This week, the Watch had a southwestern feel to it, as I ventured to Arlington, Texas, for Pacquiao-Margarito, and ended my trip back in San Francisco, burning countless phone lines and Whataburger calories on the way there.
*Ever wonder how long it takes to put a ring together? If you ask the Cowboys Stadium crew, the answer is a little under three hours. ?You have turnbuckles, ring covers, and all kinds of things,? said self-proclaimed ?ring guy? Johnny Perla. While Perla tightened up the ropes, referee Rosario Solis supervised on behalf of the Texas commission.
*By the way, I had never seen so many logos on a ring before. Just in case you didn?t know who the lead sponsor of the event was, the Tecate insignia was plastered all over the place, among a host of other companies. Even the History Channel wanted a piece of the pay-per-view props! I?m surprised none of the fighters twisted their ankles. Believe me; walking on those logos was slippery enough, much less circling on the balls of your feet at full-speed above them. Much like a good referee, if you didn?t talk about the ring guys after the fight, then they did their jobs well.
*In addition to testing out the ring, I also took time out of my ?busy? schedule to talk to the lovely Ines Sainz, who borrowed 140-pound prospect Jose Benavidez Jr.?s robe for a promo shot (?Junior? didn?t mind). If the lady?s name sounds familiar, you might remember her as the New York Jets? No. 1 Fan. Just kidding. She sat down with me for a couple minutes and recalled how she recently got the job as a reporter for Top Rank. ?Actually, Ryan, [Top Rank President] Todd DuBoef called me,? said the Mexico City native. ?He?s always had an idea to put women in the boxing world. He saw me in the news. It worked out because, to him, ?She speaks Spanish. She speaks English. She?s a sports journalist.? So I?ll be doing this for at least for four main fights. It?s a new experience and I?m really excited about it.?
*How?s this for behind-the-scenes? According to HBO Lead Utility Man Hector Victoria and his crew, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.?s fight against Irishman John Duddy, 29-2 (18), five months ago was originally scheduled for Guanajuato, Mexico until transporting the cables necessary for the broadcast became an issue. ?They realized that they?d have to move all these cables to Mexico in the middle of everything going on over there. That?s one reason why that fight ended up in San Antonio,? said Victoria. ?For example, for this trip to Cowboys Stadium, we had to move eight audio cables, at about 750 feet apiece, coaxial cables, and other things for the locker room feeds, not to mention all the monitors for all the video feeds here on the floor. And they?re all really heavy. Doing all of this takes three days.? As far as I know, all the feeds went smoothly in Arlington, so for Hector and Company, my hat?s off to you.
*Speaking of Julio Jr., 41-0-1 (30), the 24?year-old from Culiacan, Mexico, was suited and booted in a tuxedo for fight night. Top Rank had him running around everywhere, whether it meant doing a phone interview with ESPN Radio or scurrying to various photo-ops. Overall, he was in good spirits ahead of his Dec. 4 rumble with Guadalajara?s Alfonso Gomez, 22-4-2 (11), in Anaheim. He said he?s felt an improvement in his strength and speed working with Freddie Roach and Alex Ariza at Hollywood?s Wild Card Gym. I still don?t think he?s ready for Puerto Rican star Miguel Cotto, 35-2 (28), especially since Gomez will be coming up 13 pounds in what Top Rank probably hopes will serve as a showcase fight for Chavez. But we?ll see.
*Bolton, England?s Amir Khan, 23-1 (17), was similarly confident about his camp with Roach and Ariza leading up to his WBA light welterweight title showdown with powerful Marcos Maidana of Argentina, 29-1 (27), but humble enough not to give a prediction, merely stating that he would fight a smart fight and go from there. I like Khan by unanimous decision doing exactly what he vows he?ll do on Dec. 11 at Mandalay Bay.
*Since we?re on the topic of predictions, video journalist Truth Esguerra of Philippine News, the oldest Filipino-American newspaper in the U.S., flagged me down the night before the fight for a prediction on camera, which can be found here. Judging by the video, sometimes I guess it?s better to be lucky than to be good.
*Former Khan sparring partner Jose Benavidez Jr., 9-0 (9), was slated to spar Maidana. However, after sustaining a cut over his right eye during his third-round stoppage of Winston Mathis, 6-3 (2), in Arlington, those plans have gone to the wayside, according to his father and trainer, Jose Benavidez Sr. The 18-year-old junior welterweight, who now trains full-time in his hometown of Phoenix, was forced to cancel his Dec. 4 bout against Justo Sanchez on the Anaheim undercard. However, he?ll be back for 2011, and while I?ve said it once, I?ll say it again: if Jose can stay on the straight and narrow, I believe that he?s the next pay-per-view superstar in the sport.
