Archive for February, 2017

Around The Boxing Horn

Monday, February 27th, 2017

By William Trillo

As weekends in the world of pugilism go, this past one had a little bit of everything and a whole lot of nothing.

Allow me to explain.

Canelo Alvarez and Chavez Jr. wrapped up their press tour on Friday in Los Angeles in front of throngs of Mexican boxing fans. The fight that takes place in Las Vegas on Cinco De Mayo weekend will most certainly see Canelo as the odds on favorite to win. But if the crowd support I saw on Friday is any indication of whom the Mexican fans support, then right now that would go to Chavez Jr. Whether or not the sentimental support is due to his legendary father Chavez Sr. the fact remains that Julio Jr. appears to have an edge in the hearts of Mexican boxing fans.

Lucian Bute was handling his business in the ring against Eleider Alvarez through 4 rounds and was most likely ahead on the cards. But two right hands in the 5th round landed flush on Bute’s chin and that was all she wrote. Bute went down and in the Light Heavyweight battle for a shot at Adonis went to Alvarez in spectacular fashion. It’s now time for Lucian to decide if it’s time to hang up the gloves for good. I am told that Bute may very well keep on fighting citing his good performance in the first 4 rounds.

Saul Rodriguez’s coming out party on Showtime was unimpressive at best and many experts felt he was given a gift after going down against the tough Oscar Bravo. If Saul’s choice in promoter was all about star power he “May” soon find out that all that glitters is not gold.

The look on former Heavyweight Champ Larry Holmes face as he sat ringside watching Deontay Wilder successfully defend his Heavyweight title had, “This guy couldn’t hold my jockstrap,” written all over it.

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing news.

Grant Brothers Taking Bute To The Promised Land

Friday, February 24th, 2017

By William Trillo
Photo: Robert Lévesque

If there is one thing no one will question it’s that Lucian Bute wants to become a World Champion again. The former 168 pound IBF champ has had a couple of bumps in the road recently but with the spark of trainers Howard and Otis Grant, Lucian has remained a relevant and top contender. Tonight in Quebec City Bute will take on the undefeated Eleider Alvarez. The winner of this fight has all but been promised a shot at Adonis Stevenson, the WBC Light Heavyweight champ, who like Bute and Alvarez, fights out of Montreal. With the Grant’s in his corner Bute is one step away from seeing his chance to rise to the top come true.

I had a chance to speak with Howard Grant and he is brimming with confidence as he and the team are ready to take center stage in Quebec City tonight.

On training camp Grant said, “Lucian is good, he is very positive. This is the best training camp we have had so far. He is confident and very upbeat. We had five or six guys to spar with…everything has been good.”

As if he would need any extra motivation, Grant noted that Bute has had some extra incentive to get geared up for this big match tonight, “The last week or week and a half Lucian has been on fire in the gym with his sparring. Alvarez has said a few things, that this is going to be Lucian’s last fight and that he is going to knock Bute out. But, you know Lucian doesn’t worry, he does his work, you know how he is, he doesn’t cut corners. Lucian is a bit of a slow starter but if Alvarez comes out fast and is too over confident he might get hit with something and he could go to bed right away. Lucian is strong and we didn’t have any problem with weight. Everything has went as planned and we expect him to come out on top come Friday night,” stated Grant.

As I have mentioned in the past, the Montreal fight scene is for real. Grant’s account of how tonight’s fight came to fruition is a testament to that reality. “Alvarez is good, he’s strong and he is undefeated, he is # 1 at 175 pounds. He was supposed to fight Stevenson but who knows what happened there? We as a group were not expecting this fight to happen because Pascal was offered the fight. But Pascal talked himself out of it thinking he was the A-side and so this just happened. It was an easy fight to make. Alvarez was coming to our place sparring with my fighter Dario Bredicean. Alvarez trainer Marc Ramsey is a good friend of mine, they have been to our place many times. There is nothing personal between us, no animosity, but at the end of the day it all comes to business, and that’s exactly what this is,” shared Grant.

It should come as no surprise that with all things Adonis nothing is etched in granite. The talk of tonight’s winner getting a crack at him is far from a done deal according to Grant. “The fight with Adonis for the winner is not finalized; right now I think it’s just a verbal agreement. Adonis is supposed to fight someone this spring. It was supposed to be Joe Smith but as we know that fell apart. Adonis has to beat whoever it is. Lucian is going to beat Alvarez and then maybe these guys can meet in the summertime or in the fall. But I am not jumping the gun here; we are focusing on Alvarez 100%,” Grant stated confidently.

