No chance of an early Cotto matchup with Canel Alvarez
[BoxingGlove Notes]
The anticipation of seeing the 2014 boxing year start off with a big “bang” with 2 former Floyd Mayweather opponents, Miguel Angel Cotto vs. Saul Alvarez fighting each other on March 4, 2014, had us fight fans salivating at the prospect of a phone booth war for redemption.
Yes, they both can box; but this was going to be a stand-in-the-center-of-the-ring last man standing gladiator-like box-off.
The money was upwards of $10 million, plus a pay-per-view percentile for Cotto. But as the late great Yankees short-stop Phil Rizzuto used to say “Holy Cow.” Cotto opts to fight Sergio Martinez on Saturday, June 7, 2014, on the eve of his customary pre-Puerto Rican Day Parade celebration fight schedule.
Canelo then decides to fight Alfredo Angulo on March 4, 2014. I wonder if they are both looking for easy opponents. Well, let’s analyze.
Canelo’s proposed opponent Angulo, is a dead-on, rock-hard puncher with both hands. His defense is a little questionable. But he punishes you with a head and body, come at you painful style.
Is Canelo still trying to recover from the embarrassing boxing lesson, ring-professor Mayweather handed him in front of a global audience of millions, and feels that Cotto might be too tough at this time? I think so, because I feel that, that loss, may still be spinning in his mind, along with a possible loss of confidence. This may be a distraction in preparing to fight a born again Cotto who is now trained by Freddie Roach after his return to Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions.
On the other hand I think Angulo may look easy for Canelo because of his 3 losses, especially 2 by knockouts at the hands of James Kirkland, and more recently at the hands of Arislandy Lara.
Canelo may forget that Angulo knocked Kirkland down in the first round, and knocked Lara down twice, and left him for dead with Lara just barely making the 9 count on both occasions.
Maybe Canelo also remembers the orbital bone fracture that Angulo suffered above his left eye; and that maybe it is still not healed. Could Canelo also be banking on the fact that Angulo unjustly languished in a deportation prison for almost a year because of an expired work visa problem?
Questions will be answered March 4, 2014.
On the other hand, Cotto decided to challenge Martinez for his 160 pound crown. Is he hoping Martinez is an easier fight because of his 3 broken bone operations, and his long recovery lay-offs of over a year? Is he encouraged by the fact that Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. pounded Martinez savagely for 11 rounds, in September 15, 2012; and in the last round almost knocked him out?
I don’t have an answer for these 2 questions, why Cotto and Canelo decided not to fight each other in a mega pay-per-view worthy fight. The shock here is that Golden Boy Promotions is trying to sell Canelo vs. Angulo as a mega pay-per-view fight for 12 rounds.
Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive of Golden Boy Promotions, then says the match had to be made because Angulo and Canelo “hate each other passionately”.
Since, when? If we believe that, we may as well buy the Brooklyn Bridge.
Maybe the only one selling point here is that Schaefer has loaded up the supporting card with known fighters like Leo Santa Cruz, W.B.C. Super Bantamweight champ, against Cristian Mijares; and Jorge Linares vs. Japanese contender, Nihito Arakawa; and last but not least, Ricardo Alvarez, Canelo’s younger sibling, vs. Omar Figueroa, W.B.C. Interim Lightweight Champion.
Is this line-up an attractive pay-per-view fight card? Your guess is as good as mine.
Cotto vs. Martinez may sell better as a per-per-view fight since 160 pound champion Martinez and Cotto are already established pay-per-view marquis fighters, and especially since it is on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade celebration. Miguel Cotto doesn’t really need that cultural event to sell out the house. He sold out Madison Square Garden when he fought and k.o.’d Antonio Margarito in the 9th round, December 3, 2012.
Meanwhile, rumors are in the air that Mayweather may honor us with a visit to the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York, abandoning his home, the M.G.M. Grand Arena in Las Vegas. Can New York afford Mayweather’s purse demands? His purses are a minimum of $30 million; plus all fights must be pay-per-view.
The only time he fought close by was when he t.k.o.’d the late Arturo Gatti in Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on June 25, 2005.
Will Mayweather bring along his hand-picked opponent, Amir Khan, the 3rd punching bag, on his 6-fight victory tour contract with Showtime before his long awaited ring retirement, or will Mayweather draft a local home-boy?
