Is Alvarez vs. Lopez actually comparable to De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao? Now that the Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez press tour has officially kicked off, can we now feel confident that the fight is finally going to take place? Will Haye vs. Chisora actually live up to expectations? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this week's "From Pillar To Post".
Josesito Lopez revealed as Canelo's next opponent.
I don't often get a chance to brag, but for once...I TOLD YOU SO! After weeks of speculation and numerous opponents being rumored to land the coveted assignment, Josesito Lopez was finally revealed as Saul "Canelo" Alvarez's next opponent. Of course, those of you who were willing to go out on a limb with me and my bold prediction in my previous article already expected that announcement. Well, to be fair, I wasn't exactly expecting it, but I had a hunch. After all, like I said last week, out of all the names that had been mentioned to be in the mix, Lopez is probably the one name who actually deserved it. He's coming off of a career-defining 9th round TKO of Victor Ortiz, the man who was supposed to be fighting Alvarez. After that kind of performance, he deserves the career-high payday, and I, for one, am happy that he's getting it.
Richard Schaefer compares Alvarez vs. Lopez to De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao.
Oh no, he didn't! Oh yes, he did! That's right my friends, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer actually had the nerve to compare Alvarez vs. Lopez to De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao. Responding to critics who believe that the 140-pound Josesito Lopez will stand no chance against the naturally bigger 154-pound Saul Alvarez, Schaefer insisted that there are plenty of examples of prior fights which prove that will and skill, not size, is what counts when it comes to winning fights. The best example, according to him, is when Manny Pacquiao made the 2-division jump from lightweight to welterweight and proceeded to batter Oscar De La Hoya into submission after 8 rounds, despite the fact that virtually nobody thought that outcome was remotely possible. I have to admit, Schaefer brings up a valid point. I know I never saw that kind of beatdown coming. In fact, if I remember correctly, I picked De La Hoya to win by stoppage, thinking that his size would indeed be a major factor. Boy, was I wrong. On September 15th, we'll have similar scenario with Lopez jumping 2 division to face Alvarez. Not to mention, Lopez did have the benefit of having at least 1 fight at 147 pounds, albeit he still came in light (144 pounds) for that fight. That being said, Lopez is no Pacquiao and Alvarez is no De La Hoya. Pacquiao had far more advantages in facing De La Hoya than Lopez will have against Alvarez. Ironically, the biggest advantage was the weight. When Pacquiao faced De La Hoya at welterweight, it was the Golden Boy's first fight at that weight in over 7 years, coming in at light 145 pounds, 2 pounds below the limit. Making matters worse for the then 35-year-old De La Hoya, he gained virtually no weight between the weigh-in and the night of the fight, reportedly only weighing 147 pounds, while Pacquiao rehydrated to 148. In other words, Pacquiao was actually bigger then the "naturally" bigger man when they stepped in the ring. Unfortunately for Lopez, he will not have that kind of advantage. Alvarez is comfortable at fighting at 154 pounds, and after making weight, you can bet he's going to gain anywhere between 10 to 15 pounds on fight night, putting him at 165-170 pounds. Lopez, if he's lucky, might rehydrate to 150 pounds. Not to mention, at the tender age of 21 (he'll be 22 when they step in the ring), not only is Alvarez 6 years younger than Lopez, but more importantly, he's in his prime. While I do think Lopez will give his all in a gutsy performance, I highly doubt this is anything like De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao. Nevertheless, I still plan on watching, but hey, I'm a diehard fan and that's just what I do.
Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez even closer to reality as press tour kicks off.
And they said it would never happen. Yes, my friends, Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez has officially been announced as the 4-city press tour kicked off in Los Angeles and has already made stops in Las Vegas and New York. Along the way, the bad blood has begun to boil as the war of words has heated on both sides. Chavez Jr. has vowed to knock out and shut Martinez up for good, while Martinez has promised to rearrange Chavez Jr.'s face. Even Chavez Jr.'s dad, the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., got into the mix, predicting a KO victory for his son and saying he himself would've destroyed Martinez. Aw yes, the joy of good 'ol fashioned smack talk. If only they all spoke English so I could really enjoy it instead of having to listen to it interpreted by translators, which takes a certain sting off their words. Still, enough has been said that lets me know I will DEFINITELY be watching this fight live while DVRing the other fight that's on at the same time. With any luck, perhaps the Golden Boy card will have some quick knockouts, so I can squeeze Canelo vs. Lopez in before this one.
Bailey insists his fight with Alexander won't happen.
Despite the fact that it was reported that both sides had agreed to face each other on September 8th, it appears that the champion, Randall Bailey, is refusing to fight in the hometown of the challenger, Devon Alexander. Apparently, the bout was rumored to be heading to St. Louis, where Bailey believes Alexander has received extremely favorable homefield advantages in prior close fights. Bailey would prefer for the bout to take place in a neutral location, namely Las Vegas, and because he has yet to sign any contracts, he's beginning to sound like a man who plans on sticking to his guns. In fact, Bailey has gone so far as to say that the fight with Alexander is not happening, and according to him, he could be fighting instead on the September 15th Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez undercard. It's unclear at this point if there's any truth to Bailey's words or if he's simply playing hardball in hopes for money, but reportedly, he's also at odds with his promoter, Lou DiBella. I honestly don't know what to make of any of this, however, if Bob Arum really wanted to stick it to Richard Schaefer for going to head-to-head with him on September 15th, he could essentially kill the September 8th Golden Boy card by stealing Randall Bailey from under their noses and matching him with the latest addition to their roster, Jessie Vargas, who claims he too is fighting on the September 15th undercard, albeit an opponent has yet to be determined. Keep your eyes glued to this one in the coming days because this story could get interesting.
Former champion Amir Khan wins title without fighting.
Huh? Yeah, as odd as it sounds, former jr. welterweight champion Amir Khan is a champion once more after the WBA decided to reinstate him as their champion after the controversy surrounding Lamont Peterson testing positive for a banned substance last May. Originally, the WBA had decided to strip Peterson of the title and it was said that the vacant title would be on the line this weekend when Khan faces Danny Garcia. After giving it some thought, however, I guess the brains at the WBA simply decided to give the title back to Khan. No word yet on whether or not the IBF will follow their lead. Truth be told, I'm actually surprised that they haven't, especially considering that they could be collecting a nice sanctioning fee this weekend. Go figure.
Haye vs. Chisora is on this weekend, but should we really be excited?
As much as I want to get excited and pumped up for Saturday's heavyweight clash between bitter rivals David Haye and Dereck Chisora, for some reason, I simply can't. Actually, I know the reason...because it's heavyweight boxing. Personally, I think FightHype's own Ben Thompson said it best on this weekend's edition of FightHype Radio. The press conference brawl will likely be the highlight of Haye vs. Chisora. As much venom that's been spewed between these guys, it's inevitable that the fight can't live up to expectations. I mean, let's be honest, exactly when was the last time that David Haye actually did walk the walk after talking the talk? While I'm quite sure Chisora will do his best to stalk Haye in hopes of making it a brawl, I'm just as sure that Haye will have his track shoes and hope to potshot his way to a decision, which he likely will. Don't get me wrong, you should definitely tune in because, hey, like I said, we're diehard boxing fans and that's what we do. That being said, don't say I didn't warn you when the fight is over and you're left feeling like you just wasted roughly an hour of your life.