It’s been a while, but we’re back with a bumper edition of Round And Round, with all the business of fights being signed, fights being negotiated and fights being flirted with. Apart from the men in the headline, the fighters from the Mayweather vs. Maidana undercard are busy booking their next fights, Marcos Maidana himself is looking to bounce back and one of the biggest events in the sport may soon be confirmed. Tuck into this bumper edition of Round And Round to find out more.
Golden Boy will announce tomorrow Canelo Alvarez vs. Josh Clottey in December on HBO, per sources. Golden Boy-HBO reconciliation continues.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) September 23, 2014
First thing’s first: As many suspected, Mexican junior middleweight star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will fight Joshua Clottey in December. Though most observers predicted the fight would be on regular premium cable, rather than pay-per-view (on account of Clottey not having fought anyone with a pulse in four years), few suspected Canelo would return to HBO, where he hasn’t fought since 2012. It’s all part of a rapprochement between the network and Oscar De La Hoya/Golden Boy Promotions. Anyway, it’s a pretty crap fight, since the 36-year-old Clottey doesn’t figure to give Alvarez much trouble. It’ll likely be at San Antonio’s Alamodome which, if nothing else, is a great name for a stadium.
As is customary after Floyd Mayweather, Jr. wins a fight, boxers around the world are grovelling to be next in a rather unseemly manner. The usual chatter about Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao continues (at a slightly more consistent level than at any time in the last two or so years), but we’ll believe it when we see it. Amir Khan claims that he could beat Mayweather, and Floyd’s father gave credence to the idea that Khan could be next by saying Khan is the number one option (he also said that Pacquiao was unlikely next). That it’s even being discussed means that the all-English showdown between Khan and Kell Brook is probably on ice for now. That’s got Kell Brook’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, annoyed, an he’s called on Khan to “stop prostituting himself.” Harsh words, but not undeserved. Carlos Molina (rather optimistically, it must be said) has also put up his hand for a Floyd fight.
Marcos Maidana, meanwhile, is keen for more big fights next year. His adviser, Sebastian Contursi, told Boxingscene that they were thinking of Amir Khan, Manny Pacquiao, Danny Garcia and Juan Manuel Marquez. I would watch the shit out of any of those fights.
Adrien Broner is making noise about fighting either Maidana or his Argentine countryman Lucas Matthysse. Maidana has previously said he’s not interested in giving Broner a rematch, so I guess the Matthysse fight is more likely. Also keep in mind that Broner is a notorious shit-talker.
File under “NOOOOO”: Miguel Vazquez says Al Haymon has promised him a rematch with Mickey Bey. He also said “I honestly don’t think I should change my style.” Double NOOOO.
Also in the aftermath of the Mayweather vs. Maidana card, junior welterweight Humberto Soto is reportedly eyeing Mauricio Herrera, probably for the Canelo vs. Clottey undercard. That’s a good fight, considering how sharp Soto looked John Molina. Herrera offers a few more wrinkles, so we’ll see where Soto is at really.
One of the very biggest events that can happen in boxing, a Montreal showdown between light heavyweights Adonis Stevenson and Jean Pascal, is being eyed for April 4. Stevenson will reportedly fight in December (a “voluntary defence” in the alphabet gang parlance). Hopefully he doesn’t stuff this up, because it would a) be an interesting fight, and b) blow the roof off the Bell Center.
Also in the light heavyweight division, Chad Dawson will fight Tommy Karpency on Showtime October 4. Dawson would have blown through Karpency in his glory days (such as they were), but he seems to have really bottomed out after his knockout loss to Adonis Stevenson, and didn’t even make weight for his fight against no-hoper George Blades earlier this year. I think Dawson’s time as a serious contender is done, but a win over Karpency would get him back in the mix.
Abner Mares says he’s keen to face Leo Santa Cruz early next year. That’s a mouthwatering clash of action-oriented, Al Haymon-promoted Mexican-Americans. Whether it will actually happen remains to be seen. Mares also mentioned Jhonny Gonzalez, Jesus Cuellar and Nonito Donaire. Considering how he’s avoided the Gonzalez rematch up ’til now while making out like he wants it, I’m doubtful about a lot of things he says.
Caribe promotions won a purse bid for junior featherweight Guillermo Rigondeaux’s mandatory alphabet belt defence against Chris Avalos. The fight is tentatively scheduled for November 22, either in the Dominican Republic or Miami. It’d be nice for Rigondeaux to get an elite-level fight after that, but it seems that Leo Santa Cruz is giving him the Abner Mares treatment, if ya know what I mean.
Featherweight Evgeny Gradovich also looks likely to return in early December of late November, with Simpiwe Vetyeka the rumored opponent. Good to see that Vetyeka is getting another big-ish fight, after being jobbed and then left at the rematch altar (that’s a thing, right?) by Nonito Donaire.
Mancunian junior featherweight Scott Quigg wants a piece of Belfast’s Carl Frampton, but says that the ego of Frampton’s mentor, Barry McGuigan, is getting in the way. Sheffield’s Kid Galahad, meanwhile, reckons he could beat both Quigg and Frampton on the same night, which is a great bost but is definitely illegal. Whatever happens, there are some great fights waiting to be made in the division in the UK, which probably cuts down Rigondeaux’s options even further.
Speaking of English people, George Groves seems likely to face Anthony Dirrell, but no deal is done yet. That’s a good fight between to big, athletic super middleweights. Groves has also been running his mouth about Carl Froch, and the chances of a fight between “The Cobra” and James DeGale coming to fruition. Both men are promoted by Matchroom, but you’d hardly blame Froch for aiming for a big fight with the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. or a third outing with Mikkel Kessler, which has a much better risk-reward ratio.
Jessie Vargas vs. Antonio DeMarco at welterweight has been added to the Manny Pacquiao vs. Chris Algieri undercard. Does that fight, DeMarco’s first at welterweight, make the whole card more appealing? Not at all. In other Vargas related news, he says Bob Arum promised him Pacquiao if he beats DeMarco (not sure whether to laugh or cry) and he’s now being trained by Roy Jones, Jr.
With his fight with Bermane Stiverne delayed due to the Haitian’s hand injury, Deontay Wilder is free to be obnoxious about other heavyweights. He says he wants to fight Shannon Briggs. Please no.
