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Contributing Writers
Africa: Prince Dornu-Leiku
Australia:
Tony Nobbs
Srithar Visuasam
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
P.H. Burbridge
Paul Strauss Frank Gonzalez Jr
Wray Edwards
Pavel Yakovlev
Scott Kraus
Robert Jackson
Thomas Scherr
Charles White
Yero Moody
Taj Eubanks
Karl E. H. Seigfried
Mike Dunn
30.12.05 - By Paul Ruby: So... Let’s give out some awards: Fighter of the Year:Ricky Hatton. To me, this one is not even that close. Hatton heard people criticizing him for years, saying he faced only soft competition. He never lashed out at his critics, kept winning all of his fights, and represented his sport like a gentleman. This past year was one big coming out party for Hatton. He began the year by beating a foe that many thought insurmountable in Kostya Tszyu and punctuated the year by dismantling Carlos Maussa in a rough and tumble affair. Other contenders include Winky Wright and Jorge Arce.
Fight of the Year:Corrales/Castillo I. This will be virtually everyone’s pick, and with good reason. This epic battle had a little bit of everything that makes us love boxing - talent, heart, skill, ebb-and-flow, knockdowns, drama, redemption. continue l
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30.12.05 - By Paul Ruby: At Super Flyweight, the two top fighters are probably Martin Castillo and Jose Navarro. Castillo is managed by Frank Espinoza, who also manages Israel Vasquez, while Navarro is best known for being the victim of the year’s most despicable robbery in his fight against Katsushige Kawashima of Japan. Navarro is now set to return to Japan to face Kawashima’s conqueror, Masamori Tokuyama; let’s hope this trip turns out better for him than the last. Martin Castillo is slated for face Alexander Munoz in late January. Unfortunately, the two have already fought with Castillo’s skill basically neutralizing Munoz’ power for the duration of the fight. Personally, I’d prefer to see Castillo in with Fernando Montiel or Rosendo Alvarez, but those are fight that will have to wait for another day. continue l
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At his peak, Ezzard Charles whipped Moore, Burley, Bivins, Maxim, Lloyd Marshall and Elmer ‘Violent’ Ray: Meet the prime-time Cincinnati Cobra.
30.12.05 - By MIKE CASEY: To all but true boxing fans and connoisseurs, he was the moderate heavyweight champion who beat a much adored legend and came heroically close to beating another.
You have to wonder if Ezzard Mack Charles, the great Cincinnati Cobra, ever grew sick of people asking him about his fights with Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano. Tap Ezzard’s name into your search engine and the names of Louis and Marciano will invariably pop up just as often.
Charles was a slick and skilful heavyweight when he beat the ageing Louis in 1950, and in the final stages of his dying greatness when he ran Rocky to the wire in the first meeting at Yankee Stadium in 1954. continue l
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30.12.05 - Comebacking former linear heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs, 45-4-1 (39 KOs), has written a poem to continue his holiday season pursuit of fellow contender Samuel Peter. Although the fight with Peter is rumoured to already be in the works, Briggs, who is scheduled to face Ohio’s Chris Koval, 23-2 (18 KOs), for the USBA Heavyweight Championship on January 27 at the Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, Miami, Florida, says he will continue to goad the “Nigerian Nightmare” until he has no choice but to get in the ring. continue l
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30.12.05 - By Michael Montero: Well the year is coming to an end, and everywhere you look you’re seeing articles featuring “Best of the Year” awards. I thought I’d put my spin on it, and choose some categories that you may not have seen yet. So here we go…
The “DUH!” Awards: (awards that don’t need a vote b/c they’re obvious)
Corrales-Castillo I – DUH! Obviously winner for fight of the year, round of the year (two or three times over) and the best “free” fight.
Showtime – DUH! Obviously the winner for network of the year. They smoked HBO’s ass, in my opinion, and are lined up for an even better start in 2006. continue l
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30.12.05 - Denver, Colo. - "Brawlroom Boxing" makes its return to the Denver area and its thirsty fight fans on Tuesday, January 17, 2006. Following a highly successful inaugural show back in September 2005; Tuesday Night Fights, LLC is anxious to bring another high-octane card to the Denver area. continue l
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30.12.05 - By Paul Ruby: For the last half decade, the 140 pound division has hosted some of boxing’s most elite talents, as well as some of the true class acts of the sport - guys like Arturo Gatti, Kostya Tszyu, and my pick for Fighter of the Year, Ricky Hatton. The potential arrival of fighters like Acelino Freitas, Juan Lazcano, and Jose Luis Castillo from Lightweight as well as up-and-comers like Carlos Maussa and Miguel Cotto make for countless potentially interesting fights. The past year marked a changing of the guard when Hatton took out Tszyu in June. At this time, it appears that Hatton is the class of the field, with Tszyu still not far behind. Hatton the followed that victory with Carlos Maussa, the unorthodox Colombian fresh of a TKO of once highly-touted Vivian Harris.
At the moment, it appears Hatton is taking a much-deserved breather, but I hope that all would take a moment to track his career and progress during the last few years. continue l
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30.12.05 - By Per Ake Persson: Universum´s unbeaten supermiddle Juergen Braehmer takes on South African veteran Andre Thysse February 4 in Duesseldorf, Germany for the vacant WBC Int´l title. In the chief support welters Michele Orlando and Michel Trabant clash for the EU crown. continue l
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30.12.05 - Danny Williams will tame the Bedford Bear Matt Skelton before he goes on the hunt for the Beast from the East Nicolay Valuev. Williams takes on Skelton for the Commonwealth Heavyweight title on February 25 at the ExCeL London and the winner could meet man-mountain Valuev, the new WBA World Champion, next.
The Brixton banger famously hired a 'safari bus' to go in search of Skelton in Bedford to bring him out of hiding after he refused to fight him following the collapse of their fight in July when Williams pulled out at the last minute citing flu.
Williams came back empty handed from his hunt but following his victory over Audley Harrison earlier this month, promoter Frank Warren made the fight between him and Skelton again to establish who is the best in Britain. continue l
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30.12.05 - Hot bantamweight prospect Raul “The Cobra” Martinez heads back to Chicago next Friday night as he is featured in the co-main event of SHOBOX “THE NEW GENERATION” an action packed evening of professional boxing presented by Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions,’ HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING, Kathy Duva’s Main Events Inc. along with Miller Lite and TCF Bank. continue l
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29.12.05 - By Paul Ruby: Like at Heavyweight, the Light Middleweight division is largely full of past-their-prime fighters who remain household names despite diminishing skills. Personally, I can’t blame guys like Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya, Fernando Vargas, Vernon Forrest, and Ricardo Mayorga for trying to make as much money as possible with as little risk. Their legacies are virtually set and, if the buying public is ignorant or nostalgic enough to let them line their pockets even further, then you cannot fault them for taking the opportunity to make a couple million dollars.
The 154-pound division is one of the strangest in boxing right now. Daniel Santos and Kassim Ouma lost to Sergiy Dzinziruk and Roman Karmazin, respectively, and virtually no one forecasted either result. Karmazin looked technically sound and strong as an ox against Ouma, but he had never looked close to the that good beforehand, and he has yet to fight since. continue l
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29.12.05 - Up-and-coming heavyweight prospect JD “The Natural” Chapman, 19-0 (17 KOs), will return to action on February 4 at the Pope County Fairgrounds in Russellville, AR. The hard punching 22-year-old Chapman will face 19-9 (15 KOs) fellow Arkansas native Marvin Hill over 12 rounds for the NABC and Arkansas State Heavyweight Championships. continue l
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29.12.05 - By Kevin Kincade: I am a boxing fan, like you, and have been for a long time. Over the years I’ve seen several dream bouts come to fruition, such as Chavez-Whitaker and Carbajal-Gonzalez and Hagler-Leonard; but there have been even more fights I wish had happened that never did: Hagler-Leonard II, Tyson-Douglas II, Lewis-Bowe, Paez-Fenech, Foreman-Holmes, Hearns-McCallum, Leonard-Pryor, and a few others. Oh, in retrospect, some of those match-ups don’t seem quite so superb; but, at the time, I really wanted to see them happen. I’m sure you’ve got your list of “what-ifs” as well. We all do. We’re fight fans. We want to see how styles mesh, who’s the better man, and can he beat him again. That, my friends, is the backbone of the boxing business. Find a fight the people want to see, make it happen, and make people pay through the nose to see it….’cause you know they will. Capitalism….you gotta love it.
Now, all of that being said, a time does come when one has to say, “Yeah, that would have been a great fight; but it’s too late, now.” Ladies and Gentleman….now is one of those times and Jones-Hopkins II is one of those fights. continue l
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29.12.05 - Promoter Joe DeGuardia of Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing has inked former light heavyweight champion Montell “Ice” Griffin, 47-6 (30 KOs), to a promotional contract. In his impressive 12-year career, the 35-year-old Griffin was the first to score a victory over Roy Jones Jr. (via DQ 9) and holds a pair of wins over James “Lights Out” Toney. He remains a serious threat in the 175-lb class, dropping a pair of controversial IBF title elimination fights to Rico Hoye (hotly disputed decision) and Julio Gonzalez (TD 6, due to a head butt) in the past fifteen months. continue l
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29.12.05 - By James Slater: Iran Barkley started the year 1989 as the new WBC middleweight champion and was looking forward to making a first defence of his title. He was matched against yet another legendary fighter (he had won the title with a stunning upset over all-time great Thomas Hearns) early that year when he signed to defend against “The Hands of Stone” Roberto Duran. Duran was as legendary as it gets but at this point most experts thought he was way past his best.
He was possibly the greatest lightweight who ever lived but his peak years were back in the 1970s, and in more recent years he had been flattened in two shocking rounds by Hearns and out-pointed over fifteen by Marvellous Marvin Hagler (a close fight though, it must be said). He had caused an upset and won another world title in 1983 by relieving Davey Moore of his light middleweight belt, but to most experts this was probably his last hurrah, and even this was six years ago. continue l
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29.12.05 - With only New Year's Eve left to celebrate, British and Commonwealth Lightweight Champion Graham Earl is chomping at the bit for January 27th to come around so he can celebrate his holidays all in one go, roughly a month too late. And the Luton man is steaming about having to reschedule the time with his family. continue l
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29.12.05 - By Paul Ruby: 2005 was a year like many others in boxing, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It was a year that was predictable at times and unpredictable at others; it was a year that engendered satisfaction and frustration in equal measure. There were times that remind us why we love this sport, but there were also decisions that show us how agonizing it can be.
At heavyweight, 2005 gave us the same phenomenon we have been seeing since Lennox Lewis’ retirement - past-their-prime fighters being recycled into title shot after title shot while younger, hungry fights are left standing outside the fire. As has become standard practice, each major sanctioning body has a different champion and the division is largely devoid of excitement. Still, the landscape looks better than it did a year ago - John Ruiz has been defeated twice, people have largely stopped listening to Chris Byrd’s unrealistic self-evaluations, and a series of exciting young fighters are on the doorstep of becoming household names. continue l
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28.12.05 - “I’m starting to become the King of the Two Weeks Notice fights.” - So proclaims unbeaten welterweight contender James “Spider” Webb, as he prepares for his last-minute offer to challenge Mark Suarez on January 7 at Madison Square Garden. The winner will be declared the IBF welterweight mandatory challenger, and will also get a good look at the champion; Zab Judah defends his undisputed welterweight crown against Carlos Baldomir in the main event on SHOWTIME. continue l
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28.12.05 - Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing, Inc. announced today that it has signed former world champion Derrick “Smoke” Gainer to a promotional contract. Pensacola, Florida’s Gainer has compiled a record of 39-7-1, with 24 KO’s over 15 years as a professional and is looking to revitalize his career, become more active and land another title shot. continue l
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28.12.05 - By Joseph Carlo Russo: Amidst the recent signing of the Jeff Lacy/Joe Calzaghe superfight to be held at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester on March 4th fight fans not only in the United States but abroad as well have been raving about this potential diamond of a bout. This bout is any fight fan, promoter, or matchmaker's dream as it features two great fighters at a good weight from rival soils, both possessing the exciting styles that we all salivate over.
As the super middleweight division went previously unnoticed in the United States Jeff Lacy has done well for putting it back on the map. From his intimidating physique to his devastating style Jeff Lacy is a fight fan's dream. Since he exploded onto the boxing scene on February 2, 2001 Jeff Lacy has racked up 21 victories to no losses, with 17 jaw-dropping knockouts. His style demonstrates remnants of Mike Tyson and Marvin Hagler but his heart is no one else's but his own. continue l
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LAS VEGAS (December 28, 2005) - Silverhawk Boxing kicks-off the New Year with a knockout evening of pay-per-view entertainment, "Collision Course, A Night of Champions," featuring three world title fights and two other championship matches, January 27 at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. continue l
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28.12.05 - Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING, along with Kathy Duva’s Main Events and Miller Lite and TCF Bank present the first professional card of the new year as SHOBOX, “THE NEW GENERATION” visits Chicago for the first time on Friday, January 6th at Cicero Stadium. continue l
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28.12.05 - By Khalid Mohamed: Any issue to do about race is always sensitive and understandable, but when you talk bout the likes of Louis and Johnson, race is a factor. What I've got to say isn’t to insult or offend, but just to put my point across. Now, don't get me wrong, Joe Louis is one of my favorite boxers ever. His speed, power, combinations and skill won me over a long time ago, yet I always kept thinking of one thing: why was Louis so... well... domesticated? It's a nasty word, I know, but he seemed to be perfect for what white America wanted him to be, which got me thinking about Jack Johnson and his reign as champ and how it directly effected Louis.
Joe Louis and Jack Johnson were two men who defined an era but were remembered out of the ring for totally different reasons; Johnson, the drinking, gambling, womanizing speed freak, who gloated over his hurt opponents and broke taboos just to piss off white America, while Louis was the quiet, docile, bible reading kid, who stayed away from white women and served his country in the ring (against Schmeling) and in the army during WWII. continue l
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28.12.05 - By Per Ake Persson: Former WBC cruiser champ Juan Carlos Gomez did, sadly, test positive for traces of cocaine in the two tests required by the German Federation, the BDB, after his bout with Oliver McCall October 15 in Duesseldorf. In this matter the BDB collaborates with a highly respected anti-doping center in Cologne headed by professor Wilhelm Schaenzer. continue l
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28.12.05 - by Shawn Darling: Former WBC light heavyweight champ, Matthew Saad Muhammad is doing what he loves now a days. He has finally retired from his former profession as a union roofer and has expanded his boxing training duties. He has worked as a card carrying roofing laborer since 1985, three years after he lost his belt to Dwight Qawi. continue l
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27.12.05 - By James Slater: It may be argued that James Toney's nickname is one of the least apt in the sport. Certainly, in recent years it has been James' skill and finesse along with his mastering of old school moves that have been responsible for him emerging victorious, and not his knockout prowess. In fact, from his last twenty four fights he has won only eleven by KO. A respectable percentage to be sure but not indicative of a murderous hitter. However, there was a time when Toney's fists carried more than a fair deal of KO power. When he was a middleweight and super middleweight he really could crack some, as he proved by flattening quite a few top notch guys. He burst onto the world scene and captured the first of many titles with a spectacular destruction of the hitherto undefeated Michael Nunn and later went on to score, what I believe to be, his most devastating inside the distance victory.
James had recently won his second world title, the IBF super middleweight title, in February of 1993 with a nine round battering of the ever gutsy Iran Barkley. He was now defending this title for the second time and was intent on turning back the challenge of the undefeated number one contender Tim Littles as he did so. What followed is the most dramatic action from James Toney's career. Defeat would come perilously close in this fight! continue l
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NEW YORK (December 27, 2005) – Highlights from the most compelling and unforgettable fights of a spectacular year of televising world-class prizefights will be shown when SHOWTIME proudly presents “SHOWTIME BOXING: Best Of 2005” on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005, at 2:15 p.m. ET/PT. The informative, fast-paced, entertaining 30-minute telecast is hosted by SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’S blow-by-blow commentator, Steve Albert, and features Al Bernstein and Steve Farhood, the ringside analysts for SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and “Shobox: The New Generation,” respectively. continue l
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26.12.05 - By Jim Amato: Book written by Authors : Rusty Rubin and Tom Donelson - Who is Billy Soose? A lot of people may ask this question, especially today's younger fans who probably had no idea.Two of the best writers in the business, Rusty Rubin and Tom Donelson co-authored a book that should enlighten the boxing fan as to how good Billy Soose really was. continue l
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26.12.05 - By Troy Ondrizek: After going winless in his first six fights as an amateur; a ten year old Calvin Brock almost gave up boxing. Calvin’s dad helped him overcome his ring-related setbacks, and purchased him some boxing instructional tapes. At that moment a contender was born. Calvin went on to become the first fighter to ever receive a college degree before competing in the Olympics. He overcame his adverse conditions of time consuming studying and the dedicated training in takes to be an Olympic fighter.
All of this helped mold him into the fighter and man he is today. Calvin is now a spokesperson for the African-American community. He is featured on AOL”s BlackVoices.com, a respected African-American website, and is featured in the current issue of Jet magazine in a wedding photo of him and his new bride. Calvin isn’t only making waves in the African-American community. He is making a splash on the heavyweight scene as well. He is undefeated and twenty-seven pro fights. He holds victories over Jameel McCline and Clifford Etienne. Calvin desperately wants to be champion, and he feels now is his time to overcome the other contenders and champions to achieve his goal; boxing greatness. Calvin took the time to tell me about his hurdles he has faced in the division, and how he plans to eradicate any doubt about himself as a fighter. continue l
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26.12.05 - By Per-Ake Persson: Norwegian heavy Leif Dolonen Larsen, a former NFL player, and his compatriot, jr welter Geir Inge Jorgensen fights January 13 in Torrevieja (Spain) along with Spaniard Emilio Casal and Brit Michael Grant. Jorgensen takes on Spaniard Antonio Postigo while opponent for Dolonen is still being looked for. continue l
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CANASTOTA, NY - DECEMBER 26, 2005 - The International Boxing Hall of Fame announced today a news conference will be held at the Hall of Fame Events Pavilion on Thursday, January 12, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. to announce the newest Hall of Fame Inductees. Inductees will be named in five categories: Modern, Old-Timer, Pioneer, Non- Participant and Observer. Members of the Boxing Writers Association of America and an international panel of boxing historians cast votes. Voters from Japan, England, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Germany, Puerto Rico and the United States are among those who participate in the election process. continue l
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26.12.05 - By Dan Mocci: There are still some days to go before the ball drops to kick off 2006, but the New Year’s party has already started for the “Sweet Science”. The curtain is closing on a lackluster ’05 for the sport of boxing, but that shouldn’t disparage fight fans from penciling in some key dates on their new 2006 calendars. Reserve a spot on the couch for the last three weeks of January right away. Then factor in at least two weekends a month for the foreseeable future.
