Fightful Boxing Newsletter (9/14): Canelo-GGG Preview, WBSS, AIBA Championships

First off, before I begin the newsletter, I would like to thank everybody, from readers to fellow Fightful staff, for their well wishes during my encounter with Hurricane Irma here in Puerto Rico. It was a difficult time for me and my family, but thankfully, we were all safe and sound and out home did not get permanently damaged.

Of course, I can’t say the same for many who have been affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the hurricane and I implore all that are able to help those less fortunate and those affected by the hurricanes.

Without further ado, enjoy the Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin preview issue of the Fightful Boxing Newsletter:

1. Canelo vs. GGG Preview (Pages 2-3)
2. Heavyweight Title scene gets clarity (Page 4)
3. Results from the world of boxing (Page 5)
4. Fightful Boxing Rankings (Page 6-7)
5. 2017 AIBA World Championships (Page 8)
6. World Boxing Super Series Begins (Page 9)

Canelo vs. GGG Preview

The biggest boxing fight of the year is finally upon us Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin will square off on September 16 and the winner not only can call themselves the top middleweight boxer in the world, but also perhaps the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. Below is Fightful’s preview of Canelo vs. GGG:

Golovkin is quite perhaps the best pure power puncher in the sport and has the numbers to prove it. His 33 knockout wins in just 37 fights are practically unheard of for a boxer. Feared for his unrelenting pace and strength, Golovkin is one that can knock out Canelo, even in the early going if Canelo is not careful.

Golovkin’s power is certainly impressive, in fact, it’s that very same power that has propelled him to the top of the division, but there in lies perhaps Golovkin’s weakness. Golovkin is not the best defensive boxer in the division and his recent fights against Kell Brook and Daniel Jacobs showed those defensive lapses, especially in the fight against Jacobs.

Golovkin’s style is one that has him overpower opponents with an insane amount of punches, pressuring opponents to go on the defensive. Golovkin has the necessary power to pretty much knock any type of opponent out.

Instead of the lighting fast and high amount of punches Golovkin usually throws whenever he fights, Golovkin opted for a somewhat slower-paced fight against Jacobs. According to CompuBox, Golovkin averages 65.4 punches per round for his career, but against Jacobs, he only averaged 51.3 punches per round. Even more startling, Golovkin averages 34.3 power punches thrown per round throughout his career, but against Jacobs, Golovkin only managed to throw an average of just 21.6 power punches per round.

As someone who is so gifted on the offensive side of boxing, a sort of anti-Floyd Mayweather if you will, Golovkin has never really needed to use his defense to win fights. Outside of the Jacobs fight, when has Golovkin ever needed to utilize his defense? A big factor to exploiting Golovkin’s defensive lapses is to limit Golovkin’s offense in the first place.

As for GGG’s history since he defeated Marco Antonio Rubio in a mere 2 rounds, he has at most leveled off. In my humble opinion, GGG peaked in the fall of 2014, and has been on an ever increasing downward trajectory since then. He scored an 11th round TKO against Martin Murray; defeated an over matched Willie Monroe Jr., and then, in perhaps the best victory of his career, used ring generalship and his tremendous jab to defeat the powerful and dangerous David Lemieux by 8th round TKO.

The hardcore GGG fan would like to think of his win against Lemieux as a blueprint for his win against Canelo – ring generalship, a solid job, and thudding power to wear Canelo down before he takes him out. The problem is that Canelo, while less powerful than Lemieux, is a much better boxer with much better defense. Canelo simply will not be hit as regularly with the jab and will do a much, much better job of counter punching, including with his uppercut, which has tremendous snap and power. At this point, I have to favor Canelo against Lemieux due to the massive skill advantage of Canelo, and GGG will need to make better adjustments than he is used to making if he plans to break down Canelo.

The fights after Dominic Wade, where Golovkin won via second-round KO, can only be called lesser performances. Some might argue that GGG was taking it easy to be able to get the Canelo fight, but even if that is part of the story, and that is a big if, it is only a minority of it. The fact is, Kell Brook had a tremendous round 2 against GGG, and he did so through speed, counter punching, aggression, combinations, and his uppercut. Canelo is much better at all of these and likely has fantasized dozens of times about doing the same thing, and getting GGG to fight off the back foot. Against Jacobs, GGG fought with caution, due to respect for Jacob’s one punch KO power I am sure, but also due to the skill of Jacobs – he simply was not able to cut off the ring as he would have liked to do. Though Canelo has much slower feet than Jacobs, he also has much better defense, and undoubtedly will produce at least a few highlight clips of GGG looking slow and robotic and getting successfully countered, regardless of the outcome of the fight.

On the other hand, Canelo is a supremely gifted all-around boxer who excels at counter-punching. There’s very little weakness in Canelo’s arsenal, but that is not to say he’s invincible. While Canelo not only has the power and stamina to go the distance against Golovkin, Canelo’s defense is not impregnable. Looking at some of the fights Canelo has had, such as against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Amir Khan, Canelo has left his front side open at times, leaving his opponents capable of landing hard jabs and uppercuts that, with enough force, can split Canelo’s defense.

This works to Golovkin’s advantage if GGG can apply pressure early. As far as age is concerned, Canelo does have a tremendous advantage, as he’s only 27 years old versus Golovkin’s 35. That could play a factor if the fight goes deep. Even though Golovkin did prove 12 rounds is not an issue for him in the fight against Jacobs, Canelo has way more experience fighting deep into the championship rounds against the likes of Miguel Cotto and Floyd Mayweather Jr. and thus, Canelo possess a better understanding of how to fight in long fights.

Moreover, I do not even think that Canelo’s “guarantee” of knocking out GGG is an idle boast either – he has a decent chance of doing this, especially if he can counter on the inside with uppercuts as GGG tries to throw wide punches to the head. GGG likes to throw haymakers, kind of like Marcos Maidana but in a completely legal way, that land on the side of an opponent’s head and affect their balance, like he did in the Rubio fight. Those kinds of punches offer perfect countering opportunities, and Canelo has tremendous hand speed and combinations. Moreover, Golovkin is particularly vulnerable to the uppercut, as his fight with Kell Brook showed.

