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Contributing Writers
Australia:
Tony Nobbs
Srithar Visuasam
Asia:
Benjie Varella
Canada: Shawn O'Donnell
Paul McCreath
Europe:
James Slater
Mike Casey
Andrew Harrison
Christine Maynard
Adeyinka Makinde
Michael Klimes
Jim Dorney
Andrew Walker
John Wight
United States:
Vivek Wallace Geoffrey Ciani
Coach Tim Walker Frank Gonzalez Jr
Wray Edwards
Pavel Yakovlev
Scott Kraus
Robert Jackson
Errol Hyppolite
Thomas Scherr
Charles White
Yero Moody
Trish Kilcullen
P.H. Burbridge
Paul Strauss
Taj Eubanks
Karl E. H. Seigfried
Mike Dunn
Exclusive Interview by James Slater As he's more than made clear before on this very web site, unbeaten cruiserweight contender B.J Flores craves a fight with WBO 200-pound ruler Marco Huck. And after having watched Huck defend his belt with a points win over interim WBO champ Ola Afolabi at the weekend, the 30-year-old who is currently 24-0-1(15) sure hasn't changed his mind any. Flores would be more than willing to travel to Germany for fight and he hopes Huck will agree to face him next time out.
Kindly taking the time to speak with me about this and other things, B.J gave the following answers to my questions:
James Slater: It's great to speak with you again so soon, B.J. First of all, were you impressed with Marco Huck's win over Ola Afolabi on Saturday?
B.J Flores: I think he did what he had to do to win. He was fighting a tough guy. But basically, he did pretty much the same thing - I saw no real changes in Huck's style. He squeaked another close decision, as he did when he won the title from Ramirez - and a world champion should be making more of a statement. I mean, let's face it, he was fighting a guy who has only had 15 pro fights in Afolabi, and Huck never pulled away and made a statement. I really don't think he's improving. continue l
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LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK, December 8 - It's the last major boxing event of 2009 and on Saturday, December 12th, Golden Boy Promotions and DiBella Entertainment are pulling out all the stops to deliver the biggest and best fight card top to bottom of the year. Headlining this stacked 12 fight card is an HBO "Boxing After Dark" doubleheader featuring the NABO junior welterweight title bout between Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz and Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi in the much anticipated rematch of their August 22, 2009 bout and a welterweight showdown between "Vicious" Victor Ortiz and Antonio "Tono" Diaz. But that's not all, as a star-studded array of fistic talent, including a former world champion, respected top contenders and boxing's rising stars will enter the ring in pivotal year-ending matchups.
In middleweight action scheduled for 10 rounds, Cuban southpaw sensation Erislandy Lara (8-0, 5 KO's) will face the stiffest test of his professional career when he steps up in class to take on Chicago's own Luciano Perez (17-9-1, 15 KO's). continue l
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Jung Koo Chang And Danny Lopez Elected To IBHOF - Finkel, Hazzard, Sauerland, Trampler and Schuyler also enter Hall of Fame!
CANASTOTA, NY - DECEMBER 8, 2009 - The International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum announced today the newest class of inductees to enter the Hall. Living inductees include light flyweight champion Jung-Koo Chang (South Korea), featherweight champion Danny “Little Red” Lopez (USA), manager Shelly Finkel (USA), referee / commissioner Larry Hazzard (USA), promoter Wilfried Sauerland (Germany), matchmaker Bruce Trampler (USA) and journalist Ed Schuyler (USA). “We’re extremely excited about the Class of 2010 and very much looking forward to honoring the 21st class of inductees,” said Executive Director Edward Brophy. “All living inductees are anticipated to attend and participate in 2010 Hall of Fame Weekend festivities. continue l
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CANASTOTA, NY – DECEMBER 8, 2009 - The International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum is pleased to announce German boxing promoter Wilfried Sauerland has been elected into the Hall of Fame. “We’re very excited for Wilfried Sauerland and the Hall of Fame is very much looking forward to honoring his many achievements with induction into the Hall of Fame,” said Executive Director Edward Brophy. “His accomplishments will be recognized during the annual Hall of Fame Induction Weekend set for June 10-13th.”
Over 20 events, including a golf tournament, banquet, parade and autograph card show, are planned. An impressive celebrity lineup of boxing greats of yesterday and today will attend this year’s Induction Weekend. Sauerland will receive a gold Hall of Fame ring and a plaque with his biography and photo will be on permanent display on the Hall of Fame Wall. The Official Enshrinement Ceremony will be held on the Hall of Fame Museum Grounds in Canastota, New York on Sunday, June 13th. continue l
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by James Slater - Some people thought Chris Arreola, who fought and beat Brian Minto this past Saturday night, was making two mistakes going into the bout. They felt, one, he was coming back to the ring too soon after the tenth-round retirement loss he'd suffered at the hands of WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko and, two, they felt he'd weighed-in at too hefty a weight at a career high 263-pounds. Both concerns were proven to have been unnecessary, as Arreola fought well, fought at a high pace and took care of the gutsy Minto inside four action-packed rounds. continue l
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by James Slater - Unbeaten Carl Froch, the reigning WBC super-middleweight champion, was openly rooting for his WBA counterpart ahead of his defence against Andre Ward. "The Cobra" wanted Mikkel Kessler to prevail over the unbeaten former Olympian when they fought on November 21st, because then, when he and the Dane fought in their next round of the "Super Six" tournament, the fight would be a huge WBC/WBA unification clash. As we know, Ward upset Kessler as well as Froch's plans of becoming the holder of two 168-pound belts.
However, despite the manner in which 30-year-old Kessler was made to look quite ordinary against Ward, the Froch-Kessler clash, all set for April 17th in the former WBC and former two-time WBA champ's homeland of Denmark, is still a big fight to get excited about. Trailing Froch in the "Super Six" tournament and now also a former champion once again, Kessler knows this fight is very much a make-or-break one for him. continue l
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by Geoffrey Ciani - Prior to the start of the Super Six I was afforded the opportunity to have a nice chat with Showtime’s boxing analyst Al Bernstein. Now that the first round of fighting is over, I was once again afforded this same opportunity late last week. Here is what Al had to say:
Q: Al, the biggest surprise coming out of the first round of the Super Six super middleweight tournament might well have been the impressive performance by Andre Ward against tournament favorite Mikkel Kessler. I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about Andre Ward and your thoughts on him at this point?
A: I think that there were a number of people, myself included, that certainly thought Andre Ward could win. A lot of people picked him outright. I don’t make picks when I announce fights. So I don’t think it’s shocking that he might have won the fight, although certainly he was an underdog and understandably, but I think what is astonishing is how he won the fight. Mikkel Kessler was almost never in the match—at all. It was a dominating performance by Andre Ward. Some of it was made possible, in my opinion, by the fact that Kessler was just very flat. He has had some inactivity issues even though he had that fight against (Gusmyr) Perdomo some months ago and he’s had I think nagging injuries that he says are fine but I don’t know that they are—but, having said that, I don’t want to take anything away from Andre Ward. He was excellent and he did exactly what he needed to do. continue l
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By Jody Moylan - The Birmingham born Irish middleweight Matthew Macklin went the full ten rounds in disposing of Uruguayan Rafael Sosa Pintos in Dublin’s National Stadium on Saturday night.
Macklin said in the post-fight press conference that part of a boxer’s lot was to expect and accept the bumps and bruises doled out by the likes of the bullish South American. Pintos in turn received a pummeling from the European middleweight champion and after being floored in the second by a ferocious body shot followed by a quick left hook to the forehead it looked like the contest would end prematurely. continue l
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LOS ANGELES, December 8 - World renowned boxing promotional company Golden Boy Promotions has officially entered the social networking world having joined Twitter.com. Follow Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar de la Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Sugar Shane Mosley and other fighters for insider information, training camp updates, fight and event updates and much more. With a roster of over 60 fighters and multiple fights a month Golden Boy Promotions will use Twitter to reach out to boxing fans all over the world so they can access current and accurate information on all upcoming events. continue l
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by James Slater - Fighting this past Saturday night but somewhat lost amongst the hectic weekend of action taking place, was European middleweight ruler Matthew Macklin. The 27-year-old won a non-title fight with a solid points win over the durable Rafael Sosa Pintos in Dublin - winning via a clear and wide unanimous decision. Now unbeaten in his last nine fights, or since his heavy defeat in a war against Jamie Moore down at 154-pounds, Macklin is looking at bigger things. continue l
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by John Wight - If the ring is where a fighter comes face to face with his opponent, the changing room is where he struggles with his emotions.
