Speaker 1: The countdown is on to fight time. This is Big
Fight Weekend. Now here is your host, DJ Leaves.
Speaker 2: Well, Welcome back in everybody, as we are in the
month of February, and thanks for going to begin to
ramp up. We're in like the process of ramping up.
After the David Benavidez David Morell pay per view from
last weekend where Big Dan was on hand for the
Benavitaz win, we're back in on the Big Fight Weekend preview.
I am merely the somewhat capable host TJ Reeves. He
is our insider. Fight Freaks Unite is his substack and
his newsletter. Hello Dan, Raphael, good to be back. We've
got a British heavyweight main event. You want me to
chant it? Warchesaura is back in action. We're ready to
talk about that, some fight news, some nostalgia. Oh and
Keishan Davis is here in just a few minutes as
he readies to go for a world championship in the
lightweight division in a top rank main event coming up.
All right, listen, I normally say to you how are you?
I know how you are, and you've put it on
social media. I know you've had a heavy heart with
the death of your father, with things that are going through.
Just know that we're out there for you. I'm here
for you. We're out there for you. I know this
is therapeutic to be doing the boxing and to be
talking all this. So I know how you are, and
I'm glad that you're here, and I'm ready to talk
some boxing and give you a welcome distraction in the
world that you have traversed in for the last twenty
five years covering.
Speaker 1: And we're gonna have fun doing that. Deal, good deal.
Speaker 3: I'm always up to talk about boxing, no matter what
the mood is.
Speaker 2: I understand, I understand. All right again, rate us review
us those help out. Make sure you're following subscribing. We
do our best preview going into the weekend recamp. Coming
off the weekend. We've got a lot going on with
fight cards here in February.
Speaker 1: And in March.
Speaker 2: As things get going, Oh, we're gonna get to Canelo
and Terrence Crawford.
Speaker 1: Just stand by.
Speaker 2: But first, but first, let's talk about WARCESAA in the
Queensbury main event with Otto Viileen Valen, known more as
an opponent of prominent fighters like Tyson Fury and most
recently beaten up by Anthony Joshua. He's credible, I'll put
it that way. Chessa is aged. He's been in there
a bunch with Joshua, with Fury, with others, Joseph Parker recently.
He is definitely You like my vocabulary every now and then, Gregarious,
he has definitely outspoken Worcesaur.
Speaker 3: He didn't he didn't fight George Joshua. That's like the
one guy he never thought.
Speaker 2: I thought he did fight Anthony Joshua on that. I'm
thinking of Dillian White then in the whole landscape.
Speaker 3: What you're like one of those guys like British heavyweight, Yeah,
same thing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but he fought uh Fury most recently for the
third time.
Speaker 3: It was the age other than Joshua. Other than Joshua,
Derek Taso has fought everybody, Tyson Fury, Cabradpool v. Joseph Parker,
Parker recently, right right, Alexander, I mean he fought Vitally
Clischco years ago in heavyweight title fight for your boy
at g Cabiel Dillion White, as you mentioned, I mean,
the guy's resumes everybody Joshua men faced is remarkable, but he.
Speaker 2: Was basically an everlast punching bag against Fury. He still
fights on here he is in the main event. What
are your thoughts in the preview modth Listen.
Speaker 3: He's forty one years old. He's always given his heart
and his and his balls to every fight he's had,
and he's that's why he's a fan favorite. They're calling
this the last dance. Obviously, his career's coming to a close.
He's thirty five and thirteen, probably like the best thirty
five and thirteen guy in in boxing today. Okay, and listen,
Remarkably with thirteen losses, especially in the heavyweight division, only
been stopped the four times, I mean, which when you
think about the types of opponents that he has faced,
that is pretty remarkable to have gone. Oh me, he
also fought David a back years ago, and he's been
able to stand up to you know, some pretty heavy shots,
you know, despite four knockouts. But again, in the total
of thirteen losses, when you look at the guys he's fought,
it's really not that bad. He even went to distance
with Itali Klitchko, was one of the best punchers in
recent heavyweight boxing history. So but listen, everybody, knows the
time is coming to an end. A lot of people
wrote him off, you know, a few years ago, and
he was still kind of hanging around the fringes. He's
actually won two fights in a row. He beat Gerald Washington,
who was like a journeyman American who fought for the
world title against Deontay Wilder. Great athlete, really came into
boxing as a former college football player and you know,
fringe NFL practice type squad NFL player. And then he
had the big upset in July where he beat you
know in what we all figured and had on our post,
you know, twenty twenty four Fight of the Year list,
which was against Joe Joyce. Just an absolutely tremendous battle.
You know, we talked about it the ultimate sort of
British big man slober knocker, and they turned in a
great battle and he got to win. And now they're
kind of counting down, you know, whether this is actually
gonna be his last fight or not. Who that knows,
it's bob, but it's certainly he's close to the end
and he's taken on auto ally. You mentioned he's a
credible opponent. There's no doubt about it. I mean, listen,
let's not make this out we're talking about We would
talk about this fight anyway, but we're giving it the
attention because it's the main fight of this week, right
and it's gonna be, I believe, a fun fight if
you like heavyweight boxing. These are two known commodities. It
doesn't have an impact on who's fighting for a world title,
doesn't have the impact on a pound for pound list
or anything like that, but it could have the impact
on a good distraction for a little while on a Saturday,
you know, evening if you're in the United States, or
a Saturday late afternoon if you're you know, in the
United Kingdom, in primetime in the United States, light afternoon
here in the United States. So I'm looking I'm actually
looking forward to this fight because you know, there's not
a lot of like fancy storylines or anything. It's just
two big dudes and two good guys who are gonna
get in there and probably try to beat the shit
out of each other.
Speaker 1: And again, Joshua hummeled Volin.
Speaker 2: You wonder though, if Chasura, at forty one and as
much damage as he's taken can take advantage of that.
And the one thing we've seen from Chesaora is that
he loves to the phrase I've always heard and you
get it in boxing his play Possum, he loves to
act like, maybe I'm exhausted, maybe I'm hurt. I lay
back on the ropes. You're tagging me a few times,
and then suddenly, wham, I hit you with a shot.
Of the crowd roars and they start chanting watch Sara
through the arena. So we anticipate we'll get some of
that out of this in Manchester.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, look, Io's got two losses. Obviously he's
fought the best guys. In those two losses. He lost
the decision to Tyson Fury, where he scored you know,
some good shots on him and gave him that terrible,
terrible cut over his eye. I was at that fight.
I mean just remember thinking the fight's going to get
stopped at any moment because the cut was that bad.
You know, fear needed like almost fifty stitches when that
fight was over, and it was actually two different cuts
in my recollection. At an event that was like his
first time on the world stage, and even though he
lost on points, he gave a really good account of
himself and helped him get other fights. He won on
a long winning streak and he beat some like second
tier type solid guys, you know, the Dominic Brazil and
Travis Kaufman had Actually was like a quasi big win
in twenty twenty three. That was over in Turkey where
he defeated Marat Gassiev, who was the former unified cruiserweight
title Olderho had moved up to heavyweight. I actually think
that Otto was the underdog in that fight. He won
that fight that got him the fight with Joshua, and
obviously we saw what happened in that fight back at
the end of twenty twenty three. Joshua eviscerated him, knocked
him on the fifth round, beat him up, and they
stopped it in the quarter. He has won one fights
incentive against you know, a very lower level opponents. Scored
a first round knockout. That was the only fight of
twenty twenty four. So he's had one round since December
of twenty three and a knockout loss against Joshua. Now
was coming back against Shasa who is you know as
they call him, and Brett a hard man, you know,
good chin, you know, still seems to have even at
forty one years of age, a fighting spirit, you know,
coming to dupe damage and I think wants to make
a splash and is maybe his last fight, certainly in
his last group of fights. He's coming off of a
very uplifting victory against Joe Joyce, you know, and like
I said, he got knocked out by Tyson Ferry. Uh
otto went the distance with Tyson Furry. You know it
is Listen, this is nothing fancy about this fight. TJ
gonna go there and then it's gonna I hope it's
a slobber knocker.
Speaker 2: Not a lot of mystery here again, do Zone. We'll
have it in the United States, our friends that are
that are listening to us.
Speaker 1: In the UK, it's on t N T Sport.
Speaker 2: It is not a pay per view clarify correct, it's
just on regular TNT.
Speaker 3: What what fucking more on would put this fight on exactly?
Speaker 2: Well, I mean we could ask that question about a
lot of these different I'm just making sure because uh
sooner or later you get pay per view fatigue, even
early on in this year.
Speaker 3: With what we're about to have is a normal normal zone.
Speaker 2: So again, that full card is Saturday night Primetime in
Manchester from Queensberry Saturday afternoon US time. By the way,
will handicap what you just heard us talking about on
how this fight ends who wins on the bet Us
Boxing Show on Friday one Eastern Time on all their platforms.
