Month: July 2024

Zach BacharContributor IJuly 26, 2024

Canelo Alvarez, boxing’s top star, is set to defend his super middleweight championship against Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN.

Alvarez, ESPN’s No. 5 pound-for-pound boxer, will be a heavy favorite to dispatch Berlanga, who will fight on the upper echelon for the first time. Mexico’s Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) is the undisputed champion at 168 pounds but it’s possible the IBF title won’t be on the line as his fight with the IBF mandatory challenger is overdue, sources said.

Alvarez, 34, is coming off a May decision victory over Jaime Munguia. Canelo hasn’t scored a knockout since November 2021 but has scored knockdowns in each of his last three fights.

Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) is a 27-year-old from Brooklyn, New York of Puerto Rican descent. He’s best known for starting his career with 16 first-round KOs. However, as his competition stiffened, Berlanga’s next five opponents lasted the distance. Berlanga’s last in-ring action was a sixth-round KO of Padraig McCrory in February.

David Benavidez has been the public’s top option for fighting Alvarez for years, but Canelo has shown no interest in the WBC interim super middleweight champion.

How did the Alvarez-Berlanga matchup materialize? Who else was considered? Let’s take a look as Alvarez prepares for another Mexican Independence Day weekend fight:

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Who else was in the running to fight Alvarez in September?

The other finalist was Chris Eubank Jr., per sources. Eubank, 34, is the son of British boxer Chris Eubank, who starred in the 1990s in England.

Eubank, too, would have been a major underdog against Alvarez. He’s coming off a 10th-round TKO victory over Liam Smith last September that avenged a KO loss to Smith earlier in the year.

Eubank is also a middleweight (rated No. 4 by ESPN) and would have moved up in weight for the opportunity. While Eubank would have raised interest in the U.K., his name resonates less than Berlanga’s stateside.

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What about Berlanga? Does he pose any threat to Alvarez?

There’s nothing to suggest Berlanga, ESPN’s No. 6 super middleweight, will present any issues for Alvarez inside the ring.

Berlanga doesn’t appear to have the boxing skills to han

Doric SamJuly 23, 2024

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr’s boxing career took a unique new downturn on Saturday night.

The former WBC middleweight champion ended his 30-month layoff to face former UFC fighter on the undercard of Jake Paul’s clash with bare-knuckle boxer Mike Perry.

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Infamously, the last time Chavez Jr. fought a UFC star, he suffered a humiliating decision defeat to faded legend Anderson Silva in June 2021.

The 38-year-old got the win over Hall, but he certainly didn’t redeem himself.

Chavez Jr. got off to a decent start but began to gas as the six-round boxing bout progressed and ultimately had to fend off a late onslaught from his opponent.

The ringside judges scored the fight 58-56, 59-55, and 59-55 in his favour.

“He’s a strong dude but I got my distance,” Chavez Jr. said post-fight.

“The win is easy. It’s a good fight. Great athlete, great person, that’s it.

“He’s tough, he’s strong. He’s not a boxer.”

The 62-fight veteran was subsequently asked who he wants to fight next, and his answer had the 17,000 fans at the AMALIE Arena in Florida loudly booing him.

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Chavez Jr. added: “Jake Paul, why not?”

“I’m a better fighter than his opponents, that’s for sure.”

Fans clearly didn’t like the idea of him getting such a big fight after a lacklustre performance against Hall.

A win over a former boxing world champion would certainly look good on Paul’s record, but at this point that appears to be all Chavez Jr. has to offer him.

Only time will tell if the two men will ever face off in the ring.

The main goal for David Benavidez for the past several years has been to land a mega-fight against Canelo Alvarez. So far, that hasn’t happened (and it might never happen). That’s why Benavidez is moving up in weight to fight a former titlist in Oleksandr Gvozdyk. And it won’t necessarily be an easy time for Benavidez. Here’s everything you need to know about David Benavidez vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

Yes, most of the boxing world is hungering for an Alvarez-Benavidez showdown. And it makes sense. Benavidez is a former titlist at super middleweight, and Alvarez currently is the undisputed 168-pound champion. Benavidez would make the biggest payday of his career by far, and he’d have an excellent chance to beat Alvarez and establish himself as an even bigger boxing star.

But Alvarez simply hasn’t given Benavidez the opportunity. That’s forced Benavidez to move up to 175 pounds and try to establish himself in a new division.

“My plan is to conquer the light heavyweight and super middleweight divisions,” Benavidez said. “Whoever comes to the plate, they can get it. I’m ready to fight whoever and beat whoever.”

Next up to the plate is Gvozdyk, who established himself as a champion by sending Adonis Stevenson into retirement in 2018 and taking his light heavyweight title in the process. But that was six years ago, and it includes a four-year spell when Gvozdyk was retired and away from boxing.

He’s had a few wins against nondescript opposition in the past 16 months, but Gvozdyk hasn’t faced a talent like Benavidez in years.

“Even though he’s moving up in weight, he’s still a big guy,” Gvozdyk said. “So, I’m not thinking about that. I’m expecting him to be in the best shape of his career, just like I am.”

Even if Gvozdyk is in his best shape, he’s still a solid underdog. That’s because Benavidez has the kind of talent to potentially challenge Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev to be called the best at light heavyweight.

“Logic says if it is a boxing match,

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