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Two-time Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez discusses his Spartan work ethic and his July 23 fight with Matis Rueda for the vacant WBO featherweight title on the Crawford-Postol undercard in Las Vegas.

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Knockout CP Freshmart didn’t live up to his ring name but he did enough to top Byron Rojas to win the WBA strawweight title Wednesday at City Hall’s Ground in Khon Kaen, Thailand.

Freshmart (13-0, 6 knockouts) got the nod on all three scorecards by tallies of 115-113, ending the reign of the Nicaraguan Rojas (17-3-3, 8 KOs) just three months after he upset Hekkie Budler in a close fight to win the title. 

Freshmart, rated No. 4 by THE RING and Rojas, the division’s No. 2 contender, leaned in close to bang away for the first two rounds. This mutual strategy quickly caused a head clash, resulting in a cut near the corner of Freshmart’s left eye in round two.

Faced with the possibility of having the fight declared a no-contest as his eye filled with blood, Freshmart (born Thammanoon Niyomtrong) began swinging away with left hands, coming up the middle and around the guard. Rojas, who had won 11 straight entering the fight, fired back with quick combos of his own, which forced Freshmart to tie up.

The in-fighting continued for much of the fight, though constant grappling and headbutts overshadowed the action as both men smothered the other’s shots. Freshmart often led with his head to begin exchanges while Rojas used his head often in close to create punching distance.

The win upgrades Freshmart’s interim title to a full title, as he joins WBC titleholder Wanheng Menayothin as the second unbeaten Thai champion currently reigning in the division.

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Match Maker:Oscar Negrete from Golden Boy Digital on Vimeo.

OSCAR NEGRETE
Age: 28
Hometown: Tierralta, Colombia
Weight class: bantamweight
Height / reach: 5-foot-5 (165 cm)/ 67 inches (170 cm)
Amateur record: 190-25
Turned pro: 2013
Pro record: 13-0, 5 knockouts
Trainer: Jose Santa Cruz
Manager: Cesar Garcia and Silvio Malagon
Promoter: Golden Boy Promotions

Twitter: @oscarnegrete5
 
Best night of pro career: In early March, Negrete (pronounced Neg-ret-ay) fought Neftali Campos (11-0, 9 KOs) and won a shutout decision on all three scorecards. Unsurprisingly, he views it as his best performance to date.

“My last fight against and undefeated fighter,” Negrete told RingTV.com through Cecilia Zuniga of Golden Boy Promotions. “I felt l dominated every single round.”
 
Worst night of pro career: Last February, Negrete failed to live up to his “Jaguar” nickname, struggling with his 5-3 opponent before ultimately winning a six round split decision.

“My worst performance was against Fernando Fuentes,” he said. “I felt really slow, I felt tired in the second round, I felt sluggish. I think it a lot of it had to do with how I started cutting weight and when I ate after the weigh in instead of eating something healthy I gave into cravings and had something heavy and greasy.

“I definitely made sure to look back on the fight and remember I how I felt and made those adjustments moving forward to make sure I start the weight cutting process at a specific time and make sure I’m continually eating healthy.”

Next fight: Negrete heads back to his home away from homes, the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles, for the sixth consecutive time when he faces Jose Bustos in a scheduled eight-round main event.

“I know Jose Bustos and the kind of fighter he is,” he explained. “I’ve seen him before, he’s a boxer that’s very strong, always well prepared, he’s the kind of fighter who will attack and come forward. He’s not an easy opponent by any means and I’m definitely ready for anything he brings to the table on July 1.”

The 24-year-old Bustos sports a record of 11-6-3, 7 KOs. He’s currently on a three fight winning streak – all by KO – since a four-fight losing sequence. Bustos has dropped decisions to Frank De Alba (UD 8) and Lamont Roach Jr. (UD 6) and been stopped by Christopher Diaz (RTD 6) and Dennis Galarza (TKO 1). 

Although Negrete will be widely favored to win, a stoppage would be impressive.

Why he’s a prospect: Negrete had an extensive amateur career. He was 2010 South American games champion, and runner up in the Central American and Caribbean games the same year. He also won the Bolivian games in 2009.

He fought at the 2007 and 2009 World Championships but failed to medal. The Colombian attempted to fight at the 2012 Olympics in Rio but lost in the qualifying rounds to highly-touted Oscar Valdez.

He’s gained valuable experience sparring regularly with Leo Santa Cruz as well as Daniel Ponce De Leon and Giovani Segura.

RingTV.com editor Doug Fischer has commentated on several of Negrete’s fights for RingTV Live and knows him well.

“He gets good sparring with Leo, that’s as good as it gets, it gets you ready for power and pressure,” said Fischer. “He’s a pretty good all-around athlete.

“Negrete is a lot like Yonnhy Perez [former IBF bantamweight titleholder in 2009-2010, also from Colombia], whose conditioning was crazy and he threw a lot punches. But Negrete has more talent, he’s light on his feet, he can stick and move, he’s got much better hand speed. I don’t think he hits as hard as Yonnhy Perez but he can match Yonnhy Perez in the volume department.

“One thing [Jose] Santa Cruz has instilled in him is a body attack. He breaks guys down to the body. He’s going to win fights by out-boxing or outworking an opponent. As the class of his opposition increases, he’s not going to be able to outbox everybody he’s going to have to get in the trenches and he can do that, his work rate is better than the average professional fighter, even for his weight class.”

