Billy's Boxing Blog

By William Trillo

The first two fights in this pugilistic series were akin to cinematic gems. But the question remains if the threequel will live up to the hype or will this cliffhanger fall flat at the box office and become a huge disappointment. With those thoughts as a backdrop it was only fitting that the Kickoff press conference for Canelo vs GGG 3 was held in Hollywood, California.

As hot as it was on Highland Blvd. things would really begin to heat up inside The American Legion Theatre as the press conference began. Speaking to the media in attendance Canelo said of Golovkin, “He’s two different people. He pretends to be a nice guy but he’s not. He’s an a**hole. He really is. He pretends to be a nice guy for the fans but in other places, he just talks a lot of sh*t, that’s why it’s personal for me.”

To no one’s surprise a composed Golovkin said through an interpreter, “If it’s so personal for him, my question is why was he putting off the third fight for so long?” If it’s personal, you should ask him why.”

Make no mistake, this one is very personal for Canelo, and he plans on making things right by knocking GGG out and putting an end to his career. And if he does Canelo says, “That will taste very sweet.”

To GGG’s point, it has been four long years since the last fight and whatever the case may be, one has to wonder if the fight will still generate the same amount of interest it did back in the day when both men ruled boxing with an iron fist.

The reality is Golovkin just celebrated his 40th birthday and Canelo is coming off a stunning loss to Dmitry Bivol only a few short months ago. Spin it any way you want, but some of the luster has gone off the fight. Only some elbow grease and heavy polishing from Matchroom and DAZN will be able to shine it back up before Canelo & GGG step into the T-Mobile Arena ring in Las Vegas on September 17th.

With a press conference this Monday in New York and all the obligatory pre-fight hype you can rest assured the powers that be will hype this third installment with all the bells and whistles available.

Lights, Camera, Action!

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

By William Trillo
Photos: Mikey Williams – Top Rank

I am curious how many gambling degenerates lost their butts Saturday night while making last minute bets on Joe Smith Jr. after watching ESPN’s extremely slanted pre-fight hype before the Artur Beterbiev vs. Smith Jr. Light Heavyweight title unifier. Seriously, it seemed as if the entire cast and crew of the broadcast team were ordered to shill for Smith Jr. and say little or nothing about the undefeated Beterbiev. It was blatant and annoying.

After the fight, which Beterbiev won in a destructive performance, my phone began to light up with calls as well as texts from irate fans and more importantly fellow journalists.

“I am tired of the ESPN announcers,” said one of my peers, “They are full of sh*t. I think they should just shut up and watch the fight!”

Another chat with a fellow journalist read, “ESPN was all over the Smith Jr. bandwagon. Kriegel is an arrogant (expletive deleted).”

Another note from a highly respected boxing insider stated, “ESPN’s coverage was heavily slanted towards Smith. That was a poor decision on their part.”

Those conversations put an exclamation point on the way I was feeling during the broadcast. For whatever reason ESPN decided to make “The Common Man” Smith their poster child as they cast Beterbiev as the “opponent”. Considering Beterbiev was, and still is, the only World Champion with a 100% KO ratio, it was questionable way to go.

Equally as curious is the fact that Beterbiev’s promoter Bob Arum from Top Rank and ESPN are doing business at an impressive and lucrative clip. Although I am highly against the practice, it is very commonplace for a network to climb on board the bandwagon of the promoter they are in contract with. Which made the networks broadcast Saturday night that much more of a head scratcher.

But as we know, Beterbiev bludgeoned Smith Jr. and stopped him inside of two rounds. They may not want to admit it, but the network left Madison Square Garden with egg all over their faces.

Not to go unnoticed on the broadcast was Anthony Yarde who is the mandatory challenger for the WBO title Beterbiev just won. Come to think of it, he almost did go unnoticed. When the camera caught Yarde after the fight he was sitting in the back of the house, in the dark, and was uttering nary a peep. He certainly didn’t look like a guy who wants any part of Artur Beterbiev. And who can blame him?

