Tag Archives: dominic

Posted on 05/18/2019

By: William Holmes

Al Haymons’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) was broadcast live tonight from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York and was televised live on the Showtime networks.

The main event of the night was a heavyweight showdown between current heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and challenger Dominic Breazeale.

The opening bout of the night was between Juan Heraldez (16-0) and Argenis Mendez (25-5-2) in the super lightweight division.

Mendez had many fights in the lightweight division and Heraldez spent most of his career fighting at 140 or 147lbs.

Heraldez was a highly touted prospect, but Mendez was a cagey veteran who presented a good challenge for Heraldez and was able to keep the fight at a slower pace early on.

Heraldez had a strong fifth round and was able to crack Mendez with some heavy shots in the middle of the round, but Mendez had his moments and landed a straight right hand that had blood coming from the nose of Heraldez.

Mendez was the one who pressed forward in the seventh round, but Heraldez showed good movement while circling away and appeared to be the slightly more accurate puncher.

Heraldez did have Mendez briefly trapped by the corner in the eighth, but appeared hesitant to really let loose and go for the knockdown.

Mendez had his moments in the ninth round, but Heraldez looked like he did enough to slightly win the later rounds.

A lot of rounds could have been sored for either fighter, but the judges scored it 97-93 for Mendez, and 95-95 on the other two scorecards.

The fight was ruled a majority draw.

The next bout of the night was between Gary Russell Jr. a (29-1) and Kiko Martinez (39-8-2) for the WBC Featherweight Title.

Russell was able to move in and out with ease in the opening two rounds and appeared to be able to pop shot Martinez at will. Russell’s combinations caused a mouse to form under the left eye of Martinez in the second.

Martinez was able to land some body shots in the third round, but Russell’s superior hand speed won him a majority of their exchanges. Russell turned up the power in the fourth round and forced a cut over Martinez’s eye to begin to bleed badly.

Russell’s jab was focused on the cut of Martinez’s eye in the fifth round and made it open up to a dangerous sized gash. The referee asked the ring side doctor to take a look at it, and he advised the referee to stop the fight.

Gary Russell Jr. wins by TKO at 2:52 of the fifth round.

The main event of the evening was between Deontay Wilder (40-0-1) and Dominic Breazeale (20-1) for the WBC Heavyweight Title.

Breazeale and Wilder were listed at identical heights but Wilder looked like he had a few inches on Breazeale at the referee introduction. Wilder looked extremely confident and gave Breazeale a death stare, who looked a little timid.

Wilder had a sharp jab early on and was able to connect with a two punch combination in the opening minute. A right hand form Wilder knocked Breazeale back a few steps who appeared to be stunned, but Breazeale landed two hard overhand rights that briefly stopped Wilder’s momentum.

Both fighters were in a clinch and Breazeale landed a few short punches before the referee separated them. Wilder than landed a booming right hand that sent Breazeale crashing to the mat.

Breazeale began to attempt to get up around the count of eight, but he was unable to get to his feet before ten and he was still badly hurt.

Deontay Wilder wins with a stunning knockout at of the 2:17 first round.

Posted on 05/17/2019

By: Hans Themistode

Heavyweight contender Dominic Breazeale (20-1, 18 KOs) will be looking too pick up the biggest win of his career when he takes on WBC champion Deontay Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs) at the Barclay Center this Saturday night.

Wilder, will be looking to defend his title for the ninth straight time. Breazeale faces a monumental task, but one that isn’t impossible. For as dominant as Wilder has been, he has shown a few weakness over the years. The odds are not in his favor but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a chance. To the contrary he has the skillset in order to get the job done. So how exactly will Breazeale get the job done? Keep reading to find out.

Use The Jab

Although Breazeale is coming into this contest with a slight two inch reach disadvantage, he still needs to employ the jab. Outside of his last contest against Tyson Fury, Wilder has always had a height advantage coming into his fights. Even with his freakish height and reach he still has issues using a steady jab. He also has a problem of getting repeatedly tagged with it as well. Throughout the career of Breazeale he has shown that he has one of the best jabs in the entire division. If Breazeale can find a home for his jab throughout the contest, it could mean bad news for Wilder.

Box Don’t Brawl

Breazeale has won his last three contests via stoppage. Even more impressive, he has stopped 18 of his 21 opponents in his career. Conventional thinking would lead you to believe that Breazeale should go for he knockout in this contest. Although he has been successful before, it would lead to an early night for the title contender. Wilder has been outboxed on numerous occasions. Tyson Fury, Luis Ortiz and Artur Szpilka to name a few have given the WBC champion issues. Breazeale doesn’t exactly have the skill that those men have but he can certainly hold his own. Breazeale shouldn’t be so quick to fight the sort of fight that his opponent wants him too. Instead he should employ a new tactic and box from the outside. It could very well lead him to victory.

