Notebook: Algieri: Benn is steppingstone for him, not the other way around

Keyshawn Davis set for 1st post-Olympics fight; Adames eyes Munguia; Keith Thurman return in works; Arum turns 90

Dec 09, 2021

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Former junior welterweight titlist Chris Algieri knows the deal. He knows exactly why he was offered a fight with rising British welterweight star Conor Benn.

Matchroom Boxing has brought Algieri to England as a steppingstone opponent give Benn the biggest name on his record so far against a light-hitting opponent his brain trust considers safe. Algieri is not at all offended.

“From their side I’m a steppingstone for him to launch his career so he can be whatever star they think he can be,” Algieri told Fight Freaks Unite. “From our side, he’s a steppingstone for me. I’m gonna beat him and that’s gonna open the door for more big fights down the line.”

They will meet in the 10-round main event on Saturday (DAZN, 1 p.m. ET) at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool and Algieri is very confident.

“I’m at the twilight of my career but I still have some big fights left in me,” he said. “This is a springboard for me. Me beating Benn, me putting on a good showing against Benn and getting the win moves me into those upper echelon bigger fight and into bigger paydays, where I feel I belong.”

Algieri (25-3, 9 KOs), 37, of Huntington, New York, has been an underdog before so it’s no big deal for him. He was the ‘dog when he survived two knockdowns in the first round and a grotesquely swollen right eye to win a split decision and the WBO junior welterweight title from Ruslan Provodnikov in 2014.

He parlayed the win into a his biggest fight, a shot at then-welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao later in 2014 in Macau, China, where Algieri was dropped six times in a resounding decision loss. Algieri would lose two of his next three fights to Amir Khan, by decision, and get stopped in five rounds by Errol Spence Jr. two fights before he won a welterweight world title.

After the loss to Spence in April 2016, Algieri took some time off. He was out of the ring for 2½ years, but since returning in November 2018, he has won four fights in a row, including strong performances against Tommy Coyle and former world title challenge Mikkel LesPierre in his most recent fight in August.

Algieri said he returned to boxing for the love of the sport.

“I never fought for the money; I never fought because I had to. I never fought because this was how I was going to make my life,” Algieri said. “I fight because I love to fight and I still love to fight. I still love to train and I still got it. If I was coming to the gym and these young kids were beating me up, I would pack it up and cheer them on from the side. But that’s not the case. I still got the goods and I still have some big fights left in me, so that’s why we’re still here.”

He is by far the most notable opponent so far for Benn (19-0, 12 KOs), 25, the son of former two-division titlist and British legend Nigel Benn, who is coming off a one-sided decision win over Adrian Granados on Sept. 4.

Algieri said he accepted the fight with Benn despite the long odds for three reasons.

“One, it’s got a big-fight feel. So, being back on a big show, being back in a big fight, I’ve been looking for that,” Algieri said. “Two, I get an opportunity to fight in the U.K. I’ve always wanted to. It’s a huge opportunity. I get to meet the fans there that are constantly sending me messages. So, I’m looking forward to that. And three, I can win the fight.

“It’s a three-pronged reason why we’re going, why we’re taking this trip and I’m excited for all of it.”

While Algieri is respectful of Benn and believes he has improved in recent fights, he is not impressed by is opposition, such as Granados and journeyman Samuel Vargas.

“He’s definitely gotten better. You can see it, but his career has been carefully curated up to this point and they’re going to try to keep progressing with me,” he said. “But this is a big, big step up. So, I have to do what I do and go out there and utilize the experience that I have to get the victory.

“I want legacy fights. That’s what this sport is about — fighting tough challenges. I’ve never avoided any of the toughest guys around. So, this is just another step in my career.”

Keyshawn Davis 2nd debut?

Following his run to an Olympic silver medal in Tokyo this past summer, lightweight prospect Keyshawn Davis returns to the pro boxing ring on Saturday night feeling like he is turning pro all over again.

“I do feel like it’s another pro debut for me to be honest with you,” Davis said. “I feel like coming off the Olympic run this is going to be like Keyshawn reincarnated.”

He is already 3-0, with two knockouts, but with professionals allowed to compete in the past two Olympics, Davis took USA Boxing up on its offer to join the team. He had earned the requisite points to be eligible to compete in Tokyo and accepted the offer on the eve of his third professional fight on the Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders undercard on May 8.

Ultimately, Davis and his junior welterweight older brother Kelvin Davis (2-0, 0 KOs) signed with Top Rank.

Davis, and his brother, are set to fight on the undercard of the bout between former lightweight titleholders Vasiliy Lomachenko and Richard Commey, who meet on Saturday night on ESPN.

I spoke to Davis about his return to pro boxing, his Olympic experience and whether he would ever fight his brother, and I wrote about it for The Ring website at RingTV.com. Please read that story here: https://www.ringtv.com/631778-keyshawn-davis-will-face-jose-zaragoza-feeling-ready-to-start-anew/

Adames calls out Munguia

Middleweight contender Carlos Adames, fresh from an impressive decision win over Sergiy Derevyanchenko on the undercard of the Gervonta Davis-Isaac Cruz fight on Sunday night, knows who he wants to fight next.

Adames (21-1, 16 KOs), 27, of the Dominican Republic, wants a piece of Mexico’s Jaime Munguia (38-0, 30 KOs), 25, a former junior middleweight world titlist and current middleweight contender.

