Live in Las Vegas at Crawford-Porter

And assorted other boxing notes

LAS VEGAS — Ten days after leaving Las Vegas after covering the Canelo Alvarez-Caleb Plant undisputed super middleweight championship, I’m back for another big fight.

I got here Wednesday and couldn’t be more excited for Terence Crawford’s WBO welterweight title defense against mandatory challenger and former two-time titlist Shawn Porter, by far Crawford’s most formidable opponent since he moved up to welterweight in 2018, on Saturday (ESPN+ PPV, 9 p.m. ET, $69.99) at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay.

Besides high expectations for an excellent fight, I am really happy to be back at Mandalay Bay. When I started covering professional boxing for USA Today in 2000, Mandalay Bay was THE place for big fights in Vegas. I covered many here, including those involving Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Wladimir Klitschko, Shane Mosley and Evander Holyfield.

But once the casino was bought by the MGM Grand parent company most of the boxing events were placed at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and, in the last few years, also at T-Mobile Arena.

Mandalay Bay, which has one of the best arenas for boxing I’ve ever been to, has hosted very few boxing events in recent years. Since 2015, I think I have been here only twice, to cover Canelo Alvarez-Miguel Cotto in 2015 and the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev rematch in 2017. Being back for Crawford-Porter is terrific and I hope the casino hosts more boxing events in the future.

I’m here covering the fight for RingTV.com, the website for Ring magazine. Here are the stories on the fight I wrote Wednesday:

Arum views Crawford-Porter as a throwback fight. Top Rank chairman Bob Arum has been promoting fights for 55 years and has put on many of the biggest fights in boxing history.

During the 1980s, he promoted many welterweight championship fights involving greats such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and Donald Curry. In the 1990s, he promoted Oscar De La Hoya’s welterweight title fights and in the 2000s/2010s welterweight title fights involving Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.

Arum knows a thing or two about the 147-pound weight class, and said that the highly anticipated showdown between Crawford and Porter is a throwback fight to the 1980s: https://www.ringtv.com/630582-bob-arum-sees-crawford-porter-as-a-future-classic-throwback-fight/

Crawford-Porter PPV is only available via ESPN+. Crawford-Porter, one of the year’s most anticipated fights, will be delivered to consumers as a pay-per-view, but in a way boxing fans are not used to. In  the United States, it is only available via ESPN+ PPV for $69.99, and that is in addition to having to subscribe to the ESPN+ streaming service. The four-fight card is not available for purchase the traditional way, which is via cable systems or satellite services: https://www.ringtv.com/630621-terence-crawford-vs-shawn-porter-ppv-only-available-via-espn/

TR signs silver medalists Davis, Torrez

Top Rank made it a clean sweep of the men’s U.S. Olympic boxing team on Wednesday, announcing that it has signed lightweight Keyshawn Davis and heavyweight Richard Torrez Jr., both of whom won Olympic silver medals for Team USA at this past summer’s delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, to long-term promotional contracts.

By signing both, Top Rank has signed the entire men’s U.S. Olympic boxing team, having previously signed featherweight silver medalist Duke Ragan (4-0, 1 KO), middleweight Troy Isley (3-0, 2 KOs) and welterweight Tiger Johnson, who makes his pro debut on Saturday on the Crawford-Porter undercard. In addition, Top Rank also signed junior welterweight Kevin Davis, Keyshawn’s older brother.

Keyshawn (3-0, 2 KOs), 22, and Kelvin (2-0, 1 KO), 24, both southpaws from Norfolk, Virginia, will both next fight on Dec. 11 at New York’s Madison Square Garden on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Richard Commey undercard with Keyshawn’s six-rounder against an opponent to be determined part of the four-fight main card on ESPN.

Torrez, a 22-year-old southpaw from Tulare, California, will make his professional debut in the first quarter of 2022.