Prior to the fight, usually between one and two hours before, he arrives with his entourage, consisting of his trainer, trainer’s assistant, cut man, and perhaps a friend or two. Unless he’s the main event, he’ll be sharing the changing room with three or four other fighters appearing on the same bill. Each camp stakes their territory in a different corner, where the respective trainers begin unpacking the tape and gauze, Vaseline, and assorted other items they need to get their fighter prepared. The easy, relaxed banter that passes between the various camps, between fighters who in most cases already know one another from so many nights like this they’ve lost count, belies a tension which comes with the knowledge of the physical and mental test to come. Each fighter runs the same questions over and over inside his head: ‘Am I ready? Have I trained hard enough? Have I done enough roadwork? Did I get the right sparring? Am I over that last defeat? Do I still have what it takes? Can I really beat this guy?. continue l
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Photo by: Tom Casino / SHOWTME (Dec. 7, 2009) Reigning WBC World Super Middleweight Champion and Super Six stalwart Carl Froch’s achievements have been recognised following an incredible 12 months for the Nottingham man. Froch is celebrating having won a hat trick of awards over the past week but “The Cobra” insists that 2010 will be even bigger promising fans that, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”. Froch has been feted by the British Boxing Board of Control as their Boxer of the Year while the sports governing body in Britain also honoured Froch for his part in their Fight of Year (his thrilling win over Jean Pascal last December to win the WBC title).
There was further good news for the unbeaten 32-year-old last week when he was voted as the BBC East Midlands Sports Personality of the Year for 2009 having been chosen as the winner by viewers and listeners to the BBC in the East Midlands.
“Last year was great, this year’s been fantastic and next year’s going to be even better,” said Froch who also received confirmation over the weekend that his next Super Six outing against Danish superstar Mikkel Kessler will take place in April. continue l
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NEW YORK (Dec. 7, 2009) – Unbeaten Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley will make another defense of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) Jr. Welterweight world title in his California desert hometown when he takes on undefeated Lamont Peterson, Saturday, Dec. 12 live on SHOWTIME® (9p ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast). The scheduled 12-round world title fight will emanate from The Show at Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif., less than 10 miles from where Bradley grew up in North Palm Springs. continue l
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By Paul McCreath - This coming weekend will see more than the usual amount of heavyweight action among the name fighters and hopefuls. We will have to hope that all these bouts actually take place. Lately there has been a real epidemic of cancelled bouts among the big boys. Last weekend alone there were 7 separate fights involving either rated fighters or prospects that were originally scheduled but failed to materialize. Two others went ahead but with a last minute substitute filling in. The weekend before 5 of the 6 originally slated bouts were called off. This has to be bad for boxing and you have to wonder if the general poor condition of most heavyweights between fights might have a lot to do with it. At any rate here is what we hope to see this weekend and our opinion as to who will win. continue l
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-- Click here to listen to the show -- by Jenna J, photo by W.Edwards / ESB - As always, this week's special 51st edition of On the Ropes will start at its regularly scheduled time, 6pm Eastern Time. You can listen live by clicking “play” on the player or enter our chat on the blogtalk message board; you can also call into the show at (646)716-5404.
On the Ropes is is back to bring you the latest and greatest in the world of boxing! Join me Jenna J, the Hostess, along with my ace Producer Geoffrey Ciani (aka-Rummy) and my Co-Host, Nick Powers.
Topics for Discussion
• Paul Williams majority decision victory against Sergio Martinez
• Amir Khan’s first round knockout against Dmitriy Salita
• Chris Arreola’s fourth round stoppage against Brian Minto
• Danny Green’s stunning first round knockout against Roy Jones Junior continue l
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By Anthony Coleman - Very rarely do you see a fight in which the winner and the loser are both elevated by their performances. Yet last night the Middleweight showdown between the two best 154 pounders in the world, Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams, was such a fight. Both men fought with true determination and skill, mixing both scientific boxing with brawling. When the bell rang it was clear that if there was any fight that was going to unseed Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz for the honor of 2009 Fight of the Year, it would be this one. Too bad it was marred by horrendous scoring from an incompetent judge. First let’s give a synopsis.
Williams came roaring out for the first round behind his trademark double right jab left cross combination. It became obvious to the viewers that the freakishly tall pound-for-pounder was attempting to overwhelm Martinez in the same fashion when he blitzed Carlos Quintana in one round in their rematch last year. Williams was doing a good job for the most part and was able to score a flash knockdown on Martinez early into the round. Then at that moment the southpaw stylist woke up as he began to counter Williams with his dynamite right hook. With seconds remaining in the round Martinez answered “The Punisher’s” earlier knockdown when he scored his own off a brilliant counter right hook. continue l
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by James Slater - WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan has made it clear he is anxious to make his debut in America soon, very possibly the next time he fights. Fresh off his impressive one-round blow-out of the previously unbeaten Dmitriy Salita, the 23-year-old has said many times how much it means to him to make his name in the U.S.
Currently there are at least three names being bandied around as possible opponents Khan could face next, and in America, but we have to wait for official confirmation. It is still possible Khan could fight again in the U.K - certainly promoter Frank Warren said he'd like to see his fighter box over here a couple more times before he goes to the States. But if Khan gets his way, and there's no reason he shouldn't, his next bout, his next world title defence, will be in the country seen as number-one when it comes to a fighter proving himself as one of the best. continue l
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LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK, December 7 - The Illinois State Athletic Commission has assigned the officials who will oversee the December 12 junior welterweight battle between Houston, Texas' Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz and Brooklyn, New York's Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago and televised live on HBO's "Boxing After Dark". Refereeing the highly-anticipated 12 round rematch will be Illinois' Genaro "Geno" Rodriguez. The three judges scoring the bout will be Illinois' Mauro DiFiore, Ohio's Tom Miller and Florida's Michael Pernick.
"By Popular Demand": Diaz vs. Malignaggi II features former Three-Time Lightweight World Champion Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz taking on former Junior Welterweight World Champion Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi in a 12 round NABO junior welterweight rematch of their exciting August 22, 2009 bout. The co-main event will feature a ten round welterweight showdown between top contender "Vicious" Victor Ortiz and former world title challenger Antonio Diaz. The evening of boxing is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and DiBella Entertainment in association with 8 Count Productions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Dewalt Tools. The bouts will air live on HBO's Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:15 pm ET/PT (9:15 pm CT). continue l
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TONY JEFFRIES has been left feeling a twit by Sunderland striker Darren Bent - but he doesn't mind one bit! Olympic bronze medallist Jeffries had a £1000 charity bet with the England international over who would get the most tweets on social networking site, Twitter. Bent managed to beat the Sunderland super-middleweight who now has to give £1000 to a charity of his choice. Jeffries will give the money to The Tracy Crawford Foundation - a leukaemia charity set-up in Tracy's memory that has so far raised hundreds of thousands to help patients at Sunderland Royal Hospital and other cancer charities. continue l
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Minto,"I'll pick on guys my own size in 2010" - After a valiant performance Saturday on HBO against Chris Arreola (28-1 25kos), WBO#5 Brian "The Beast" Minto (34-3) prefers to fight boxers his size in the future. Minto states, "It's extremely difficult giving up 45 pounds in a fight. Arreola was too big for me, and it showed. I'll pick on guys my own size in 2010." Arreola, 6'4, weighed 263, while Minto, 5'11, tipped the scales at 218 pounds. Although at a significant size disadvantage, Minto displayed immense heart and could be very dangerous in a smaller weightclass. "As far as a move to cruiserweight, I can definitely make the 200 pound weight limit. continue l
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by James Slater - British-born Californian Ola Afolabi burst onto the world scene back in March of this year, when he sensationally rose above the betting odds and smashed Enzo Maccarinelli to defeat in the 9th-round in Manchester. In so doing, the 29-year-old known as "Kryptonite" became the interim WBO cruiserweight champion. This past Saturday, in Germany, against Marco Huck, the talented Afolabi failed in his attempt to become the "real" WBO 200-pound champion, as he was closely but unanimously out-pointed. The question is, what now for Ola? continue l
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By Coach Tim Walker – They come around about as often as Halley’s Comet and bolster as much attention and anticipation. That rare ultra-fight that pits two world class world renown supremely talented boxers against each other in the prime of their careers. On that night boxing takes a back seat to no sport or championship event. On that night it holds other sports by the jugular like a vice grip tightly squeezed around a lug nut. Dominating the headlines. Overshadowing, even, dwindling world events. On that night it has the ability to take over football’s Super Bowl, baseball’s Pennant Race, basketball’s World Championship and, dare I say, soccer’s World Cup. For that fight it lays claim to all forms of media. It is the talk-about subject for weeks leading up to it and nearly as many days following it. continue l
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Daniel Lopez (S.E. London): Here in England, Amir Khan is revered as the best of Britain by some and severely questioned by others. Where do you see Khan at the moment and what do you think he need to do reach the level that some already see him at?"
