Fighting is family affair for Golovkin

Gennady Golovkin has travelled the globe winning boxing matches in 22 cities and seven different countries to earn his Las Vegas debut on Saturday.

The 35-year-old Golovkin has waited years for the arrival of this career-defining superfight against Mexico’s biggest star Canelo Alvarez.

It is also the three-belt champion’s first fight in Las Vegas and it fittingly comes against the toughest opponent he has ever faced in a career which has been defined by a steady jab and explosive knockout power.

“The biggest day is coming,” Golovkin said. “This is my game. My fight, I am the boss. I am the champion.”

That was a mouthful from Golovkin. All week long during the build up to Saturday’s fight at the T-Mobile Arena for middleweight supremacy, the reserved Golovkin has said he prefers doing his talking in the ring.

When reporters asked him on Wednesday about the birth of his second child, which happened last Friday, he said, “Please don’t ask me about my family. I am just focused on boxing.”

His boxing career started in his native Kazakhstan. Growing up in a family of four boys, if he wasn’t scrapping with his brothers at home he was fighting much older and bigger kids in the streets.

He had his first professional fight in 2006 at age 24 after a superb amateur career which included a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. His fought in Germany and Denmark before joining forces with trainer Abel Sanchez who taught him how to maximize his strengths.

Sanchez and Golovkin teamed up for fights in Panama, Kazakhstan, Germany and Ukraine before Golovkin made his US debut in 2012.

Golovkin’s twin brother, Max, said Gennady is a very private person.

“Nobody knows about it because camp is always closed,” Max Golovkin said. “No one knows how dedicated and focused and concentrated he is.”

Max knows Gennady better than anyone. They had an older brother, Vadim, who helped introduce them to the sport and another brother, Sergey, who took time to work with them as well.

Two brothers died

Tragically both brothers were killed in separate incidents during Russian government service.

The funeral for Vadim, who died first, was held with an empty casket. The family is still trying to find out the details of what happened.

Gennady named his first child, a boy, Vadim.

Max is also on Gennady’s mind when he fights. The family didn’t have much money so when Gennady turned 18 he was the one they picked to pursue a boxing career.

“They chose Gennady should continue his career,” Max said.

When you consider Gennady’s difficult journey to the pinnacle of his profession it is easy to see why he insists on taking nothing for granted.

They say styles make fights and this one has the ingredients to be the start of a special rivalry.

Alvarez insisted on a rematch clause for the fight which some are hoping is the beginning of boxing’s newest trilogy series like Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera and Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti.

Golovkin says he’s willing to take on all comers and can’t wait to get into the ring with Canelo, comparing the excitement to being with a new lover.

“It is like you are going with your new girlfriend. Oh yeah,” he said.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Mayweather, McGregor ready to rumble in much-hyped fight

LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor has been kept pretty much under wraps ever since his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. was announced, emerging occasionally to trash Mayweather only to disappear again behind the closed doors of the UFC training center.


It’s not by accident. The biggest selling point of the spectacle that is Saturday night’s 154-pound fight is the unknown.

Is McGregor good enough to land a big punch on Mayweather? Did he acquire enough boxing skills in just a few short months to make what should be a lopsided fight competitive?

Inquiring minds want to know, and there are enough of them to make this the most watched fight in history. Some 50 million people in the U.S. alone are expected to gather with friends and family to see it all unfold.

“I will be the king of both sports,” McGregor crowed. “I’m already the king of fighting, I’ll soon be the king of boxing.”

Not so fast, said Mayweather, who comes from a boxing family and famously began throwing punches before he could walk.

“After 21 years I’ve been hit with everything and I’m still right here,” Mayweather said. “If you give it you must be able to take it.”

It’s a fight that really makes no sense other than millions of people want to watch it. But the economics of the fight wouldn’t make any sense, either, if people saw McGregor — the UFC star who has never boxed professionally — in action and decided he just wasn’t good enough to be in the ring with a fighter like Mayweather.

