Tag Archives: champion

Posted on 04/09/2017

WBC Minimumweight Champion Chayaphon Moosri goes 46-0!
By: Ken Hissner

Too many times the Thailand boxers have built up records and WBC Minimumweight champion Chayaphon Moosri at 46-0 (17), is no exception.

In Moosri’s third bout he won the vacant WBC Youth title fighting an opponent who was 0-1 in March of 2007. He defended it 8 times. Several of his opponents had records of 0-0, 0-1 and 1-2. In December of 2009 he won the interim WBC International title and made 2 defenses. Then on January 2011 he won the vacant WBC International Silver title over a 7-5-2 opponent and made 3 defenses beforere-winning the vacant International title in November of 2011 making it 5 defenses.

In November of 2014 Moosri wins the WBC World title from a 14-4-1 boxer from Mexico and made 6 defenses. In his 46 fights he has defeated 29 opponents with winning records and 14 with losing records along with 2 debuting opponents and a 15-15-2 opponent.

Moosri is 31 and has been fighting for 10 years. His bio shows no amateur credentials. All 46 of his fights have been fought in Thailand. The WBA champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong, 15-0 (7), is also from Thailand. It would make sense for the two to meet in a unification bout. Mexico’s Jose Argumedo, 19-3-1 (11), holds the IBF titleand Japan’s Katsunari Takayama won the WBO title after losing his IBF title to Argumedo.

In December of 2016 and March of 2017 (his last bout) Moosri has won 6 round decisions in order to build up his record. A world champion shouldn’t be fighting 6 round bouts. It seems he is aiming to overtake both Rocky Marciano and Floyd Mayweather’s 49-0 record.

Another Thai boxer named Samson Dutch Boy Gym was 43-0 (36) when he retired. He won the World Boxing Federation super fly title in his fourth fight and defended it 38 times. Only thing is he defended against opponents with the following records:

1-7, 1-7-1, 8-16-2, 0-7 and 1-6. He never fought outside of Thailand.

Posted on 03/28/2017

Gerrie Coetzee the First African to Win the Heavyweight Title!
By: Ken Hissner

After an amateur career with a 185-7 record Gerrie “Boksburg Bomber” Coetzee would start the long journey to be the first African to become the world heavyweight championship. Losing 3 times to Kallie Knoetze came to an end when in 1973 he stopped Knoetze for the Senior Amateur title. What seemed as a long shot he would overcome all the odds and road blocks he would encounter along the way.

Coetzee would turn professional in September of 1974 against the former South African champion Chris Roos, 11-6-2, seemed like the right opponent to start his career. In having what would be his only scheduled 4 rounder in his career he won the decision over Roos in Johannesburg, South Africa. He would score knockouts in his next 3 fights with a pair of first round knockouts of which one was an opponent from the Netherlands and another from the UK.
After Coetzee’s sixth fight he had won 3 by knockout and 3 by decision. Wanting to get a rematch for those he won decisions over he aimed to show improvement in knocking them out in return matches. He would start with Hennie Thoonen, 4-1, some 7 weeks after defeating him and coming off another decision win some 20 days after defeating Amedeo Laureti, 6-5-1, all over 6 rounds. Thoonen would be halted in 3 rounds this time. This followed with a rematch with Chris Roos who hadn’t fought in 13 months since being defeated by Coetzee. It was a totally different outcome this time stopping Roos in 3 rounds in his first scheduled for 8.

Feeling confident Coetzee would take a giant step taking on the veteran Jimmy Richards, 26-9-4, in February of 1976. Richards was 10-0-1 having won the South African title and drawing with American Henry Clark but losing his title to Mike Schutte over 12 rounds. Coetzee defeated Richards over 6 rounds. Then he moved back up to an 8 rounder against Hartmut Sasse, 11-6-1, from Europe and found himself on the canvas in the first round. He was able to rebound and take an 8 round decision over Sasse.

Then Coetzee had a rematch with Richards some 6 weeks after defeating him. This time he stopped Richards in the 9th of a 10 rounder. Next up American Ron Stander, 30-9-2, was brought in. He had failed in a world title fight with “Smokin” Joe Frazier. He stopped Stander in the 8th round of a 10. This set the stage for his first shot at the South African title against champion Mike Schutte a month later.

Schutte, 32-5-1, was on a 14 fight win streak at the time. It had been almost a year since taking the title from Richards and this would be his first defense in August of 1976. Coetzee was 12-0 at the time with almost 2 years of experience. By the 6th round Schutte was DQ’d and Coetzee was the new South African champion. Coetzee injured his right hand in this fight.

It would be 2 ½ months later when Coetzee would defend against his old nemesis from the amateurs Kallie Knoetz, 6-1, who had defeated Coetzee 3 times before Coetzee ended his amateur career stopping Knoetz. Coetzee went against his physician’s advice to fight having a pulled muscle in his back. Knoetz just 2 weeks earlier lost for the first time by DQ. This would be a 10 round non-title bout. Coetzee would take a decision win over Knoetz.

Now it was time for Coetzee to make the first defense of his title. He was considered the white champ and would be taking on the non-white champion James Mathatho, 12-4-1. He was 7-1-1 since taking his title. Coetzee would score a 7th round knockout. Pierre Fourie, 52-6-1, was next. He had failed twice trying to take Bob Foster’s light heavyweight title and failed both times. He was now on a 3 fight win streak. Coetzee would score a knockout in 3 rounds.

Next up would be a rematch for Coetzee with Schutte whom he won the South African title over. Schutte had rebounded defeating Americans Rodney Bobick and Chuck Wepner. Coetzee would take a 12 round decision over Schutte this time but had hurt his left hand in the second round and his right hand in the third round but showed quite a bit of courage in winning this fight over 12 rounds. After the fight his gloves had to be cut off due to the swelling in his hands.

After this fight a Johannesburg surgeon performed a complex operation on his right hand and also on his left hand at that time. He would be back in the ring 6 months later and win 4 straight fights against Americans stopping Tom Prater, 18-6-1, and Johnny Boudreaux, 20-2-1. He would be off for 5 months before taking on and defeating future cruiserweight world champion Randy Stephens, 10-3. It was a lack luster win and he would receive another operation after this fight and be out for 7 months returning to defeat American Ibar Arrington, 26-6-1.

This writer remembers Cus D’Amato telling me Bob Arum who had been with the IRS wanted him to come up with an idea of taking 2 black boxers to South Africa against 2 white challengers with the winners meeting. Knoetz, 17-2, was on an 11 fight win streak since losing to Coetzee and would meet Olympian John Tate, 18-0, who would knock out Knoetz in 8 rounds. Coetzee would meet former world champion and Olympic champion Leon Spinks, 7-1-1, who had lost in a rematch with Muhammad Ali in his previous fight.

It was in Monte Carlo in June of 1979 and Coetzee would score 3 knockdowns in the first round to stop Spinks earning a shot at the world title in meeting Tate, 19-0, some 4 months later. Before over 77,000 people in a South African stadium Coetzee would fall short losing a decision to Tate. In his first defense Tate would be knocked out by Mike “Hercules” Weaver while ahead on all 3 scorecards being knockout out in 2:13 of the 15th and final round.
His first fight back since losing to Tate, Coetzee would take on American Mike Koranicki, 22-5-2, who had just knocked out Knoetz in the 10th and final round. Coetzee scored a 1st round knockout. In October of 1980 Coetzee would get another shot at the world title that Weaver had won over Tate. He had Weaver hurt in the 8th round but didn’t finish him off. It would be Weaver’s first defense taking a close decision into the 13th round and knocking out Coetzee.

Coetzee would take his first fight outside of South Africa going to Hawaii and defeating American George Chaplin, 16-2-2, over a lack luster 10 rounds. Some 5 months later he would make his state side debut in America against Renaldo “Mr.” Snipes, 21-0, for the right to meet WBC champion Larry Holmes, but lost a disputed split decision to Snipes in New York.

Coetzee would come back to South Africa and score 4 straight knockouts over American opponents with the last one in Atlantic City, NJ, stopping Stan Ward, 15-4-2, in 2 rounds. He would return to the American City, fighting to a draw with future world champion Pinklon Thomas, 20-0. One judge had it for Coetzee but the other two called it a draw. Thomas would take the WBC title from “Terrible” Tim Witherspoon the following year.