Vivek W. (ESB): I can't speak for everyone, but to me, Khan is the epitome of what I love about not only sports, but this sport in particular. Years ago when I did coverage for the NBA's Miami Heat, basketball star Dwyane Wade rekindled a profound interest in the Japanese proverb "Fall 7 times, get up 8". Similarly, in the case of Khan, we've seen that same evolution of a young man, going from a once-believed-to-be pure hype job, to a household name in-waiting. The addition of Freddie Roach was absolutely the best thing Khan could have done for his career. Ever since that addition to his camp, we've seen him develop into a fighter that not only has a renewed sense of confidence, but a clearly defined level of talent that far exceeds any definition previously given by him. continue l
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by James Slater - Fresh off the biggest win of his now 30-fight pro career, 25-year-old lightweight contender Kevin Mitchell is thinking big. With his dominant points win over Bredis Prescott on Saturday, the Dagenham warrior became the mandatory challenger for the WBO 135-pound crown currently held by Juan Manuel Marquez (with the Mexican expected to fight up at 140 in his next outing, thus making current interim champ Michael Katsidis the full champion). And Mitchell, 30-0(22) said at the port-fight press conference in Newcastle that he wants to face the exciting Australian and then hopefully land a huge fight with his friend, Amir Khan.
Having proven he is a strong lightweight, a weight where he has also maintained his speed of hand and foot, Mitchell must be given a real shot at beating the hard-hitting but somewhat wild Katsidis. And as for the Khan fight, though that will be a whole different ballgame in comparison, Mitchell said he would be more than willing to move up in weight again, to light-welterweight. continue l
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by John Wight - In what was a superb night of boxing at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, Amir Khan successfully came through the first defence of his WBA light-welterweight title in spectacular style. His opponent, the hitherto undefeated Dmitry Salita from New York via Ukraine, was quite literally shell-shocked from the opening bell, when Khan unleashed a devastating right hand that sent him straight to the canvas. The end at that point was already inevitable, and it came when the referee mercifully stepped in to prevent the challenger taking any further punishment after 76 seconds and declared the fight over. The fact that Salita was the mandatory challenger puts paid to any of the predictable talk of him having been handpicked, and indeed prior to the fight most pundits, whilst predicting a Khan victory, envisioned a hard night’s work ahead for the California-based British champion.
What was especially pleasing about Khan’s victory on Saturday was the way in which the 10,000 sell out crowd really got behind him. Standing backstage when both boxers made their ring entrance, the noise when Khan was announced was deafening, and given the success of the promotion overall it seems a certainty that Newcastle can look forward to more big nights of boxing in its future. continue l
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By Paul Strauss- Ask big George Foreman about needed payments with some promoters when a potential big fight was on the line. He might be willing to share stories about how many times it became necessary. Remember the story about James "Cinderella Man". Braddock passing up on making what should have been a mandatory title defense against Max Schmeling in order to face one of Max's victims, the great Joe Louis? The legendary story has the shrewd Braddock allegedly making one of the most lucrative deals in boxing lure. Supposedly, Braddock got a sizable chunk of the Brown Bomber's future purses. When Joe walloped the tar out of Braddock, and walked away with the most sought after title in sports, it's doubtful he held any hard feelings. Braddock's ongoing percentage of Joe's purses helped sooth his bruises as well.
The boxing world was also grateful that any chance was removed of the heavyweight championship going overseas to the crazy little paper-hanger running Germany. Quite possibly, the coveted title and biggest prize in the sporting world might not have come back for a long time, as Hitler would make use of it to espouse his claims of a super race. continue l
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Bradley, (24-0-1 NC, 11 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., and Peterson (27-0, 13 KOs), of Washington, D.C., participated in a national media conference call to discuss their upcoming world title mega-matchup on Saturday, Dec. 12 live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).
In an excellent battle of unbeatens, Bradley will defend his WBO 140-pound title against interim champ Peterson at The Show at Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif. The telecast will open with WBC/WBA Super Flyweight Champion Vic Darchinyan (32-2-1, 26 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, defending his belts against WBC interim titlist Tomas Rojas (31-11-1, 22 KOs) of Mexico. continue l
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By Chris Acosta - Bert and Ernie, Thelma and Louise, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Cause and Effect, Bradshaw and Swann, Pamela Anderson: all great examples of the magic of historical pairs. The duo, the pairing of two contrasting or analogous entities, has always made for great drama, comedy, sport or epic saga.
Yeah sure, single characters have their own charm too but they’ll never match the versatility or range an extra set of opinions can provide. And trios are routinely anointed with negative connotations: Stooges, Blind Mice, Little Pigs, reading, writing and arithmetic and so on. No matter what the situation, it’s almost always more fun to do it, ahem, with someone else.
Last night’s Boxing After Dark segment on HBO, reminded me of the fact that Goossen-Tutor stable mates, Paul “The Punisher” Williams and Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola have become their own little institution in the boxing world. Their double-headers have routinely created violent endings for their opponents and also put them in some hairy situations. Let’s go back in time for a moment, shall we?
2-09-2008 Arreola smashes an overmatched Cliff Couser and Williams, avenges the only loss of his career to Carlos Quintana, by wiping the Puerto Rican southpaw off his conscience. Both fights end in the first round. continue l
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By Nathan Nau - The legacy of Manny Pacquiao has yet to be determined. Will he be remembered as pound-for-pound one of the greatest fighters in boxing history or for his lavish life style? One this is certain, the Pilipino sensation covets the bright lights, whether it’s wining championships in seven different weight classes, traveling with a giant entourage, being on the cover of Time Magazine or having aspirations of becoming President of the Philippines. The great mathematician Democritus once stated: “I would rather discover one scientific fact than become King of Persia.. continue l
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by James Slater at Ringside - 25-year-old Kevin Mitchell came of age last night in Newcastle. Boxing on the sold out Amir Khan-Dmitriy Salita bill at The Metro Radio Arena, the unbeaten former super-featherweight champion of both Britain and the Commonwealth made his debut at 135-pounds. And what a debut it was, too!
Meeting "KhanConqeror" Bredis Prescott of Colombia - the man who destroyed Khan in 54-seconds, of course - "Mighty" Mitchell, simply put, boxed the 26-year-old danger man's ears off. Potentially lethal at all times, with both hands, Prescott forced Mitchell to adopt different tactics than those he is known for. Instead of having a tear-up, as he has so many times in the past, Mitchell, quite astonishingly, boxed like a near defensive master at times. Winning a wide (too wide in my opinion) UD on the cards of the three judges (all three of whom were, somewhat unfairly, British), Mitchell won by scores of 117-111, 119-110 and 118-111. I myself had Mitchell winning by four rounds. continue l
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by James Slater at Ringside - Last night's show at The Radio Arena in Newcastle featured far more than just Amir Khan and Kevin Mitchell in action. First of all, amateur stars now making progress at pro level, Frankie Gavin, James DeGale and Billy Joe Saunders all won. And also in action were Commonwealth featherweight champ John Simpson and former WBO champs Enzo Maccarinelli and Alex Arthur.
DeGale and Saunders won handily on points over their British opposition - DeGale over 4-rounds against Nathan King, Saunders over six against Lee Noble. While former world amateur champion Gavin had by far the toughest night of the three - being hit and marked up by his French opponent, Samir Termagaoui. His left eye reddened badly, Gavin was hit plenty but he dug deep and won the toughest fight of his pro career so far. continue l
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By Paul Strauss: Watch a replay of the fight without sound and without listening to the announced results, and there's a good chance you would feel the fight was a draw. Maybe you might be swayed a bit by “The Punisher's” continual pressure and volume punching. But, then you watch it a second time and you are impressed with Sergio Martinez's sharper more effective punching.