He could select, Paulie Malignaggi, recently crowned The “King of Brooklyn”, Zab Judah, Peter Quillin, I.B.O. Middleweight Champ, Danny Jacobs, Curtis Stevens, or even Luis Collazo, who fights at the Barclays Center on Thursday, January 30, 2014 against Victor Ortiz.
Marcos Maidana recent conqueror of Adrien Broner, has been mentioned as a possible Mayweather selection. We’ll just have to wait and see since perhaps everything with Money Mayweather is always a wait and see mystery.
Kudos to Mr. Lou DiBella and DiBella Entertainment, for kicking off their 11th. year in boxing, by promoting their new year “Broadway Boxing” show named, “The Last Dance”, at the historic world famous Roseland Ballroom, West 52nd Street, Manhattan, since it is closing it’s doors after serving the dancing public for over 50 years. The last show at Roseland Ballroom will be on Wednesday, February 12, 2014, featuring an exciting fight card which will include, Heather Hardy undefeated super Bantamweight, 7-0, 2 knockouts; Boyd Melson, Junior Middleweight and a West Point graduate, 13-1-1, 4 k.o.’s.
Melson who will fight Mike Ruiz,17-4, 9 knockouts, is a hero in more ways than one since he has donated all of his boxing purses for Spinal Cord injury research, and has also helped raise thousands of dollars for the same cause.
Hardy a New York Daily News Golden Gloves Champion, in the women’s category is hoping that this 2014 year will be her break-out year and that she will finally be able to challenge for a world title. By a recent knockout victory, Hardy won the vacant Universal Boxing Federation International Women’s Super Bantamweight Crown.
With the sad closing of Roseland Ballroom, after 50 years, I remember that it was a great place to go to for dancing, and socializing with the great exciting music by Juanucho Lopez and his great Latin Orchestra.
Mr. DiBella is right, this is the last “boxing dance” of a great dance palace.
DiBella Entertainment is not stopping there. He is keeping the boxing gloves rolling by promoting an E.S.P.N. Friday Night Fights program at the Richard J. Codey Arena in West Orange, New Jersey, on, Friday, January 31, 2014 the eve of our First Super Bowl weekend.
The fight card will feature, undefeated Light Heavyweight contender from Australia , Blake Caparello, 18-0-1, 6 knockouts, against Elvir Muriqi, Albanian born American called “The Kosovo Kid”, 40-5, 24 knockouts.
Caparello, 27 and a south paw, and on his first trip to the United States wants to make a positive impression and serve notice to 175 pound crowd that he is here and ready to rumble.
Hey, Andre Ward what are you doing? Have you contacted Sakio Bika and or Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.? You cannot just rest on your laurels after your “W.W.F.” victory over Edwin Rodriguez. Maybe Caparello could be your next opponent. Contact Lou DiBella.
In the co-feature, Puerto Rican born, 22 year old, Super Bantamweight rising star Luis Rosa, 14-0, 6 knockouts, will fight New Jersey native Jorge Diaz, 17-2, 10 k.o.’s, who won numerous amateur titles on a National level before turning pro in 2007. Diaz had a record of 15 straight victories including an electrifying one-punch knockout of former Olympic Gold Medalist, Yan Barthelemy, before losing his next fight. Many experts feel that this fight is worthy of a main event category by itself.
And, Super Bowl 2014 will finally be held here in New York’s Met life stadium.
Alas, non of our 2 teams, the New York Giants or the New York Jets will make an appearance. Imagine one day, getting to watch a Football Subway Series.
What about a New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets, N.B.A. Championship one day?; a Giants vs. Jets Super Bowl; or New York Yankees vs. New York Mets -it has happened before- World Series, championship games. All in the same year and 3 Ticker-Tape Parades.
What about a championship fight between Deontay Wilder, 30-0, 30 knockouts, W.B.C. Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion becoming the first American Heavyweight Champion in decades? Klitschkos, are you listening?
I leave you with this thought.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday — official holiday January 20, 2014.
Not a day to go shopping, but a day to reflect.
Imagine. Dr. King greeting his brother in humanities, Nelson Mandela, with a hug.