Negrete feels his biggest strength to be his aggression: “I’m an attacking fighter, I’m always coming forward, even when I’m moving away I’m also attacking, throwing shots walking away.”

Fischer feels this is the last mid-level opponent Negrete will face before Golden Boy start to make their move with him.

“By the end of the year, they’re going to toss him in with a top contender,” he said. “Then they’re going to target a champion in 2017.”
 
Why he’s a suspect: Negrete isn’t the most obviously talented fighter but what he lacks in skill he makes up for in work rate.

“His problem is he’s not very big even for a bantamweight,” said Fischer. “He’s not physically imposing, his strength is average and his power is average, he’s got to rely on volume. Most standouts from Colombia they can crack.

“He can be in good fights but he’s not going to blow people away with his natural talent. He’s not one of these blue-chip amateur standouts.”

Negrete feels he wants to concentrate on working to the body.
 
Story lines: Negrete grew up in a large family of five children (three boys and two girls). His father Felipe was the main bread winner, while his mother was a housewife. The elder Negrete earned money as a boxing trainer and soon brought all of his children to the gym to train.

“My father loves the sport, all three of the boys became boxers,” he explained. “I remember I was around 8 years old when I began. I started liking the sport when I was 12 years old.”

Negrete didn’t always love the sport. He stepped away, albeit briefly: “I had told my dad I didn’t want to train anymore, all I did was go to school and train. I realized after a couple of days of not training I missed boxing.”

His family was poor, living off his father’s wage as a trainer, however, he simply says, “Things were tough but we survived.”

Initially, Negrete’s older brother boxed professional but had to retire with a hand injury. His younger brother also boxed but for the national team but after a spell in the military, he never returned to the sport. His two sisters also boxed in their youth.

He says his boxing hero is Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.

Negrete signed with Golden Boy in 2014 and has lived in Rosemead, California for the past three years. He has a girlfriend but maintains his commitment to boxing.

“I love boxing and am 100 percent committed to the sport,” he said. “I am committed to being a big figure in the sport not only in Colombia but also internationally.

“I want to win a world championship, that’s my first goal, second goal would be to defend it. To make history and fight the biggest names in my weight class. I want to fight [Roman] Chocolatito [Gonzalez], I want to win, I want my name to be recognized as a fighter who has defeated other good fighters and known as one of the best.”

Away from boxing, he enjoys relaxing at the beach, going to seafood restaurants eating his favorite foods and going up into the mountains riding four-wheelers.

 
Fight-by-fight record:
　
2013
May 24 – Cristian Ciciliano – UD 4

June 28 – Ramon Barboza – UD 4

Oct. 8 – Jesus Domenech – SD 6
2014
June 6 – Pablo Cupul – RTD 2

July 9 – Carlos Medina – UD 4

Sept. 11 – Gabriel Braxton – TKO 1

Oct. 10 – Salvador Perez – TKO 2
2015
Feb. 27 – Fernando Fuentes – SD 6

May 7 – Luis Maldonado – Tech. Dec. 5

July 2 – Ramiro Robles – UD 8

Sept. 18 – Jose Estrella – RTD 6

Dec. 4 – Ernesto Guerrero – KO 3

2016
Mar. 4 – Neftali Campos – UD 8

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected] and you can follow him at www.twitter.com/AnsonWainwright

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Felix Verdejo and Saul Rodriguez are unbeaten lightweights who have received much press over the last couple of years. While fighting under the radar during that time, Casey Ramos believes he is just as good as the aforementioned fighters.

Ramos will fight Hardy Paredes on July 16, Top Rank matchmaker Brad Goodman told RingTV.com over the weekend.

The eight-round bout will take place at the Pioneer Event Center in Lancaster, California (about 70 miles north of downtown Los Angeles), and will headline a Top Rank card airing on UniMas, beginning at 11 p.m. ET/ PT.

The Ramos-Paredes fight replaces a scheduled 10-round bout featuring unbeaten junior featherweight contender Jessie Magdaleno, who may be fighting WBO World titleholder Nonito Donaire later this summer.

Ramos (22-0, 5 knockouts) is coming off a onesided eight-round technical decision victory over Jonathan Perez on March 12.

The 26-year-old from Austin, Texas, has won his last six bouts by decision, all against modest opposition.

A journeyman for Osorno, Chile, Paredes (18-13, 11 KOs) has gone 7-11 since 2007. In his last fight, on Dec. 12, the 33-year-old knocked out prospect Jonivan Barreto in the third round.

Opening the “Solo Boxeo Tecate” broadcast will be an eight-round bout featuring unbeaten welterweight Arnold Barboza (12-0, 5 KOs) against an opponent to be determined.

In non-televised action, unbeaten light heavyweight Oleksandr Gvozdyk (10-0, 8 KOs) and welterweight Egidijus Kavaliauskas (13-0, 11 KOs) are scheduled to fight in separate eight-round bouts.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV.com since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, Boxingscene.com, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.

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Keith Thurman took another step forward on Saturday in Brooklyn, albeit a relatively small step.

Thurman (rated No. 3 last week) defeated Shawn Porter (No. 4 last week) by a close decision – 115-113 on all cards – in an entertaining welterweight showdown at Barclays Center on free national TV.

It was an important victory for Thurman even though the fight was so tight it could’ve gone either way.

As a result the RING Editorial Board bumped Thurman up to No. 2 in the ratings, leapfrogging Amir Khan (No. 2 last week). Khan is coming off a knockout loss to RING middleweight champ Canelo Alvarez last month.