What a way to edge toward the end of a tremendous year of boxing. Most fans thought this was going to be an interesting fight and good match-up of styles. It's doubtful anyone anticipated what a great fight this turned out to be.
The action at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall didn't start out with a bang; rather it started out with two bangs. Suddenly it happened just when it appeared Martinez was managing the distance and staying elusive. He had Williams reaching and missing. Williams never minds that problem, and is always resigned to just stepping things up more to correct the problem. continue l
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by James Slater: It was a short and very impressive night for defending WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan tonight, as he cut through undefeated challenger Dmitriy Salita of New York in just one minute and 16 seconds.
The astonishingly fast-handed 22-year-old sent the older man down three times in all, prompting referee Luis Pavon to wave the bout off. Salita, who fell to 30-1-1(16) looked utterly devastated, which, put bluntly, is what he was. The world champ improved to 22-1(17) and he has never looked faster or more powerful.
Mere seconds into the opening round, Khan let loose with a right hand and decked his man. Bringing deafening roars from a crowd who loved him and showed it, Khan wasted no time in following up. No way was the former Olympian going to let Salita, as badly hurt as he clearly was, off the hook. continue l
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By Ken Neir: Paul Williams (38-1, 27 KO's) outworked Sergio Martinez, beating him by a 12 round majority decision from Atlantic City, New Jersey. The final judges' scores were 115-113, 119-110 and 114-114. There was an exchange of knockdowns in the opening round. Williams initially had problems with Martinez's crafty style in the first three rounds. However, Williams soon figured Martinez's style out and began to bombard him with shots. Martinez still proved to be tough but wasn't able to match Williams' high punch output in a very close fight. continue l
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Marco “Captain” Huck (27-1, 20 KOs) celebrated a successful first defence of his WBO Cruiserweight Title when he clinched a unanimous points victory over Ola Afolabi (14-2, 6 KOs). The 25-year-old German used his explosiveness and punching power to keep his opponent at bay. He was ahead 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 on the judges´ scorecards.
“I am happy about my performance,” Huck said. “It was a tough fight against a very awkward opponent who moved a lot and was difficult to hit. I am delighted to have defended my title and now look forward to a great and relaxing Christmas time.”
Huck was the aggressor from the first bell on as he constantly attacked Afolabi with his trademark assaults. He landed strong combinations in almost every round. The fifth round was Afolabi´s best, with an uppercut briefly wobbling the champion following a clash of heads. “I should have knocked him out,” Afolabi said. “But Huck is a great warrior and a great fighter. It was a very close fight and I thought I won, but there are a few things I could have done better.. continue l
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Exclusive Interview by James Slater - Former amateur standout and 2004 Olympian Jason Estrada of Providence, Rhode Island, 16-2(4) is set to face IBF cruiserweight champion/heavyweight campaigner Tomasz Adamek on February 6th.
Massively pumped up for the fight he sees as a big opportunity, the man known as "Big Six" is sure he will win; maybe even by stoppage.
Very kindly taking the time to speak with me about the big fight yesterday evening (UK time), the 29-year-old gave the following answers to my questions:
James Slater: It's always great to speak with you Jason. First of all, is the fight with Tomasz Adamek officially a go?
Jason Estrada: Oh, yeah - it's a done deal. It's signed, the contract has been made. So, hoping that nothing goes wrong, the fight will be Feb. 6th in New Jersey. I can't wait for this fight - I really, really hope everything goes well. continue l
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Exclusive Interview by Pavel Yakovlev - One week from now, Monte Barrett will face Alexander Ustinov for the vacant WBA International heavyweight title. Ustinov (18-0; 15 kayos), currently rated 11th worldwide by the WBA, is rated as a heavy favorite over Barrett (34-8; 20 kayos), who has been stopped in his last two fights. The conventional wisdom is that the 38 year old Barrett is simply too shopworn to trouble the hulking Ustinov, a 6’7”, 300 lbs. Russian who is rapidly climbing the world ratings under the promotional guidance of K2 East Promotions.
The conventional wisdom is not always correct, though. Sometimes a vast advantage in professional experience, combined with excellent physical conditioning, motivation, and a stylistic advantage enables an aging former contender to beat a hot, but relatively inexperienced up-and-coming prospect.
The older generation of boxing fans, no doubt, will recall Eddie Machen’s upset decision over undefeated Jerry Quarry in 1967. Although Machen was long past his best days, he was a wily veteran of 59 professional fights, and his tricky boxing tactics enabled him to handle the 21-year-old powerpunching Quarry. Quarry, at the time, was a novice fighting in just his 21st professional match. continue l
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by Geoffrey Ciani - As a long time boxing fan, there is a certain charm when it comes to watching young, inexperienced fighters. This is especially true when a fighters making their professional debut square off against one another. Oftentimes, such contests lack the sort of skill and discipline we are accustomed to seeing in the sweet science. On the other hand, this has a different type of appeal altogether. Friday night at Essex County College, a batch of young fighters got to show their stuff, many of them entering the ring for the first time as a professional.
The first fight on the card was a four rounder between two featherweights making their pro debut. Alex Mendez from New York squared off against Koselize Cepeda from New Jersey. This was actually an interesting fight. The two young fighters looked as if they had some decent amateur experience behind them. This was not the type of raw undisciplined fight I was expecting. continue l
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By Eugene Carnachan - Hubris; dictionary.com has hubris as meaning overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance.
One could readily apply hubris to the sport of boxing and specifically the many boxers who operate under the terms and conditions of hubris.
It is often a boxer’s hubris that compels them to physical brilliance in the ring. They hold court in the squared ring and are driven by a want to establish themselve's as the best and stave off rest all why impressing their fan base. continue l
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By Andrew Hall: The fight between Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez was a very good fight. One judge called it 119-110 (we have a blind judge in just about every fight). How on earth can anyone score the fight that way? I thought Paul Williams pulled it out the last two rounds. It was a very close fight. I scored the first round for Paul Williams (yes, he was more hurt at the end from the knockdown but he won the majority of that round). It was a really good fight all in all. I respect anybody's opinion even if they disagree with me but nobody should disagree with me when I say that the judge who scored the fight so lopsidedly should be thrown out of the sport of boxing. Also, he should not be allowed to drive until he gets glasses or something. continue l
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by Geoffrey Ciani - This week’s fiftieth edition of On the Ropes featured exclusive interviews with Andre Ward, Sugar Shane Mosley, and Natre Campbell. Highlighting this episode was the very interesting interview with newly crowned WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward, who is coming off of an upset victory against Super Six tournament favorite Mikkel Kessler. Here are some excerpts from the interview:
On his victory against Mikkel Kessler:
“It turned out just like we envisioned.
On whether or not he thought he could have stopped Kessler:
“I really felt like if that fight wasn’t stopped in the eleventh round that I could have stopped Mikkel, because I was feeling really strong and I caught my second wind at the beginning of the eleventh and I felt like he was tiring and just mentally, I think he was pretty much done.. continue l
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Team Hernandez Press Release - Friday night at the Isleta Hotel and Casino, one of the most anticipated woman’s bouts in recent memory was scheduled to take place as Holly Holm was set to take on Melissa “Hurracan” Hernandez in what was regarded as a battle to see who was the best pound for pound woman in the world. The bout did not happen, but it was not because Hernandez did not want to fight. In fact it was Team Holm that seemingly did not want the fight. The controversy started early in the evening when it was found out that Holm had already wrapped her hands without the presence of any member of Hernandez team. continue l
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Tomasz ‘Goral’ Adamek (37-1, 27 KO), the lineal and Ring Magazine cruiserweight champion, after knocking down powerful, four- time world boxing heavyweight championship contender, Andrew Golota twice in Poland, continues his quest to further his heavyweight career. On February 6th at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, Adamek will take on Jason “Big Six” Estrada (16-2, 4 KOs) of Providence, Rhode Island, in a 12 round IBF Heavyweight International Championship fight. The fight is promoted by Main Events and Ziggy Promotions in association with Classic Entertainment and Sports Inc. continue l
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SANTA YNEZ, Calif. (Dec. 4, 2009) – In two contrasting fights, “Kid” Carson Jones dealt Tyrone “The One” Brunson the first loss of his career in the main event while former WBO junior lightweight world champion Mike Anchondo won an eight-round split decision over previously undefeated Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera in the co-feature on an exciting night of fights on ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME® Friday before a capacity crowd at the Chumash Casino Resort.
