The 140lbs of Boxing

Sometimes in life I am forced into conversations about the state of boxing. These talks to arguments that Boxing is too boring, it's too long, too much clinching, and that Boxing is dead.
What fascinates me is  that the people state these claims hardly ever know but three names in Boxing.  Pacquiao, Mayweather, and insert a Cotto, Mosley, or Marquez in the third section.
Boxing is alive and thriving and Boxing heads know this.
Mares-Donaire gives me chills,  Broner and Canelo's potential excites me more than anything on Bang Bus.com,  I count the days for Golovkin to step in the ring with Rosado, will Gamboa make an impact?  Sergio Martinez- Chavez 2? will Chavez dig deep inside himself and knock out Maravilla?  Finally Mayweather will fight a true 147 in Robert Guerrero but will he fight Canelo in September? Pacquiao Marquez 4 left an uninterested crowd  vying for a part 5.
With all this in store for boxing in 2013 I still can only focus on one thing  and that is what the fuck is going to happen in the  140lbs division.
Currently the Junior Welterweight has four top dogs  Juan Manuel Marquez, Danny Garcia, Brandon Rios, and Lucas Matthysse.  There are also names on that list such as Mike Alvarado, Timothy Bradley, Amir Khan, Josesito Lopez and at the end of the year quite possibly Adrian Broner.

Garcia is currently the WBA and WBC junior welterweight champion and linear top dog. He fucked up Erik Morales and i'm pretty sure is going to walk through Zab Judah in February.  What happens after that? I'm thinking he will fight Khan in June and line himself up possibly for a fight with one of those top 3. Maybe and hopefully Matthysse.

Lucas Matthysse?? who is Matthysse? Can you say Body Punch?  Body Punches? BODY PUNCHES!!! I fucking love them and this guy is a master of them.  This is the guy nobody has the balls to call out.  He has ran through his opponents like Hussein Bolt running the 100.  He is exciting and relentless he adds so much pressure and never forgets the body.  He has a fight with a Henry Lundy in January 26th then he might fuck up Maidana for fun just because he hates him and maybe just maybe Golden Boy will reward him with a title shot at Danny Garcia.  Imagine?? Danny versus Matthysse??

Brandon Rios is the true definition of Aztec Warrior. The kid loves to fight and get hit. Everything he gets socked he smiles and wants more.  Los ganchos al higado just like his hero  Julio Cesar Chavez is what he makes a living of.  In his fight with Mike Alvarado good ol Mike thought he could out box the kid from Kansas with his jab but boy was he wrong.  Rios kept working the body and adding pressure using hooks and uppercuts till the fucker ran out of gas and was TKO'd by Rios.   Rios reminds me of Antonio Margarito he keeps moving forward like a steam roller throwing hooks and uppercuts by the bunches. I love Rios quote "If you break the body the head will fall."  He had himself a fight lined up with Pacquiao in April but Marquez ruined those plans with the brutal K.O. of Pacquiao December 8th.

Juan Manuel Marquez the true O.G. Triple O.G. veterano from Mexico.  The guy has it all balls the size of Barry Bonds head, the ring generalship of Alexander the Great in battle, and dedication for his craft like a fat kid running after the ice cream truck.  This guy has it all and right now is probably the number one pound for pound boxer in the world.  He has paid his dues sitting in the dark in the early 2000's behind De La Hoya, Moralez, Barrera and more.  He fought everyone thrown at  him and refused to be a stepping stone Baby Bull Diaz on (HBO AFTER DARK!!!) Michael Katsidis (HBO!!!) and was the only fighter to give Pacquiao a fight for 8 years.  Now he sits at the top of the throne and he could fight Rios in April then maybe Pacquiao  in September? All I know is that if he fought any of those 3 above the fight would be epic but i'm sure most people would still sit there talking like pendejos wondering about Mayweather versus Pacquiao or Mayweather versus Canelo.