Check us out for handicapping Chesaora Violin coming up with that.
All right, good on the preview now, not this weekend,
but next weekend. Coming up, Keyshawn Davis will go for
the WBO lightweight world title. You don't have to wait
for fight week next week because Dan has been busy,
he's been hopping and he talked with Keyshawn Davis here recently.
We're going to play it right now for you on
the pod. This is why you gotta be here on
the pod. Keyshan Davis is on the pod right now
here with Dan.
Speaker 3: Well, it's my great pleasure to be joined on the
podcast once again by Keishawn Davis. You are going to
be challenging for a lightweight world title coming up. First
of all, thank you very much for being on the show.
I must be good luck because you scored a quick
knockout the last time we talked before your last fight.
Speaker 4: Hey, let's beeve it all right?
Speaker 3: Well, just so we'll tell the people. You are getting
ready to challenge Denny's Burnciks for the WBO Lightweight world title.
It'll take place on February fourteenth. It is the main
event of the Top Rank ESPN card that will take
place at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Before we get into that, Kish and I want to
talk a little bit about the last fight, because there
was some drama and it was certainly an interesting situation
the whole thing. So that was on November eighth, you
were headlining your first professional fight in your hometown of Norfolk, Virginia.
You scored, as I mentioned, a quick second round knockout
against Gustavo Lemos. Before the fight, when we had done
the interview for the podcast, you talked about it being
your dream that you and your brothers had talked about
to fight at home and to make a big event
about it. And now that you had that happen, I wondered,
did the did the did the reality live up to
the dream that you and your brother has talked about
for so many years.
Speaker 4: Honestly, no, it's surpassed it.
Speaker 3: Really.
Speaker 4: Hell yeah, Like we.
Speaker 5: Always kept saying, it's gonna be big, it's gonna be big,
it's gonna sell out. But what happened that weekend was huge,
Like people was raving about this fight all the way
into the following weekend.
Speaker 4: You know, we get.
Speaker 5: Bookings now, people paying us to do walk dudes and
all that type of shit.
Speaker 4: Man, we meet them. So we made a lot of
the money outside and ring else. I'll tell you that now,
you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5: So it definitely surpassed our expectations.
Speaker 4: And you know, I'll glory to guy man.
Speaker 3: Yeah, because it was like you said, it was a
tremendous event. There was a huge crowd there. So that
makes me curious about your response to this. When you
were getting ready for the fight, obviously you know you're pro.
You weighed in, you made your weight. It was one
hundred and thirty five pound fight and Limos he comes
in on the day before, he's one hundred and forty
one and a half pounds. He's six and a half
pounds over. He didn't miss by half a pound like
we've seen or a pound. That's a dramatic amount of
way these technically now two weight classes above as a welterweight.
Because he's over one forty that puts everybody, you, your team,
top ranked television, everybody in a tough spot. But it
was your night. You're the star of the show. How
close was it to even that you might not fight?
Like what was going through your mind when he was
so heavy?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was.
Speaker 5: Thinking that he probably might not fight because we was
hoping that he didn't come the next day too much
over weight. And that's what me and my team was
was spermore that we agreed to await for the next
day that he can't go over this. And I was like, Okay,
even if he a pound over that, I'm gonna steal.
I'm gonna still fight, you know. So I was trying
to do everything I can to make the fight happen.
Speaker 4: Like we was like, I forgot what.
Speaker 5: Weight it was the next day, but it was like,
he can't go one over one forty six, And I
was like, man, even if he like one forty seven,
I'm gonna still fight him at the end of the day.
Speaker 4: Like what's one pound gonna do? You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5: So I was really doing everything in my power to
make a fight happen still, but we just couldn't. We
just couldn't give him too much leaning and see you
know what I mean.
Speaker 3: Was there any concern when you saw him way I
mean that much overweight. I've seen fights cancel for way
less weight than that.
Speaker 4: Yeah. Nah.
Speaker 5: Also, real shit, this is exactly what happened before the weighns. Yep,
before the weigh nds, we had the trial. Scill we
was all backstage and I stepped on the scale and
I was good, yeah.
Speaker 4: So then I turned around whim was right there.
Speaker 5: I'm like, oh shit, well bet I'm not to see
how much seeweight. So he stepped in that scared I
see my cheaweight. I was like, this is exactly what
happens the true story. I said, oh shit, let's.
Speaker 4: Go twenty percent. Let's do it twenty percent. I don't
give it down percent. Da da da da da.
Speaker 5: But they but politically they was like man Keishawan on
the commission side, like he's so much overweight, we gotta
do this, we gotta do that fight, like all that
type of shit. So it was just more than just
a twenty percent that I was just preaching about. But
once I see that he was that much overweight, it
was like, oh my god.
Speaker 4: I was just like twenty percent let's do it. I
don't give it.
Speaker 3: Like when you say twenty percent, you're talking about some
extra money that would be coming your way.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Yeah, because I was saying sometimes commissions if it's the
spreads to why they don't allow. But anyway, all right,
the fight ended up happening. Uh fortunately for everybody. It
turned out to be a great night. But you went
out there and just destroyed him in two rounds. A
lot of people were like, well, he may be too
big this and that wasn't as easy as it looked
because you just went through him like a knife through
hot butter. Seemed like to me, yeah, I was.
Speaker 5: It was easy as it looked, honestly, like the first round,
like I didn't do nothing with him but jab him,
moving around, starting him out, type shit, see what he got.
Everybody came talking about his power, So I just want
to see what his power was talking about. You know,
after that first round, you know you come, You're going
to come to your heart as your first round because
that's what you got, your most energy. So I'm like, okay,
well that's all he got. Well I'm gonna start letting.
Speaker 4: My shit go.
Speaker 5: My first parts that I really been with and knocked
him down. So it was like, well, okay, like it's
time to get him up.
Speaker 3: Out of here, and you sure did that. And so
now that leads you to this particular fight, which obviously
is for a world championship against Branchick. Now, before this
fight was official, back again, this was the interview that
we did prior to you taking on Limos, uh, I
mean yeah, against just as you were talking to me
about how you were hoping that a win would lead
you to this fight with Branchick, that you and he
had had some exchanges on you know, your social media
direct messages that you thought this would be the next fight.
But I wonder if you could talk to me about
how how how did you actually find out that you
officially had this chance to fight for the world title,
and what was your reaction when you found out that
it was real and it was happening.
Speaker 5: It was real, I can say, like fight wee go, Gustavo.
They just kept saying, you know what's next? Right, I'm like, uh,
now it's next. He was like, you get the job
done right here, you're going for the ranching.
Speaker 3: Who was telling you this top right?
Speaker 5: Okay, tod ran for sure was telling me that things
like you gotta get the job done first though, and
when they kept saying that, it was kind of making
me nervous and shit like dumb, I'm gonna get a
job then why do you gotta keep telling me that
you know what I'm saying? But other than that, like
I knew like fight week of Gustavo and shoot, now
we're here now.
Speaker 3: I'm sure like you dreamed about fighting at home, any
young fighter is gonna dream about fighting for a world title.
So can you just sort of give me now that
it's you know, we're a little way away from the fight,
but you know it's coming quickly and you're gonna be
in there fighting for this championship, Just to give me
your thoughts about your your level of anticipation, anxiety, excitement, nervousness,
whatever it is, just your emotions about, uh, what will
be the most significant fight of your career by far
and something that when your career is over with will
be something that will be a landmark, benchmark kind of
fight in your career.
Speaker 4: Right with my first one? Right?
Speaker 5: Excuse me, honestly, bro, if you want my eyes opinion,
I don't have no as of right now. I don't
have no nervousness, no anticipation, no anxiety, nothing and that
like I'm just in training camp, training for another fight, honestly,
and I'm not really the type person that get into
all the enthusiastics. I understand what I'm saying, like, oh,
I'm at the I'm at the m MG, or oh
it's for my first word title. I'm just taking it
like this is another goddamn fight for me, because I know,
at the end of the day, I gotta I got
a ten year ten more years ahead of me. I'm
twenty five. I can retire when I'm thirty five, you
know what I'm saying. So it's gonna be bigger fights
than this. So starting now, I just gotta make sure
I stay level with here, to stay calm, because it's
just gonna do nothing but get bigger and bigger after this.
Speaker 3: Well, you mentioned about it. You know your age and
potentially retiring at thirty five. He's already thirty six. He's
eleven years older than you, and I mean in boxing,
that would seem to be most people a very significant advantage.
Even though he's preserved. He's only got nineteen fights professionally,
You've only got twelve fights. There's not that big of
a difference. He had a long amateur gurd twenty twelve
Olympics silver medal winner, yourself, twenty twenty Olympic silver medal winner,
what sort of like your scating report on him, because
he's had a career that was sort of like under
the radar before he even won this title.
