Boxing News

The main event of this week's Telefutura “Solo Boxeo” broadcast featured former IBF lightweight titlist Javier “Chatito” Jauregui taking on hard punching Filipino Randy Suico in a ten-round contest. Jauregui came out for the first few rounds and showed decent boxing skills as he punched in combinations while moving his upper body well. Suico started to apply a lot of pressure in the third round, landing his own powerful shots, but “Chatito” weathered the storm and took control of the fight by the sixth with hard hooks and crosses. In general, Javier showed a nice stiff jab and looked fluid with his punches. The entire fight featured good exchanges, but the Mexican controlled the action for the most part, taking a unanimous decision. With the win, Jauregui keeps his hopes alive for another world title shot.

Tonight’s opening televised bout of Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo” boxing series featured perennial contender Ben “Wonder” Tackie winning a hard fought ten-round majority decision over tough and rugged Norberto Bravo. The fight featured a lot of two-way action with both fighters having their moments. Tackie, true to form, seemed to get stronger as the fight went into the latter rounds and hurt Bravo late with wicked body shots. The Arizona native showed a ton of heart, but was simply outgunned by the warrior from Ghana. It's a solid win for Tackie as he looks to make some noise in a wide-open welterweight division.

It’s that time of the week fight fans and here's another edition of the TKO Boxing Show, found only on Saddoboxing.com. This week, I provide some feedback on last weekend's "Parade of Champions" card and IBF Super Middle Champion Jeff Lacy stopped by for a chat that you'll definitely want to hear. I close things up with "This Week in Boxing", a preview of this week's upcoming action. Tune in right now and enjoy the show!
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Fight fans! Minutes ago, I had a conversation with Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy and he was gracious enough to give the greatest fans on the plant his take on what is going to happen tonight when Robbie "Bomber" Peden faces Marco Antonio Barrera on HBO's pay-per-view boxing series. Make sure you tune in and hear what he had to say. Also, don't miss tomorrow's "TKO Boxing Show" as my special guest is none other than "Left Hook" himself. We talked about everything under the boxing sun and he has a special message for Joe Calzaghe that you won't want to miss. More...

Tonight’s main event of Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo” boxing series featured former five-time world champion and boxing icon Johnny “Mi Vida Loca” Tapia taking on Mexican journeyman Sandro Marcos. It was evident in the opening stanza that Tapia was going to have problems dealing with the hard punching Mexican as Marcos caught Johnny early with a left hook that wobbled the New Mexican boxing legend. In the second round, Sandro stunned Tapia again with a left hook to the head, followed by a right hand that was blocked. But Marcos finished off the combination with a hard, rib cracking left hook that sent “Mi Vida Loca” to the canvas wincing in pain. Tapia would not beat the count. With the victory, Marcos may have added two or three more fights to his career. As for Tapia, who knows what’s next?

Don’t Sleep on This fight!

For those of you who are saying that this Saturday night’s HBO pay-per-view fight between Mexico’s WBC 130lb Champion Marco Antonio Barrera and his IBF counterpart, Australia's Robbie “Bomber” Peden, is just not a quality matchup, then you are just not a true boxing fan. It’s time to wake up, slap your face several times with a hammer and realize the facts. The “Bomber” is an exciting, high output, tough as nails brawler looking for a war on the inside. There is no doubt in my mind that Robbie will come out with all guns blazing, seeking to make his mark on the sport and “prove that he belongs” as he told me during our interview on this site's TKO Boxing Show. That desire to prove his worth as a fighter will carry him through hell and back twice, and he is going to need it as “hell” will be across from him this Saturday in the form of Marco Antonio Barrera. So do yourself and our beloved sport a favor by tuning in to what should be a great fight on Saturday night.

Fight fans! Welcome to the latest edition of the TKO Boxing Show found only on Saddoboxing.com, the premier source for all of your boxing news. This week, our special guest is Robbie "Bomber" Peden as he gears up to face the Mexican legend, Marco Antonio Barrera in a super feather title unification tilt. Also, our very own Edwin Gonzalez joins us on the show giving his take on this past weekend's HBO card which featured Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao. The show ends with the upcoming weeks action in "This Week in Boxing". So make sure to tune in as you're going to want to check it out! More...

Here’s how it all went down fight fans!