No mystique, no 5 million buys on Showtime pay-per-view. That’s why there was never any chance of McGregor having a tuneup fight.

And that is why the only boxing anyone outside McGregor’s inner circle has seen was him hitting the heavy bag in a comical media day performance and a few seconds of a UFC clip purportedly showing him knocking down Showtime announcer and former fighter Paulie Malignaggi.

No worries, said McGregor, who says his boxing talents shouldn’t be underestimated.

“I’ve been lacing up the gloves my entire existence,” McGregor said. “Of course, we will come with a different approach than people are used to, we will paint many pictures inside the ring. It’s not going to end well for Floyd. It’s not going to end well for all the people who are doubting me and are so convinced that this is what it is.”

McGregor weighed in at 153 pounds Friday to 149 ½ for Mayweather. A crowd that nearly filled the T-Mobile arena — many waving Irish flags — cheered loudly for McGregor while booing Mayweather.

McGregor’s fan base is driving this fight, united in their fervent hope that the Irish UFC champion can muscle Mayweather around the ring and deliver knockout punches to his head. Sports books in this gambling city have taken so many longshot wagers on McGregor winning by a knockout early that they will suffer their worst loss ever should it actually happen.

What should be a 100-1 fight began as 11-1 in Mayweather’s favor. Now it’s 5-1, though a lot of big money — including a few million dollar bets — has been wagered on Mayweather in recent days.

“I don’t see him lasting two rounds,” McGregor said. “He messed up with the 8-ounce gloves. Keep your hands up, keep them down. I don’t care. I’m going to break through whatever is in front of me.”

For the flamboyant McGregor the fight is a chance to make money he couldn’t dream of in the UFC and gain a fan base outside of mixed martial arts. Estimates vary, but he could take home $100 million for a challenge of Mayweather that seemed improbable when he first started talking about it two years ago.

He’s got youth on his side (he’s 29 and Mayweather is 40), and he’ll probably go in the ring much heavier than Mayweather after rehydrating following Friday’s weigh-in. He’s also got a reputation as a big puncher and the prevailing wisdom is he’ll try to maul Mayweather much like Marcos Maidana did in their 2014 fight.

Other than that, everything favors Mayweather.

He’s unbeaten in 49 fights as a pro and has a chance to pass Rocky Marciano on the perfect record list with win No. 50. Not only has he beaten every fighter put in front of him but he’s found ways to deal with big punchers like Miguel Cotto, Diego Corrales and Canelo Alvarez.

He’s also a pure boxer with an innate ability to adapt to any fighter put in front of him.

Mayweather is so confident of his chances that he’s spent much of the week before his fight having meet-and-greets in the early morning hours at the strip club he owns not far from the T-Mobile arena where they will fight.

Though he’s made hundreds of millions in the ring, Mayweather has a tax lien of $22 million to the IRS, so the lure of $200 million to come out of a two-year retirement and face a novice boxer was great. But he said this will be definitely be his last fight, and he wants to go out with a dominating performance.

“I gave my word to my children and once I did that it came to an end,” Mayweather said. “What better way to go out than with a bang.”

The fight is expected to match or surpass the 4.6 million pay-per-views sold for Mayweather’s 2015 fight with Manny Pacquiao at $99.95 a household. Industry observers say people across the country will use the telecast as an excuse to party in tense times and 10 people could watch each pay-per-view.

Tickets in the arena haven’t done nearly as well, largely because promoters wildly overestimated what people would pay to watch in person. Ringside seats were $10,000 and nosebleed tickets started at $2,500, though prices have been dropping rapidly as the fight approaches.

source: sports.inquirer.net

McGregor must get rough and creative to upset Mayweather

LAS VEGAS — Just 20 months ago, a former plumber from Dublin fought a fearsome superstar who hadn’t lost in a decade. Conor McGregor talked his way into a big-money showdown, but he had to back up his boasts against Jose Aldo, one of the greatest fighters in his sport.

McGregor finished the UFC featherweight champion in 13 seconds with one devastating left hand.

