Billy's Boxing Blog

By William Trillo

Real boxing fans should be able to flush out any lingering memories of this past weekend’s circus sideshow as Golden Boy Promotions is throwing an old school fight card at The Belasco Theatre that harkens back to the days of the old Olympic Auditorium. On Thursday night two local favorites will be taking on some stiff competition on this very fan friendly fight card.

In the Main Event Carlos “The Solution” Morales (19-4, 8 KO’s) will be facing a seasoned Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (32-3-2, 17 KO’s) in a Lightweight battle that is sure to be a barnburner. With championship fight experience under his belt Gesta will prove to be a very experienced and tough customer. Adding to Gesta’s motivation is the fact he is coming off a disappointing and unexpected loss in his last fight. No doubt he wants to get back on track by defeating Morales impressively.

Morales is well aware of these facts but is sure he will come out victorious over Mercito. “I have some surprises planned for Gesta for this fight,” stated a confident Morales, “that boy better get ready for a beating!”

In the Semi-Main event Charles Huerta (21-6, 12 KO’s) will take on the hard-nosed Puerto Rican fighter Jonathon Oquendo (30-6, 19 KO’s) in a battle for the vacant WBO Latino Super Featherweight title. This one is sure to be pedal to the metal from the opening bell. Oquendo is a seasoned world class fighter who came up short in his last fight and would like to get the victory and the belt on Thursday night.

Huerta knows exactly the kind of fighter he will be facing in Oquendo and is confident he has put in the work to come out on top on Thursday night. “We have had a very strong training camp here at The Maywood Club. There are a lot of us here with fights around the same time, so the atmosphere has been all business,” Huerta shared, “We know Oquendo is a big challenge, but like I said, training has been excellent. I feel strong and am expecting to do very well and get that win.”

Fight fans who got shortchanged over the weekend are advised to head downtown on Thursday night and get ready for some good old-fashioned boxing with real fighters.

Morales vs. Gesta and Hurta vs. Oquendo is presented by Golden Boy. The event is sponsored by Tecate “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING.” The fights will take place on Thursday, Nov. 14 at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. The event will be streamed live on DAZN, RingTV.com and on Facebook Watch via the Golden Boy Fight Night Page beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. The series will also be available on regional sports networks around the nation. To see when and where the series is available in your area click here.

Tickets for Morales vs. Gesta are on sale and start at $30, not including applicable service charges and taxes. Click here to purchase tickets.

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

By William Trillo

His track record on picking the big fights is far from stellar but I once again found the need to stop at my favorite diner on the way to Las Vegas to find out what “The King” thought about this weekend’s big event.

Cutting to the chase I simply asked Elvis to give me his insight on the Canelo vs. Kovalev Light Heavyweight title fight. For the cost of a couple of quarters Elvis gave me his two cents worth.

Presley said, and I quote, “He who laughs last, thinks worst!”

Honestly I had not a clue what that meant. I left the diner scratching my head as I pondered just what the heck that statement could mean.

It wasn’t until midway through the weigh in that things started to become clear to me. Suddenly I recalled the post fight press conference at the first Canelo vs. GGG bout. As I mentioned in my report that night Golden Boy brass appeared very stoic as they addressed the media but as soon as the show was over and the lights went low they all huddled and laughed uncontrollably. That soured me quite a bit. In my article I used that age old line, “He who laughs last….etc etc.”

I believe The King was trying to remind me of what I stated that night and what was in store for the coming weekend.

But what about that “thinks worst” line?

What did that mean?

Insert Light Bulb here.

It’s always been my contention that for Golden Boy and Canelo this is a no lose situation and that’s why they took the fight. If Canelo comes out victorious it would be the greatest feat in boxing in many years.

But what if he loses?

He still holds all the belts at 160 pound and there will be no shame in attempting this unheard of challenge.

In other words….

Worst Case Scenario, Canelo loses but still holds multiple prestigious World Title belts.

In even considering the worst for a moment I believe Golden Boy has opened a small crack in the door that a fighter like Kovalev will exploit as he blows that door wide open. Krusher will use an impressive piston like jab and utilize boxing skills many don’t realize he possesses. In the process he will dominate Canelo and take a clear unanimous decision. There is no way Kovalev will KO Canelo, Alvarez is just too young and strong. But in an upset Segey Kovalev will surprise the masses and defeat Canelo Alvarez.

“He who laughs last, thinks worst!”

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