SERVANIA WANTS TO FACE MAGDALENO OR IWASA
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 08 Oct 2017
Genesis Servania, the former WBO intercontinental super bantamweight champion, has fought in the featherweight division. He moved up in to the higher weight looking for greener pasture and not because his body is no longer suited for the limit of the super bantamweight class. He went on to fight undefeated featherweight champ Oscar Valdez, although he was unsuccessful but gained prominence for knocking down the Mexican titlist for the first time.
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Servania has also acquired more ring maturity when he returns to the superbantam, his most comfortable weight. He wants to face WBO titlist Jessie Magdaleno, the Nonito Donaire tormentor, because he preferred the style of the American which is to exchange blows continuously. Another target is IBF super bantamweight king Ryosuke Iwasa whom Servania could clash in Japan, where the former ALA Gym standout is now based for two years.
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Magdaleno (25-0, 18 KOs) faces the rugged Cesar Juarez in November 11 for his second title defense. He knocked out Adeilson Dos Santos of Brazil in the second in his first defense last April. Iwasa (24-2, 16 KO), who suffered TKO losses to Shinsuke Yamanaka and Lee Haskins in his most memorable fights, floored Yukinori Oguni three times in the first two rounds before forcing the referee to stop the fight in the sixth round last month.
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Virgil Hunter, the veteran trainer who handled the whole career of Andre Ward until he retired lately, says Mexican star fighter Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) has to set the record straight by facing IBF, IBO, WBC, WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) in a rematch. Hunter watched the controversial fight and thinks Golovkin won by eight rounds to four. But he said with the contest becoming a draw is acceptable.
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"I had Golovkin winning the fight. If I?m not mistaken, I had it 116-112. I had Golovkin winning the fight. I thought Alvarez fought well but I thought he fought in spurts. I thought Golovkin pretty much made the fight, but it was a great fight. A draw is acceptable if everybody can?t come to the conclusion of who won. There?s always a rematch to sort it out and find out who really won," Hunter said the program On The Ropes Boxing Radio.
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A rematch most likely will take place in May 2018. Hunter believes the rematch will happen next. He says Canelo would take a lot of criticisms if he passes on GGG and instead fights another opponent. In his opinion, unless Canelo wants to be criticized, there?s no reason for him not to take the fight. "I expect to see a rematch and hopefully we can get a clear and concise winner on paper in that match," Hunter said.
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Paraguayan champion Carlos Manuel Portillo, still 24-years-old, conquered to the astonishment of the crowd in the Melbourne Pavilion of Flemington, Victoria, the superlightweight belt of the interim Oceania Region of the World Boxing Association. He beat by TKO the Australian-naturalized Filipino Czar Amonsot in the first minute of round four. It was Amonsot's first defeat since migrating to Australia.
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The fight was even in the first two rounds. Portillo began to make his moves in the third round unleashing the more effective punches turning the fight to his advantage. Amonsot was able to connect some shots well. In the fourth canto, a precise and powerful right hook crashed into the jaw of Amonsot sending him to the canvas. He was able to get up, but the referee seeing him totally groggy, waived the fight off.
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Former IBF middleweight champion David Lemieux is groomed to fight in early December at Madison Square Garden in New York City. There are ongoing negotiations to let Lemieux (38-3, 33 KO) clash with four division world champion Miguel Cotto (41-5, 33 KO), who will fight in the main event. But whether or not Lemieux and Cotto will face each other on the card or appear in separate fights is still pending the result of negotiations.
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Cotto plans to have his farewell fight end on December and wants a popular opponent to end his career. He won the WBO junior middleweight title with a decision win over Yoshihiro Kamegai of Japan. According to Lemieux's manager, Camille Estephan they have not heard any word from the Cotto camp. "It's not finalized yet, there's a lot of discussion, but December is coming and we want David to fight before the end of the year," said Estephan.
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Lemieux fought earlier in 2017 and scored a deadly knockout of Curtis Stevens. He won a decision over Marcos Reyes in the undercard of the Canelo vs. Chavez Jr. fight last May. But according to Estephan they have other plans if the Cotto fight would not push through. "As for Cotto, he is the king of New York.... he is the one who will decide his opponent. If it's not going to be David, then we have other plans in the bank," he was quoted by BoxingScene.
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Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Robinson was scheduled to defend his welterweight title for the first time in a bout against Jimmy Doyle. Robinson initially withdrew from the fight because he had a dream that he was going to kill Doyle. A priest and a minister convinced him to go on with the fight. Unfortunately, his dream came true. On June 25, 1947 Robinson trounced Doyle and scored a decisive knockout in the eighth round that made Doyle unconscious resulting in Doyle's death.
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Robinson said that the effect of Doyle's death on him was "very trying". After his opponent's death, criminal charges were threatened against Robinson in Cleveland, including murder, though none of these actually materialized. After knowing of Doyle's purpose of using the bout's money to buy his mother a house, Robinson gave Doyle's mother the money from the prize of his next four bouts so she could buy herself a home, fulfilling her son's intention.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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