Canelo will win a substantial number of the rounds and make Golovkin look foolish with his head and body movement. He will also frustrate Golovkin with his clean counters and get him to fight off of the back foot for entire stretches of rounds and rounds at a time. He will take the ring generalship away from Golovkin in a way that has never been done before, even when Golovkin fought Jacobs

Tale of the tape:

Canelo Alvarez:

• Age (Years fighting as a pro): 27 years old (12 years)
• Record: 49-1-1
• Height: 5’9”
• Reach: 70½”
• Notable Fights: Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, Erislandy Lara, Amir Khan, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Shane Mosley
• World Titles Won: WBO Junior Middleweight, WBC Middleweight, WBA Junior Middleweight, WBC Junior Middleweight
• Fightful Pound-For-Pound Ranking: #4

Gennady Golovkin:

• Age (Years fighting as a pro): 35 years old (11 years)
• Record: 37-0 (33 KO)
• Height: 5’10½”
• Reach: 70”
• Notable Fights: Daniel Jacobs, David Lemieux, Willie Monroe Jr., Kell Brook, Marco Antonio Rubio
• World Titles Won: IBF Middleweight, WBA Middleweight, WBC Middleweight, IBO Middleweight
• Fightful Pound-For-Pound Ranking: #3

Betting odds (Odds from Bovada):

• Gennady Golovkin Win: -155 (Favorite)
• Canelo Alvarez Win: +125 (Underdog)
• Golovkin win via KO, TKO or DQ: +155
• Golovkin win via Decision or Technical Decision: +275
• Canelo win via KO, TKO or DQ: +600
• Canelo win via Decision or Technical Decision: +190
• Draw or Technical Draw: +1600
• Fight ends in 9.5 rounds or less: -160
• Fight ends in more than 9.5 rounds: -230

Where to watch:

The fight can be seen on HBO pay-per-view as well as online at RingTV.com. The undercard can be seen on the FITE TV app.

Pay-per-view Card (8 p.m. ET, HBO PPV, RingTV.com, FITE TV app)

• Gennady Golovkin (c) vs. Canelo Alvarez (c): WBA/IBF/WBC and Lineal, The Ring Magazine Middleweight Title Bout
• Joseph Diaz vs. Jorge Lara: WBC Featherweight Eliminator
• Diego De La Hoya vs. Randy Caballero: Junior Featherweight Bout
• Ryan Martin vs. Francisco Rojo: Lightweight Bout

Undercard: (6 p.m. ET, FITE TV app)

• Vergil Ortiz vs. Cesar Valenzuela: Junior Welterweight Bout
• Marlen Esparza vs. Aracely Palacios: Female Flyweight Bout
• Serhii Bohachuk vs. TBA: Junior Middleweight Bout
• Nicola Adams vs. Alexandra Vlajk: Female Junior Bantamweight Bout

Final Thoughts:

For as much analysis and breakdown of each fighter’s strength and weakness, this fight is way too close to call. Both fighters’ style perfectly complement each other and has the makings of an all-time classic. This year has been an amazing one for the sport, with record-high viewership on cable and on network television and major fights taking place throughout the year.

This fight could potentially be the second coming of the Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns fight from 1985: the two best middleweight boxers engaging in an exciting war of back-and-forth boxing that is still fondly remembered to this day.

Final Prediction: Golovkin via decision

More on the fight will be detailed in the September 14 edition of the Fightful Boxing Newsletter. Fightful will have complete coverage of the entire card, as well as a podcast right after the main event, live on Fightful and on YouTube.

Heavyweight Title scene gets clarity:

Anthony Joshua is scheduled to defend his world title belts against mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev on October 28 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, and when tickets went on sale earlier in the week, fans snapped up approximately 70,000 on the first day, according to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.

The fight became the fastest-selling event in Principality Stadium, which likely will hold close to 80,000 for the fight.

“It was another incredible day at the box office for Anthony Joshua as he continues to cement his place as the biggest draw in world boxing,” Hearn told the media earlier this week. “The support he receives from the British public is incredible and has been an integral part of his success. The fans will be in for a great night on Oct. 28 and we thank them all for their support.”

Joshua will be making his fourth title defense when he takes on Pulev. Joshua is coming off an epic fight against former longtime unified champion Wladimir Klitschko, whom he knocked out in the 11th round to retain his belt and win a vacant one before a British boxing record crowd of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium in London.

The Joshua-Pulev card also will include WBA junior bantamweight titleholder Kal Yafai, of England, defending his belt against Japanese mandatory challenger Sho Ishida and Ireland’s Katie Taylor challenging Anahi Esther Sanchez for the WBA female lightweight world title. As of now, there are a total of five fights on the card, if you were to include the Commonwealth title fights as well, making this one of the most interesting and best boxing cards of the year, which is really saying a lot considering how successful the year has been.

As for the reigning, defending WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will finally get his big fight against Luis Ortiz after all.

According to RingTV.com, Wilder will forgo his immediate mandatory title defense against Bermane Stiverne and instead fight Luis Ortiz. That fight, for Wilder’s WBC world heavyweight championship, is set to take place on November 4 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, to be televised live on Showtime, Wilder’s television home for the vast majority of his career in the past few years.

Wilder and Stiverne’s respective camps managed to come to a resolution, with Stiverne receiving step-aside money to allow Wilder to go ahead with the Ortiz bout. The agreement calls for Stiverne to fight on the televised undercard against and if Stiverne wins his fight on November 4, he’ll face the WBC champion next, likely in early 2018.

Stiverne was named the WBC’s No. 1 contender in January after his WBC interim title fight against Alexander Povetkin was scrapped when Povetkin tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Wilder had been wanting to either get a big-name opponent for his next fight or get unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Joshua will be fighting Kubrat Pulev in Wales in October as Pulev is the mandatory challenger for Joshua’s IBF world heavyweight championship. Joshua is also the WBA champion and the WBA’s mandatory challenger was Ortiz.

Since winning the title off of Stiverne years ago, Wilder has successfully defended the title five times, last beating Gerald Washington back in February.

This is the ideal scenario for both parties and more so, Ortiz came out as the big winner. He gets a world title shot for a title he isn’t even the mandatory challenger for. If Ortiz loses to Wilder, he can still “cash in” his mandatory challenger status to the WBA title. And if Ortiz actually beats Wilder, then Ortiz will have to fight Bermane Stiverne should he win his fight on November 4.

In that case, Wilder would still likely face Joshua for the WBA and IBF titles sometime in early 2018. Although it won’t be as attractive a fight as it would have been had Wilder retained his WBC title in this scenario, it should still be a near-mega fight at heavyweight. After all, Joshua and Wilder are the two biggest names in the heavyweight division now that Klitschko has retired.

Stiverne will fight Dominic Breazeale in a WBC title eliminator. It’s an interesting matchup to say the least and both fighters do have a shot at winning the fight. I’ll favor Breazeale a bit in this instance because Breazeale is younger and looking good in his knockout win over Izuagbe Ugonoh earlier this year. For the sake of giving Wilder (or Ortiz) an interesting fight in early 2018, Breazeale is a far better fight. There is nothing attractive in a Wilder vs. Stiverne rematch. Stiverne was outclassed and outmatched in their first match and no one would be interested in watching that fight again.