Floyd Mayweather presents an entirely different challenge when McGregor steps in the Vegas ring Saturday night. In his professional boxing debut, McGregor must figure out how to beat Mayweather at his own game — something the best boxers in the world have never done.

McGregor is a massive underdog, and deservedly so. But stop pretending the improbable doesn’t happen in combat sports, particularly when the self-proclaimed Mystic Mac is involved.

To declare McGregor can’t possibly win this fight displays more arrogance than, say, spending every night at a strip club the week beforehand, as Mayweather is currently doing.

Of course the hard-hitting Irishman has a chance — and there are several tactics he could employ to pull the biggest upset in boxing history.

“The people who don’t believe it don’t know anything about fighting,” said UFC President Dana White, who admittedly has a slight bias here. “This isn’t going to be a boxing match. This is going to be a fight.”

It’s also a fight between a 29-year-old southpaw in his prime and a 40 1/2-year-old veteran who hasn’t fought in nearly two years and doesn’t particularly want to be here, as he acknowledged repeatedly Wednesday. Mayweather isn’t the fighter he once was, and his competitive fire is dwarfed by his need for the mammoth paycheck from this endeavor.

But how does an MMA fighter with no competitive boxing experience since childhood take on a 21-year pro veteran with world championships in five divisions and arguably the most brilliant defensive skills in the history of the sport?

He gets in Mayweather’s face, both before and during the fight.

He charges forward from the opening bell and forces Mayweather to think defensively all night.

He throws hundreds of punches from every angle with the goal of setting up the vicious left hand that has turned out the lights on MMA opponents.

And if none of that is successful, McGregor could bend the Marquess of Queensberry rules to their breaking point in hopes of goading Mayweather into a brawl.

None of it is guaranteed to work. But it’s definitely worth a shot.

Looking back at Mayweather’s history is a daunting task, given his 49-0 record, but it contains clues for tactics that could magnify McGregor’s chances.

For instance, McGregor could amplify the strategy used by Marcos Maidana and Jose Luis Castillo. Both boxers pressed Mayweather constantly, using roughhouse tactics on the border of legality, and bombarded Mayweather with punches, many from unorthodox angles.

Mayweather won both fights, but definitely looked uncomfortable for long stretches. McGregor doesn’t have the hand speed of those professional boxers, but he should strive to emulate their urgency.

He should also attempt to show Mayweather things he’s never seen before in the ring, and his decision not to hire a boxing trainer for the bout might actually help in that regard. The UFC star should switch stances and try just about any punch, including the looping overhand shots rarely seen in high-level boxing matches because they’re easily countered, but common in MMA bouts because of the distance they create from the opponent.

If McGregor gets hit, so be it. Every punch absorbed is the price for a chance to reply.

McGregor believes Mayweather made a mistake by agreeing to fight in 8-ounce gloves instead of the typical 10-ounce pillows, but he shouldn’t rely solely on the unicorn one-punch knockout. While McGregor has definite power, only the biggest Mac homer would think it’s something Mayweather hasn’t seen from boxers — and Mayweather has shown a solid chin and excellent recovery skills on the few occasions he has been hit.

Instead, the key is to use that energy to get in a good position to unload the left hand or a combination through Mayweather’s shifty defense. McGregor could repeatedly tie up Mayweather and attempt to land shots in the clinch.

These things could all unsettle Mayweather, who typically doesn’t face trouble unless he takes a voluntary risk by moving into dangerous areas to throw combinations, or getting angry and brawling a bit.

And therein is another potential route for McGregor. Call it the Aldo Strategy: If he can get Mayweather feeling both confident and angry, there’s a chance Mayweather will let down his defense enough to attempt to finish McGregor in brute style — and maybe McGregor will have an opening.

Mayweather hasn’t seemed interested in McGregor’s typical trash talk during the buildup to the fight, but perhaps he could waver the champion’s focus with the wrong word, an errant elbow or a rabbit punch behind the head — enough to draw a warning, but not lose a point.