Attack The Body

Too many times in boxing do we see fighters spend the duration of the contest head hunting. This is particularly true in the Heavyweight division. Wilder has shown that he can take a good shot on the chin. Going downstairs to the body could lead to a different result. For as good as Wilder is, he isn’t a big Heavyweight, attacking his midsection could slow him down. Head shots are always what the fans want to see but going down to the body, seems like the best strategy to take.

Posted on 05/17/2019

By: Sean Crose

Deontay Wilder has raised eyebrows with recent comments he’s made regarding his Saturday bout with Dominic Breazeale. In the leadup to the scrap for the WBC heavyweight crown, defending champion Wilder has expressed murderous intent. Literally. “This is the only sport,” Wilder told reporters, “where you can kill a man and get paid for it at the same time. It’s legal. Why not use my right to do so?” Wilder also stated that: “I’m still trying to get a body on my record.” Whether Wilder was serious or simply trash talking before a televised bout (the fight will be aired live on Showtime from the Barclay’s Center) is unclear, though the Alabama native has been known from his hyperbole.

Hyperbolic or not, Wilder’s words have struck a chord with certain fans and journalists. While some claim Wilder doesn’t seriously wish to kill his opponent this weekend, others find the words Wilder uses dangerous, while still others find them to be inappropriate, regardless of whether Wilder is serious or not in his comments. Perhaps it all has to do with a need Wilder has to be recognized as a legitimate heavyweight champion – something he has struggled to do. “People won’t appreciate my career until I retire or I die,” Sports Illustrated quotes the man as saying. “I want to smell my roses now.”

No matter the intent behind his words, there is little doubt that the 41-0-1 Wilder and the 20-1 Breazeale have some serious bad blood between them. A hotel skirmish reportedly involving Breazeale, team Wilder and Breazeale’s family went down several years ago, presenting another layer of ugliness to a sport which unfortunately seems to be forever adding on new coats. Breazeale has presented the incident as a horrible affront to he and his family. Wilder has responded that Breazeale is twisting the narrative to make he and his team appear in a terrible light. Smack talk can help build a fight, but the genuine hostility shared between Wilder and Breazeale is quite real.

One interesting side note: had Wilder indented to merely rattle Breazeale with his recent comments, the tactic doesn’t seem to have worked. “I’m not going to react to his words,” the LA Times quotes the easy going Breazeale as saying. “It’s very uncivilized, not in my character and not right.” Breazeale, whose lone loss was to British heavyweight kingpin Anthony Joshua, is expected to lose on Saturday. Yet few would deny the Californian has the power to turn out the lights at any given moment. All but two of the man’s victories have come by knockout.

Posted on 05/17/2019

By: Jesse Donathan

“In a one-on-one setting, Hamed’s arrogance is oddly charming, like a small boy wearing his father’s clothes,” writes Timothy W. Smith on the then WBO featherweight champion “Prince” Naseem Hamed in his December 17, 1997 NYTimes article titled, “BOXING; He’s a Champion of Self-Promotion.” In the cut throat industry of pugilism, it’s going to take a little more than fast hands and a pretty face to make it to the top. A degree of self-promotion is necessary in order to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack. Hamed was arrogant, brash and believable. All ingredients necessary to become a master self-promotor. And if the fact this article exists is any indication, WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs), like Hamed before him, is a champion of self-promotion too.

If you’re in tune with the world of combat sports, it’s been hard to miss Wilder in the news lately. And as they say in the world of promotion, even bad publicity is good publicity. According to foxnews.com reporter Ryan Gaydos in his May 16, 2019 article titled, ”Deontay Wilder promotes upcoming bout by talking about opponent’s death in ring: ‘If he dies, he dies’,” the WBC heavyweight champion of the world recently stated, “This is the only sport where you can kill a man and get paid for it at the same time. It’s legal. So why not use my right to do so?”

Gaydos would later go on to write that, “In a separate interview with USA Today, Wilder continued to up the ante with his talk. “If he dies, he dies,” Wilder said of Breazeale (20-1, 18 KOs). “This is boxing. This is not a gentleman’s sport. This is a gladiator’s sport. And with bad blood, we know I possess the power.”