One thing is for sure, the boxing fans in Quebec are loyal to their own and although Bute has had his share of struggles he still may be the most popular fighter in the Province. Grant noted, “The people here in Quebec have always been very supportive of Bute. Promoter Yvon Michel says he expects upwards of 10,000 people but I think there will be more than that because of Lucian’s popularity. They like Bute… in fact they love this guy. If there was any doubt I saw it at the public workout this week, the people here appreciate Lucian a lot.”

In closing Grant quickly and confidentially stated his thoughts on Bute’s training and eventual outcome for tonight’s fight. “Great training, great sparring, his weight is good and he is very confident. We’re gonna win Friday night, and that’s it!”

This will be a great night in Quebec City and when the bell rings for the Main Event you can rest assured that the electricity in the building will be more than buzzing. Look for a hard fought battle that will see Bute come out on top.

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing news.

The Barber Shop Stop

Tuesday, February 21st, 2017

By William Trillo

When I made my routine visit to my local Barber Shop last week I was expecting to get the usual dose of political mumbo jumbo along with the obligatory sports talk which always includes a trip around the boxing bend. The guys in the shop know I moonlight as a boxing scribe so there is always something they want my opinion on so they know how to bet. It’s a compliment of sorts and although I have warned them time and time again I really don’t know what the heck I am talking about I normally field a question or two…and this visit was no different.

“So what do you think about the Mayweather-McGregor fight? Who do you think is going to win?” asked the pudgy barber in the corner.

In my most exasperated tone I answered, “Look, are you still buying into that crap? The fight is never going to happen and I hate to waste my time talking and/or writing about it. If you are looking for some insight on how to bet on MMA fighters in a boxing ring you are barking up the wrong tree.”

The guy cutting my hair chimes in, “No I think you are wrong, I read they signed the fight today!”

Taking into consideration this guy was working with sharp instruments around my jugular I was a little more reserved when I corrected him.

“I don’t know where you read that but all this talk is nothing more than attention whores looking to keep themselves relevant. Floyd is retired and no one wants to see him ever again and McGregor is just hoping that somehow he can smoke and mirror his way into a hefty payday…I am telling you right now it’s never going to happen, never mention it to me again,” I said.

With that ol’ pudgy in the corner couldn’t wait to ask the next question and apparently everyone in the shop wanted to know the same thing. He asked, “OK, what I really want to know is your take on Chavez vs. Canelo. I’m going to put a big bet on Canelo…what do you think?”

Like a page out of that old EF Hutton commercial literally everyone in the shop stopped what they were doing, all eyes and ears were on yours truly. Even the lady barbers poked their heads out from behind the magazines they were reading.

First I told them to log on to www.Pound4Pound.com and go find the article I wrote but from the looks on their collective grills I had a feeling I was speaking a foreign language to them. So told them I was going to say this one more time and you could do with this information as you will, “Chavez Jr. has no intention of making the 164.5 pound catch weight and if he trains hard and comes into the weigh-in at around 169 pounds he still stands to make 2 million dollars plus a percentage of the PPV which is a hefty sum. By fight night he should be close to 180 pounds and that is going to be a huge problem for Canelo. I am not saying Chavez Jr. is going to win but I am saying it makes him a live underdog.”

Pudgy immediately disagreed with me which begged me to ask one simple question, “THEN WHY DID YOU ASK?”

The conversation then switched to the worthlessness of our Heavyweight Champ Beyonce Wilder to which we all agreed wholeheartedly.

In this world of smart phones and iPads the local barber shop is the one last sanctuary for guys to just be guys and discuss whatever they like without worrying about getting liked or deleted.

Long live the Barber Shop!

Back To The Bulls

Monday, February 6th, 2017

By William Trillo

It’s been a while since I covered The PBR but with a relatively slow weekend in boxing it was a good time to catch the action this past Saturday night in Anaheim.

The bulls were on fire on this night and the riders had their work cut out for them.

After a scary moment when veteran Guilherme Marchi was ravaged by a nasty bull named Spotted Demon the event went down to the final two rides and it was Shane Proctor who came out on top to take the Showdown in Anaheim.

It was a wild night in front of a packed house who got more than their money’s worth in this hotly contested event.

If one thing stands out in my mind it’s the patriotism that was shown by all the participants and fans. From honoring the flag and our national anthem to a standing ovation for one of our countries wounded soldiers this was a night to make every American proud. It was an honor to be in attendance.

To get your chance to see these truly fine athletes log on to www.pbr.com to find an event that will be coming to your area this year.

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing and bull riding news.