Also, because Porter acquitted himself so well, he retained his position in the Top 10. No. 5 Tim Bradley is coming off a unanimous-decision loss to Manny Pacquiao in April.

Kell Brook is No. 1 in the weight class.

In other divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Anthony Joshua (No. 5 last week) retained his position after stopping the durable but overmatched Dominic Breazeale (unrated last week) in the seventh round on Saturday in London.

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT

George Groves (No. 5 last week) defeated former middleweight contender Martin Murray (unrated at 168 pounds last week) on the Joshua-Breazeale card. As a result, Groves moves up to No. 4.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Chris Eubank Jr. (No. 7 last week) made easy work of Tom Doran (unrated last week), stopping him in four rounds. Thus, Eubank changes positions with Peter Quillin (No. 6 last week). Quillin is coming of a first-round knockout loss to Daniel Jacobs in December.

JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT

Jason Sosa (unrated last week) upset Javier Fortuna (No. 7 last week), knocking out the then-unbeaten Dominican in the 11^th round. As a result, Fortuna drops out of the Top 10 and Sosa, who was coming off a draw with Nicholas Walters, enters at No. 10.

JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHT

Khalid Yafai (No. 8 last week) held his position after stopping Jozsef Ajtai (unrated last week) in the first round Saturday on the Joshua-Breazeale card.

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THURMAN-PORTER

Dougie,

After the black hole of despair that was Friday – Fury Vs Klitschko postponed, Canelo vs Smith announced, rumors of Pacquiao fighting Broner – Saturday’s main event between Shawn Porter and Keith Thurman was like boxing’s way of begging us not to quit on it. What a fantastic, fantastic fight that was. Both guys just clearly wanted it so bad, you could see it on their faces every time they got up to go another round. Easily my vote for Fight of the Year.  

The question now is if the PBC can capitalize on this momentum. If I’m Haymon, I’m putting pressure on ESPN to talk up the highlights, and I’m dragging Garcia to the ring by the ears for a unification fight with Thurman. Porter is also very much a live asset and needs to be put into another big match soon. I’m still jazzed enough to stick to the positives for now.

I won’t even bring up Canelo-Smith, I’m sure you’re hearing plenty of blue murder about that mess. This Saturday was a good one. Best – Sean 

Oh yeah, I’ve already received a lot of bloody murder fanrage regarding Canelo-Smith over the weekend via Twitter. I gave my opinion there and will state it here (over and over again, I’m sure) from now until September. Whoopie. Won’t that be fun.

But for now, it makes sense to focus on Thurman-Porter. While not even close to my Fight of the Year thus far, I was pleasantly surprised by the manner in which their styles meshed and by the amount of action/hard exchanges featured in the majority of rounds. Both welterweight standouts gave 100 percent, and that’s what it’s all about (or should be). The fight went pretty much the way I expected (a distance bout with Thurman edging it on the official score cards thanks to his combination of lateral movement and accurate, hard punching), but damn, I was impressed with Porter’s relentlessness, resolve and iron chin.

The question now is if the PBC can capitalize on this momentum. If this was last March, I’d say that’s the half-billion dollar question but I don’t think it’s worth quite as much now. Regardless, I think what the PBC delivered on CBS on Saturday (with Showtime’s participation) is good for the sport, so I sincerely hope the answer to your question is yes. 

If I’m Haymon … I’m dragging (Danny) Garcia to the ring by the ears for a unification fight with Thurman. That’s sounds like a good plan to me. If not Garcia, I think it’s time to look outside of the PBC league and target the winner of Brook-Vargas.  

Porter is also very much a live asset and needs to be put into another big match soon. I agree 100%. Perhaps against the Errol Spence-Leo Bundu or Sammy Vasquez-Luis Collazo winner.

After the black hole of despair that was Friday… LOL. That’s a dramatic line there, brotha. I really do think it’s time for the boxing industry to solicit event-sponsorship from pharmaceutical companies that make antidepressant drugs. Is there enough time to get it before Canelo-Smith? Move over Tecate, this HBO PPV event is brought to you by Zoloft. Prozac has the ring canvas.

WHAT’S UP WITH CANELO?

Dougie,

I’m not one of those haters that thinks Canelo has to fight GGG now. I agree that it’s a lot to ask of a guy to fight the best middleweight in years and yet he has not had one true fight against a middleweight. However, I don’t understand two things. First why did he call him up and act like he wants to fight him right away only to say he’s not ready. All that is going to do is fuel the haters into saying that he truly is scared and is just acting like he wants to fight him.

The other thing is if he wants to take a little time to get ready for him then what is he doing fighting at 154. Don’t you think he should have a tune up against a mid-tier middleweight to see how he acclimates? Thanks – Julio

That makes sense to me, Julio. But I view Canelo as a middleweight. Canelo and his team really believe he is a junior middleweight, which is their right, of course.

I have nothing against Liam Smith, the unbeaten WBO 154-pound beltholder and THE RING’s No. 8-rated junior middleweight, and I think he will make for an entertaining fight on Sept. 17. However, if Golden Boy Promotions is truly building towards a Canelo-Golovkin showdown in 2017 I’d rather see the redheaded superstar test his considerable strength, skill and whiskers against a proven badass at 160 pounds (take your pick: Tureano Johnson, David Lemieux, Curtis Stevens, even Hassan N’Dam works for me).