Referee Dr. James Jenkin stepped in between a barrage of punches by Jones (24-7-1, 15 KOs) against a defenseless Brunson (21-1-1, 20 KOs) at 2:39 in the third round, exposing the heralded Philadelphian for the first time in his young career and giving Jones the TKO.
“I’m a good fighter,” said the Oklahoma City, Okla., resident Jones. “Everybody thinks that just because I have seven losses that I’m just coming in as an opponent. But that’s not me. I have seven losses because I had bad management but now that I have a great manager and promoter who are able to take care of me. continue l
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By Seth Green: Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have reportedly come to an agreement for a fight on March 13th, according to Dan Rafael. Pacquiao has signed a contract for a 50-50 split of the revenue with Mayweather. The location of the fight has yet to be settled, but the fight will be held at 147 instead of 154 or a lesser catch weight. The fight could bring in $80 million which would be split in half by the two fighters. continue l
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In front of a near capacity house, Steve Upsher Chambers scored a very decisive unanimous decision over Doel Carrasquillo to cap off the 7th Annual Children’s Holiday at The Legendary Blue Horizon. Chambers, of Philadelphia mixed up his shots well as he featured hooks and crosses and jabbed very well but his punch of choice was the uppercut for which he used with precision and often during the fight. Carrasquillo pressed forward throughout the fight and even got through a few thunderous power punches that Chambers was able to shake off and get the victory by scores of 80-72, 80-72 and 78-74 to raise his record to 21-1-1. continue l
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-- click here to view photo gallery -- Ringside Report from Manhattan by Geoffrey Ciani - It was a good night of boxing at the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom in New York, New York. There was a lot of energy at the small venue as fans packed in anxious for excitement. Celebrities like Chuck Zito, Burt Young, and New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs were all in attendance. Also on hand were several familiar faces from the boxing community including Junior Jones, legendary trainer Emanuel Steward, and New York middleweight prospect Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin.
In the first preliminary bout, cruiserweight Josh Harris stopped Jaywon Woods via fourth round technical knockout. It was a decent fight that ultimately saw Woods crumble to the canvas following a quick combination from Harris that ended with a solid hook to the head. This was the first loss for Woods in his professional career. His record drops to 7-1 while Harris improved to 5-3.
Maureen Shea was slated to fight on the card, but unfortunately her opponent Jenna Shiva did not pass her medical examination so the fight was pulled from the card. This was an unfortunate turn of events for “The Real Million Dollar Baby” as she was looking to bounce back after suffering back-to-back losses. It is uncertain when Shea will return to action but it should be sometime in the near future. continue l
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ATLANTA, GA (December 4, 2009) World ranked flyweight Rayonta Whitfield will don the colors of black and red of his home state Atlanta Falcons this Sunday as he is honored with their 2009 Community Quarterback Award. The award will be presented at halftime of the Falcons NFC showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. The game at The Georgia Dome is a match up between two teams chasing Wild Card slots with the Falcons bringing a record of 6-5 against the Eagles who stand at 7-4. continue l
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In preparation for his highly anticipated bout on December 19th against world middleweight champion Kelly "the Ghost" Pavlik (35-1, 31 KO's), North Hollywood native Miguel Espino (20-2-1, 9 KO's) has been training like never before in hopes of taking home both world title belts come fight night. Training out of Fortune Gym in Hollywood with trainer John Bray, Espino is putting everything he has into this training camp, sparring with the likes of Russian super middleweight prospects Dmitry and Fedor Chudinov and Justin Fortune's middleweight prospect Tyrell Hendrix. continue l
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FORMER WBA World Champion Gavin Rees is the Prizefighter Light-Welterweights Champion.
Rees, 29, claimed the title with a unanimous points decision victory over Colin Lynes in a thrilling final at the National Hall in London's Olympia.
The Prizefighter trophy was presented to Rees by former undisputed super-middleweight World Champion Joe Calzaghe, who, ironically, trains at the same gym as Rees.
"To be honest, winning this feels better than winning the world title," admitted Rees. "I've been out of the limelight for so long and no one expected me to win a world title but absolutely no one thought I would win this.
"I've definitely had a point to prove as a lot of people on all the forums have said I wasn't big enough and wasn't good enough to win it. continue l
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By Bobby Breen - 12-5-09. Another fun night of professional boxing took place Friday night at Essex County College in downtown Newark, NJ. Presented by Edmonds Promotions the show featured Jeremy “Hollywood” Bryan in the main event. Bryan, fighting out of Paterson, NJ made short work of Darren Fallen from Philadelphia, PA in their scheduled welterweight 8 rounder. Bryan knock downed Fallen in round one and moved in for the finish at 2:35 of round two. After a hard right that floored Fallen for the second time, who surprisingly got up, Bryan got Fallen against the ropes and unleashed a body attack barrage that finished Fallen for the night. Bryan, (who boxes for Pound-4-Pound Promotions) improves to a perfect 13-0 with 6 KO’s and continues to move up the ladder of competition. Fallen was no slouch with a record of 12-4-1 with 6 KO’s. continue l
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Paul Williams 157 vs Sergio Martinez 159 l Chris Arreola 263 vs Brian Minto 218 l Chazz Witherspoon 234 vs Tony Thompson 250 - Carlos Quintana 153.5 vs Jesse Feliciano 152.5 l Jorge Diaz 123.5 vs Luiz Paneto 121.5
HBO Sports presents a night of world-class fighters when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: PAUL WILLIAMS VS. SERGIO MARTINEZ AND CRISTOBAL ARREOLA VS. BRIAN MINTO is seen live SATURDAY, DEC. 5 (9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT) from Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, exclusively on HBO. The WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING team of Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman, and Emanuel Steward will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino. continue l
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By Danny Wright: Former WBA light welterweight champion Gavin Rees chalked up three unanimous points decisions along the way to taking the Prizefighter title, and £32,000 in cash, at Olympia, London. Rees, part of the Calzaghe stable, met former European title holder Colin Lynes in the final after beating Ted Bami and Jason Cook earlier in the night. Rees looked in full control of all 3 bouts, and in the final landed twice as many punches as Lynes, who struggled to cope with the speed and ferocity of Rees's attack.
In the UK, interest in the Prizefighter series has been mushrooming since Audley Harrison resurrected his career by winning the Heavyweight event in September. That was perhaps more about personalities than quality boxing, but tonight's Prizefighter at Welterweight featured the best lineup yet, including a former world champion in Rees and a former European title holder in Lynes. continue l
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by James Slater - We still await official confirmation about who IBF cruiserweight champion/heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek will fight next February, but BoxRec now have Jason Estrada's name listed next to the 33-year-old Polish warrior's. According to internet whispers (nothing gospel, you understand), Hasim Rahman, a one time contender for the Feb. 6th date in Newark, New Jersey, has decided against the fight because Adamek and his team were not offering enough money. continue l
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by James Slater - Puerto Rican star Miguel Cotto, last seen losing in a brave attempt to outgun pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, has been thinking and talking about retirement. The 29-year-old sure took a lot of punishment in the November fight - a fight that was thrilling to see for around nine rounds, before Pacquiao's dominance made the fight a tough one to watch - and some people wondered whether he'd fight again after the 12th-round TKO. Well, according to a short interview he has given to FightNews.com, Cotto, 34-2(27) will likely fight again in June (it's still way too early to expect an opponent to be named), but that he sees himself retiring from the sport at age 30 - his 30th birthday coming next October 29th. continue l
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By David Pambianchi: On Dec. 3, 2009, Manhattan Center, New York, “Star Boxing” presented a night of intense action with the USBA Light Welterweight Championship also at stake. Fans packed in to see some fine boxing and a few matches that kept them on the edge of their seats to the finish.
Cruiserweight Josh Harris started a scheduled 6 rounder even against Jaywon Woods. Harris scored some hard lefts and quick right hooks in the second with Woods getting in a flurry of his own near the end of the round. However, Southpaw Harris connected with a staggering left and follow-up volley for a 4th round TKO win at 1:17.
