout. I know the importance of what I do with fighters.

“It’s not only about the bleeding. There’s a psychological aspect to it too. They know I’ll take care of them. I’ll stop the bleeding so they can go out and do what they have to do.”

His job doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Having Stitch in my corner means everything,” UFC fighter Victor Belfort said. “He does everything good. Just looking into his eyes, he just gives you this look that makes you comfortable and calm. When he’s wrapping my hands before a fight, the words he uses, it’s very calming. He’s the best.”

Side benefits

There are definitely great opportunities that come with being the premier cutman in the UFC and when you work with boxers like Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko. Duran’s relationship with the Klitschko brothers landed him a part in the movie “Ocean’s Eleven” (2001).

Sylvester Stallone selected him for a part in “Rocky Balboa” (2006). He was in Kevin James’ recent movie “Here Comes the Boom” (2012).

On Wednesday, Duran was part of the filming of the UFC’s reality TV show “The Ultimate Fighter” in Las Vegas. He’s been with the show for all 18 seasons.

Duran’s career has taken him to places like Canada, Australia, England, Ireland, Japan and Sweden.

“I’ve been all over the world,” Duran said. “I’ve been to the greatest cities. I’ve been in the greatest venues and seen the greatest fans. It’s been tremendous.

“I grew up as a farmworker in Planada. I remember being in Tokyo, Japan. We’re in the middle of the Tokyo Dome in front of 70,000 people. I remember thinking at that moment, ‘Look at this. How is a kid from Planada in the center of this action?’ “

Friday night Duran found himself back home, away from the glitz and glamour of the UFC as he spoke to the graduates from his alma mater.

The message he had for the kids was if they were able to work hard enough, if they’re able to fight through the pain and go one more round, they too will succeed in life.  (Source)