First why did he call him up and act like he wants to fight him right away only to say he’s not ready. I don’t think it was an act. I think Canelo wanted to show Golovkin and the boxing public that he isn’t afraid of “the GGG menace.” I believe two factors played into why Canelo said what he said immediately after the Amir Khan fight: 1. the combo of youth and post-KO adrenaline rush, 2. The desire to promote/hype the eventual showdown with Golovkin.   

All that is going to do is fuel the haters into saying that he truly is scared and is just acting like he wants to fight him. This is true. The post-fight declarations about fighting Golovkin backfired in a big way. If you talk the talk, boxing fans are going to expect you to walk the walk (IMMEDIATELY).

The other thing is if he wants to take a little time to get ready for him then what is he doing fighting at 154? Good question. Maybe he’s considering a sincere move back to junior middleweight, in which case THE RING title he currently holds would be vacated.

AJ BANDWAGON AND EUBANK JR.

Hello Dougie,

I haven’t written in for a few weeks but continue to love the mailbag. I have to admit that the emails, and replies, from Dave (Superdave?) are hilarious. It is amazing the degree of fans out there. I hope, like you, that the emails aren’t serious because no one can be that delusional and out of touch.

Anyway, on to my mail; I enjoyed, hopefully like everyone else, the boxing card at the O2 in London. Did you manage to catch the action? I do often wonder which networks syndicate UK fights.

Conor Benn continues to carry ‘The Destroyer’ name that blew away his opponent. Although a lot more experienced, seemed a bit overawed by the crowd. Conor seems a good mover and is able to plant his feet and really generate power. I know it is very early days but I would like to see the Eubank/Benn rivalry kick up again. Would be great for British Boxing.

Speaking of Eubank; Junior continues to entertain and gets another eye catching win. I am a fan of his come forward style and tremendous uppercut but I can’t help thinking that a fight with GGG will be too much for him. A few things;

1. GGG is a perfect middleweight at the moment and his performances back that up.
   2. GGG can take a punch. While not denying junior’s power, GGG is on another level.
   3. GGG can give out a punch and has power. Just ask Martin Murray, he’s a tough guy and GGG broke him down. Jr has never been in with a full-fledged, experienced middleweight.

Anthony Joshua continues to surprise me, and I am fully on the AJ train. Just like the Charles Martin fight, the build up had me a little nervous as to how AJ would handle the expectation. I thought DB would pose him problems (I thought the same about Martin) but AJ just boxed a pretty much perfect fight. Obviously still room for improvement but he is getting rounds and his punch choice was good, even if he did start punching through Breazeale! I think he needs a good break. At this rate he would be averaging 6 fights a year since his debut, while this is good for fans (and his wallet), he is a big guy and needs to recharge properly.

Next opposition? I’m guessing his mandatory, Josh Parker. Another unknown. Thoughts? Hope you had a good weekend. – Jordan, Manchester, UK

I wouldn’t call Parker (and his first name is Joseph, not Josh) an “unknown.” The IBF’s No. 1 contender is well known in his native New Zealand and Australia, and also among hardcore fans in the UK and U.S.

Trust me, when Joshua and Parker fight it will be a big deal. However, I don’t think Parker’s management believes he is quite ready for Joshua so I don’t expect that matchup to materialize until next year. But who knows? Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, likes that fight for November and maybe he will offer enough money to entice Team Parker to take the challenge this year.

If Joshua’s next opponent isn’t Parker, I think would behoove Team AJ and Hearn to find a dance partner who can take him past 10 rounds. Perhaps Johan Duhaupas (the IBF’s No. 4-rated contender) is up for the task.

I thought DB would pose him problems (I thought the same about Martin) but AJ just boxed a pretty much perfect fight. I knew Breazeale had the toughness and the character to last past three or four rounds but I didn’t expect him to cause Joshua any problems unless he went for the blitz. He didn’t go for it from the get-go, so we witnessed a prolonged beating and AJ looked sharp and smart administering it.

I think he needs a good break. At this rate he would be averaging 6 fights a year since his debut, while this is good for fans (and his wallet), he is a big guy and needs to recharge properly. Now that he is a beltholder the level of his competition will increase (ever so slightly) as will the amount of time to promote his events, which means he won’t fight as often as he did during his “prospect” stage. Joshua will only fight three times this year, which leaves plenty of recovery time for a 26-year-old physical specimen who rarely gets touched during his fights.

Anthony Joshua continues to surprise me, and I am fully on the AJ train. Me too, I’m thinking about commissioning @MrBoxingGuru to make some “Black Colossus” T-shirts for me and my homies to wear when Joshua finally fights in the U.S.

I am a fan of (Eubank’s) come forward style and tremendous uppercut but I can’t help thinking that a fight with GGG will be too much for him. I don’t think he’s ready for Golovkin yet, either, but I do consider Eubank to be a legit 160-pound contender (THE RING rates him at No. 7 and he will probably move to No. 6 based on his thrashing of Tom Doran, his fifth straight stoppage since his split-decision loss to Billy Joe Saunders in November 2014) and thus worthy of challenging the unified champ.

