By: William Holmes
The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of September 2nd to September 9th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.
Adamek to Face Szpilka on November 8th in Poland
On November 8, 2014 Polish heavyweights Tomasz “Goral” Adamek (49-3) and Artur Szpilka (16-1) will meet for the IBF International Heavyweight Title in their home country at the Krakow Arena in Krakow, Poland.
This will be Adamek’s first fight in his home country for the first time since he lost his WBC Heavyweight Title challenge with Vitali Klitschko in 2011.
Adamek said, “It is good to be fighting in Poland. This will be the biggest fight in Poland since my fight with Vitali Klitschko. I look forward to satisfying my Polish fans with a knockout of Szpilka.”
Szpilka said, “I will surprise a lot of people with my style and really don’t care about people seeing Adamek as a clear favorite. I learned a lot losing to Bryant Jennings at Madison Square Garden. There will be no distractions this time, I feel stronger and better than ever. Just watch me on November 8. You will not believe your eyes.”
Carl Frampton Defeats Martinez to Win IBF Super Bantamweight Title
Carl Frampton won the IBF Super Bantamweight title with a 12-round decision over Kiko Martinez at an outdoor stadium at the Titanic Quarter in Frampton’s hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Frampton scored a knockdown in round five and caused a cut around the left eye of Martinez. Frampton also suffered a cut, but that didn’t occur until the ninth round. Frampton cruised to a victory with scores of 119-108, 118-111, and 118-111.
“He was a hard puncher. He is a tough man. I respect him more than any man I ever fought,” said Frampton. “This is a dream come true, 20 years in the making.”
Frampton also expressed his desire to fight WBA champion Scott Quigg after the fight.
Closed Circuit Tickets for Mayweather vs. Maidana 2 Are on Sale
Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions have announced that several Las Vegas locations will be offering closed-circuit telecasts of “Mayhem: Mayweather vs. Maidana 2.”
Tickets for the closed circuit telecasts are priced at $75. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com and the properties hosting the telecast are MGM Grand Premier Ballroom, Monte Carlo Diablos, Monte Carlo The Pub, Monte Carlo Double Barrel, Mirage Events Center, and Bellagio Hyde Lounge.
Hopkins vs. Kovalev Tickets on Sale
Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev are set to face off against each other in a title unification bout at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on November 8th, 2014.
Tickets went on sale on Friday, September 5th and are priced at $300, $200, $150, $100, and $50. They are available online at www.ticketmaster.com. This event will be broadcast on HBO and is being promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events.
Golovkin vs. Rubio Tickets are Selling Fast
Gennady Golovkin is set to defend his WBA/IBO Middleweight Titles against WBC Interim Middleweight Champion Marco Antonio Rubio on October 18th at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. It will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing.
Tickets are currently priced at $210, $105, $53, and $27 and are available online at axs.com.
“Since putting tickets on sale last Wednesday during the Los Angeles Press Conference at Olvera Street we’ve seen sales skyrocket, this is the fastest selling boxing event that’s been held at the StubHub Center,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “I strongly encourage boxing fans to purchase tickets in advance so they don’t miss out on this great night of boxing.”
Peter Quillin Vacates WBO Middleweight Title
Middleweight star Peter Quillin announced last week that he is vacating his WBO Middleweight title in order to pursue bigger opportunities at 160 pounds.
“I’d like to thank WBO president Paco Valcarcel and his organization for their support throughout the years,” said Quillin. “Winning the WBO world championship was a highlight in my career and something I’ll never forget, this is a difficult decision, but in order to make the fights the fans and I want against my fellow middleweights at the top of the division, I needed to relinquish the title. This is an exciting new chapter in my life, and I’m looking forward to cementing my spot as the best middleweight in the world.”
Antonio Tarver Fighting for his Legacy
Tarver returns to the ring September 29 against veteran Johnathon Banks (29-2-1, 19 KOs) in the 10-round main event, on a Golden Boy Promotions card, airing live on Fox Sports 1 from State Farm Arena in Hildalgo, Texas.
“Al (Haymon, his adviser) has given me this chance,” Tarver explained. “If I retired tomorrow, I would feel unfulfilled despite so much I’ve done as a fighter. The only reason I get up every morning to train hard is to win the world heavyweight championship. I’m on a dream path again. Outside of falling a little short in Atlanta (he won a bronze medal, losing to eventual champion Vassiliy Jirov), I’ve never had a dream in or out of the ring that I didn’t accomplish. I won the world light heavyweight title, made it to Hollywood (starring as Mason Dixon in Rocky VI), and did commentary for a major network.
“I will be world heavyweight champion and I’ll break George Foreman’s record as the oldest. I don’t want to beat just any guy with the world title belt, I want Wladimir Klitschko, and to set-up that fight I will challenge and defeat David Haye, if he has the guts to fight me. Even at 45, I have so much fight in me, and there isn’t a heavyweight I can’t beat in a 12-round fight, unless they knock me out, something nobody’s been able to do in my entire career.