Cliff Rold

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3,425 stories on BoxingScene are published under the Cliff Rold byline.

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Articles by Cliff Rold: page 149

ESPN Friday Night Fights: Two Finals and a Finale

Cliff Rold

•May 22, 2015

This Friday, ESPN2 (10 PM EST/7 PM PST) brings boxing fans the finals of the 2015 Boxcino tournaments at Jr. Middleweight and Heavyweight. They also bring us the end of an era. There has long been boxing on ESPN and that doesn’t end this week. Al Haymon’s PBC will take the reins at the ‘worldwide leader’ later this year and we’ll see where that goes. Boxing will go on. “Friday Night Fights” as we have known it will be no more. If that provokes some feelings of melancholy or a touch of sentimentality, well, good. The show that launched in 1998 has gone through various changes over the years and there have been some bad nights.

BoxingScene.com's Pound-for-Pound Update

Cliff Rold

•May 20, 2015

The top two remain unchanged. Floyd Mayweather’s lopsided win over Manny Pacquiao further validated his place at the peak. Until someone beats him, he has earned the right to remain. His heir may be in place. Roman Gonzalez finally has the opportunity to show the biggest money market in boxing what may already knew. The Flyweight destroyer is special and, scary as it might be for foes, may only be hitting his peak at age 27. The rest of the list is well shook up. The great Juan Manuel Marquez (previously number 6) exits the list due to inactivity with no fights in a year and nothing scheduled. It’s a couple weeks shy of a year for Super Middleweight Carl Froch (previously number 7). With nothing scheduled and questions of if he will ever fight again, he also exits. Should anything change before the next update this can be reconsidered.

BScene Ratings Update: Chudinov, Jennings, Makabu

Cliff Rold

•May 19, 2015

Heavyweight: Bryant Jennings gets a slight bump past Carlos Takam for his respectable showing versus champion Wladimir Klitschko. Cruiserweight: Ilunga Makabu enters, and Thabiso Mchunu slips out, after Makabu’s knockout in a big showdown in South Africa. Super Middleweight: Fedor Chudinov’s upset of Felix Sturm bumps Sturm out of the top ten and moves him in.

GGG Wins, Gonzalez Steals the Show: Post Report Card

Cliff Rold

•May 18, 2015

For those who have been following the career of Roman Gonzalez for years, Saturday wasn’t a surprise. He was the perfect companion to the ongoing rise of Gennady Golovkin at Middleweight. For those watching the Flyweight kingpin for the first time, welcome to the bandwagon. You’ll enjoy the ride. It was hard not to enjoy the ride Saturday from start to finish. Sure, the favorites went all American Pharaoh, but there is value in that sometimes. Listening to the crowd at the Forum on Saturday, they got what they came to see.

Golovkin, Gonzalez-Sosa: Pre-Weekend Report Card

Cliff Rold

•May 16, 2015

by Cliff Rold - Arguably the two most exciting offensive fighters in boxing will share an arena this weekend, one in furtherance of his budding HBO franchise status and one trying to begin his. If, in the wake of the eventual retirement of Floyd Mayweather this year or next, Gennady Golovkin and Roman Gonzalez are battling to be his pound-for-pound heir it would be no surprise. Fans who waited years for Mayweather-Pacquiao won’t have to worry about a clash with Golovkin and Gonzalez. They are about fifty pounds apart on the scale. Any debate about which of them is the better man will strictly be barbershop fare. Golovkin is the headliner and both are matched in bouts where they are strong favorites. Of the two, Gonzalez appears to have the much tougher foe. For several years, Flyweight has been of the deepest and most compelling divisions in boxing. A big American stage will finally give these men their due in prime time. HBO picked a good fight to start with, matching the legitimate champion in the class with a still viable top ten contender. While Sosa is past his best days, it would be a mistake to consider him old entering this fight. He comes in a relatively rested 35, taking two stay busy fights in 2014 after a stacked 2013 campaign. That year, Sosa avenged two early career losses to Ulises Solis (who reigned alongside Sosa for awhile at 108 lbs.) and won a battling decision over Segura. His loss to Yaegashi, while clear, was competitive.

Roman Gonzalez: Most Dominant Little Man Since Finito?

