Julio’s Top Boxing Storylines of the Week

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    Gennady Golovkin Laughs at Alvarez

    Last night’s fights between Saul Alvarez and Liam Smith went pretty much the way most people expected. Alvarez was too big, too strong, too fast and too much first Smith and stopped him in the ninth round. As expected, the question of a potential fight with Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin was brought up (just like how Pacquiao was always brought up to Mayweather during post-fight interviews). Alvarez stated that there was an offer given to the love him a couple months ago and it was a lucrative one Golovkin and his people turn down the fight.

    The news came as a shock to many as this was the first time many boxing fans have ever heard of an offer. The offer also came to a shock to Golovkin who took Instagram show his disbelief and laugh at Alvarez’s comments.

    Floyd Mayweather - Saul Canelo Alvarez
    Floyd Mayweather – Saul Canelo Alvarez

    “I didn’t expect that Smith punched [Canelo] so hard that Canelo would talk nonsense after the fight,” said Golovkin via Instagram.

    According to De La Hoya, there was an eight-figure offer sent to Golovkin’s people for the showdown with Alvarez. Golovkin’s promoter, on the other hand, stated it was not substantial enough of an offer for him to act upon.

    Heather Hardy Calls Sergey Kovalev a Not So Kind Word

    There was a bit of controversy surrounding Sergey Kovalev lately in regards to being sexist. Kovalev was approached by two-time Olympic gold medalist Clarissa Shields who told him that he may one day find her under guard. Kovalev told Shields that women do not belong in the ring and that they belong at home comforting the family.

    That statement alone could get you into a lot of trouble especially in North America where everyone is supposed to be treated as equals. It doesn’t always work out that way, though. Women’s boxing has been largely ignored in the United States as well as many other women sports due to sexism. There are several female Fighters that have been campaigning for years for women’s boxing to be treated equally to men’s boxing and Kovalev’s comments have grabbed the attention of one of those fighters.

    Heather Hardy is one of the most recognizable names and this newer generation of female fighters

    Heather Hardy
    Heather Hardy

    from the United States. She has been through a lot in her life and worked very hard to get to where she’s at while being a single mother. To say Kovalev’s comments bothered her a little would be a bit of an understatement. How does she feel about Kovalev after his statement? To put it quite simply, she feels that Kovalev is a douche.

    “There is so much I want to say about this but I can’t find the words. So I’m just putting this out there,” Hardy said via Facebook. “One of the biggest names in boxing just publicly stated that women do not belong in a ‘man’s sport’. What a disappointment. What a douche.”

    Adam Braidwood Discusses His Latest Victory, Discusses Lee Mein Rematch

    On September 9th, Adam “The Boogeyman” Braidwood (5-1, 4 KO’s) extended his win streak to 4-0 since returning to boxing late last year with a first round KO over Adam Querido. The two fighters fought once in the armatures with Braidwood being on the losing end of a points decision but the pros are an entirely different game. Thanks to hard work, dedication and the right game plan Braidwood was able to get the victory in what he described as a good performance.

    Adam Braidwood
    Adam Braidwood

    “I think it was  [a] good [performance],” Braidwood told Tha Boxing Voice. “I was really happy with a lot of the things we did. We had a game plan going in and my coach was like ‘this what he’s going to do and here’s how we are going to be it’ and we were kind of laughing after because that was exactly what we thought was going to happen.  We got the timing of it down and did the drills of throwing over the lazy jab and following it up with the left hook several times and I just did it without even thinking. We thought that I was going to be the aggressor but we never planned for knockout. Obviously, we were happy with the way I was throwing. I was throwing loose and as soon as I was connecting with them I knew I was hurting him right off the bat. I’m never going for the knockout but I always plan on being the aggressor and pushing the pace and that’s usually what happens at heavyweight I think.”

    It didn’t take long after Braidwood’s victory for news of his next bout to be announced but the announcement did not come from him but rather his opponent via social media.