Speaker 4: Oh, my scattering report.
Speaker 5: Honestly, I know that he got a lot of experience,
Like at the end of the day, he'd been through
the same trials and tribulations and the amateurs that I've
been through. And now that he pro and he became
a world champion, like he.
Speaker 4: Did it all. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5: Don't say he was the Olympics down here a world champion.
He better defended like he actually did great for himself
as a as a fighter.
Speaker 4: At the end of the day.
Speaker 5: You know what I'm saying, He's undefeated, he never lost,
Like all credits are Bransha bro, Like shit.
Speaker 4: You did it. You made it, my nigga. You know
what I'm saying.
Speaker 5: Unfortunately that you gotta fight somebody like me just gonna
take it from you as soon as you get it.
Speaker 4: But like scouting report.
Speaker 5: As a guy like him, you can't take him lightly, bro,
because he has seen it all and he done it all,
and he's a veteran at this shit. You know what
I'm saying. So I like for my first world tire
of fight. Stylistically, man, this is he can't really get
no better than this. Honestly, he's an undefeated fighter, he's
an olympion, and he's a champion. You know what I'm saying,
And everything that he did I'm trying to do right now,
you know what I'm saying. And stylistically, I feel like, shit,
this performance definitely can outmatch this last one.
Speaker 3: You just mentioned. He's undefeated. I was actually looking over
your record before we got on to do this interview,
and this will in fact be the first fighter that
you faced it is undefeated. Does that Does that add
a little more spice to it to take a guy's
undefeated record who doesn't know how to lose?
Speaker 4: Yeah, honestly it does. I'm not gonna lie, and honestly
does man.
Speaker 5: Don't nobody want to lose a oh at the end
of the day on top of their belt. So I
know he not going in there and just gonna let down,
Like I know, he's not going in there just for
a check, like real shit, He's really gonna give it
his all and if he loses, he loses.
Speaker 4: If he wins, he wins, which he is not. But
he's definitely not going in to lay down.
Speaker 5: He's gonna give it his all, and I think he's
check be gonna make it a great fight, honestly.
Speaker 3: So when you uh, when you look at his record,
his biggest win, of course, was when he won this title,
which he did. It was a tough fight, a split
decision against Emmanuel never At. The This was back last May.
Sol have been off about nine months. Never At it
was the champion at one hundred and thirty was moving
up the challenge for this vacant title. What were your
thoughts if you saw that fight about the performance that
he turned in to win the title.
Speaker 5: I didn't watch the fight live, but when I heard
that he won, I was definitely surprised, because, I mean,
I just didn't think Navarate was gonna lose, just just
off the strip.
Speaker 4: I just didn't think he was gonna lose.
Speaker 5: But the two fights Navarati had at one thirty five,
he didn't look good. You know what I'm saying, like,
that's just not the nicest weight class. You know, He's
a true one thirty pounder, and he looks best at
one thirty. You know, So at the end of the day,
Baranchik beat a one thirty pounder at the end of
the day. And you know, I went back and watched
his fight with Yigit and stuff like that.
Speaker 4: And you know when I fought Yigit.
Speaker 5: Like from round one to round nine, when I stopped him, Bro,
it was just straight completely domination, you know.
Speaker 4: Between him and Yiggy. It was round it was going
back and forth, like back and forth. Like the fight
was fairly close.
Speaker 5: Even though he won to fight, he probably wanted to
fight probably like two three rounds, you know, like I
stopped ygg you know what I'm saying, So just stylistically
and like physicality. Stylistically, he never seen a style like
me before, and physicality, Bro, I don't think he even
fought somebody as strong as me before.
Speaker 4: Neither bro.
Speaker 5: Honestly, in terms of him me seeing him, you know,
I've I've been overseas before, so you know, I fought
people that like to.
Speaker 4: Dance in priants around shit.
Speaker 5: Any cruise was dancing and printsing around when I was
fighting him and stuff like that, and similar to what
Baranchick is gonna do. You know, but he's thirty six
years old, so he's not gonna He's not gonna be
as you.
Speaker 3: Know fresh, I wouldn't think either.
Speaker 5: Yeah, you know what I'm saying. So I know he's
gonna give it this all at the end of the day.
But his best is I don't think I know this
not can't compete with me.
Speaker 3: Now, you mentioned earlier we talked about you like living
the dream having your first fight at home, you know,
the thing that you and your brothers have talked about.
But now for this fight, fighting for your first world title,
it's taking place at Madison Square Guarden. I know you
mentioned that a quick minute ago. That's like one of
the most hollow venues in boxing history. The theater at
the Madison Square Garden has hosted numerous you know, superstar
fighters and you know, big world championship fights and just
great fights for years. It's a very traditional place for
these types of fights. That and it's you're a headliner
in New York City. Uh, you know, what are your
thoughts about that? Because you know, not everybody gets to
headline a boxing event in the Big Apple.
Speaker 4: That is crazy, bro.
Speaker 5: Like my cousins, I got people, I got a lot
of family out there in New York. And one of
my cousins went to the Knicks game and she was
just happened to be in the city and she's seen
my billboard out there, and that's my blood cousin.
Speaker 4: Like we're a close family, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5: So she's like, oh my gosh, little cuz, Like this
is a little cuz, Like you know what I'm saying,
Like I was eight nine years old, cities old, stayed
at her house and stuff like that. She see me now,
she's seen me on the freaking big screen and MSG.
So like it's definitely big man. It's definitely huge for me.
But again, I'm not a person that just get into
all the extra shit.
Speaker 3: Bro.
Speaker 4: This is just another fight for me, and I'm gonna
go out there and do my thing.
Speaker 3: You can think about it afterwards. I guess I'm kind
of relish and what you did, I suppose. But if
you win the title, which you know a lot of
people are gonna favor you to be the guy that
goes in there and gets the job done. I wonder
what kind of other goals you said. You're only twenty
five year young fighter. It'll be your first world title.
What other goals would you have? Is it a long
run at lightweight? Is it some guys they win the title,
maybe defend it once or twice and make the quick
move up to another division, trying to go up to
scale as much as they can. What is in your
mind as far as the way you want to map things.
Speaker 4: Out, I'm goncha stick to the same thing I've been saying.
Speaker 5: Man, once I get this world title, I'm gonna just
try to get all the top the top names in
the ring with me. You know, at the end of
the day, who don't want to become a world champion?
Speaker 4: You know?
Speaker 5: So when I get my world titler, you know, I'm
gonna just be throwing a belt in people.
Speaker 4: Face, like, yo, you want to fight me? You want
to fight me?
Speaker 5: Like all the top names though not know people that
do you might know? A belt that's my goal, you
know what I'm saying. Of course, you can't make nobody
fight you, you know what I'm saying. But that's what
I want to do. Equal my first defense and in
the rest of my career, I want to fight those names.
I'm gonna fight those real names.
Speaker 3: Well, it seems to me that you know again, I
know you got to fight the fight to win the title,
but in terms of the future fights with you know,
everybody wants to unify in this weight class, it seems
like the unifications might be difficult. Shakor is your buddy.
He's got a title, he's off doing this thing in
Saudi Arabia. He's got activity scheduled fight coming up. Maybe
he's a paida mandatory. You've got Tank Davis who has
not shown a real willingness to fight the absolute best
of his own weight class. Loma Chenko is you know,
we don't know if he's going to retire. He's with
top right Dangel Like you're saying that, listen, I just
keep it real, Kejan, that's the way it is.
Speaker 4: You both.
Speaker 3: But anyway, with loma Chenko his up in there, he's
got the back injury. Nobody knows if he's gonna come
back again. So what do you think of like your
big fight, so to speak, beyond winning the world title.
Speaker 5: Yeah, after I win the world title, man, it's a
lot of fights out there like at one forty one
thirty five that.
Speaker 4: That got names.
Speaker 5: You know what I'm saying, Like, of course, I'm becoming
my own star myself, so I can't really be like
I'm gonna gets my inn that max to star power
is me or maybe.
Speaker 4: Even come close. But it's gonna be people.
Speaker 5: That that you're well aware of, and that's gonna be
able to create great fights, Like y'all gotta you gotta
remember that I'm the one that picked Gustavo for this
last fight. Like I'm a fighter, I know this, I
know the landscape, I understand what I'm saying. I know
how to create a great fight. You know what I'm saying,
Like I just know you know what I'm saying. So
I can't really tell you like the exact person I
want to go after this fight, because that's not gonna
be It's not gonna be true, you know what I'm saying.
But just know that when I get this power, the
power of the belt into my hands, Kes the businessman
is gonna be creep.
Speaker 4: He's gonna be putting on on great fights.
Speaker 5: And I also feel like this fight right here stylistically is.
Speaker 4: A great fight.
Speaker 3: Yeah, No, I agree, I agree.