Cliff Rold

•May 14, 2015

By Cliff Rold - The star of this weekend’s biggest card, Gennady Golovkin, might not be the best fighter in the building at the storied Los Angeles Forum. Sure, the spotlight will shine brightest on the Middleweight main event. More than a few hardcore fans are hoping a smaller man steals the show. On the eve of his HBO debut, one can make a case that World Flyweight Champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (42-0, 36 KO) is already likely for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Gonzalez has won titles in each of boxing’s three smallest weight classes since 2008. Across those almost seven years, the Nicaraguan dynamo mentored by legendary countryman Alexis Arguello has rarely been tested. Gonzalez might be the best fighter in the world, at any size, not named Floyd Mayweather. This Saturday (10 PM EST), as the co-feature to the WBA Middleweight title fight between Golovkin and challenger Willie Monroe, Gonzalez will attempt his second defense of the lineal and WBC 112 lb. honors he won last September with a knockout of Japan’s Akira Yaegashi. Gonzalez will face 35-year old former WBC 108 lb. titlist Edgar Sosa (51-8, 30 KO). Sosa is 2-0 since a competitive but clear decision defeat to Yaegashi in December 2013. This will be Sosa’s third chance at the 112 lb. title, also suffering a competitive decision loss to Thailand’s Pongsaklek Wonjongkam in October 2011. Between those defeats, Sosa picked up big wins over former 108 lb. titlist Ulises Solis and former lineal 108 lb. champion Giovani Segura. While aged, Sosa remains one of the best Flyweights in the world. At a time when the flyweight division is experiencing a wealth of talent, Sosa is a solid debut foe for Gonzalez on his biggest American stage.

Canelo Alvarez-James Kirkland: Post-Fight Report Card

Cliff Rold

•May 11, 2015

For every fighter, there is a window. It might be a decade. It might be a few years. That window, sometimes called ‘prime’ is the amount of time a fighter has to maximize their abilities in the ring. Watching “Canelo” Alvarez take James Kirkland apart on Saturday, two thoughts came to mind: Alvarez is in his window right now and making the most of it. Kirkland missed his window. Let’s go the report card.

Canelo Alvarez-James Kirkland: Pre-Fight Report Card

Cliff Rold

•May 9, 2015

by Cliff Rold - If there is more action Saturday night on HBO (9 PM EST/6 PM PST) in the first round than there was in twelve rounds last weekend, would anyone be surprised? James Kirkland always brings it. Canelo Alvarez will be waiting. This is the sort of fight always easy to anticipate. It could end early or become a dogged war. Either way, fans will know they saw two young, hungry fighters still trying to prove something. For Kirkland, it could be a last chance to stay in the thick of things. For Alvarez, it could be the critical step on the road to a showdown with Middleweight Champion Miguel Cotto. Kirkland doesn’t necessarily have a great chin. He does have a scary one. Here’s why: it gets better as he warms up. There are fighters who, for whatever reason, are vulnerable early but seem to take punches well the deeper a fight goes. In Kirkland’s case, it makes sense. He puts so much pressure, and has such heavy hands, foes can’t get the same leverage in later rounds that they do early. Alvarez has a tool to counter the attack and that’s his jab. Alvarez has a good, hard jab. It sets up the rest of his game. He hides the right well off of it and goes to the body in combination. Will the southpaw stance of Kirkland mess with his timing? It did against Erislandy Lara but that’s such a different style match it’s hard to draw much from it.

Amir Mansour Decisions Dawejko in Philadelphia

Cliff Rold

•May 8, 2015

PHILADELPHIA--In the televised opener, 24-year old Middleweight Decarlo Perez (14-3-1, 5 KO), 158 ¾, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, scored a unanimous eight-round decision over 28-year old Jesse Nicklow (24-6-3, 8 KO), 161 ¼, of Baltimore, Maryland.

And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Cliff Rold

•May 6, 2015

By Cliff Rold - How dead is boxing in the US? Let’s put aside that a sport some considered dead before last week was still capable of producing a revenue generator like Mayweather-Pacquiao. The week before the Superfight shouldered its way into global focus, the Heavyweight Champion of the World packed the Garden and produced a solid TV number for HBO. This weekend, close to 40,000 will show up in Texas for Canelo Alvarez-James Kirkland and the week after that Gennady Golovkin will have a packed house in Los Angeles. So, to those proclaiming boxing dead because, deep down, they probably think they’re too good for it and wish it would just go away: Go to hell. Here’s the truth: those people would have said boxing was dead if Mayweather-Pacquiao was the greatest fight since gloved boxing became a thing. It’s what they do. They’ll be back saying it again after Deontay Wilder-Wladimir Klitschko or whatever the next fight is that captures the public stateside. See them then. Everyone else: welcome back to boxing at its normal levels. We now return to regularly scheduled programming. This next two weeks is a great chance to generate new fans off the Superfight hangover. Lots of people tuned in for the spectacle. There is plenty of room to grow off last Saturday’s technically interesting if disappointing showdown. Something curious, anecdotally, came from conversations about last weekend’s show.

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Boxing News

Cliff Rold

About

Articles by Cliff Rold: page 149

ESPN Friday Night Fights: Two Finals and a Finale

BoxingScene.com's Pound-for-Pound Update

BScene Ratings Update: Chudinov, Jennings, Makabu

GGG Wins, Gonzalez Steals the Show: Post Report Card

Golovkin, Gonzalez-Sosa: Pre-Weekend Report Card

Roman Gonzalez: Most Dominant Little Man Since Finito?