This all works for Showtime regardless. The network has doubled down on making huge fights available on television, especially in the wake of Top Rank signing with ESPN, leaving HBO with a weaker roster. Aside from the broadcasting rights for the Wilder and Joshua fights, they’ll also do a junior middleweight title tripleheader on October 14, headlined by Jarrett Hurd vs. Austin Trout.

Aside from the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor pay-per-view, Showtime is not that interested in having pay-per-view boxing broadcasts which is a smart idea. This year has proven that fans will pay top dollar for truly special fights. The two big pay-per-views already done this year (Canelo vs. Chavez Jr. and Mayweather vs. McGregor), had buyrate in the seven figures and this upcoming Canelo vs. Golovkin fight looks to also have at least a million buys.

What Showtime is doing is building up guys like Wilder and Joshua in the hopes that a unification fight between the two could do record television numbers, or, if they’re feeling gutsy enough, have the fight be shown on pay-per-view. The latter is very unlikely due to the fact that Joshua has yet to fight in the United States and still needs far more exposure in the American market before a pay-per-view fight could take place.

Results from the world of boxing:

September 13: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan

• Kei Iwahara defeats Yuji Awata: TKO, Round 6
• Takahiro Araki defeats Kosuke Hakamata via UD
• Masaki Saito defeats Noriyoshi Taki: TKO, Round 5
• Koki Eto defeats Wacharapol Sithsaithong: TKO, Round 3
• Ryoji Fukunaga defeats Patiphon Saithonggym: TKO, Round 2
• Andrew Ybanez defeats Kazunori Yorimasa via MD

September 12: Arena El Jefe, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico

• Juan Alejo and Luis Javier Cerrito fight to a split draw: WBC FECOMBOX Light Flyweight Title Bout
• Irving Turrubiartes defeats Nestor Robledo via UD
• Eliud Melendez Rocha defeats Jesus Angulo: KO, Round 7
• Gyancarlos Santos defeats Rolando Gutierrez: KO, Round 4
• Rashib Martinez defeats Jonathan Perez via UD
• Francisco Salazar defeats Junior Huerta via SD

September 10: University of the Ryukyus, Nakagami, Okinawa, Japan

• Edward Heno defeats Seita Ogido to win the vacant OPBF Light Flyweight Title: TKO, Round 7
• Masatoshi Kotani defeats Jason Egera: TKO, Round 5
• Melmark Dignos defeats Morihisa Iju via UD
• Yuko Henzan defeats Jutamas Jitpong via MD

September 9: Club Defensores de Villa Lujan, San Miguel, Tucuman, Argentina

• Anahi Esther Sanchez defeats Cecilia Sofia Mena to win the vacant WBA World Female Lightweight Title: TKO, Round 6
• Cristian Rafael Coria defeats Walter Dario Diaz: DQ, Round 2

September 9: Salon Tattersall, San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Sebastian Horacio Papeschi defeats Francisco Emanuel Torres to win the interim WBC Latino Super Middleweight Title: KO, Round 2
• Jose Matias Romero defeats Guillermo Osvaldo Soloppi via UD
• Claudio Fernando Echegaray defeats Oreste Bernabe Nieva via UD
• Alberto Ignacio Palmetta defeats Guillermo de Jesus Paz via UD
• Agustin Ezequiel Quintana defeats Marcelo Alejandro Maciel: TKO, Round 2
• Nicolas David Veron defeats Claudio Javier Chavez via UD
• Nahuel Martinez defeats Pablo Sebastian Rios via UD

September 9: Estadio F.A.B., Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina

• Demian Daniel Fernandez defeats Pablo Joel Fernandez: KO, Round 2
• Nicolas Jarazo defeats Angel Capdevila via MD

September 9: Mansfield Tavern, Mansfield, Queensland, Australia

• Lance Bryant defeats Aaron Russell to win the vacant International Boxing Organization Oceania Cruiserweight Title: KO, Round 2
• Samuel Colomban defeats Adrian Rodriguez to win the vacant Australian Super Welterweight Title via UD
• Brent Rice defeats James Katz to retain the Australian Super Featherweight Title via UD
• Tysinn Best defeats Blake Travers via SD
• Quintin Carey defeats Brad Traynor via UD
• Dillon Bargero defeats Wayde Goltz: TKO, Round 4
• Jacob Ng defeats Salvatore Signorino via UD

September 9: The Famous Fortitude Gym , Newstead, Queensland, Australia

• Deanha Hobbs defeats Sarah Dwyer to win the vacant Australia Female Super Lightweight Title
• Jarrett Owen defeats Rasmanudin: TKO, Round 3
• Reuben Aiono defeats Ray Ingram via UD

September 9: Max Schmeling Halle, Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany

• Oleksandr Usyk defeats Marco Huck to retain the WBO World Cruiserweight Title and advance in the World Boxing Super Series Cruiserweight Tournament Semifinals: TKO, Round 10
• Noel Gevor defeats Isiah Thomas via UD
• Patrick Wojcicki defeats Fouad El Massoudi via UD
• Evgeny Shvedenko defeats Nikola Matic: TKO, Round 6
• Denis Radovan defeats Yann Binanga Aboghe via UD

September 9: Balai Sarbini Convention Hall, Jakarta, Indonesia

• James Mokoginta defeats Manot Comput to become the unified WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental and WBA Asia South Featherweight Title: KO, Round 3
• Ruben Manakane defeats Taweechai Juntarasuk to win the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Super Bantamweight and WBA Asia Featherweight Title via TD
• George Lumoly defeats to retain the Indonesia Professional Boxing Commission (KTPI/IBPC) Light Flyweight Title: TKO, Round 4
• Yosmar Kefi defeats Boonsom Phothong: TKO, Round 3
• Hebi Marapu defeats Arius Abidonifu: TKO, Round 1

September 9: Saryarka Velodrome, Astana, Kazakhstan

• Kanat Islam defeats Brandon Cook to be the unified WBO NABO and WBA Intercontinental Super Welterweight Title: TKO, Round 9
• Zhankosh Turarov defeats Bruno Leonardo Romay via UD
• Ali Akhmedov defeats Justin Thomas: TKO, Round 8
• Aidos Yerbossynuly defeats Jonathan Geronimo Barbadillo: TKO, Round 1
• Ruslan Myrsatayev defeats Andres Matias Afranllie: TKO, Round 4
• Meiirim Nursultanov defeats Ismael Bueno: TKO, Round 1
• Dimash Niyazov defeats Eduardo Pereira dos Reis via UD
• Nursultan Zhanabayev defeats Alex Sandro Duarte: TKO, Round 1
• Zhanibek Alimkhanuly defeats Gilberto Pereira dos Santos via UD

