It was announced on a recent conference call that Golden Boy Promotions? head honcho Oscar De la Hoya has raised the ante and provided one hell of an incentive for the eight fighters rounding out the appropriately titled ?Knockout Kings? card taking place live on Showtime, September 15, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The added bonus is simple; whichever fighter can produce what De la Hoya described as ?the best knockout of the night? will have earned an additional $100,000 on top of his already guaranteed purse. Considering that September 15 is Mexican Independence Day, one can speculate that De la Hoya, an American of Mexican descent, is in a really giving mood.
?Giving all of the fighters an incentive for the best knockout of the night, we will include $100,000 to the winner of the best knockout of the night,? said De la Hoya, adding that Showtime will debut an all-access documentary focusing on headliners Saul Alvarez and Josesito Lopez on September 5 at 10 p.m.
Capping off the quadruple-header is Mexican rising star Alvarez, who will be putting his WBC junior middleweight title and his undefeated record of 40-0-1 (29) on the line against the tough-as-nails Victor Ortiz conqueror Josesito Lopez, 30-4 (18) in the main event.
The televised portion of the undercard include some real bangers. Heavy hitters such as Marcos ?El Chino? Maidana of Argentina, 31-3 (28), facing Jesus Soto Karass, 26-7-3 (17), at 147 pounds. WBC featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez, 52-7 (45), of Mexico City, defends his strap against former junior featherweight champion and featherweight contender Daniel Ponce de Leon, 43-4 (35). The opening bout of the evening will feature Leo Santa Cruz, 20-0-1 (11), and Eric Morel, 46-3 (23), duking it out for the IBF bantamweight title.
So, what is the criteria when determining the best knockout of the evening and who will make the final decision when making the selection? And what would happen if there aren?t any knockouts?
?Obviously, these four fights have the ingredients to end in a spectacular fashion and to end by knockout,? said De la Hoya. ?We?re obviously hoping that we are not disappointed and don?t get any knockouts. The way that the best knockout of the night will be decided is that fans can vote through AT&T, so the fans will vote the winner.?
The match-up between Gonzalez vs. Ponce de Leon should be the favorite to produce the best knockout. Both fighters can punch and both men have tasted the canvas before as well. On fight night, Gonzalez brings a three-year win streak that saw a run of 11 straight stoppages.
Now let?s just say that cash rules everything around Gonzalez – except him. If the extra bread on the table wasn?t enough of a motivator, then surely this is: Gonzalez will be scrapping on his 31st birthday and has posted two consecutive victories by way of knockout on his birthday.
?First of all, it?s an honor for me to be fighting on such an important date for Mexico and for my country. I was just lucky to have been born on a date like that. I?m very excited and I?m very happy and I?m motivated to be fighting on such an important date and to be fighting in Las Vegas,? said Gonzalez.
?There?s no added pressure whatsoever. On the contrary,? said Gonzalez. ?It?s an honor to be fighting against such a great opponent as Daniel Ponce de Leon. We?re ready. We want to demonstrate to the world, to the public and to myself that I?m here and bigger and ready for bigger fights.?
Just a couple years ago, this writer had a conversation with former champion Israel ?El Magnifico? Vazquez. Vazquez revealed that Gonzalez was the biggest puncher he faced in his career. When asked if Gonzalez will be the biggest puncher he will step in to the ring against, Ponce de Leon responded, ?Jhonny Gonzalez is a very strong fighter and he likes to come forward and trade. Obviously, that makes it better for me. So if he does want to come out and box and move, then we?re prepared for that as well. I?m ready to hunt him down and fight him in any style. But as far as him being the biggest puncher that I will face in my career? Honestly, I cannot answer that question. I don?t know. I haven?t fought him yet. Keep in mind that although Israel Vazquez may have said that Jhonny was the biggest puncher he has faced, Israel did win that fight. So we shall see.?
As for Maidana, who returns to the ring for the first time since being outclassed by Devon Alexander, will be fighting at welterweight for the second time with the newly-acquired Roberto Garcia in his corner. This has the making of a good fight because Karass doesn?t move. Maidana and Karass will slug it out but to Karass? credit, he has a good beard. Therefore, it seems unlikely that the contest can end in a knockout. Maidana isn?t a natural welterweight, suggesting he didn?t bring his power from 140 pounds to 147.
?It?s totally going to be different. It?s my second fight at 147 and this time, I?m going to adapt,? said Maidana. ?I know what to look forward to. Plus, it?s the style of my opponent. He?s a strong opponent and I know what I have in front of me. He adds, ?I?m going to be a lot stronger and I can be just as strong at 147. We?re working a lot on my conditioning and I?m working with sparring partners who are bigger and stronger and that?s going to help me to adapt to this new division.?
Gonzalez, Ponce de Leon, Maidana, Karass, Santa Cruz and Morel are all good fighters – but not great by any stretch of the imagination. So you wouldn?t be out of line categorizing them as being ?B? to ?B+? fighters (in the case of Karass, you can make an argument saying that he is a ?B-? to a ?C+? fighter). Considering that the fighters are matched well, on paper, the evidence would suggest you will have good fights that will produce a lot of fun and excitement. That said, the undercard of Alvarez-Lopez is the greatest undercard showcasing B-class talent that I have ever seen in recent time. Much props to GBP?s matchmakers Eric Gomez and Robert Diaz.