Right out of the gate, we will have our first recognized undisputed cruiserweight champion since Evander Holyfield after the O’Neill Bell-Jean Marc Mormeck tussle on January 7th. By the end of the year’s first month we will have seen Pacquaio-Morales II, the return of Friday Night Fights, and the comeback of Arturo “Thunder” Gatti. International battles featuring WBC Featherweight Champion Injin Chi and WBC 168-lb. titlist Mikkel Kessler will do big business abroad. continue l
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December 26, 2005 - Reigning champion Donald Camarena (16-1) has signed his contract to meet former WBC International champion Paul Malignaggi (20-0). The fight staged to be held at the Foxwoods Resorts and Casino in Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Connecticut and aired live on ESPN. Show promoted by DiBella Entertainment. continue l
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Brewster: I wish all the fans a happy holidays and hope you keep pushing for the heavyweight unification and you all deserve it. I want to give the fans what they want.
25.12.05 - By Geoffrey Openda: Kiilu boxed a very disciplined fight, and controlled the action from the first bell. Ameme tried his best, but missed most of his punches, and was never a real threat to Kiilu’s triumph. Halfway through the bout it was apparent that the visitor from Dar es Salaam had to score a knockout to win, but he simply couldn’t manage to get on the inside to connect. After the decision was announced, Kiilu was awarded his newly won belt by Australian World Boxing Foundation (WBF) president Mick Croucher, who praised Kiilu for a job well done. continue l
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25.12.05 - By Dino Alvarado: It might be 12 years too late for some, but for others, the rematch between Roy Jones Jr. (49-4, 38 KO's) and Bernard Hopkins (46-4, 32 KO'S) will be a historic occasion that can't be missed. To the naked eye, this may seem confusing. Why pay $50 for what will most likely be a boring fight between two washed-up boxers? It's simple; history.
Hopkins and Jones have each gone such different paths since their first match on May 22, 1993. Roy Jones Jr. won the fight and built on that momentum by defeating top boxers such as James Toney and Mike McMallum. Jones went on to become the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world for ten years, and was one of the few boxers in recent memory to have crossover appeal; that is, his popularity went beyond the sport. Having won a championship in four different weight classes, he seemed untouchable. The dream ended the day he fought Antonio Tarver. continue l
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24.12.05 - By John Way: With his recent Technical Decision win over Roberto Valenzuela, Ben Tackie has punched (pun intended) his way back in serious junior welterweight contention. By defeating the murderous punching Valenzuela-who has 31 knockouts in 35 wins-Tackie finally seems to have adapted to his newly found style of cautious boxing, featuring a more conservative punch output, crafty footwork, and judicious use of the jab. With the help of his new trainer, John David Jackson, Tackie has put together a four fight unbeaten streak against a steadily increasing level of opposition-a tread which hopefully will continue into the new year. continue l
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24.12.05 - By Jeff Bastasini: With Nicolay Valuev’s recent disputed majority decision win over John Ruiz, it has seemingly catapulted this once unknown Russian fighter from near obscurity to being one of the most talked about fighters in the heavyweight division, perhaps mostly thanks to the Circus side show aspect of his huge 7 ft, 320 pound frame, that dwarfs his opponents. Now, according to Don King, he wants Valuev to fight his next bout in the United States. So far, no one has been named as a possible opponent, but fighters, such as Andrew Golota, and Evander Holyfield, have been circulating in the rumor mill.
However, for me, I’m seriously hoping that King doesn’t decide on taking the soft route for Valuev, as the public, no matter how gullible they’ve been in the past, won’t likely show much interest in a fight that could turn out to be an ugly one-sided mismatch. continue l
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23.12.05 - Power-punching middleweights Gary Lockett and Ryan Rhodes predict it will be an early night for one of them when they collide for the Vacant WBU World Middleweight title on Saturday 11 March at the Newport Sports Centre. Welshman Lockett, 29, is regarded as the hardest puncher in the domestic 160lb division with 17 knockouts in 25 fights with 15 of them coming inside two rounds and reckons Rhodes will crack under his heavy-handed assault. continue l
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23.12.05 - By Kevin Dinkins: Well, I never thought I would see it again, but Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins have agreed to fight on March 11th, according to ESPN. This is a long in coming rematch of their 1993 bout, that saw Roy Jones Jr. winning the fight by 116-112, 116-112 and 116-112 on the judge’s cards. Although, I personally, had Hopkins (46-4-1, 32 KOs) winning this fight, and I never really did understand how Jones (49-4, 38 KOs) could have been awarded the decision, based on his inaction during the 2nd half of the fight. I personally count that fight as a loss for Jones, who was for the most part, running from Hopkins continously and avoiding any real exchanges from rounds 6-12.
At this point in their careers, this fight seems pointless, as it should have occurred back in 1994, not in 2006, with both of them slowed with age and no longer at the very top of the sport. continue l
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23.12.05 - Smokin Joe Frazier was disturbed to find his name recently associated on AOL's site with the repugnant concept of a video boxing game called Face-Off and its focus on bouts decided by how many "Low Blows & Head Butts" are committed. Joe knows the damage boxing can do and is upset that this "dirty" game concept that AOL is promoting would in anyway associate his name in their promotional copy. continue l
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23.12.05 - By Ron Lipton: "I just wanted to say to all my boxing friends besides wishing everyone a very Happy and Merry Christmas and healthy new year that I am very grateful to all of the caring boxing people who stood by me to help me get back into that ring. Furthermore, whether I ever get my referee license again in NY or not, due to what I know specifically is a totally unjust situation, I have come to a few conclusions about life.
I believe I remain someone who will still speak out like all of you when a boxing situation merits it, and I would still like to think I am the same tough street kid I was long ago but I have come to realize one truth.
There are many good people in boxing who have shown me they are good guys to the marrow of their bones and one of the best in my opinion of is Teddy Atlas. continue l
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23.12.05 - SKY Sports have singled out Hennessy Sports promoted John Murray as their ‘Shooting Star’ for 2006. Pundit Jim Watt selected the Manchester fighter as the one to watch following a spectacular year that saw him make sensational debuts in America and Canada and, last time out on a SKY televised event, become the first ever British fighter to win a WBC World Youth Championship. continue l
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23.12.05 - By Troy Ondrizek: I have my own opinions on a fighter’s ability in the ring. I, like the rest of you determine in my own mind if I really want to see a particular fighter fight again. After his less than thrilling performance against Chris Byrd, DaVarryl Williamson has garnered his share of critics. Terms of washed up, mentally fragile, and gun shy; have graced the paragraphs of several articles. Maybe some of these statements have some validity. Then again the argument for DaVarryl’s capabilities is just as strong. DaVarryl has had impressive victories over Corey Sanders and Derrick Jefferson. He’s put away Oliver McCall and Kevin McBride. All these are quality wins for him.
In contrast, he was dropped cold by Joe Mesi in one round, and had a controversial Technical Decision loss to Wladimir Klitschko. However, you can judge DaVarryl’s accomplishments according to your own litmus test. However, o one can claim that DaVarryl isn’t a class act outside of the ring. A devout family man, and community leader, DaVarryl took a brief break from his home life to gloat to me about his family, and to change the minds of his detractors about his fighting ability. continue l
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23.12.05 - Hennessy Sport’s Billy Corcoran has played Father Christmas by offering Bradford’s Femi Fehintola the opportunity to challenge for the English super featherweight title he won in October with a devastating third round stoppage of former British champion Roy Rutherford. "I have just heard that I can make a voluntary defence of my belt on January 20th at the York Hall," began Corcoran. continue l
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22.12.05 - By Jim Amato: Norman " Stoney " Stone has decided for a number of rumored reasons to retire from the corner of former WBA heavyweight kingpin John Ruiz. Stone has been vilified on many occasions throughout his association with Ruiz. Controversial? You bet. Entertaining? Well, I guess that comes down to the "eye of the beholder" category, yet "Stoney" was usually good copy. It all came down to drawing attention to your fighter and as a manager, Norman had the knack. continue l
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22.12.05 - By Geoffrey Ciani: Since winning the WBA heavyweight championship from John Ruiz less than a week ago, rumours have been circulating throughout the boxing world as to who the newly crowned champion, Nicolay Valuev, will face in his first title defense. Two names are frequently mentioned in the course of such discussions: Andrew Golota and Evander Holfyfield.
On the surface, neither seems deserving of a title shot, and rightfully so. After all, Andrew Golota had been destroyed in less than a minute in his most recent outing, and Holyfield hasn’t won a fight since….well, I can’t really remember? Perhaps it was when Old Man Holyfield squeaked out a technical decision over Hasim Rahman after Holyfield nailed him with an “unintentional” head butt that caused Rahman’s head to swell up like the elephant man? I can’t really remember, and it doesn’t really matter – the fact is, neither Holyfield nor Golota seem deserving of a title shot at this time. continue l
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22.12.05 - Colorful boxing manager Norman "Stoney" Stone today announced his retirement from his Massachusetts home. Stone had been two-time world heavyweight champion John "The Quietman" Ruiz' manager and cutman for the past 20 years dating back to Ruiz' amateur days. "I'm done," Stone said. "I'm tired of boxing and last week's bad decision was the last straw (Ruiz lost a controversial 12-round majority decision to Nicolay Valuev in Berlin for the WBA title). continue l
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22.12.05 - By Per Ake Persson: Sauerland Event have announced that IBF 160 lb champ Arthur Abraham´s scheduled March 4 defence will take place in Oldenburg. In the co-headliner WIBF jr middle champ Heidi Hartmann will face mandatory challenger Marischja Sjauw. German heavy Luan Krasnigi returns March 11 in the headliner of a big Universum show at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg. continue l
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22.11.05 - BY MIKE CASEY: Where does Earnie Shavers stand among the hardest hitting heavyweights in history? Statistically, he runs pretty close, with an eye-popping 67 knockouts in his 73 career wins.
But as we all know, one of the eternal and frustrating charms of boxing is that we can never conclusively prove what we believe to be so when tackling the eternally thorny exercise of comparing the fighters of past and present.
December 22, New York- It's the most wonderful time of the year and the holiday spirit is in the air. DiBella Entertainment's Undisputed Middleweight World Champion Jermain Taylor (25-0, 17 KO's) continues to show he is a champion both inside and outside of the ring. Proving once again that a more appropriate nickname for him might be "Good Intentions" rather than his ring moniker of "Bad Intentions", Taylor has generously donated proceeds received in connection with the sale of his autographed gloves on the night of his second historic victory over Bernard Hopkins on December 3, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas to The Leavander Fund. continue l
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22.12.05 - Interview by Scoop Malinowski / Boxinginsider.com: By all accounts, WBC Light Heavyweight champion Tomasz Adamek was spectacular with his 6th-round KO win performance in his first title defense on October 15th in Germany against European champ Thomas Ulrich. Particularly impressed was Adamek's friend and countryman, Andrew Golota who was seated at ringside that evening. Read on for Golota's rave reviews about Adamek's dazzling win over Ulrich: continue l
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22.12.ß5 - By Jim Amato: Superfights..It is a very over used term these days. Some of the PPV "superfights" of today would have been nice Saturday afternoon feature bouts on ABC's Wide World Of Sports in my day. There were several bouts from the late 1960's to the early 1980's I wish would have been made. These are bouts that actually had been rumored in the making or someone's wishful thinking. If some of these bouts had taken place it could of altered the history of boxing forever.
In January of 1973 big George Foreman disrupted the plans of an Ali-Frazier rematch. George gave Joe as one sided a whipping a you'll ever see. One month later a "washed up" Jerry Quarry derailed the Ron Lyle express to the championship. Then in March Ken Norton broke the hearts of Ali fans while cracking the jaw of the "Greatest". Just like that, in a span of three months the whole top tier of the heavyweight ranks had been seriously shuffled. Ali and Frazier were no longer the kings of the hill. There was a couple of new kids on the block named George and Kenny. Also a grizzled old veteran had returned to town. continue l
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21.12.05 - By Mark de Mori: Daniel “The Rock” Dawson , once a kickboxer with a 42-10 (35 ko’s) record, that includes two world titles, has now amassed a 23-0(15 ko’s) record as a professional boxer, and is currently ranked the number one challenger in the WBO at junior middleweight. There is only one problem though, mention Daniel Dawson to any fight fans outside Australia and they will stare back with a blank look on their face. continue l
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21.12.05 - By Per Ake Persson: Ukrainian heavy Aleksander Dimitrenko has been forced to withdraw from the fight against Rob Calloway January 7 in Munich. Replacing Dimtrenko is his Universum stablemate, Ruslan Chagaev. Russian heavy Alexander Alexeev, a World champ in the amateurs, makes his pro debut on the undercard. continue l
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21.12.05 - By Troy Ondrizek: Joe Mesi was an up and coming contender. Mesi was undefeated with victories over other contenders Monte Barrett and Davarryl Williamson. Barrett had given him some trouble be he overcame it and won. Joe was now in the ring with former Cruiserweight king Vassiliy Jirov. Jirov caught Joe with an accidental punch to the back of Joe’s head. Joe went on the win the fight, but he seemingly lost the war to become champion. Afterwards Joe had an abnormal CT scan of the brain.
Mesi was subsequently suspended from fighting. After twenty-two months of fight fans speculating what-if and it’s sad what happened to Joe, Joe as always won this battle too. Two days ago a judge rules that you can’t suspend a fighter who no longer has a license. So Joe is able to fight again. I caught up with Joe to talk about the turn of events, and how he will progress in his boxing career. continue l
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21.12.05 - The WBC Board of Governors will finalize their votes to select the winners of the yearly awards of the Best in the WBC for the Year 2005. Following you will find the nominations: continue l
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21.12.05 - Legendary promoter Don King said he would like to host a morale-boosting boxing exhibition in Iraq featuring world champion boxers he represents. King made his comments to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer while appearing on The Situation Room last week. Major General Thomas R. Turner II of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division told King earlier this year he would welcome such an event. continue l
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21.12.05 - By Izyaslav “Slava” Koza: It's funny how before the fight, I was actually starting to like Ruiz for having the intestinal fortitude to fight his mandatory. I was actually starting to give him praise for shutting up and doing what a champion does and fighting the best, and boy does it became clear that things will never change. Ruiz, once again has a loss on his record and again everybody is to blame but himself and his manager Norman Stone. It is pretty fair to say that the boxing crowd is split right down the middle on this one, fifty-fifty. For the most part, it was a pitched battle throughout the fight, with Ruiz having the better of the inside, landing body shots, while Valuev having the better of the outside, with his jabbing. Surprisingly, many people scored the fight a draw, saying things like, “if you like Ruiz’s body work, you give it to him,” or “if you like Valuev’s jabs, you give it to him.”
So, with the fight being so obviously close, why is Ruiz going nuts, feeling as if he were somehow given the bad end of the stick? It’s simple, really, from my perspective, because for the first time in ages, a close fight has not gone his way. It seems as if Ruiz’s entire career as champ is based on controversy, so I don’t feel one iota of pity for him. continue l
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NEW YORK (Dec. 20, 2005) – Not yet 21 years old, talented, hard-hitting Joel Julio already is a budding star in the welterweight division. Taking it a step further, “ShoBox” expert analyst Steve Farhood says, “Julio is arguably the hottest prospect around. He is very fast and has natural knockout power. When he demolished Carlos Vilches, a solid fringe contender who had been in with some of the best, Julio sent a message that he could be dominant.” continue l
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20.12.05 - By James Slater: Britain’s Nigel Benn had just been crowned world champion for the first time. He had picked up the recently created WBO middleweight title in April 1990 with an impressive eighth round stoppage of the iron chinned Doug Dewitt. And, while the title Nigel now held wasn’t well respected (due to the WBO’s very appearance further upsetting the boxing purists!), the man he chose to make his first defence against was very much so. “The Dark Destroyer” would be putting his belt on the line against “The Blade.” continue l
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20.12.05 - Photo by Tom Casino / Showtime - The first Saturday of every month belongs to SHOWTIME, and 2006 promises to be no different for America’s No. 1 boxing network, now in its 20th year on the air. Following a spectacular 2005, the network that consistently offers fans the best match ups in boxing begins the New Year with an exciting world championship doubleheader Saturday, Jan. 7, at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature, two reigning cruiserweight champions will collide when WBC/WBA champion Jean-Marc Mormeck faces his IBF counterpart, O’Neil “Supernova” Bell, for the undisputed cruiserweight title. The winner of Mormeck-Bell will become the division’s first undisputed champion since Evander Holyfield defeated Carlos DeLeon in 1988 on SHOWTIME, and just the second since the division was created in 1980. In the main event, one of the world’s best pound-for-pound boxers, undisputed welterweight champion Zab “Super” Judah, will put all his belts on the line against WBC mandatory challenger and No. 1 contender Carlos Baldomir. continue l
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20.12.05 - Trainer and former heavyweight champion Michael Moorer has released the following report card following the Thursday, December 15, television debut of his fighter, undefeated heavyweight JD “The Natural” Chapman. In going the distance for just the second time, Chapman, 19-0 (17 KOs), went twelve rounds while winning a unanimous decision over formerly undefeated Edward Gutierrez. continue l
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December 20, 2005 - Mexico City. From WBC President Jose Sulaiman: GYM Promotions, represented by Yvon Michel, won the purse bid for the final elimination bout between number one ranked Otis Grant, Canada, and number two ranked Librado Andrade, USA-Mexico, for the mandatory position in the super middleweight division of the WBC. continue l
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20.12.05 - By Gary Evans: Roy Jones Jnr. defeated pound-for-pound star James Toney in November 1994, it's still his best career win by a distance. But he followed it up with a succession of fights against no-hopers, and so wasted his physical peak. Jones made five defences of his IBF super-middleweight title, but none of those five opponents were even in the world top ten at 168. Antoine Byrd had five losses on his record and was mediocre at best, Vinny Pazienza was a blown up lightweight who was still recovering from a broken neck, Tony Thornton had retired after his loss to James Toney in 1993 but came back out of retirement to fight Jones two years later, Eric Lucas was a petrified novice pro with under 20 wins, and Bryant Brannon was even worse!