Here is a Video I made in honor of these four champions...Enjoy

Photoshop

I learned a new Photoshop method in school last week, and I am completely in love with it.  It is called the Gorman Method which is a cool way to make Black and White Pictures.


 I wished I owned CS6 so I could do more at home, but fuck it these are the few I did during class.

Act like you Belong

On Saturday night 50, Juan, and me left Bakersfield for Carson to witness the Brandon Rios-Mike Alvarado and Nonito Donaire- Nishioka fights.
Through Twitter Nonito hooked us up with ringside tickets to the event, and we were all pumped up about both the fights and being ringside for the first time in our lives.
Being Ringside is awesome it's Thunderdome  down there anything goes. We had tickets to the 12th row of section 5,but  I didn't sit  in my seat for more than a minute.
When you are part of the ringside family they allow you to walk all around the floor freely surrounded by all types of boxing heads  such as Freddy Roach, Chrystina Poncher, the fat guy that translates, Jim Lampley, Roy Jones Jr, Tyson Marquez.  I was one Mario Lopez away from exploding in my pants.
I was in awe and it showed, so 50 uttered the words that resonated through out the rest of the night "Act like you belong here"
Fuck that, We quickly left our seat and proceeded to check every inch of the floor taking snap shots ringside and mingled with boxing heads.

The Fight 

Brandon Rios versus Mike Alvarado was the most anticipated night of the fight, if not the year.
Two  undefeated Mexican brawlers with the I dont give a fuck  attitude of Mick Folley would beat the shit out of each other up like Rock and Sock em robots for 10 rounds.  I was salivating for this fight since it was announced.  These kind of fights don't happen in boxing, thank you Bob Arum.
We were leaning against the rails  taking pictures when Alvarado made his way to the ring.
Brandon Rios walking to the ring made it difficult  to maintain my journalist integrety.  Robert Garcia was happy and beaming with pride walking his top protege to the ring it was beautiful to watch.  Fuck it,  I dropped my camera and reached out to Brandon  and he bumped my fist.    It was a sign!! screw journalist integritywas cheering for Brandon tonight.
When the fighters were being introduced we walked to the other side of the ring and passed by our seat.  Juan found me a spot on the corner where I could kneel 7 feet front from the ring and snap away.  After 3 rounds on his knees Juan was beginning to feel like Summer Nyte in her pursuit of the record.  He needed a seat, but there was no way he was going back to the 12th row.
Luckily for him Jay Caspian Kang came to the fight twittered something about a Japanese guy with an afro and left before the sun came down.   Im sure he will write a condescending article on how boxing sucks though, just kidding he already did and it was actually really good.  (Damn he is talented)

 Anyways,  Juan took his seat on the 5th row of media row next to Tyson Marquez.
When the lady asked him about the seat he acted like he belonged there he said something about "Championship Blog" and pointed at me and my camera.  I gave a thumbs up and she believed us.  Why would a  guy wearing a vest and a guy on his knees with a 1000 camera lie??
The fight lived up to the hype. It was fast paced and action filled both fighters getting good licks on each other.   Rios kept moving forward with thunderous hooks to the body and uppercuts to the head. Alvarado tried to  box and keep his distance with the jab and was successful for a few rounds. He was winning the fight but Rios maintained the pressure and kept coming forward.  Eventually in the 7th round and over hand right by Rios stunned Alvarado  and Rios followed up with like seemed 7-10 hooks  to Alvarado's dome and the Ref stopped the fight.
The moment it happened I was pissed it felt like watching RedTube and then  suddenly getting the buffering sign.  It felt that the fight was stopped early, but after seeing the fight 10 more times I believe the ref did the right thing.
This is the type of Ref that would of saved Apollo Creeds life when he fought Ivan Drago, but he would of also stopped the fight when Rocky was getting his ass kicked in the middle of the montage versus Drago and Rocky would have lost the fight and USA would of lost the Cold War.   It is a tricky situation.
 Alvarado deserved a chance to take a few more punches it seemed he was going for the clinch  when it was stopped, and  he would of preferred to go down on the floor than his feet.  Yet,  guys like Alvarado don't go to the floor.
 If the fight continued the result would of been the same.  Rios had done some serious damage to Alvardo's body and he wasn't going to stop the pressure.  Alvarado looked winded after the 6th round, but he  wanted and  deserved the chance to go down fighting.  You can't fault the ref for doing his job though he was looking out for the fighters health.

