Kovalev-Pascal Possible for March 14

(Left to right: Kovalev, Pascal)

Fresh off the biggest win of his career over the legendary Bernard Hopkins, Sergey Kovalev and his promotional company Main Events have their eyes set on a potential match-up with Jean Pascal in March 2015. This would be one of the biggest fights Kovalev and his team could make in the light heavyweight division.

Pascal first has to defeat Roberto Bolonti, who he faces this Saturday in Montreal. Pascal is from Montreal and would like to see the Kovalev fight in Montreal as well. This would likely sell very well as you have the hometown fighter, Pascal, who is very experienced and has fought and won world titles before, against an undefeated unified champion in Kovalev. Keep your eyes open on any news regarding this fight, and look forward to it possibly happening in early 2015.

(Photo Credit: http://thaboxingvoice.com/kovalev-pascal-set-for-march-14th-on-hbo/36163)

Rios-Alvarado III set for January 24

(Alvarado, left, and Rios look to exchange shots)

Welterweight bombers Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios and Mike "Mile High" Alvarado will meet in Alvarado's home state of Colorado on January 24 for the third time in their careers. Back in 2012 Brandon Rios scored a TKO victory over Mike Alvarado in California. The stoppage was met with criticism from boxing pundits and fans, who thought Alvarado was still able to continue. Alvarado himself was not pleased with the stoppage.

In March 2013 Alvarado would meet Rios again, this time in Las Vegas, and this time he'd secure the victory. Both of these fighters are known as brawlers and the first two fights were extremely action-heavy fights with both fighters eating huge shots all night. Alvarado is considered the better defensive fighter of the two, as he has some decent boxing ability. He utilized that in the second fight, and that's what mainly secured him the win. Rios is always looking to stand in the center of the ring and trade shots, and Alvarado will still do his fair share of that, but if he wants to score another victory he'll likely look to box. This is the rubber match between the two as each fighter has won one and lost one in the matchup.

The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds, although no championship belts are on the line, so it is not a title fight.

(Photo Credit: http://espn.go.com/sports/boxing/photos/gallery/_/id/9100949/image/3/brandon-rios-mike-alvarado-series)

Crawford Dominates Beltran, Plans move to 140 lbs

(Terence Crawford lands a right jab on Raymundo Beltran)

Undefeated lightweight champion Terence Crawford retained his WBO Lightweight Championship belt Saturday against Raymundo Beltran, at CenturyLink Center in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. Crawford dominated the fight for its entirety, winning via unanimous decision with scores of 120-109, 119-109, and 119-109. Beltran was the number one contender to the title, and still is a real threat to anyone else at lightweight, but Crawford proved he was a class above Beltran, and everyone else at lightweight for that matter.

Crawford has enjoyed a spectacular year, having won three fights in 2014 against three world class opponents. In March of this year, Crawford traveled to Scotland to knock off then WBO Champion Ricky Burns, before returning home to Omaha for his most recent two fights. In June, Crawford KO'd former undefeated Cuban lightweight Yuriorkis Gamboa, in a fight that solidified him as the top dog at 135 lbs. Tonight was Crawford's second straight fight in front of a soldout crowd, selling over 10 thousand tickets in a city that wasn't known as a Boxing market until Crawford became such a big draw. Crawford will surely draw some fighter of the year consideration, and just might be one of the favorites to win this award. His rise to stardom is huge for the lifeblood of boxing, as he is a young, undefeated American that uses speed and great defense to outbox his opponents, yet he is not afraid to mix it up and bang in the center of the ring with heavy handed fighters. Crawford is also one of the best fighters n recent memory at switching his stance from orthodox to southpaw and being equally as effective with either approach. The future is bright for Crawford, and boxing can always use another star.

After the fight, Crawford announced he would be moving up to Junior Welterweight/Super lightweight (140 lbs). This opens up the possibility for very lucrative fights in this division, and there are numerous interesting matchups that can be made. This also opens the door for a move to Welterweight (147 lbs) later in Crawford's career, which has long been seen as the money division. This division has been stacked with star fighters for years, and Crawford could be a guy to watch in that division once Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao retire. Whatever happens in the future, right now Terence Crawford is building himself into a bonafide star.