Let's take a look at five opponents who Roy could easily of fought instead. continue l
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20.12.05 - Glenn Quiroga, president of Sycuan Ringside Promotions, is sufficiently imbued with the holiday spirit. He's no Scrooge, but Quiroga can't give Southern California boxing fans what they want right now. "We are completely sold out for Friday night's boxing show in the Showcase Theatre at Sycuan," Quiroga said at today's pre-card news conference. continue l
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20.12.05 - By Jim Amato: The City of Akron, Ohio has produced some pretty tough fighters. Former heavyweight champion Michael Dokes quickly comes to mind. So does light heavyweight contender Ray Anderson and a rugged middleweight named Doyle Baird. One of Akron's best of the 1960's and 70's passed away in June of 2005. His name was Fate Davis and he met some of the best of his era. continue l
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20.12.05 - Johnny Nelson and Enzo Maccarinelli, Britain's top two cruiserweights, will finally get it on to find out who is the best in the division. Sheffield's long-time ruler Nelson will put his WBO crown on the line against Maccarinelli's WBU belt on Saturday 4 March at the M.E.N Arena as chief support to the sensational WBO/IBF World Super-Middleweight unification clash between Joe Calzaghe and Jeff Lacy live on ITV. continue l
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20.12.05 - by Barry Green: To me boxers have always been my favourite sportsman: great characters, fascinating stories and the ability to be accessible for fans and reporters alike. Not monotone bores like footballers or cardboard personalities like golfers, they always make one chuckle with their funny traits and oft unusual habits that more often than not stem from their upbringing, whether it be on the streets of Brooklyn, Brixton or Buenos Airies.
However, there is one one area where the prizefighter, almost to a man, lets himself down, a symptom which first appears its rather bemusing head when he (or she for that matter) is finally beaten in the ring. Then it's time for Plan B: the little white lie; the fib, the downright ridiculous explanation for this apparent 'loss'. In a nutshell when a fighter loses he always seems to have an excuse. And most of the time, they're never particularly good ones.
There are so many examples, where does one begin. Take Gerry Cooney for instance (please, I hear you say). continue l
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PROVIDENCE (December 20, 2005) - USNBC cruiserweight champion Matt "Too Smooth" Godfrey (10-0, 4 KOS), already rated No. 27 by the World Boxing Council, has outgrown his native New England and he plans on making more noise nationally in 2006. Matt, 24, has displayed poise and ring generalship far beyond his age, and he was recently named the No. 4 prospect in the world for fighters with 10 or less pro fights by Boxing Monthly magazine. continue l
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20.12.05 - By Kostya Tszyu: A big Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you and your families around the world! Even though 2005 was a very hard year for me, at the same time it was also a very good year. There were so many great things happening in my life and I am very positive about the future. Everything happens in life for a reason and everyone should think this way. Bad things happen and they happen for a reason. continue l
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20.12.05 - World champion "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather Jr. is off to his hometown where he will give holiday gifts to over 200 elementary students on Tuesday at the Job Corps Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. "It's real cold and snowy in Grand Rapids so we're heading in with hats, gloves and books to give to the children," said Leonard Ellerbe of Team Mayweather. continue l
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20.12.05 - A first-person account provided to Don King Productions by World Boxing Council Executive Secretary Mauricio Sulaiman: A brawl broke out between World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Hasim "The Rock" Rahman and WBC mandatory challenger James "Lights Out" Toney Monday night at the Le Meridien Cancun Resort & Spa in Mexico. Rahman and Toney were joining other boxing luminaries and members of the media attending a welcoming cocktail party for the WBC's "Crowning of the Champions" event set for Tuesday afternoon.
Toney was being interviewed by Television Azteca in the hotel lobby with many members of the media surrounding him. He was in the process of explaining that he had made a spur-of-the-moment decision after arriving in Cancun yesterday to marry his fiancée Angie at the hotel's pool on Tuesday morning. Rahman stumbled across his mandatory challenger when he arrived in the hotel lobby at about 6:15 p.m. while the television interview was taking place. continue l
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20.12.05 - By Ike Enwereuzor: IBF Cruiserweight champion O'Neil "Supernova" Bell (25-1 23 KO's), born in Montego Bay, Jamaica now fighting out of Atlanta, Ga is scheduled to collide with WBA/WBC Cruiserweight Champion Jean-Marc Mormeck at Madison Square for the Undisputed Cruiserweight Championship. SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING will televise the fight on Jan. 7, 2006 (9 p.m., ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). continue l
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December 20, 2005 - By Jim Amato: "Raging" Craig Weber of Perrysville, Ohio will meet old foe Rogelio Castaneda Jr. for the IBA junior welterweight title. The bout is scheduled to take place April 21, 2006 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. This will be the third time that the two boxers have crossed gloves. Castaneda won their first fight. continue l
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19.12.05 - By Michael Klimes:‘Some day, they’re going to write a blues song just for fighters. It will be for a slow guitar and, a soft trumpet and a soft bell.’
Former Heavyweight Champion, Sonny Liston.
We all want to know about champions when they are in their primes. Rarely, however, do we want to know about them when they have fallen. Boxing is a sport renowned for its brutality in the ring but perhaps people are not as well informed about what transpires outside of it. Some of its best former champions have disappeared (literally) off the radar and we are left scratching our heads as to where those once famous or infamous athletes (depending on your perception of boxing), multi-millionaires, childhood heroes and incredible people have gone. continue l
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19.12.05 - By Scoop Malinowski: Rumors persist that newly-crowned WBA Heavyweight king Nicolay Valuev may make his first title defense against former four-time title challenger Andrew Golota. Golota, who gave John Ruiz and Chris Byrd all they could handle and then some, in separate 2004 title fights but was caught cold earlier this year in one round by Lamon Brewster, seemed interested in the challenge, "It would be like fighting a mountain," said the contender who has kept himself in good condition by running, lifting weights and skiing. continue l
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19.12.05 - By Jay Briggsy - Mike McCallum: In a age of headhunters, McCallum earned his nickname of "The bodysnatcher" early in his career. It was the one virtue he had not mastered in the amateurs, which did not reward body work, so he went and learned it as a pro and turned out to be one of the best body punchers, ever. An all around fighter, McCallum had no real weaknesses and often stopped his foes by doubling up on the left hook after landing a body blow. continue l
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NEW YORK (Dec. 19, 2005) – SHOWTIME On Demand will replay two exciting SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts from 2005 featuring the undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah and WBC/WBA cruiserweight champion Jean-Marc Mormeck as they prepare to do battle on the opening telecast of 2006 live on SHOWTIME Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Judah will defend against mandatory challenger and No. 1 WBC contender Carlos Baldomir while Mormeck will face IBF champion O’Neil Bell for the undisputed world cruiserweight championship. continue l
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19.12.05 - BERLIN — photos by David Martin-Warr / DKP - When the undefeated giant Russian Nicolai “The Beast from the East” Valuev entered the ring in Berlin on Saturday—all 7 feet and 323 ½ pounds of him—to make his first appearance in a world championship match against World Boxing Association champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz, it was much the same as when Valuev fought another American in Germany, Larry “The Legend” Donald, in Oldenberg on Oct. 1.
Huge banners throughout the sold-out 10,000-seat Max Schmeling Halle hung from the rafters, and not a single photo of Ruiz was featured on the cover—or inside—the event program. If one didn’t know better, they might think that Ruiz was the challenger and Valuev the champion, until Ruiz did see his name illuminated in sparkling fireworks during his walk to the ring.
But just as the audience in Oldenberg lustily whistled and booed when Valuev won a majority decision over Donald in their country village—that crowd of about 5,000 was not swayed by the one-sided propaganda they were fed and rightly sided with the American whom they felt had clearly out-boxed the Russian—the crowd in Berlin reacted in similar fashion when it was announced that Valuev had won a majority decision to become the first Russian to win a world heavyweight title. continue l
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Danny Williams and Matt Skelton will clash at the ExCeL London on Saturday 25 February to finally answer the question of who really is the best heavyweight in Britain with the winner going on to challenge for a world title. With Audley Harrison now out of the British and World title scene following his dismal performance against Williams, when he was floored and humiliated by the Brixton puncher, unbeaten Skelton aims to reclaim his Commonwealth crown that Williams now holds. continue l
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18.12.05 - By Jim Amato: Since 1982 the great state of Ohio has crowned no less then three men as the heavyweight champion of the world. That's not bad if you consider there are forty-nine other states, plus the territory Puerto Rico, who has given us John Ruiz to contend with. Add Earnie Shavers to the list, another bruiser from the Buckeye State, who never became but was close to being champ, and it's pretty impressive. continue l
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18.12.05 - By Grant Jeans: Scotland’s Braveheart Scott Harrison has vowed “You’ll never take my title” in response to Joan Guzman’s planned Scottish themed ring walk when he defends his WBO featherweight title for the last time at Braehead Arena early next year. continue l
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18.12.05 - By Karen Belford, photo by David Martin-Warr/DKP - On Saturday night in Berlin, Germany, the 7 ft Russian heavyweight Nikolay Valuev (43-0, 31 KO’s) won by majority decision to earn the WBA heavyweight title over John Ruiz, much to the disappointment to the German fans, who mostly booed the decision. For Ruiz, it seemed as if he had the deck stacked against him from the very beginning of the fight, simply by making the decision to come over and fight in Germany, which is Valuev’s new home town. Never the less, the fight was close from start to finish, and the decision essentially could have gone either way, no matter how many people feel that Ruiz was robbed by the ultimate decision. During the first half of the fight, it was mostly Ruiz (42-6-1) who dominated the action, using his hand speed, combinations, and surprisingly, superior power, to snap back Valuev’s head again and again. To a certain extent, Valuev looked horrible in the early going, mostly due to his slow punches, which lacked any real power to do any kind of damage. However, Ruiz appeared to tire by round six, as his punches became viewer and his attacks became more infrequent. Valuev, although still not doing much other than jabbing, took command of the fight with the use of his long reach and chopping right hand, that would catch the smaller Ruiz as he rushed in to trade. The judges scores were: 114-114, 116-114, 116-113, both for Valuev. I scored it 116-114 for Valuev, who I feel, won the fight largly based on his excellent jab. continue l
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18.12.05 - By Wray Edwards: Resisting writing an article about the Iron Man for years has taken its toll on the author. Let’s start off on the right foot here by saying: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”…and that goes as well for those who think or imagine that they have been wronged, in any way, to a greater or lesser degree, by Mike. That saying may seem a platitude to some, but it is good advice. Why?...Because hatred and resentment resides in the hater and do nothing to the target of such emotions. If you’ve got a beef with Mike you can’t exorcise in the ring or in court, get over it. Otherwise, you’re just poisoning yourself and probably deserve it.
The author's family has had business and professional dealings with the man. That relationship is now past history and does not, therefore, represent a conflict of interest in the writing of these remarks. One thing we found refreshing (IMO a good thing) about the man, was his proclivity to make spontaneous statements. Though embarrassingly naïve or overly candid at times, Mike’s statements left little doubt about his intentions and where you stood in relation to him. To those with thin skins or self doubt, that might be threatening, but its way better than dealing with one who puts energy into hidden agendas and subterfuge. So let’s get down to cases and drop the pretense. continue l
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18.12.05 - By Gabriel DeCrease: At a glance, the story of Tommy “Tiny” Burns is a sad one that plays like a somber lament for a doomed warrior. He was born in poverty and, after fighting his way bravely out, died penniless near to the very place of his wretched birth. However, his story is not one that should be remembered as only tragic. Tommy Burns was the heavyweight champion of the world in an era that could reasonably identify the rightful king of a division, and there were no alphabet sanctioning bodies. Standing only five-foot-seven, he defended his title eleven times against some of the biggest and fiercest men of his day. continue l
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December 17, Berlin, Germany: By Per Ake Persson, photo by David Martin-Warr/DKP - Nikolai Valuev, 324 lbs, won the WBA heavyweight title on a close majority decision over defending champion John Ruiz. It was scored 116-114, 116-113 and 114-114. There were no knockdowns and most ringsiders felt it was a difficult fight to score. Ruiz made a fast, agressive start and appeared to be faster than the giant Russian but seemed lose his agression as the fight went on. Valuev boxed well on the outside, using his left jab, although many of his punches didn´t land and he tends to slap a bit. However, he controlled the fight and was strong enough on the inside to out wrestle Ruiz. Ruiz landed a good right in the last round. Valuev showed a good right uppercut during much of the fight and is still learning. However, he should use his size more.
The verdict got a mixed reception at the almost sold out Max Schmeling Halle. In the ring, Ruiz´s trainer Norman Stone was so upset about the scoring that he took the belt and one of Valuev´s cornermen jumped on him and gave him a good right before the guards could take them apart. continue l
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LOS ANGELES, CA (December 14th, 2005) –Heavyweight contender Ed Mahone lost a unanimous 12 round decision for the IBF Inter-Continental Heavyweight Title to Henry Akinwande in Leipzing, Germany at the Arena Leipzig near Berlin. The Sauerland Event promoted fight also featured the IBF Middleweight Title fight of Kingsley Ikeke versus Arthur Abraham. continue l
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16.12.05 - By MIKE CASEY: Some men just look like fighters. They don’t have to make a fist, strike a pose, strut around the place or talk the talk. One look into their eyes, one scan of their features, and you know they’ve got the right stuff. Harry Greb, like the great Stanley Ketchell before him, looked like a fighter all over. The tight eyes, the harshly scraped hair and the lean body told you at a glance that Greb was a man apart even in the toughest sport of all.
Legions of great pretenders have discovered to their disappointment that you cannot buy, steal or fake what is only given to the chosen few. A mean look and a hard attitude won’t protect you from a harsh dose of reality if you are not cut from the right cloth. Nor will an intimidating name. New York super-middleweight Michael Corleone has learned that harsh lesson in his eleven-year, 11-23-3 career. continue l
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16.12.05 - By Aaron King: I was going to deliver a typical write up for the card I went to a week ago at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, N.Y. Instead of writing about some fighters that no one knows in the standard ringside report style, I decided to write about my first experience watching a live women’s bout because, as we all know, it’s a significant experience for all fight fans. continue l
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The last time we saw Sultan in action was September 16 in Atlanta versus Friday Ahunanya. Though the record shows Ibragimov about nine pounds heavier for his bout with Lance Whitaker, he seemed to have improved his footwork. He came out smokin’ in the first round, ala Brewster V Golota, but Lance absorbed the generous impacts more successfully than did Andrew. At the end of the evening Nick Charles asked if the author had ever seen such spooky events as those which came during the next fight. The answer was an emphatic no. Troy Ondrizek and Izyaslav Koza have both given sufficient blow-by-blow so let’s look at some of what also happened to spice things up. continue l
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16.12.05 - By Jim Amato: On November 18, 1921, Johnny Dundee won on a fifth round disqualification over George "KO" Chaney to become the first recognized champion of the junior lightweight division.He would lose and then regain the title in a pair of 1923 fifteen rounders against Jack Bernstein. Dundee would lose the title for good in 1924 via a ten round points loss to Steve "Kid" Sullivan. In 1925, Sullivan would lose the title to Mike Ballerino. Later that year, Ballerino would be stopped by Tod Morgan. continue l
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16.12.05 - By Travis Marks: Eastsideboxing.com recently caught up with former IBF lightweight, WBC welterweight and WBC/WBA super welterweight champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley. Shane was at a press conference that was being held at Gallagher’s Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan to promote his upcoming super fight against former WBA/IBF super welterweight champion “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas. This HBO PPV (pay–per-view) fight is a WBA super welterweight title eliminator bout and it will take place February 25, 2006 in Las Vegas. Mosley is on a two fight winning streak after dropping a narrow decision in the second of two consecutive losses to former undisputed super welterweight champion Winky Wright. Mosley, a one time pound for pound king and two time conqueror of Oscar De La Hoya sat down to talk about Vargas, about his career and about his future.
Shane, what are your thoughts about fighting Fernando Vargas?
It’s going to be a good fight, a legendary fight. That’s a fight that people should want to watch for the reason that I feel that every great fighter of each era should fight each other. Like you had Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran all fought each other. Oscar (De La Hoya) has fought Fernando, (Felix) Trinidad fought him, everybody has fought, so now it’s our turn to see who is the best fighter. continue l
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16.12.05 - Following his sensational KO win in Germany last weekend Bernard Dunne’s next fight will come back home at the National Stadium in Dublin on January 28th. The unbeaten Dubliner impressed a Continental TV audience of over 6 million with his devastating KO win over Romanian hard man, Marian Leondraliu in Leipzig last Saturday. continue l
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16.12.05 - By Jarrett Blakeley: I got to the Hard rock about twenty minutes before the first of seven fights, got some nachos and planted myself in press row for what promised to be an action-packed night. There were only about six ticket-holders in the arena when Mike Chico Salyers (2-7) made his way into the ring. He was followed by Jesus Pabon of Puerto Rico (3-0) 2 KOs, who I correctly assumed was the favorite. continue l
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16.12.05 - By Travis Marks: Fight results from the Lou Dibella promoted Broadway Boxing series held in the Hammerstein Ballroom: Junior Welterweight Dimitry Salita’s hand was raised as the winner by veteran referee Steve Smoger after a tough battle against journeyman Robert Frankel. The scores for this unanimous decision win were 97-92 and 96-93 (twice) all in favor of Salita. From ringside in appeared that Frankel controlled the action and was also credited with a knock down in the first round. This was not one of Salita’s finer performances but nevertheless his record improved to 24-0 (14 KO’s).
Super Middleweight Curtis Stevens stole the show with a devastating first round knockout of Kia Daniels. The end of bout came 44 seconds after the opening bell when Stevens connected to Daniel’s chin with a tremendous left-hook that left Daniels needing medical assistance. continue l
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16.12.05 - By Izyaslav “Slava” Koza, photo by Wray Edwards: In what was the most exciting fight of the evening, Russian native, Sultan Ibragimov, took the fight to Lance “Mount” Whitaker, making him submit in the seventh round. Ibragimov started out aggressively from the opening bell, winging hard shots to the body and head, and making sure that he threw lots of them. continue l
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By Per Ake Persson: December 16, Berlin, Germany: WBA heavyweight champ John Ruiz scales 107,8 kg / 237,5 lbs for tomorrow´s fight against Russian giant Nikolai Valuev, who came in at 147,0 kg / 324 lbs. Ruiz wore gym clothes. After the weigh-in the two had a lenghty staredown and neither backed off... the excitement grew in congress hall at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Don King wasn´t there but could be seen holding court in the hotel lobby. continue l
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16.12.05 - By James Slater: "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas had a deep personal hatred of Oscar De La Hoya that went way back to when they had both been amateurs. Apparently, Fernando had been very badly slighted and mocked by Oscar at a time when he had needed his help and encouragement. He had never forgotten and, whatever the exact incident had entailed, it was clearly still uppermost in Vargas' mind and he spoke frequently of wanting to beat up his tormentor in the pro ranks.
Now, on the 14th of September 2002, he had his chance because, although Oscar, adding more fuel to the fire of hatred that burned inside Vargas, had said he would never grant Fernando the opportunity at such a big money earning fight, had now changed his mind and was willing to do so. continue l
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16.12.05 - Photo: TOM CASINO / SHOWTIME - Diego Corrales (left) and Jose Luis Castillo pose after Thursday's press conference in El Paso, Tex. In their eagerly anticipated rubber match, Corrales will defend his WBC title against Castillo, a former two-time WBC 135-pound titlist, in the "War To Settle The Score On Feb. 4" on Feb. 4, 2006, on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). continue l
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16.12.05 - By Scoop Malinowski / Boxinginsider.com: Heavyweight contender Shannon Briggs has won nine in a row since losing to Jameel McCline in April of 2002. Briggs has won five fights all by KO in 2005, including the 16-second blowout of previously unbeaten Luciano Zolyone at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico last week. He is primed and ready for a world title shot in 2006. continue l
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16.12.05 - By Troy Ondrizek Tonight down in Hollywood Florida, Warriors boxing put on an outstanding show for fight fans. With a fight card deep in talent and prospects, very few bouts disappointed. The only real let down of the night was by the hands of Samuel Peter. Peter, fresh off his schooling by Wladimir Klitschko, came out tonight to prove that he is worthy of being a legitimate contender. Peter might have garnered the win, but failed to impress, or even show that he was the future of the division.
Samuel’s bout with Robert Hawkins went the distance, with Peter putting the aging but effective journeyman down in the first round with a left hook to the chin. After that knockdown, the only other notable part of the fight was an eleven minute delay in the fifth, due to there being no medical personnel present. I have to give Hawkins credit for having a chin that Wladimir would be most envious of, and he never backed down from Peter during the whole match. Peter seemed to be looking for the knock out the entire fight; he learned that not everyone will succumb to his power. In fact the only part of the fight that didn’t last the distance was Peter’s shorts. continue l
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16.12.05 - Undefeated teenage sensation Jorge Paez Jr., the super lightweight son of the former world champion, fights in San Diego for the first time when he highlights the nationally televised professional boxing card presented by Sycuan Ringside Promotions and Top Rank Inc. Friday, Dec. 23, at the Sycuan Resort & Casino in El Cajon, Calif. continue l
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16.12.05 - Aidan Monaghan: It seems some of the extraordinary (to say the least in a few cases) reader responses to the very suggestion of a third Tyson/Holyfield heavyweight bout, warrants some analysis and a response. Some recent noteworthy reactions to this authors suggestion of a Tyson/Holyfield III bout: continue l
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15.12.05 - By Kevin Kincade: Whoa, whoa whoa!! Hold up before your bring out the torches and pitchforks! This is not necessarily a pro-Ruiz article, just an examination of the human verbal-piñata who holds the WBA strap at the moment. A few days ago I wrote a light-hearted piece entitled “All Hail the Hero of Chelsea, Massachusetts” and have the distinct feeling it confused some people…..especially those who know how I’ve ripped on Johnny-Boy time and time again. This article is part explanation, part examination, and part excavation. Why is John Ruiz so reviled? Why do people, such as myself, take great glee in spouting off about how much of a bum he is, etc. etc.?
When I originally sat down to write about the upcoming Ruiz-Valuev fight this weekend, I truthfully didn’t know where to begin. continue l
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FAIRFAX, VA (December 15, 2005) – Jimmy Lange (26-2-1, 17 KOs) and Joey Gilbert (10-1, 7 KOs) will square off for the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) Middleweight Title on Saturday, February 18, 2006 at George Mason University’s Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA in the first-ever title fight pitting two of the contestants from the popular TV boxing show, “The Contender” against one another. continue l
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15.12.05 - Amir Khan is to visit Oxfam's Earthquake Response Programme in Pakistan on Saturday 17 December. The Olympic Silver Medallist will travel with Oxfam to Muzaffarbad, the capital of Pakistan administered Kashmir devastated by the October 8th earthquake. He will visit camps where Oxfam is providing shelter, water and sanitation for thousands of those displaced by the earthquake. continue l
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15.12.05 - By Travis Marks: Eastsideboxing.com recently caught up with the Undisputed Welterweight champion Zab Judah. At a press conference held in the world famous Madison Square Garden it was announced that Judah (photo: Tom Casino) will be facing WBC mandatory challenger, veteran Argentinean fighter Carlos Baldomir. The fight will take place on January 7, 2006 and will be aired live on Showtime. Judah is fighting for the first time since the dismantling of then IBF mandatory challenger Cosme Rivera in three rounds earlier this May. Judah sat down with us to share his thoughts on Baldomir and the possibility of fighting former friend and the recognized number one pound for pound fighter in the world, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Eastsideboxing.com: Zab, How do you feel being back in the ring after this little layoff?
Zab Judah: I don’t look at it as a layoff; I have been working my whole time out. I look at it as an opportunity to come here and display my skills. It’s been a very long time since the world has seen a fighter like me. continue l
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15.12.05 - Promoter Art Pelullo/Banner Promotions has signed jr. lightweight prospect Antonio Davis to a co-promotional contract. Brian Young/Prize Fight Boxing is Antonio’s co-promoter. Davis, now 19-1, with 9 knockouts, of Atlanta Georgia, has won 15 fights in a row since his only loss in February, 2003. A 3 ½ -year pro, he is the current NABO jr. lightweight champion, and ranked No. 4 by the WBO. continue l
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15.12.05 - Photo: Tom Casino / Showtime) SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING begins its 20th year of televising fights with a world championship doubleheader on Jan. 7, 2006 (9 p.m., ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). Undisputed world welterweight champion Zab “Super” Judah defends against WBC No. 1 welterweight contender Carlos Baldomir in one of the world title fights. In the SHOWTIME co-feature, WBC/WBA champion Jean-Marc Mormeck faces IBF champion O’Neil Bell in a cruiserweight world title unification bout. continue l
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15.12.05 - By Joseph Carlo Russo: In today's era of boxing there are numerous fighters surfacing the sport boasting unblemished records. Some of the most notable are Floyd Mayweather, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto. All three of these fighters are undefeated, but still their statuses are not undisputed. To the non-boxing fan, an unblemished record may seem an extraordinary feat, but to your everyday fight fan he will not blink an eye at such a property. Thus, the debating spectrum continues to roar over who the best junior welterweight in boxing is.
When this question arises all the top three junior welterweights stake legitimate claims to being the best 140. continue l
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15.12.05 - Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING and Kathy Duva’s Main Events along with Miller Lite and TCF Bank team up on Friday, January 6, 2006 to present “SHOBOX” THE NEW GENERATION, another installment of terrific professional boxing at Cicero Stadium, 1909 S. Laramie Avenue in Cicero, IL. continue l
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14.12.05 - By Izyaslav “Slava” Koza: With the recent announcement of HBO to increase its boxing line up, I couldn’t help but offer up a bit of criticism in regards to the apparent selection of Max Kellerman into the commentating roll. Now, a lot of people don’t like Kellerman, for whatever reason, but I personally have no problem in listening to him. When he talks, his passion for boxing shows through, and even though some fans don’t agree with his knowledge or lack there off, I would rather have a fan than a none fan commentating, any day. continue l
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14.12.05 - By Anthony D. Perillo: When John Ruiz defended his portion of the heavyweight championship against Roy Jones, Jr. in 2003, I had a group of guys come over to watch the historic David vs. Goliath match. One of my friends, an avid Jones supporter, asked me how conflicted I was about the bout. You see, I share the same hometown of Pensacola, FL with Jones and have supported him throughout his career. At the same time, though, I’m half Puerto Rican and the type of guy who wears his heritage on his sleeve. Truly there’d be a mix of emotions trying to figure out who to root for, right?
“Are you kidding? I hope Roy kicks his ass!” I immediately snapped back.
In my lifetime, Puerto Rican boxing fans have rooted vehemently for guys like Felix Trinidad, Hector Camacho, Wilfred Benitez, and now Miguel Cotto. These are fighters Puerto Ricans are proud to call their own, guys who openly appreciate their fans and drape the flag of their land over their shoulders for everyone to see. continue l
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14.12.05 - By Scoop Malinowski / Boxinginsider.com: I remember how Lennox Lewis said getting robbed of the undisputed world heavyweight championship in the first Holyfield fight actually was a blessing in disguise. Lewis said boxing fans showed him appreciation, admiration and respect much more than they ever had before. continue l
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14.12.05 - By Jim Amato: Carlos Ortiz vs. Wilfred Benitez for the all-time Puerto Rican jr. welterweight championship. What a match up! Ortiz who turned pro in 1955 lost only two of his first 32 bouts. Johnny Busso, who he defeated in a rematch and Kenny Lane. Among the notables he defeated were Tommy Tibbs, Joe Lopes, and Dave Chamley. continue l
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14.12.05 - BERLIN--The final press conference prior to John “The Quietman” Ruiz’s defense of his World Boxing Association heavyweight championship against Nicolay “Giant Russian” Valuev, which will take place on Saturday at Max Schmeling Halle here in Berlin, was staged today before a full audience at the Maritim proArte Hotel.
The fight will be shown on free German television on ARD channel 1 but will not be seen in America and is co-presented by Berlin-based Sauerland Event, promoter of Valuev, and Don King Productions, promoter of Ruiz. The assembled German media seemed interested and curious to be covering the build up to a rare occurrence: a world heavyweight championship being determined in Berlin.
The press conference took place adjacent to the U.S. Embassy and a stone’s throw from the seat of government for Germany, the Reichstag and Bundeskanzleramt (the Reichstag is to Congress what the Bundeskanzleramt is to the White House….). continue l
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14.12.05 - Though ranked as the top IBF world contender, he came into last Saturday night’s HBO-televised WBC Middleweight Title Eliminator bout as a relative unknown here in the United States and a substantial underdog to the very popular and highly skilled Winky Wright. continue l
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14.12.05 - The “Night of Champions” in Cancun will have an extra attraction - and what an attraction it is! At the WBC Executive Office in Mexico City, we are in the process of receiving the votes for the best of the year and once we have all the responses from the Board of Governors, we will disclose the results. continue l
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14.12.05 - By James Allan, photo by Wray Edwards: According to recent reports, the WBC has ordered Jermain Taylor to make the next defence of his undisputed Middleweight crown against Ronald ‘Winky’Wright. Most people would probably agree that this is a fair decision. Wright has been on a good run of form and has the names of Shane Mosley and Felix Trinidad on his resume. He has fought two eliminators for the WBC title, one against Trinidad and the other against Sam Soliman on Saturday night. He comprehensively defeated Trinidad who didn’t land a blow of any significance on him during the entire fight and even though he struggled against the unpredictable Soliman, he won the decision and with it, the right to face Taylor.
However, Jermain Taylor’s promoter, Lou DiBella, doesn’t seem to think it is a good decision. He has labelled it as “idiotic”, saying that he needs more time to build it up into a true super fight first. "Winky's fight on Saturday night didn't help Winky at all.” DiBella said. “He didn't look good and he only drew 4,000 fans. The fight with Jermain is not ready yet. After Winky's performance Saturday night, who's buying that on pay-per-view?"
Now there are a few questions I would like to put to Lou regarding this comment. continue l
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14.12.05 - By Aidan Monaghan: Lets just cut to the chase. Both Tyson and Holyfield have at least one good fight left in each of them. Part one of their rivalry was one of the most memorable bouts ever. And part two was one of the most widely viewed fights in pay per view history and left the public wanting a decisive winner which never materialized. And the truth is, both guys could use another pay day (Tyson with his debt issues and Holyfield with enormous child support obligations). continue l
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New York, December 14-It's fight week, and DiBella Entertainment's New York stalwarts are ready to "Deck the Halls" and cap off the year in the season's finale of Broadway Boxing Presented by Turning Stone Resort & Casino when they hit the ring on "Season's Beatings" Thursday night, December 15, at the Grand Ballroom at the Manhattan Center. The final press conference was held today at Prime Grill on East 49th Street in Manhattan. continue l
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13.12.05 - By Andy Meacock: Isn’t it amazing how things in life can change?. Things change fast. They change fast in boxing also. On February 25th 2006, ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley and ‘Ferocious’ Fernando Vargas will face off at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
This fight is intriguing to me. My birthday is five days earlier and I consider this fight a gift to myself and other boxing fans out there. It’s intriguing in the sense that you have two guys who are arguably faded but yet this fight makes so much sense and therefore generates hype.
Faded, jaded or even damaged. They are harsh words to describe boxers but it’s arguable that they are appropriate in the cases of Mosley and Vargas. continue l
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13.12.05 - By Gabriel DeCrease: For years I have endured the torture of John Ruiz fights being peddled as main events on major network broadcasts. Despite heavy criticism from boxing fans worldwide, every time Ruiz lined up a patsy to hug, slap, and prance away from, a prime time showcase was being held open to serve as a stage for “The Quiet Man’s” theater of ignominy. continue l
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13.12.05 - With the holiday season upon us and many of our dedicated fighting men and women unable to be home with their loved ones, Goossen Tutor Promotions and Tachi Palace Casino & Hotel is overjoyed to give something back to the brave men and women who continue to fight for freedom and democracy around the world, while also honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. continue l
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13.12.05 - By Kevin Kincade: Everybody wants a hero. We need them. We need to believe there is somebody our there to look up to; a role model, an Alpha Male. It seems to be bred into our very DNA. Kings may be born; but somewhere in their lineage was a champion who conquered all others. I believe this is a trait we all share, regardless of your culture or heritage; it is a trait that binds us. In our myths and folk tales there are many such individuals: Heracles, Samson, King Arthur, William Wallace, John Henry, Batman, etc., etc. We want someone to root for, someone to admire, to aspire to emulate.
The sport of boxing lends itself to this cultural phenomenon more adequately than any other form of competition. In boxing, we have a plethora of personas with whom we can identify and for whom we can cheer. John L. Sullivan, the first Heavyweight Champion of the modern era was a national hero. He epitomized a man’s man: he drank hard and he fought hard; he rose from obscurity and conquered the world. We all want to believe we can do what John L. did; overcome all of the obstacles before us, rise up and be respected and noticed……”I AM SOMEBODY!” continue l
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13.12.05 - By Per Ake Persson: Polish Hammer Knockout Promotions have cancelled their planned December 17 show. "All our main fighters are either injured or need a rest" says promoter Andrew Wasilewski. "We´ll be back late January or early February." Hammer Knockout also promoted their first show in the USA (Nov 26 in Chicago). continue l
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13.12.05 – Undefeated Ukrainian heavyweight Vladimir Virchis beat former British heavyweight champion Michael Sprott by twelve round unanimous decision Tuesday evening at Freizeit Arena of Sölden, Austria, in an entertaining main event of the last Spotlight Boxing show in 2005. The official judges scored the contest 115:113 twice and 116:113, all in favor of Virchis who retained his WBO intercontinental title. continue l
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13.12.05 - BY MIKE CASEY: There is probably nothing quite so poignant in boxing as the words and actions of a fighter who has reached the end of the line.
He makes every defiant gesture and reaches for every excuse to convince himself that the clock really hasn’t struck twelve.
Try persuading Evander Holyfield even now that he is through as a top notch performer (as if you’d ever dare) and he would likely give you twenty reasons why it ain’t so.
In an age where everything has to fit snugly into a convenient pigeon-hole and be earmarked with an all-embracing term, this condition has come to be known as denial. As ever in this life, it isn’t as simple as that. continue l
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13.12.05 - Sherman “The Caribbean Tank” Williams wins a unanimous decision with an impressive outing in a Heavyweight battle over Willie Perryman on the under card of the Winky Wright, Sam Solomon Middleweight fight on HBO Saturday Night. Sherman Williams controlled the 10 round fight from the outset to the end. Sherman Is starting to look like the heavyweight Buddy McGirt trainer for Silverhawk Boxing envisioned he would be as he was able to control Perryman in every round. continue l
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13.12.05 - Interview by Per Ake Persson: 35-year old German welterweight Oktay Urkal, former EBU champ at 140 and 147 and a three time world title challenger at jr welter, is the official challenger for WBA champ Luis Collazo. I sat down with him December 9 in Berlin for a talk about the past, the present and the future. continue l
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13.12.05 - By James Slater: Shortly before his defeat by Marvellous Marvin Hagler, in possibly the best fight of all time, Thomas Hearns had set a goal for himself that if achieved would set aside any doubts concerning his true greatness. He had failed to win the middleweight title against Hagler but the target he had aimed for still remained firmly in his sights after the loss. Hagler, of course, had gone on to lose his title to “Sugar” Ray Leonard two years after his win over Tommy and had then retired. Ray did likewise straight after shocking the world and in doing so left the WBC middleweight belt vacant. And, although Hearns would have loved nothing more than a rematch with either of the only two men to have beaten him, he would now concentrate all his efforts on confirming his greatness in another way. continue l
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13.12.05 - Former two-time world champion Virgil Hill and undefeated, No. 1 contender Valery Brudov of Russia meet for the vacant WBA cruiserweight championship and IBF mini-flyweight champ Muhammad Rachman defends against No. 1 challenger Omar Soto on “Collision Course, A Night Of Champions,” on Friday, Jan. 27, at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. continue l
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13.12.05 - CHICAGO, IL- Having won the vacant WBC, WBO and IBF Latino heavyweight titles last month, “Magnificent” Mike Mollo (15-0, 9 KOs) has declared himself ready to step up in 2006. Now rated #14 by the USBA and #15 by the WBO, Mollo anticipates an equally high rating from the WBC and IBF when those organizations release their updated ratings. continue l
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13.12.05 - Even though Zab Judah (photo: Tom Casino) is one of the fastest-punching fighters ever, it doesn’t mean the undisputed world welterweight champion hasn’t had to face and bounce back from adversity. He has been a boxer since age 6, and has never held another job.
He compiled an extraordinary 110-5 amateur record, was a two-time U.S. national champion, three-time New York Golden Gloves champion and won the 1996 PAL Nationals.
In a major surprise, however, Judah failed to earn a berth on the ’96 U.S. Olympic boxing team. After defeating Hector Camacho Jr. and Ishe Smith, Judah was upset in the finals of the Olympic Trials by David Diaz, despite having defeated him in the PAL Nationals. continue l
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13.12.2005 - His passport has been punched more than he has. And no matter what he achieves in the ring, Carlos Manuel "Tata" Baldomir knows, at best, he can only become the second most-famous boxer from his hometown. However, the recently signed Sycuan Ringside Promotions boxer is getting a shot at World Boxing Council welterweight champion Zab “Super” Judah after taking the young and highly touted Miguel Angel Rodriguez (26-1, 21 KOs) to school, scoring a lopsided unanimous decision on May 21 at the United Center in Chicago. continue l
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13.12.05 - Jean-Marc Mormeck (photo: Tom Casino) was born the only child to Fulbert Mormeck and Sonia Harris on June 3, 1972, in Point-a-Pitre, Guadalupe, France. The family moved to Bobigny, France when he was 6 years old. Jean-Marc was always a good athlete and played futbol (soccer) as an amateur and also participated in Thai-style boxing but only on the amateur level. He first became interested in boxing by watching the fights on television. continue l
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13.12.05 - Photos: TOM CASINO / SHOWTIME - SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING begins its 20th year with a world championship doubleheader Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006 (9 p.m. ET/PT, (delayed on the west coast). Hometown favorite and one of the world's best pound-for-pound boxers, undisputed welterweight champion Zab "Super" Judah, will defend against WBC No. 1 contender Carlos Baldomir in the main event.
In the SHOWTIME co-feature, two reigning cruiserweight champions collide when World Boxing Council/World Boxing Association (WBC/WBA) champion Jean-Marc Mormeck faces his International Boxing Federation (IBF) counterpart, O'Neil "Supernova'' Bell, in a world title unification bout. continue l
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13.12.05 - O’Neil Bell Bell (photo: Tom Casino) was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and moved with his parents, Charles and Norma, and younger brothers Omar and Anthony, to Dover, Del., at the age of 7. He moved to Atlanta at 21, where he remains to this day. "I had always wanted to box, but in the time I grew up, they didn't have a program in Delaware,” Bell said. continue l
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13.12.2005 - Don King coined the phrase, "Only in America." He lives it. He breathes it. He believes it. It's part of his soul. "Only in America can a Don King happen," explains Don. "America is the greatest country in the world—I love America. What I've accomplished could not have been done anywhere else." Indeed, the odds have always been long for King. A product of the hard-core Cleveland ghetto, he beat the system to become the world's greatest promoter. continue l
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ST. PETERSBURG, FL (December 12, 2006) -- The fight to determine the best middleweight in the world took a major step forward today. Jose Sulaiman, president of the World Boxing Council (WBC), served notice today to the camps of middleweight champion JERMAIN TAYLOR and mandatory challenger WINKY WRIGHT "... that the free negotiations period has begun for the mandatory title defense between our champion Jermain Taylor vs. mandatory challenger Ronald "Winky" Wright, as ordered during the WBC annual convention in Spain during the month of October. If no agreement is reached, the WBC will order a purse offer to be held on January 20, 2006, in Mexico City."
"I am extremely pleased with the WBC's decision to proceed with the mandatory title defense and I look forward to meeting Jermain head-on in the ring in my next fight," said Wright. "Everyone knows that after every fight, I have always asked for another big fight. No breathers for me. I only want the biggest fights against the best fighters because I am a competitor and I believe a champion should act like a champion. Now we are going to see who the best middleweight really is -- Jermain Taylor or me."." continue l
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12.12.05 - By Scoop Malinowski / Boxinginsider.com - After losing a very close rematch with Jermain Taylor last week, all-time Middleweight great Bernard Hopkins expressed that one of his preferred options to close is illustrious career might be to move up 15 pounds and become the first Middleweight champion to win a Light Heavyweight title. continue l
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12.12.05 - By Gabriel DeCrease: It is a dangerous thing for expectations to be defied in the prize ring. A sort of temporary insanity overtakes the better senses of the boxing world when the fans and pundits are simultaneously given an outcome that is diametrically opposed to their predictions. Almost everyone—aside from Sam Soliman and his team—assumed that Wright would turn in a taut, somewhat conservative, technical performance that would befuddle, shutdown and erode Soliman’s presence in the fight. The fight, clearly, did not unfold along those lines. continue l
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12.12.05 - By Mark de Mori, MarkDeMori.com: Everything ran according to plan on sunday night at Challenge Stadium, in Perth, the undercard fighters took care of their overmatched opposition , hometown hero Danny Green outboxed Kirino Garcia over ten rounds, and Anthony Mundine outclassed Rico Chong Nee, finishing him in style with three consecutive right hands in the third round.
Unfortunately a small group of Mundine haters let their anger get the better of them, throwing whatever they could at Mundine after he put on the best performance of the night, but it may just have been the realisation of many in attendance that Mundine is going to be more than a handfull for their main man Green that really angered them.
So what did we learn last night that we didn’t already know about Green and Mundine? continue l
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NEW YORK (Dec. 12, 2005) - Fasten your seat belts! Put on your game face! It is time to get it on!! From the opening bell of its initial telecast on March 15, 1986, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING has offered the most talented prizefighters in the most meaningful match-ups. In 2006, "America's No. 1 Boxing Network" will continue its legacy with its hardest-hitting schedule in history. continue l
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HOLLYWOOD, FL, December 12 – After a press conference brawl pushed the bad blood between Lance Whitaker and Sultan Ibragimov past the boiling point, the two heavyweight contenders will finally get to settle their score on Thursday’s ‘Global Warfare’ card at the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood, Florida. continue l
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12.12.05 - By James Allan: After all the hype that went before Saturday night’s heavyweight fight between Audley Harrison and Danny Williams, it is difficult not to feel a sense of disappointment. Disappointment in how bad the fight was and disappointment in how poorly Audley performed. Audley came into this fight with a lot to prove. For the last five years he has talked a good fight, talked about how he was going to win his World title, how it was there just waiting for him to take it. He has talked disparagingly about his British rivals, how they weren’t good enough to be in the same ring as him, how easily he would beat them when the time came. Hell, five years ago, before he had his first pro contest he was telling anyone who would listen about how he would be able to take Danny Williams by his fourth paid fight. Well he had chalked up nineteen fights before he took on Williams and when he finally had the chance to show that he could back up his words, what did he do? He ran, he held and he threw pitty pat jabs that did no damage to Williams at all. After all of the brave words that Audley spoke in the run up to this fight, to turn a performance like that is nothing short of diabolical.
Let’s be entirely honest here, the reason that the fight was so bad was mainly down to Audley. For me Danny is not a top tier fighter and what I saw on Saturday didn’t change my opinion of him. He had taken a couple of bad beatings when he had stepped up a level and I don’t count the version of Mike Tyson that he beat as a level up and I also think that recently he has been too heavy coming into his fights. continue l
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12.12.05 - By Geoffrey Ciani: In a fight that was more interesting than I had originally anticipated, “Winky” Wright won a unanimous decision over Sam Soliman. I concede, I hadn’t seen much of Soliman before this bout, and didn’t really expect him to do much against a skilled technician and pound-for-pound elite like Ronald “Winky” Wright. However, since losing seven bouts early in his career, Soliman had won nineteen in a row, and after seeing his performance on Saturday night, I can see why. continue l
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12.12.05 - By Travis Marks: Dibiella Entertainment returns December 15, 2005 with its Broadway Boxing series and that also marks the return to the ring of a hot new prospect in the featherweight division that everyone needs to pay attention to. His name is Gary “Kid” Stark Jr. and you should hop on the bandwagon right now before there is no room for you. Stark has all the ingredients of a future star. He can box, brawl, has solid defense, a solid chin, a great amateur background and that certain special something that separates him from the rest. He has star appeal you can spot it out as soon as you’ve had an encounter with him. continue l
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We had no idea that the friendly Aussie who greeted the crowd with a raised glove as he entered the ring, would cause Wright to pretty much fight his fight, including some right paw-left paw switching off. continue l
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11.12.05 - By Ryan Laming: Last night as I was preparing to watch what I thought was only the Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins II bout, I was pleasantly surprised to see a special HBO broadcast featuring also Winky Wright and "King" Soliman. I fought my way through the scoring of the first fight, and was shocked by what came next. I expected to see a very technical dismantling of an Australian whose name only vaguely registered in my consciousness. continue l
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11.12.05 - Heavyweight Vladimir Virchis (110 kg) outweighed Michael Sprott (105,6 kg) prior to their clash tomorrow evening at Freizeit Arena in Soelden, Austria. Virchis, 19-0 (17), of the Ukraine will defend his WBO intercontinental title against Englishman Sprott, 27-8 (14), live on Eurosport at 19:00 CET. The event is promoted by Spotlight Boxing and includes nine fights. The weigh-in took place today at Medical Center of Soelden. continue l
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Wright, who was also rated No. 3 by the IBF going into the fight, now the legitimate undisputed No. 1 middleweight contender and mandatory challenger, immediately sent out a message to middleweight champion Jermain Taylor. continue l
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11.12.05 - By Joseph Carlo Russo @ Ringside - With Wright's name being quite coincidentally suitable with his most notable punch, his right jab, Winky has made his name in the sport of boxing with his masterfully technical style that has proven itself elite when he dissected "Sugar" Shane Mosley and decimated Felix "Tito" Trinidad. His style, though masterful and elite, unfortunately has failed to gain the much deserving Ronald "Winky" Wright the superstar power equivalent to that of some of his victims due to its un-crowd-satisfying manner. continue l
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11.12.05 - By Jim Amato: Two middleweight fights yesterday may have shifted the balance in this long boring division. With all due respect to Bernard Hopkins, his long tenure as champion featured few exciting battles. Add to that the both his razor close losses to new titleholder Jermain Taylor were about as thrilling as a John Ruiz fight. continue l
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Soliman presented an awkward, amateurish looking style for Wright as he relentlessly threw punches from all angles. Though Soliman lacks any noticeable power, he has amazing stamina and a ton of heart. Soliman understandably felt he’d done enough to win the fight and I have no doubt many fans share his view. continue l
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10.12.05 - Undefeated former European (EBA) Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham, in front of 3.500 people plus millions of viewers on live TV coverage by ARD "das erste", won the vacant IBF Middleweight Crown by KO in the 5th round over his Canadian challenger Kingsley Ikeke (23-2-0/13KOs) last night in Lepzig, Germany. Abraham started the fight with his usual strategy: left punches to the body, then coming over his opponent's lowered guard with hard rights to the head. continue l
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10.12.05 - By Per Ake Persson: Hungarian flyweight Robert Isazegi has had his purse withheld by the Spanish Federation after losing to EBU champ Ivan Pozo on a dubious first round tko. The 40-year old Isazegi came in as a late sub and had problems making the weight. According to ringside reports he never attempted to fight but just went down as soon as he was hit. After a second similar "knockdown" the fight was stopped. continue l
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10.12.05 - By James Slater: On April 15th 1985 at the same site as his great win over Roberto Duran, Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns met Marvellous Marvin Hagler and a fight took place that will be talked about for as long as there is a sport called boxing. A fight of such unbelievable action, with almost unbearable intensity that mere words alone could never hope to adequately describe its phenomenal quality. It has to be seen to be believed and any person who considers themselves even a remotely interested spectator of the fight game will surely have obtained a copy on tape. Of those who were actually lucky enough to have been there live, I remain constantly envious.
Billed appropriately and simply as, "The Fight", it rightfully resides at the top of many a list of greatest ever boxing matches. The first round alone saw to that. continue l
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10.12.05 - Danny Williams (34-4, 28 KOs) scored a stunning split decision victory over undefeated 2000 Olympic gold medal winner Audley Harrison (19-1, 14 KOs) at the ExCel Arena in London, England. The three judges scored the contest 116-113, 113-114 and 116-112 in favor of Williams. Williams is now the commonwealth heavyweight champion. On the undercard, Amir Khan stopped Daniel Thorpe three seconds from the end of round two in an impressive performance. continue l
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10.12.05 - By Jim Amato: For me, the year 1972 marked some very important milestones, especially the magic month of June. In the first three weeks of that month, I became a candidate for the draft by turning eighteen, I graduated from High School and I took on my first bride. To be honest with you, the most exciting day of the month was the 26th. On that date in Madison Square Garden, Roberto Duran captured the lightweight championship of the world by stopping the vastly talented Ken Buchanan. At that moment, a star was born.
Later in the year, on October 18th, my first son was born. A month later, Duran suffered the first loss of his career, dropping a decision to the great but widely overlooked Esteban DeJesus. continue l
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10.12.05 - by Per Ake Persson: Arthur Abraham (19-0) won the vacant IBF 160 lb title with an impressive fifth round stoppage of Kingsley Ikeke. Abraham stunned Ikeke with an overhand right and Ikeke backed into the ropes where he was nailed by a left hook. He didn´t seem badly hurt but as Abraham caught him with another huge right, referee Samuel Viruet jumped between the fighters and called it off. Ikeke, totally gone, fell across the ring. It was a perfectly timed stoppage. continue l
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SAN DIEGO, December 10 – Golden Boy Promotions’ latest signee, Argentina’s Walter Dario Matthysse, made quite an impression in his United States debut Thursday night at the 4th and B Club, stopping well-regarded Xavier Tolliver in a single round. “Matthysse was explosive and this is the type of performance we knew he would deliver after scouting him over the last year,” said Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya. continue l
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10.12.05 - By Gabriel DeCrease: Not long ago, the junior-welterweight division was teeming with high-profile fan-favorites, pound-for-pound contenders, and brilliant prospects. And now, the best estimation of the 140-pound scene is that it is watchable, palatable, decent. What happened? How? And why?
At it’s peak sometime during the early part of the last year. A panorama of the division looked like this…
Floyd Mayweather appeared to be well on his way to dominating another division.
He had conquered DeMarcus Corley, pushing through some rough patches in his maiden voyage as a junior-welterweight, and then tore Henry Brussles into tiny pieces and stomped on them before the ringside physician retired Brussles in the eighth-stanza. continue l
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10.12.05 - By Per Ake Persson: Russian supermiddle Denis Inkin will now fight Valentin Ochoa December 13 in Solden, Austria. Chilean welter Joel Mayo squares off against Belorussian Sergey Shnip. Heavyweight Dennis Boytsov is in against Hungarian Zoltan Petranyi. Spotlight Boxing promotes and will also stage a show at the Universum gym in Hamburg January 24. continue l
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10.12.05 - By Gabriel DeCrease: Cheers to…Floyd Mayweather for finally inking a deal to fight Zab Judah. This showdown will finally answer some looming questions about how good Mayweather really is, and should prove to be the best, and most lucrative, way to simultaneously satisfy his critics and his fans.
Jeers to…Floyd Mayweather for leaving behind unfinished business with Ricky Hatton at 140-pounds. Floyd’s layover in the junior-welterweight division was too short, and everyone wanted to see if the guy who was wobbled by DeMarcus Corley could withstand “The Hitman’s” brutal, nonstop assault. It looks like the world will never know, as the chances are slim that Mayweather will drop back down in class. continue l
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10.12.05 - By Per Ake Persson: Former WBU cruiser champ Don Diego Poeder, 24-2, is on the comeback trail after a few years off and takes on tough Belgian Ismael Abdoul December 25 in Izegem for the BeNeLux title. The now 33-year old Poeder, from the Netherlands, seemed to be on his way to the really big fights when he suffered back to back knockout losses to Robert Daniels and Sajad Abdul Aziz in 98-99 and faded from the scene. continue l
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10.12.05 - Tickets, starting at $25 are on sale in advance by calling 1-800-Grand1 1, ext. 3, 1-866-438-7372 and 312-226-5800. Doors for this event open at 8pm with the first bout at 9pm. This event is promoted by Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions’ HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING and Octavius James’ ONE IN A MILLION, INC along with THE GRAND VICTORIA CASINO. continue l
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09.12.05 - Samuel Peter has tasted defeat only once in his career and the man they call the Nigerian Nightmare does not intend revisit that feeling. On Thursday December 15th, Peter (24-1,21 KO's) is set to make his return to the ring against rugged Robert Hawkins (21-4, 7 KO's) at Global Warfare, presented by Warriors Boxing Promotions, on In-Demand PPV from the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, FL.
Peter will be looking to rebound from his tough loss at the hands of Wladimir Klitschko on September 24th in Atlantic City, in which he had the Russian giant down three times, coming ever so close to beating him. While most fighters may take the easy road following a disappointing defeat, promoter Dino Duva knows Robert Hawkins is no sure victory. "Robert Hawkins is a tough and credible fighter, says Duva. "This fight proves Sam Peter is a true warrior not afraid of anyone." continue l
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HOLLYWOOD, FL, December 9 – They’ve come from around the world - fighters from Nigeria, Ireland, Russia, Puerto Rico, Canada, and the United States – and on December 15th, at the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood, Florida, these warriors will put it all on the line in a show aptly titled ‘Global Warfare’. continue l
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09.12.05 - Promoter Art Pelullo/Banner Promotions has signed James McGirt Jr. to a long term co-promotional contract. Joel Berman/JBC Boxing, Inc., is James’ co-promoter. Just 23 years old, James is a talented lefthanded middleweight prospect. Tall for the division at six-foot one, he made his pro debut in January, 2004, and is currently 10-0, with six knockouts. continue l
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09.12.05 - By Geoffrey Ciani: On December 17, WBA heavyweight champion, John Ruiz, will travel to the Max Schmelling Arena in Berlin, Germany, in order to defend his title against “The Beast from the East”, Nicolay Valuev. Sadly for boxing fans in the United States, this bout will not be televised.
This is nothing short of disgraceful. After all, this is a heavyweight title fight we’re talking about here, and the American boxing audience won’t even be able to watch it. Frankly, I cannot remember the last time a heavyweight championship bout wasn’t televised in the U.S. Has the state of the heavyweight division sunk so low that we’ve reached the point where fans are no longer afforded the opportunity to watch title fights? This is ridiculous! continue l
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09.12.05 - The “Black Panther” Lovemore Ndou and Goossen Tutor Promotions have agreed to part ways. Ndou has been promoted by Goossen-Tutor for the last three years and feels that now is the right time for a change and the super lightweight contender is a promotional free agent. Ndou wishes to thank Dan Goossen, Tom Brown and all the staff at Goossen-Tutor Promotions for their help. continue l
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09.12.05 - The World Boxing Council ratifies the ceremony of December 20, 2005 in Cancun, Mexico, where Hasim Rahman will be officially confirmed as the WBC heavyweight champion of the world, with the presentation of the green belt. A purse offer will be held during the ceremony in case that champion Hasim Rahman and James Toney, first official challenger, do not reach an agreement for the mandatory title bout, by December 20. continue l
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09.12.05 - By Mike Casey: On September 14, at the old Polo Grounds in New York, Jack Dempsey, the great Manassa Mauler, made the fifth successful defence of his heavyweight championship by knocking out the Wild Bull of the Pampas, Luis Angel Firpo, in the second round.
These are the bare facts of what arguably still ranks as the most thrilling heavyweight title fight of all time. In cold print, the simple stats give us just a mere hint of the mayhem and wild excitement that the two contestants crammed into the short space of two minutes and fifty-seven seconds.
The action was sustained and chaotic, the speed and punching power of Dempsey phenomenal and the fighting courage of Firpo immense.
Dempsey floored the giant from Argentina seven times in all, but also suffered two knockdowns himself in a frenetic first round, which saw Firpo connect with a right to the jaw and an accompanying shove that knocked Jack clear out of the ring. continue l
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09.12.05 - With both main event fighters in attendance, waiting upon the arrival of promoter Frank Warren to start the press conference, Audley Harrison and Danny Williams were asked to face off for photographers. Upon Warren’s arrival and the start of the press conference, it was announced that Danny Williams was refusing to join the dais with Harrison present. His trainer Jimmy McDonnell spoke for his fighter. continue l
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09.12.05 - Carl Froch believes there is nothing preventing him from completing the traditional title path following his impressive fifth round stoppage win over Ruben Groenewald last Friday, at an atmospheric Nottingham Arena. The 28-year-old British and Commonwealth king was a little cautious going into the contest as it was his first since summer surgery to repair a ruptured extensor hood on his right hand. continue l
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09.12.05 - By James Slater: It was one of Sugar Ray Leonard's sweetest nights. Not only did he gain revenge for his first loss as a pro, but he did so in a manner that was totally unthinkable at the time. Indeed it still seems unbelievable all these years later, when one watches the fight on tape.
Leonard's face was practically everywhere by 1980, he had become America's darling by capturing gold at the '76 Olympics in Montreal and the ascension to world title honours was swift in coming. Only three years later he defeated Wilfred Benitez to take the WBC welterweight title, but then he signed to fight a man who was the antithesis of his very being.
Roberto Duran, "Hands of Stone" as he was known, had come up the hard way. A street fighting hard man from Panama who the word tough could have been invented for is the man who famously is reported to have KO'd a horse with a single blow! Now he was in the opposing corner from the charming, loveable kid from America. continue l
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Los Angeles, Dec 9 - While sitting at my desk this past Friday, December 2, the day Robert Guerrero, our #2 ranked Featherweight in the World was to fight, I received a notice from the California State Athletic Commission that Robert had filed for Arbitration to terminate our promotional agreement. continue l
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09.12.05 - By Frank Maloney: This Saturday sees the most exciting heavyweight clash in a British ring since Lennox Lewis' battles with Frank Bruno and Gary Mason. The pairing of ex-British and Commonwealth Champion Danny Williams and the undefeated former Olympic Gold Medallist Audley Harrison has the British fans talking and the boxing writers have been turning up in droves to the individual press conferences of each fighter. I've attended these conferences on alternative days and had the chance to review each fighter's condition, mannerisms and public workouts. continue l
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08.12.05 - By Wray Edwards: Just when you thought it was safe to watch another boxing match, Diego and Jose have been scheduled for a third meeting. What the heck is going on here? Words like “trilogy” and “legendary” should be reserved for proper use. For openers, the first meeting of Diego Corrales and Jose Castillo (photo: Tom Casino / Showtime) was one of those rare events where the confluence of two warriors produced a prolonged, back-and-forth slug-fest of epic proportions. It wasn’t pretty (hit and not get hit), it was pretty ugly (hit and get creamed). The fight’s duration was perfect: almost the distance with an astounding, against all odds knockout.
It was a masterpiece of mayhem. It was not sweet science…it was brutal drama. The reaction of most fans, promoters and all concerned, placed the fight in company with the Thrilla in Manila, a Gatti-Ward clone, Elder-Burton, or several other meetings which will stand alone as classics for all time in the history of boxing. This writer was adamant that those who were prognosticating that a classic trilogy had just begun, were at best over-optimistic, and at worst hopelessly misguided. Told ya so. The second meeting was a complete mess. Jose’s problem at the scales immediately and completely invalidated the idea that this was the second fight of a possible trilogy. continue l
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08.12.05 - Brooklyn native Zab "Super" Judah will make his first title defense in New York since becoming the undisputed world welterweight champion in February when he headlines a card featuring three world championship matches-two of which are for undisputed titles-at the Theater at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 7. Judah will make a mandatory defense against World Boxing Council No. 1 ranked Carlos "Tata" Baldomir. continue l
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08.12.05 - Stuart, FL— Today, a large victory for famed attorney Willie Gary and his legal team has taken place in the Don King defamation and false light lawsuit. Judge Jose E. Martinez ruled in favor of the Gary team by granting their motion to remand the case back to state court. This decision comes after the defense requested that the case be removed from state court and attempted to have it dismissed in federal court. continue l
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08.12.05 - By Gabriel DeCrease: If Winky Wright gets by Sam Soliman on December 10th, he will have demonstrated beyond any doubt that he deserves to be first-in-line to fight Jermain Taylor in the new champ’s second defense of the fistful of straps he wrestled from Bernard Hopkins. Both the fans and the press are in a rare state of universal agreement about that. But news has surfaced that presents cause for concern that Lou DiBella, Taylor’s promoter, will nix the matchup, at least delay it indefinitely, before it ever gets off the ground.
Wright is a heavy favorite to run circles around the capable, yet largely untested, Soliman in their elimination bout that will determine who gets a crack at the now-vacant IBF belt. Unless the technically-deadly Wright breaks form and gives Soliman a big opening and Sam lands with unexpected force, Winky should be able to cruise past him. continue l
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08.12.05 - Mark de Mori: The press conference for the Mundine-Green double header was held today at the location of the fight, Challenge Stadium in Perth Western Australia, the home town of the hugely popular Super middleweight contender Danny “Green Machine” Green. Both Mundine and Green will be showcased in separate fights on Sunday night, Green against the Mexican hardman Kirino Garcia, and Mundine against the stylish Samoan Rico Chong Nee. continue l
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08.12.05 - According to Jose's father the young super star featherweight has decided to take a break from pro boxing and sign up with the Coast Guard. Jose is a Northern California boxer who has the stuff legends are made of and was one of USA Boxing's top amateur featherweights, winning and retiring from the amateurs as the 2003 U.S. Men's National Champion. continue l
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08.12.05 - By Troy Ondrizek: Much like the artsy nerd type adolescents who played Dungeons and Dragons, and listened to Culture Club, the cruiserweight division has found it difficult to be accepted by many. As the proverbial red-headed step child of boxing’s weight classes, the cruiserweight division has had only a handful of legitimate champions, and far fewer pugilistic greats. Largely ignored since it’s inception in 1980, this maligned division has never caught on with fights fans, partly because of it being sandwiched between two highly touted divisions being the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight, also because great fighters just seem to ignore the division as well, being that it doesn’t offer the same fiscal opportunities as the aforementioned divisions. It took some time for the division to hold any legitimacy, but it did so in the mid to late eighties with quality fighters like Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Carlos De Leon, and most notably Evander Holyfield. continue l
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December 8, New York- Staten Island's unbeaten featherweight star Gary Stark Jr. (12-0, 6 KO's) will fight on his home turf when DiBella Entertainment present Season's Beatings on December 15, 2005 in the Grand Ballroom at the Manhattan Center in New York City. Stark, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY is now fighting out of Staten Island. He has compiled an impressive professional ring record of 12-0, with 6 victories coming by way of knockout. continue l
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08.12.05 - By Gavin Stone: Mundine and Green, two names that are now legend within Australian boxing, sport- and society itself. Everyone has an opinion on Mundine and Green; when will they fight? Who will win? Is Green going to knock out that over confident Mundine? We will find out who has the bragging rights in early 2006 when the two meet in a super fight that will be sanctioned as a Super Middleweight World Title eliminator, but before this- the two will fight in an historic double header at Perth’s Challenge Stadium on Sunday the 11th December. continue l
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08.12.05 - Interview by Fabian Weber, Boxing.de: On the first Universum Box-Promotion show next year, scheduled for January 7, undefeated heavyweight sensation Alexander Dimitrenko, 20-0 (12), will take on American veteran Rob Calloway, 56-5-1 (43), at Zenith of Munich, Germany. Boxing.de contacted the man from St. Joseph, MO, and found out what he expects from his first fight in Germany and how he thinks about his boxing career.
Boxing.de: Mr. Calloway, you have a fight in front of you in Germany, facing undefeated Alexander Dimitrenko. But originally you were scheduled to face James Toney in December. Could you explain this situation to us? continue l
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08.12.05 - By Wray Edwards: Almost eight months ago Mike “The Powerful” Anchondo met Jorge “La Hiena” Barrios in a Super Featherweight bout scheduled for twelve rounds. The match, held at the Miccosukee Resort in Miami, Florida, was to be a world championship event for the WBO title. The whole affair turned into a complete fiasco when Mike failed to make weight by several pounds and was forced to forfeit thousands of dollars to Barrios, and was, in effect, stripped of his title. Barrios, however, would still be able to claim the title by defeating the overweight Anchondo. continue l
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08.12.05 - The unbeaten Dubliner’s next outing comes this Saturday night when he travels to Germany on a big night of boxing in Leipzig. Topping the bill is the IBF World Middleweight title clash between locally based Armenian, Arthur Abraham and Nigerian Kingsley Ikeke. Dunne features in the fight before the main event when he takes on Marian Leondraliu in front of an expected European TV audience of over six million. continue l
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07.12.05 - By Gabriel DeCrease: Sadly, a man of extraordinary courage who steps into the ring resolute with passion for the brutal give-and-take of the sweet science does not ensure victory by his purity of spirit. Often, such gladiators are pounded into submission by the younger, stronger, better trained, or more naturally gifted fighters who may not understand or embrace the cardinal vitality of the fight.
However, on occasion, a fighter’s mettle, his fighting core, carries him to victory in the face of tremendous adversity. And it seems every time I have let Vince Phillips fade from my mind, he resurfaces in another situation so like the one I have described, and sheds another burst of light onto his day in the arena, which has been at its dusk for some years. continue l
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Ireland’s John Duddy is making his way to South Florida as part of the Global Warfare event to be held on December 15th, at the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood, Florida. Don’t miss your opportunity to meet Ireland’s John Duddy in a rare South Florida public appearance on Monday, December 12th at Kavanagh and Morrissey’s Bar and Grill located at 1280 S Pine Island Road (at the southeast corner of Peters Road and Pine Island Road) at 7.30pm in Plantation, Florida. continue l
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HOLLYWOOD, FL, December 7 – As highly regard Middleweight contender, EDISON MIRANDA watched the Taylor/Hopkins fight Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, he told anyone that would listen that he would beat Jermaine Taylor. Later at the post fight press conference when Jermaine Taylor said he would make his next defense against a top 10 or 12 opponent in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, the undefeated Miranda stated “I’ll fight him (Taylor) anywhere, including in his hometown. continue l
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07.12.05 - By Izyaslav “Slava” Koza: On November 9th 1996, Alexander Zolkin stepped into the ring against Henry Akinwande to fight for a piece of the Heavyweight crown. To that point, Zolkin, was the first Russian boxer ever to fight for a major world title in the heavyweight division. For roughly seventy years, starting from 1918, no Russian boxer could ever even dream about a fight for the world heavyweight title in the pros. Even Russian amateur fighters like the legendary Nikolai Korolev, and Igor Visotski, men who had accomplished more then Zolkin, were denied what many other fighters presently take from granted during Soviet times.
Not even the victory itself but just the opportunity, just the chance, to say that they fought for the heavyweight crown and gave it their best. The Zolkin fight meant nothing in the grand scheme of professional boxing, it was money for the promoters, but the underlying symbolism, spoke volumes to anyone who chose to listen. continue l
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07.12.05 - IBF # 1 Middleweight Sam Soliman relaxed in his hotel room in LA, had this to say about his upcoming fight on the weekend against Winky Wright. “Everything has gone Wright for me in preparation for this bout. Plenty of lead up time – quality sparring – time to acclimatise and importantly plenty of time to research Winky. There is no doubting he’s the real deal with plenty of strengths in his style, however I intend to create chinks in his armour & force error. continue l
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07.12.05 - By M.C. (Mike) Southorn: With his win over long-time Champion Jack Broughton in 1750, Jack Slack was deemed the rightful heir to the Championship throne, but despite his illustrious heritage, (he was the grandson of the Father of Modern Boxing, James Figg) Jack Slack was generally considered to be crooked. He held The Title for 10 years, but it was widely alleged that he “invested” in the fights of others in order to ensure that the number one contenders were not always the best fighters. continue l
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07.12.05 - By Jim Amato: One of the best potential match ups in the mid 1970's that never took place would have been a light heavyweight unification bout between W.B.A. titleholder Victor Galindez of Argentina versus W.B.C. title claimant John Conteh of England.
After world champion Bob Foster was given a gift draw over Argentina's Jorge Ahumada in June of 1974 Bob no longer looked like an unbeatable force at 175 pounds. In fact it was becoming obvious that father time was eroding "Bad Bob's " skills. Then the W.B.C. wanted Bob to defend against top ranked John Conteh. The W.B.A. told Bob to put his title on the line against Victor Galindez. If Bob fought Conteh the W.B.A. would probably strip him of the title. If he met Galindez the W.B.C. would have likely taken their recognition away from him. In his frustration Bob decided to just hang them up, thus leaving the title vacant. continue l
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07.12.05 - With Russian behemoth Vitali Klitschko’s professional boxing career sailing off to the Siberian sunset along with the unrealized dominance predicted by the “boxing experts,” the fans had their opportunity to upstage these experts with their own expertise and votes when thesweetscience.com website recently ran a two-week (Nov. 10-24) fan poll asking the question: “A Year From Now, Who Will Be the Dominant Heavyweight?” continue l
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07.12.05 - From WBC President Jose Sulaiman: “Three prominent members of the world boxing community recently passed away - Pat Putnam, one of the greatest boxing writers of his time, George Horowitz, the Chairman and CEO of Everlast, Inc., and Lupe Madera, the former WBA light flyweight world champion. continue l
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07.12.05 - By Tony Nobbs: Australia’s leading Muay Thai world champion ‘John’ Wayne Parr faces the fight of his life on Saturday night December 10 at the Gold Coast Convention Centre at Broadbeach in Queensland. Parr battles in the semi main event for the first ever Muay Thai championship sanctioned by the World Boxing Council in any weight division when he clashes with Thai sensation Yodsaenklai Fairtex for the 70 kg title. There will be two other WBC Muay Thai bouts on the massive card promoted by Ray Matsamura’s Rising Promotions.
JWP spoke to Eastside on Monday. He has won 58 (30 by knockout) from 78 Muay Thai/kickboxing contests and is a four time world title holder. He also compiled a 10-3, 10 KO’s boxing record, winning the Australian middleweight title in 2001. Here is what the 29 year old ‘Gunslinger’ had to say: continue l
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07.12.05 - Sölden, Austria – On Tuesday, Dec. 13, two European top heavyweights will go to war at a peaceful location. At the idyllic holiday resort Soelden in the middle of the beautiful Austrian Alps hard hitting Spotlight heavyweight sensation Vladimir Virchis takes on Michael Sprott, a former British champion and owner of two European belts. continue l
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07.12.05 - By Per Ake Persson: Sauerland Event announced yesterday the full program for the show in Leipzig December 10 topped by Arthur Abraham vs Kingsley Ikeke for the vacant IBF 160 lb title. IBF Youth jr middle titleholder Zaurbek Baysangurov takes on Argentinian Juan Manuel Aleggio. Lightheavy Kai Kurzawa will now fight American Jose Spearman in a non-title ten-rounder and Cuban cruiser Yoan Pablo Hernandez square off against Aleksejs Kosobokvs from Latvia in what will be his first six-rounder. continue l
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06.12.05 - By Eddy Manning: It may suprise some people, but this weekend Winky Wright IS schedualed in a bout on American television and yes, this is the same Winky Wright that sent Felix Trinidad into retirement in one this years most anticipated mega fights. Ok, so all fight fans do know that Wright is going to be in action on Saturday night but in stark comparison to the hype and media coverage surrounding Wrights bout with Trinidad most people have never even heard of an experienced Australian Middleweight by the name of Sam Soliman, let alone seen him fight.
Sam Soliman has been fighting under the radar for the best part of his 38 fight career, even in his hometown of Australia Soliman has been an unknown name outside boxing circles, inside them he has been somewhat of an unappreciated and it would seem underrated fighter. Solimans record of 31-7 is enough reason for most to lose interest in him without a second thought, but Soliman is riding a 19 fight win streak including a recent one sided defeat of contender Raymond Joval which Soliman rates as one of his best performances to date. continue l
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06.12.05 - Miami Beach, Florida – Boxing Superstar Miguel Cotto was named Outstanding Boxer of the Year on Monday night during the third annual “Premios Fox Sports” show that took place Monday and honors the top Latin American world athletes. Cotto of Caguas, Puerto Rico is the current WBO junior welterweight champion of the world and he is considered the best amateur boxer in the history of Puerto Rico. continue l
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06.12.05 - Reigning IWBF world lightweight champion Jaime "The Hurricane" Clampitt underwent successful surgery on her left hand yesterday at the Lahey Clinic North in Peabody, Massachusetts. The operation was performed by famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steven Margles, who is best known in boxing circles for breathing new life into the careers of Micky Ward and Vinny Paz. continue l
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06.12.05 - By James Slater: Big George Foreman was attempting to put back together the pieces that had been shattered in the African jungle by Muhammad Ali. Foreman had been devastated by his loss to The Greatest, hence the length of time he’d spent inactive between Zaire and hooking up with the equally big Ron Lyle. With fifteen months of inactivity under his belt and the ring rust one would expect to go with it, Foreman entered the ring at Caesars Palace for his first real fight since “The Rumble.”
I say real fight because, of course, George had taken part in a number of exhibitions since his loss to Ali. He actually beat five men on the same night in May 1975. But with Ali heckling him at ringside and Howard Cosell constantly telling viewers watching on TV what a farce the whole thing was, the idea George had of restoring his confidence and respect amongst the boxing crowd with such a unique exhibition of his fighting prowess was an embarrassing failure. A win over Ron Lyle, however, would be a definite boost to not only his confidence but also his continuing box office appeal, especially if he could win by spectacular KO. continue l
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06.12.05 - This Saturday night, Chicagoan “Marvelous” Shay Mobley, 12-4-1 (5KO’s) battles 2000 U.S. Olympian Dante “The Inferno” Craig, 13-4 (10KO’s) in a special six round middleweight battle as Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions’ HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING and Octavius James’ ONE IN A MILLION, INC along with THE GRAND VICTORIA CASINO present a star studded evening of World Championship Boxing. continue l
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New York, December 6—Looking for the perfect holiday gift for the champion in your life? Boxing Writers Association of America 2002 Good Guy of the Year Teddy Blackburn has published “In the Other Corner: A Tribute to Gerald McClellan” with the financial backing of promoter Lou DiBella. The ace boxing photographer is always ready for a good fight, whether it is a world championship to photograph or a world championship cause. continue l
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05.12.05 - By Jim Amato: Damn! I had a bad weekend. First off, it was trouble at my job. Next, was trouble with the little woman. Then to top it all off, Bernard Hopkins loses another decision to Jermain Taylor. It's almost enough to make a grown man cry! Well, since I held back my tears and my eyes have finally cleared up, and I'm starting to see the big picture. The sad fact is, Taylor-Hopkins II was a carbon copy of their first fight. For the most part, Bernard made the same mistake he made in the first fight by letting the young thoroughbred jump off to a commanding lead that the old war horse could not overcome. Hopkins never had an exciting style. His lack of early aggression again cost him the decision. Fair call? I'd say, yes.
To be honest, Bernard did not do enough to earn the nod. Was it close enough for a rematch? Yes. I can still see Bernard making the proper adjustments to win a fight against Jermain. However, will the public buy a third match? Probably. continue l
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05.12.05 - By Aaron King: I can remember Christmas of 1996 vividly. I remember getting a sled. I remember getting clothes I didn’t want. I remember getting video games for my Sega Genesis. I remember being 9-years-old and thinking for the first time that was holding the most important thing I had ever held. continue l
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05.12.05 - HOLLYWOOD, FL – Due to an injury to his left hand, junior welterweight contender Juan Urango has been forced to withdraw from his bout on the December 15th ‘Global Warfare’ card at the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood, Florida. The injury, suffered during training, will sideline the unbeaten knockout artist for the rest of 2005, and may require surgery. There is no ETA for his return. continue l
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05.12.05 - By Craig Parrish:“It’s a very silly pair of feet that stay around and let your face get punched” — Jimmy McLarnin
A Master Boxer, Jimmy McLarnin is one of those rare stories of a young man who got into the rough world of boxing and got out young, healthy, and rich. A man who knew when to hang it up and played the game on his own terms. Not the most powerful fighter, although a dangerous puncher, McLarnin personified how to find success by constantly working on technique and developing the gift he had: speed. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1907, but his family immigrated to Canada while he was very young.
As a youngster, Jimmy loved to fight and would do so for a dollar here and there. Money was tight and a dollar was a small fortune to Jimmy. continue l
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05.12.05 - By MIKE CASEY: The story goes that when Young Griffo was in the premature autumn of his incredible life and ever more dependent on his famous love of alcohol, he would keep himself in drinks by spreading a handkerchief on the floor of his local saloon, placing a foot on one corner, and challenging any man in the bar to punch him off it. continue l
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05.12.05 - LOS ANGELES, CA – Heavyweight contender Ed Mahone has agreed to fight Henry Akinwande for the IBF Inter-Continental Heavyweight Title in Leipzing, Germany at the Arena Leipzig near Berlin. The Sauerland Event promoted fight will take place Saturday December 10th. The bout between Mahone and Akinwande will go off before the Main Event of the IBF Middleweight Title fight featuring Kingsley Ikeke versus Arthur Abraham. continue l
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05.12.05 - By Geoffrey Ciani: I wasn’t shocked when the decision was announced in Saturday night’s middleweight bout for the undisputed middleweight championship of the world. To be sure, I thought Hopkins won the fight. However, once I had heard that all three judges scored the bout 115-113, I had an eerie suspicion that the younger fighter had been ‘awarded’ the victory.
Frankly, this wasn’t the most exciting bout I’ve ever seen, but that’s often the case when you have a seasoned vet like Hopkins in the ring. Hopkins fights to win; not to look good. And sadly, that type of style is too subtle for the judges, and may even quite possibly have cost him the fight. All too often, the younger Taylor would throw a brief burst of punches, which looked terribly menacing, and drew applause from the fans and the HBO commentators alike; however, more often than not, it seemed to me Hopkins was subtly slipping these punches. continue l
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05.12.05 - Prince Badi, (24-2-1) continues his climb up the light heavyweight division; with a twelve round decision over former title challenger Thomas Reid for the WBC CBOFE Light Heavyweight Title at the St. Petersburg Coliseum Saturday night. Prince Badi fresh off his win against Orlando Rivera on October 15th in Orlando FL. turns in a stellar performance less than two months after his T.K.O against Orlando Rivera. The fight was a hard fought victory for Prince Badi, as Reid showed great desire throughout the fight, but in the end Prince Badi was too much for the game fighter. continue l
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05.12.05 - Bernie McCoy: On December 17, one of the premier female boxers in the sport will put her unbeaten record on the line. The daughter of a famous athlete, this boxer exploded on the professional scene without the benefit of an extensive amateur background and has beaten every fighter she has been matched with. Laila Ali is also scheduled to fight on December 17. continue l
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05.12.05 - By Gabriel DeCrease: Before I began snapping at the putrescent corpse Sven Ottke’s career left on the terra of boxing history like a rabid coyote, I would like to try, in the name of courtesy, and perhaps charity, to try to make some positive comments about “Das Phantom.” However, it should be noted that this article comes in response to so many others I have since Ottke’s retirement that seek to deify Sven as some sort of misunderstood technician of the highest order, and in some cases, a legitimate world champion. He has even been called a defensive genius that ended up on the wrong side of public opinion because so many fight fans outside of Germany had improper expectations.
I have pained myself greatly by watching nearly all of Sven Ottke’s fights in the hope that my particular axe-to-grind would be buried when I finally saw the supreme-talent I had long been missing. continue l
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05.12.05: Denmark’s undefeated cruiserweight contender Lasse Johansen improved his undefeated record to 14-0 (10) on Saturday night, December 3, at the Hotel Hilton in Prague, Czech Republic. Johansen co-headlined a show promoted by OK-KO Promotions, and disposed of Slovakian Frantisek Kasanik, 5-1 (5), in the fifth of a scheduled ten-rounder. A packed crowd of about 1500 at the hotels ballroom watched on. continue l
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05.12.05 - BY Per Ake Persson: Henry Akinwande takes on Ed Mahone in a IBF I/C heavyweight titlefight on the Abraham vs Ikeke show December 10 in Leipzig. Italian veteran Massimiliano Saiani is sidelined with the flu and is out of the fight against Kai Kurzawa for the vacant EU 175 lb title. Who Kurzawa will take on isn´t clear yet. continue l
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05.12.05 - By Michael Montero: I told myself – no – I promised myself that I wasn’t going to buy the Hopkins-Taylor II PPV card Saturday. I had made a deal with myself a while back to boycott these PPV “showcases” until a worthwhile card came along – but like a chump I gave in and flushed $50 down the toilet this past weekend. I knew in my heart of hearts that this was going to be a replay of the first fight, that it would be a disappointment just like Tarver-Jones III was, that there would be little action and nothing close to a knockout – but for some reason I decided to get it anyway. What’s my problem? Am I a glutton for punishment or what?
I scored the first fight a draw – as I felt that Taylor won the first half of the fight, and Hopkins the second. To me neither guy won the fight – they both merely finished it. continue l
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05.12.05 - Soulemayne M’Baye, the number one challenger to WBA World Light-Welterweight Champion Ricky Hatton, has ripped into the Hitman accusing him of being a chicken by using politics to avoid a showdown against him. Hatton, also the IBF Champion, won the WBA crown last month by beating Carlos Maussa but is likely vacate the title to take up the organisation's Super-Champion belt to avoid the hard-hitting Frenchman. continue l
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05.12.05 - Jose Sulaiman will be celebrating today his 30 years as President of the World Boxing Council, and our sport itself and all those involved in it are happy and rejoicing in a well-deserved recognition to the man that not only revived boxing but took it to unprecedented levels of excellence no one could have ever expected in the brief period of three decades. continue l
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05.12.05 - By Cris Neill: Carl Froch continued his impressive rise through the super middleweight ranks on Friday, with a convincing defence of his Commonwealth title against Ruben Gronewald. Spurred on by a vocal home crowd at the Nottingham Arena, Froch became the first fighter to stop the South African, following a barrage of unanswered blows in the fifth round. The victory gave Froch his 17th professional victory after outclassing the former WBU middleweight champion.
Froch drew criticism from boxing commentators in the early stages of the fight, who questioned his initially slow work rate and lacksadaisical jab. The 28-year-old seemed utterly confident in his superior fire power and durablity. During the first and second rounds he carried his left hand insolently low, and repeatedly beckoned Gronewald in. The South African responded with several spirited countering shots, but lacked the strength and authority to threaten Froch. continue l
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05.12.05 - Jose Luis Castillo and Diego “Chico” Corrales are ready to do it again on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006. The world’s most talented and courageous lightweights will collide in an eagerly awaited rubber match to decide once and for all the No. 1 135-pound fighter on the planet. The 12-round bout, co-promoted by Top Rank, Inc., and Gary Shaw Productions, LLC will air LIVE on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). A site will be announced in the near future. continue l
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05.12.05 - Chicagoan David Diaz, 29-1 (16KO’s) travels to the Grand Victoria Casino in Rising Sun, Indiana this Saturday, December 10th to take on unbeaten Ramazan Palyani, 11-0, (5KO’s) in a twelve round International Boxing Association Lightweight World Title bout. The star studded terrific evening of World Championship Boxing is presented by Dominic Pesoli's 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING, Octavius James' ONE IN A MILLION INC., and THE GRAND VICTORIA RISING SUN CASINO in Rising Sun, Indiana. continue l
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05.12.05 - By Gabriel DeCrease: Once again the pillars of pugilism are holding up another great debate to determine who really won the rematch between Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor. Was it the old lion or new blood that came out on top? And by what margin? Is this the underhanded assassination of “The Executioner’s” legacy? Or is it the punctuation that comes at the end of Taylor’s vocal claim to the middleweight throne? Let me be the first to say I am not too motivated to clear the air. It is what will occur after the smoke clears from the rematch that should have everyone taking sides. Fans should look past the close-call judging and try to spot the real lesson that underlies this pair of low-impact sparring matches.
At his peak Bernard Hopkins was king of the ring technicians. He was a smooth operator who could outbox, outfox, and outclass any man in the middleweight division—that is, after a prime Roy Jones Jr. began his Odyssey in the higher weight-classes.
Jermain Taylor is a young fighter who was thrust into the spotlight—and into the highest echelons of consideration—when he narrowly (and quite controversially) dethroned Hopkins in their first fight. And while Taylor’s pre-Hopkins resume is certainly enough to prove his salt as a true contender, it is hard to say that, setting aside his last two fights, Taylor is the absolute cream of the middleweight crop. continue l
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05.12.05 - by T.K. Stewart: Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to have a boring night in Las Vegas. If you doubt that, ask those who were in the Mandalay Bay Events Center last night to witness the second Jermain Taylor versus Bernard Hopkins Middleweight Championship affair. Heck, for that matter, ask the ones who saw the first one last July across the street at the MGM Grand. continue l
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LOS ANGELES, December 5 - With spectacular knockouts, world championship showdowns, and rising stars, 2005 has been another stellar year for HBO Latinos hit series "Oscar De La Hoya Presents Boxeo De Oro". So as a holiday gift to fight fans, Golden Boy Promotions is pleased to keep the hits coming as it presents two of boxing's biggest punchers in their year-ending bouts on Thursday, December 8th, live from Fourth and B in San Diego, California. continue l
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05.12.05 – By Tim Foley: Ike ‘Bazooka’ Quartey pounded out a 10 round TKO victory over a tough, but outclassed Carlos Bojorquez on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. He thoroughly dominated the first 9 ½ rounds before referee Joe Cortez correctly stopped the fight due to accumulated punishment. At the time of the stoppage, it was a landslide with Quartey landing 52% of his shots compared to Bojorquez landing at an 11% clip.
Three fights into his current comeback, Quartey looks like a man who is beginning to shed some of the ring rust from a five year layoff. He looked very sharp with his trademark stinging jab that connected on the slower Bojorquez throughout the night. Bojorquez hit Quartey with many solid right hands that didn’t seem to faze Quartey in the least. This was a far cry from his previous performance a few months back against Verno Phillips where he was wobbled and put on the canvas, but rose to win a close decision. His most recent performance begs the question, “can Ike Quartey become a champion again?” continue l
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05.12.05 - Sergej Dzindziruk dethroned reigning WBO jr. middleweight champion Daniel Santos tonight at Bördelandhalle of Magdeburg, Germany with a unanimous decision. In a highly exciting and competitive contest fought between two southpaws on a very high pace Dzindziruk knocked down Santos in round 8 with a right hook to the chin and won by scores of 115:112 on all three score cards. continue l
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05.12.05 - By Per Ake Persson: Ukrainian heavy Vladimir Virchis defends the WBO I/C title December 13 in Solden, Austria, against Brit Michael Sprott. Virchis has been sparring with unbeaten Swedish heavy Aldo Colliander at the Universum gym in Hamburg. "Ther are not many othjer boxers that want to step into the ring with Virchis", says Aldo. "The guy can punch for sure and has an awkward style. But I did well, I moved alot and punched alot and that kept him busy." continue l
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05.12.05 - By Andy Meacock: The year 2005 has been quite a good year for boxing. We’ve seen some of the biggest and best names slug it out inside the ring. My favourite fights this year have probably been Diego Corrales v Jose Luis Castillo 1 and Erik Morales v Manny Pacquiao. Both were epics battles and both fights will be happening again in the year 2006.
Other big fights that have been confirmed for the year 2006 are Shane Mosley v Fernando Vargas, Oscar de la Hoya v Ricardo Mayorga, both fights are at junior middleweight. We’ll finally see a unification match at super middleweight between Jeff Lacy and Joe Calzaghe, plus we should see a big fight at heavyweight between Hasim Rahman and James Toney. If you add the two fights I mentioned in the first paragraph, then 2006 is starting to shape up nicely… continue l
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04.12.05 - By Joseph Carlo Russo: Amidst the recent Bernard Hopkins Jermain Taylor rematch validities have been in question. Many have come to challenge the validity of Bernard Hopkins as a former undisputed champion, the validity of Jermain Taylor as a polished young fighter, and even the validity of the Las Vegas judges. But, pointing fingers and drawing references that lead to disputable claims is not the way to define Hopkins and Taylor's two bouts. continue l
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04.12.05 - Last night at the Tachi Indian Casino, Robert Guerrero and Gamaliel Diaz were in an intense battle that was decided by one point in a very close split decision. “The Ghost” (16-1-1) tasted defeat for the first time in his young career, but vows to be back in early 2006. There is no doubt in my mind that I’m one of the best fighters in the featherweight division. continue l
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04.12.05 - By Goran Dragosavac: I wonder with what excuses Jermain Taylor's critics will come up now to dispute, once again, his victory over Bernard Hopkins? Even if there were some doubts over his win in the first match, this time, he won fair and square by beating the Hopkins in at least 9 out of the 12 rounds. To be honest, Taylor was just too quick, too strong and too smart - to allow Hopkins any chances of winning. And it is almost embarrassing how the vast majority of the boxing writers got it totally wrong, making up all sorts of arguments of why and how Hopkins should win. Well, he didn't win, and all the arguments were just a wishful thinking and reluctance to let it go and admit that Bernard Hopkins is a former champion.
There was nothing wrong with Bernard's performance last night. Hopkins, for the most part, was his old self, fighting the fight that got him on top for so many years. And even after the fight, he was still convinced how whole world had seen him as a winner. So, it was obvious to me, that Hopkins honestly believed that he gave a good shot at it. The problem is, that his best is just not good enough against a highly skilled opponent like Taylor. continue l
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LOS ANGELES, December 4 - Explosive, dynamic, and charismatic, Argentina's Walter Dario Matthysee is one of boxing's rising stars, and United States boxing fans will finally get their chance to see Golden Boy Promotions latest signee live in action when he faces Xavier Tolliver on the December 8th edition of HBO Latino's "Oscar De La Hoya Presents Boxeo De Oro". continue l
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04.12.05 - By Jim Amato: George Horowitz, the CEO of Everlast Worldwide Inc. recently passed away. I recall receiving the company's fine merchandise catalogs and always in the first few pages were photos of Mr. Horowitz. He would smiling and posing with famous fighters. Sure he was promoting his products but there always seemed to be something very genuine about George. continue l
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03.12.05 - By Izyaslav "Slava" Koza: I can't help but disagree with both Bob Costas and Max Kellerman in their assertion that another fight with Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor is not a public interest. Basically the truth of the matter is I spent every second of this fight either upright, standing and pacing in front of my tv, or running to the bathroom to take a whiz. It may sound gross but the amount of anxiety I feel during a potentially good and nerve racking fight, may be judged, by the number of times I run to the bathroom. Its possible that may seem weird but I am willing to bet a lot of fans who share my sentiment go through something like this as well. If you're a smoker I am willing to bet the cigarettes smoked count for your personal compubox is much higher then during a Ruiz fight. No, it wasn't Morales Barrerra, or Corrales-Castillo, but it was still exciting and exhilarating to see who could out maneuver which fighter. continue l
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03.12.05 - Boxing wonderboy Amir Khan will take on Sheffield dangerman Daniel Thorpe a week on Saturday at the ExCeL in his London professional debut live on ITV1. Khan, the Olympic Silver Medallist, will have to be on top form as Thorpe is coming off a fantastic win over Haider Ali, the 2002 Commonwealth Games Champion, last week battering the former top prospect inside four rounds. continue l
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03.12.05 - By Tony Nobbs: Australian heavyweight champion Colin "Kid" Wilson retained his title with an unusual stoppage of Nathan Briggs at the Mansfield Tavern in Brisbane, Queensland on Friday night. In an un climatic end to what promised to be a terrific match up by domestic standards that had long been talked about between two local rivals, Briggs took six counts but only once from a punch, after initially taking a knee in the third when he grimaced in pain after landing a straight right hand. continue l
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LEMOORE, Calif. (Dec. 3, 2005) – Photos: Tom Casino / Showtime - Gamaliel Diaz is nicknamed “Platano,’’ which means “banana’’ in English. But for one night you could call him “Ghostbuster.” In a fast-paced, hotly contested slugfest between two young, top 10-ranked featherweights, Diaz showed that he was not afraid of ghosts by taking a thrilling 12-round split decision over one of boxing’s brightest stars, the previously unbeaten Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, Friday on “ShoBox: The New Generation” on SHOWTIME.