Nonito Donaire vs Toshiaki Nishioka

Here are some of the Pictures of Nonito Donaire and Toshiaki Nishioka.
I was trying to practice my timing here (which sucked!!) and focus on composition.   The shitty part is that some asshole decided to stand in front of me  when Nonito finished the fight, and block my view worse than Mike Scioscia blocking home plate after a few drinks.

Well here are my pics....

Stalking his Prey

He falls for the first time.

Flash waits for Nishioka to Stand up

I don't know why but this picture reminds me of King Hippo in the NES Mike Tyson's Punch Out.

I know, I know weird picture but I like it.

Here are some of the Pictures of Nonito Donare and Toshiaki Nishioka.  I was trying to practice my timing here (which sucked!!) and focus on composition.   The shitty part is that some asshole decided to stand in front of me  when Nonito finished the fight, and block my view worse than Mike Scioscia blocking home plate after a few drinks.
Well here are my pics....

Bam Bam Rios and Mike Alvarado Pictures

These are some of the Pics I took for the Mike Alvarado- Brandon Rios Fight at The Home Depot Center in Carson.  My boy Juan got me a cool spot because he was wearing a vest everyone believed the bullshit he fed them.   

Forgive me for the ropes obstructing my view.  One day ill set my elbows on the apron and I will win my war against the ropes.

Mike Alvarado's Entrance 

FUCK THE ROPES!!

The Ropes Win Again,

Brandon Rios Wins.

559fights

Entertainment wise Bakersfield has pretty limited selections.
On a Saturday nights the main options are dwindled down to dinner at an over crowded restaurant, getting wasted downtown and hitting on fat chicks, going to Camino hitting on hot girls getting rejected and then getting beat up by bouncers, a good old fashion house party with 19 yr olds or attend an over crowded theatre where people bring crying babies.
These options makes it  easy for someone like me to stay in and watch 6 episodes of Breaking Bad on a Saturday night.
Lucky for me this weekend 559fights saved me from that routine, and  I brought along my boy 50 to the events because well 50 never says no to fights and I promised him hot ring girls.
On October 6 the concord based Mix Martial Arts promotion hooked it up with over 10 fights at the Dome for the low price of $25.   It was a packed house with a good crowd and the fights were diverse and entertaining.
The Dome is nice venue to hold such an event because it provides general admission and anywhere one sits is very close the action.
In some cases it seemed like the promotion pitted a legit up and coming fighter versus a guy who, well out of respect for his skill, was not  as legit.   Either way it was good work for the up an comer and a  reality check for the other guy.

Some of the highlights of the night:

Submission of the Night went to  Holt Felkins with the Arm Bar.

The kid was looking for the submission early  on , and he almost got it in the middle of the first round but his opponent  narrowly escaped.  He finally was able to submit his opponent with a few seconds left in the first round.

I might be biased but the fight of the night went to Albert "Silver Dollar" Arreola who pummeled his opponent  3 inches inches in front of my face which was pretty cool to see.  Sadly the lighting and their dark silhouettes didn't allow to take better pictures.
 Side note,  I was not going to be the guy who ruins a fight by using Flash in front of a fighter.  Even though it was a split second decision I realized I did not want to be in the bottom of that ground and pound by Albert if I fucked up his fights  so I stayed away from the flash.  Besides I fucking hate Flash.