“I’m here to prove that I’m the best middleweight in the division,” said Adames, who trains in Las Vegas with Ismael Salas. “I’m very thankful to the WBC for making my fight with Derevyanchenko a title elimination bout. Now that I’ve been victorious, I’m one step closer of my dream of becoming a world champion, and I want to fight Jaime Munguia next. Munguia has a fan friendly style like myself, and I know this is a fight the fans will want to witness.”

Adames lone loss was a close decision to Patrick Teixeira for the WBO interim junior middleweight belt in November 2019. But he has won three fights in a row since, including his last two since linking up with Salas.

“Since transitioning to Las Vegas to train under Ismael Salas, I’ve been able to get my career back on track,” Adames said. “I feel I have a great team in place and I’m ready to challenge the biggest names in the sport. Jaime Munguia is the fight I want now!”

Munguia has won four fights in a row since vacating his WBO 154-pound title and moving up to middleweight, most recently winning a hard-fought 12-round decision against Gabriel Rosado on Nov. 13.

Adames hopes that if the fight happens with Munguia that the winner would a chance to challenge WBC middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs).

Quick hits

On the agenda for the Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting on Dec. 13 is a TGB Promotions date request for Jan. 29 at the MGM Grand to be televised on pay-per-view. A source involved in the event told Fight Freaks Unite that request is for a Fox Sports PPV card that would include former unified welterweight world titlist Keith Thurman making his return in the main event. Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs) has not fought since getting knocked down in the first round and losing a decision and a welterweight belt to Manny Pacquiao on July 20, 2019. Thurman has been idle in part due to the pandemic and injuries.

Chronically inactive WBC featherweight titlist Gary Russell Jr. will make a mandatory defense against Mark Magsayo on Jan. 22 (Showtime) at a site to be determined, multiple sources with knowledge of the plans told Fight Freaks Unite, confirming BoxingScene’s original report. Although Russell (31-1, 18 KOs), 33, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, is boxing’s longest reigning titlist, he’s had only six fights since 2014. He won his title from Jhonny Gonzales in March 2015 and has fought only once per year since, except for this year when he did not fight at all. He has been out of the ring since outpointing previous mandatory challenger Tugstsogt Nyambayar in February 2020. The Manny Pacquiao-promoted Magsayo (23-0, 16 KOs), 26, of the Philippines, earned the title shot with a highlight-reel 10th-round knockout of Julio Ceja in an eliminator on Aug. 21 on the Pacquiao-Yordenis Ugas undercard in Las Vegas.

The WBA canceled the purse bid scheduled for Thursday morning in Miami to determine the promotional rights for the mandatory bout between welterweight titlist Yordenis Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) and mandatory challenger Eimantas Stanionis (13-0, 9 KOs) because the representatives of both fighters informed the organization that they had made a deal. There is no set date for the fight but it is likely to take place no later than the early spring. The winner is mandated to face “regular” titlist Radzhab Butaev (14-0, 11 KOs) in the final of the four-man box-off designed to have just one WBA titlist in the division.

Probellum announced that it has a deal with AXS TV and the Fight Network to carry its card from Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Saturday (11 a.m. ET). The card includes IBF flyweight titlist Sunny Edwards defending against Jayson Mama and John Riel Casimero defending his WBO bantamweight belt against Paul Butler.

Show and tell

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, in my view, is the greatest boxing promoter of all time. He is a force of nature. Of course, we’ve had a few scrapes over the 20-plus years I’ve covered him and his events, like that time he had his body man boot me out of an arena in Philadelphia right before the main event and I had to cover it from the ESPN production truck in the parking lot. But that’s a story for another day. All in all, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed our relationship. Arum is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met and one of the hardest workers. He hasn’t survived 55 years at the top of the rough boxing business without smarts and instincts.

He promoted his first in Toronto on March 29, 1966, when Muhammad Ali defended the heavyweight title against George Chuvalo. On Saturday, he will promote his 2,119th card at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where former lightweight titleholder Vasiliy Lomachenko and Richard Commey will meet in the main event.

In addition to promoting 27 Ali fights, Arum also promoted a who’s who during his career: Miguel Cotto (41 fights), Michael Carbajal (38), Oscar De La Hoya (37), Donald Curry (37), Johnny Tapia (36), Floyd Mayweather (35), James Toney (33), Erik Morales (32), Micky Ward (31), Mikey Garcia (29), Tommy Morrison (29), Freddie Roach (25), Terence Crawford (24), Marvin Hager (20), Manny Pacquiao (20) and many, many more.

He promoted at least some fights for Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Alexis Arguello, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson and Tyson Fury.

He has promoted 864 cards on ESPN networks and 677 world title fights (including 24 heavyweight title fights). He put on 129 HBO cards, 98 CBS cards, 73 ABC cards, 30 Showtime cards (including the first one) and 49 pay-per-view cards. He has promoted fights in 220 American cities in 42 states and in 92 cities in 27 foreign countries, including 14 in China.

On Wednesday, Arum, still going strong, turned 90. Happy Birthday, Bob.

In his honor here’s a card of Arum in my collection. It’s a cut autograph card from the 2020 Sage Sportkings multi-sport set and is a 1 of 1, as in it’s the only one in existence.

Algieri photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing; Davis photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank; Adames photo: Ryan Hafey/PBC

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