September 9: StubHub Center, Carson, California, USA

• Wisaksil Wangek defeats Roman Gonzalez to retain the WBC World Super Flyweight Title: , Round 4
• Juan Francisco Estrada defeats Carlos Cuadras via UD
• Naoya Inoue defeats Antonio Nieves to retain the WBO World Super Flyweight Title: KO, Round 6

September 2: Gimnasio Manuel Bernardo Aguirre, Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico

• Antonio Margarito defeats Carson Jones via TD
• Ramon Alvarez and Johnny Navarrete fight to a split draw
• Jaime Munguia defeats Uriel Gonzalez: KO, Round 2
• Edson Ramirez defeats Christopher Sauceda via UD
• Jose De Jesus Macias defeats Esteban Villalba via MD
• Francisco Bonilla defeats Alberto Martinez via SD
• Eben Vargas defeats Adrian Ramirez via KO
• Angel Hernandez defeats Alonso Gutierrez: KO, Round 1

September 2: Centro de Espectáculos de la Feria de León, Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico

• Eduardo Hernandez defeats Raul Horacio Centeno to retain the WBC Youth World Super Featherweight Title: KO, Round 3
• Lourdes Juarez defeats Cecilia Santoscoy Ramirez to win the vacant WBC FECOMBOX Female Flyweight Title via UD
• Karim Arce defeats Ivan Meneses Flores via PTS
• Alejandro Davila and Jose Luis Rodriguez Guerrero fight to a draw via PTS
• Jairo Lopez defeats Omar Lina: TKO, Round 5
• Lucia Hernandez defeats Jessica Rangel via PTS
• Brian Vado defeats Bryan Mosinos via PTS
• Cesar Ayon defeats Luis Morales via PTS
• Salvador Juarez defeats Manuel Lara via PTS

September 2: Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico

• Miguel Vazquez defeats Jose Daniel Ruiz: KO, Round 4

September 2: Nuevo Gimnasio Nicarao, Managua, Nicaragua

• Eliecer Quezada and Cristian Narvaez fight to a split draw: Vacant WBC Latino Flyweight Title Bout
• Ricardo Blandon and Martin Diaz fight to a no contest: WBA Fedecentro Bantamweight Title Bout
• Jose Perez defeats Moises Olivas: TKO, Round 3
• Eliezer Gazo defeats Alcides Martinez via MD
• Daniel Mendoza defeats David Hernandez via UD
• Francisco Vargas and Norwin Gutierrez fight to a split draw

September 2: Carazo, Nicaragua

• Edwin Tercero defeats Reynaldo Jimenez via SD
• Brayan Mairena defeats Alain Aguilar: TKO, Round 2
• Marcos Cardenas defeats Imer Hernandez via SD
• Amilcar Maradiaga defeats Jenn Gonzalez via MD
• Julio Tercero defeats Jonas Castillo: TKO, Round 2
• Gabriel Escalante defeats Erwin Flores: KO, Round 1

September 2: Tayug Covered Court, Tayug, Pangasinan, Philippines

• Michael Escobia defeats Jelbirt Gomera via MD
• Jerry Pabila defeats Robin Langres via UD
• Jules Victoriano defeats Danny Manosa via UD
• Jestoni Racoma defeats Gerald Alvarez: TKO, Round 4
• Vergel Deguma defeats Jesel Guardario via UD
• Kevin Aseniero defeats Jovanie Tagusi via UD
• Jayson Vayson defeats Alvin Tayo via SD
• Denmark Quibido defeats Julius Bala: TKO, Round 2
• Reynaldo Condes and Romshahe Sarguilla fight to a majority draw
• Jomar Pal-iwen defeats Janie Canoy via MD
• Davrov Quron Boyev defeats Alejandro Lawas:TKO, Round 1

September 2: Athletik Zentrum, St. Gallen, Switzerland

• Zino Meuli defeats Mladen Zivkov: TKO, Round 4

September 2: Chee Kwa Chee Pub, Bagamoyo, Tanzania

• Bruno Vifuaviwili defeats Abdul Mwezemba to win the vacant Tanzania Professional Boxing Commission Super Featherweight Title via UD
• Idd Pialari defeats Faridi Mbegu: KO, Round 2
• Mohamed Omari defeats Abdallah Ruwanje via PTS
• Ally Mzee defeats Salum Kigali: KO, Round 1
• Ramadhan Chiligati defeats Ramadhan Kibwana: KO, Round 2
• Twalib Tuwa defeats Athumlan Hussein: TKO, Round 1
• Rehema Abdallah defeats Zuhura Shabani: KO, Round 2

September 2: Ram 100 Thai Boxing Stadium, Ramkamhaeng, Bangkok, Thailand

• Wen Feng Ge defeats Thapakorn Tagimnok: KO, Round 1

September 2: Doncaster Dome, Doncaster, Yorkshire, United Kingdom

• Maxi Hughes defeats Ryan Moorhead to win the vacant BBBofC Central Area Super Featherweight Title via PTS
• Jason Cunningham defeats Jay Carney via PTS
• Curtis Woodhouse defeats Arvydas Triznovia PTS
• Jordan Gill defeats Jordan Ellison: TKO, Round 2
• Anthony Tomlinson defeats Simas Volosinas via PTS
• Tom Bell defeats Dmitrijs Gutmans via PTS
• Craig Glover defeats Mitch Mitchell: TKO, Round 2

September 2: Victoria Warehouse, Trafford Road, Manchester, Lancashire, United Kingdom

• Ben Sheedy defeats Alistair Warren: TKO, Round 8
• Bilal Rehman defeats Ashley Peyton: TKO, Round 8
• Macaulay McGowan defeats William Warburton via PTS
• Charlie Schofield defeats Curtis Gargano via PTS
• Ryan Oliver defeats Dylan Draper via PTS
• Callum Pearson defeats Sean Gorman via PTS
• Kane Gardner defeats Youssef Al Hamidi via PTS
• Ely Murphy defeats Kristian Laight via PTS

September 2: Holte Suite, Villa Park, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom

• Tion Gibbs defeats Lee Connelly via PTS
• Louis Fielding defeats Joe Beeden via PTS
• Ryan Kelly defeats Deividas Sajauka: RTD, Round 3
• Tommy Silcox defeats Paul Cummings via PTS
• Kaisee Benjamin defeats Danny Little via PTS
• Sean Daly defeats Kevin McCauley via PTS

September 2: Celebrity Theater, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

• Francisco De Vaca defeats Victor Proa via UD

September 2: Laney High School, Augusta, Georgia, USA

• Willis Lockett defeats Brandon Spencer via SD
• Elijah Pierce defeats Divante Jones: RTD, Round 3
• Brandon Glanton defeats Bryan Canady: TKO, Round 1
• Tymaine Smith defeats Polite Swinson: KO, Round 1
• Fernando Bunch defeats Tommy Bryant via UD
• Aaron Casper defeats Zameze Braswell: TKO, Round 1
• Keasen Freeman defeats Kire Lucas: TKO, Round 1

September 2: Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles, California, USA

• Luis Rosales defeats Ricardo Cuellar to win vacant USA California State Super Bantamweight Title via MD
• Alan Moreno defeats John White: KO, Round 3
• Adelaida Ruiz defeats Haley Pasion via UD
• Daniel Constantino defeats Eduardo Ronquillo: KO, Round 1
• Misael Alejandro Elias defeats Rajesh Narine: KO, Round 2

September 2: Seagate Convention Center, Toledo, Ohio, USA

• Albert Bell defeats Tyrome Jones via UD
• DeAndre Ware defeats Derrick Adkins via UD
• Marcus Washington defeats Angelo Snow via UD
• Cassius Anderson defeats Abel Penna Falls: RTD, Round 2
• Roshawn Jones defeats Darryl Madison: KO, Round 1
• Robert Mumford defeats William Barber: KO, Round 1
• Jalen Stephenson defeats Joe Szczublewski via SD

September 2: South Texas Fighting Academy, Palmhurst, Texas, USA

• Eric Molina defeats Jamal Woods via MD
• Brandon Labato defeats Francisco Guerra via MD
• Hugo Tovar defeats Hector Gutierrez via UD
• Nelson Hampton defeats Mark Rojas: TKO, Round 5
• Guadalupe Urbina defeats Austin Rivas via MD
• Omar Castillo defeats Josue Espinosa via UD
• Isaac Matamoros defeats Steven Martinez via UD

September 1: Club Sportivo Barracas, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina

• Henrri David Polanco defeats Abel Nicolas Adriel via SD
• Nelson Ismael Ayala defeats Osvaldo Ramon Escalante via UD
• Ricardo German Soria defeats Fernando Diego Arguello via MD
• Esteban Raul Lopez defeats Juan Ramon Fernandez via UD

September 1: Club Atlético Jorge Newbery, Maipú, Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Gustavo Dominguez Chamorro defeats Horacio Damian Garcia via MD

September 1: Polideportivo General Paz, Cordoba, Cordoba, Argentina

• Alexis Rodolfo Veronesi defeats Emiliano Exequiel Pucheta via UD
• Fabricio Miguel Bea and Jonathan Joel Arena fight to a split draw
• Andres Sosa defeats Alexis Maximiliano Sicilia via UD

September 1: Club Punchbowl, Punchbowl, New South Wales, Australia

• Kye MacKenzie defeats Jonel Alibio: TKO, Round 6
• Randall Rayment defeats Nathan Luff: TKO, Round 4
• Mateo Tapia defeats Pramool Boonpok: RTD, Round 2
• Michael Pengue defeats Watchana Khiaoon: KO, Round 2

September 1: Ginasio Rebouças, Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil

• Rose Volante defeats Luana da Silva: TKO, Round 2
• Carlos Henrique Rodrigues da Silva defeats Agnaldo Valerio Martins: TKO, Round 5
• Paulo Cesar Galdino defeats Emerson Braz: TKO, Round 5
• Estivan Falcao Florentino defeats Gabriel Alves Pinto: TKO, Round 1
• Danila Ramos defeats Paula Vieira da Silva: TKO, Round 2
• Peter Venancio Jr. defeats Bruno Marques via SD
• Jonathan Santos de Souza defeats Renato Matos dos Reis via SD

September 1: Multicancha Plaza Arica, Iquique, Chile

• Ramon Mascarena defeats Vladimir Gomez: KO, Round 2

September 1: Centro Recreacional Las Vegas, Barranquilla, Colombia

• Ronald Ramos defeats Pablo Carillo via SD
• Eduard Marriaga defeats Marcial Medrano: KO, Round 1
• Leonardo Carrillo defeats Mauricio Martinez via UD
• Jeremy Triana defeats Gustavo Vera via UD
• Luis Ruiz defeats Jelier Pacheco: KO, Round 1
• Nike Theran defeats Francisco Herrera: KO, Round 3
• Devis Caceres defeats Reynaldo Esquivia: KO, Round 2
• Likar Ramos defeats Elkin Zavaleta: KO, Round 2
• Juan Guerra defeats Francisco Marimo via UD

September 1: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan

• Ryuto Oho defeats Hideyuki Watanabe via UD
• Rikki Naito defeats Petchmuangsri Saikaw: TKO, Round 2
• Hyuma Fujioka defeats Yodwanglop Saikaw: TKO, Round 1
• Nanae Suzuki defeats Chie Higano via UD
• Naoko Shibata defeats Shisa Manopgym: TKO, Round 2
• Hokuto Matsumoto defeats Seika Mifune via UD
• Ryo Kawai defeats Yuki Kawamoto via UD
• Shinnosuke Hasegawa defeats Takumi Nishizawa: TKO, Round 3

September 1: Gimnasio Solidaridad, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico

• David Reyes defeats Antonio Bustamante via UD
• Mario Heredia defeats Ramon Olivas: TKO, Round 1
• Rogelio Medina defeats Daniel Eduardo Yocupicio: TKO, Round 3
• Pedro Solis Rodriguez defeats Vidal Cruz: TKO, Round 2
• Daniel Caballero defeats Julian Arvayo: TKO, Round 4
• Hiram Ramses Caballero defeats Angel Mendoza: TKO, Round 1
• Jonathan Encinas and Fernando Agramon fight to a majority draw
• Paul Morales defeats Antonio Zamorano: TKO, Round 1
• Jessica Diaz defeats Cristal Sanchez: TKO, Round 1
• Javier Rendon defeats Romulo Olguin Granillo: TKO, Round 3
• Oscar Flores defeats Juan Carlos Alcaraz: TKO, Round 2
• Julio Lope defeats Erick Palomares via UD
• Alfonso Olvera defeats Carlos Ruiz: TKO, Round 2