For Coetzee he would meet American Michael “Dynamite” Dokes, 26-0-2, who had taken the WBA title from Weaver by a disputed stoppage and fought to a draw in the rematch in his previous fight before meeting Coetzee. The fight would take place in Richfield, OH, the home state of Dokes and promoter Don King. It was September of 1983 and Coetzee would have his third chance to win a world title. He was a 5-1 underdog. He had dropped Dokes in the 5th round and seemed to tire late in the fight. He was slightly ahead on all 3 scorecards and scored a sensational knockout in the 10th round achieving his dream of being the first African world heavyweight champion. It was reported he received $250,000 to $750 that Dokes the champion received.

Bringing the WBA title back to South Africa Coetzee would make his first defense some 15 months later. A unification bout with Larry Holmes had fallen through. Coetzee had 23 surgeries on his right hand during his career having his bones fused together and was given the moniker the “bionic hand.” His challenger would be American Greg Page, 23-3, who was coming off 2 straight losses, one a loss to Witherspoon for the vacant WBC title but still ranked No. 6. He was from the same city, Louisville, KY, that Ali was from and tried to imitate the same style as Ali. Coetzee was down in the sixth being hit after the bell and in the seventh round. He seemed to recover and started to outbox Page in the 8th round but would be knocked out in the 8th round at 3:50, of the round that had gone well over the 3 minute mark. Pages manager Janks Morton was yelling at the time keeper prior to the stoppage about the fight continuing past the 3 minutes. The WBA Championship committee denied a protest from Coetzee, and Page’s win was upheld.

It would be 9 months before Coetzee would fight again taking on American James “Quick” Tillis, 31-6, winning over 10 rounds. He came in at a career high 232 for this fight. It would be his last fight in South Africa. He would travel to the UK and take on Frank Bruno, 27-1, at the same weight with the winner to fight Witherspoon now the WBA champion. Coetzee was knocked out in the first round. Bruno would lose to Witherspoon in his next fight. Soon after this Coetzee would move his family to America.

Coetzee had Hal Tucker as his manager and co-manager Jock Lewin and later Peter Vension as his manager. His trainers were his father Flip Coetzee, Willie Locke and Jackie McCoy.

It would be 7 ½ years when Coetzee would make a comeback winning 3 straight knockouts in California He had retired after the second win and come back some 3 years later. He was 41 at the time of his return. He would then have the final fight of his career at age 42 against the former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Iran “The Blade” Barkley, 40-12, in Hollywood, CA, coming in at 253 lbs. Barkley was on a 7 fight win streak and a title called the vacant World Boxing Board was at stake. He would drop Barkley in the second round but tired as the fight progressed. Barkley scored a 10th round stoppage ending the career of the first African to ever win a world title, Gerry Coetzee, 33-6-1 (21)! Barkley would never defend the title. Coetzee would return to live in South Africa.

KEN HISSNER: Being the first African to win a world title must have been a dream come true for you.

GERRIE COETZEE:
Yes, I was very proud to open all doors, for all people, and the boxers in Africa. I really was excited to get a third opportunity for the WBA World title against Michael Dokes. Many people in South Africa told me to go to the USA early in my career, but I was so attached to my family, I could not leave them in South Africa. I need to highlight when I went to the USA to meet my USA trainer Jackie Mc Coy I was so impress with him I knew he is the man that shall make me the next World Champ. He asked me to write down what my training sessions was in South Africa. I wrote it down and gave it to him, the next day he said softly. Do I want to impress him, I said no Uncle Jackie this is what I did for my previous fights. He looked at me and said, this will be cut by fifty present as I was over trained for most of my fights. He took over the training and it was a new me. This made me extremely positive, I felt light and quick and could not believe that I won some of my previous fights in that condition and with bad hands. Since my victory over Dokes South Africa and Africa produced many more world champs, it opened the door for them to get the opportunities many couldn’t before

KEN HISSNER: Did you get discouraged having lost in two attempts at the title when you met Michael Dokes for another chance for the title?

GERRIE COETZEE:
Losing to John Tate the next day I could not face the public and press the fight was of such magnitude it drew 96 thousand people it filled Loftus rugby stadium. It was very difficult since that time; I never realized that I was over trained. That is why I felt weak and slow during the fight and the press and public blamed it on me being unfit. Although it went 15 rounds I was weak before even entering the ring after the fight a couple of days later I swallowed tablets because I could not accept that I lost that fight, with all the training as Tate was not a strong puncher and could not take a punch. I was convinced I would beat him. My wife called a doctor when this happened he came to our house and monitored the situation until I was stable and, the doctor found no permanent damage, I just had a good sleep. Luckily my wife managed to keep this away from all the press who would have loved to report this. Getting knocked out by Mike Weaver was even worse after the fight, as I trained even more for the Weaver fight, when watching the fight you will notice that I was holding onto the ropes and Weaver, from round one, I had one good round as my trainer Allan Toweel had me doing 15 rounds of sparing the Friday night before the fight, with 3 different sparring partners from the USA. This loss also had bad publicity and again I was depressed and negative for not being able to win and felt I disappointed my fellow countrymen. I was depressed and embarrassed by my loss that I stayed in bed for around 3 weeks and allowed no one to talk to me, my wife and my cocker spaniel who stayed by my side helped me not to do anything drastically as she knew how I felt and what happened the last time.

KEN HISSNER: Was there any talk of meeting Dokes or Pinklon Thomas whom you had drawn with in the previous fight before defeating Dokes?

GERRIE COETZEE:
Yes there was a lot of talk and pressure on me, for the Pinklon Thomas fight. I broke my right hand again in sparing preparing for that fight. Every person involved in boxing knew about my broken hand. I am sure a promoter, manager or a trainer paid one of my sparing partners to make a fight of my sparing session, to use his elbows, and his head, my sparring partner changed his style of boxing leading into the fight . I kept on training with my broken hand. When I entered my dressing room, the night of the fight, there was an official in the dressing room watching me with an eagle eye. I started to get undressed and put my boxing trunks on. I had a terrible headache and wanted to take a tablet for the headache, before I could take the tablet the official slap the tablet and water out of my hand. He then picked up the tablet in order to keep me from taking it and he was there all the time until we left for the ring. I suppose he had it tested, that did not concern me accept the headache before the fight. I knew they can test it but I was clean. As you know it was a draw, but I can’t recall the round, when I thru my right hand, I could clearly see his eyes rolled, this is a sure sign that I shook him, with my broken hand. He himself had an explosive jab that made you think twice what to do. He also gave me a tremendous cut above my left eye. That evening at their apartment my trainers were loud and the neighbors called the cops, my mom called me immediately as I stayed close by, fortunately I arrived just in time as the cops pulled their guns pointing it at my dad as he kept on moving towards them, I rushed passed them and picked my dad up and took him up stairs and locked the door. I warned him not to open his mouth again; the cops recognized me as they were watching the fight earlier on. A couple of weeks later they brought me a card which allowed me having any moving violation without getting a fine

KEN HISSNER: Did you think the loss to Page getting stopped after the 3 minute mark would be reversed?

GERRIE COETZEE
With apartheid here in South Africa, it would not have been reversed. For Don King to support and promoting me, he would come across that he supported apartheid, which I don’t agree with as we are all people, unfortunately this is not how it works. The only way out for Mr. King was to sell me for an enormous amount of money, and wipe his hands clean. Again I broke my right hand thumb during sparing, when this happened the people around the ring heard the bone snapped. Jackie McCoy said immediately that I must stop. I completed the round as I did not want the people to know I broke my hand. We went to get x-rays of my hand and it showed that my metacarpal was severely broken. Uncle Jackie said there was going to be no fight with Page, Stan Christodolou who was the head of the boxing board met with us the following day and we showed him the x-rays his response was that Tommy Hearns had his right hand broken and went ahead with the World Title fight by only using his left hand and faking with the right. Uncle Jackie told him that this would never happen in the USA and Stan told him we are not in the USA and if I did not fight he will make sure the WBA would strip me of the title. My response to him was then I will fight with both hands broken. Uncle Jackie did not condone this, on the night of the fight the boxing board doctor injected me with the same stuff the dentist use to num your gums. After the injection I fell asleep and they had to wrap my hands while I was sleeping, Uncle Jackie woke me up when they were announcing the fight. I went in without warming up; many people mentioned that I only started to look better in the 8th round when the injection was wearing off. This was when I was knocked out, most of the damage was done when the bell rang and I turned away and walked to my corner and he came from behind and hit me with a overhand right, which I never saw and I went down.