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

By William Trillo
Photos: Naoki Fukada

Naoya Inoue’s (23-0, 20 KO’s) second-round stoppage over Nonito Donaire (42-7, 28 KO’s) should leave no doubts as to who is the current “King of the Hill” on the always subjective Pound4Pound list. As we all know by now, “Monster” decimated “The Filipino Flash” in just under a round and a half of work. It was a surgical and convincing performance.

Inoue easily walked straight through Donaire’s early artillery fire and then in the blink of an eye a laser like right hand to the temple put Donaire to the canvas as Round One ended.

Not wanting to let Donaire get his faculties in order, Inoue kept up the brutal attack in round two. Sharp blows had Donaire on rubber legs, yet somehow the rugged warrior was able to survive…for a moment. Proving he is a finisher Inoue pounded Donaire into the ropes. That is when a crippling left hook sent Donaire down for the final time.

If there were any questions left over from their first bout, this KO performance from Inoue should answer them loudly and clearly.

As far as the Pound4Pound question goes, well of course there will always be personal tastes and opinions. But at the end of the day, I firmly believe that in this moment in time, Naoya Inoue stands alone atop the hill of boxing’s elite.

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

By William Trillo

As the winds whipped across the Coachella Valley, Singer/Songwriter Boz Scaggs was busy whipping up a musical storm inside Indio’s Fantasy Springs Resort & Casino. Mixing in some classic Blues along with his Classic Silk Degrees tunes, Skaggs gave the near capacity crowd a very enjoyable evening.

The highlight of the show was Skagg’s rousing rendition of Loan Me A Dime, a tune Skaggs recorded back in 1969 with Duane Allman. That song brought the house down as it displayed some fine musicianship from his entire band.

Of course, no Skagg’s setlist would be complete without performing his signature tune Lowdown. Needless to say, almost everyone in the house got on their feet and danced as Boz performed his mid-seventies classic.

With well over 50 years of performing under his belt, Skagg’s proved he has not missed a beat.

To find out more about the superb live entertainment at Fantasy Springs Resort & Casino check out Entertainment | Fantasy Springs Resort Casino | Concerts Coachella Valley

By William Trillo

As defined by merriam-webster.com
the dust settles: used to talk about what happens when things become clear or calm after a period of change or confusion

There is a big boxing weekend ahead of us here in Southern California, but before the proverbial dust settles on Canelo and Bivol, I have a few odds and ends I’d like to get off my chest. In no particular order, here we go:

So, why are we already talking about a rematch? Do you think that when Team Canelo reviews the video they are going to want to do this all over again?

Did Bivol really say he would take on Canelo at 168 pounds for all his belts? If Canelo does in fact agree to a rematch, I would say the chances of him doing it for all his Super Middle belts is Nada.

Can we stop with all the Bivol vs. Zzzurdo Ramirezzz hype? Please? There is a reason I will always spell his name with three Z’s front and back.

If you are clamoring for a 175-pound title unifying fight, how about the undefeated Artur Beterbiev? Dude is a beast and there certainly ain’t any Z’s in his name, front or back. Yes, I know Beterbiev is set to face Joe Smith Jr. next month. I’m picking Beterbiev by KO in 5 in a fight that should be a Barn Burner while it lasts.

It may not be fair, but Refs normally only get a mention when they screw up, then the media and fans are all over them like stink on a monkey. So far I haven’t heard anyone say a peep about the third man in the ring that night, Russell Mora. Allow me to be one of the few to say, “Nice work Russell. You did a fine job.”

We can go ahead and assume the name Usyk will never spill out of Canelo’s Pie Hole ever again.

What are the chances that the WBC suddenly conjures up some Catchweight belt somewhere between 168 and 175 pounds and then dangles that trinket in the faces of Bivol and Canelo like a dirt farmer dangles a carrot in front of a mule?

And before I shut the door on the Canelo/Bivol topic, allow me to play Devil’s Advocate for a moment.