Speaker 5: Twelve No nineteen to oh two Olympians clash like I
mean shit, I feel like it can't really get no
better than it is for a guy that's fight for
his first world title fight at the end of the day,
you know what I'm saying. So I just gave y'all
a great fight with mcgham Dueno the Mexican kid. I
gave y'all a great fight with Gustavo. Now I might
give you a great fight for my first world title fight.
So I feel like I'm just living up to everything
now I'm preaching.
Speaker 3: I don't know if I can say Gustava was a
great fight. I think it was a great one sided
ask kicking is what it was. Let me that's true.
Event I'll wrap up with this. Uh, you know, I
know that. I'm sure you've pictured how the fight's in
it go. I know you have every intention of winning
the fights. I'm not gonna ask you how you you
know think you're gonna win. But if you could pick,
like the best scenario by which to get the victory,
how would how would you want that to turn out?
Just a domination in a quick knockout, beat him down
for a little while like, what's your what's the ideal
scenario to realize your dream of becoming a world champion.
Speaker 4: I want to knock his ass out the first round, all.
Speaker 3: Right, make it a quick night, right, don't get paid overtime.
Speaker 5: Took it easy man, not being a sewer. My hand's
not her anyne of that. She just give me a
first round knockout.
Speaker 3: I guess we'll we'll have to wait and see. Well,
we'll know the answer on February fourteenth. Kishan, thank you
so much for your time. I wish your best of
luck in the fight, my friend.
Speaker 2: All right, thank you Dan, all right, good stuff. As always,
you have been hustling. You went out to Vegas and
got back. You've been hustling getting interviews, accumulating other interviews.
Speaker 1: So we rolled that one out.
Speaker 2: We should say to the audience, as we released this
Thursday night and a Friday. That's a Friday night world
title fight card from Top Rank, and that is coming
next Friday night, the fourteenth of February, right on Valentine's
Day weekend, as he fights Dennis Baranchick. All Right, I
always ask you this, but it's worthwhile. After hearing the interview,
how did you find him in talking to him and
see him, seeing him on the video hook, cup et cetera.
Speaker 3: Keishawan is a pro. He does his media extremely well.
He's really learned. You know, he has a chance to
be a big star for two main reasons. One he
can really fight and two he is now he understands
the whole point of trying to promote your fights. He's
a really good and people heard it on the podcast.
I mean, if they heard the interview that we just played,
he's a very good interview. He speaks his mind. I
feel like he's Look, there's different categories of fighters. I've
been interviewing fighters for a very long time. Some guys
fucking hate it and it's like going to the dentist.
Some guys they do it, you know, it's part of
the job. They tolerate it, they're pleasant, but they don't
really love it. And other guys seem to like enjoy it.
They like, you know, to take that time and have
the attention and you know for those ten or fifteen
minutes or whatever the interview last, that you know they're
they're into it. I believe Keishon Davis actually enjoys talking
to the press. My interactions with him from the beginning
of his professional career. I've met him shortly after he
turned pro in a several fights. A very easy going
kind of guy to interview and as pleasant as a guest.
I would say if I was making my list of like,
who are the current guys in the sport and gals
that you like interviewing, Keishaan Davis would certainly be on
my life. He's a pleasure to interview, and I think
they can hear his enthusiasm in the in the in
the conversation that you just played.
Speaker 2: All right, and again he is ultra talented, former silver
medalist in the Olympics. You know, projected star here got
to take that next step and we'll preview that more
obviously next week, but good to hear from him in
advance of fight week here with the Pods is why
we love being here for the fans and bringing you
the newsmakers as well as our takes and Dan's insight.
All right, are you ready? I've been waiting for this
for like a day and a half. I thought we
were finalized for Canelo and Terrence Crawford. Lies don't mean finalized,
does it? Apparently? Okay?
Speaker 3: So just for the record, Just for the record, Yeah,
I never or spoke said it was being finalized every once.
Speaker 2: You know what I'm referring to. And then we have
the Ring magazine, which is now bought and paid for
by Turkey al Chic, and they are reporting that it's
Allegiant Stadium, the Raiders Football Stadium, and then the next
day they're saying, oh, by the way, they're not fighting.
Speaker 1: Now.
Speaker 2: I don't know what to believe. We come to you,
we come to you, my friend, enlighten me. I know
it's still And the other thing is it's still seven
months away theoretically, like the fall September. So what is
the latest with whether Canelo and Terrence Crawford are fighting
or we'll get back on track to fight.
Speaker 3: The fight was never it was never finalized, or it
was never done, so it can't be off if it
was never on. So that's you know, I know that
maybe some antics, but that's you know, as I like
to say, words matter. So I look at it like this.
The outlets, the Ring, ESPN, they can report it was
quote unquote being finalized. Here's the reality in my world.
And I can't speak for how some other journalists would
report about a particular story that and I've had this
conversation with other sources when speaking about fights, how I'm
going to characterize it when we discuss the information. To me,
a fight that is quote being finalized. That means the
sides are in agreement on the basic terms, the money,
the site, the date, you know, the basic shit that
goes into a fight. Who's coming into the ring first,
who's being introduced first, that kind of basic stuff.
Speaker 1: Catchway, yeah, exactly, those kind things.
Speaker 3: All that kind of stuff. So those are the basic things.
And then there's obviously those are the kind of things
that would go in what would be called a short
form contract a deal memo if you will, that outlines
the most basic things, and then that stuff gets signed
off on, and then you go to the long form
contract where the lawyers go through everything, and it's instead
of you know, one or two pages, it's probably you know,
eight or ten pages or maybe longer depending on the
on the on the you know, how much stuff there
was to work out. So being finalized means you've gotten
to the stage of the negotiation where you're in agreement
on the most basic important parameters and you are now
in the process of sending the paperwork back and forth
to the parties that.
Speaker 1: Now you didn't emphasize you didn't emphasize that.
Speaker 2: Well enough, I got to interject what that What that
means to emphasize what you just said again is you've
agreed on the money.
Speaker 1: Where it is, the date, the weight, all of the
important thing.
Speaker 3: Now, maybe maybe the date is a slightly you don't
have an actual venue set, but the basic ship for
the fight.
Speaker 2: Is we're trying to fight this weekend or maybe the
next weekend. Here's where we're fighting, here's the weight, here's
the money.
Speaker 1: How it can get a little more complicated.
Speaker 3: There have been fights that have been announced where the
venue was not say yet, but everybody's like it's going
to be in you know, June.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 3: Just we're working on a couple of things with various things.
But let me finish the point though. Here's the thing
about it. The back and forth is happening between the lawyers,
the managers, the promoters, and they're all going through the
contract or the deal memo and they're making their corrections
and their statements and there might be some changes, and
that's being finalized. Where you're down to the nitty gritty
of like the language and this dot on this eye
and that te on, you know, cross on that tee,
and but the general terms are agreed to, that's being finalized.
Canelo Alvarez against Terrence Crawford had never reached that point. Okay,
that's my reporting. I have spoken to people involved on
both sides of this thing. All due respect to The
Ring Magazine, and they're a great publication, and I hope
that Turkey has a wonderful experience owning it, and they
do a great job, and I'm a fan. I like
the way they've read on their print magazine. I've written
for The Ring Magazine in the past, many many times.
I've covered fights for The Ring Magazine. However, Turkey as
the owner, has to prove that it's not a mouthpiece,
and so far we don't. I'm not saying it is,
but so far we don't know that it isn't. So
in my role as a journalist, pardon me, but I
am going to have some healthy skepticism. So when I
see an unbylined article appear late night on The Ring
Magazine and it comes across my Twitter, and people keep
asking us if I go check the website and there's
no byline, it doesn't have any quotes, it doesn't have
you know, it has anonymous source, one source I believe
it was. Maybe it was sources. But the point is
there was nothing other than the fight is off. It
didn't specify a reason, it didn't get into anything. It
was literally the whole story quote unquote. Story was like
three sentences or four senses. It was not a lot
of meat on the bone. Now I went and I,
you know, made some calls because okay, I mean I
in the most of the time I've looked at the
ring as a credible source. No, no, you know, they've
got good guys over there writing stories and reporting on things,
guys I've known for many years now in my reporting.
When I checked into all that stuff, I was told
very specifically by somebody that would be directly involved in
anything happening with this fight that as far as they
were concerned and everything about it would cross their desk
at some point. And I'm but a pair of so
that was on when that when that story came out,
what was that on Wednesday.
Speaker 2: And Tuesday, the day was when the reports were that
it was being finalized and it was going to be
Allegiance Stadium Wednesday, it came out now it's off.
Speaker 3: So it was explained to me that nothing to them
had materially changed in any way from the previous day,
and then now suddenly somebody sing us off. So as
far as they knew, they had no idea why that
was being said, if it was what the reason was,
but as far as they were concerned, it was still
the same pattern as it had been. We're trying to
get it done. We'll see if it gets done. It
was expressed to me by multiple people that would be
involved in this thing that some of the reporting was
getting far ahead of themselves, that it was being put
in the media, put in the public, that it was
much further along than it actually was. And so we'll see.