September 1: Estadio de Beisbol Felipe Leal, Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico

• Adrian Estrella defeats Roberto Almazan: TKO, Round 3
• Todd Manuel defeats Isai Monrreal Mirele: KO, Round 1
• Leopoldo Reyna defeats Leonardo Gutierrez via UD
• Julio Cesar Chavez defeats Miguel Angel Rodriguez: KO, Round 3
• Juan Pablo Herrera defeats Jose Luis Araujo: TKO, Round 2
• Joe Heli Hernandez defeats Oscar Araujo via UD
• Jonathan Zamora defeats Ernesto Garavitos via UD

September 1: AMI Netball Centre, St Johns, New Zealand

• Hemi Ahio defeats Daniel Tai to win the vacant International Boxing Organization Oceania Heavyweight Title via UD
• Baby Nansen defeats Quinita Hati via UD
• Cairo George defeats Nick Hikuroa: KO, Round 1
• Tyrone Warren and Salo Ben Vui fight to a split draw
• Lani Daniels defeats Trish Vaka via UD
• Ruben Webster defeats Daniel Maxwell via UD
• Missy Elliot defeats Mellisa Huruwai via UD
• Mike Barker defeats Ofa Koloamatangi via UD
• Nikolas Charalampous defeats Afatasi Fulava: KO, Round 1
• Tino Honey defeats Sam Pulu via UD

September 1: Centro Hípico Xanadú, Arona, Islas Canarias, Spain

• Miriam Gutierrez defeats Mirabela Nadina Calugareanu: TKO, Round 2
• Mihail Baibarac defeats Isaac Benitez via PTS

September 1: Ndame Gym Manzese, Manzese, Tanzania

• Goodluck Mrema defeats Hamisi Mpili via PTS
• John Chuwa defeats Abdallah Hassani via PTS
• Gabriel Chola defeats Moris Dastan: TKO, Round 2
• Anthony Njau and Haizaki Jacob fight to a draw via PTS

September 1: Tangamano Hall, Tanga, Tanzania

• Salim Mtango defeats Twalibu Mchanjo: TKO, Round 2
• Mchanja Yohana defeats Bonzo Mohamed: TKO, Round 3
• Hamis Mwakinyo defeats Mula Hatibu: TKO, Round 3
• Hussein Chuse defeats Charles George via PTS

September 1: York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, United Kingdom

• Jake Ball defeats Joe Sherriff via PTS
• Ted Cheeseman defeats Francesco Lezzi: DQ, Round 3
• Joe Cordina defeats Jamie Speight: TKO, Round 1
• Conor Benn defeats Kane Baker: TKO, Round 2
• Felix Cash defeats Fernando Heredia: TKO, Round 1
• Joshua Buatsi defeats Baptiste Castegnaro: TKO, Round 5
• Lawrence Okolie defeats Blaise Mendouo via PTS
• Danny Dignum defeats Lewis van Poetsch via PTS
• William Webber defeats Sonny Whiting via PTS

September 1: Stadium Suite, Banks’s Stadium, Walsall, West Midlands, United Kingdom

• Sam Evansand Owen Jobburn fight to a draw on PTS
• Chris Blaney defeats Anthony Fox via PTS
• Chad Sugden defeats Norbert Szekeres: TKO, Round 1
• Luke Jones defeats Andy Harris via PTS
• Josh Stokes defeats Raimonds Sniedze: TKO, Round 2

September 1: Leeds United FC Banqueting Suite, Elland Road, Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom

• Hamed Ghaz defeats Fonz Alexander via PTS
• Terry Broadbent defeats Russ Midgley via PTS
• Jack Bateson defeats Zsolt Sarkozi: TKO, Round 1
• Tom Young defeats MJ Hall via PTS
• Billy Pickles defeats Chris Adaway via PTS
• Mike Ash and Sean Hare fight to a draw via PTS
• Mick Learmonth defeats Dmitrij Kalinovskij via PTS

September 1: Belasco Theater, Los Angeles, California, USA

• Manny Robles Jr. defeats Jose Estrella: KO, Round 7
• Francisco Javier Martinez defeats Jose Antonio Martinez: KO, Round 3
• Cesar Diaz defeats Antonio Rodriguez: KO, Round 5
• Everton Lopes defeats Daniel Bastien: KO, Round 2

August 31: Bohios Alegres, Panama City, Panama

• Ricardo Nunez defeats Iwier Henriquez to win the vacant WBA Fedecaribe Bantamweight Title via UD
• Jose Nunez defeats Orlando Mosquera via MD
• Jaison Lozada and Eduardo Serrano fight to a draw via PTS
• Angel Mojica defeats Leonel Sandoval via UD
• Gerardo Murillo defeats Marcos Arrieta: TKO, Round 4
• Nataly Delgado defeats Osiris Renteri: TKO, Round 1
• Jaime Valdespino defeats Anastacio Zurdo: TKO, Round 1

Official Fightful Rankings:

Pound-for-pound

1. Andre Ward
2. Terence Crawford
3. Gennady Golovkin
4. Canelo Alvarez
5. Vasyl Lomachenko
6. Mikey Garcia
7. Keith Thurman
8. Guillermo Rigondeaux
9. Badou Jack
10. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai

Heavyweight

1. Anthony Joshua
2. Deontay Wilder
3. Joseph Parker
4. Luis Ortiz
5. Kubrat Pulev
6. Dillian White
7. Andy Ruiz Jr.
8. Dominic Breazeale
9. Charles Martin
10. Hughie Fury

Cruiserweight

1. Oleksandr Usyk
2. Denis Lebediev
3. Murat Gassiev
4. Krzysztof Glowacki
5. Mairis Briedis
6. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
7. Marco Huck
8. Firat Arslan
9. Tony Bellew
10. Yunier Dorticos

Light heavyweight

1. Andre Ward
2. Sergey Kovalev
3. Badou Jack
4. Adonis Stevenson
5. Oleksandr Gvozdyk
6. Sullivan Barrera
7. Artur Beterbiev
8. Eleider Alvarez
9. Juergen Braehmer
10. Joe Smith Jr.

