We saw this coming: Ex-contender Luis Collazo heading up any televised
card wasn't likely to produce a meaningful outcome, or a thrill a
minute. And his win over Alan Sanchez Monday on Fox Sports went exactly
as foretold. Despite what the fawning Fox Sports 1 commentary team of
Paulie Malignaggi and Castle Chalice (the real name he goes by!) was
telling us about Collazo again becoming a contender or the "great show"
in San Antonio, none of it was true.
Some people liked Sanchez's chances coming in, part of which was about
seeing something in him and part of which was Collazo being a
32-year-old still rebounding from a loss to Freddy Hernandez. Malignaggi
found the loss defensible given that Collazo suffered a torn labrum;
having not seen the fight, I can't say one way or the other. It's a
bad-looking loss on his record, though, certainly worse than losing to
Shane Mosley or Ricky Hatton or Andre Berto. Here's what he looked like
to me after tonight: A "name" at welterweight who's back in the win
column against two of three opponents who weren't pushovers, which
includes Sanchez. Sanchez won two of the first four rounds on my card,
mostly when he would throw a bunch of right crosses in a row or just
generally stay busy. He couldn't keep it up for sufficient stretches to
counter Collazo's body work, left hands, ring generalship and defense. I
scored it 97-93 after giving Sanchez the 10th, like one judge had it
and unlike two others who had it wider — 99-91 and 98-92. Collazo's name
ought to get him another fight, and his style is tricky enough to throw
an up-and-comer or rehabbing vet some trouble. His style can mesh well
with particularly aggressive fighters, which wasn't the type he was
facing Monday, so in that sense he didn't exactly help his case for a
much bigger bout.
Bantamweight and ex-Olympian Rau'shee Warren scored four knockdowns
against Omar Gonzalez but couldn't keep him down in a slight step up in
Warren's competition, seeing as how Gonzalez had recently beaten
ex-contender Raul Martinez. Warren has hand speed that puts him among
the elite pros, and is showing more power than he did as an amateur, but
the tradeoff is that he has become more hittable, which is something
he'll have to fix going forward or he'll get knocked out. As for
Martinez, he kicked off the show with some slugging against Daniel
Quevedo, not that it was enough to make up for Martinez looking pretty
faded or the non-action elsewhere on the card. He got the win after
Quevedo quit in his corner for a 4th round stoppage.
Johnny Garcia began preparations for his next fight mere minutes after his last fight ended.
It was a trip to Fort Lauderdale, Fla, however, that suggested to Garcia that he needed more intensity in his training than he ever had before.
"I got invited to help a world champion fighter get ready for his next fight by being one of his sparring partners," Garcia said. "Mike Tyson has a training facility in Fort Lauderdale and I was sparring with Argenis Mendez from the Dominican Republic."
Mendez, a silver medalist at the junior world championships in 2004, lost his IBF junior lightweight title fight to Rances Barthelemy on Jan 4 in Minneapolis, but Garcia jokingly said "it wasn’t my fault."
On Saturday, Garcia (18-1, 11 KOs) will make his return to both the ring and to Grand Rapids as he fights Chicago’s Jermaine White (17-6) in a junior welterweight undercard fight. Hudsonville heavyweight Jordan Schimmel is the main attraction for this night of fighting.
Other probable boxers include: Purnell Gates (26 – 2, 15 KOs) from Grandville, Lane Staal (11-0-1, 5 KOs) from Canton and Vincent Jennings (3-0-1, 3 KOs) from Grand Rapids.
Garcia, a Holland native, said he plans to use the knowledge he gained from hanging out with Tyson, a former heavyweight world champion, and sparring with Mendez to add another win to his record. "I want to show that my skill level is still rising," Garcia, 31, said. "Mendez is slick and crafty and I learned I have to be patient. I feed off the energy of the (home) crowd.
"I want to give them a show, but I know I can’t go out there and bullrush every opponent. The big punches will come."
White has lost his last three fights and has not been in the ring since Jan. 5, 2013 when his fight with Denver’s Robert Frankel was stopped due to an accidental head butt.
Garcia, however, is training for this fight as he has for every one of his previous 19 bouts — like it’s for a championship.
"I didn’t have a set schedule (in Fort Lauderdale), but I was working out hard the whole time I was down there," Garcia said. "I’m not looking past (White). I know I have a tough fight and a tough fighter in front of me."
Tickets for "Wintertime Warfare" are available at Pincushns in downtown Holland or at Holland Cakery ‘n Sweets, 11539 E. Lakewood Blvd. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the fight begins at 7 p.m.
Advance general admission tickets are $25, floor seats are $35. VIP tables are also available. Parking for the event is $7. Admission will rise $10 day of show.
VERONA, New York (AP) — Argenis Mendez and Arash Usmanee fought to a 12-round draw Friday night at the Turning Stone Resort Casino.
Mendez (21-2-1) retained his IBF junior lightweight belt in the
marquee attraction of Mike Tyson’s first promotional fight card. Tyson, a
member of the Boxing Hall of Fame, has organized an outfit called “Iron
Mike Productions,” and his aim is to be a full-service agency for
up-and-coming fighters, who can learn the sport, in and out of the ring,
from one of the greatest.
Usmanee improved to 20-1-1 in the event, which was tabbed “Tyson Is Back!”
In another bout, Jesus Andres Cueller (23-1) outlasted previously
undefeated Claudio Marrero (14-1, 11 KOs) to win the vacant World WBA
interim featherweight championship.
Argenis Mendez retained his IBF featherweight title but only after a controversial draw with Arash Usmanne in New York.