As you mentioned, there's still September is a long way away.
And here's the thing I always come back to. It
is still, without question, by far and away, the biggest
financial money fight that can be made in North American boxing.
It doesn't mean it's the best fight, it doesn't mean
it's the most important fight. It just means from a
strictly dollars and cents that it's a bigger fight in
terms of the dollars and cents. Then Canelo against Benavite is,
in my opinion, Canelo against you know, a rematch with Bevoll,
Canelo against better bv Canelo against just about anybody you
can think of. In my mind that because of Crawford
and his you know, desire to maybe try to win
a championship in the bigger weight class. Now, while all
this is happening, you want to get into the Jake
Paul shit.
Speaker 2: We can get into that in a second.
Speaker 1: Right, Let me let me throw.
Speaker 2: One more thing out there, because I think this is
interesting and when you go back on all of this,
this may give you a window into what's going on.
I remember when Caleb Plant was talking about trying to
get the deal, and he talked on the record about this,
trying to get the deal done for him to fight
Canelo Lavarez. He was venting that everything was a one
way negotiation. Pannello wanted a one way rematch clause, which
meant if I beat him, he gets the rematch, but
if he beats me, I don't get the rematch. Canelo
wanted to control all of the advertising for the fight.
Speaker 1: He was a total shot caller. We get it. The
phrase we use in all of that.
Speaker 2: So I just wonder, speculating from the cheap set, just
sitting back, if it got to the point where in
all of these discussions.
Speaker 1: That he wanted this and this and this and this.
Speaker 2: Which is what he's used to getting, and when he
didn't get all of that that Canelo just said, Okay,
I'll figure something else out with somebody else. Do you
buy that that's possible, if not probable, just with what
we know from before.
Speaker 3: I wouldn't say probable, but certainly that's possible. Canelo Alvarez
understands his position. He's not unwilling to flex his muscle.
I know any fighter that's in that position probably would
and should you know, and again nothing against my man,
Caleb Plant, but obviously you're doing a Caleb Plant Canelo, right,
Caleb Plant brought a lot to the table because it
was the last piece for undisputed, and it was a
great opportunity for Canelo to become undisputed as well as
it was for Caleb if he could have went to
become undisputed. But when you put that emotional part of
it aside and you're down to the nitty gritty of
the business, yeah, obviously Canelo's gonna call the shots. Now
you have to show respect to the opponent, because again,
Kayleb Plant had the title, and you can't become undisputed
if you don't have Caleb Plant in the in the fight. Now,
when it comes to Terrence Crawford, this is not that
kind of situation for Kenel Aalvaris. He's not going to
be getting another title. He's he's the champion. It's not
I mean, yeah, he's gonna probably make a big payday,
but Canelo makes big paydays against anybody. So even if
you were to go, let's I'm making this up. Let's
say he said, screwf doing the deal with Turkey and
fighting Crawford for you know, eighty million dollars. I can
still go fight you know, christ and Billy and and
make thirty five million dollars. And when you've already made literally,
you know, five hundred million dollars or more in your career,
Like I mean, now, you're just keeping score. It doesn't
like if he makes thirty time making bank money, it's
not something that's going to change in his life or
his family's life. Ever, So that's completely irrelevant. It gets
to the point where it's about who has the bigger dick. Basically,
you know, it's pound your chest.
Speaker 2: Or in his world that this is the way that
I'm going to do things, and this is what's going
to lead to the Jake Paul discussion.
Speaker 1: We're coming to it right now.
Speaker 2: And if you don't want to go along with what
my guarantee is, what my terms are on a one
way rematch. I get to control the advertising, I control
all the aspects of this, then I'll go fight somebody else. Now,
I have to say that you and I have been
doing this for about three years, and two or three
times we have brought up the name Jake Paul in
conversation about Canelo Alvarez. Are we seriously legitimately in the
realm where this.
Speaker 1: Could possibly happen?
Speaker 2: What have you been hearing? What have you found out?
Speaker 3: No? Absolutely, Now again, I'm not going to sit here
and tell you what it's being finalized, because I don't
play games like that. But they are absolutely one hundred percent,
one hundred percent ninety nine point nine nine point nine
to eight whatever. They're absolutely that their people are at
least engaged in a dialogue to discuss the possibility of
making this match. Whether it will happen or not, I
don't know, because you get into the same situation. Canelo
is an A personality. He is the A side. Jake
Paul is an A personality. He's always been the A side,
and sometimes in those sides, trying to make a deal
it becomes extremely difficult and they kind of don't see
the forest through the trees. You make a Canelo Versus
Jake Paul fight, you know, you might as well print money. Now,
a lot of people will hate on the fight. I
get that, but at the end of the day, they
both have different fan bases. They both have very passionate,
diehard fan bases, and it will be a big event,
you know. I was thinking to myself, if they could,
if Netflix put up the kind of money and put
up for the Tyson Jake Paul fight, and they love
a ten pole event, and I don't know what would
prevent them from doing Canelo versus Jake Paul on Netflix.
That would be I think that would be just as
big as the Tyson fight, because even though Tyson's obviously
a bigger name than Canelo, bigger than any boxer. Canelo
is an active fighter who hasn't been retired for twenty
years and is the much smaller guy, even if Jake
is obviously a lot less experience and doesn't have any
kind of nearly the account the talent or accomplishment. So
we'll see what happens on that end. But yeah, they're
having the conversations. Now. Look the plan that was being
mapped out to do a fight against Jake Paul for
Canelo sometime in the spring May June, and then move
on to a Terrence Crawford fight. You're talking about a
year in which he would you know, he's been Canelo
on that Forbes Top Athletes Paid list for however many
years in a row. He would probably be in the
top three or four after a year like that if
he fought both of those fights. So we'll see what happens.
But one thing you can rest the short is Canelo
Alvarez is gonna fight, probably gonna fight mayor June, and
he's gonna fight again in the fall, and it's just
a matter of who's gonna be across it.
Speaker 2: Is it realistic that he could fight Jake Paul in
mayor June or do you think this is a thing
where he's gonna fight somebody. I'm just speculating, and if
the Pall fight happens, it's to replace the Terrence Crawford
fight in the fall, not the case.
Speaker 3: Okay, No, My understanding is the conversations have centered around
it being the next fight. Now, could they change their
tact and go and try to do a beater in
the year. I guess anything is possible, you know. That's
one thing I think that certain people don't understand. Also
is that and again I can only speak for myself.
When I report something, you do so knowing that it
has the chance to change the next day, that everything
about this is fluid. So what what I've always lived
by and I try to remember who told miss an
editor many years ago that I had maybe when I
started my newspaper career, is your job is to report
the best, most factual, most accurate information possible at the time,
knowing that it is going to there's a good chance
it may change, you know, within hours, days, weeks, months,
whatever the situation.
Speaker 2: You and I are contemporaries, were of the same background.
I have a broadcast journalism degree. You have been you
have a broadcast you have a journalism degree, you've been
a writer.
Speaker 1: Whatever.
Speaker 3: I do not have a journalism degree.
Speaker 1: You don't have to drug.
Speaker 2: I thought you did have a journalism agree you're breaking
news to be on the pod.
Speaker 3: What. I was a history major and I still still
but I took the journalism classes. I learned from wonderful editors.
Speaker 1: And how to write.
Speaker 2: And by the way, history is all about getting the
facts and the and the stuff correct. From way back
when it was explained to me this way, you are
seeking the truth. Whatever that truth is in its current form.
Speaker 1: That's correct.
Speaker 2: And if the truth is that the fight is not done,
could be on, could be off, And here's the terms.
That's the truth at the time that you're seeking it.
That's what the truth is, and that's what we're doing
here on the podcast.
Speaker 3: I just feel like certain people in the media they
picked their words wrong, because there'd be nothing wrong with
writing a story about Terrence Crawford and uh Terrence Crawford
and Kenel Alvarez, and instead of using the phrase being finalized,
you could write say, hey, they are you know, deep
in the negotiation of trying to get things worked out.
I mean, there's a thousand ways you can skin a
cat and and come up with the right words. But
when you say being finalized, to me, that's a very
specific thing. That means they agree to the terms, they
are chaining, they're doing the papers. And that was not
the case.
Speaker 2: Just like whatever else was being finalized back a few
weeks ago, that wasn't finalized. And I spoke, I don't
know there was a female Lopez fight, wasn't it that
was being finalized.
Speaker 1: I believe it's not finalized.
Speaker 2: Let's just end it with this on Canelo Jake Paul
on the Rayphael meter. Zero chance that it happens. Ten
It absolutely happens. Zero, it never happens. No chance it's
where right now?
Speaker 3: I think it's uh, we'll call like a six and
a half.