KEN HISSNER: You had 23 operations on your right hand. What kind of effect did this have over your career?

GERRIE COETZEE:
It was an extra large and serious problem for me during my career, my left hand was broken twice and my right hand was serious with twenty three operations. After the twenty third operations Dr Boonzaier mentioned that this is the last operation that he will do on my hands. His theory was: There was a man with short legs and long arms, which nearly touched the floor. He asked the Dr. to shorten his arms, the Dr. said yes it can be done and he will look like a normal person, but let me tell you one possibility, you can get an infection in one of your arms and then we have to amputate the arm. Then he looked at me seriously and said we can no longer operate on your hand as there were too many ops on your hand and you can end up with only one hand. Training was a terrible problem, as the broken hands prevented me for getting back into the gym. I couldn’t fight too often and when I had a fight I sometimes went in with a broken hand and other times broke it during the fight. My punching power was not there in many fights and I felt I could have had more knockouts. To make it short and sweet I fought more or less with sixty percent of my fights, with broken hands.

KEN HISSNER: In your next fight you would defeat Tillis. Did you know at the time it would be your last fight in South Africa?

GERRIE COETZEE
I knew I was at the end of my career, my mother passed away on Monday the week of the event; we were unable to cancel the fight because of the date was set for the television. This was the worst time of my life to continue with that fight. But at least I won, I forced my memory to think that I am doing it for my mother, as I was a real mama’s boy.

KEN HISSNER: You travel to the UK and get stopped by Frank Bruno and announced your retirement. Bruno would lose in his next fight losing to Witherspoon for his WBA title. What made you come back over 7 years later?

GERRIE COETZEE:
I was asked by Sol Kersner from Sun International to win two fights and then Larry Holmes. Larry played the same game again as after the Dokes fight Promoter offer him 5 million then He wants 10 million then they offer him 10 million, surprise he then wants 15 million and so on, it never stopped. Renaldo Snipes fought him and dropped Larry. I fought Snipes and drop him twice. Larry didn’t want to fight me, signed many agreements and took upfront money when signing. The love for the UNITED STATES, it is as my country and my youngest daughter is an AMERICAN CITIZEN as well as my grandson.

KEN HISSNER: You won 3 straight by knockout on your return with your weight now over 250 lbs. You are stopped by former 2-division world champion Iran Barkley ending your career. Did you know it was over this time for good?

GERRIE COETZEE
Re the Barkley fight, it sounds that I have an excuse for every fight I lost. You can check and verify, that my trainer Uncle Jacky had throat cancer and I took that fight without a trainer and training maybe once a week at the gym by myself and the rest is history.

KEN HISSNER: South Africa changed dramatically upon the release of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990. Were you living in South Africa at the time or did you move back afterwards his taking over the country?

GERRIE COETZEE:
I was then all ready in the USA. When I returned from the USA Nelson Mandela wanted to meet me, and I was so privy to meet such a great man .He gave me goose bumps and He reminded me of Ali. There is only good things you can say of our Madiba which Means Father of the Nation.

KEN HISSNER: When was it when you met Mandela and under what circumstances?

GERRIE COETZEE: I recon it was in 2000 or 2001 I shall find out. I went to his government section and I was so nerves. I was so proud when he accepted my gold coin with my face on it. What a great and wise man there is only respect for him.

KEN HISSNER: You had an outstanding career. When did you have what was called the “bionic hand” and was it an asset

GERRIE COETZEE:
After my second Mike Schutte South African title fight it was more of a problem but the press enjoyed it

KEN HISSNER: I understand from Macauley Utuk that Fonta Brilla Productions wants to do a movie of your life. How exciting would that be and have you agreed to it?

GERRIE COETZEE:
Yes, thank you it will be very exciting. I am a supporter of all USA Presidents and the country. I never miss the Presidential elections, on TV. And I would be honored to have a movie made by an American company.

KEN HISSNER: I’ve wanted to do an article on you for years and want to thank you for taking the time out to respond to these questions.

GERRIE COETZEE:
I sincerely appreciate it and it is a big honor for me.

KEN HISSNER:Thank you for taking the time out to respond to these questions.

GERRIE COETZEE:
There is so much more exciting things I can tell you. When I lost an amateur boxing fight between the age of 10 to 12 years, my Father would give me a good hiding and told us he is going to run into another car on our way home, we all were crying, shaken and scared. An unknown person was tail gating our car and my father was so angry with my loss he hit the brakes and the person hit the back of our car, the impact was so big some of the smaller siblings went over the front seat. Later the cops came to our house and wanted to take a statement. My mother always knew how to handle the situation. Another time when I lost he stop behind a car at a shop and on my Mothers return, he started the car and accelerated into the car in front, then put the car in rear gear and hit the car behind him. Then he had a big space to exit and when we got home gave me another hiding. My Father was very aggressive when I lost but normally he is a very soft and kind person, assisting the poor people of all colours.

This was a quote:
A left hand that can thread a needle and a fist that can stun a Rhino. Yet 2 years ago boxing’s most valuable was so mangled in that fight with Mike Schutte that his boxing life hung on a thread.

Thank you let us know if there are any other questions as I have many more incidents in my career. For all the politics and injuries it was a miracle to make it to the top. My medical doctor, Dr Jock Lewin, who lives in America, said I was one of a kind and definitely not human.

Posted on 03/22/2017

Oscar Valdez: The New Generation of Mexican Boxing
By: Francisco Martinez

April 22nd WBO 122lbs champion Oscar Valdez is set to defend his title for the second time as he headlines his first PPV trough Top Rank promotions. An opportunity Oscar Valdez is more than excited for “Right now I’m living the dream. I dream about these moments, being a main event, on great cards, I’m living it right now so I’m enjoying the ride. I’m doing everything with passion, letting everything go on it’s own” and in return everything is going right for the 2 time Mexican Olympian.

Colombian Miguel Marriaga is the rival who that will meet Oscar Valdez in the other end of the ring in Carson, California at the StubHub Center a venue known for fan friendly match ups and spoilers, potential upsets of the year. Which is what Marriaga is aiming for come this 22nd of April. Having shared the ring with former 126lbs king Nicholas Walters, Marriaga feels that kind of experience with that level of opposition gives him the upper hand over the young fast & powerful Valdez who doesn’t care much for the quality of opposition Marriaga has faced.

“I feel good in the gym. I feel good that I’m doing my work. The people around me they got faith in me and that’s all that matters. I’m a family guy and that’s the most important thing to me to worry about my family and not other people’s opinions about me. Do my job in the gym and do my best to win every fight” direct but humble words from the young 126lbs phenom.

Oscar Valdez has great talent and a very humble approach to when speaking about his position as arguably the best 126lbs fighter today but also spoke his mind at the podium when addressing the media during the official press conference to announce the April 22nd Top Rank PPV triple header “My trainer Manny (Robles) & Edgar Jasso we put in the time and I haven’t seen a manager like Frank (Espinoza) that goes to the gym everyday or Frankie, to see how their boxers are doing so that means a lot to me. We’re not only a team we’re a family. Working with Jessie Magdaleno and also seeing Zurdo Ramirez in the gym we all help each other out. We’re a great team. We know that we’re the face off Mexican boxing right now so we gotta take that very seriously so we work hard, help each other out and we get the job done at the fights”

No doubt on paper Miguel Marriaga looks to be the toughest test for Oscar Valdez to date however Valdez has his own beliefs as to how he approaches not just this fight in particular but all his 21 previous fights leading to this exact one “Like Manny (Robles) says, every fight is more important than the last one. Marriaga, he’s no easy opponent, they don’t exists, an easy opponent. Marriaga, he’s a strong, strong fighter, has a lot of experience inside the ring so I know it’s gonna be a tough fight but that’s why we train hard in the gym so we can win these fights”

Trainer Manny Robles adds this to the conversation “For those people who don’t know Marriaga, Marriaga is a great fighter, he’s a solid fighter, solid contender. This guy can crack, he can come forward. The match up itself is great. Styles make fights, this is a great match up. This is a fight the public should not miss. It’s gonna be a great night of boxing” styles do make fights and this match up is a evenly matched up bout and even better that the venue itself really helps make this fight that much more intriguing being that the StubHub Center is known for its action packed fights and electric atmosphere that can make both rivals more aggressive and abandon their game plans. Just something about the warrior like chemistry the StubHub Center has deeply rooted in it.