*Standing Eight Management?s Steven Feder, who co-manages the stable?s fighters with Roach, was pleased to announce two bits of good news. The first was that NABO cruiserweight holder Lateef Kayode, 14-0 (13), had earned his first television headlining date on ?ShoBox?s? Dec. 3 card against Ed Perry, 18-4-2 (11). Kayode is a future champion at 200 pounds. He has a sledgehammer of a left hook, and is just beginning to harness the power of his right cross.
*The second was that Feder had just come to terms with light middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan, 28-0 (17), who currently owns three minor belts and is knocking on the door of a title shot. Talks had surfaced about a WBO shot against German-based Ukranian southpaw Sergei Dzindziruk, 37-0 (23), on the Dec. 4 Anaheim card but they never materialized. He showed marked improvement when he outpointed southpaw Joe Greene at Yankee Stadium back in June. Just five months before that, I was ringside for Martirosyan?s close decision over another southpaw, former IBF 154-pound titlist Kassim Ouma, at the Las Vegas Hard Rock and the difference between those two fights was night and day. I think he?s ready.
*Former IBF light middleweight champion and current color commentator Raul Marquez mingled with the media but was without his Fox Sports en Espa?ol blow-by-blow partner, Adrian Garcia Marquez (no relation). It turns out the latter has been working on his new bilingual site, The Sports Division (sportsdivision.ning.com), as well a deal with Univision Radio for a show on 1020 AM, a Los Angeles blowtorch.
*Only one week removed from his eight-round demolition of Allan Green, a svelte Glen Johnson, 51-14-2 (35), looked like he could make his new 168-pound limit then and there. When the Miami-based Jamaican told me he had no problems making the weight, I believe him. The former light heavyweight world champion is the newest entrant to the Showtime ?Super Six? tournament and he?s looking forward to facing the winner of German-based Armenian Arthur Abraham, 31-1 (25), and Nottingham, England?s Carl Froch, 26-1 (20), for the vacant WBC super middleweight belt. Green, 29-3 (20), an Oklahoma City native, has now gone winless in two tournament outings, unable to take advantage of the opportunity that opened up for him when Jermain Taylor withdrew.
*Five-time NFL Pro Bowl running back Ricky Watters was at the weigh-in too. He was there in support of undercard light heavyweight Mike Lee of Chicago, 3-0 (2), a fellow Notre Dame alumnus. When I asked the San Francisco 49er great and Super Bowl XXIX champion to call both Lee?s fight and the main event, here?s what he said: ?Mike?s going to knock him out in the third or fourth. I like Pacquiao. Margarito?s probably going to try to smother him but Manny?s too smooth and his speed will be too much.? Well, Lee finished opponent Keith Debow inside of a round, and Watters was right about ?Manny-Mania? taking over once again (Lee also fights on the Dec. 4 Top Rank card in Anaheim).
*In case you were unaware, Top Rank rising Dallas featherweight Roberto Marroquin, 17-0 (13), who vanquished Francisco Dominguez, 7-6 (1), in 86 seconds last Saturday, is no longer at the Wild Card with Roach. As I found out while he was getting a routine checkup from the ring physician in the locker room, the 21-year-old now trains with Las Vegas-based Danny Smith, who meets Marroquin in the Lone Star State for his camps.
*No. 2-ranked WBO super featherweight Eloy Perez of Salinas, Calif., by way of Rochester, Wash., will be setting up shop in Pomona at Jack Mosley?s gym in early December, according to assistant trainer Sam Garcia. The Golden Boy-promoted contender, 19-0-2 (5), is expected to fight in January but the identity of the opponent is still unconfirmed. With No. 1 contender Terdsak Jandaeng of Thailand, 41-3-1 (27), likely winning a stay-busy fight against Indonesia?s Sonny Manakane, 13-7-2 (7), I don?t see why the WBO can?t order up a title eliminator sometime in February. I?m sure that the extra month would be worth the wait for Team Perez.
*Last month we featured USA Boxing lightweight national champion Jose Ramirez of Avenal, Calif. The current freshman at Fresno State University will get some extra experience when he is expected to be a sparmate for Perez. It?s been a banner year for California, as evidenced by the four Golden State amateurs who earned national titles and will enter 2011 as Olympic hopefuls: Napa?s Jessica Ponce (106 lbs.), El Monte?s Joseph Diaz, Jr. (123 lbs.), Ramirez (132 lbs.), and L.A.?s Denise Rico (178 lbs.).