With no surprise, Heavyweight Shannon Briggs took a 2:01 first round KO win after he landed a hard solid right to the open rib cage of Marcus McGee.
Super Middleweight Hajro Sujak outscored Todd Eriksson during some good trading for the 4 round Unanimous Decision.
Tim Coleman captured the USBA Light Welterweight Championship over Mike Arnaoutis with a 12 round Split Decision. While the fight seemed fairly close at times, Coleman clearly got in the more solid and effective hits out of the trading, usually with a left hook followed by a straight or cross right. continue l
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by James Slater - It's still a little too early to begin the celebrations, but for the optimists out there, Pacquiao Vs. Mayweather - the super-fight the entire boxing world wants to see - is tantalizingly close to being made. This is the word being reported on a number of top boxing web sites and news outlets (I read the latest on Sky Sports' web site), as apparently, "Pac-Man" has agreed to face "Money" on March 13th of next year. According to the Sky Sports News article, Pacquiao's advisor, Michael Koncz, told of how promoter Bob Arum presented the Filipino legend with a proposal at a breakfast this Friday whilst visiting Pacquiao in The Philippines. continue l
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WATERBURY, CT – It has been more than 40 years since Muhammad Ali burst upon the scene as a gold-medal winner at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. To this day, Ali remains a magical figure, known and adored throughout the world. As a boxer, Ali had unprecedented speed and grace, while his charm and wit changed forever what the public thought a boxer should be.
On January 17, 2010, Muhammad Ali will celebrate his 68th birthday. In recognition of this milestone and his prolific career in and out of the boxing ring, local author Felix Manuel Rodriguez has partnered with the Waterbury Police Activity League and "Aliologists" (Muhammad Ali experts) from across the state to honor and celebrate Muhammad Ali’s 68th birthday and prolific career. continue l
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By Vivek Wallace - In an era of the sport where the mythical pound-for-pound mantle is handed out like ice cubes in the summer, an ever-present irony continues to manifest. The revelation of this irony is that despite the many fighters we've seen hold this highest honor over the last few years, it's the one with perhaps the most legitimacy for his claim that has yet to earn the title. Back in May of 2006, only days after his 10th round TKO over Walter Matthyssee, I sat at a table in a restaurant talking to a local radio personality in Miami, Florida who stated that the sport of boxing has "no new up-and-comers" and that the sport was essentially dying as a result. Despite the evolving talent of a young and developing Floyd Mayweather jr., as well as plenty others, in an effort to tip my hat to the less popular new kid on the block, I immediately felt compelled to ask that individual, as well as all others at the table, "Do they know (about Paul Williams)"? No one had much of a response at the time, but as the days went by, the buzz about this freakish figure who stood above 6ft tall and had such an amazing punch rate began to spread like wildfire, but despite the inquisitive listeners and spectators, the attention he rightfully deserved would barely come to fruition. Always eager to find tomorrows star today, rather than honing in on Williams, many turned their attention to a then squeaky clean young Mexican warrior from the west coast (Antonio Margarito) who had all of a sudden been dubbed the "baddest man on the planet". Rather than rolling the dice on this low risk/high reward opponent, the king of the division, Floyd Mayweather jr., opted instead take equal money for facing the lineal champion, Carlos Baldomir, while sidestepping this opponent like everyone else who mattered on the welterweight landscape. But the very moment it began to appear that no one had the guts to step in and face this granite-chinned warrior, promoter Dan Goosen stepped up and asked anyone willing to listen, "Do they know (about Paul Williams)"? After the two met and put everything on the line in an epic battle, the results were quite clear relative to who the true emerging star in the sport was. continue l
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WORCESTER, Mass. (Dec. 3, 2009) – Unbeaten Dominican sensation Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez, rated No. 13 by the NABA, completed a perfect year with an impressive TKO win November 19 against veteran super middleweight Brian “The Assassin” Norman (17-9, 5 KOs) in Rochester, New York. Now, the 24-year-old Rodriguez (13-0, 9 KOs) is ready for a breakout year in 2010, in which he plans to capture at least one regional title, as well as position himself for a world title shot in 2011. continue l
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The “World’s Greatest Ever Boxer” project has generated enormous debate and interest as the global boxing community vote to determine once and for all “who is the greatest ever.” The project has many components but it is with great regret that the organizers have decided not to stage the awards ceremony and boxing show scheduled Dec. 11-13 in Las Vegas. This very difficult decision was taken following a number of issues regarding the execution of key performance milestones in relation to the staging of the events. continue l
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By Eugene Carnachan - David Tua has announced his plans for the first five months of 2010. Tua will fight three times within 85 days. Tua isn’t daunted by the schedule and says he’s comfortable with having three fights within that short time frame. On Feburary 7th Atlantic City USA Tua will face former WBC champ Bruce Seldon. Seldon at 42 years of age is well past his best and should be no more the cannon fodder for Tua. His next fight will be March 27 in New Zealand against Friday “the nightmare” Ahunanya. Ahunanya was the first man to stop kiwi heavyweight Shane Cameron. Tua stopped Cameron in the first round of his comeback fight earlier this year. Ahunanya with a record 24 (KO 13) + lost 5 + drawn 3 is a capable tradesman who has only being stopped once by TKO in his career.
Ahunanya has recently called Tua out and his manager Luis Tapia is on record as saying his charge will knock Tua out. However with a knock out ratio of 41% that is highly unlikely given Tua in his professional boxing career has never heard a count of any kind let alone been knocked out. That said Ahunanya is a wiley customer that should at least ask a few questions of Tua.
In May Tua has a TBA at a yet undesignated location. Tua says he has to take it one fight at a time and win all three. l
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Sacramento – Former WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev (36-6, 27 KO’s) will headline an NESportsTV.com boxing PPV against the Texas based Nagy Aguilera (14-2, 9 KO’s) on Friday December 11th live from Sacramento. The fight will stream live on NESportsTV.com for a cost of $14.95. It will also be archived online for on demand viewing following the event for the same price. The bout will mark Maskaev’s first fight in the United States in over three years. His last appearance stateside was when he scored a 12th round TKO over former undisputed heavyweight champ Hasim Rahman to claim the WBC title in June 2006. Maskaev would make one successful defense of his title against Okhello Peter before losing it to Samuel Peter. continue l
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Bradley, (24-0-1 NC, 11 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., and Peterson (27-0, 13 KOs), of Washington, D.C., participated in a national media conference call to discuss their upcoming world title mega-matchup on Saturday, Dec. 12 live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).
In an excellent battle of unbeatens, Bradley will defend his WBO 140-pound title against interim champ Peterson at The Show at Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif. The telecast will open with WBC/WBA Super Flyweight Champion Vic Darchinyan (32-2-1, 26 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, defending his belts against WBC interim titlist Tomas Rojas (31-11-1, 22 KOs) of Mexico. continue l
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Commentary by P.H. Burbridge - Now, that the Mayweather-Marquez and the Pacquiao-Cotto fights have come and gone and amidst intense fan interest in a meeting between the two victors Top Rank’s, Bob Arum and Golden Boy Promotions, Richard Schaefer have made it over the first hurdle, Floyd Mayweather Jr! Or at least it would appear that way. It has been long suspected that the most difficult aspect of signing this proposed super fight would be Mayweather’s assessment of his own market value. Many boxing insiders expected that Floyd would drag this process out by making outlandish demands and holding his ground. A lot of us flat out assumed that talks would go on for months back and forth while both camps traded insults along the way. Well, we may still get that but at least we know one thing for sure. Floyd Mayweather Jr. definitely wants this fight! He appears to want it badly enough (or need it badly enough! $$$) to forego his normal routine of “making things difficult”. Not this time. Whatever the terms are or whatever he agreed to in principal I’m sure will still be relatively favorable but the fact that Bob Arum is in the Philippines as we speak is a testament that it’s also at least REASONABLE which is somewhat of a miracle considering the stakes. Either Richard Schaefer is incredibly persuasive or completely incompetent and I very seriously doubt that he’s incompetent. It sounds like Bob Arum had all of HIS pre-deal concerns addressed because he went for it. Remember, Bob Arum said a long time ago that Manny had to be in the driver seat on this deal and he has been quite vocal in the press outlining why he felt that way. Also, remember that there is NO love lost between Bob Arum and Floyd Mayweather Jr so if ever there was a time to play hard ball this was it. So far, nothing. continue l
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By Robert Jackson - It's been reported by a few boxing scribes (Dan Rafael) and websites that Mayweather vs Pacquiao is a done deal! Bob Arum is in the Phillipines today to finalize the deal with Pacquiao himself. After arriving in Manilla Arum was quoted as saying in part that Mayweather has been RELUCTANT to do the fight for fear he may be KO'd and afterwards saying that's why it is imperative for Pacquiao to sign for the fight??