The Domination of the night is awarded to Josh Powell who  tee'd off on his opponents head till the referee mercifully stopped it 33 seconds into the fight. It was similar  to the Camino bouncers teeing off on a drunk Mexican in the Parking lot before being stopped by their co workers in fear of a lawsuit.  Josh was pumped and  wanted some more.

The Prospects of the night in my eyes were Albert Arreola  and Marcel Cyprian.

Ive never heard of the guy but there was a lot of buzz around the arena for Arreola when he set foot in the octagon.  

People were saying he is undefeated and a great wrestler and he proved it using his wrestling to slam take down his opponent.  But he also proved to be an effective fighter in the ground and pound.  I guess they are saying he will fight in Tulare on October 27, and if it wasn't for the outrageously high gas prices I would go see him fight.

Marcel Cyprian fought a very contested fight and it seemed that he was evenly matched, but the kid showed heart and determination by coming out on top of some dangerous situations.   He is well rounded both in striking and in the ground game made and treated us to a very entertaining fight and came out on top with the decision.  

All in all the event was a good change of pace out here in Bakersfield and I hope that 559fights come back soon. People out here love this kind of stuff so I was saddened to only hear about it the day of.  With a little more promotion the Dome could get more packed and the fights could get filled with adrenaline. 

 Oh yeah their DJ is top notch he kept the atmosphere alive and provided some sick entrance music.

For more info go to 559fights.com and you can e-mail me at JonSalcedo83@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter @Jonsalcedo83

Martinez!

Im Back

Sorry for the lag on updates....been through a hard break up and lost some inspiration you know how that goes.

This weekend I visited Las Vegas with Fifty, Carlitos, and Rigo to check out the Martinez fight
It was an awesome weekend!!!
We ran into a ton of boxing people like Nacho Berestein, who peed next to Fifty and according to Carlitos doesn't wash his hands, Freddie Roach, Oscar De La Hoya,  Roberto Duran, Robert Garcia,  and a few more.  Sadly our dream of meeting Mario Lopez was not accomplished.

The fight atmosphere was wicked  there was a bunch of drunk Mexican yelling the word "boludo" over and over, and a bunch of drunk Argentinians singing soccer songs.  Personally,  my favorite spot was the bathroom because it was packed with drunk folk yelling out the raunchiest shit ever....BOLUDOS!!

Well Here are some pics of the Martinez Fight. Ill post some more later and ill update my blog a bunch of cool is happening in Boxing: GGG, Nonito, Mayweather out of jail, Pacquiao/Marquez 4. Angulo escaped from prison and is hoping that the authorities aren't alerted of his return to boxing and much more.

Adios

Danny Garcia

I would like to introduce you to Danny Garcia.

Last night Danny, the underdog, beat the shit out of Amir Khan last on HBO.   It was a beautiful display by both fighters.  They stood toe to toe in the center of the ring and Danny was the better man.
He caught Amir with a punch in the third round that should of ended the fight.  Referee Kenny Bayless allowed Khan to fight, but he never regained his feet and was knocked down two more times before Bayless stopped the fight in the fourth round.
Fights like these remind me why I love this violent sport so much.
Check out the highlight reel I made for this fight

But now back to the man of the hour Danny Garcia this is an interesting character.
Danny is Puerto Rican's so right off the bat you know he is cocky and he is a Puerto Rican from Philly making him  cocky brawler with heart. (Philly fighters are the shit they are the next best thing to a true Mexican fighter from the streets)
Last night he was accompanied to the ring by Johnny Dang I have no idea why but I find that extremely interesting.

His pops and trainer  Angel Garcia is  a character in his own regard  first I love that he looks like Nikki from Donnie Brasco, one of my favorite movies,  but secondly the guy loves to talk shit.

Here are some of his quotes before the fight 

“Khan is a superstar, but that’s all he has. If he were American, nobody would care."

 This one is my favorite.