Super middleweight

1. James DeGale
2. Gilberto Ramirez
3. George Groves
4. Anthony Dirrell
5. Andre Dirrell
6. David Benavidez
7. Jose Uzcategui
8. Chris Eubank Jr.
9. Tyron Zeuge
10. Callum Smith

Middleweight

1. Gennady Golovkin
2. Canelo Alvarez
3. Daniel Jacobs
4. Jermall Charlo
5. David Lemieux
6. Billy Joe Saunders
7. Andy Lee
8. Hassan N’Dam
9. Ryota Murata
10. Sergiy Derevyanchenko

Light middleweight

1. Erislandy Lara
2. Miguel Cotto
3. Jermell Charlo
4. Demetrius Andrade
5. Jarrett Hurd
6. Julian Williams
7. Austin Trout
8. Erickson Lubin
9. Liam Smith
10. Jack Culcay

Welterweight

1. Keith Thurman
2. Errol Spence Jr.
3. Danny Garcia
4. Shawn Porter
5. Manny Pacquiao
6. Jeff Horn
7. Kell Brook
8. Jessie Vargas
9. Lamont Peterson
10. Lucas Matthysse

The rest of the rankings are in the next page.

Light welterweight

1. Terence Crawford
2. Mikey Garcia*
3. Julius Indongo
4. Viktor Postol
5. Antonio Orozco
6. Eduard Troyanovski
7. Rances Barthelemy
8. Adrian Granados
9. Ricky Burns
10. Sergey Lipinets

Lightweight

1. Jorge Linares
2. Mikey Garcia*
3. Terry Flanagan
4. Robert Easter Jr.
5. Anthony Crolla
6. Luke Campbell
7. Dejan Zlaticanin
8. Raymundo Beltran
9. Denis Shafikov
10. Felix Verdejo

Junior lightweight

1. Vasyl Lomachenko
2. Miguel Berchelt
3. Gervonta Davis
4. Jezreel Corrales
5. Francisco Vargas
6. Orlando Salido
7. Robinson Castellanos
8. Jason Sosa
9. Jhonny Gonzalez
10. Masayuki Ito

Featherweight

1. Leo Santa Cruz
2. Carl Frampton
3. Gary Russell Jr.
4. Lee Selby
5. Abner Mares
6. Oscar Valdez
7. Scott Quigg
8. Jesus Cuellar
9. Joseph Diaz
10. Claudio Marrero

Light featherweight

1. Guillermo Rigondeaux
2. Jessie Magdaleno
3. Nonito Donaire
4. Moises Flores
5. Daniel Roman
6. Hugo Ruiz
7. Rey Vargas
8. Marlon Tapales
9. Julio Ceja
10. Yukinori Oguni

Bantamweight

1. Jamie McDonnell
2. Luis Nery
3. Zhanat Zhakiyanov
4. Ryan Burnett
5. Juan Carlos Payano
6. Shinsuke Yamanaka
7. Zolani Tete
8. Lee Haskins
9. Takoma Inoue
10. Liborio Solis

Light bantamweight

1. Naoya Inoue
2. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
3. Jerwin Ancajas
4. Khalid Yafai
5. Juan Francisco Estrada
6. Carlos Cuadras
7. Roman Gonzalez
8. John Riel Casimero
9. Rau’shee Warren
10. Luis Concepcion

Flyweight

1. Kazuto Ioka
2. Donnie Nietes
3. Daigo Higa
4. Juan Carlos Reveco
5. Sho Kimura
6. Moruti Mthalane
7. McWilliams Arroyo
8. Francisco Rodriguez Jr.
9. Zou Shiming
10. Komgrich Nantapech

Light flyweight/Strawweight

1. Milan Melindo
2. Kosei Tanaka
3. Knockout CP Freshmart
4. Jose Argumedo
5. Ken Shiro
6. Ryoichi Taguchi
7. Tatsuya Fukuhara
8. Hekkie Budler
9. Pedro Guevara
10. Wanheng Menayothin

* Since Mikey Garcia’s future is yet to be determined, I decided to put him in both the lightweight and light welterweight rankings until Garcia makes a decision in what weight class he will compete next.

2017 AIBA World Championships:

The 2017 AIBA World Championship has concluded.

The yearly championships, which took place in Hamburg, Germany from August 25 to September 2, sees the top amateur boxers in the world compete in one of the biggest tournaments in the sport.

Below are the results of all the championship fights of the 2017 AIBA World Championships:

Men’s Light Flyweight (46-49 kg/108 lbs): Joahnys Argilagos (Cuba) defeats Hasanboy Dusmatov (Uzbekistan) via 3-2 decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29, 27-30, 29-28)

Men’s Flyweight (52 kg/114 lbs): Yosbany (Cuba) defeats Jasurbek Latipov (Uzbekistan) via 5-0 decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Men’s Bantamweight (56 kg/ 123 lbs): Kairat Yeraliyev (Kazakhstan) defeats Duke Ragan (USA) via 3-2 decision (29-28, 28-29, 27-30, 29-28, 30-27)

Men’s Lightweight (60 kg/132 lbs): Sofiane Ouhima (France) defeats Lazaro Alvarez Estrada (Cuba) via 5-0 decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Men’s Light Welterweight (64 kg/141 lbs): Andy Cruz Gomez (Cuba) defeats Ikboljon Kholdarov (Uzbekistan) via 5-0 decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Men’s Welterweight (69 kg/152 lbs): Shakhram Giyasov (Uzbekistan) defeats Roniel Iglesias (Cuba) via 5-0 decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Men’s Middleweight (75 kg/165 lbs): Oleksandr Khyzhniak (Ukraine) defeats Abilkhan Amankul (Kazakhstan) via 5-0 decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Men’s Light Heavyweight (81 kg/178 lbs): Julio La Cruz (Cuba) defeats Joseph Ward (Ireland) via 5-0 decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Men’s Heavyweight (91 kg/202 lbs): Erislandy Savon (Cuba) defeats Evgeny Tishchenko (Russia) via 3-2 decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

Men’s Super Heavyweight (91+ kg/202+ lbs): Mahammadrasul Majidov (Azerbajian) defeats Kamshybek Kunkabayev (Kazakhstan) via 4-1 decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

By far, Cuba came out as the winners of this year’s championships, winning five gold and two silver medals. The United States finished seventh with one silver and two bronze medals.

The main trend, confirmed by the tournament, is that there’s no more dominant powerhouse in amateur boxing than Cuba. After a decade of relative inconsistency and fuss amateur boxing’s greatest nation was… well, at its greatest, winning exactly half of all the gold at the tourney. Some of young Cubans are worth of a specific look at, and the most careful look should be aimed at 28-year old light heavyweight Julio Cesar La Cruz.

One trend, which was partially confirmed, is a rise of Uzbekistan. However, this time, the Middle Eastern nation wasn’t as successful as it was a year ago in Rio, failing to capture more than a single gold. Yet, it was enough – in addition to a trio of silver medals (all being captured in Cuba vs. Uzbekistan duels) – to edge bitter rivals from Kazakhstan in an intriguing Middle Eastern rivalry.