Argenis Mendez (R) with training partner Matthew Hatton and trainer Lee Beard
Mendez, who is trained in Manchester by Lee Beard, appeared to call
the shots in an entertaining fight as the Dominican utilized a 'hit and
don't be hit' policy to good effect.
Challenger Usmanne was the aggressor, and the judges clearly favoured
his approach while Mendez could be accused of sitting on the ropes for
too long.
The champion, in his first defence, typically began slowly but was in
charge by round five as he made the Canadian-based Afghan miss the
target at will.
Usmanne appeared to run out of steam but still enjoyed his best moments late on, troubling Mendez in the 11th and 12th rounds.
However, it came as some surprise to those in attendance when a score
of 115-113 for Usmanne and two tallies of 114-114 meant the result was a
majority draw.
Mendez had talked before the fight of making one defence of the title
he won by stopping Juan Carlos Salgado earlier this year before
stepping up in weight, however a rematch could now be in the offing.
The bout was the main attraction as former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson made his promotional debut.
Saturday, March 9, Argenis Mendez
(20-2) will take on Juan Carlos Salgado (26-1-1) in a rematch for
Salgado's IBF super featherweight title. The bout will take place at The
Hangar in Costa Mesa, California and will be televised on HBO Latino.
badlefthook.com
In their first encounter, Salgado was able to pull off a unanimous
decision victory and capture a vacant IBF super featherweight title.
However, it mus be noted that Mendez had Salgado down in the 12th and in
serious trouble.
Nevertheless, it should be interesting to see if Mendez will look to
come out stronger in the earlier rounds as it is evident that Mendez can
hurt Salgado. With world class fighters such as Mikey Garcia and Nonito
Donaire looking to move up in weight in order to capture world titles
in different weight classes, there will be significant opportunities for
the winner of Mendez/ Salgado to take part in a significant fight that
could take their careers to the next level within the sport of boxing.
Overall, the bout should provide the boxing world with a competitive
match up that could provide the winner with a significant payday down
the road. Only time will tell, but boxing fans should tune into this
match up as it is evermore evident that the lower weight classes are
brewing with talent, which could result in some very exciting match ups.
Blue-chip lightweight prospect Robert Easter Jr. will take on former
junior lightweight world titleholder Argenis Mendez, the best opponent
of his career, on April 1 at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C., Premier
Boxing Champions announced on Monday.
Easter-Mendez, which will be
either a 10- or 12-round fight, will serve as the co-feature for the
previously announced main event: junior welterweight titleholder Adrien
Broner (31-2, 23 KOs) in his first defense against Ashley Theophane
(39-6-1, 11 KOs).
"I want a world title and this is another big
step on my way towards that goal," Easter said at a Monday news
conference in downtown Washington, D.C., that was run by Mayweather
Promotions boss Floyd Mayweather. "To be able to do it on Adrien
Broner's card just guarantees it's going to be a big night. I'm just
ready to show off my skills and make a name for myself so that I can
continue to grow in this sport."
Easter (16-0, 13 KOs), 25, of Toledo, Ohio, was a 2012 U.S. Olympic alternate and trains with Broner, his good friend.
Mendez
(23-3-1, 12 KOs), 29, who is from the Dominican Republic and fights out
of Brooklyn, New York, has won two fights in a row, including a
decision against former lightweight titleholder Miguel Vazquez in
October, since losing his 130-pound belt by unanimous decision to Rances
Barthelemy in July 2014.
"I really like this matchup and I can't
wait to get into the ring," Mendez said. "I'm a different fighter than
two years ago when I lost to Rances Barthelemy. Easter is long and tall.
He's a good fighter, but he hasn't fought anyone near my caliber and I
think his style sets up well for me.
"It will be a good fight
between two talented fighters. When the fans see Easter get counted out
by the ref, don't think it's an April Fools joke. It will be the real
thing."
The card will also include 21-year-old Baltimore
lightweight prospect Gervonta Davis (14-0, 13 KOs), whom Mayweather
regularly raves about, taking on Guillermo Avila (16-5, 13 KOs), 23, of
Mexico, in a scheduled 10-round fight.
"I'm definitely excited to
fight in D.C. This is where my first professional fight was," Davis said
of a February 2013 fight at the Armory. "I have a great team,
especially Floyd Mayweather, who has taken me in and taught me so much
about boxing but also about everything outside of the ring. I'm blessed
to have his support in my career.
"April 1, it's going to be an action-packed fight. I will be a world champion one day. You don't want to miss this one."
Said
Mayweather: "Gervonta Davis is someone I look at like a son. I met him
in 2014 and they said this is the next big thing. Broner brought him to
my gym to let me see him work. He's a very explosive kid. He's exciting
and he will be fighting for a world title soon after a couple more
bouts."
Lightweight Anthony Peterson (36-1, 24 KOs), the younger
brother of former junior welterweight titleholder Lamont Peterson, will
also appear on the card in a scheduled 10-round fight against an
opponent to be announced.
"This is my 38th fight, going for my
37th victory and fourth knockout in a row," Peterson, 30, of Washington,
D.C., said. "Boxing isn't something you talk about, you just do it.
That's what I'm going to do April 1. It's going down. I made my pro
debut on a Roy Jones card, which was another big stage. So I'm very
ready and blessed.
"I'm coming to give my hometown fans the
knockout. Boxing is like jazz -- the better it is, the less it's
appreciated. A knockout will get you praise. I'm targeting everybody in
the division. I want a belt. The first one to step up, I'm going to take
care of him."