The Davis brothers and Torrez were in attendance at the Crawford-Porter final pre-fight news conference on Wednesday at Mandalay Bay, where I talked to them and wrote about their signing for RingTV. Please reads the story here: https://www.ringtv.com/630614-top-rank-signs-kelvin-and-keyshawn-davis-and-richard-torrez-jr/

New date, foe for Joe Smith

Joe Smith Jr. will make the first defense of his WBO light heavyweight title against Callum Johnson on Jan. 15 in the main event of a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, Star Boxing’s Joe DeGuardia, Smith’s co-promoter, told Fight Freaks Unite on Wednesday.

Smith was supposed to face mandatory challenger Umar Salamov on Oct. 30 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, but the fight was postponed when Smith came down with Covid-19. Now, Salamov is out of the fight due to visa issues, DeGuardia said.

In his second shot at a world title, Smith (27-3, 21 KOs), 32, of Mastic, New York, eked out a majority decision over Russia’s Maxim Vlasov in an action-packed battle on April 10. Smith-Vlasov came about because Salamov (26-1, 19 KOs), 27, of Russia, came down with Covid-19 and had to pull out of a planned semifinal WBO title eliminator against Vlasov, who went right to the title bout instead.

Johnson (20-1, 14 KOs), 36, of England, has won three fights in a row since a memorable slugfest challenging Artur Beterbiev in a world title fight in October 2018 in Chicago. Johnson knocked Beterbiev down and had him in major trouble before Beterbiev rallied for a fourth-round knockout win.

DeGuardia had hoped to match Smith with Beterbiev in a unification and this will serve as a comparison fight, he said.

“Salamov is snake bitten with this title fight, but Joe and Callum Johnson will be an exciting fight,” DeGuardia said. “They can both bang. It’ll be a shootout. Two real bangers, two real punchers.”

All-heavyweight PPV

Former two-time heavyweight title challenger Luis “King Kong” Ortiz and former world titlist Charles Martin will meet in an IBF title elimination bout that will headline and all-heavyweight Fox Sports PPV card on New Year’s Day, Premier Boxing Champions announced on Wednesday.

The five-fight card (8 p.m. ET, $39.99) will take place Jan. 1 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

In the co-feature, Frank Sanchez will face Puerto Rican Olympian Carlos Negron in a 10-rounder. The three other 10-rounders: Jonnie Rice in a rematch of his upset of Michael Coffie; former title challenger Gerald Washington against Turkish Olympian Ali Eren Demirezen; and Viktor Faust versus Iago Kiladze.

Ortiz (32-2, 27 KOs), 42, a Cuban defector fighting out of Miami, has lost only by knockout to Deontay Wilder in world title fights in 2018 and 2019. Since the second loss to Wilder, Ortiz has won his only fight, a first-round knockout of Alexander Flores last November.

“I can't wait to give my fans in South Florida a great show on New Year's Day and earn another shot at the heavyweight title,” Ortiz said. “Charles Martin is a good fighter, but he's standing in my way. The only thing on my mind is getting in the ring and making a big statement in this fight to show again why I'm feared by the heavyweight division.”

Martin (28-2-1, 25 KOs), 35, of Carson, California, won the vacant IBF heavyweight title by third-round stoppage when Vyacheslav Glazkov injured his knee in their January 2016 fight. Martin lost the belt by second-round knockout to Anthony Joshua in his first defense four months later. Martin has won three fights in a row, most recently a sixth-round knockout of Washington in February 2020.

“Nobody wants to fight me and nobody wants to fight Ortiz, so we'll fight each other,” Martin said. “I'm going to show the world on Jan. 1 why I deserve a title shot. I've paid my dues and I want my belt back. Beating Ortiz is going to get me one step closer to that goal. In order to become two-time heavyweight champion, I have to get past Ortiz first, so that's exactly what I'm going to do.”

Cuban amateur standout Sanchez (19-0, 13 KOs) 29, who trains with Eddy Reynoso in the Canelo Alvarez camp, is coming off his biggest win in October when he outpointed then-unbeaten Efe Ajagba on the Tyson Fury-Wilder III card.

“I'm happy to be back so soon after beating Ajagba, but the work is only beginning,” Sanchez said. “There's much more to be done. I believe I will be the first heavyweight champion in Cuban history.”

Negron (25-3, 20 KOs), 34, a 2008 Puerto Rican Olympian, has won five fights in a row since back-to-back knockout losses to Dominic Breazeale in 2018 and Brian Howard in 2019.