The negative trend is a continuing downfall of the Russian national boxing team, which was unable to win a single gold medal for the first time in eighteen years. However, taking into account all of the former Soviet Republics, the ex-USSR virtual team would have heavily dominated all but the Cubans, had it been able to compete as a unified team with 4 gold, 6 silver and 9 bronze medals, with the rest of the world (save for Cuba of course) getting just 1 gold, 2 silver and 11 bronze medals.

USA was a bit luckier with an extra bronze a year ago in Rio. Also, veteran super heavyweight Magomedrasul Medjidov from Azerbajian got his third gold medal a hard way but he is still to win an Olympic gold medal.

World Boxing Super Series Begins:

The long wait is over.

The much-anticipated World Boxing Super Series kicked off on September 9 with top-ranked cruiserweight and WBO cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk advancing to the semifinals of the eight-man cruiserweight tournament. Usyk stopped Marco Huck in the 10th round to pick the TKO win.

Usyk didn’t have to struggle much in the fight, and even though Huck held his own at times, there wasn’t much stopping the WBO champion from getting his first stoppage win since last year. Usyk mauled Huck throughout the entire 10th round, and as Huck was battered, beaten and wobbly for two minutes, the referee waved it off late in the round to give the win to Usyk. The win was Usyk’s third WBO title defense and just the 13th fight in Usyk’s career.

This results was not a shocker for those following Usyk’s career. Many, including myself, firmly believe Usyk is the best cruiserweight boxer in the world, and after his last performance against Michael Hunter, Usyk needed to have a huge performance in order to reestablish himself as the top boxer at 200 pounds.

The fight was made available for United States viewers on the World Boxing Super Series’ website and after seeing many people’s reaction and feedback on the streaming quality, it was a minor disaster. Lots of people, including ESPN’s Dan Rafael, said they struggled mightily to even be able to sign in to watch the fight. For the people that did end up watching the fight, the streaming quality ranged between lagging at times to it being practically unwatchable.

This all stems from the fact that there is still no American television deal to broadcast the Super Series. It’s unlikely at this point to even broadcast the first round in the United States, except for may be the fights taking place in San Antonio, Texas and Newark, New Jersey.

The winner of this cruiserweight tournament, and the WBSS super middleweight tournament, takes home the Muhammad Ali trophy and the world titles each boxer in the tournament has as each fight in the WBSS is also essentially a world title fight. Usyk won’t have to wait long to hear who he’ll face in the semifinals. Fourth-ranked Mairis Briedis, the WBC cruiserweight champion, and Mike Perez will fight on September 30 in Latvia and the winner, presumably the WBC champion after the fight, will face Usyk sometime early next year.

The next fight in the Super Series is the first super middleweight fight between Callum Smith and Erik Skoglund. That fight, which takes place on September 16 in Liverpool, England, will be for the special WBC Diamond belt.

Other notes in boxing:

1. Having to deal with college football and UFC 215 last Saturday night, HBO’s super flyweight broadcast of Boxing After Dark averaged 796,000 viewers during the main event, which saw Srisaket Sor Rungivsai defend his WBC super flyweight title by knocking out Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. It’s not a great number, but then again, this appears to be the norm now with college football and UFC shows. College football was the real competition in this case because UFC 215 is expected to have a ridiculously low pay-per-view buyrate, barely affecting the HBO broadcast.

The number is still decent, especially when looking at the history of fights at that weight range being shown on television. Chocolatito has never been a huge draw, despite him being on many people’s pound-for-pound lists for several years.

It now looks like Sor Rungivsai will fight Juan Francisco Estrada, who won a title eliminator on that same HBO card in a “Fight of the Year” contender against Carlos Cuadras. Estrada won the fight via unanimous decision (114-113, 114-113, 114-113) and looked great in the second half of the fight. Despite Sor Rungvisai vs. Estrada being an attractive fight on paper, both guys are fast, hard hitters despite their weight, I can’t see this headlining an HBO card and doing better numbers than this recent card. It’s better suited to be the co-feature of another title fight, whether it be on television or on pay-per-view.

2. Featherweight contender Joseph Diaz Jr. was expected to face Jorge Lara in a world title elimination fight in the co-feature of the Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin middleweight championship bout on Saturday night. Lara injured his back Tuesday at the gym, forcing him to withdraw from the bout, according to an email from his promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, to Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez.

Golden Boy matchmaker Robert Diaz hustled to find a new opponent and, hours later, Lara was replaced by Rafael Rivera, who had been training for a fight next week. So now Rivera will face Diaz, in the title eliminator Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The winner will earn a mandatory shot at world titleholder Gary Russell Jr.

3. If ever there was an under-the-radar story for the Canelo vs. Golovkin fight, it’s Canelo’s ongoing feud with the WBC. As of this writing, the WBC middleweight title, which Golovkin currently holds, is still being defended in the mega fight, but should Canelo win, the title would just remain vacant. Only the WBA and IBF titles can change hands on Saturday night.

If Canelo beats Golovkin and the title remains vacant, it’s hard to imagine Canelo having a change of heart and then fight for the WBC title at a later date. Chances are, Jermall Charlo would still be first in line for a shot at the title after beating Jorge Sebastian Heiland back in July in Charlo’s middleweight debut.

4. Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga will make his professional boxing debut on October 26 at the “New England’s Future 4” card, promoted by Rivera Promotions Entertainment (RPE), at the DCU Center (Exhibition Hall) in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Gonzaga spent the majority of his career in the UFC, beating the likes of Mirko Cro Cop and Ben Rothwell while he has had experience fighting Randy Couture, current UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic, Junior Dos Santos, Brendan Schaub and many more big name UFC heavyweights. Gonzaga last fought for the UFC last year, when he got knocked out by Derrick Lewis late in the first round. Gonzaga has a career MMA record of 17-11.

5. An Australian newspaper has claimed that Britain’s Gary Corcoran is more likely to get a shot at WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn rather than compatriot Bradley Skeete. The Daily Telegraph’s Jamie Pandaram reported on their website on September 10 that Corcoran has jumped his Frank Warren stablemate in the queue. Corcoran is ranked No. 11 by the WBO at 147 pounds after dropping down in weight from 154 to defeat Larry Ekundayo for the sanctioning body’s Intecontinental title in July. Corcoran, Skeete, American Ray Robinson and Argentina’s Adrian Luciano Veron make up the quartet that are in line to be Horn’s next opponent after Manny Pacquiao decided to abandon the planned November rematch.