Speaker 4: Wow.
Speaker 2: But again, and it was more than a two or three.
Speaker 1: Oh no, come on, remarkable.
Speaker 2: I'm talking about like, I don't want to go for
another thirty minutes, TJ.
Speaker 3: Just remember one thing when you ask about the Rayfield meter,
before you think about what the score is, ask yourself
in your mind, shall I follow the money?
Speaker 2: Well no, I'm not saying the why. I'm just saying
where do you have it? And you have it the
moment you believe it's.
Speaker 1: Because of the money.
Speaker 3: Yeah, strictly the money, all right, and.
Speaker 2: Then a later time when it gets a little more progressed,
let's see if let's see if it becomes more of
a reality. I'll have some more thoughts on that and
about Canelo Alvarez and his legacy at this point, all right,
Ryan Garcia is a topic and a person that we've
talked about several times. We have new news, including we
talked about him enrolling in Vada. We've talked about the
risk problems that he's had, and now you have learned
about he's back with a familiar and famous trainer. So
share this with the audience as it relates to what's
coming up for him and may Well.
Speaker 3: He's got the May second tentative fight against Roly Romero. Again,
keep in mind, this has not been officially announced in
terms of like a press conference, a press release, but
Turkey's social media post who has not even said the
date in terms of his postings. But I believe numerous
people I have spoken to that says this, if it happens,
is going to be May second. So we all know
the deal here. They're trying to do a doubleheader where
will be really Romero against Ryan Garcia Devin Haney against
Jose Ramirez with the idea that if Jose I mean, rather,
if Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney are the winners, they
will then fight in October in Riad, Saudi Arabia in
the rematch. Whereas the May double hitter is being situated
for New York City, they're talking about doing the fight
in Times Square as a big event on a Friday night. Okay,
So with that being said, now you look at two factors.
Number One, When Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney had their
fight back in April of last year, as well as
the previous fights before that, Ryan Garcia was in Texas
being trained by Derek James. He had broken apart with
the Canelo team. Remember he had been close to Canelo
and he had been being trained by Eddie Renoso and
obviously that didn't work out and he left and then
went and found Derek and had some success with Derek.
Because even though whatever you want to talk about the
craziness of what happened with the Haney promotion and the
drug test and his while drinking and all the crazy
things that were going on leading up to it, in
the boxing ring, he did win the fight, even though
it was changed for no contests, and a big part
of that has to be given credit to his trainer,
Derek James at him obviously in some kind of shape
and you know, with a good game plan. But so
the rumor started to come out that he had broken
apart with Derek and in return to Eddie Renoso, and
I was sort of like, wow, that surprises me actually,
So I just asked around with the Golden Boy folks
and some of the Ryan people are like, yeah, he's
back training with Eddie Renosso. So we'll see how that
plays out. One factor that I found to be kind
of interesting is that if he is in fact back
definitely training with Eddie, that if Ryan is going to
be fighting on Friday, May second, and if Canelo still
goes forward and has some kind of fight, whoever it's
against Jake Paul or somebody else on May third, which
would be in Las Vegas, that's somethings.
Speaker 1: And half they hit the road.
Speaker 3: You know, Rubber is going to hit the road because
you know, Eddie Renosso is a great trainer. But I
find hard to believe that he's going to be in
Ryan Garcia's corner. On Friday and then with Canelo on
the third. You need to be with your guy more
than just the you know, a couple hours before the fight.
And he's obviously not gonna forego Canelo. That's his guy
for life. So we'll see how that all plays out.
And the other factor about that particular fight between Ryan
Garcia and UH and and uh Ryan Garcia Roly Romero
is and I'm gonna I may throw up on the
podcast DJ that I wish I'd go get my barf
back from my kitchen or something like that, because they're
gonna make this fight for the wb A regular welterweight
world title. Now, this is the.
Speaker 2: Point in the podcast where I kept coming at you
and saying the w b A and their garbage with
the regular titles and all the other stuff, and you
kept saying to me, Oh.
Speaker 1: They're doing away with it.
Speaker 3: They're seen.
Speaker 1: I talked to them. They're cleaning it up. They're gonna
stop doing this.
Speaker 2: They gotta clean up all the O no, no, you
kept saying they're cleaning up all the ones that that
are outlying.
Speaker 3: And then that's the point.
Speaker 2: But now you're coming back around and saying, of us
have been barfing all along.
Speaker 3: This is different. The reality is they did clean it up.
They got down where they had like fucking three extraaneous titles.
They had fewer extra titles than the WBC. But two
can be true at the same time. So they make
this fight for the regular.
Speaker 1: One thing is true.
Speaker 2: They want to call all of these fights title fights.
Speaker 1: That's what the truth is.
Speaker 3: Here.
Speaker 1: We go back to seeking.
Speaker 3: But this is even more egregious than any of the others,
and I say that for a variety of reasons. Number one,
Ryan Garcia is coming off a drug suspension and a
no contest and has not done dick to earn that
type of fight period, end of story. The fact that
they would allow him the fight for a world title
off of a drug suspension with a fight there was
no contest because he fucking cheated, that's a problem obviously.
So that's the first thing. Yes, he did defeat Oscar Duarte,
which was a nice win for him, but before that
he quit and got knocked out by Gervonta Davis. I mean,
some people say he quit. I actually thought it was legit,
but some people say he stayed on the knee when
he got stopped by Tank Davis. And so why you're
making this a world title fight is beyond my comprehension garbage.
I mean and and and then you and and that's
the Ryan Garcia end of things. Now, if you look
at Roly Romero as a participant in a welterweight world
title fight, number one has never fought in the welterweight division,
has been a career long lightweight. Other than his most
recent couple of fights, which were at junior welterweight. He
come off a knockout loss where he looked absolutely horrendous
against Isaac Cruz in their title fight, got absolutely destroyed,
came back won a very pedestrian, horrendously boring against a
regular type of guy in Manuel Himes that took place
back in September, a terrible fight. Absolutely not the kind
of opponent that should put you in a position to
fight for a world title, period. So for this to
be a world title fight is ridiculous. And the reason
even more so than make it ridiculous is because the
actual title holder, which is emantistanionas he is in a
unification fight in April against Jaron Boots Ennis to unify
the IBF and the WBA title. So your champion is active,
he fought at the end of last year. He's got
a fight coming up in April this year after unfortunately
a long layoff. So what the fuck is the purpose
of that is to get the WBA paid and give
the guy that wins a fake title. Period. I'm so
fucking pissed about this one. You don't even understand.
Speaker 1: I do understand. It's garbage.
Speaker 2: Stop defending them for getting rid of all the regular titles.
Speaker 3: Got really fucking riled up right now.
Speaker 2: I understand they were never getting rid of these because
of the reason you just explained, the money, the sanctioning fee,
the fake.
Speaker 3: But the point that you are when willing to accept
is over the past two years, they actually did eliminate
a dozen of these titles or more.
Speaker 2: But that was not to slip exactly. That was not
to eliminate them from all times.
Speaker 3: I think there were a bunch of fucking drunks that
got their shit together in alcoholics anonymous, and then they
took a drink again.
Speaker 2: And that's a fairly appropriate analogy on that. Back back
on the sauce, uh, let's move on, shall wait? Janna
Beck now has.
Speaker 3: A and by the way, I have one hour thing
to say about that. I know this was an issue
because my very quality relationship with Gilberto Mendoza from the WBA. Uh.
I've asked them about this, this anctioning for this title
on a few occasions on our back and forth on
our text exchange, and Gilberto was usually very good about
responding and having back and forth. Hasn't fucking answered me
for three fucking days.
Speaker 1: Tells you a lot if.
Speaker 3: Not fucking me, dagil Berto, you're ducking me baby?
Speaker 1: All right?
Speaker 2: Jana Bec, Janebec now has a date Janebec Alemicannuli, the
WBO IBF middleweight champion. But I I have to confess
this is an April fight in Kazakhstan, and I don't
even know where you're going to go. For the name,
I'm gonna try Annuel. Is it Gama's Gamma Insinae. I
don't even know how to.
Speaker 1: Say the name. I think it's gosam Inge, gossam Inge.
Speaker 2: All right, what is this? It is a unified middleweight
title fight?
Speaker 3: What is this?
Speaker 1: What is this? Hey? Lighten me about what this is? Please?
Speaker 3: I mean, Janebec has wanted to go home and have
a fight in Kazakhstan. Uh, he's proud of his heritage.
He was an Olympian for Kazakhstan. He has you know,
he's based in southern California, but he hasn't had a
fight in Kazakhstan since his first and second professional fights.
That's obviously a number of years ago. So when the
opportunity with a promoter from Kazakhstan came up and it
wasn't like he had some big fights in the out there,
Top Rank was able to work with them to find
a way for him to have for his career a
big fight at home helped build his image in his
name at home, you know, which is not a bad thing.