*One more thing about the amateurs. This Saturday at 1 PM, USA Boxing and Aleman Boxing will be holding a show at 1229 N. Sierra Vista Avenue in Fresno. There will be up to 25 bouts, including the Central California Silver Gloves Finals. Former IBF featherweight champ Hector Lizarraga will be there as a special guest. Tickets are $15 general admission and $25 ringside. Go to alemanboxing.com for more information.
*Back to the pros. During the weigh-in, I caught up with Puerto Rican champ Juan Manuel Lopez, 30-0 (27), after he filmed a spot for the ESPN Deportes program ?Golpe a Golpe.? Fresh off his successful WBO featherweight title defense against Mexico City?s Rafael Marquez, 39-6 (35), Lopez reflected on the win. ?It?s a great victory. I?ve been waiting to fight [Marquez] a long time. A couple of the names of who I?d like to fight next are [WBC titlist] Elio Rojas and [WBA champ] Chris John but for now, I?m going to take a vacation and talk about it with my team when I return.? I would rather see Lopez fight Celestino Caballero.
*Cameron Dunkin had a busy week. The manager extraordinaire had to endure ?ScaleGate? when his lightweight contender, Brandon Rios, 26-0 (19), failed to make weight after a week of turmoil for his internet antics. Still, Dunkin was pleased with his client?s fifth-round stoppage of Hennessy-promoted Omri Lowther, 14-3 (10). ?He?s going to fight the winner of Humberto Soto and Urbano Antillon for the WBA lightweight title,? said Dunkin.
*Southpaw middleweight prospect Matt Korobov, 12-0 (8), is another member of the Dunkin stable. ?Hopefully I want him fighting for a title next year,? said Cam. When I asked him if he was concerned about rushing the Russian, he replied, ?Ryan, he?s 27. He?s ready.?
*122-pounder Manuel ?Tino? Avila of Fairfield, Calif., whom MaxBoxing featured before anyone else back in July, won a decision in his pro debut on the Carlos Molina-John Figueroa undercard on Thursday against Chula Vista, California?s Salvador Cifuentes, 0-2. The Golden Boy-promoted, Dunkin-managed Avila, who was 18 when we last spoke to him, has been developing at the nearby Vacaville PAL under the tutelage of veteran trainer Al Lagardo.
*One of Dunkin?s top fighters is THE RING?s No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, San Leandro, California?s Nonito Donaire, 24-1 (16). The ?Filipino Flash? will be holding a media workout at Undisputed Gym in San Carlos, Calif., next Monday from 5 PM-9 PM, as he continues to prepare for his Dec. 4 interim WBA bantamweight title fight with Ukrainian Volodymyr Sydorenko, 22-2-2 (7), in Anaheim. In the meantime, he?s got a new hobby to offer some solace from the monotony of training: photography. ?I?ve been doing it awhile but I?m not that this guy?s level yet,? he said, pointing to venerable Top Rank photographer Chris Farina, who smiled in response. When asked for the contents of his portfolio, Nonito replied, ?Naked ladies,? and was unable to stifle his laughter.
*Chuckles aside, if Donaire can get by Sydorenko, all systems are go for a super-bout with THE RING?s No. 8 pound-for-pound fighter, unified bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel of Los Mochis, Mexico, 43-2-2 (33). The matchup would serve as a pot of gold at the end of a knotted rainbow for the Filipino, who has found it hard to secure a high-profile fight since knocking out flamboyant Armenian-Australian Vic Darchinyan, 35-2-1 (27), three years ago. Moreover, such a scrap would vindicate Top Rank?s refusal to participate in Showtime?s bantamweight version of the ?Super Six? tournament.
*At Golden Boy Fight Night Club in downtown L.A.?s Club Nokia tonight, Carlos Molina of nearby Rosemead, 14-0 (7), secured a unanimous decision over late replacement John Figueroa, 7-8-3 (3). Renowned L.A.-based manager Frank Espinoza has stated he would now like Molina to fight fan favorite David Rodela, 15-3-3 (6), once the Oxnard pug recovers from a car accident. Get well soon, ?Dangerous? David.
*San Diego light welterweight Antonio Orozco, 8-0 (5), another prospect whom Frank believes has immense potential, was scheduled to appear on the same card. Unfortunately, his fight fell through.