I don’t think it’s any big secret that Canelo despises the idea of being other fighters ATM machine. Just ask Demetrius Andrade and David Benavidez. They have been shouting from the rooftops they want a piece of Canelo. But because of his disdain for both guys, it’s highly unlikely they will ever get a sniff.

Another fighter who Canelo has no love for is Gennady Golovkin, he has made that point pretty clear. So, with a GGG fight looming if Canelo beat Bivol, do you think it’s fathomable that Canelo took his foot off the pedal just enough to lose a close fight, force a rematch with Bivol and in doing so ace out GGG and the paycheck he would receive?

Before you say I am crazy, go back and look at the body shots Canelo was landing on Bivol. Normally Canelo digs deep to the ribs with wicked blows. Against Bivol most of the body shots he threw were open handed slaps. Don’t take my word for it…go look for yourself. Then ask yourself how often in the past did you see Canelo simply lay on the ropes and literally do nothing? Over and over again.

How about never!

I know that’s a bit farfetched, but hey, this is boxing. Nothing is outside the realm of possibility. Nothing!

And in the “putting your foot in your mouth” special of the week, check out what Oscar De La Hoya had to say in regard to the Canelo/Bivol matter, “It was the stupidest move … whoever allowed Canelo to fight Bivol. I would’ve never allowed Canelo to fight Bivol,” De La Hoya said. “Look exactly at what happened. Canelo’s on the top of the world. He’s the king. Why fight a guy that if Canelo fights 10 times, he loses 10 times? And he has nothing to gain. Nothing to win. Nobody knew Bivol.” 

That tells you everything you need to know about the Modus Operandi behind the walls at Golden Boy. In other words, “Why give the fans what they want by putting the best against the best? Why not milk the system and make fights like, oh let’s say… Gilberto “Zzzurdo” Ramirezzz vs. Dominic Boesel? Talk about a guy nobody knows. Who the heck is Dominic Boesel? And let’s be frank here, Zzzurdo is a great fighter for insomniacs to watch, but if you are looking for action…forget about it. You can milk Ramirezzz until the cows come home, he will never be a box office star.

…”I would never have let Canelo fight Bivol.”

Huh?

Thanks for admitting what everyone already knew. Giving the fans what they want is not on your “to do” list.

Without further doo doo….that’s all I have to say.

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

By William Trillo
Photos: German Villasenor

Okay, let’s be honest here. When the judges’ scorecards were getting read by David Diamante after the Bivol vs. Canelo fight and he announced identical scores of 115-113 by all three judges, how many of you immediately thought, “Uh oh! No way, they are going to give this fight to Canelo.” I know I did. In fact, Dmitry Bivol himself said he was worried when he heard those 115-113 scores.

But as we found out moments later the unanimous decision was rightly given to Bivol. As it should have been.

At the time none of us knew that if Canelo had found a way to win the last round, the fight would have been scored a draw.

What?

Now, I am the last one to suggest there might have been some shenanigans going on here, (why did you just blow your soda out of your nose), but c’mon. Did you know that the scorecards were 100% identical in every way, shape and form? Like Carbon Copies. And they wonder why at times we suggest that maybe the scorecards were written out in advance.

It’s scores like this that have most of us scratching our heads.

Look, I had a wonderful Birds Eye View of this fight. I watched it without the sway or slant of any “Home Team” announcers. I jotted down notes in between rounds and scored the fight in real time, live.

As I saw it Bivol was in complete control for all but a few rounds. I gave him the fight by a score of 117-111. Outside of rounds 1, 2 & 9, I don’t see how anyone could give Canelo another round, even if they were being generous.

With the footwork of a Ballerina, superior head movement and a set of extremely large Cajones, Bivol stayed in the pocket almost the entire night. He smothered, blocked and parried any and everything Canelo was attempting, and he did that all night long.

The look of frustration was plastered all over Canelos face by round 4 and without a Plan B, the best Canelo could do was lay against the ropes and hope Bivol would make a tactical error. As we know that never happened.

I digress…let’s get back to Dewey, Cheatem & Howe.