(Photo Credit: TopRank.com/Photos  http://www.toprank.com/uploaded_files/images/photo/l/l_3acad157c9c79c30cc79df9dded957c1AY1J9141.jpg)

Pacquiao Destroys Algieri

Pacquiao looks to land on Chris Algieri

Heavy betting favorite Manny Pacquiao demolished welterweight challenger Chris Algieri on Saturday night, winning nearly ever round on all three judges scorecards, en route to a unanimous decision victory. Pacquiao scored six knockdowns in the fight, and it appeared at many times he was on the verge of scoring a knockout victory, though Algieri survived all 12 rounds honorably.

Pacquiao is now 35 years old, and some questioned if the fire still burned inside the veteran fighter, or if he may possibly overlook the relatively unknown Algieri. Those questions were answered from the very first round, as Pacquiao dominated throughout the entire fight and looked in his prime. Algieri was very confident coming into the fight, as confidence is simply in his nature. He was undefeated and scored an upset over Ruslan Provodnikov just to earn this fight, and he was sure his corner had a good gameplan to defeat Pacquiao. The gameplan was either not effective at all, or simply poorly executed, because Algieri had no answers for Pacquiao's blinding hand speed and combinations. Algieri still could have a bright future in the sport, but it was evident he and Pacquiao are in two different classes, the gap in skill level was clear.

As always, fans are clamoring for a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown, which could take place in May 2015. Pacquiao has said he wants the fight in the past, and repeated that sentiment after last night's fight. Rumors have begun to swirl of serious negotiations taking place between representatives of the two fighters, though boxing fans have been down this road before with no fight to show for. It will be interesting to see if that fight can be made, or if Pacquiao will go in a different direction, as his trainer Freddie Roach had talked about moving Pacquiao down to light welterweight, a 140lb division.

(Photo Credit: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.  http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/11923802/manny-pacquiao-defeats-chris-algieri-unanimous-decision-retain-welterweight-title)

Manny Pacquiao Returns to the Ring Tomorrow

(From left: Pacquiao, Algieri)

Welterweight champion and future Hall of Fame boxer Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring this Saturday, November 22, in Macau, China. This will be Manny's second fight in Macau in the last two years, as his promoter Top Rank looks to build a Boxing market overseas. Pacquiao had become a mainstay in American Pay-Per View cards for the last 10 years, but tax issues and a willingness to fight closer to his home in the Philippines has factored into his recent desire to fight in China. Pacquiao fought at The Venetian Macau in almost a year ago on November 24, 2013, and then fought in Las Vegas earlier this year against Tim Bradley in April. This particular fight card Saturday is expected to do poor Pay-Per View numbers, partly because of it being in China, but also because Manny's opponent Saturday is unknown to any casual fans of the sport, as are most of the fighters on the undercard.

Chris Algieri is Pacquiao's counterpart Saturday. Algieri is an undefeated 30 year old American from Huntington, New York. Algieri was a kick boxer before he turned to boxing, compiling a perfect record of 20-0-0 in kickboxing. Algieri's professional boxing record is also a perfect 20-0-0, and he has earned his shot to face Pacquiao mainly because of his upset victory over Russian slugger Ruslan Provodnikov. Algieri has a height and reach advantage, and will look to use that size to keep his distance from Pacquiao. He also has a tremendous jab and will look to use that to keep Pacquiao from coming forward and firing off combinations from weird angles, something Pacquiao has perfected over his illustrious career. Algieri is a heavy underdog, and will look to prove himself tomorrow and try to build himself into a star in boxing. A win would certainly help his chances to do that, but Pacquiao's camp has said that this looks like a reinvigorated and fresh Manny Pacquiao. Tomorrow we will see if Pacquiao still has the fire inside of him, or if Algieri can pull a massive upset and launch himself into boxing stardom.