    Lee Mein first faced off against Braidwood in April of 2009. It was Mein’s debut and it was a successful one as he was able to stop Braidwood and hand him his first and only career loss.

    Braidwood confirmed the rematch happening (although the there has yet to be a contract signing) and stated that this is a needed second chance for him in his career as he choked the in the first fight with Mein.

    “As far as I know [the rematch happening] is true, yeah. I haven’t signed anything yet I saw that (the fight announcement via social media from Mein) as well and I think Mel and Milan (Lubovack of KO Boxing) are doing a really good job. They’ve helped me build and the story is I’ve gotten a second chance to fight and a second chance to fight and avenge a pro loss. I can sit here and make excuses all day on why I lost that fight but the bottom line is I choked. It was kind of the beginning of the end in a lot of ways for me and now I get to rebound from that and get another chance to fight Lee and so I’m pretty excited about it.”
    Did he learn from his mistakes in the Mein fight? All signs point to yes as Braidwood has improved tremendously since that fight. He is focused, determined and confident in his abilities that he will be victorious.

    “I think I would have beaten him back then if I had stayed calm and not try to go knock him out and if I had a little bit more experience. I had a lot of things going on there (at the time of the fight). I wasn’t all there mentally and you get exposed really quick in boxing. You go out there and you are not ready it really shows and so I will be ready for this fight one-hundred percent physically, mentally and I will have a good game plan going into the fight. I am confident in my skills that I’ll be able to go out there and my skills will show where I’m at. I won’t have to impose my size and technically I’ll be a better fighter.”
    Braidwood’s next fight (which is supposed to be against Mein) is scheduled to take place on December 2nd at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

    Ryan Wagner Discussed Upcoming Canadian Junior Middleweight Title Fight

    Ryan “The Nightmare” Wagner (6-3, 3 KO’s) has spent almost an entire year on the shelf after taking on and stopping undefeated prospect Cody Ries of Edmonton. Wagner broke his hand in the victory and the longer he sat on the sidelines, the hungrier he became to return to the ring. Now, that time has come as Wagner is set to make his in-ring return on September 24th against Ryan Young (9-0, 7 KO’s) for the Canadian junior middleweight title which has the Ontario fighter pumped.

    “It feels good [to be back],” Wagner told Tha Boxing Voice. “I was out for a year and I made the move back home to Ontario so it feels great to be back working with my coach every day so that’s one good, positive thing. Over the last year, all three guys I fought were undefeated. Two of them were wins and one was a guy, Ulysse got me at a good weight and I’ll never fight at 142 (pounds) again. I feel I’ve done more than fight the best so I feel a Canadian title shot was in the [cards] for me so I’m happy that I got this opportunity and I’m really excited and pumped.”

    13658999_1236374783062334_6317581309845830418_nWhen you look at Young’s record on paper alone you think that he must be a killer in the ring. When you closer examine his opponents you see why his record is the way it is. You can’t blame him for his opponent’s records, as that is how many fighters start off their careers. Wagner has lost three fights with two of those by stoppage but the quality of fighters that he lost to (Steve Claggett, Sam Vargas, Yves Ulysse Jr.) a second to none. The experience and awkwardness of Wagner’s fighting style will definitely play a pivotal part in how the fight goes down. Aside from that, Wagner believes he has to push the pace throughout the fight and be smart to further assure a victory and claim the Canadian junior middleweight title.

    “He hasn’t fought anyone like me for sure. He’s got a good record. It looks like that on paper you know he is 9-0 with 7 knockouts and he has a little bit of power but this guy doesn’t have the experience that I have. He hasn’t fought guys like [I have] and he definitely has not faced a guy like how he’s going to face the 24th and me so he is in for a world of trouble. I’m going to stick to my game plan and there’s no doubt in my mind [that I will lose]. I’m in phenomenal shape right now so I’m ready to push the pace for every round of this fight and of course, I’ll be smart defensively and be a little weary of his power but really his power does not scare me.”