McGregor amplified his boasts this week, calling Mayweather “a broken man” and vowing to finish him within two rounds. Nobody knows whether McGregor actually believes his bluster, but the Irishman has defiantly vowed he will win.

It’s not probable. But with McGregor, anything is possible.

source: sports.inquirer.net

50 million could watch Mayweather-McGregor in the US alone

LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor’s improbable challenge of Floyd Mayweather Jr. could be seen by a staggering 50 million people in the United States as fans and the curious gather in small and large parties.

The fight Saturday night threatens the pay-per-view revenue record set by Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao two years ago and could dwarf it in viewership as people use the event as a reason to have friends and family over for a little escapism and controlled violence.

“It’s a cultural event that crosses all demographics and all social and economic factors,” said Mark Taffet, who formerly ran pay-per-view for HBO. “People are getting together to have a great time and we surely need an excuse to have a great time.”

Taffet said that while an average of 5-6 people normally watches a pay-per-view, he wouldn’t be surprised if the fight averages 10 people a household. If it sells 5 million pay-per-views as widely anticipated, the fight could be watched by nearly one in six Americans.

The fight will also be seen by millions more worldwide, with promoters claiming it will be available either online or on a TV screen to more than 1 billion homes in 200 different countries.

“If you are in Manhattan or you are on a desert island somewhere, if you have Wi-Fi, you can buy this fight,” promoter Dana White said.

Each pay-per-view sale means more money in the wallets of both fighters. Though estimates vary widely, Mayweather is expected to make some $200 million, while McGregor will likely pocket at least $100 million.

Though ticket sales have been slow in Las Vegas — largely because of astronomical prices — the fight is shaping up as must-see TV at a price of $99.95. People are expected to buy the fight in record numbers, with many sharing the cost of the telecast with friends and family they invite over.

Taffet said people will treat it much like a Super Bowl by getting together in larger numbers than usual.

“I think this is first and foremost a television event,” said Taffet, who oversaw 190 pay-per-views in his career at HBO. “The success of this fight in the financial record books of history will be made on pay-per-view. And I believe it’s going to deliver.”

Industry observers say it’s hard to judge how many homes will buy a pay-per-view until the day of the fight many times, as people often buy late. But the anecdotal evidence — primarily the chatter on social media — indicates a good likelihood of it smashing the 4.6 million record of pay-per-view sales set by the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.

That’s largely because the matchup will likely cross over from being just a sporting event to a party night.

“We have definitely seen massive general market interest in addition to the sports fan,” said Stephen Espinoza, who heads sports for Showtime, which will televise the fight. “These general market viewers are often not part of the audience for even the biggest combat sports event. So the ceiling is pretty high.”

Espinoza said the very nature of the fight — a matchup between a UFC star who has never boxed as a pro against one of the greatest fighters of his time — will drive the pay-per-view sales.

“We believe this is an unprecedented event, quite frankly no one knows what to expect,” he said. “The element of these two outspoken personalities in one unprecedented event is compelling.”

An early indication of interest in the fight is the massive betting both in Nevada and in other places where it is legal. Bookmakers say it will be the biggest bet fight ever, with an overwhelming number of the early tickets on McGregor to pull an upset.

Still, there are plenty of tickets left in the arena itself, where prices originally ranged from $2,500 in the upper sections to $10,000 at ringside. Ticket prices have been dropping in the resale market — with some available for less than $1,300 on Tuesday — and are expected to decline more in the days before the fight.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Mayweather warns of hefty fine if McGregor kicks him in their fight

It’s just over a week away from one of the most anticipated bouts in boxing, as undefeated fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr. returns to the ring to face off UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.

The former is known to be the ultimate boxing tactician, while the latter is a complete mixed martial artist, adept in using both his arms and legs in combat.

In a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Mayweather was asked what would happen if his opponent decides to throw a kick or any other MMA technique during their 12-round boxing showdown on Aug. 26.

“That’s a fine, that’s a huge fine,” he told host Jimmy Kimmel.

“I don’t think he’d want to lose, probably 90 percent of his money or even more. I don’t know what it’s gonna be, but it’s gonna be a heavy fine,” he added.