1. GGG is a perfect middleweight at the moment and his performances back that up. Nobody’s perfect, but Golovkin is hands-down the best middleweight in the world and a well-rounded badass.
   2. GGG can take a punch. While not denying junior’s power, GGG is on another level. There’s no denying that Golovkin has a world-class chin but I wouldn’t advise him to test it out against Eubank’s best power shots.
   3. GGG can give out a punch and has power. Just ask Martin Murray, he’s a tough guy and GGG broke him down. Jr has never been in with a full-fledged, experienced middleweight. I’m not sure I agree with that statement. I considered Saunders to be a lower-top 10 contender when Eubank faced the future WBO beltholder and I think the 12 rounds he went with BJS was terrific experience; I also view Dmitry Chudinov as a strong and durable middleweight fringe contender that provided a lot of professional resistance to Eubank during their fight last February and thus another valuable learning experience.

I know it is very early days but I would like to see the Eubank/Benn rivalry kick up again. OK, slow your roll, homie. Benn is 19 years old with three professional fights. He hasn’t been a pro for three months. Can he at least “graduate” to fighting in six-round bouts before we start beating the drums for “Benn-Eubank III”? 

Would be great for British Boxing. Yeah, ‘cause you guys don’t have enough going on in the UK boxing scene right now.

Did you manage to catch the action? I do often wonder which networks syndicate UK fights. I watched Joshua-Breazeale and the Eubank-Doran replay on Showtime. I’ll catch Groves-Murray and Conor Benn’s fight on my daughters’ favorite network – YouTube.com.

THURMAN DESERVED TO WIN

Hi Doug,

Hope everything’s well with you and your family. I saw the fight last night and was very entertained, this is the kind of fight that the PBC needed last year in order to gain momentum and new fans. Fighters need to fight each other, we never know how styles mesh and what they’re going to get out of each other. Good thing both of them performed and gave the fans a good show on national television. Shawn and Keith gave their maximum effort and made each other take a step to the next level.    

I had the fight 7-5 for Thurman, and was happy to see someone have their hand raised (I could’ve seen a draw a close Porter win too), its way more satisfactory to see a winner (that was my main gripe with Vargas-Salido) than a draw. With that being said, this is the kind of fight that is an obvious repair but also I would like to see new fights.   

Who do you see them facing next? Even though I think the most logical fight would be for Thurman to face either Danny Garcia or Kell Brook, we’ll probably get Porter-Garcia first. I see Garcia as a live dog against Thurman and certainly favor the Brit vs any of them as of now. I also would like to see Errol Spence step it up against one of these guys, I also think he would be a live dog vs anybody (including Brook). Even though Kell seems to be the top fighter in the division, I would still like him and Thurman to prove it in the ring. Both have wins over Porter (who’s a tough MF) and should fight to be the legitimate champ.  

I know a lot of people are going to put this as a candidate for fight of the year and for ten rounds it was too me. It had more drama (even if it was a little sloppier than Vargas-Salido) and more intensity with bigger fighters in a bigger stage, but sadly the last two rounds were not good enough to be elevated to that position. I think Vargas-Salido is still the best fight this year. Thanks Doug! – Juan Valverde, San Diego

You are always welcome, Juan, and thanks for the well wishes for my family.

I agree that Vargas-Salido is this year’s Fight of the Year front-runner (and I don’t think Thurman-Porter came close to delivering as much sustained action and drama as the WBC 130-pound title bout did at the start of the month). And I’m glad to see you giving the June 4 ring war (which deserved to be a draw in my view) its props. Salido performed pretty well for a “smaller, older, spent bullet” taking part in a “big mismatch,” didn’t he? (You had to know that I was going to give you some good-natured s__t for dumping all over that matchup the week of the fight.)

I also agree with your take on Thurman-Porter. It was a terrific fight, one that was good for fans, good for the PBC and good for the sport. Thurman deserved to have his hand raised. Porter deserves to keep his head up and to stay in the elite welterweight mix.

Even though I think the most logical fight would be for Thurman to face either Danny Garcia or Kell Brook, we’ll probably get Porter-Garcia first. I’m OK with that. I’m sure the Porters are too. 

I see Garcia as a live dog against Thurman and certainly favor the Brit vs any of them as of now. I agree, but I would pick Thurman to beat Garcia without any hesitation.  

I also would like to see Errol Spence step it up against one of these guys, I also think he would be a live dog vs anybody (including Brook). Spence is a live dog against the top three or four welterweights, but I don’t believe he’s ready to challenge them. If he fought Brook, Thurman or Porter next, I’d pick the more experienced fighters to beat him. 

Even though Kell seems to be the top fighter in the division, I would still like him and Thurman to prove it in the ring. Me too. 

Both have wins over Porter (who’s a tough MF) and should fight to be the legitimate champ. I agree. I hope Thurman is elevated to THE RING’s No. 2-rated welterweight so that if he does take on Brook in the near future the magazine’s title will be on the line.

GIVE CANELO/GBP A BREAK

Hello Doug!

I wanted to write and thank you for printing my letter on Muhammad Ali. He really was a hero to a lot of us. At least among my generation of old soldiers, the Vietnam Vets, he really was admired…

Secondly, guys, give Golden Boy and Canelo a break! You guys act like this is the first time in boxing history a fighter has waited on a bout till the other guy got older, or the fighter grew into a higher weight. No sane person believes Canelo is afraid – but the reality is this is prizefighting, and his team’s job is to maximize the prize, and minimize the risk. It is a business, not just sport. If the wait makes you decide not to watch when the fight happens, don’t – plenty of the rest of us will.