In this Top Rank promotions triple header fans will also get Jessie Magdaleno who’s defending his 122lbs WBO title against Brazilian Adielson Dos Santos who’s coming in with 2 consecutive knockouts to a total of 14 K.O.’s in 20 professional fights. Also on the card Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez who is the 168lbs WBO title holder who is matched up with Max Bursak a 38 fight professional from the Ukraine along with the debut of 2016 American Olympian silver medalist Shakur Stevenson who’s hope to bring a knockout and leave with a few of those loyal Mexican fans that will be in attendance at the StubHub Center.

So don’t miss it April 22nd Top Rank promotions PPV triple header live at the StubHub Center that’ll bring you a glimpse of the next generation of Mexican boxing.

Follow all coverage of the fight via #TopRankBoxing

Posted on 03/08/2017

Is Louis “King Kong” Ortiz the Most Feared Heavyweight Since Mike Tyson?
By: Ken Hissner

Have you ever noticed when one of the organizations four champions talk about their next opponent or challenging one of the other champions the name Louis “King Kong” Ortiz never comes up? The 6:04 Cuban southpaw will be 38 before the month is out. He is 27-0 (23), and still waiting for a shot at one of those four titles. He is managed by Juan L Jimenez who has 7 other Cuban boxers under management. His promoter was Golden Boy Promotions and later Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport in 2016.

The amateur record of Ortiz is reported to be 343-19. The most outstanding award was winning the Pan American Games Gold Medal in 2005 in Brazil. In 2006 he won a Gold Medal to make the Cuban National team. He wouldn’t turn professional until February 16, 2010 at the age of 30 in Hollywood, FL. It wasn’t easy getting out of Cuba for Ortiz.

In just the third fight for Ortiz he won his first minor title defeating Kendrick Releford, 22-13-2, for the vacant WBC FECARBOX heavyweight title. In his fifth fight he would defeat Puerto Rico’s Francisco Alvarez, 12-1, at the end of 2010 by stoppage. In his eighth fight he stopped former title challenger Bert Cooper, (38-22) in Miami.

In his eleventh fight Ortiz added the vacant WBA Fedelatin title to his WBC FECARBOX one knocking out Luis Andres Pineda, 22-9-1, of Panama in 6 roundsat Panama City in June of 2011. In his fifteenth bout he won the vacant WBO and WBC Latino titles by DQ7over Epifanio Mendoza, 32-13-1, in Palm Bay, FL, for an intentional low blow. In February of 2012. He had 9 fights in 2011 besides Panama he fought in Costa Rica and Dominican Republic.

In 2012 Ortiz added Nicaragua to his travels winning another 5 bouts. He won 3 of them in DR over an 18 day period. In 2013 he was limited to 2 bouts with one a NC due to his opponent accidently falling out of the ring in the fourth round in North Carolina. The bout would have had to have gone 4 rounds for a decision. The other bout was knocking out Puerto Rico’s Alex Gonzales, 20-8, into retirement at Sunrise, FL. In his first fight in 2014 Ortiz put veteran Monte Barrett, 35-10-2, in retirement scoring a knockout in Indio, CA. This lead to an interim WBA World title fight against LateefKayode, 20-0, and another NC, in September of 2014.

Ortiz landed 15 unanswered punches in the first round and down went Kayode who would later appeal it was from a slip and a premature stoppage in an appeal. Ortiz had the stoppage changed to the NC when he tested positive for a banned substance. He received a 9 month suspension before returning to the ring in Montreal, CAN, stopping Byron Polley, 27-18-1, in the first round. In Octiber of 2015 he would have another shot at the interim WBA World title knocking out Argentina’s Matias Ariel Vidondo, 20-1-1, at Madison Square Garden in NY, in 3 rounds. Ortiz was to fight former WBC champion BermaneStiverne who promoter Don King refused to sign the contract after agreeing to the match with Vidondo taking it on short notice.

Just 2 months later Ortiz would make his first and only title defense stopping Philly’s Bryant Jennings, 19-1, in the seventh round at the Turning Stone resort & casino, in Verona, NY. Earlier in the year Jennings lost a 12 round decision against WladimirKlitschko for his WBO, WBA and IBF titles. That was in December of 2015 and Jennings hasn’t fought since.

In March of 2016 Ortiz knocked out Tony “The Tiger” Thompson, 40-6, in DC, after scoring 3 knockdowns in 6 rounds, but since Thompson was not ranked in the top 15 the title was not at stake. Ortiz was to fight Russia’s Alexander “The Great” Ustinov, 33-1, living in Belarus, but the fight never materialized. So after this Ortiz signed a promotional contract with UK’s Eddie Hearn’s in October of 2016. Ortiz took on and defeated Malik Scott, 38-2-1, winning the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title in November of 2016. Just 4 weeks later Ortiz stopped David “White Rhino” Allen, 9-1-1, in the seventh round in Manchester, UK.

French heavyweight Carlos Takam, 34-3-1, was to fight Ortiz but passed to take another fight. Now Ortiz is told that the winner for the IBF and WBA titles between IBF champion Anthony Joshua and former champion WladimirKlitschko who is No. 2 in the WBA is to meet Ortiz. Even Tyson Fury is back! Ortiz is ranked No. 1 by the WBA, No. 2 by the WBC and No. 8 by the IBF and no ranking by the WBO. The winner will probably give up the WBA title and keep the IBF one.

Why the WBA is allowing the IBF champion Joshua and No. 2 Klitschko fight for the vacant title instead of Ortiz who is No. 1 in the WBA is simply not right. Ortiz either has opponents pull out or get by-passed by the organizations. It makes one think, ”is Luis “King Kong” Ortiz the most feared heavyweight since Mike Tyson?

Posted on 01/24/2017

Danny Batchelder “I will Beat Michael Terrill for America!”
By: Benny Henderson

Professional boxer and reigning American Bare Knuckle Boxing champion, Danny Batchelder aims to jump the pond and pound out a victory over the hometown hero, Michael Terrill. Danny, who is a 40 plus fight veteran as a professional boxer, has also competed in BKB since the 90‘s. In this exclusive interview, Danny speaks out on his boxing career, as well as BKB, and gives his thoughts on his upcoming throw down against Michael Terrill. He also talks about his time with team Mike Tyson and more.

https://soundcloud.com/thebigdogpodcastshow/episode-005-featuring-boxerbkb-champion-danny-batchelder

Posted on 12/31/2016

How Mixed-up Are the Heavyweight Champions?
By: Ken Hissner

Wladimir “Dr. Steelhammer” Klitschko, 64-4 (53), of the UKR, lost for the first time in eleven years, to Tyson Fury, 25-0 (18), in November of 2015 losing his three titles. Fury retired in 2016 making all the titles vacant. Klitschko for some reason is only ranked by the WBA and WBO. The 40 year-old former champion is scheduled to fight IBF champion Anthony Joshua, 18-0 (18), of the UK, on April 29th in London. Not only is Joshua’s IBF title on the line but so is WBA Super World title. Klitschko is not ranked by the IBF but is No. 2 in the WBA and No. 3 by the WBO.

Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder, 37-0 (36), of ALA, holds the WBC title. After winning the title two years ago he has made four title defenses and not one with one of the top four contenders. At this time he awaits the winner of the former WBA World champion Alexander “Russian Vityaz” Povetkin, 31-1 (23), of Russia, and the former WBC champion and No. 2 contender Bermane Stivern, 25-2-1 (21), a Haitian out of Las Vegas, who lost to Wilder being the new champions only decision win in 37 fights. Povetkin has failed two of three drug tests but that didn’t stop the WBC from approving Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola who failed a drug test, to challenge Wilder in the champion’s last fight in July. The elimination match is on hold at this time. Povetkin has been the No. 1 contender for some time and it seems has been avoided by Wilder. Wilder’s next opponent is No. 12 Andrew Wawrzyk, 31-1 (19), of Poland whose only loss is to Povetkin. The site is in Birmingham, AL, where Wilder is from on February 25th.
The vacant WBO title was won by Joe Parker, 21-0 (18), of New Zealand, winning a majority decision over Andy Ruiz, Jr., in December. The former champion Ruslan “White Tyson” Chagaev, 34-3-1 (21), of UZB, now out of GER, lost this title to Australian Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne, 24-0 (21), in March of 2016. Browne failed his drug test and the title was declared vacant. No decision for the bout to be reversed or Chagaev retaining his title at this time. Both Browne and Chagaev have been dropped from the ratings. Former WBA champion David “Haymaker” Haye, 28-2 (26), of the UK, is the No. 1 contender and has a match scheduled in March against newly crowned WBC Cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew, 28-2-1 (18), who is on a eight fight winning streak since moving up to cruiserweight.

The WBA title is vacant and this writer is awaiting an answer from the WBA to who will be fighting for that title. Rumors are No. 4 former WBO champion Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs, 60-6-1 (53), of Brooklyn, who came back in 2014 after a three and a half lay-off, and has won nine straight over non-contenders. The opponent mentioned is former WBC champion Oliver “The Atomic Bull” McCall, 57-14 (37), of VA, who is ranked No. 5. This writer questioned why McCall who hasn’t fought in two years can even still be in the ratings. Both Briggs and McCall are 45.

How the WBA would overlook No. 1 contender and former interim WBA champion Louis “King Kong” Ortiz, 27-0 (23), a Cuban out of Miami, and the No. 3 contender Alexander “The Great” Ustinov, 33-1 (24), a Russian out of Belarus, makes no sense. Though Ustinov didn’t fight in 2016 he has been able to hold that high ranking. Since No. 2 contender Klitschko chose to fight for the IBF title he is not being considered.

There are once again too many champions among the four organizations. Boxing does not need four boxers being called “the world heavyweight champion!”

Posted on 12/14/2016

Joseph Parker Brings World Title to New Zealand​
By: Eric Lunger

​Joseph Parker (22-0, 18 KO’s) made history last Saturday night, when he became the first heavyweight titlist from New Zealand, outpointing a tough and relentless Andy Ruiz Jr (29-1, 19 KO’s) to capture the vacant WBO belt. But there was more at stake than simply the title: this was Parker’s home fight, the culmination of a long campaign orchestrated by manager Kevin Barry and the Duco Events team. It was Parker’s debut on HBO and his first real introduction to an international audience. And it was Parker’s chance to make an emphatic statement to the rest of the division. Was the failure to score a dramatic stoppage a missed opportunity?

Maybe. Or, was Parker’s discipline and adherence to his game plan – his resistance to the temptation to trade recklessly in the center of the ring – itself a statement about his maturity and ring generalship?

​Obviously, Parker fans wanted a knockout, and that would have been a more persuasive argument that Joseph is ready to face the top names in the division. But there were two boxers in the ring at the Vector Arena in Auckland, and Andy Ruiz had his own statement to make. Ruiz came forward aggressively from the opening bell, keeping his guard high and trying to engage Parker from a midrange distance. Parker seemed uncomfortable at first, as though he couldn’t quite set himself to the distance that Ruiz was imposing. Parker likes to jab from a low left hand, but that requires his opponent staying at range. As the fight went on, Parker did establish his jab, but he never dominated Ruiz.

​Ruiz also presented a remarkably versatile defense, blocking a great number of punches with his hands and forearms. Forced to adapt, Parker employed a variety of offensive weapons, but he never lost his composure, never went for the risky gamble. Abel Sanchez, who trained Ruiz for this fight (and probably would have wanted a few more months in the gym), said in the lead up to the fight that these type of bouts often come down to the fighter who can impose his will on the other. In my view, neither fighter reached that point. Parker was able to fight offensively off his back foot, and he was able to adjust his jab. But it meant that it was a close and narrowly won bout, as the scores indicated (114-114, 115-113, 115-113).

​So, if Parker was not able to make the kind of statement he and his team might have wanted, the fans did see a competitive and compelling fight. To me it was more authentic than the bout in Manchester, UK, on the same night, where Anthony Joshua (18-0, 18 KO’s) blasted a listless Eric Molina (25-4, 19 KO’s) in three rounds, in what was essentially a stage-managed lead up to the Joshua vs Klitschko announcement. Presumably, Molina was allowed to dust himself off before Klitschko and Joshua took over the show in the ring. I mean no disrespect to Joshua, and I think the April bout between him and the elder statesman of the heavyweight division will be great for the sport. But let’s not pretend that the Joshua vs. Molina bout was anything more than theatre.

So where does that leave Parker? Well, he has the WBO belt, and that has to mean something. He is a world champion, but at age 24 with only 99 pro rounds, he has plenty of room for growth and development. Should he be in the ring with Deontay Wilder (the WBC champ) in April as part of the Joshua vs. Klitschko undercard? David Higgins of Duco Events has bandied that idea about in the local New Zealand press. I suspect that Joseph’s team will take their time with him, and not let one title belt cloud their judgment. New Zealand has its heavyweight world champion now, but there remain many steps on the journey for Joseph Parker.

Posted on 12/12/2016

Julian “J-Roc” Loses – When Will Philadelphia Jinx End?
By: Ken Hissner

The “Philadelphia Jinx” continued Saturday night in L.A. when No. 1 IBF contender Julian “J-Roc” Williams was stopped by IBF champion Jermall Charlo in 5 rounds. Many in Philadelphia felt Williams had a good chance of ending the jinx and winning the title. That was then and now is now.

The once city of “Brotherly Love” or better “Brotherly Shove” still has Danny “Swift” Garcia who tries to unify his WBC title against WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman on March 4th. One of his WBC contenders is “The New” Ray Robinson ranked No. 5 from Philadelphia who is biting at the bit hoping he gets the winner of that fight.

In February of 2016 “Hammerin” Hank Lundy was stopped by WBC/WBO super lightweight champion Terence Crawford. In April Eric “Outlaw” Hunter lost a winnable fight to Lee Selby for his IBF featherweight title after having Selby on the canvas. Neither Lundy nor Hunter are going to win a “congeniality” award. Also, in 2016 two-time IBF cruiserweight champion Steve “USS” Cunningham tried winning the WBO title but lost to Krzysztof Glowacki in April. At 40 Cunningham is no longer in any of the rankings.

In 2015 heavyweight Bryant “By By” Jennings got a pair of title bouts. First losing to Wladimir Klitschko for his titles in April and then to Louis Ortiz for his WBA interim title in December. Jennings does remain No. 5 in the WBC.

Maybe he can get a shot at Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder since Wilder never defends against anyone in the top 4 of the WBC.

In his last fight former world middle and light heavyweight champion Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins lost WBA/IBF titles in November of 2014 being shut-out by Sergey Kovalev the then only WBO champion.

Though living in Hockessin, DE, for years Hopkins is still known as a “Philly fighter” and will be having his “last” fight on December 17th a month away from his 52nd birthday and having not fought in two years against Joe Smith, Jr.

Going back to January of 2013 Philly’s Gabe “King” Rosado by-passed fighting for the super welterweight title to take on Gennady “GGG” Golovkin for his middleweight titles. It took two workers to clean up the ring that Rosado left quite a bit of his blood. At least he fought one of the best in the world at the time.

Going back to June 2012 Mike “MJ” Jones looked like he would be a sure winner taking on former IBF super lightweight champion Randall “The Knockout King” Bailey for the vacant IBF welterweight title but was knocked out!

In 2011 Rogers “Tiger” Mtagwa got a title fight losing to WBC featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez. In the previous year Mtagwa lost to Yuriorkis Gamboa in January of 2010 for his WBA title. He was stopped both times.

At present besides Jennings Philadelphia has three contenders. Robinson at No. 3 and unbeaten Jesse “Hard Work” Hart who is No. 1 in the WBO, No. 5 WBC and No. 11 in the WBA. He just made his return to the ring with a victory after being on the sidelines with a hand injury. Hart has all the tools but sometimes thinks he’s like his dad Eugene “Cyclone” Hart and is also a knockout fighter instead of a boxer-fighter with the size to do both in the super middleweight division.

Another is super featherweight Tevin “American Idol” Farmer, 24-4-1 (5) who is on a 17 fight winning streak since losing to current IBF world champion Jose Pedraza. Farmer in Ranked No. 3 in the WBC, No. 7 IBF and No. 10 WBO.

Philadelphia is full of prospects such as super lightweight 20 year-old Milton “El Santo” Santiago at 16-0 but with only 3 knockouts. Since losing his head trainer “Bozy” Ennis he has failed to impress in his last 3 fights. His father took over and seems to be trying to make his son more of a puncher. Remember the name Cesar Cuenca of Argentina who was 48-0 with TWO knockouts when he lost fighting for the world time? You don’t always have to have a lot of KO’s on your record to be a champion.

What this writer calls the “Fab Four” are now 21-0-1 since turning professional in 2016. It includes at the top is welterweight Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 7-0 (6), with Christian Carto at 5-0 (5) in the bantamweight division, heavyweight Darmani “Tight” Rock, 6-0 (4), and super lightweight Joshua Jones, 3-0-1 (2).

Besides these four are the Pizarro brothers, super bantamweight Angel 2-0 (1) at 21 and 17 year-old lightweight Branden 1-0 who are schedule on December 16th to fight on a Philadelphia card at the Sugar House Casino along with Carto and Ennis. Super bantamweight Manny Folly is on the card at 8-0 (6), but being a Philadelphia policeman has not made him as available as if he was a boxer alone.

Let’s hope 2017 is a better year for the “Philadelphia Jinx” to be abolished!

Posted on 12/08/2016

Marcus Morrison Future Middleweight Champion in the Making?
By: Iftisaam Khan

Looking ahead to a big night of boxing this weekend sees Anthony Joshua take on American, Eric Molina at the Manchester Arena in what is expected to be an intriguing night of boxing. With the likes of Connor Benn, Ortiz, Yafai, Quigg and Smith fighting on the bill, there won’t be any moments to turn a blind eye that’s for sure.

Elsewhere on the undercard sees Dilian Whyte (20-15-1) and Dereck Chisora (26-18-6) meet in a real grudge match following a rather eventful build up to the event. With the ‘Body Snatcher’ and ‘Del Boy’ coming to blows in the making of the boxing programme, Gloves Are Off in addition to plenty of verbal’s in the press conferences as well as thrown tables; the Manchester crowd and wider public are in for a real treat.

Saturday also sees the return of hometown fighter, Scott Quigg who will be looking to bounce back after his loss to Carl Frampton. Having recovered from a broken jaw, the 28-year-old will be looking to ease his way back in the ring as he faces Mexican, Jose Cayetano. Moving up to featherweight, the former Super Bantamweight title holder will be hoping to avenge his defeat against Frampton in the near future, but that will be at the back of his mind as he steps in the ring for the first time since February.
One of the less known fighters- Marcus Morrison (13- 10-0) is also featuring on the undercard. The unbeaten fighter who is regarded as a future world champion is somebody that possesses talent in abundance- not just in boxing. Having been on the books of Manchester City at the age of 16, he decided to pursue a career boxing after being deemed ‘too small’ to make it in the sport. Fast forward 7 years, the 23-year-old already holds a title, picking up the International silver middleweight title after stopping his opponent, Luiz De Sousa in the second round in front of a packed Manchester Arena.

Going into his 14th bout full of confidence sees the local fighter face Harry Matthews as he looks to extend his great form in the paid ranks. Known for his explosive power and speed, Morrison will be looking to add to his list of victims having recorded 10 KO’s in his last 13 bouts. With Matthews having faced the likes of Chris Eubank Jnr, Tommy Langford and Tom Dorran it definitely won’t be an easy night for Morrison, as he resumes his career this Saturday.

Under the guidance of his trainer, Joe Gallagher- who is known for producing world champions, having guided stablemates Anthony Crolla, Liam smith and Scott Quigg to world titles, don’t be surprised to see Morrison adding to that very list. Although its early days, if the 23-year-old carries on progressing at the rate he Is, it would be only himself to blame if he doesn’t achieve great things in the sport.

Posted on 11/20/2016

7 Feet Tall Boxing Champion Marselles Brown Wins New WBC Championship Title
by Belinda Ware

Growing up as a kid, Marselles Brown became fascinated with the art of boxing. Throughout his initial career to the present, he never acknowledged the word “impossible.” As a professional boxer, he continues to beat the odds living up to his nickname as “More than a Conqueror.”

Standing at 7 feet tall, Marselles Brown is setting records as the tallest professional boxer to become a world heavyweight champion in the United States and in the WBU.

The WBU title was vacated prior to this bout but Brown has now secured yet another prestigious belt adding to his successful career. On November 18th, Brown defeated El Chango Lopez earning him the WBC Central America and Caribbean title.

Brown defeated Lopez with a KO in the 5th round live from Mexico. Brown entered the ring with a cool demeanor ready to fight. His technique in the ring was focused and precise moving, gliding and calculating his opponent with the eyes of a masterful champion.

Brown’s new WBC title win came in the 5th round of the fight. It is similar to his 5th round knockout bout with Chauncy Welliver, former WBC C.A. Champion, a fight where Brown earned the WBU World title. More recently, Brown defeated Saul Montana to win the WBU Heavyweight title.

In an interview today with Brown regarding his new WBC championship title, he shared, “ I want to thank the fans and my family and the media for their support. I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude right now. This is an amazing feeling.”

What’s next for Marselles Brown? Possibly the Guinness Book of World Records.

Posted on 11/07/2016

​Unification for the Heavyweight Division within Reach?
By: Eric Lunger

​With negotiations with Wladimir Klitschko fizzling out late last month, Eddie Hearn and Matchroom have announced that Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17 KO’s) will defend his IBF Heavyweight title against Eric Molina (25-3, 19 KO’s) of the United States on December 10th in Manchester, England, on Sky Sports PPV. The reaction in the British media was muted, with one prominent observer, John Dennen of Boxing News, characterizing Molina as “not an appealing replacement” for Klitschko.

Molina, 34, most recently traveled to Poland and knocked out Tomasz Adamek (50-5, 30 KO’s) to win the vacant IBF Intercontinental heavyweight title. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that the Molina matchup makes sense in two ways. First, Molina has traveled to his opponent’s home ground and boxed very well, making him an attractive candidate to travel to England to face a very popular Anthony Joshua in front of Joshua’s home fans. And second, let’s remember that Joshua is relatively young and inexperienced. With his undefeated record, his IBF title, and his potential earning power, it makes sense to let AJ face another good heavyweight before stepping into the ring with the hugely experienced Wladimir Klitschko.

​For their part, the WBA gave their blessing to the Joshua vs. Molina bout last week by granting “special permission” for Klitschko to fight Joshua, “at a date to be determined, with the WBA Super World heavyweight title at stake.” In short, the WBA is allowing Joshua a tune-up against Molina in order to sanction a future Joshua vs. Klitschko super-fight that would unify the WBA and IBF titles. Also in the wings is Luis Ortiz, (25-0, 22 KO’s), trained in Cuba but now based in Miami. The powerful and slick southpaw recently joined Matchroom, and is finally back in action this weekend against Malik Scott (38-2-1, 13 KO’s) for the WBA Intercontinental title.
​
That leaves WBC world champion Deontay Wilder (37-0, 36 KO’s) in an interesting and potentially advantageous position. Wilder, 31, won the belt in January of 2015 by defeating Bermane Stiverne in a 12 round unanimous decision. Since then, Deontay has racked up four successful title defenses, including a 9th round KO of Eric Molina in June of 2015. Most recently, Wilder stopped Chris Arreola in eight rounds in July of this year, breaking his right hand in that bout.