Although it remains highly unlikely that McGregor would throw such a blatant illegal strike, the brash Irishman is known to be as unpredictable as it comes.

Aside from the probability of receiving a high kick, Kimmel also asked the 40-year-old boxing icon about the possibility of a second fight, this time inside the Octagon under MMA rules.

“As of right now, we gotta get past August 26,” Mayweather said. “Once we get past August 26, then we can talk about other things.”

A clip of Mayweather’s full interview is available.  /ra

source: sports.inquirer.net

McGregor vows fast finish against Mayweather

Los Angeles, United States —Conor McGregor believes he will knock out Floyd Mayweather inside two rounds but is ready for all scenarios when the two fighters clash in their eagerly anticipated superfight next week.

Irish mixed martial arts star McGregor told reporters on a conference call on Wednesday that a controversial switch to lighter gloves could lead to an explosive outcome in the August 26 showdown in Las Vegas.

McGregor, who is widely seen as a massive underdog against undefeated former welterweight king Mayweather, predicted an early finish to the fight.

“Particularly with the eight-ounce gloves, I don’t believe he makes it out of the second round,” said McGregor, nevertheless expressing the hope that the fight would last longer.

“I don’t want people saying ‘Oh, it was a lucky punch’ and all that. Part of me is hoping maybe he can last so I can show some skill and dismantle him that way.

“But I do not see him absorbing the blows in the first few rounds.”

The charismatic 29-year-old said a grueling training camp has taken him to “hell and back” and left him ready to face any kind of scenario inside the ring at the T-Mobile Arena.

“There is no way in hell that I’m not ready to fight in the deepest of trenches in this contest,” McGregor said.

“We are ready for both scenarios. I’m ready to go to war for 12 rounds and I’m ready to put him away early on.”

Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White also believes the gloves switch could shape the outcome of the fight.

‘Hits like a truck’


The move is widely seen as benefiting both fighters — Mayweather’s fast hands could be quicker with lighter gloves, while McGregor will be able to make his punching power more keenly felt, provided he can land a blow on his American opponent.

“I think it affects the contest a lot,” White said when asked if McGregor would be helped by the change.

“Yes, Floyd will be faster with eight-ounce gloves but he’s more defensive. Conor hits like a truck, so smaller gloves helps him big time. I think it absolutely does.”

McGregor and Mayweather will climb into the ring following an international publicity tour last month marked by expletive-laden tirades and trash-talking.

McGregor, who was criticized for addressing Mayweather as “boy” during one event, dismissed suggestions that there was a racially tinged dimension to the duel.

“For me, it’s athlete versus athlete,” McGregor said. “I’m disappointed to hear the way it’s being portrayed. All I can do is stay focused on my craft and go out and put a performance for my fans.”

McGregor, meanwhile, said he has used disparagement by the boxing community as motivation.

“It has certainly been motivating, the disrespect and the disregard for my skill set,” McGregor said.

“I look at people so many times and their mind is closed to how things can be done. It’s a set way and there is no other way. Well, if that was the case we would have never reached across the oceans in search of other lands. We would never have gone into space.

“You have to have an open mind and you got to realize that there are other ways. Fighting is a complex game. But I’m just looking forward to August 26 and proving what I’m saying and educating the world of what martial arts is.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Robert Whittaker edges Romero, grabs interim belt at UFC 213

LAS VEGAS — Robert Whittaker won the UFC interim middleweight title Saturday night, surging in the late rounds to earn a unanimous decision over Yoel Romero at UFC 213.

Whittaker (20-4) recovered from a hyperextended knee in the first round with a strong striking performance, peppering Romero (12-2) with punches and kicks over the final three rounds. The Australian won his eighth consecutive fight, earning the victory 48-47 on all three judges’ scorecards at T-Mobile Arena.

“It’s a moment I’ve always dreamed of,” Whittaker said. “My knee was definitely hurt. I injured it in camp, and Romero’s kick set it back weeks. I know that Romero will capitalize on any weakness he sees, so I had to play it off. That’s just what champions are made of.”