*One of Espinoza?s greatest fighters, former super bantamweight world champion Israel Vazquez, 44-5 (32), is headed for the Hall of Fame but the Mexico city native is still unsure whether he is going to retire. ?A lot of people are asking him to do that but I?ll leave that up to him,? said Espinoza. ?He?ll be making an announcement soon about his future.?
*Montebello, California?s Abner Mares, 20-0-1 (13), and Colombia?s Yonnhy Perez, 20-0-1 (14), are two Espinoza pugs who will participate in next month?s Showtime bantamweight ?Super Six.? Mares gets the potent Darchinyan in Seattle on Dec. 11, and Perez defends his IBF belt against Bronx-based Ghanaian Joseph Agbeko on the same card. But don?t expect any concerns for conflicts of interest from Espinoza when his two fighters have their inevitable rematch (Their first fight ended in a draw). ?This is a business. I don?t get caught up in that. If they ever fight again, I?ll stay neutral and wish them both the best because they?re both great fighters.?
*Joe Goossen has a demanding few days ahead of him. The affable cornerman has a quartet of prospects fighting within that span. Antelope, Calif., super featherweight Stan Martyniouk, 10-0 (1), is a definite for the Nov. 27 undercard in Oakland, while Russian 140-pounder Roman Andreev, 9-0 (7), and two California kids, Moreno Valley super featherweight Kevin Hoskins, 3-0 (3), and Palmdale super flyweight Matthew Villanueva, 3-0 (3), might see action there or in southern California.
*Goossen also took part in the Pacquiao-Margarito undercard, and his fighter, Los Mochis, Mexico?s Jesus Soto Karass, 24-5-3 (16), was on the wrong end of a war that resulted in a questionable majority decision in favor of fellow welterweight contender Mike Jones of Philadelphia, 23-0 (18) (For the record, both Showtime?s Al Bernstein and Amir Khan were ringside, and they felt Soto Karass did more than enough to win the decision). What made the fight stand out in my eyes was not just the astounding 58-punch barrage that Jones threw in the second frame but also that Soto Karass had to weigh-in twice the night before because he was originally a pound over the limit. And yet, Soto Karass not only withstood the punishment of that amazing second round but, in my opinion, outhustled a resolute Jones to a 97-93 victory. Hopefully, we?ll see a rematch. Goossen shared this: ?I had Jesus winning seven rounds but what can you do? By the way, Ryan, after the fight, both Jesus and Mike waited almost two hours before someone came to stitch up their cuts.?
*On the latest installment of MaxBoxing?s ?The Next Round? (Get your subscription while it?s hot! Shameless promotion, I know), I thought Steve Kim and Gabriel Montoya hit the proverbial nail on the head regarding Jones. Standing next to him in the locker room before his fight, Jones really looked like he had struggled to make weight. He?s possibly outgrown the division. Now that he?s co-promoted by Top Rank, maybe he enters the Cotto sweepstakes at 154, as Miguel was in Arlington soaking in all the festivities as well.
*On a personal note, ESPN SportsCenter?s Brian Kenny sat behind me in press row with his producer. After a little chit-chat, I found out that two of his kids are currently attending my alma mater, the University of California. It also just so happened that Cal was facing No. 1 Oregon on the gridiron at the same time as the undercard. When the Guillermo Rigondeaux-Ricardo Cordoba ?fight? came about, the opportunities to surf the web for game updates increased (For the record, the Ducks won 15-13 after Cal kicker Giorgio Tavecchio shanked a 29-yard chip shot, and the gutsy Bear defense couldn?t force a punt in the closing minutes).
*Since we?re on the subject of the Cuban Whistle Crisis (because that?s what the crowd was doing by the third round, in hopes of spurring some action out of the two fighters), Jon Schorle, the third man in the ring and one of the best in the game, put it in perspective: ?Kind of interesting how Rigondeaux wanted to try to box with a taller opponent. He is so used to knocking people out and since he couldn?t get the KO he had to find another plan with Cordoba.?
*I?ll end the Watch in Berkeley, where this Saturday, my Golden Bears face off against hated archrival Stanford. Incidentally enough, the Fox Sports Net feed will be called by longtime boxing blow-by-blow man Barry Tompkins, who was more than gracious by regaling me with stories of Hagler-Leonard and other broadcasts past at the weigh-in. If you?re coming to the game, we?ll be tailgating right across the street from Memorial Stadium. Drop by and say hello. Let?s keep the Axe!
If you have a fighter you?d like to read more about, an amateur event on the West Coast, or some news you just want to pass along, contact me at [email protected] and have the subject of your e-mail read ?West Coast Watch.?