 

"That's not a racist comment. I didn't curse. I just have never seen a Pakistani who can fight. That's my honest opinion as a human being. I've been on this planet for 49 years and I've never met one. The thing is I'm just being honest. I'm not going to smile to your face and lie to you. I don't lie and I don't like to be lied to,"

But Angel sounded like a prophet when he spit out this golden nugget before the fight.

"If Danny clips him, I don't think he will be able to survive that shot. My prediction is if Khan opens up, then Danny will knock him out. If he runs around the ring, he can run, but he can't hide. Danny will hunt him down," 

Check out what Angel had to say about the possibility of giving Khan a rematch the guy is freaking awesome.

Nikki, I mean Angel, genuinely loves his son. Boxing is filled with drama of fathers and sons not liking each other and the networks love to exploit that.  It is nice to see a father and son combo that love each other. 

“My dad talked sh*t 23 times, and I backed it up 23 times. I am 23 and 0. Come Saturday, he will have talked sh* 24 times and I am going to back it up for the twenty-fourth time."

...and boy did Danny back his fathers shit talking.  

  The boxing world needed a true 140 pounder, and  now I would love to see him fight Juan Manuel Marquez to determine who is best 140 pounder today.  Besides Mexican vs Puerto Rico fights are what dreams are made of.

Sergio Martinez Highlights

Sergio Martinez Video
Made a Video for Youtube with HBO Sports Footage
featuring Lipsew recorded on my iPad in one take.

Independence Day

The two titans of boxing are at  it again and this time it's a good thing for boxing fans.  Instead of matching their premiere fighters against shitty opponents from their own promotion they are matching their premiere fighters against each other.

On June 12 Golden Boy promotions announced Victor Ortiz v.s. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez would fight at the MGM Grand on September 15th on Showtime pay per view. 

On Saturday June 16th Top Rank officially announced Julio Cesar Chavez jr. v.s. Sergio Martinez  at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO pay per view.

The magnitude of both announcements are glorious for me. The moment the Canelo-Ortiz match was set my bags were packed, the timeshare was reserved and the usual suspects were rounded up for the trip 50, Juan, Miguelito, and Moe.

Personally I would love nothing better than to watch two young Mexican fighters in their prime go toe to toe on Mexican independence day weekend fighting for the title but more importantly Oscar DeLa Hoyas Attention.  Yet,  I would love nothing better than to watch Sergio Martinez destroy Chavez jr. on Mexican independence day weekend. I have been clamoring for that since the day Chavez was handed the WBC title after Martinez was unfairly stripped by the commission.

What heck am I suppose to do?  Go watch Ortiz-Canelo or Martinez-Chavez jr. or should I stay home and watch them both on TV simultaneously ? Nope! I'm going to Vegas no matter what.  I thought maybe one of the promotions might switch the date in order to make the decision  easy for me.

This morning in an exclusive interview with Oscar DeLa Hoya, ahem via twitter, I asked Oscar himself.

There it is!  My first interview with De La Hoya was a success and it even had one favorite by some guy named Patrick.

It seemed to me in our  personal conversation that De La Hoya is adamant about keeping his fight card on September 15.

And, According to Boxingscene.com Bob Arums is not budging either. He claims to have reserved the September 15th date in  February.

"Their fight is an okay fight but our fight is much, much bigger. They will find that a lot of the MGM's customers are going to want to come to see our fight,"  

After a spring of shitty ass cards all of a sudden both promotions want to put an awesome fight in the same day, and I get the feeling they are doing it to fuck each other over  rather than to please the fans.

That's okay with me though that's their problem,  I just thank God for DVR and HBO on Demand.

All that matters is that two good fights are happening that weekend,  Chavez and another guy are going to get their ass kicked and i'm watching one of the fights live.

Eventually my decision will be made by 50 because no matter what fight I chose to attend he will chose the opposite.

Everybody wins in this situation the fans, the fighters, the casinos, and especially those assholes from Stubhub who will buy all the tickets and charge triple for them.

Another benefit about that weekend Mayweather and Pacquiao are not involved.