Tim Smith (vice president for communications at PBC, Wilder’s promoter) told me on Friday that the hand is healed and that Deontay is in the gym working out with both hands. Deontay is “staying ready and is on track” for whatever bout appears for him on the horizon.

​Right now, Deontay is planning to fight in the first quarter of 2017, according to Smith, and, as the belt holder, he “will abide” by whatever the WBC mandates. Inexplicably, the WBC currently ranks Alexander Povetkin of Russia as the number one contender (despite testing positive for meldonium last summer), and Stiverne as number two, essentially jumping the line ahead of several worthy contenders. Asked whether PBC’s newly announced big slate of fights, combined with Deontay’s popularity with American fans, could work to Deontay’s benefit in accelerating the path to unification, Smith’s optimism was tinged with a bit of skepticism: “This is boxing, if the fans made the fights, we would have a different slate of fights.”
​
Even so, Smith mused aloud on this scenario: if Joshua (IBF) defeats Molina as expected, and then takes on Klitschko in the first quarter of 2017 for the IBF and WBA Super, then Wilder (WBC) vs. that winner could unify three of the four major belts (IBF, WBC, and WBA). Pretty heady stuff, granted.

​That leaves the vacant WBO title. Joseph Parker (21-0, 18 KO’s) of New Zealand is reportedly set to face American Andy Ruiz, Jr. (29-0, 19KO’s) for the vacant title on December 10th. Parker, a dynamic and exciting fighter, but not especially well-known to US fans, is currently ranked first by the WBO, and Ruiz third.

​Think about it: a plausible path to three champions all with undefeated records. 17-0, 21-0, 37-0. Joshua, Parker, Wilder. England, New Zealand, USA.

Posted on 11/06/2016

Jason Sosa – From a Diamond in the Rough to World Champion!
By: Ken Hissner

Several years ago this writer did an article on now WBA World Super Featherweight champion Jason “El Canito” Sosa, 19-1-4 (15), from Camden, NJ. He hasn’t lost a fight in 6 years and that was because he was ill advised though not at his best fighting weight to take on someone 2 weight classes higher than him.
On November 12th Sosa will defend his WBA super featherweight title against Stephon “Swifty” Smith, 24-2 (14), of Liverpool, UK, in Monte Carlo. Smith re-won the vacant WBC Silver title in his last fight after losing in an IBF World super featherweight the previous month. Sosa won the title in June in China stopping previously unbeaten Javier Fortuna in 11 rounds in Beijing, China. This will be his first title defense.

After his only loss Sosa won his next fight he fought a pair of draws with Philly’s Angel Ocasio, 6-0, in Philly at the National Guard Armory with both being majority draws. At Temple University’s McGonigle Hall he stopped Isaac Suarez, 7-1, and followed up in his next fight stopping CT’s own Joseph Perez, 10-1, at the Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, CT. He would return to his home state of New Jersey in Atlantic City at Bally’s Event Center and stop Georgian Georgi Kevlishvili, 12-5.

In April of 2014 Sosa scored a knockout over Michael Brooks, 10-1-1, at Bally’s. In March of 2015 he stopped Costa Rica’s Bergman Aguilar, 12-1-1, at Philly’s 2300 Arena. In 2015 he won 5 fights and fought a draw with former WBA Super World featherweight champion Nicholas Walters, 26-0, of Jamaica, at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY. In those 5 previous wins he made his third appearance in Puerto Rico knocking out Jerry Belmontes, 19-7, who in his previous 26 fights had never been stopped.

The draw with Walters earned Sosa a WBA World super featherweight title fight against Javier Fortuna, 29-0-1, in Beijing, China, where he was taking away the belt by stoppage. Sosa has surprised people in the boxing world but delighted his many fans. Take it from this writer that Sosa is one of the nicest young men you would want to meet. His trainer and manager is Raul “Chino” Rivas and they have recently signed with promoter Bob Arum’s Top Rank who partners with J Russell Peltz of Peltz Boxing who is an IBHOF promoter who went with Sosa and Rivas to China to win the title.

One of the things remarkable about Sosa is he only had 3 amateur fights. He trained out of Berlin, NJ, and when the gym moved to Cherry Hill, NJ, he moved with them. He is never short of sparring partners. Also training in the gym is No. 6 WBC Philly contender Tevin “American Idol” Farmer, 23-4-1, from Philly who is the NABF champion and fighting for Peltz December 2nd. Another Philly boxer is lightweight Anthony Burgin, 10-2. In the past he sparred with both.

Sampson Lewkowicz has a 3 fight option due to having the former champion Fortuna. Sosa is currently on a 16 fight winning streak.

KEN HISSNER: You have come a long way since our last interview. Have the last two fights increased your confidence immensely?

JASON SOSA: I believe it did by you can’t be too confident. I still have to keep proving myself and we just have more to learn.

KEN HISSNER: You have had 3 fights in Puerto Rico. Did the fans make you feel at home there?

JASON SOSA: Yes Puerto Rico always welcomes me home with open arms. I love Puerto Rico and they love me.

KEN HISSNER: You seem to have a close relationship with your manager and trainer “Chino” Rivas. How long has he trained you?

JASON SOSA: Chino and I have been together for 5 years now and he has taught me so much not only in the boxing world but as a father figure. Our relationship is like father and son.

KEN HISSNER: Have you seen your next opponent Stephen Smith?

JASON SOSA: Just a little for I leave that to the team so they can get me ready for Smith. I don’t do the studying on fighters. What are they going to teach me?

KEN HISSNER: Would you say the Walters fight has been your toughest in your career?

JASON SOSA: On the books it says so but I believe every fight just because of my amateur experience (3 fights) which I didn’t have so many.

KEN HISSNER: How has your sparring been going?

JASON SOSA: My preparation for Smith has been going great. My sparring partners have been great for they push me to the limit. I work with Marcelo, Julian and are the main guys that have been helping me.

KEN HISSNER: You have always been very approachable. I believe this has only added to your popularity. How different has it been since winning a world title?
JASON SOSA: It’s been the same only fighters are now listening to me now and looking up to me as their motivation. If this guy with only 3 amateur fights could do it so can I.

KEN HISSNER: Thank you for taking the time to answer questions. Is there anything you want to say to your many fans?

JASON SOSA: Thank you Ken.

Posted on 10/22/2016

The Heavyweight Crown is Up for Grabs
By: Matthew N. Becher

​A little over a week ago, the reigning (yet non-defending) Lineal Heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, was forced to relinquish his titles. He had not fought it close to a year, was/is battling with an undisclosed “medical” or “mental” condition and has tested positive for cocaine usage. So with this event taking place, three major belts are currently sitting in a vacant state (four if you count the IBO title).

​The WBC belt is currently held by American Deontay Wilder. Wilder has yet to fight a real formidable opponent, one of the Top of the heavyweight food chain. With that aside, he is a heavyweight champion and owns at least 1/5th of the ultimate piece of the pie. Wilder won his belt in 2015 and has defended it 4 times so far. Against the likes of Eric Molina, Johann Duhaupas, Artur Szpilka and Chris Arreola. Wilder was injured in his last fight and will look to defend his title again next year. Getting to the point of unifying the division.

​The IBF belt is currently held across the pond by the 27 year old British heavyweight Anthony Joshua. Joshua is a former Olympic Gold Medalist, who won his title earlier this year, blasting away at then champion Charles Martin in only 2 rounds. Joshua has a date set to defend his title in England on December 10th. Talk of him taking on former unified heavyweight champion Wladamir Klitschko were making the rounds for a bit, but seem to have stalled. Joshua will most likely fight against a lesser than opponent and wait until next year to possibly try and add another belt around his waist.

​So where do the other belts end up?

​The WBO has ordered a fight between New Zealand’s Joseph Parker (21-0 18KO) and Mexican American Andy Ruiz Jr. (29-0 19KO) to take place in Auckland on December 10th. Both men have stellar records, against little known opponents. Parker at 24 and Ruiz at 27 would make either a very young champion and would also surely set them up against one of the upper echelon of the heavyweight division next year.