Assuming they didn’t really write out the scorecards before the fight one has to wonder… “What the heck were these guys looking at?”

Bivol schooled Canelo, plain and simple. The evidence was that look of utter frustration on the face of Canelo when the final bell rang. That look said it all.

I rest my case.

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

By William Trillo
Photo Courtesy of Naoki Fukada

The general consensus going into the Gennady Golovkin vs. Ryota Murata fight was an overwhelming concern that Golovkin, who just turned 40 years old, was past his prime and was more than vulnerable facing the rugged Murata on his home turf.

In the early rounds it looked as though those concerns were valid as a nonstop body attack had Golovkin reeling. He was visibly uncomfortable. GGG was wincing and his body language was not good, he was hurt, no one could doubt that.

But Golovkin summoned the intestinal fortitude only a champion can. He overcame the early onslaught. By the time he launched Murata’s mouthpiece into the stratosphere GGG had completely taken over the fight. Shortly thereafter Golovkin put Murata down and his corner didn’t hasten to jump into the ring to save their warrior from further damage.

Now the question is, did Golovkin earn another shot at Canelo with the KO victory? Furthermore, is this a fight the fans want to see?

Personally, I think a lot of people who thought Golovkin’s days were over are now leaning towards wanting to see GGG vs. Canelo III.

Fight Of The Year
Fundora vs. Lubin
Photo By Esther Lin

Going into the weekend I think you would have been hard pressed to find anyone who picked Sebastian Fundora vs. Erickson Lubin to be the Fight of The Weekend. For that matter, with GGG headlining on one card and the return of that Social Media Star on another, Fundora vs. Lubin might have been an afterthought at best.

But truth be told, this Fight of The Year candidate was easily the most compelling fight of the weekend. With both fighters hitting the deck this was a rugged if not gruesome battle. Lubin’s face after the fight was a testament to that. If you didn’t see it I would highly recommend finding a replay. This is must see TV.

Lyin’ About Ryan

In the week leading up to the fight everyone from trainer Joe Goossen to Ryan Garcia himself said they would be surprised if this fight went longer than two or three rounds and that there was no way Emmanuel Tagoe would go the distance.

Immediately after the fight (that went the distance by the way), and in fact during the fight itself, Goossen was playing spin doctor saying what a difficult fighter Tagoe was and he expected this all along.

Huh?

Let’s cut through the BS here and just tell it like it is.

Ryan doesn’t want to fight. Those winging punches that were hitting nothing but air looked amateurish at best. Throwing one punch at a time while pulling your head back because you are afraid of getting hit spells trouble. And the jab. Where was the jab?

I have never been too high on the Instragram sensation Garcia to begin with, but I can say he looked a lot better before his umpteen month layoff than he did Saturday night. Goossen is a proven maker of Champions but from the day it was announced he would take Ryan under his wing I felt it was a very poor fit. I saw nothing in that fight that changes my mind.

Everyone from the DAZN broadcast team to Oscar De La Hoya were trying to put a spin on Garcia’s performance but the fact of the matter is this; You intentionally brought in a “Ham & Egger” that Ryan could get a highlight reel KO on, but when that didn’t happen you suddenly labeled Tagoe as the second coming of Willie Pep.

Boxing fans are a lot smarter than given credit for and in this case they aren’t buying that line of bull.

Ryan don’t wanna fight guys. Quit shoving him out there, you’re going to get him hurt.

Mosley Proves Naysayers Wrong

I got a call from one of our journalists Saturday night who wanted to know, and I quote, “How the hell did Gabriel Rosado lose to Shane Mosley Jr.?”

I am sure that was the question on everyone’s mind.

I am just going to speculate here and say it appeared to me Rosado was just looking for a one punch KO. With visions of Bektemir still dancing in his head Rosado may have felt Mosley was an easy mark. By the time he figured out that the KO was not going to happen it was too late. Gabe came up on the short end of a shocking majority decision at the hands of Mosley Jr.

That’s why they make ‘em fight!

