Tag Archives: adams

Posted on 06/30/2019

By: Sean Crose

After making the puzzling and controversial decision to elevate Canelo Alvarez to “Franchise Champion,” the WBC decided this past week that the 28-0 Jermall Charlo was to subsequently become its middleweight champion. Therefore, Charlo defended his title for the first time Saturday in front of a hometown crowd at the NRG Arena in Houston, Texas. Charlo’s opponent was the 21-2 Brandon Adams, who was the season five winner of The Contender. The bout was scheduled for 12 rounds, and was aired live on Showtime. First, however, fans witnessed the 20-1 Erickson Lubin face the 29-6-2 Zakaria Attou in a WBC junior middleweight eliminator. That fight, too, was scheduled to be a 12 round affair.

The fight completely belonged to Orlando’s Lubin, who was clearly more skilled than Paris’ Attou. In between the third and fourth round, Showtime’s translator made it clear that Attou was claiming he was injured to his corner. Attou was sent down in the fourth. The Frenchman was able to get up, but his corner threw in the towel, thus ending the bout. Lubin is now looking forward to bigger things in the junior middleweight division, although he made it clear immediately after the bout that he knew a title shot wouldn’t be next.

It was time for the main event. The first round essentially saw Charlo stalking his man. Adams proved difficult to land cleanly on in the second, but didn’t launch much of an offensive assault himself. The third round made it clear that Adams could land his jab effectively – he just wasn’t landing it enough. At the end of the chapter, things got a bit rough on the ropes, and Charlo seemed to land clean just before the bell. The fourth saw some action, as Charlo tried to land clean – but couldn’t with any frequency – while Adams pressed the fight without landing with great regularity, either.

The fifth round was entertaining, as both men gave it their all. It looked as if Charlo had perhaps hurt his man, but Adams composed himself gamely. In the sixth, both man landed effectively, and with power, and arguably hurt one another. In the seventh, a narrative became clear – that Charlo was simply the stronger man. Had Adams been stronger, his clean shots might have helped tell a different story. Charlo continued to control the tempo in the eighth. Adams moved his head a great deal in the ninth, while he moved forward with some success.

By the tenth it was obvious that – although Adams had considerable defensive skills – he didn’t have enough tools in his arsenal to get the better of Charlo. Adams had his man against the ropes in the eleventh, but the stronger Charlo was able to work his way out of the situation. The twelfth and final round saw Charlo walking away with the fight. The defending champion was awarded a unanimous decision win.

Earlier in the broadcast, Claudio Marrero bested Eduardo Ramirez by unanimous decision in a 12 round WBA featherweight title eliminator.

Posted on 06/27/2019

By: William Holmes

On Saturday night the NRG Arena in Houston, Texas will be the host site for Jermall Charlo’s WBC Interim Middleweight Title Defense against Brandon Adams.

The fight card will be presented by Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions and will be televised live on Showtime.

The co-main event of the evening will be between Erickson Lubin and Zakaria Attou in a WBC Junior Middleweight Title eliminator.

The undercard will feature fighters such as Eduardo Ramirez, Claudio Marrero, Miguel Flores, Cesar Cantu, and Omar Juarez.

The following is a preview of the co-main event and main event of the evening.

Erickson Lubin (20-1) vs. Zakaria Attou (29-6-2); WBC Junior Middleweight Eliminator

Erickson Lubin is a young professional with a decorated amateur background from the United States. Lubin is a former US PAL Champion and a US National Golden Gloves Champion. Zakaria Attou is fourteen years his elder and has no notable amateur background.

That alone tells you this fight is likely a big mismatch.

Attou will have a slight one and a half inch height advantage over Lubin and has been a more active fighter. The one knock against Lubin is that for a twenty three year old boxer he hasn’t been very active. He only fought once in 2019, once in 2018, and twice in 2017. Attou fought once in 2019, twice in 2018, and three times in 2017.

Lubin also has a clear edge in power. Attou only has seven stoppage victories while Lubin has stopped fifteen of his opponents.

Attou is riding a seven fight win streak, but he has beaten no notable opponents. His most impressive victories have come against Stefano Castellucci, Orlando Fiordigiglio, and Emanuele Della Rosa. His losses were to the unheralded Roberto Santos, Frank Haroche, Ludovic Duval, Jonathan Bertonnier, Faycal Karkour, and Francois Riopedre.