Sounds like double speak to me since Mayweather in principle has already accepted Pacquiao's terms to fight! For Mayweather's part he stepped up and accepted the ultimatum put out by Freddie Roach saying March 2010 or else...they'll fight Yuri Foreman. continue l
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Last night at the Manhattan Center, Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing presented its premiere installment of "Hustler Boxing" with a five bout card. The show, which was televised live on the Versus Network, attracted some of New York's famous actors and sport figures, including Bert Young (Paulie from Rocky), Chuck Zito, as well as running backs for the New York Giants, Brandon Jacobs, and Danny Ware amongst many others. continue l
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by James Slater - Only in boxing. As soon as British referee Howard Foster waved off Wednesday's Danny Green-Roy Jones Junior fight at just after the two-minute mark of the very first round, fans everywhere knew the agreed rematch between Jones and fellow modern day legend Bernard Hopkins, set for next March, was history. With the 40-year-old hammered to another brutal stoppage loss (his third), it was clear the fistic talents that Jones once used to dazzling effect had faded beyond all recognition - at least his ability to take a good shot had gone.
Retirement surely now the only real option for the once superb Jones, all focus shifted to his conqueror, Danny Green. Now a superstar in his Australian homeland, fans wondered if maybe Hopkins, who hours later romped to an expectedly easy and clear-cut points win over Mexico's Enrique Ornelas, would fight "The Green Machine" instead.
But Hopkins, showing how odd his thinking can be at times, has astonishingly gone on record as saying he still wants to fight Jones! Okay, we all know how annoying it can be when plans we've made get spoilt, but is the 44-year-old serious when he says he still wants to fight Jones? continue l
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TOTOWA, NJ (December 3, 2009) – Promoter GARY SHAW formally offered to promote the rematch between Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones, Jr. – on the undercard of undefeated two-time light heavyweight champion CHAD DAWSON’S next fight. Shaw faxed the offer letter (see attached pdf of original letter) to Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Boy Promotions, Hopkins’ promoter, earlier today. HBO is holding an April 2010 date for Dawson’s next world championship fight. After congratulating Schaefer on Hopkins’ 12-round light heavyweight decision victory over fringe middleweight contender Enrique Ornleas, Shaw wrote the following: . continue l
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(December 3, 2009) Guillermo Rigondeaux, one of the most decorated fighters in the history of the amateur boxing system, is headed to the only city big enough to house his considerable talent. Rigondeaux, it was announced today, will headline the December 16 edition of the DiBella Entertainment (“DBE”) Broadway Boxing Series from B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in the heart of Times Square in New York City. On the undercard, DBE will showcase some of the brightest young prospects in the game, including a quartet of unbeaten fighters: heavyweight Tor Hamer, lightweight Joelo Torres, featherweight Luis Orlando Del Valle, and junior welterweight Gabriel Bracero. continue l
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NEW YORK (December 3, 2009) – World champions JUAN MANUEL “JuanMa” LOPEZ, STEVEN LUEVANO and YURIORKIS GAMBOA, and Top-10 contender ROGERS MTAGWA will kickoff the new decade in separate world featherweight title fights, Saturday, January 23, in the WaMu Theater in the “Mecca of Boxing,” Madison Square Garden. Lopez, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior featherweight champion, will be moving up to challenge WBO featherweight titlist STEVEN LUEVANO, while Gamboa defends his World Boxing Association championship belt against top-10 contender ROGERS MTAGWA. Both fights will be televised live on HBO on the 2010 premiere telecast of Boxing After Dark, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.) These four sluggers boast a combined record of 106-14-3 (71 KOs), a winning percentage of 86% and a victory by knockout ratio of 67%.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Arena Boxing U.S. and PR Best Boxing, tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75 and $50, go on sale Today! Thursday, December 3 at Noon, and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, and online at www.thegarden.com.
“These four exciting fighters are about to usher in a new era at the “Mecca of Boxing” in one of boxing’s flagship divisions,” said promoter Bob Arum. “Like Henry Armstrong, Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler before them, these four gladiators will reunite Madison Square Garden and the featherweight division to their former glory.. continue l
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Exclusive Interview by James Slater As he's more than made clear before on this very web site, unbeaten cruiserweight contender B.J Flores craves a fight with WBO 200-pound ruler Marco Huck. And after having watched Huck defend his belt with a points win over interim WBO champ Ola Afolabi at the weekend, the 30-year-old who is currently 24-0-1(15) sure hasn't changed his mind any. Flores would be more than willing to travel to Germany for fight and he hopes Huck will agree to face him next time out.
CANASTOTA, NY – DECEMBER 8, 2009 - The International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum is pleased to announce German boxing promoter Wilfried Sauerland has been elected into the Hall of Fame. “We’re very excited for Wilfried Sauerland and the Hall of Fame is very much looking forward to honoring his many achievements with induction into the Hall of Fame,” said Executive Director Edward Brophy. “His accomplishments will be recognized during the annual Hall of Fame Induction Weekend set for June 10-13th.”
by Geoffrey Ciani - Prior to the start of the Super Six I was afforded the opportunity to have a nice chat with Showtime’s boxing analyst Al Bernstein. Now that the first round of fighting is over, I was once again afforded this same opportunity late last week. Here is what Al had to say:
Photo by: Tom Casino / SHOWTME (Dec. 7, 2009) Reigning WBC World Super Middleweight Champion and Super Six stalwart Carl Froch’s achievements have been recognised following an incredible 12 months for the Nottingham man. Froch is celebrating having won a hat trick of awards over the past week but “The Cobra” insists that 2010 will be even bigger promising fans that, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”. Froch has been feted by the British Boxing Board of Control as their Boxer of the Year while the sports governing body in Britain also honoured Froch for his part in their Fight of Year (his thrilling win over Jean Pascal last December to win the WBC title).
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By Anthony Coleman - Very rarely do you see a fight in which the winner and the loser are both elevated by their performances. Yet last night the Middleweight showdown between the two best 154 pounders in the world, Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams, was such a fight. Both men fought with true determination and skill, mixing both scientific boxing with brawling. When the bell rang it was clear that if there was any fight that was going to unseed Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz for the honor of 2009 Fight of the Year, it would be this one. Too bad it was marred by horrendous scoring from an incompetent judge. First let’s give a synopsis. 
by James Slater - WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan has made it clear he is anxious to make his debut in America soon, very possibly the next time he fights. Fresh off his impressive one-round blow-out of the previously unbeaten Dmitriy Salita, the 23-year-old has said many times how much it means to him to make his name in the U.S.
Daniel Lopez (S.E. London): Here in England, Amir Khan is revered as the best of Britain by some and severely questioned by others. Where do you see Khan at the moment and what do you think he need to do reach the level that some already see him at?"
By Chris Acosta - Bert and Ernie, Thelma and Louise, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Cause and Effect, Bradshaw and Swann, Pamela Anderson: all great examples of the magic of historical pairs. The duo, the pairing of two contrasting or analogous entities, has always made for great drama, comedy, sport or epic saga. 
by James Slater at Ringside - 25-year-old Kevin Mitchell came of age last night in Newcastle. Boxing on the sold out Amir Khan-Dmitriy Salita bill at The Metro Radio Arena, the unbeaten former super-featherweight champion of both Britain and the Commonwealth made his debut at 135-pounds. And what a debut it was, too!
By Paul Strauss: Watch a replay of the fight without sound and without listening to the announced results, and there's a good chance you would feel the fight was a draw. Maybe you might be swayed a bit by “The Punisher's” continual pressure and volume punching. But, then you watch it a second time and you are impressed with Sergio Martinez's sharper more effective punching.
by James Slater: It was a short and very impressive night for defending WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan tonight, as he cut through undefeated challenger Dmitriy Salita of New York in just one minute and 16 seconds.
Marco “Captain” Huck (27-1, 20 KOs) celebrated a successful first defence of his WBO Cruiserweight Title when he clinched a unanimous points victory over Ola Afolabi (14-2, 6 KOs). The 25-year-old German used his explosiveness and punching power to keep his opponent at bay. He was ahead 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 on the judges´ scorecards. 