On to the weekend fights! Man, what a war between One Time and Showtime. I gave it to One Time primarily because he really did outbox Porter – narrowly, I admit, but I thought he threw the crisper, harder, punches, and his defense was stellar. My one reservation with Keith is he seems vulnerable to body shots.  

I was really surprised by the plain courage that Breazeale showed. He was so much slower than AJ it was obvious from the first exchange what the end result would be – and he had to know it. But he kept fighting, kept trying, and never looked for a way out. His eye was completely shut – or looked completely shut – after the first couple of rounds, and again, he kept coming. I take my hat off to his heart. As for AJ, I was genuinely impressed, though I am curious how he will deal with another fighter with more athleticism and power, like Wilder.

Have to pose some mythical matchups:

Roy Jones at Middle against Sugar Ray Robinson;

One Time against Mayweather at the later’s prime at welterweight;

Showtime against Ricky Hatton at welterweight;

It is always good to read the mailbag, keep right on writing, and take care! – John

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and thank you for the kind words, John. It was my pleasure and honor to publish your email on what Ali meant to you and your generation.

Don’t expect Golden Boy Promotions or Canelo to get any break from the hardcore heads. The grace period they gave Oscar De La Hoya when he was coming back from rehab, fighting for control of his company and rebuilding broken relationships in the sport is now officially over. He’s just another fat cat promoter/power broker like Arum or Haymon and he’s going to get his share of hate and unfair criticism. But to be fair to the diehards, maybe GBP and Canelo deserve some of the relentless hate they’re getting for going about the WBC-GGG situation the wrong way. If they weren’t ready to put their cash cow in with the middleweight marauder they should have been upfront with it even before Canelo fought Cotto.

In my not-so-humble opinion, I don’t think they should have fought for the WBC title (even if the Mexico City sanctioning organization didn’t strip Cotto before the fight) and I think they should have politely told the boxing media that they aren’t entertaining a Golovkin showdown at the present time. When pressed on if and when they planned to make the fight that many fans view as a megamatch (and many of those same fans view as a mismatch) they should have kept it nice, short and vague and said: “the future.”

De La Hoya and Team Canelo underestimated how desperate diehard boxing fans are for big fights/events. They don’t even care if one of the fighters of a potential “dream match” is ready for it. And they’re just going to have to live with the constant bitching, moaning and ridicule from the media and the social media masses.

No sane person believes Canelo is afraid – but the reality is this is prizefighting, and his team’s job is to maximize the prize, and minimize the risk. Key word: “sane person.” The fan (which short for fanatic) is by definition a nut cake.

If the wait makes you decide not to watch when the fight happens, don’t – plenty of the rest of us will. Fact, one that isn’t lost on De La Hoya or Tom Loeffler.

Man, what a war between One Time and Showtime. I wouldn’t quite call it a war but it was a very good, very intense and entertaining boxing match. To have a “war” you need both sides to bring the ruckus. If we could clone Porter and have him fight his clone, I’m sure we’d get a ring war. Thurman was not there to constantly battle it out in the trenches and Porter wasn’t effective enough at cutting off the ring to force him to. But we were still treated to lots of heated exchanges.

I gave it to One Time primarily because he really did outbox Porter – narrowly, I admit, but I thought he threw the crisper, harder, punches, and his defense was stellar. I wouldn’t call Thurmy’s defense “stellar” but it was good enough to keep him upright and relatively unscathed against Porter (which ain’t easy). And I agree that narrowly and legitimately outboxed and outpointed Porter.

My one reservation with Keith is he seems vulnerable to body shots. Everyone is.

I was really surprised by the plain courage that Breazeale showed. I wasn’t. I thought he proved his mettle and poise under fire against Amir Mansour earlier this year.

As for AJ, I was genuinely impressed, though I am curious how he will deal with another fighter with more athleticism and power, like Wilder. Me too (although I don’t think there are many heavyweights with better athleticism/power – maybe just Wilder, Klitschko and David Haye). Hopefully, we find out once he’s ready for the top dogs of the division.

Your mythical matchups:

Roy Jones at Middle against Sugar Ray Robinson – I think the best middleweight version of Robinson (late 1950 through mid-’52 – not the faded post-’52 retirement version) stops Jones by the late rounds of an intense chess match.

One Time against Mayweather at the later’s prime at welterweight – Mayweather by competitive but clear UD.

Showtime against Ricky Hatton at welterweight – Porter by a close (perhaps controversial) decision in an ugly, physical and bloody fight.

JOSHUA, CANELO, GGG

Hey Dougie,

Been a few years since I’ve written in, kinda stopped following boxing for a while. Staying up til 6am every Sunday proved harder when working full time than as a student (who knew!) (Hell I still haven’t watched Mayweather-Pacquiao, can’t imagine I could sit through that without pondering how that fight would have looked in 2010!) But moving to New Zealand with more forgiving time zones has spiked my interest again!

Glad to see the heavyweight division has picked up at last! Joshua can’t seem to put a foot wrong, although I was impressed Brezeale managed to hang in there so long – he definitely wasn’t wrong when he said he was a different animal to Charles Martin! At this point I have minimal interest in seeing Joshua in with anyone other than Fury, Klitschko, Wilder, Haye or maybe Ortiz (haven’t watched him fight but read a lot of good things). That may be harsh at this stage of his career, but I just think he’s that good he walks through the rest of the division. How do you see matchups with/between any of those guys shaking out? Is there anyone I’ve missed out?