​The WBA is a bit trickier, in that they have a “Regular” champion and a “Super” Champion. The “Regular” champion is undefeated Cuban Luis Ortiz (25-0 22KO). Ortiz will defend that title November 12th against veteran Malik Scott. If Ortiz can pull through, he should be set up with a chance to fight for the “Super” title, sometime next year.

​All the belts are right now up for grabs and if you noticed, all of the names that have been brought up, sans Klitschko, are of fighters with undefeated records.

Most have yet to test themselves against one another, and the top men in the most glamorous division in all of sport will be put on the spot to finally validate themselves. By this time next year, we should see at least two unified champions, if not one lineal, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. If this doesn’t happen, then who knows where the belts will be, most likely around peoples waist that hardly deserve them.

Posted on 09/24/2016

Vonzell Johnson Had All the Skills to Be a World Champion!
By: Ken Hissner

This writer remembers seeing Vonzell Johnson the former 1974 Golden Glove and AAU champion fight and was quite impressed with him. His professional record was 22-3 with 11 knockouts. Trainers were Henry Grooms, Dell Williams, Robert Mitchell and Angelo Dundee.

Johnson was and is from Columbus, OH, and spent time in Detroit and Miami Beach in his professional career. In Detroit he was in a gym with such boxers as Floyd Mayweather, Sr. (28-6-10), Greg Coverson (31-2), Johnny Baldwin 32-5, 1968 Olympics Bronze, Len Hutchins 29-4-1 (1968 GG-AAU champ losing WBA/WBC title bouts and Rico Hoye (24-4 pro/68-12 am) challenged for IBF light heavyweight title.

As you can see Johnson had some very good fighters in the gym he worked. He had good people to spar with. Johnson at 6’4” and 165 in amateurs moved up to 175. He had the build of champion Bob Foster. He turned professional in November of 1974 and went onto win his first 15 fights. His first opponent was Sylvester Wilder of whom Johnson had sparred with in camp with Len Hutchins. He defeated Joe Middleton twice. “He never stopped coming,” said Johnson. In his sixth fight a clash of heads with George McGee in the second round he suffered a bad cut but went onto win decision. In his ninth fight he defeated Terry Lee who Johnson said was “tough”. Lee had 39 fights at the time.

Johnson went onto stop veteran Eddie “Red Top” Owens, 36-27-3. In his 13th fight he took on contender Hildo Silva, 34-9-6, and won by decision. Silva wouldn’t fight again. In Johnson’s next fight he took on Tony Greene, 17-5-3, who was trained by Angelo Dundee at the time. Dundee came into the dressing room watching Johnson get his hands wrapped and said “take that pad off.” To this Johnson said “I’m going to knock him out!” This he did. Greene and Johnson became friends and sparred together when Dundee would later train both boxers. Next up Johnson defeated the Canadian champion Gary Summerhays, 28-10-3.

Johnson took his first loss in his next fight losing to Jerry Celestine, 9-1-1, he his hometown of New Orleans. “I beat him up. He had been in prison and of course it was his hometown. I still never considered that fight a loss on my record,” said Johnson. After winning his next three fights Johnson was off for some 15 months. That is when he decided to have Dundee train him in September of 1979.

In Johnson’s third fight under Dundee he took on Johnny Davis, 9-1, in Atlantic City and defeated him. The younger brother of Davis, Ed Davis at the time was 16-1-1, and was so upset Johnson defeated his brother he wanted to fight Johnson but the fight never came off. Johnny Davis had a win over future champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi.

After his win over Davis, Johnson took on Andros Ernie Barr, 25-6, of the Bahamas in December of 1980, defeating him. It was just two months later he was asked to fight for the title with just 3 weeks to prepare to fight for the WBC title that Matthew Saad Muhammad , 28-3-2, held. Eddie Mustafa Muhammad pulled out of the fight. Johnson was cut over the eye in the seventh round. This was a good close fight in Atlantic City but in the ninth round he asked Dundee “what round is it?” When Dundee told him he said “I’m tired and could never do another six rounds. He was stopped with a kidney punch in the eleventh round. “I could have beaten him easy if I had more time to get ready”, said Johnson.

It would be November of 1981 some nine months later Johnson who was No. 8 in the world got his second chance in a title fight with 1976 Gold Medalist and WBA light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks, 17-0, in Atlantic City. Dundee was in Johnson’s corner and at ringside was “Sugar” Ray Leonard doing the broadcasting. Spinks was ahead 4-2 in rounds having had a big fifth round but was cut in the sixth round when in the seventh round referee Larry Hazzard came from behind Johnson and tapped him on the back making him think break and as Johnson put his two arms out pushing away from Spinks when Spinks threw a left upper cut missing but the follow up right hand didn’t knocking Johnson to the canvas. He beat the count of referee Hazzard’s but he ruled the fight over. “I thought it was a quick stoppage. We were asked to come to New York after that with boxing under investigation but not only didn’t I go but never boxed again,” said Johnson.

“I had one more fight in the making but it never came off. Spinks was awkward and the best fighter I had faced as a professional. Until he passed away Angelo (Dundee) called me on Christmas every year,” said Johnson. Today Johnson would be a world champion!

Posted on 07/31/2016

Are Championship Belts Worthless?
By: Brandon Bernica

​Every big fight night, you’re all but guaranteed to see high-level boxers flocked by their teams. Usually, one member of these teams carries out a fighter’s prized memorabilia: championship belt(s). The ring announcer reminds the crowd which belts are at stake in the upcoming fight. And after all the smoke clears and the fight finishes, one man comes out on top, taking with him his own belt and that of the man he just beat.

​As pretty as belts are to look at, many in boxing argue that there are simply too many these days to care. For the uninitiated, each division in boxing features four belts – the WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF – and the more belts you possess, the more viable your argument is as the top dog at your weight. Yet each belt organization is free to make its own arbitrary standards. Not only do sub-top 5 fighters often win championships before the elite class, they garner an exaggerated profile as top-notch when, in reality, they’re far from that status. Furthermore, unifying titles to find a “true champion” rarely occurs. This is due to a lack of cooperation between sanctioning bodies and the unwillingness of fighters to challenge themselves further after winning a title.

​Even though the belt organizations run boxing like the Wild West and rankings are skewed, belts still offer boxers great amounts of promise. When a fighter reaches the pinnacle and wins his first championship, his role shifts from hunter to hunted. Since other fighters, now petition to fight for his crown, his bargaining power (and bank account) grow exponentially. Additionally, that fighter’s trainer becomes a championship trainer. Trainers such as Robert Garcia and Freddie Roach built deep stables of talent after they proved their merit with their initial championship-winning fighters.

​Belts represent opportunity, perseverance, and pride. While some might argue that four belts remain too many, to fighters that means four different routes to accomplishing a lifelong dream. Most boxers grow up envisioning themselves hoisting a belt victorious in the center of the ring; giving more opportunity to turn this into reality is a plus. And while boxing sabotages itself in failing to pit the best against the best, the belt framework brings us one step closer to that hope. If the organizations could just pass bylines together to coordinate unifications, cream of the crop matchups could become more frequent. Again, each step in this chain provides life-changing money for fighters, setting them up better for retirement.

​While it’s easy to point fingers at these sanctioning bodies for the issues in the sport, these groups have immense authority in a divided landscape. They control the incentives that drive fighters to fight: money, titles, notoriety, etc. Because of their standing, they can use their voices to advocate for improvements in boxing. The WBC has already taken some pivotal stands themselves. They decline to sanction professional fighters who decide to fight in the Olympics against amateurs. In addition, many fighting under WBC rules undergo rigorous VADA drug testing to ensure that no one cheats to the top.
​In the destabilized ecosystem that is boxing, change is necessary. Instead of looking at belts as symbols of evil, it might be more productive to view them as conduits of boxing growth. By making the self-serving characters in the fight game operate under reasonable regulations, our sport can grow closer to a proper framework similar to the NBA and NFL. Still, belts are boxing’s Stanley Cup or Lombardi Trophy, meaningful through the journey to obtain them. They should stay that way.