The main event of the UFC’s traditional July showcase in its hometown was canceled earlier in the day when bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes was hospitalized. She was scratched from her second title defense against Valentina Shevchenko, who criticized the champion’s preparation for the bout.

Alistair Overeem also beat Fabricio Werdum by narrow majority decision in the third career meeting of two veteran heavyweights, and former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis also returned to the division with a unanimous decision victory over Jim Miller.

Whittaker took advantage of his bout’s promotion to the main event by claiming the belt in front of a pay-per-view audience. He earned the chance to fight for the full 185-pound title held for the past year by Michael Bisping, who is injured.

Bisping stepped into the cage afterward and congratulated Whittaker in his own irascible style.

“The fact that you’re standing there with a belt on makes me sick,” the Englishman said, throwing his own belt on the canvas. “Take that belt. Fight for it.”

Romero’s Olympic-level wrestling skills kept Whittaker on the defensive for much of the first two rounds. Whittaker increased his striking output while Romero sat back in the third and fourth, with Whittaker also defending Romero’s takedowns more adroitly.

Romero was cut on his left eyebrow while Whittaker had a bloody nose and mouth in the final round, which looked even until Romero slipped onto his back with 90 seconds left after failing to land a strike. Whittaker jumped on top to rain down blows to the final horn.

All three judges saw the fight identically, scoring the first two rounds for Romero and the final three for Whittaker.


The 40-year-old Romero was gracious after his eight-fight winning streak ended, praising his opponent.

Whittaker will get the chance to remove the interim designation from his belt when Bisping returns from injury, although it might not happen this year. The middleweight division has been in limbo ever since Bisping shockingly beat champion Luke Rockhold last summer and then fought old rival Dan Henderson instead of Romero, Whittaker or another top contender.

For the third straight year, the UFC had to change the main event of its July show in Vegas at short notice. Last year, Jon Jones was sidelined by a violation of the promotion’s anti-doping policy three days before UFC 200.

Shevchenko still showed up at T-Mobile Arena after being denied her long-awaited title shot when Nunes fell ill in the hours before their rematch.

Shevchenko was furious with Nunes, claiming the champion’s drastic weight cut was responsible for her illness. She also echoed UFC President Dana White’s statement that Nunes was medically cleared to fight, but declined to go from the hospital to the cage.

“You can’t just say, ’I don’t want to fight,’” Shevchenko said. “I couldn’t believe at the very last moment that this would happen to me. Of course I am upset. … I understand what she wanted. She wanted to cut (weight) in a very short time. You cannot do this. Our bodies need more time to recover.”

Shevchenko was greeted with loud cheers when she was shown on the arena’s video boards before the main event.

Overeem (43-15) and Werdum (21-7-1) finished a trilogy of fights between two of the most accomplished mixed martial artists of their generation. Werdum won their first meeting in the Pride promotion in 2006, and Overeem won their Strikeforce heavyweight rematch in 2011.

Overeem was slightly better during the first two rounds, and he survived the third after Werdum floored him with a knee to the head.

Pettis (20-6) returned to form in his return to 155 pounds, dominating the veteran Miller with flair and force. Pettis lost his title belt in March 2015 to start a 1-4 skid that included a two-fight stint at featherweight, but he looked sharp while carving up Miller (28-10), who bled copiously.

Before the pay-per-view portion of the card, heavyweight Travis Browne took his fourth consecutive loss in a second-round submission to 40-year-old Russian grappler Aleksei Oleinik.

Browne (18-7-1), Ronda Rousey’s fiancé, lost for the sixth time in his last eight fights despite dropping Oleinik with punches in the first round.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Drake wins record 13 Billboard Music awards

LAS VEGAS — Rapper Drake grabbed a record 13 wins at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, eclipsing Adele's previous record of 12 awards in 2012.

"I want to say, hold tight Adele, because when a new thing drops you'll be back to get the record back," the Canadian recording artist said in accepting one of his awards at the star-studded event held in Las Vegas.