And The Girls
Photo: German Villasenor

I could be mistaken but I believe Mikaela Meyer will become the face of Woman’s boxing before the end of 2022. She is as talented as any female fighter currently fighting, she has a great back story and let’s be honest, she knows how to behave in public. Her being featured in the Main Event versus Jennifer Han on ESPN on the Top Rank promoted card speaks volumes.

And in the “Fact Not Opinion” story, if a male fighter showed up with the same innertube around his waist as Marlen Esparza did Saturday night against Naoko Fulioka, he would have been harshly criticized. Deal with it.

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

By William Trillo

It was almost exactly twelve years ago that I first saw Mikael Zewski (35-2, 23 KO’s) in the ring. The Canadian from Trois-Rivières, Quebec beat his unsuspecting foe into submission by round three. It was Mikael’s second professional fight. It was an impressive victory for the young fighter.

Having already traveled to Quebec twice to cover fights I kept a watchful eye on Zewski. As my good fortune would have it, I was able to cover the fighter live multiple times in both Montreal and Las Vegas. Over the years Zewski has become a formidable fighter, a top contender and a friend.

After 37 fights Zewski will be fighting in front of his hometown fans in Trois-Rivières as he takes on Carlos Ocampo Manriquez (32-1, 20, KO’s) with the vacant WBC Continental Americas Super Welter Title up for grabs. Zewski was originally scheduled to fight Serhii Bohachuk but the fighter from The Ukraine has chosen to take up the cause for his country. With maybe the biggest fight of his life ahead of Mikael, we had a chance to get some quick thoughts from the always gracious Zewski.

Pound4Pound: You must be extremely excited to be fighting in your home hometown fans this weekend.

Mikael Zewski: I wanted to fight here in Trois-Rivieres for the past 10 years, so yes, it’s awesome and I am excited. I did not just want a fight in my home, I wanted a real fight here. Ocampo is ranked 8th in the WBO so beating him would put me right back in the title fight mix.

P4P: Is it hard to separate the excitement of this fight from the excitement of fighting in your home for the first time?

MZ: Its all one, this whole thing is exciting. It’s going to be a great fight for the fans and a great experience for me. The crowd will be going nuts and I will get all the energy from them. I’m excited for all my fights, but this one is special for sure.

P4P: Your first opponent, Bohachuk, fell out. I am sure you understand his reasons for having to drop out.

MZ: Of course I do, and I would have done the same thing in his place. I totally understand and wish him and his family to stay safe. Maybe our paths will cross later this year who knows.

P4P: Your new opponent Carlos Manriquez is a fighter you must take seriously; he is no slouch. I am sure even though he is a late fill in you are not taking him lightly.

MZ: I’m not, he has the same style and intensity as Bohachuk and he’s ranked 8th in the world. He is no walk in the park. He’s coming to fight and to get a win on the road, but I’m so well prepared, this will be a good one.

P4P: Mikael, as you know I have been following your career since 2010. I have always enjoyed your style in the ring. You also have carried yourself well outside the ring as well. I will be pulling for you in this fight and look forward to when they raise your hand and say, “And the new World Boxing Council Continental Americas Super Welter Champion. Mikael Zewski.” Best of luck to you my friend.

MZ: Thank you so much Bill, you are great!

To purchase tickets for the fight that takes place Friday March 25 in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec go to:
Zewski – Manriquez Le Retour Du Fils De La Mauricie Tickets Mar 25, 2022 Trois-Rivières, QC | Ticketmaster

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

By William Trillo

It’s the Semi-Main event on the big Golden Boy card this Saturday in Los Angeles but Alexis Rocha (18-1, 12 KO’s) vs. Blair Cobbs (15-0-1, 10 KO’s) might end up being the fight of the night. The two warriors will collide on DAZN in a matchup that has Donnybrook written all over it. We spoke to Rocha about the big night and got his thoughts as the big fight night approaches.

Pound4Pound: Hey, Alexis, I really appreciate you taking time to do interviews. I know that this is a really busy week for you guys. So, I’m going to just jump right into it. Okay?