Really disappointed the way Canelo has chosen to go with his next fight. I was really impressed when he took on awkward fighters with small fanbases like Trout and Lara, but to s__t talk GGG and Sanchez like he did after the Khan fight then to pull this has really damaged his credibility in my book. I think Liam Smith is a good fighter, but realistically there are much better fighters even if he wants to go back to 154, and it just makes a total joke out of that statement saying he needs time to get used to fighting middleweights. Where do you see Canelo going after this one? Is he for real about fighting GGG next year?

On a side note, I made the mistake of clicking on the comments on an article about this fight being announced, Canelo’s fans must be making some serious inroads on the most ignorant fans of all-time list!

Oh well, if GGG fights Eubank in the UK I think that will be a really big fight that will massively increase his exposure in a country absolutely buzzing about boxing, and potentially set up a unification fight with Billy-Joe next year. I think Eubank might just be the best opponent he’ll have faced to this point (the guy has been improving at a rapid rate), but still can’t see him causing Golovkin too many problems. Thoughts? Both like to stand and trade so I think it’ll be fun while it lasts! After those 2 fights I think he has to go to 168 if Canelo is still f__king around. I think he’ll have a much easier time getting fights when he’s the smaller guy and we might actually see him tested.

I’ve already rambled on too long but will end with a couple of mythical matchups:
GGG vs Froch at 168
Kovalev vs Roy Jones (prime) at 175
Floyd Mayweather vs Antonio Margarito at 147 (in 2007)

Take it easy Dougie, keep up the good work! – Callum

Thanks for checking back in with me, Callum. Good to have you back.

At this point I have minimal interest in seeing Joshua in with anyone other than Fury, Klitschko, Wilder, Haye or maybe Ortiz (haven’t watched him fight but read a lot of good things). You Sir are a typical modern hardcore boxing fan. You don’t want to wait for anything.

That may be harsh at this stage of his career, but I just think he’s that good he walks through the rest of the division. From your lips to God’s ears.

How do you see matchups with/between any of those guys shaking out? I don’t think he’s ready for any of those heavyweights. He’s got 18 fights, he’s never been past seven rounds, and he’s never faced any fellow giants as smart and experienced as Klitschko, as savvy as Fury, or any boxer-punchers as athletically gifted as Wilder, Ortiz and Haye (who also has experience).

Really disappointed the way Canelo has chosen to go with his next fight. You are not alone.

I was really impressed when he took on awkward fighters with small fanbases like Trout and Lara, but to s__t talk GGG and Sanchez like he did after the Khan fight then to pull this has really damaged his credibility in my book. In regard to Abel Sanchez, Canelo was firing back at some s__t talk from the veteran trainer. I’m not mad at him for that. He probably shouldn’t have said all the stuff he did about fighting GGG while in the ring after the Khan fight, but he’s young. (I certainly said my share of dumb s__t that I wish I could take back when I was 25.)

I think Liam Smith is a good fighter, but realistically there are much better fighters even if he wants to go back to 154, and it just makes a total joke out of that statement saying he needs time to get used to fighting middleweights. Maybe so, but I think it was the best fight (outside of the GGG showdown, of course) that could be made for September given the interruption of the All-Star Boxing trial.

Where do you see Canelo going after this one? I have no idea. Hopefully, he takes on a legit middleweight contender. If not – if he elects to remain at junior middleweight – I’d like to see him take on Demetrius Andrade or one of the Charlo Twins.

Is he for real about fighting GGG next year? I think so, but we’ll see.

On a side note, I made the mistake of clicking on the comments on an article about this fight being announced, Canelo’s fans must be making some serious inroads on the most ignorant fans of all-time list! I don’t think they crack the top 10 – yet. And I don’t think Canelo Critics are any less rational.

Oh well, if GGG fights Eubank in the UK I think that will be a really big fight that will massively increase his exposure in a country absolutely buzzing about boxing, and potentially set up a unification fight with Billy-Joe next year. Let’s hope so.

I think Eubank might just be the best opponent he’ll have faced to this point (the guy has been improving at a rapid rate), but still can’t see him causing Golovkin too many problems. Thoughts? I think Eubank is arguably the most naturally gifted opponent GGG has faced so far, and I do think the young man can give him some problems.

Both like to stand and trade so I think it’ll be fun while it lasts! All Golovkin fights are fun while they last.

After those 2 fights I think he has to go to 168 if Canelo is still f__king around. If he gets BJS into the ring and wins the WBO he will have achieved his goal of unifying all of the major 160-pound titles but I still think a fight with Daniel Jacobs is worth sticking around for if Canelo opts not too take the GGG Challenge.

I think he’ll have a much easier time getting fights when he’s the smaller guy and we might actually see him tested. Yeah, right. They got some strong weed in New Zealand, eh?

Your mythical matchups:

GGG vs Froch at 168 – Golovkin by close, perhaps majority or split decision (a knockdown or two scored by GGG might be the difference).

Kovalev vs Roy Jones (prime) at 175 – Jones by close and competitive decision.

Floyd Mayweather vs Antonio Margarito at 147 (in 2007) – Margarito by somewhat competitive but clear UD (at least two 116-112 official scorecards and one that either gives Mayweather more credit than he deserves, 115-113, or one that gives Margz the benefit of the doubt, 117-111). Remember, the 2007 welterweight version of Mayweather narrowly outpointed a faded and inactive De La Hoya, whose best rounds were when he tried to press Floyd to the ropes – tactics that were not natural to him but happened to be the bread and butter of Margarito who was a relentless rock-jawed volume-punching machine.