Drake, who also won top artist, top male artist and top rap album for "Views", later posed for photographers surrounded by his microphone-shaped trophies.

The three-hour show -- hosted by hip-hop artist Ludacris and former High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgins -- included performances by Miley Cyrus, the Chainsmokers, Nicki Minaj and Imagine Dragons.

Beyonce and Twenty One Pilots each took five awards, although they were absent from the ceremony. The Chainsmokers earned four, including top collaboration and top hot 100 song for "Closer" with Halsey.

Blake Shelton took home the award for top country artist, and top country song went to Florida Georgia Line.

Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling" won top selling song and top radio song.

The Icon Award for achievement in music went to Cher, 71, who gave a heartfelt speech after performing two of her biggest hits -- "Believe" and "If I Could Turn Back Time".

"I want to thank my mom because when I was really young, my mom said 'You're not going to be the smartest. You're not going to be the prettiest. You're not going to be the most talented, but you're going to be special,'" Cher said.

Canadian singer Celine Dion delivered an emotional performance of her award-winning song "My Heart Will Go On" from the soundtrack of the movie "Titanic" to mark 20 years since its release.

Dion, who was Billboard's Icon last year, lost her husband and former manager Rene Angelil to cancer in 2016. —Reuters

Canelo Alvarez knocks out Amir Khan, retains title

LAS VEGAS — Canelo Alvarez needed only one big right hand to turn a close fight into a smashing knockout.

Struggling with Amir Khan’s speed, Alvarez unleashed a long right hand that send Khan backward on the canvas, where referee Kenny Bayless didn’t even bother to count him out at 2:37 of the sixth round.

Alvarez retained his piece of the middleweight title, but it was not without some nervous moments for his fans who packed the new T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip. Khan was more than holding his own in a tactical fight when the right hand suddenly ended it.

Alvarez went and kneeled before an unconscious Khan, then went over and motioned to Gennady Golovkin, who was ringside, to join him in the ring for a fight.

“I invited him to come into the ring,” Alvarez said. “Right now I will put the gloves on again.”

It may not take too long for the fight boxing fans have been waiting for to happen, though the weight could be an issue. Alvarez wants the bout to be less than the 160-pound middleweight limit, while Golovkin, who holds his own piece of the middleweight crown, vows to fight at his best weight.

“I am old school,” Golovkin said just before the fight. “Middleweight is 160. I respect the sport of boxing.”

Khan, a 6-1 underdog, had vowed to use his speed to confound Alvarez and his plan seemed to be working. He fought in spurts, landing combinations and seemingly frustrating Alvarez with his movement.

But a right hand that came out of nowhere landed flush against Khan’s chin, and he was out before he hit the canvas.

“I was getting in the ring with a big guy,” Khan said. “Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the end.”

Alvarez was making the first defense of the WBC title he won from Miguel Cotto in November, though the fight was fought at a catch weight of 155 pounds. The WBC has said it will take the tile from Alvarez if he does not begin talks for a fight with Golovkin within 15 days.

“I don’t fear anyone,” Alvarez said. “We don’t come to play in this sport.”

A pro-Alvarez crowd filled the new arena on the Las Vegas Strip for his first fight on the Mexican holiday weekend that Floyd Mayweather Jr. usually fought on. They came expecting to see Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 knockouts) put on a show, though he had trouble with Khan’s speed and movement in the early rounds.

Alvarez chased after Khan (31-4) from the first round on, trying to cut the ring off and corner him on the ropes. He was largely unsuccessful, and Khan answered with combinations to the head, though they seemed to have little effect on the red-haired Mexican champion.

Ringside punch stats showed Khan landing 48 of 166 punches to 64 of 170 for Alvarez.

Alvarez was up on two ringside judges’ scorecards when the fight ended, while Khan was leading by one point on the third.

“People have known me only for my power,” Alvarez said. “I have many more qualities in the ring and I showed that. I think people saw more of me.”

source: sports.inquirer.net