Exclusive Interview by James Slater - Former amateur standout and 2004 Olympian Jason Estrada of Providence, Rhode Island, 16-2(4) is set to face IBF cruiserweight champion/heavyweight campaigner Tomasz Adamek on February 6th.
Exclusive Interview by Pavel Yakovlev - One week from now, Monte Barrett will face Alexander Ustinov for the vacant WBA International heavyweight title. Ustinov (18-0; 15 kayos), currently rated 11th worldwide by the WBA, is rated as a heavy favorite over Barrett (34-8; 20 kayos), who has been stopped in his last two fights. The conventional wisdom is that the 38 year old Barrett is simply too shopworn to trouble the hulking Ustinov, a 6’7”, 300 lbs. Russian who is rapidly climbing the world ratings under the promotional guidance of K2 East Promotions.
by Geoffrey Ciani - As a long time boxing fan, there is a certain charm when it comes to watching young, inexperienced fighters. This is especially true when a fighters making their professional debut square off against one another. Oftentimes, such contests lack the sort of skill and discipline we are accustomed to seeing in the sweet science. On the other hand, this has a different type of appeal altogether. Friday night at Essex County College, a batch of young fighters got to show their stuff, many of them entering the ring for the first time as a professional. 
by Geoffrey Ciani - This week’s fiftieth edition of On the Ropes featured exclusive interviews with Andre Ward, Sugar Shane Mosley, and Natre Campbell. Highlighting this episode was the very interesting interview with newly crowned WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward, who is coming off of an upset victory against Super Six tournament favorite Mikkel Kessler. Here are some excerpts from the interview:
SANTA YNEZ, Calif. (Dec. 4, 2009) – In two contrasting fights, “Kid” Carson Jones dealt Tyrone “The One” Brunson the first loss of his career in the main event while former WBO junior lightweight world champion Mike Anchondo won an eight-round split decision over previously undefeated Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera in the co-feature on an exciting night of fights on ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME® Friday before a capacity crowd at the Chumash Casino Resort.
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FORMER WBA World Champion Gavin Rees is the Prizefighter Light-Welterweights Champion.
By Danny Wright: Former WBA light welterweight champion Gavin Rees chalked up three unanimous points decisions along the way to taking the Prizefighter title, and £32,000 in cash, at Olympia, London. Rees, part of the Calzaghe stable, met former European title holder Colin Lynes in the final after beating Ted Bami and Jason Cook earlier in the night. Rees looked in full control of all 3 bouts, and in the final landed twice as many punches as Lynes, who struggled to cope with the speed and ferocity of Rees's attack.
By David Pambianchi: On Dec. 3, 2009, Manhattan Center, New York, “Star Boxing” presented a night of intense action with the USBA Light Welterweight Championship also at stake. Fans packed in to see some fine boxing and a few matches that kept them on the edge of their seats to the finish. 
By Vivek Wallace - In an era of the sport where the mythical pound-for-pound mantle is handed out like ice cubes in the summer, an ever-present irony continues to manifest. The revelation of this irony is that despite the many fighters we've seen hold this highest honor over the last few years, it's the one with perhaps the most legitimacy for his claim that has yet to earn the title. Back in May of 2006, only days after his 10th round TKO over Walter Matthyssee, I sat at a table in a restaurant talking to a local radio personality in Miami, Florida who stated that the sport of boxing has "no new up-and-comers" and that the sport was essentially dying as a result. Despite the evolving talent of a young and developing Floyd Mayweather jr., as well as plenty others, in an effort to tip my hat to the less popular new kid on the block, I immediately felt compelled to ask that individual, as well as all others at the table, "Do they know (about Paul Williams)"? No one had much of a response at the time, but as the days went by, the buzz about this freakish figure who stood above 6ft tall and had such an amazing punch rate began to spread like wildfire, but despite the inquisitive listeners and spectators, the attention he rightfully deserved would barely come to fruition. Always eager to find tomorrows star today, rather than honing in on Williams, many turned their attention to a then squeaky clean young Mexican warrior from the west coast (Antonio Margarito) who had all of a sudden been dubbed the "baddest man on the planet". Rather than rolling the dice on this low risk/high reward opponent, the king of the division, Floyd Mayweather jr., opted instead take equal money for facing the lineal champion, Carlos Baldomir, while sidestepping this opponent like everyone else who mattered on the welterweight landscape. But the very moment it began to appear that no one had the guts to step in and face this granite-chinned warrior, promoter Dan Goosen stepped up and asked anyone willing to listen, "Do they know (about Paul Williams)"? After the two met and put everything on the line in an epic battle, the results were quite clear relative to who the true emerging star in the sport was. 
By Eugene Carnachan - David Tua has announced his plans for the first five months of 2010. Tua will fight three times within 85 days. Tua isn’t daunted by the schedule and says he’s comfortable with having three fights within that short time frame. On Feburary 7th Atlantic City USA Tua will face former WBC champ Bruce Seldon. Seldon at 42 years of age is well past his best and should be no more the cannon fodder for Tua. His next fight will be March 27 in New Zealand against Friday “the nightmare” Ahunanya. Ahunanya was the first man to stop kiwi heavyweight Shane Cameron. Tua stopped Cameron in the first round of his comeback fight earlier this year. Ahunanya with a record 24 (KO 13) + lost 5 + drawn 3 is a capable tradesman who has only being stopped once by TKO in his career. 
Commentary by P.H. Burbridge - Now, that the Mayweather-Marquez and the Pacquiao-Cotto fights have come and gone and amidst intense fan interest in a meeting between the two victors Top Rank’s, Bob Arum and Golden Boy Promotions, Richard Schaefer have made it over the first hurdle, Floyd Mayweather Jr! Or at least it would appear that way. It has been long suspected that the most difficult aspect of signing this proposed super fight would be Mayweather’s assessment of his own market value. Many boxing insiders expected that Floyd would drag this process out by making outlandish demands and holding his ground. A lot of us flat out assumed that talks would go on for months back and forth while both camps traded insults along the way. Well, we may still get that but at least we know one thing for sure. Floyd Mayweather Jr. definitely wants this fight! He appears to want it badly enough (or need it badly enough! $$$) to forego his normal routine of “making things difficult”. Not this time. Whatever the terms are or whatever he agreed to in principal I’m sure will still be relatively favorable but the fact that Bob Arum is in the Philippines as we speak is a testament that it’s also at least REASONABLE which is somewhat of a miracle considering the stakes. Either Richard Schaefer is incredibly persuasive or completely incompetent and I very seriously doubt that he’s incompetent. It sounds like Bob Arum had all of HIS pre-deal concerns addressed because he went for it. Remember, Bob Arum said a long time ago that Manny had to be in the driver seat on this deal and he has been quite vocal in the press outlining why he felt that way. Also, remember that there is NO love lost between Bob Arum and Floyd Mayweather Jr so if ever there was a time to play hard ball this was it. So far, nothing. 
by James Slater - Only in boxing. As soon as British referee Howard Foster waved off Wednesday's Danny Green-Roy Jones Junior fight at just after the two-minute mark of the very first round, fans everywhere knew the agreed rematch between Jones and fellow modern day legend Bernard Hopkins, set for next March, was history. With the 40-year-old hammered to another brutal stoppage loss (his third), it was clear the fistic talents that Jones once used to dazzling effect had faded beyond all recognition - at least his ability to take a good shot had gone.
NEW YORK (December 3, 2009) – World champions JUAN MANUEL “JuanMa” LOPEZ, STEVEN LUEVANO and YURIORKIS GAMBOA, and Top-10 contender ROGERS MTAGWA will kickoff the new decade in separate world featherweight title fights, Saturday, January 23, in the WaMu Theater in the “Mecca of Boxing,” Madison Square Garden. Lopez, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior featherweight champion, will be moving up to challenge WBO featherweight titlist STEVEN LUEVANO, while Gamboa defends his World Boxing Association championship belt against top-10 contender ROGERS MTAGWA. Both fights will be televised live on HBO on the 2010 premiere telecast of Boxing After Dark, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.) These four sluggers boast a combined record of 106-14-3 (71 KOs), a winning percentage of 86% and a victory by knockout ratio of 67%.