Email Fischer at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @dougiefischer

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Keith Thurman defeated Shawn Porter by a close unanimous decision to retain his WBA welterweight title Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The boxers both had their moments in a terrific fight. Porter, a swarming fighter, did well when he pushed Thurman against the ropes and banged away inside. He was able to do so with some consistency, although Thurman (27-0, 22 knockouts) often fought back, held or danced out of harm’s way.

Thurman was able to catch Porter (26-2-1, 16 KOs) coming in with crisp shots at many junctures and scored consistently from the outside. He landed more eye-catching punches to the head.

Thus, many rounds were very difficult to score. The judges all had the same tally, 115-113, an indication of how tight the fight was. I also had it 115-113 in favor Thurman.

The punch stats also were evidence of a very close fight: Porter landed 236 punches overall (of 662 thrown), Thurman 235 (of 539).

A full report will follow shortly.

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Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter launched and landed powerful punches until the final bell. Photo / Tom Casino / @ShowtimeBoxing

The sport had a rough week with Tyson Fury pulling out of his July heavyweight title fight with Wladimir Klitschko and Canelo Alvarez announcing his next bout, not against Gennady Golovkin. But fans got a pick-me-up in the form of Keith Thurman’s welterweight fight-a-palooza with Shawn Porter on Saturday.  

When the 12^th round ended, after a remarkable display of stamina, grit, skill, ruggedness and mettle, both men held their hands aloft, as the crowd, just as exhausted as the fighters, showered them with applause.

It was an exhilarating fight, filled with plot-shifts and high drama. Ultimately, the judges sided with Thurman’s boxing ability and cleaner shots to Porter’s mauling, high-energy style. Thurman won a close but unanimous decision by scores of 115-113, 115-113, 115-113 to retain his WBA welterweight title and remain undefeated Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn in a CBS main event. The decision was met with a smattering of boos after the announced crowd of 12,718 had been feted with a highly entertaining battle.

“I want to thank Shawn Porter for a tremendous fight, he’s a great warrior,” Thurman said in the ring afterward of the first CBS primetime boxing event on the network since Ali-Spinks in 1978. “Defense is the key to victory. He smothers his punches a lot and makes it difficult for the judges to score. I was able to rock him with clear, effective blows and I believe that was the difference today. It’s all about defense. I had a great defense today.” 

Porter, a former titleholder, came out aggressive in the first, seemingly trying to test Thurman’s fitness and durability after a February car accident left Thurman with neck and back injuries, causing the bout to be pushed back from March 12. Thurman (27-0, 22 knockouts) showed he was up to the test, holding up against Porter’s rugged onslaught while at times showcasing brilliant boxing ability. The two were friends dating back to the amateurs and there were questions if they would be able to put aside their relationship and really try to hurt the other. They did, swinging for the fences all night while never touching gloves unless instructed. It was a close, fun fight, and Porter called for a rematch.

“At the end of the day, I’m blessed,” Porter said. “We worked hard. Keith is a great champion. My dad says to keep your head up. I think I won the fight, but I’m satisfied because the competitor came out tonight. We need that rematch. I know the fans want that rematch. If he gives me another chance, I’m going to work hard in the ring and leave with his title.”

Both worked hard throughout the fight. Thurman (26-2-1, 16 KOs) landed a clean right midway through the first that got Porter’s respect, and Thurman ended the round moving forward as Porter sought to regroup in a brisk opening frame. It was that way for most of the night, with two-way action and both fighters having their moments.

Porter pinned Thurman against the ropes in the second and tried to maul him, landing lefts and rights while Thurman did his best to cover up. Two rounds into the fight it became obvious Porter’s game plan: Try to assault the thinner Thurman with shots on his arms, upper torso, back of the head, everywhere.

Thurman got his distance in the third and out-boxed him for most of the round. This time, when Porter got Thurman against the ropes, Thurman landed a clean right hand that seemed to stun Porter.

Thurman wobbled Porter with a left hook in the fourth round and cut Porter over his left eye with another series of power shots. Thurman was boxing beautifully, connecting with sweeping left hooks as Porter rushed in, showing a granite chin as he got touched up.

Porter reasserted himself in the ensuing rounds, continuing to maul Thurman against the ropes as Thurman tried to create distance and use his jab. Porter went down in the seventh but it was from a slip. He got up and continued to impose his will on Thurman, landing a clean right hand that likely stole the round.

Porter hurt Thurman with a left hook to the body in the eighth round; it was the same punch that Thurman’s last opponent, Luis Collazo hurt him with when they fought last July. Thurman recovered to land a pair of left hooks to get back into the round.

An apparent clash of heads opened a cut over Thurman’s right eye in the ninth round as both men exchanged vicious shots in one of the most eventful rounds of the fight. Porter pinned Thurman against the ropes and both opened up with home run shots as the crowd applauded their efforts.

Thurman hurt Porter with a left hook in the 10^th round, causing Porter to wheel back, his glove almost touching the canvas; but Porter, again showing a super-human chin, responded with a series of hooks in the corner that seemed to surprise Thurman, who seemed exhausted. It was that kind of fight. 

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Mike Alvarado (L) had three punishing fights with Brandon Rios (R). Most fans thought their third bout would be his last but Alvarado is in the midst of a successful comeback. Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

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