Round 1: Erik Morales, 134 1/4, comes out in his orthodox stance as Zahir Raheem, 133 pounds, is also in an orthodox stance. Both fighters come out with high guards and Raheem is shooting jabs. Morales shoots some jabs to the body that come out short.

Morales is using a lot of upper body movement. Zahir lands a sharp left hook to the head. Morales comes back with a straight right hand. Left hook by Raheem lands with solid impact. He again lands with a hard right hand. Morales lands a right to the body followed by a right to the head. He lands a short left upper cut followed by a right hand. Raheem misses with a right and is countered by Morales.

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Live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California and televised on HBO, Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao locked horns with tough Mexican veteran Hector Velazquez. Here is how it went down, punch for punch, in California.

Round 1: Manny Pacquiao, 130, comes out is his southpaw stance, while Hector Velazquez, also 130 pounds, is in his orthodox stance. Velazquez comes out kind of pushing off with his jab. Pacquaio counters with a hard left hand. Hector continues to circle his opponent and shoots a soft jab. He shoots a right hand to the body. Velazquez lands a sharp right. Manny lands a straight left hand. Hector lands a hard right to the head followed by two to Manny’s body. He catches “Pac-Man” coming in with another hard right. Manny lands a sharp left hand, but seems one-dimensional. Another big right hand lands for Hector. Pacquiao lands a hard right hand, but Hector takes it very well. The round ends.

10-9 Velazquez More...

Well fight fans we are gearing up for another great boxing weekend as this Saturday night, HBO brings us a super feather doubleheader featuring Erik “El Terrible” Morales taking on Zahir Raheem. The once beaten Raheem will attempt to shock the world by

out-classing and out-boxing a true legend in Erik Morales. Many say that Erik is older, slower, and ready to be taken. I emphatically disagree! Although Raheem is not an easy mark, I still believe that the young pugilist from Philadelphia, PA, is in over his head and will be sent running back down to the 126-pound division. Here is how “El Terrible” is going to get it done on September 10th.

People say that Morales has too many miles on his boxing odometer and that it will show against the younger, faster and fresher Raheem. I turn that around and say that Erik is too vastly experienced to lose to such a young pug. “El Terrible” has forgotten more about boxing than Raheem will ever learn. Erik has seen it all in the ring as his opponent’s list is a who’s who of fighter from 122 to 130-pounds, spanning over the past eight years. I seriously doubt that Zahir will be able to befuddle Morales with anything, unless he grows a third arm and the commission allows him to use it. That experience allows Erik to pace himself as he is well aware of when to pressure, and when to move. Speaking of pressure, Raheem, although a very experienced amateur fighter, has never, ever felt the kind of intense pressure that he will feel on Saturday night as “El Terrible” is a tyrant in the ring. You can only run from Morales for so long because, eventually, he will catch up to you. Also, it is hard to convince judges of victory if you are constantly moving in reverse. More...

Tonight, Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo” boxing series featured undefeated prospect Steven Luevano fighting at 122-pounds for the first time in his career. Luevano took on the battle tested veteran, Ruben Estanislao. The twelve-round contest was a tougher than expected affair as Estanislao definitely showed up to take Steven’s undefeated record. The twelve round contest featured a lot of two way action, as both combatants tested each others meddle. Ruben had his moments during the contest, but was outclassed overall by the much faster and more talented Luevano. Steven showed some grit and determination as he stood in there and exchanged leather with the warring Mexican. At the end of the fight, Luevano took a lopsided, but hard fought twelve-round unanimous decision. Steven, who started his career at 130-pounds, is a very large 122 pound southpaw with good skills and fast hands. If he can continue to make the weight, Luevano can be a major player at the super bantamweight division.

Welterweight contender Eleazar Contreras, Jr. opened up tonight’s Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo” boxing show with a first round knockout of tough and rugged Mexican journeyman Alfonso “Poncho” Sanchez. Contreras came out fast, shooting hard three and four punch combinations that were finding their mark. With about one minute left in the round, the Californian landed a hard, sharp, chin checking right hook that put Sanchez down for the count. The tough Mexican was up at the count of eight, but was again sent to the canvas courte! sy of another hard right hand. This time, “Ponch” would not beat the count. With the win, Contreras improves his record to 26-4-2 with 10 kos, and keeps his title hopes alive.