Lubin has defeated the likes of Ishe Smith, Jorge Cota, Juan Cabrera, and Alexis Camacho. His lone loss was a KO loss to Jermell Charlo.

This is a fight that Lubin should win easily.

Jermall Charlo (28-0) vs. Brandon Adams (21-2); WBC Interim Middleweight Title

The main event will be a title fight between the undefeated Jermall Charlo and the winner of Season Five of the Contender, Brandon Adams.

Both boxers are still in their athletic prime at the age of twenty nine years old. Charlo will have a three inch height advantage and about a three and a half inch reach advantage over Adams.

Charlo does appear to have an edge in power as he has stopped twenty one of his opponents while Adams has only stopped thierteen of his opponents.

Charlo fought twice in 2018 and once in 2017. Adams fought four times in 2018, due to his participation in the Contender, but did not fight at all in 2017 or in 2016.

Charlo also has an edge in amateur experience. He had a record of 65-6 as an amateur while Adams only fought as an amateur for two years.

Charlo’s list of defeated opponents includes Matvey Korobov, Huge Centeno Jr., Jorge Sebastian Heiland, Julian Williams, Austin Trout, Wilky Campfort, and Cornelius Bundrage.

Adams has defeated the likes of Shane Mosley Jr., Eric Walker, Ievgen Khytrov, and Tyrone Brunson. His losses were to John Thompson and Willie Monroe Jr.

Adams is a live dog and his win on the Contender included several good prospects, but Charlo is a much more experienced fighter with a significant height and reach advantage over Adams.

Charlo might not stop Adams, but he should win the decision.

Posted on 11/10/2018

By: Sean Crose

“The Contender” Season Five on Epix concluded on Friday night at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Things started off with a scheduled 8 round middleweight affair between 17-2 Michael Moore and 17-2 Eric Walker. The first round was close, but Walker’s wide stance looked as if it might become problematic. The second round saw Moore seeming unwilling to pull the trigger, his hesitation giving Walker the round. Walker went on to showcase some strong body work in the third.

“I’m really concerned,” said ringside commentator Andre Ward in the fourth, “that Michael Moore has accepted defeat right now.” Ward was right to voice his concern, for Moore’s performance had become listless. Moore landed hard and effectively in the 6th. Walker, however, came on strong at the end of the round. The bell sounded with the two men firing bombs. The truth, though, was that Moore never employed an effective enough attack to earn the victory. Therefore, the UD win ultimately went to Walker after eight.

It was time for the main event. Shane Mosley Jr., the 13-2 son of a legend, faced off in a scheduled ten round middleweight bout against the 13-2 Brandon Adams. The first round was rather cautious and uneventful. Adams landed a sharp left in the second that changed the tempo. Adams continued to control the tempo in the third. By the fourth it was clear that Mosley simply wasn’t being aggressive enough. Adams, on the other hand, was starting to aggressively apply pressure.

The fifth and sixth made it obvious that Adams was the more dominant of the two fighters. In fact, by the halfway point of the sixth, Mosley began to get in trouble as a result of Adam’s blows. At the bell to end the round, Mosley seemed to be in serious danger of being stopped, or – worse yet – getting hurt. In the seventh, Adams was landing hard, accurately, and effectively on Mosley’s head. “I don’t think Mosley wants any more,” said Ward after the round had ended. The look on Mosley’s face said Ward was correct.

To his credit, Mosley tried to get back into the fight in the eighth, but it looked to be too little, too late.

Barring a knockout, it appeared as if Mosley was on the road to losing. Mosley tried to assert himself again in the ninth, but he was simply outgunned. Adams continued to land solidly on his man in the 10th and final round. Needless to say, Adams walked out with a well deserved win, “The Contender” title, a ranking in the top ten, and a cool two hundred fifty thousand dollars.

Posted on 11/09/2018

By: Vishare Mooney

Southern California middleweight fighters Shane “Sugarman” Mosley, Jr. (13 – 2) and Brandon “The Cannon” Adams (20 – 2) will face off tonight in a ten round bout at the L.A. Forum in what looks to be an exciting live finale for the Epix series The Contender. The top prize is significant for any fighter: $250,000 and a top ten WBA ranking. The latter effectively gives the winning Contender a shortcut to a world title belt. Current rankings for Mosley Jr. and Adams are 149 and Inactive respectively (Adams had been on a three year hiatus until the show). The co-main event will feature brawler Michael “The Silverback” Moore (17-2) and Contender fan favorite, Louisiana fighter Eric “The Babyface Assassin” Walker (17-2).

Though each fighter was portrayed in the unscripted twelve episode series, as an underdog in their own way, the two finalists may actually have been the most overlooked in terms of their boxing skills. Mosley, Jr. in particular seemed to have the reputation of riding on his father’s name. He was called out by Devaun Lee and Moore, among other fighters, who wanted a win against a Mosley Jr. under their belt. Mosley, Jr. seemed to hold his own and never took the drama bait that often occurred in the house and in reality tv. His demeanor was all business.

At an interview with Boxinginsider, Mosley Jr. spoke of his time at the Contender house. “I try to be true to myself and you know, I want to win so you can’t be involved with the crazy nonsense that’s going on in the house. Of course, you have to adapt a little and be involved in some of the stuff but for the most part you try to find your own space so that you can shine.”

Mosley Jr. soundly bested Devaun Lee in his first tournament fight with two knockdowns in a somewhat sloppy brawl. In his second win against Danny Valdivia, Mosley, Jr. showed impressive jabs and footwork. And in the close semifinal bout with Michael Moore, he impressed the judges with effective aggressive punches which rocked his opponent.

The legendary boxing coach Freddie Roach, who will be in Adams corner tonight, said of Mosley Jr. at yesterday’s press conference, “I’ve seen Shane fight before and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him fight better than he did in the tournament. I think he did raise (his) level.” Mosley, Jr. prior to the show, was training at Roach’s Wild Card gym. “He fought better than I’ve ever seen him before,” said Roach.

And while Mosley, Jr. has been fighting to create his own “Sugarman” legacy and emerge from his father’s shadow, Brandon Adams, has been steadily working, training to emerge from obscurity. As can be the fate of many fighters, Adams had signed with a promoter that produced no fights for him – hence the forced hiatus from boxing until The Contender came calling to give him that opportunity. “This is boxing, anything can happen. I train for the “happen” to happen for me.” Adams and Mosley, Jr. were part of the same gym, Maywood Boxing, years ago and Adams has actually sparred with Shane and his dad.

Adams, in the three years not having a bout, has never stopped training or sparring. “I was sparring, training. I was training as if I always had a fight coming up.” He was more prepared than anyone realized. At The Contender, Adams quickly caught the attention and stole wins from the other contestants. Famed coach Nazim Richardson, who is Shane’s coach for the finals, gave props to Adams, “The names that he faced, were the names that everybody said were going to win.” In particular, Adams had a dramatic win over Eric “Babyface Assassin” Walker, the favorite to win the competition. Adams said of Mosley Jr. and tonight’s fight: “He’s grown, he’s a tremendous fighter, he made it to the finals, I’ve grown, I’ve made it to the finals. It’s bittersweet, but we both wanna win.”

As for fight predictions, Freddie Roach calls it even. “This is not an easy fight in the finals. This is a give and take fight. We’ve got two great fighters going against each other. To me, it’s a 50-50 fight.”

Posted on 10/05/2018

By: Oliver McManus

This coming Saturday the Leicester Arena will play host to a super-lightweight showdown between Jack Catterall and Ohara Davies – two contrasting personalities with Catterall typically calm, composed and business-like and Davies the flamboyant and brash counterpart.

All that seems to have been changing over the past few months with Ohara Davies retiring his former persona, OD, and seeking to rebuild a reputation that, at one point, saw him labelled the most hated boxer in Britain.

As part of Frank Warren’s ‘The Time is Now’ card, this 10 round contest is slated for the WBO Inter-Continental and WBC International belts and the evenly matched bout looks set to be an absolute barnstormer.

Catterall has looked like a new fighter since he teamed up with Jamie Moore and the Inter-Continental champion had to dig deep back in June to navigate his way past a gritty Tyrone McKenna – in McKenna’s back garden – but the 25 year old showed plenty of heart and grit to secure a points victory and also show that he’s got multiple facets to his game.

Davies, on the other hand, a week prior to Catterall vs Mckenna, bagged himself a showcase knockout against Paul Kamanga, to claim his WBC strap, with a peach of a right hand that sent his Congolese opponent slamming to the canvas.

On paper Ohara is the more explosive fighter with a more continuous punch output but Catterall packs a serious punch and when he starts to work the body of his opponent, you can tell they are in trouble.

Technically you’d back Jack with his mental fortitude perhaps standing him in better stead – indeed he is tactically astute with the ability to remain patient before enforcing a tempo his own.

The winner of this bout moves to pole position for a world title shot, jumping to the front of the queue, whilst the loser, and there is no shame in losing such a fight, will be knocking on the door for an immediate rematch – BRING IT ON!

Nicola Adams, the lioness from Leeds, will fight for the interim WBO flyweight title against Isabel Millan over the course of 10 two minute rounds with the ultimate aim being to fight Raja Amasheh, for the full title, by the end of 2018.

A genuine pioneer of female boxing, the two-time Olympic champion has kept level-headed throughout her opening four fights and although she hasn’t fought as frequently as she would have hoped, Adams is wasting no time in stamping her authority at the top of her division.

Back in May she faced Soledad del Valle Frias, a former world title challenger, with ability far better than her 13-11-4 record, at the time, suggested. There was mild controversy as the timekeeper believed the bout was set for three minute rounds but Adams showed blistering hand spend and relentless power to force the stoppage within the first round.

This is a fight that, let’s not make bones about it, Adams should win in routine fashion and if you look at the makeup of the women’s fly and super-fly divisions there are very few fighters who you wouldn’t have Adams as favourite to beat – if, indeed, any – and that’s a strong testament to her amateur pedigree and sublime skills in the ring.

Daniel Dubois will be in his ninth professional contest on the undercard as he takes on Kevin Johnson, a seasoned veteran, and whilst Johnson is past his prime – the bell probably rang on that in 2010 – to an extent that he can’t even be considered a gatekeeper anymore, I like that everyone around Dubois is openly admitting that he needs rounds and they’re guiding him in a patient fashion.

With that in mind you can’t really complain as to the quality of opposition he’s fighting because if you look at the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Dereck Chisora, all the way throughout British heavyweights in history, he’s not at a shabby level of development by any stretch of the imagination.

Lest we forget that Johnson extended Andy Ruiz Jr to a full 10 rounds earlier this year so the chin of Kingpin is still in solid nick and if we are to believe that Dynamite is the real then he’ll be looking to explode into life with a devastating knockout over his American counterpart.

Lyon Woodstock vs Archie Sharp is a fight that you just need to say fair play to both guys for taking on the contest when they could have had far easier contests but there’s no messing around from either guy and the two will produce a sumptuous display for the fans on October 6th.

Several, seemingly, bitter exchanges between the pair on Twitter have set the tempo for this encounter with Woodstock promising a beat-down over his stablemate, looking to showcase the skills he’s put into place to considerable success over the course of his career thus far.

Woodstock, the local man, is two fights less experienced but has looked punch-perfect over the past 12-18 months with a strong performance against Paul Holt, taking to the centre of the ring and fighting from distance before claiming a shellacking knockout with ferocious hooks against the ropes. If ever there was a performance to mark yourself out as one to watch, this was it.

Nine years as an amateur, nine national junior titles, Frank Warren has called Archie Sharp the “best kept secret in British boxing” and the super featherweight has wasted no time in racking up the wins – 13 without defeat, so far – and whilst Lyon will provide the dynamite in this contest, Sharpe will focus on his fluid movement, controlling the ring from the outset and attempting to dictate the pace of the fight into a tempo more suitable for him and his puppy-like energy.

The winner of this contest will surely be in line for the British title, held by Sam Bowen, and from a neutral perspective this promises to be a really good fight, it’s got the ingredients – young, hungry, unbeaten, powerful, quick on the feet.

What more could you ask for in a fight night? Terrific action and prospects promised in every fight so let’s have it!