(Photo Credit: http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/563862/20140825/manny-pacquiao-chris-algieri-boxing-news-macau.htm)

Pride of Pittsburgh II Recap

World-famous, legendary former Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson's Iron Mike Productions has been attempting to build a boxing market and fan base in Pittsburgh, PA. for the last couple of years. This has mainly included local welterweight Sammy Vasquez Jr, from Monessen, PA headlining fight cards with other little-known local talents littered throughout the card. Building a boxing market in untapped markets is important not only for promoters like Iron Mike Productions trying to build a name in the sport, but its also important for boxing as a whole. Many mainstream sports journalists like to proclaim boxing a niche sport, or more bluntly "dead." And although fighters are making more money than ever before, and fans are still selling out arenas nationwide, it is also true that the major sports hold a much bigger piece of the pie in terms of economic value and viewership numbers. That's why when different promotional companies try to build markets in new regions, I always view it as a positive thing, especially when its right here at home for me in Pittsburgh.

On Friday Iron Mike Productions presented The Pride of Pittsburgh II to the Consol Energy Center in downtown Pittsburgh. This weekend's card not only offered another Sammy Vasquez Jr. fight as the Main-Event, but held a Rod Salka vs Monty Meza Clay lightweight bout that was sure to excite fans, and it didn't dissapoint. Salka, a local fighter from Bunola, PA. and Meza Clay, from Rankin PA. fought a bloody, exciting 10 round fight that left both fighters cut. Bother fighters were bloody and battered come fight's end, a fight in which Salka outboxed Meza Clay with counter punches all night. Both fighters had their moments, but Salka was clearly the victor in an exciting fight that riled up the crowd. By the time the Main Event rolled around, fans were ready for more intense action which is what Sammy Jasquez Jr. delivered, scoring a first round knockout over Panamanian welterweight Alberto Mosquera. Overall, this was a very successful night for Iron Mike Productions, and hopefully fans can look forward to more exciting boxing cards in Pittsburgh.

(Photo Credit: http://www.consolenergycenter.com/events/detail/the-pride-of-pittsburgh-2)

Kovalev dominates Hopkins, Unifies 3 titles

Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev came into this fight a betting favorite, and he did not disappoint. Kovalev cruised to a Unanimous Decision victory over 49 year old Bernard Hopkins, winning every single round of the fight on all three judges scorecards. Kovalev, known for his knockout prowess and aggressive style, fought an intelligent, controlled fight against Hopkins, and many even said the fight was fought at a Hopkins pace, just being dominated by Kovalev. Kovalev scored a knockdown in the very first round, but remained calm and did not punch himself out. Instead, he handled Hopkins round by round, outboxing a great boxer and fighting a very technical fight. He executed his gameplan to perfection, leaving Hopkins with no answer.

Bernard Hopkins is turning 50 in two months. He's had a Hall of Fame career and had a historical run recently, making history every fight as the oldest champion. He now lost his belt, but stood up to Kovalev's power, which can't be said for 23 of Kovalev's 25 other opponents. Hopkins ate huge right hands all night, getting rocked several times throughout the fight and appearing hurt, but still only suffered the one knockdown from the first round. Hopkins has one of the best chins in boxing, and it was on full display on Saturday. Take nothing away from Bernard, he is almost 50 years old and is taking huge shots from a 31 year old destroyer, Bernard was just over-matched.

Where do the fighters go from here? Well, Bernard said he is 50/50 on whether he will continue fighting or retire, but he said he's been 50/50 on that since he turned 40. Bernard has done enough in the sport, and although he can still beat just about anyone else in the light heavyweight division, there is no real reason for him to do so. There isn't much left for Hopkins to prove, the man is truly a living legend and has done it all. Sergey Kovalev on the other hand, now hopes to continue his reign as light heavyweight champion. He now holds three of the four belts in the division, and has been trying to get a fight with the one man who holds the fourth belt, Haitian-Born Canadian Adonis Stevenson. Issues with promoters and politics have gotten in the way of that fight being made, although some fight fans would go as far to say that Stevenson has no interest in making that fight happen. Whether or not that fight is made, we now know Kovalev is a legitimate star in the division and in boxing as a whole. This was the first time Kovalev went a full 12 rounds, and he didn't seem tired or shot by the end of the fight. He was still dominating Hopkins up until the final bell. Be sure to watch out for big things in 2015 from the exciting Russian champion.

(Photo Credit: http://austinclemens.com/blog/2014/05/22/2013-2014-adjusted-defensive-impact-by-court-location/)