And again with no particular mega fight out there, that's
the that's the route they've tried to take. So it'll
be April fifth, it'll be an ESPN Plus event here
in the United States. They had been trying to make
a deal with the British fighter Shaquille Thompson, Top Rank
and Shaquille Thompson's promoter. They had come to an agreement
his promoter's GBM, which does shows in the UK primarily,
and that was pending Shaquille winning what was supposed to
be a tuna fight that's taking place on Friday night
of this week, and so they were they they were
trying trying to finalize that, and then the manager of
Shaquill Thompson stepped in and that's I guess his job,
and decided it wasn't an ugh money to take that
gamble and fight for the Unified World title. And so
they tried to get more money. And you know, there
are certain times you can negotiate in certain times where
they'll just tell you to go fucking pound sand And
I guess they told him to go pound sand because
what the Chicel Thompson side maybe didn't understand and she
kills undefeated. I'm not saying anything bad about him or
even the manager. At the end of the day, this
is not to sh she killed Thompson show. They didn't
need to have him in the fight. They could get
anybody in the WBO or I mean, I guess there
the IBF rankings, and so if they had a certain
budget that they wanted to spend on the fight Thompson,
they were not in agreement on what that money was.
So the promoter, I guess, was okay with it, but
the manager wasn't. And so they're out, and so they
went and got this Annuel Nissa and m Gay who
was a just you know, the next guy in line.
I guess now. He was a twenty sixteen Olympian. He's
from the Democratic People's Republic of Congo. He fights out
of France. He didn't turn pre while he fought in
the twenty sixteen Olympics, and he is undefeated as a
professional at fourteen and oh with nine knockouts. He didn't
turn pro until tooth I was in nineteen uh and
he's come on, and I'll tell you one thing. I
actually looked up to see a little clip of him.
He I mean, I don't know how good he is.
He has never really fought anybody of consequence and obviously
had a good amateur background. But he's built like an
absolute wall, like a brick wall, all right, and he's
in looks an unbelievable condition.
Speaker 1: And how many pro fights again, how many fights?
Speaker 3: Fourteen pro fights? But Janebek's only got sixteen pro fights.
They and by the way, janebec was also a twenty
sixteen Olympians, so they come from the same you know,
Olympic class. From that standpoint where they both were in
the same tournament. I don't think. I don't believe that
they fought each other in the Olympics, But the point
is that they both have similar number of fights. But obviously,
even though Janebek hasn't had a chance to have big fights,
he's fought you know, obviously legitimate, solid pros with some
some reputation. So anyway, that's the fight. So he's going
home and you know, I'll call it a marking time fight.
Get a big attention in your home country. If you
can win, maybe that can help push you into a
bigger fight. As the middleweight division, hopefully we'll become a
little more uh, guys with the name recognition, whether it's
the winner of Sharaz against the Damas or somebody else
enters the fray, or he decides maybe to move up,
and so that's what's going on now. Uh, it's not
the biggest fight in the world. But you know, he
is a unified champion and he's really good. He may
not have a big fan base, he may not have
much of a personality, he may not be the most
popular or fun loving guy in the world, but uh,
he is a unified world champion, and there's not a
whole lot of those in boxing.
Speaker 2: Well, remember he had the health scare trying to make
weight and they had to cancel the fight on the
eve of the fight because he was dehydrated in the hospital.
And the other thing I keep thinking when you're saying this,
he turned down whatever the money offer was. He turned
down a lucrative opportunity to fight Hamsa Shiraz and defend
the title. And so now we're fighting. I'm gonna try
the game. The name again, the congen in got miscue?
Speaker 3: What the are you talking about?
Speaker 1: There's no it's en gay in gay in in gom.
Speaker 2: All right, well we'll try somebody spelling it, right, I am,
I understand, and it's literally what thirteen or fourteen letters,
and it looks like mgam missing you or missing gay
Let's see he fights in April against Jannebec and then
you gotta spell jannebeca lim Canouley while you're at at Rayfield. Oh,
it's no easy task for these two guys. And again
he's got two of the middleway titles. And again on
the February twenty second read card, that's Carlos Adamis and
Shiraz call me crazy.
Speaker 1: Winner of that fight.
Speaker 2: Against a winner of a janebec fight might be appealing
for later.
Speaker 1: In twenty twenty twenty five. Can we have good things?
Speaker 2: I don't know if we can have good things, Stay
tuned for that later on down the road. Shall we
get to nostalgia before we are gone? Rayfield's been amped
to talk about this fight. I'm gonna put you in
a good mood when we talk. February fifth, two thousand
and five. This was twenty years ago Wednesday. I remember
this Zab Judah Cory Spinks and a rematch in Saint
Louis in a rocking, sold out downtown arena where the
Saint Louis Blues play hockey. Zab Judah became the undisputed
welterweight king twenty years ago. Earlier this week, on February
the fifth of two thousand and five. Tell me more
about this Judah win and what you remember?
Speaker 3: Just a big fun fight, and I was before we
started taping it. You asked me if I was at
the fight, and I wasn't, And I couldn't really remember
why I wasn't. As I mentioned, I was at their
first fight. So if you back up before we get
to this fightwork, that's the anniversary, zab Judah had defeated
Ricardo Majorga to unify the three titles back when it
was three titles to be the undisputed champion. That's in
two thousand and three. End of two thousand and three.
That was that mega don king cart in Atlantic City
that had the record eight world title fights on the
same show. And then after Corey Spinks won that and
became the undisputed champion, in his first defense of the
undisputed title, he fought zab Judah at the Mandalay Bay.
That fight the first one I was at that was
on the same cart that had the big upset when
Leiman Brewster defeated Vladimir Klitschko and won the vacant WBO
heavyweight title. So that was in April of two thousand
and four, and zab Judah defeated Cory Spinks and I mean,
I'm sorry. Cory Spinks defeated zab Judah by a unanimous
decision and retained the title. He then defended the title
and then they met in a rematch that took place
in Corey Spinks's hometown of Saint Louis, where he had
become you know, a big name obviously comes from the
Spinx family. His uncle is the Hall of Famer Michael Spink's,
former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion. His father is Leon Spinks,
the former heavyweight champ who beat Muhammad Ali and Zab
obviously was going to try to get the revenge and
it turned out to be like a big, big deal
over there. They sold out to Sabage Center. I've covered
a fight there and that's a pretty big building. I
covered at Devin Alexander fight there years ago, So now
all the belts are up, and I mean, I think
what people remember this was like a showtime fight. They
got a lot of hype at the time, and Cory
Spinks came to the ring. We've seen a million fighters
come to the ring with their own rappers, but Corey's
ring walk that night was even more over the top
with the rapper than a lot of the ones that
we see. And Judah was there, calm, poised, and you know,
and Zab was a guy who would you know, he'd
won some fights, but he disappointed in some fights. It
was very inconsistent. He never really kind of knew which
Zab Judah was going.
Speaker 1: To show up.
Speaker 3: But on this night, the the Zab Judah that a
lot of people knew was really outstanding. That Zab Judah
showed up and he took it to Sphinx. You know,
Spinx tried, you know, Sphinx was not a big puncher,
tried to box him. And in the end, Uh Judah
knocked him down in the ninth round and and ultimately
stopped him and became the undisputed champion. And if you
take a look at Zab's record, this has to stand
out as probably his biggest win. When he became the
undisputed champion. He stopped in the ninth round, and it
was a huge upset because he was in the other
guy's hometown. He had already lost to him in their
first fight back, you know, uh, you know, about a
year or so before that. And it was it was
a great event. I mean it was it was American boxing,
two top Americans, not pay per view, but a big crowd.
You know, my recollection did a good number on showtime
and uh and and that was a huge win for
Zab who's still to this day people that when I
posted like a picture of my poster from that fight,
people who were responding on my social media kept talking
about like what a big win that was, and they
talked about the crazy rapper and then Corey Spinks's dance
coming into the ring, you know, and the old what's
the old saying? I don't know who said this, like
if you're gonna come in with a rapper like that,
you better take care of business exactly.
Speaker 2: He did not do that or else, You're only known
for the ring entrance and then getting out splatted.
Speaker 3: Unfortunately, after he defeated Corey spinkson and won that fight,
you know, he did go on. He made one defense
of the undisputed title. Then he had that horrendous upset
loss to Carlos Valdimir but was able to retain one
of the adults due to nonsense technicalities or shall I say,
because the IBF does IBF things. And then he went
out and fought Floyd Mayweather and got obviously wiped out
by Floyd, and you know, it was kind of downhill
from there.
Speaker 2: And the Floyd fight is the wild fight with Roger
Mayweather in the ring and the whole bit that you've
shared that before too, But this was the night.
Speaker 3: This was the night against Corey Spinks in the rematch
where zab Judah so much talent, really put it all
together and won a really big fight and became the
undisputed champ of the world.
