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Lem’s latest: Schaefer touts welters

Fighters Network
07
Nov

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Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said his company’s Dec. 7 and Dec. 14 Showtime-televised events will be highlighted by “meaningful” and “exciting fights” with “the winners of those fights clearly establishing themselves even more as the true threats” in a welterweight division captained by RING 147- and 154-pound champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

On Dec. 7, at Barclays Center in their native Brooklyn, former junior welterweight and welterweight titleholders Paulie Malignaggi and Zab Judah will headline a show supported by IBF 147-pound beltolder Devon Alexander defending against unbeaten prospect Shawn Porter.



On Dec. 14, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, WBA 147-pound beltholder Adrien Broner will defend against Marcos Maidana, plus hard-hitting welterweight standouts Keith Thurman and Jesus Soto-Karass will face each other.

“These four fights are probably the best fights that you can make at 147,” said Schaefer. “I can just see the winners of those fights matching up against each other. We obviously have a bunch of other 147-pounders who are not fighting on this card. But this is one of those scenarios where you could put all of those eight names into a pot and then pretty much pull out two names, and the result would yield fights that pretty much every fan would want to see. So this is a very meaningful, back-to-back weekend for what I think is the hottest division in the sport, the 147-pound weight class.”

Those welterweights, however, are all in pursuit of top dog Mayweather, who dethroned Canelo Alvarez as RING and WBC 154-pound champion by majority decision in September.

“Obviously, the pound-for-pound king, Floyd Mayweather, is in those weight classes. But if you make one statement about these cards, it’s that I don’t know who is going to win those fights,” said Schaefer.

“Malignaggi-Judah is a 50-50 fight. Devon Alexander-Shawn Porter is a 50-50 fight. Broner against Maidana, Thurman against Soto Karass … I don’t know who is going to win those fights. I assure you that this is not going to be one shutout in those fights. These are going to be hotly contested fights.”

SCHAEFER: ALVAREZ TO BE IN SAN ANTONIO ON DEC. 14

Both Schaefer and Alvarez have said that the fighter will be on hand Dec. 14 when his 31-year-old brother, junior welterweight Ricardo “Dinamita” Alvarez, faces an opponent to be determined on the Broner-Maidana card. Ricardo will be after his 14th victory in his past 15 bouts and his 11h stoppage during that streak.
Prior to facing Mayweather, Alvarez unanimously decisioned the previously unbeaten Austin Trout in April, drawing nearly 40,000 to The Alamodome. Alvarez is slated to compete on March 8, July 26 and Nov. 22 of 2014.
“They always go to each other’s fights, so I know that he’s going to be there throughout fight week with his brother,” said Schaefer.

“Canelo’s experience earlier this year where he attracted 40,000 people really is going to be a memory that he will never forget. When I met with him earlier this year, he made it clear, himself, that he wants to go back and fight in San Antonio, so I think that San Antonio is going to be happy to hear that Canelo Alvarez wants to fight in San Antonio next year, and that in the meantime that he is going to be there throughout fight week.”

SHANE MOSLEY-ANTHONY MUNDINE IS ‘BACK ON TRACK’ FOR NOV. 27

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Eric Gomez and three-division titlewinner Shane Mosley confirmed a report that the 42-year-old’s previously canceled Oct. 23 fight with 154-pound rival Anthony Mundine appears to be back on track for Nov. 27 in Sydney, Australia.

“Everything is being worked out, and it’s close to being finalized, but it looks like it’s back on track,” said Gomez. “There are a couple of things that are left to be accomplished, and once those things are accomplished, then the fight’s a go.”

Citing a breach of contract by the bout’s previous promoter, Vlad Warton, of Millennium Events, Mosley (47-8-1, 39 knockouts) left Australia a few days prior to his scheduled bout with Mundine (44-5, 26 KOs) and returned to the United States.

According to the Associated Press, Mosley was upset because he was not paid the remainder of a guaranteed purse in advance, but has been promised a guaranteed up-front purse this time, a notion Mosley confirmed to RingTV.com.

“Nov. 27,” said Mosley. “I believe that it’s going to go down.”

VICTOR ORTIZ COULD FACE LUIS COLLAZO

Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez confirmed that plans are in the works for former welterweight titleholder Victor Ortiz to face ex-147-pound beltholder and Luis Collazo in a clash of southpaws on a date and at a site to be determined.

Ortiz was to be on the Dec. 14 card before his scheduled opponent, Alfonzo Gomez, suffered a hand injury and had to pull out of the fight.

JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT JOSE FELIX RETURNS ON SATURDAY

Jose Felix is a 21-year-old junior lightweight with a record of 25-0-1 that includes 20 knockouts. On Saturday, at AVI Resort & Casino in Laughlin, Nev., Felix will pursue his third straight first-round stoppage against Nicaraguan left-hander Santos Benavides (23-4-1, 17 KOs).

“This is a very important fight. A lot is on the line,” said his advisor, Ray Alcorta, whose fighter will headlining Top Rank’s Solo Boxeo Tecate event to be televised nationally on UniMas. “But to me Jose is such an advanced, mature fighter for his age. He can be patient, then strikes suddenly. He moves well and I think he’s tremendously exciting.”

Also on the card is a junior featherweight bout featuring Chris Avalos, of Lancaster, Calif., against Rolly Lunas, of San Diego, as well as junior welterweight Jose Benavidez, Jr. and junior featherweight Gabino Saenz in separate bouts.

MAIN EVENTS SIGNS HEAVYWEIGHT DAVID RODRIGUEZ, LIGHT HEAVY ILSHAT KHUSNULGATIN

Main Events recently signed Russian light heavyweight Ilshat “The Sheriff” Khusnulgatin (11-0, 6 KOs), 23, and Texas heavyweight David “Nino” Rodriguez (36-0, 34 KOs), a 36-year-old Mexican-American who is riding a nine-bout knockout streak.

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS MICHAEL OLIVEIRA, YURI FOREMAN RETURN ON TUESDAY

Brazilian junior middleweight Michael Oliveira (21-1, 16 KOs) of Miami will face Norberto Gonzalez (19-2, 13 KOs) of Mexico, and former titleholder Yuri Foreman (31-2, 8 KOs), of Brooklyn, will pursue his fourth straight victory in as many fights against Mexican 154-pounder Javier Gomez (14-11, 10 KOs) on Tuesday in Hollywood, Fla.

Promoted by MO Productions, the card will also feature a battle of light heavyweights between Yunieski Gonzalez and Jinner Guerrero, and one between featherweights Hairon Socarras and Jhon Alberto Molina.

HEAVYWEIGHT DAMIAN WILLS ADDED TO PRIZEFIGHTER LINEUP

California heavyweight Damian “Bolo” Wills (31-3, 24 KOs) has been added to the lineup of Prizefighter: UK vs. USA on Nov. 14 at York Hall in London, an event to be promoted by Matchroom Sports and televised live on Sky Sports.

Photos by Naoki Fukuda; Donald Miralle-Getty Images

Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]