Eighteen year old light welterweight sensation Amir Khan is Britain’s future hope for boxing world domination. The Bolton, Lancashire born Khan was a highly decorated amateur who possess world-class speed, solid boxing fundamentals and appears to carry a punch even though he has yet to acquire his “man strength”. The only thing missing is whether or not Amir has a chin. That, like every other high profile

Click for larger image © Mike Cleary

prospect out there, will not been known until much later as, right now Khan is in the “baby steps” of a professional career and facing non-descript competition. The questions that also looms, because of who represents Amir, is how long will he face non-descript competition before having a career defining fight? More...

La Sona Norte in Tijuana is the toughest area in a poverty-stricken town known for its hard streets, and even harder residents. It is a place where hope for a better life is not readily accessible to the “common” man, but lawlessness, prostitution,

alcoholism, and mind altering chemicals are. Not all of Tijuana is like this, as I do not mean to make the Mexican city sound like a wasteland, but the only area that is cared for by the Mexican Government is the downtown, and the reason for that is the tourists. It is like many other frontier cities in Mexico, where I live included, in that wherever the “gringo” carouses, is where all is well. Let me tell you this, I am willing to bet my last dollar that the “gringo” does not frequent La Sona Norte area, but that is where the life and fighting spirit of Erik “El Terrible” Morales was forged. More...

118-pound NABO bantamweight champion, Jhonny Gonzalez (29-4-0 With 25 KOs), who was suppose to be facing Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson, ended up fighting Nicaraguan William Gonzalez (19-1-0 with 17 KOs). William, who is a southpaw, came out fast, swinging with both fists. As the Nicaraguan waded in carelessly, the freakishly tall NABO champion countered with a hard left hook to the chin that sent his challenger down. William was up at the count of eight, and continued to aggressively pursue the Mexican. The Nicaraguan came out in the second, and continued to be aggressive. He landed a hard left hand that stunned the Mexican, but Jhonny came back with his own powerful attack that stemmed the tide. William seemed to try and counter, as the Mexican landed some hard shots, but was unsuccessful. The Nicaraguan reverted back to aggression and started to use some head movement in an attempt to confuse Jhonny. As the Mexican came in, and landed some hard hooks, he tripped as William threw a punch, and it was ruled a knockdown. A point was deducted from the Nicaraguan as he tried to hit the Mexican while he was down. The round ended with no advantage to any fighter. In the third round, William began to wing shots carelessly again, and was caught with a hard, straight right hand that put William to the ground. The Nicaraguan rose, and fought even harder, catching the Mexican with his own hard left hook that put Jhonny to the canvas. The Mexican, in true machismo fashion, beat the count and, with three seconds left in the stanza, landed a crushing right hand that sent William crashing to the canvas, with his head violently bouncing off the ring floor. He would not beat the count. With the knockout victory, Jhonny Gonzalez kept his quest for a world title alive. He is a powerful, tall bantamweight who is exciting to watch. A fight with the 118-pound boss, Rafael Marquez, would be fun to watch.

You will not believe this fight fans, the second bout of tonight’s HBO Lation’s “Boxeo De Oro” boxing series, featured yet another young prospect. Jonathan Oquendo, 123-pounds, is Puerto Rico’s newest boxing promise. Oquendo, who faced Elvis Martinez, is a stand up orthodox fighter who is quick, and seems to have good boxing fundamentals as he covers up well, and countered Martinez’ shots with sharp, hard, straight punches. Jonathan showed some good head movement, and occasionally switched to southpaw with ease. He seems to have good footwork as he danced around the ring, sidestepping a lot of the incoming offensive. In the second, Martinez pressed the issue, and tried to crowd Oquendo, but the Puerto Rican was very sharp in landing a straight right hand counter. Martinez was game, but the difference in natural talent started to tell, late in the second round as Jonathan started to land hooks and crosses at will. The much more experienced Martinez, who had fifteen more fights than the Puerto Rican, was just not able to effectively launch an offensive. More...

