Billy's Boxing Blog

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.

By William Trillo

This Saturday at The Galen Center in Los Angeles, welterweights Blair Cobbs (15-0-1, 10 KO’s) and Alexis Rocha (18-1, 12 KO’s) will square off in the Semi-Main event that is sure to be a fan pleasing affair. The fight that will also be streamed on DAZN is one battle that should not be missed.

After botching the logistics of my scheduled Zoom Teleconference, we took a more traditional approach and I got to speak with Cobbs on the phone about this very interesting matchup of Golden Boy fighters.

Pound4Pound: Well, Blair, you probably can tell by that little incident that I’m old school, okay?

Blair Cobbs: That’s okay.

P4P: Do you know what I liked about old school boxing?

BC: No, tell me, what did you like about it?

Pound4Pound: It’s that fighters back in the day, even if they were under the same promoter, would get together in the ring in spite of coming from the same “stable”, and they would do it often. That made for some great local battles. That stopped happening as the years went by and it happened rarely if at all recently in the pre-pandemic days. But truthfully, I think the pandemic forced open some doors that had been shut for years. Fighters who have been idle need to get back in the ring. That is making for some very good matchups now. Case in point; Blair Cobbs vs. Alexis Rocha

BC: Absolutely, absolutely. I look forward to claiming dominance and supremacy in my weight class and in my promotional company (Golden Boy) and also in the networks, like DAZN.

P4P: Taking nothing away from the Vergil Ortiz and the Main Event, when I saw the initial press release, I thought you and Rocha were just fighting different opponents on the same card. But when I realized you were fighting each other, it was the Wow Factor. I was calling my hardcore boxing fan buddies telling them, “You got to watch to this fight.” This is like a “let the rubber meet the road” point in your careers. You guys have similar records, similar number of fights in the same venues, a couple of Southpaws. This fight has the makings of a Barn Burner.

BC: Absolutely, absolutely. And I look forward to making sure all the people all around the world know that this is the main event. This is the main attraction. This is what you, the fans need to see. This is a big fight against two top contenders. And we’re going to go at it in the peak of shape at the peak of our careers. This is what boxing needs.

P4P: I agree 100%. Anybody who’s reading this needs to make sure to be in front of the TV when the bell rings for this one, and they need to tell their friends. Tell me how do you see this playing out?

BC: Oh, I see a great fight. I see something happening that’s going to spark the imagination of people. And it’s going to be very interesting how I shut it down. You know, because the thing is, you can’t just pity pat touch and move, touch and move. I can do that all day. But “Blair the Flair” does not to just win the fight. “Blair The Flair” wants to thrive in the fight and claim dominance in the fight. “Blair The Flair” is always going to be looking for knockouts and looking for the world to be impressed by what he does in the ring.

P4P: Again, going back to that Old School, I like my fighters to show me they are fighters. Don’t just try to impress me only with sticking and moving and nothing more. What do fighters have when the heat is on and they are faced with some serious drama? I have seen you face adversity a couple of times. You struggled for a moment but then you kicked in another gear and got yourself back into the fight. That’s something you can’t teach in the gym. That comes from inside, and I give you a lot of credit for that.

BC: Absolutely, and that’s what it’s about. Too many boxing people are getting too caught up with statistics and ratings and trying to make boxing more business than what it really is, an entertainment sport. And it’s time to turn boxing back to where it used to be. Making boxing great again. And that’s just really what it’s about.

It’s been so boring and so bad because a lot of these top fighters are not great fighters. They’re good fighters but they’re not great fighters. Terrence Crawford is not a great fighter. He’s a good fighter at best. He’s not doing the best that he can do inside and outside the ring. He’s not sparking any kind of real interest with the people.

A lot of people may know nothing about boxing, but they come to see a fight. They want to be dazzled. You know they want? They want to be amazed. And you have a lot of fighters out here right now today that are boxing and they’re really good athletes, but you have to be a bigger than that. You have to be an entertainer. People want to see action; people want to see what happens when your back is up against the rope. So yeah, “Blair The Flair” takes a lot of big fights that I might not be the favorite, I might not even be the favorite in this fight. But against all, “Blair The Flair” is going to show you what it means to be great.

P4P: I let my real boxing fans know about this fight I’ll make sure that the casual fan knows to watch this fight too. I really appreciate your time.

BC: Thank you very much.

P4P: I’ll see you next week.

BC: Thanks, Take care.

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.

By William Trillo

Whether Julio Cesar Martinez coming into the title fight overweight was a calculated risk (see Orlando Salido vs. Vasyl Lomachenko) or just an irresponsible blunder, the fact of the matter is, it didn’t distract Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in any way, shape or form.

The fight was pure “Chocolatito” through and through. Any concerns that the fighter from Nicaragua is on the downward side of his career were laid to rest in San Diego. The future looks good for Gonzalez as big fights loom. When asked what might be next, Gonzalez deferred to the man he called his boss, that being Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn. It’s hard to imagine that Hearn is not going to take another crack at getting that Juan Francisco Estrada trilogy fired up once again. Fight fans are clamoring for that “Rubber Match” to happen, and if we are learning anything about Hearn, it is that he is getting a knack for giving the people what they want.

Speaking of giving the people what they want…how about Canelo being in the house to cheer on his countryman? I gotta be honest with you here, I wasn’t sure what to make of Canelo prior to him speaking English. But now that he “Habla Ingles” I must say he has a pretty sharp sense of humor, and I like it. There are a lot of fighters that need to be put in check, and he has no problem doing it. Let the good times roll.

Ring announcer David Diamante made his return to the squared circle in San Diego. It was great to see him back in action. The outpouring of love from the fans, fighters and media in attendance was impressive to say the least, he was definitely getting the love. He was truly missed after his motorcycle accident. It’s good to have him back and more importantly, it’s good to see him healthy.

Do with this information as you will; Featherweight Mauricio Lara is must see TV. His demolition of Emilio Sanchez inside of three rounds was about as entertaining as it gets. Don’t go to the kitchen for pizza when this guy gets in the ring, he is all action all the time. Chances are his fights will end sooner rather than later. I have no problem saying he would dethrone any of the current 126 pound champs. Store that for future information.

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