“This is a great opportunity for me to get a win over a strong up-and-coming fighter and show everyone what I'm capable of,” Negron said. “My experience and preparation are going to be the difference.”

Rice (14-6-1, 10 KOs), 34, of Los Angeles, knocked out Coffie (12-1, 9 KOs), 35, of Brooklyn, New York, in the fifth round of an upset on July 31 and now they meet again in an immediate rematch.

“In my last fight against Coffie, I went in there to prove myself and do what I had been training to do,” Rice said. “It was sink or swim, and I came out on top. Now I have to go out there on Jan. 1 and show that it wasn't a fluke.”

Said Coffie: “I want to get it back and make it an actual fight this time. Last time, I was in a position where I faced some adversity, and I had to make a decision to go through with the fight. I know that I can fight through adversity. I will be ready for whatever way the fight goes.”

Washington (20-4-1, 13 KOs), 39, of Vallejo, California, is coming off a sixth-round knockout loss to Martin in February. Wilder knocked him out in the fifth round in a 2017 title fight. Demirezen (14-1, 11 KOs), 31, 2016 Turkish Olympian fighting out of Germany, has won three in a row since a decision loss to Ajagba in 2019.

Faust (8-0, 6 KOs), 29, of Ukraine, made his American debut on the Fury-Wilder III card last month in Las Vegas. Kiladze (27-5-1, 19 KOs), a native of the Republic of Georgia fighting out of Los Angeles, is 1-4-1 in his last five fights but coming off a win.

Quick hits

Australian junior middleweight contender Tim Tszyu (20-0, 15 KOs), 27, the son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, cruised to a near-shutout decision of Japan’s Takeshi Inoue (17-2-1, ,10 KOs), 31, on Wednesday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Tszyu dropped Inoue in the 12th round to put the cherry on top of a 120-107, 120-107, 119-108 decision. Tszyu praised Inoue’s chin and toughness and moved closer to a potential title shot against WBO titleholder Brian Castano.

---

Super middleweight contender Steven Nelson (17-0, 14 KOs), 33, of Omaha, who trains with Brian McIntyre in the Terence Crawford camp, is on hand in Las Vegas for Crawford-Porter and on the comeback trail. He said he is aiming for a ring return in March following an Achilles tear earlier this year. He has not fought since September 2020.

---

Boxxer announced that England’s Caroline Dubois, 20, a 2020 Olympian and the sister of heavyweight up-and-comer Daniel Dubois, has had to withdraw from her pro debut scheduled for Nov. 20 at SSE Arena, Wembley in London due to illness. Added to the card was 2012 British Olympian Natasha Jonas (9-2-1, 7 KOs), 37, the first female boxer to represent Great Britain at an Olympic Games and recent Boxxer signee. She is coming off a decision loss challenging Katie Taylor for the undisputed women’s lightweight title in May. Taylor also defeated Jonas in the 2012 Olympics.

Show and tell

The program for Crawford-Porter produced by Seidman Productions, which I wrote much of, also includes two more cards in the ongoing set. Cards 61 and 62 are of Crawford and Porter on a two-card panel inserted into the program that has perforations if the owner wants to separate them. They are on nice stock and glossy with the photos using the official fight artwork. Of course, I will have some in collection.

Crawford-Porter photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

A quick note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: If you have upgraded to a paid subscription, thank you! If you have not, please consider doing so to receive the most content. A paid subscription is your way of keeping this reader-supported newsletter going and supporting independent journalism. I hope you see value in getting timely and accurate news and information, and (hopefully) entertaining commentary and audio content, delivered directly to your inbox. You don’t have to look for boxing news and commentary, it comes to you. Please support independent boxing journalism.

I am beholden to no network, promoter, manager, sanctioning body or fighter. If you have read my work at all during the past 20-plus years I’ve covered professional boxing you know that I keep it real and that will not change. Thank you and I hope you enjoy.

To upgrade your subscription please go here: https://danrafael.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you so much for your support of Fight Freaks Unite!

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danrafael1/

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanRafael1

Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanRafaelBoxing