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Boxing Insider Notebook: Sergio Martinez, Chisora, Fury, Cunningham, and more

Posted on 07/23/2014

By William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of July 15th to July 22nd, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Sergio Martinez Decides to Continue Boxing Career

After lengthy discussions with members of his team, now-former WBC Middleweight Champion Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez has decided to continue his boxing career.

Determined to return and erase the terrible memory of what happened against fellow-great Miguel Cotto in June, 39-year-old Martinez will next face a top-10 contender with the goal of recapturing his world title.

“Miguel De Pablos (Business Manager) and I met with Sergio at his home in Madrid and he says he is 100% healthy and ready to do what it takes to return to the very top of boxing,” said Martinez advisor Sampson Lewkowicz.

Lewkowicz says Martinez will first undergo a full battery of head-to-toe testing from top specialists in New York, but pending full medical clearance, the former champion will be returning to the ring on a mission.

“Against Cotto, Sergio was badly hurt in the opening round from the first left hook that landed,” continued Lewkowicz, “after that, he remembers only pieces and had very little control of his body and especially his legs. He fought entirely on instinct. It was the worst night of his entire career and he is coming back to prove he is a superstar fighter who just had a bad night.”

Dereck Chisora Injures Hand, Fight with Fury is Cancelled

Dereck Chisora injured his hand and had to withdraw from his fight with Tyson Fury. However, promoter Frank Warren will still go ahead with the title-packed card featuring British stars Billy Joe Saunders, Liam Smith, and Terry Flanagan.

The Chisora vs. Fury fight will be rescheduled, and Fury is still expected to fight on the card with details to follow.

Arthur Abraham to Defend WBO Super Middleweight Title Against Paul Smith

“King” Arthur Abraham (40-4) will defend his WBO World Super Middleweight crown against Paul Smith (35-3) on September 27th at the Sparkassen-Arena in Kiel, Germany. This will be Abraham’s second defense of his WBO title.

”This will be my fourth ring appearance in Kiel,” said Abraham. ”I have won here three times before, two of them by knockout. My fight on September 27 will be the first time I’ve defended my WBO Super Middleweight belt here and there is no way I am going to lose. I will retain my World Championship and continue my winning streak at the Sparkassen-Arena.”

Looking to end Abraham’s streak is former British Champion Paul Smith. The 31 year-old has impressed at domestic level and risen up the WBO rankings to earn his first World title shot.

”I am thrilled that the fight with Arthur Abraham has been confirmed,” said Smith. ”Arthur is a great champion, a real gentleman and a brilliant ambassador for the sport. I do believe that our styles will make for a great fight, but I just think that I am getting him at the right time. I know I can beat him and have seen things in him that I can capitalise on. I am sure it will be a spectacular show and I’m proud to be fighting for a World title over in Germany

Dusty Hernandez-Harrison Returns to Madison Square Garden July 26th

On July 26th Dusty Hernandez Harrison (22-0) will return to Madison Square Garden and put his undefeated record on the line when he faces off against Wilfredo Acuna (15-13). This welterweight bout will take place on the undercard of the Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Geale G4 event for the WBA and IBO Middleweight titles.

“We sold a lot of tickets to my fans in Washington, D.C. We have a few buses to bring them to New York. And then with Jeff (Promoter, Jeff Fried of All In Entertainment) from Coney Island and all, it adds a lot of excitement to the fight,” Hernandez-Harrison said. “This is a huge card to be a part of and I will do my best to put on a good performance for everyone in attendance.”



“Acuna is tough, strong and keeps coming; no question about it. We are preparing for the full eight rounds,” said Buddy Harrison, the young fighter’s trainer and father. “These are the kinds of fighters my son needs to face: rough and busy fighters.”

Showtime Sports to Celebrate Landmark 200th Telecast of ShoBox: The New Generation

Showtime Sports will celebrate its upcoming milestone 200th edition of ShoBox: The New Generation with a four fight telecast filled with tough matchups for promising prospects this Friday, July 25th.

Showtime Extreme will present a collection of quintessential ShoBox fights leading in the 200th telecast. The lineup includes Robert Guerrero vs. Gamaliel Diaz I & II, Ricky Hatton’s ShoBox greatest hits, Timothy Bradley’s WBC Light Welterweight Championship vs. Junior Witter, Andre Ward’s bloody battle with Edison Miranda, Shawn Porter’s ShoBox greatest hits and more.

The July 25th main event will be between undefeated middleweight prospect Antoine Douglas (14-0) and former world title challenger Michel Soro (23-1). Also on the card will be Jerry Odom (11-) and Vilier Quinonez (8-0), Cecil McCalla (18-0) and Oscar Godoy (13-2), and Wanzell Ellison (11-0) and Tony Luis (17-2).

Mario Barrios Returns July 25th

Making his way back to the ring this Friday July, 25, 2014 , is San Antonio’s undefeated super bantamweight phenom, Mario Barrios (4-0, 1 KO). The standout fighter, Barrios, will put his undefeated record on the line against, Salvador Perez (2-4-2, 1 KO). The 4-round bout will take place at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California.

Barrios, who stand 6’0 feet tall, is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the top boxing prospects in the sport. With a tremendous height and reach advantage, Barrios will look to box his way to victory, but vows to throw big shots.

“Perez is an opponent I’m not taking lightly,” said Barrios. “I’m going to stick to the game plan and give a crowd pleasing fight to the fans. I feel I’m getting better with each fight and my jab is looking great. I’ll be thrilled if I get the KO, but will be ready to go the distance if I have too. I’m going to be throwing a lot of hard shots in this fight, so we’ll see what happens.”

Everlast Announces First Fitness Certification Program

Everlast Worldwide is proud to introduce their first fitness certification program, the Everlast F.I.T. Coach Certification. The goal of the certification is to provide instruction on how to incorporate fight sports based exercises into a total body fitness curriculum that provides well-structured, high-intensity circuits.

This one day, 10 hour, certification will teach the fundamentals of strike-based conditioning and how to properly integrate this modality into functional fitness training.

“Fight sports athletes have long been noted for their supreme level of fitness. The objective of this certification is to educate fitness professionals on how to use the principles of fight sports to further their understanding of functional integrated training. With this certification, trainers and coaches will be able to introduce the program material to their clients in both a personal and small group training setting,” says Neil Morton, CEO of Everlast.

More information can be found at www.everlast.com/featured/Everlast-certification

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