Speaker 2: So there you go, twenty years ago on February the fifth,
and by the way, Oscar dal La Hooya, Oh, I
do not want to accept. We're both now man in
our mid fifties. Oscar dal La Hoya is fifty two
as of Tuesday, February fourth. Happy birthday, Oscar dal La Hoya.
Did you send him a birthday card? I'm just checking.
Speaker 3: I send him a Actually this is this is this
is kind of funny. I did send him a text
message happy birthday. And literally, as we're recording this podcast.
You don't know this, but I have my phone on silence. Huh,
doesn't get you know the buzzers. I got a text
message back from Oscar thanking me for the for the
happy birthday wish is while we were recording this podcast,
coincidentally having planned to speak about Oscar's birthday and our
last segment here. So yeah, listen, Oscar is fifty two.
And I think there's a whole I guess a generation
of fans now that don't know Oscar as the act
of popular Superstar Champion, know him as the promoter from
Golden Boy and then clapp back Thursday and some of
the crazy shit that he does on social media. And
you know, you can love Oscar eight Oscar whatever, But
when Oscar was doing this thing as a as A,
as a primetime fighter, couple things, he was the face
of boxing undisputed worldwide. B he made the biggest events
and drew in the biggest money. You knew that if
when the boxing calendar year started, you were gonna have
at least two humongous events because Oscar was gonna fight
typically May in September on the Mexican holidays.
Speaker 2: By the way, we shared last month that what was
that year again, was it ninety six that he fought
five times? Five times? In ninety six? I think they
heard Whittaker and Camacho. Maybe it was a ninety six.
It was ninety eight. It was a year in which
he fought five times and Pernell Whittaker and Hector Camacho
were two actually five opponents.
Speaker 3: It was actually nineteen ninety seven. Please ninety seven.
Speaker 1: I was way off.
Speaker 2: But we just talked about that, about how popular and
prominent this guy was, and he understood how to keep
your name out there, ring the bell, the.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: It is different than a lot of fighters today. There
was never the discussion about not fighting a certain guy,
right with the one exception of maybe Winky Wright, which
could have been for the undisputed And there was not
like a I mean, I wrote about it. I wanted
to see the fight, but I'm a little more of
a purist. But there wasn't like a huge public demand
for the fight. But if there was a public demand
for a fight, Oscar de la Hoya literally fought everybody
he could possibly have fought that mattered during his heyday.
Speaker 2: Give him the list, the list, if you go, an
staggering list, if.
Speaker 3: You go in order, and you know at one hundred
and thirty pounds, you know, he won the WBO belt,
which even then was not really considered much, and he
fought like nobody in particular. But once he got up
to lightweight, he fought John John Molina, he fought Rafael Rouelles,
Genera Hernandez, he just fought Jesse James Lea. Then he
had the big mega fight with Julio Sesar chavs At
won forty first defense. Miguel Angel Gonzos was forty one
and oh, one of the top Mexicans. Then Colonel Whitaker
for the welterweight title. Then you know this is not
this are not every fight. But he fought Hector Camacho,
a huge name. He had the rematch with Chavis, who
he stopped again I quarte megafight Oba Car not pay
per view, probably the best welterweight of that year that
never won a world title. Then he had the mega
fight with Felix Trinett where he got robbed. Then he
went and he fought two fightslighter, deprime, undefeated sugar Shane Moley.
Then he came back.
Speaker 1: You could stop right there. I'm not done going.
Speaker 3: And even though it wasn't like a big fight from
the standpoint where people thought it was going to be
possible loss for Oscar, he still fought the huge name
Arturo Gaddy, which was a fun, exciting, one sided fight.
He then won and fought at one hundred and fifty
four pounds against an excellent fighter named Heavier Castello and
won the WBC and the lineal title. Then the big
mega fight against Fernando Vargas. We stopped in the twelfth round.
That was a huge fight. He lost the rematch of
Shane Mosey in a fight that myself and many many, many,
many many people at rings I thought he clearly won
the rematch. He then fought at middleweight against Felix Stern.
That was a questionable call. He got the win. I
thought he lost. He had the balls to fucking fight
Bernard Hopkins, who stopped him in a big fight. He
then fought Ricardo Majorga coming back and won yet another
world title, dropping back down to one fifty four. Then
he had the biggest fight in boxing history at the
time in terms of the money, massive, massive, massive megafight
with Floyd Mayweather. Junior had one fight after that against
Steve Forbes who that was the get Well fight where
he didn't really look particularly good, and then he got
absolutely destroyed by Manny Pacyao in an upset and he retired.
But I just named you fucking like twenty guys who
were all top level champions, and he won most of
those fights. So Oscar deale Hoya, when I remember, I remember,
and I've interviewed Oscar to accountless times. I'm known Oscar
for my entire career, but I remember specifically when I
was interviewing at some point when he retired to sort
of disgust me, like how he wanted to be remembered,
and his thing that he thought about wasn't about winning
the gold medal, which was important to him and he
still says was his greatest accompas win in that Olympic
gold in the nineteen ninety two Olympic Games. But it
wasn't the gold, it wasn't all the titles, it wasn't
all the money. He wanted the fans to remember that
I Oscar Deloya fought everybody. I didn't pick and choose.
And I've told this story before. I've heard this not
from Oscar, but I've heard this from the people at
Top Rank. Top Rank was this promoter for most of
his career. And they would gather together and they would
discuss what's the game plan for Oscar. And they would
sit in the boardroom and it be Bob Aaron and
his lieutenants and their matchmaker, Bruce Trampler, and Oscar and
Oscar's team, and they would go over the possibilities and
you know what they thought and how much money they
thought or how much paper you it could do, or
what HBO would pay or this or that or the other,
and it was explained to me Oscar would basically say
which one's going to pay me the most money, and
he would take the fight. And then was I mean,
maybe I'm simplifying it too much. I can't sit here
and say there was never like an argument about making
it the deal. But by and large, Oscar took the
biggest fight.
Speaker 2: But it's also not like he didn't get around to
fighting whomever else was put on the table, that he
didn't choose that.
Speaker 1: Here's the other thing, just chose him later.
Speaker 3: This is the other very critical thing about why Oscar
should be respected more than he is. A lot of
guys have fought great names, but they pick and choose
at the time when they fight them, so it's convenient
for them. When Oscar fought a lot of these guys,
he fought them at their best. He thought Floyd and
Nanny when they were on the upswing at their best.
He fought Bernard Hopkins when he was the dominating middleweight
world champion undefeated, I mean undisputed. Rather, he fought Shane
Mosey when he was on a rising up the town
for poundless as a undefeated fighter. He fought Fernando Vargas. Yeah,
he had had to loss to Trinidad, but he had
a world title and it was a fight that ever
he wanted. He was still a lot younger, and that
was a very dangerous fight. He was taking on the
biggest opponent of his career. I mean, you go on
and on and on, even even guys like you know,
Felix Trinidad was undefeated. That was the big mega fight.
That was a hugely dangerous fight. That was That was
Tito Trinidad in his dead prime. Ike Corte was undefeated,
he was in his prime. Juliosaes Er Chavas may not
have been in his prime, but he was still the champion.
I mean, he was still beating everybody. He was still
he only had one loss at that point against Frankie Randall,
I mean in the big upset. So Prenell Whitaker had
one loss, which was a robbery and the draw against Travis.
So he was fighting these guys when they were champion,
when they were at their best. And to say otherwise
about Oscars being disingenuous, he fought everybody, and he fought
them when it mattered.
Speaker 2: And now he is a big force, especially in the
Western United States in promoting the sport and happy birthday
Oscar de la Hoya. All right, we have been here
a little bit. Great stuff again. We will be back
on the bet Us Boxing Show Friday, one Eastern time,
second reference to it one Eastern on their platforms to
talk to Sora and Otto Volein and the heavyweight main
event in England and handicap that fight, and then we'll
take your questions, et cetera live on that show. Good
stuff with Keishawn Davis again his world title challenges next
week in Norfolk, Virginia. But you got it already this
week from Keishawn himself right here on the pod. My friend,
hang in there with all that you have going on.
I know this is therapeutic for you. I enjoy it,
especially when you get rerapped up about the WBA and
whatever else. At least you weren't swatting me here on
the program. Yeah, of course there is. Whatever happens, we'll
have a fight Freaks Unite recap off the weekend, Big Dan,
I'll talk to you on the bet US Show. Thank
you for the time.
Speaker 1: Here as always.
Speaker 3: That sounds good.
Speaker 2: J There is Dan ray Phield, follow him not only
on social media, but the Fight Preaks Unite, Substack, Subscribe
the newsletter the whole bit for all the news and
the info. Follow and subscribe on this podcast feed, Apple, Spreaker, Spotify.
We're done for now on the Big Fight Weekend Preview pod.
Speaker 1: Bye,