By handing the World Boxing Council No. 2-ranked 126-pounder his first loss, Diaz, who entered the ring rated No. 7 by the WBC, won the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) featherweight title. In the “ShoBox” co-feature, undefeated World Boxing Association (WBA) No. 13/International Boxing Federation (IBF) No. 15 welterweight contender, Paul “The Punisher’’ Williams, knocked out former Mexican champion, Alfonso Sanchez, in the fifth round. continue l
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02.12.05 - Carl Froch hit out at WBO super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe after stepping off the scales at yesterday afternoon’s weigh-in for his Commonwealth super middleweight title defence against Ruben Groenewald at the Nottingham Arena tonight, (December 2nd). Froch, laughing comments made by Calzaghe and his father/trainer Enzo in this month’s edition of Boxing Monthly, said: “Enzo called me a clown, but that pair are the joke. I reckon they are the Steptoe and Son of boxing, they are always whinging. continue l
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02.12.05 - By John Way: Denver native Stevie "Little but Bad" Johnston is set to make his second comeback fight since suffering a devastating eleventh round knockout defeat at the hands of Juan Lazcano. Following a series of stints in prison for failure to pay child support, the former pound for pound entrant finally seems to have his life under control, with his last fight happening less than three months ago, in which he scored a flawless eight round decision over James Crayton. continue l
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02.12.05 - By Aaron King: This is the second part in a series about an event on July 4, 1923 in Shelby, Montana. Part one documented the three main participants in the fiasco: Jack Dempsey, Jack “Doc” Kearns, and Tommy Gibbons. This part discusses the factors that brought the fight to Shelby, Montana, the fight, and the aftermath of the episode.
In 1923, Shelby, Montana was a growing oil town that had multiplied in population in a short period of time (the number is reportedly from two thousand people to ten thousand). Prohibition had not quite stretched to the out-of-the-way border city, the masses of money were plentiful and growing, and the city’s officers were searching for a way to really attract some excitement into the town. The best way, the Chamber of Commerce thought, was to host a Jack Dempsey title fight. After all, the town had just finished hosting a string of fights, and the townspeople seemed to enjoy them. continue l
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02.12.05 - By Fadi Khawaja: The rematch between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo taught me one thing - initial meetings between fighters do not give us all the answers. Most boxing writers thought Corrales would elect to box en route to a unanimous decision. He went ten rounds on the inside, surely he could go twelve on the outside. Their line of thought was Corrales was the more versatile fighter and when boxing in the first fight found success. continue l
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02.12.05 - Ike Enwereuzor: You told me last time after your fight with Joe Calzaghe that you hurt your shoulder, how are things now? Ashira: Sure, I hurt my shoulder very badly in the 4th round of that fight or something. I tore my muscle in the right shoulder and had surgery to repair it after the fight. The sugery was sucessful and it may take a few months to be back fully. I'm looking at early next year to return to action. I will statrt with physical therapy this week. continue l
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02.12.05 - By Travis Marks: Eastsideboxing.com recently caught up with the undefeated WBO super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe. During a press conference held in Gallagher’s Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan, it was announced that the mega unification bout with the IBF and IBO super middleweight champion Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy will finally come to fruition. Calzaghe who is coming off of a dominant unanimous decision win over Evans Ashira. A fight in which he injured his hand. The injury caused the postponement of the originally scheduled November 5th date. Calzaghe shared his thoughts with us about his career defining fight come the 4th of March.
Eastsideboxing.com: Joe, how excited are you for this fight?continue l
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02.12.05 - By Craig Parrish: Bernard Hopkins is brash, arrogant, mouthy, and conceited. He is also one of the great fighters of the modern era. Until his recent defeat at the hands of Jermain Taylor, he had not lost a bout in ten years. He is a brilliant tactical fighter and ferocious body puncher. Just ask Oscar De La Hoya. Hopkins, and many others, felt he was robbed in the first bout. Believe it, he will not let this happen again. continue l
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02.12.05 - Photo: TOM CASINO / SHOWTIME: Boxers (left-to-right) Robert Guerrero (125 1/2 pounds), Paul Williams (147 pounds), Alfonso Sanchez (148 1/2 pounds) and Gamaliel Diaz (126 pounds) pose after Thursday's weigh-in at Lemoore, Calif. In Friday's 12-round main event on “ShoBox: The New Generation” on SHOWTIME the undefeated Guerrero, the WBC's No. 2-ranked featherweight contender, defends his NABF 126-pound crown against Diaz, who is rated No. 7 in the WBC. continue l
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01.12.05 - By Geoff McKay: Author’s note: Recently, I conducted an interview with WBO world heavyweight Champion, Lamon Brewster.
Mr. Brewster was upset about some comments that had been made about him after an earlier nterview he conducted with East Side Boxing.
This second interview was supposed to clear the air, and set right any misunderstandings that might have arisen from the first interview. What was that saying about the best laid plans of mice and men? Anyway, during the second interview with Lamon, we touched on, among other things, his performance against Kali Meehan, and some of the things he felt had contributed to a less than perfect showing. continue l
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01.12.05 - By Joseph Carlo Russo @Ringside: Coming into the November 30 bout, Litzau was a revered prospect, having been showcased on ESPN's Friday Night Fights and even on an HBO undercard featuring Jermain Taylor. His record stood at 15-0 with 14 KO's, an eye-opening feat when observed on a piece of paper. But last night at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, NJ, Litzau failed to live up to his hype. With most of his opponents having a more stationary style that which Litzau can dominate, he found trouble in the game Miguel Angel Munguia of Mexico City, Mexico. continue l
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01.12.05 - By Per Ake Persson: WBA 147 lh champ Luis Collazzo mandatory defence against German Oktay Urkal could go ahead in Berlin January 28. Don King Productions won purse bids but have for a number of reasons not been able to stage the fight so it's likely a deal will be struck with Sauerland Event. continue l
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01.12.05 - By Aaron King: This is the first part in a series about an event on July 4, 1923 in Shelby, Montana. Part one is about the people involved in making Jack Dempsey and Tommy Gibbons’ infamous championship bout come to fruition, and their backgrounds.
The main principal, and draw of the affair, was Jack Dempsey. Born in Manassa, Colorado on June 24, 1895, William Harrison Dempsey experienced extreme poverty first hand. His Mormon family had in it thirteen members. He completed his schooling only as far as the eighth grade, even though his father was a school teacher.
In lieu of finishing his education, Dempsey made a living as a miner. For a little extra income, he went to saloons and challenged all comers, under the alias “Kid Blackie,” passing a hat around the room to collect what little money he could after each of his brawls. continue l
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New York, NY-All star boxing and musical entertainment will provide the knockout combination when R. Paniagua, Inc and Cedric Kushner Promotions, STAR BOXING presents "Boxeo Caliente" on Friday night, December 9, at the historic Paradise Theater in the Bronx. Legendary Boxing champion Roberto Duran, one of the great Latino fighters of all-time, will also be involved with the promotion. continue l
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01.12.05 - Resurgent former linear heavyweight champion Shannon "Brooklyn" Briggs, 44-4-1 (38 KOs), has been added to the undercard of the already action-packed Puerto Rico's Best Boxing-promoted, Ivan Calderon vs. Daniel Reyes, Ricardo Torres vs. Henry Bruseles, and Daniel Alicea vs. Juan Gomez Trinidad triple bill on December 10 at Roberto Clemente Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. continue l
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01.12.05 - The ExCeL London, which will stage the big Commonwealth Heavyweight Title showdown between Danny Williams and Audley Harrison on Saturday 10 December, is now SOLD OUT. Billed as the biggest all-British heavyweight clash since Lennox Lewis v Frank Bruno over a decade ago, a sell-out crowd will create an electricity-charged atmosphere to witness an all-out war between bitter rivals Williams and Harrison.
Special attraction on the big-fight card will see the Olympic Silver Medallist Amir Khan make his highly anticipated London professional debut along with Kevin 'Mighty' Mitchell challenging for the first title in his career. Further title action on the show features the British Heavyweight title between Matt Skelton and John McDermott and the Vacant English Welterweight Championship between Ross Minter and Brett James. continue l
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01.12.05 - Manchester's John Murray is confident that he can make history on the Carl Froch vs. Ruben Groenewald undercard at the Nottingham Arena this Friday, whilst Esham Pickering hits the comeback trail confident of returning to title class. continue l
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01.12.05 - Ruben Groenewald is confident that the experience he has picked up boxing all over the world will stand him in good stead for his showdown with Commonwealth super middleweight champion Carl Froch at the Nottingham Arena on Friday night, (December 2nd). The 28-year-old, born in Brakpan, began his career in South Africa, where he won an All-African title, before relocating to the UK. More recently he has fought and sparred in Germany. continue l
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30.11.05 - By Jim Amato: What happens when the unstoppable force meets the unmoveable object ? Let me re-phrase that. What would have happened if Joe Frazier and Ron Lyle would have hooked up in the mid 1970's? It is too bad that this fight was never made. It was discussed on occasions but to the best of my knowledge no serious talks ever took place. What a shame. This would have been a thrill a minute battle for the fans. Each boxer had the tools and the style to offset the others skills.
Let's start with Ron Lyle. George Foreman showed everyone that a big, strong heavyweight with a decent jab and a solid uppercut could keep Joe from getting inside and also punish him at long range. Frazier was game to the core but Big George showed that Joe could be hurt. Lyle was no Willie Pep on his feet but he did have decent mobility for a man his size. He had a fairly quick jab with some pop to it. He threw a strong right hand but he needed room for it to gather steam. continue l
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30.11.05 - Former world champion Stevie Johnston (36-3-1) will face Andre Eason (16-4) for the NABC Light Welterweight title Saturday December 3rd at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, FL. The Silverhawk Boxing card starts at 7:30PM and also features heavyweight Sherman "Tank" Williams (26-10) and light heavyweight Prince Badi Ajamu in twin WBC Fedecaribe championship bouts. continue l
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30.11.05 - Kenyan female featherweight Damaris Muthoni is gearing up for her second fight inside one month, being taken through her paces by new home trainer Julius Odhiambo at her hometown Nairobi. The 29-year-old returned from Germany to Kenya after giving Ina Menzer a strong argument in a fight for the WIBF Intercontinental title last September to rebuild her career before another planned championship assault in 2006. continue l
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20.12.05 - Photo by Tom Casino / Showtime - The first Saturday of every month belongs to SHOWTIME, and 2006 promises to be no different for America’s No. 1 boxing network, now in its 20th year on the air. Following a spectacular 2005, the network that consistently offers fans the best match ups in boxing begins the New Year with an exciting world championship doubleheader Saturday, Jan. 7, at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). In the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature, two reigning cruiserweight champions will collide when WBC/WBA champion Jean-Marc Mormeck faces his IBF counterpart, O’Neil “Supernova” Bell, for the undisputed cruiserweight title. The winner of Mormeck-Bell will become the division’s first undisputed champion since Evander Holyfield defeated Carlos DeLeon in 1988 on SHOWTIME, and just the second since the division was created in 1980. In the main event, one of the world’s best pound-for-pound boxers, undisputed welterweight champion Zab “Super” Judah, will put all his belts on the line against WBC mandatory challenger and No. 1 contender Carlos Baldomir. 
19.12.05 - BERLIN — photos by David Martin-Warr / DKP - When the undefeated giant Russian Nicolai “The Beast from the East” Valuev entered the ring in Berlin on Saturday—all 7 feet and 323 ½ pounds of him—to make his first appearance in a world championship match against World Boxing Association champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz, it was much the same as when Valuev fought another American in Germany, Larry “The Legend” Donald, in Oldenberg on Oct. 1.
18.12.05 - By Karen Belford, photo by David Martin-Warr/DKP - On Saturday night in Berlin, Germany, the 7 ft Russian heavyweight Nikolay Valuev (43-0, 31 KO’s) won by majority decision to earn the WBA heavyweight title over John Ruiz, much to the disappointment to the German fans, who mostly booed the decision. For Ruiz, it seemed as if he had the deck stacked against him from the very beginning of the fight, simply by making the decision to come over and fight in Germany, which is Valuev’s new home town. Never the less, the fight was close from start to finish, and the decision essentially could have gone either way, no matter how many people feel that Ruiz was robbed by the ultimate decision. During the first half of the fight, it was mostly Ruiz (42-6-1) who dominated the action, using his hand speed, combinations, and surprisingly, superior power, to snap back Valuev’s head again and again. To a certain extent, Valuev looked horrible in the early going, mostly due to his slow punches, which lacked any real power to do any kind of damage. However, Ruiz appeared to tire by round six, as his punches became viewer and his attacks became more infrequent. Valuev, although still not doing much other than jabbing, took command of the fight with the use of his long reach and chopping right hand, that would catch the smaller Ruiz as he rushed in to trade. The judges scores were: 114-114, 116-114, 116-113, both for Valuev. I scored it 116-114 for Valuev, who I feel, won the fight largly based on his excellent jab. 
16.12.05 - By Wray Edwards at Ringside. Photos © Wray Edwards. 
16.12.05 - By Travis Marks: Fight results from the Lou Dibella promoted Broadway Boxing series held in the Hammerstein Ballroom: Junior Welterweight Dimitry Salita’s hand was raised as the winner by veteran referee Steve Smoger after a tough battle against journeyman Robert Frankel. The scores for this unanimous decision win were 97-92 and 96-93 (twice) all in favor of Salita. From ringside in appeared that Frankel controlled the action and was also credited with a knock down in the first round. This was not one of Salita’s finer performances but nevertheless his record improved to 24-0 (14 KO’s). 
15.12.05 - By Travis Marks: Eastsideboxing.com recently caught up with the Undisputed Welterweight champion Zab Judah. At a press conference held in the world famous Madison Square Garden it was announced that Judah (photo: Tom Casino) will be facing WBC mandatory challenger, veteran Argentinean fighter Carlos Baldomir. The fight will take place on January 7, 2006 and will be aired live on Showtime. Judah is fighting for the first time since the dismantling of then IBF mandatory challenger Cosme Rivera in three rounds earlier this May. Judah sat down with us to share his thoughts on Baldomir and the possibility of fighting former friend and the recognized number one pound for pound fighter in the world, Floyd Mayweather Jr. 
14.12.05 - By James Allan, photo by Wray Edwards: According to recent reports, the WBC has ordered Jermain Taylor to make the next defence of his undisputed Middleweight crown against Ronald ‘Winky’Wright. Most people would probably agree that this is a fair decision. Wright has been on a good run of form and has the names of Shane Mosley and Felix Trinidad on his resume. He has fought two eliminators for the WBC title, one against Trinidad and the other against Sam Soliman on Saturday night. He comprehensively defeated Trinidad who didn’t land a blow of any significance on him during the entire fight and even though he struggled against the unpredictable Soliman, he won the decision and with it, the right to face Taylor.
13.12.05 - Even though Zab Judah (photo: Tom Casino) is one of the fastest-punching fighters ever, it doesn’t mean the undisputed world welterweight champion hasn’t had to face and bounce back from adversity. He has been a boxer since age 6, and has never held another job.
13.12.05 - Photos: TOM CASINO / SHOWTIME - SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING begins its 20th year with a world championship doubleheader Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006 (9 p.m. ET/PT, (delayed on the west coast). Hometown favorite and one of the world's best pound-for-pound boxers, undisputed welterweight champion Zab "Super" Judah, will defend against WBC No. 1 contender Carlos Baldomir in the main event. 
11.12.05 - By Wray Edwards at ringside, photos © W.Edwards - 
UNCASVILLE, CT (December 11, 2005) Photo © Wray Edwards - Fighting off the lingering effects of a severe week-long chest and head cold and a spirited battle by the IBF's top-rated middleweight contender, two time world champion and WBC/WBA No. 1 middleweight contender WINKY WRIGHT won a decisive unanimous decision over Sam Soliman Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Wright, 50-3 (25 KOs), from St. Petersburg, FL, collected a milestone 50th victory while snapping Soliman's three-year, 19-bout winning streak on scores of 117-110, 115-112 and 115-113 in the WBC-sanctioned title elimination bout. It was the 11th consecutive victory for Wright going back to the disputed majority decision loss to Fernando Vargas in 1999. Promoted by Winky Promotions, in association with Gary Shaw Productions, the fight was televised live on HBO.
December 10, 2005 - By Frank Gonzalez Jr., photo © Wray Edwards - A Saturday night in Uncasville Connecticut, visiting Aussie Middleweight contender, Sam Soliman (31-8-0-12 KO’s, ranked #1 by the IBF) took on one of America’s top notch pugilists, Ronald “Winky” Wright (50-3-0-25 KO’s). It had to be one of the toughest fights Wright ever had. Soliman’s game performance won the crowd but lost the decision in the eyes of the Judges at ringside, who scored it a unanimously in favor of Wright by scores of, 117-110, 115-112 and 115-113. The crowd booed the decision.
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LEMOORE, Calif. (Dec. 3, 2005) – Photos: Tom Casino / Showtime - Gamaliel Diaz is nicknamed “Platano,’’ which means “banana’’ in English. But for one night you could call him “Ghostbuster.” In a fast-paced, hotly contested slugfest between two young, top 10-ranked featherweights, Diaz showed that he was not afraid of ghosts by taking a thrilling 12-round split decision over one of boxing’s brightest stars, the previously unbeaten Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, Friday on “ShoBox: The New Generation” on SHOWTIME.