Canelo Alvarez-James Kirkland: Post-Fight Report Card

Canelo Alvarez-James Kirkland: Pre-Fight Report Card

Amir Mansour Decisions Dawejko in Philadelphia

And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Boxing News

Carlos Adames wins a dud against Gerome Warburton

Jose Nunez hammers out upset of Bryan Flores in El Paso

'Would you bet your mortgage against Floyd Mayweather beating Ryan Garcia'

Eddie Hearn makes pitch to Shakur Stevenson over boxing future

Anthony Joshua's destiny against Tyson Fury is in his hands, not Ben Davison's

Eddie Hearn reveals Naoya Inoue demands regarding Bam Rodriguez showdown

Chantelle Cameron-Mikaela Mayer rematch set for Christmas Eve in Dubai

Gerome Warburton will make history against Carlos Adames – regardless of the result

Naoya Inoue-Bam Rodriguez talks underway, says Eddie Hearn

Diego Pacheco may be only a step away from Lester Martinez

Floyd Schofield Jnr-Jose 'Rayo' Valenzuela ordered by WBA

WBA orders Teofimo Lopez vs Jack Catterall amid Ryan Garcia talks

Jaron Ennis-Josh Kelly three-belt unification confirmed for February 27 in Atlanta

Chris Eubank Jnr-Kell Brook close to agreement for 2027, says Ben Shalom

Martin Bakole returns on Fury-Joshua undercard alongside rising Da’Mazion Vanhouter

Manny Pacquiao definitely off the Joshua-Fury Netflix card

Arnold Barboza Jnr-Oscar Duarte official for January 23 in Anaheim

Lester Martinez latest at risk to be sidestepped by Canelo Alvarez

Diego Pacheco chases his destiny in down-and-dirty L.A.

Jarrell Miller-Tony Yoka to headline December 20 show in Ghana

Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua 1am start hinges on Cardiff Council decision

Ryan Garcia vows to hospitalize Floyd Mayweather as he 'announces' February 6 showdown

Jaron Ennis-Josh Kelly unification nearing completion for February 27

Willy Hutchinson reveals Canelo Alvarez contact and vows to 'box his head off'

Larry Goossen, influential trainer and Big Bear pioneer, dies at 75

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have unfinished business beyond December 11

Willy Hutchinson being 'analysed' as potential next fight for Canelo Alvarez

Denzel Bentley willing to travel to Ireland for Aaron McKenna title shot

Dana White holds court at White House but tells Donald Trump: 'I do not want to be in politics'

Darius Fulghum sees second chance, and pressure on Diego Pacheco

Six fights, six knockouts: Albina Moldazhanova signs with MVP

Brock Jarvis hopes third time's the charm against Jermell Charlo

Caroline Dubois warns Alycia Baumgardner against stopping short of undisputed

Dana White job offer was a joke, claims Donald Trump

Floyd Mayweather eyes ‘big fight’ in 2027, names four potential opponents

Alycia Baumgardner dominates Elif Nur Turhan; Ramla Ali, Skye Nicolson also victorious

Donald Trump wants Dana White as his new press secretary

Is 'Rocky' a boxing movie? Furthermore, is 'I Play Rocky' a Rocky movie?

Abraham Perez defends flyweight title against Yankiel Rivera

Willy Hutchinson earns revenge, a world title in rematch win over Joshua Buatsi

Cheavon Clarke stuns Chris Billam-Smith with sensational seventh-round stoppage

Denzel Bentley drops Shane Mosley Jnr en route to unanimous decision victory

Caroline Dubois and Stephanie Han to unify Feb. 20 in Texas

Joshua Buatsi, Willy Hutchinson make weight for WBC title rematch

Chris Billam-Smith, Chev Clarke make weight; Shane Mosley Jnr needs second attempt

Tyson Fury fears for Deontay Wilder, says he is 'shot to bits' ahead of Jai Opetaia fight

Conor Benn reveals Manny Pacquiao offer, fight targeted for 2027

Fast and furious: PBC keeping talent busy in new DAZN union

Devin Haney-Liam Paro official for Dec. 19 in San Francisco

Lenar Perez injured, out of Nov. 12 bout vs. Artur Ziyatdinov

Cliff Rold

About

Articles by Cliff Rold: page 149

ESPN Friday Night Fights: Two Finals and a Finale

BoxingScene.com's Pound-for-Pound Update

BScene Ratings Update: Chudinov, Jennings, Makabu

GGG Wins, Gonzalez Steals the Show: Post Report Card

Golovkin, Gonzalez-Sosa: Pre-Weekend Report Card

Roman Gonzalez: Most Dominant Little Man Since Finito?

Canelo Alvarez-James Kirkland: Post-Fight Report Card

Canelo Alvarez-James Kirkland: Pre-Fight Report Card

Amir Mansour Decisions Dawejko in Philadelphia

And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Carlos Adames wins a dud against Gerome Warburton

Jose Nunez hammers out upset of Bryan Flores in El Paso