Alexsis Rocha: I appreciate you. Well first off, thank you so much for interviewing me. Thank you for taking your time too. It means the world to me.

P4P: You’re welcome. I couldn’t miss out on speaking to you. Tell me, when you very first heard about the opportunity to fight Blair Cobbs, what was your immediate reaction?

AR: You know, I was excited. I was very excited to fight someone like Blair cobbs. I said yes without hesitation. I’m looking forward to our fight March 19.

P4P: Me too. I’ve been fortunate here as a Southern California boxing reporter. I feel like I’ve watched you grew up in the ring. I’ve seen you fight at Belasco, I’ve seen you fight in Indio and all points in between. I’ve really had a good chance to see you literally grow up in the ring and I’ve always felt that you were one of the top fighters there at Golden Boy and in your division. In my opinion you are a top up and comer. An opportunity like this, when it presents itself, can really open the doors for you as far as championship aspirations and moving forward. Are you looking at it in that fashion?

AR: Oh, definitely. I know with a victory over Blair Cobbs it is going to open up a lot of doors. People are going to be viewing this card live and on DAZN. Many eyes are gonna be on me that night. That’s what I want essentially in the sport. I want exposure and I want to climb up the rankings and win.

P4P: You guys are similar in so many ways. Your records are similar, your amount of fights, you’re both southpaws. The one thing is not similar is personality. Blair is a little more flamboyant. And you’ve always been the type of guy that seems quiet and reserved and just lets his talking get done in the ring. Is that a fair assessment?

AR: Yeah, that’s a very fair assessment. You know, the way I was raised was obviously different than him. I was raised with a humble mother that told me to be respectful, to always carry a conversation with anyone and that’s just the way I’ve been raised. And yes, I let my talking get done in the ring. But I understand Blair’s point of view to be out there, to be selling the fight the way he is., We are simply two different people.

P4P: Right, and that’ where the intrigue for the fans is really going to bring not only people into the arena, but that night on DAZN. When you get two guys that are similar, yet different it creates a built in rivalry. You’re gonna have half the fans on one side and half the fans on the other, all cheering for their fighter. This is almost the main event itself, so to speak. I think you might agree.

AR: I definitely agree. I don’t take anything away from Vergil. He is a hell of a fighter and he’s earned his credit to be the main event. But yeah, definitely, this fight has a lot of magnitude in it. It’s a very big fight.

P4P: Let me ask you about you being from basically a fighting family. When flights like this come along, for either Ronny or you, what is the atmosphere around the family and your close peers? I know you guys get very serious and take this as a true business.

AR: Yeah, we’re very serious at what we do. But we joke around and we have fun with what we do. Because if you’re not enjoying what you do, then why do it? You should be relaxed at all times enjoying the whole process. Even when there’s ups and downs in this sport, just enjoy the whole ride because the more you enjoy it, the more you believe in yourself, the more confident you’re going to get and it’s just a smoother ride like that.

But definitely, Ronny has been through it all. From fighting family like you said, Ronny has been through it all. He’s been through the hard fights, he’s been through the losses. He’s been through fighting for a world championship and on the verge of fighting for another World Championship. So, he gives me tons of advice.

P4P: That’s a great answer, Thank you. Look, I know your time is valuable right now so I want to just cut it short and ask you just what we can expect from you next Saturday night in USC.

AR: You can expect the great night. People, tune in March 19. You guys are gonna find out who Alexis Rocha is.

P4P: I’m gonna make sure everybody knows about this fight, trust me. Like you said, no disrespect to Vergill because he’s his own guy. But when I heard about this fight, I wanted to make sure everybody tunes in and is in front of their TV for this. I wish you the best of luck.

AR: Yes, sir. I appreciate that so much. Thank you.

P4P: Alright, have a great day.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and are priced at $150, $75, $50 and $25 not including applicable service charges. Tickets will be available for purchase at www.galencenter.org or www.goldenboypromotions.com.

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