Tonight’s HBO Latino “Boxeo De Oro” boxing series kicked off with Golden Boy’s 126-pound prospect Aaron Garcia making his television debut. Garcia is an aggressive young charge with very solid skills, good hand- speed, and the amateur pedigree needed to succeed in this sport. The young warrior from Vista, California was pitted against a tough Mexican in Javier Flores. After an active first round in which Garcia completely dominated, Aaron put Flores down early in the second courtesy of a four-punch combination that ended with a left hook. Flores beat the count, but was put down again with about one minute left in the round. The game Mexican rose, and was pummeled with hard hooks to the head and body, but was able to last the distance, and heard the bell. Garcia came out like a tyrant in the third and continued to mercilessly punish Javier, who was in full retreat, along the ropes. Flores showed some grit by standing his ground, midway through the round, and exchanging artillery along the ropes. Aaron seemed to slow down, and was unable to keep up his frenetic pace. Aaron closed out the fourth and final round of the contest with some solid work to both the head and body. His television debut was a success, as he won a unanimous decision. Garcia has some solid skills, and showed a lot of promise as he is an active, aggressive, offensive fighter. He is definitely one to watch.

Well fight fans, I must tell you that I am very upset right now. Let me start by saying that I am a long time “The Ring” magazine subscriber and, for the most part, have been happy with their publication. Every now and then, they do tend to be off in my opinion, but I have never been at the brink of having an aneurism. THAT HAS NOW CHANGED! This month, I received both my “The Ring,” and “The Ring Extra,” and it took me a week to be able to hold my food down. I can honestly tell you that I have felt physically ill and have not been able to recover properly. I held off from writing this because it was initially full of profanity and unfit for the pages of SaddoBoxing.com. Well, a whole seven days later, I am able to leave the profanity out, but you can bet I am still thinking of profanity as I am writing this. More...

Tonight, live on Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo’s” boxing series from Houston, Texas, previously undefeated 135-pound prospect Jose Armando Santa-Cruz was upset by Mexican journeyman Fernando “El Pillo” Trejo. It was a tale of two different fights as Santa-Cruz was able to outbox and outwork the determined and iron-chinned Trejo over the first five rounds. Jose Armando was following Fernando around the ring and was firing multiple combinations. The uppercut was working beautifully. You could feel the torrid conditions in the small boxing venue and it seemed that everyone was sweating buckets. One would figure that this would favor Santa-Cruz since he is supposed to be used to this type of fight. Not tonight, as starting from the sixth round on, Jose Armando’s mouth was wide open and one could see that he was slowing down significantly. “El Pillo,” noticing this, began to pressure the younger, more inexperienced pugilist and started an all out body assault. Santa-Cruz, who was now fading fast, was looking the worse for wear after every minute that would pass. Finally, in the tenth round, Trejo came out and let it all hang out, pounding the young California native on the ropes forcing the referee to stop the fight forty-one seconds into the round. With the win, “El Pillo” picks up the NABF lightweight title. Santa-Cruz goes back to the drawing board and really showed his inexperience. He is still very young, and will be back.

Stay tuned for more news and results from tonight's fights including the "Heavyweight Heat" card coming from Hollywood, Florida.

“I will go in there, study him for the first two rounds and see what his plan is. I will figure him out and break him down. Once that fight is taken care of, I will get ready again. I think my trainer wants me to fight Casamayor next.”-Santa-Cruz has future plans, but not before dealing with his latest opponent tomorrow night.

Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, “Kid Diamond,” Vicente “Chente” Escobedo, Vans Martiyosyan, and Edwin Valero are just a few of the hot prospects that are always talked about as having very bright futures. All of the aforementioned are very capable, skilled fighters who have shown flashes of great potential, covered extensively by the boxing media. One name that is almost never included among the best of the young guns is 135-pound prospect Jose Armando Santa-Cruz. Despite an impressive record of 20-0-0 with 11 KO’s and wins over such solid veteran contenders as Arturo Morua, James Crayton, Larry Murphy, and Ernesto Zavala, Santa-Cruz is not really seen as a potential future superstar of the sport. It is something that really does not bother the young pugilist from Lincoln Heights, California. “I think that I have been learning and will continue to learn the more I fight. My trainer (Rudy Hernandez) has handled my career very well and I have complete trust in him. He just tells me where I’m going to fight and I am ready. I think my trainer has tested me, and knows when I am ready for the next thing. I have had some hard fights, and one of my hardest was Murphy. I dropped him in the second round, but I tried to just go after him and did not fight smart. That’s what Rudy told me, that I need to be smart and that I need to pick my shots. I don’t have to go in and try to kill someone. I have a lot to learn before I can get to a title fight, but I am learning very fast,” said Jose Armando Santa-Cruz from his home. More...