“If he dies, he dies,” if you think you’ve heard that line somewhere else before it’s because you have. They’re the immortal words of Ivan Drago, the Russian menace from Rocky IV. And they’re as chilling now as they were then. But stepping away from the current media frenzy, for those of us paying attention, these sentiments from Deontay Wilder are nothing new.

In an August 18, 2018 “SecondsOut” YouTube video titled, “Deontay Wilder on KILLING & CRIPPLING Fighters!,” Radio Rahim interviewed “The Bronze Bomber” about his previous statements along the very same lines to this latest controversy. And yet again, on November 2, 2017 Radio Rahim interviewed the WBC champion in his YouTube video titled, “DEONTAY WILDER: I Want a [DEAD] BODY on My Record! Gonna KILL Bermane Stiverne in Ring,” where Wilder echoed similar sentiments against then opponent Stiverne in what looks to be a fairly consistent promotional story line and angle from the WBC champion. Interestingly enough, Bermane Stiverne survived his encounter with Wilder, and god willing, so will Dominic Breazeale too.

But that doesn’t mean the bad blood between the two fighters isn’t very real. According to a February 27, 2017 badlefthook.com article titled, “Deontay Wilder and Dominic Breazeale involved in hotel fight,” the two heavyweight fighters have a violent history with one another. Author Scott Crist would go on to write that Wilder and Breazeale, “were involved in a large scale hotel lobby fight, according to TMZ, who have cell phone video of the scrap, not that there’s really a lot to see.”

As reported by badlefthook.com, Breazeale discussed the incident on social media, stating, “I want to address the fact that Deontay Wilder and a mob of about 20 people unprovokedly attacked my team and my family in the lobby last night. My coach and I were blindsided by sucker punches and my team was assaulted as well all in front of my wife and kids.” Breazeale would go on to write, “This cowardly attack has no place in boxing and believe me will not go unpunished.”

Searching for more information, according to a May 15, 2019 cbssports.com article titled, “Deontay Wilder on Dominic Breazeale: ‘His life is on the line for this fight and I do mean his life’,” author Brian Campbell reported that, “The hotel skirmish between the heavyweights, which occurred after Wilder’s 2017 win over Gerald Washington in Birmingham, began, according to Breazeale, when he was verbally accosted in the crowd by Wilder’s brother for being so vocal in giving instructions to his friend Washington.”

To be fair, not that there is an excuse for unsanctioned violence outside the ring or cage, but details about the exact vocal instructions Breazeale was alleged to have been making were not given. Though it would be interesting to get a copy of the transcript because perhaps Dominic was advising Washington to do more than just circle and work the jab against Wilder? Which is complete speculation on my part, though likely a pretty good guess. “Vocal in giving instructions,” could literally mean anything and leaves one to the devices of their own imagination to fill in the blanks. Whatever those instructions were, evidently, they carried enough weight to get Wilders undivided attention.

According to Campbell, “After the fight, word got back to Wilder about the words exchanged and he approached Breazeale, who had his wife and kids in tow, and berated him with harsh words demanding an apology.” Cbssports.com would go on to write that, “Breazeale then accused Wilder’s brother of punching him in the back of the head from behind to trigger a melee that was broken up.”

Knowing that there are always two sides to a story, according to an “MWRECKTV” YouTube video interview with Wilder titled, “Deontay Wilder On Breazeale Beef He Lied & Said I Had 20 G00NS W/ Me When I Ran Down On Him,” the WBC champion denied he had a large entourage with him during the hotel confrontation and stated that Dominic Breazeale even tried to sue him as a result of the incident. “He went on the pursuit of trying to sue me and get money from me. To let you know that he is a broke mother (expletive) and he needs money.”

Wilder would go on to state, “But he is going to get the opportunity this time.” Apologizing for his language, and explaining he is a realist that speaks from the heart, “I may tell you like I feel, but you will know when my work is in the ring; you will know how I was feeling.” Which is just another way of saying that not only does Wilder talk the talk, but he plans to walk the walk too.

Threatening to kill opponents in the ring is nothing new in boxing, though there is a dark history associated with such talk that looms over the sport like a dark cloud. The legendary welterweight champion Emile Griffith notoriously threatened to kill Benny “Kid” Paret in the lead up to their third and final fight on March 24th, 1962 in Madison Square Garden after Paret reportedly uttered a homophobic slur to Griffith. Paret would slip into a coma as a result of the cumulative damage received from Griffith in the fight and unfortunately later passed away ten days later in an area hospital as a result.

Wilder and Breazeale fight Saturday night, May 18, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. According to the bleacherreport.com, the odds are reported to be -850 for Wilder and +575 for Breazeale. The fight will be aired on ShowTime for those of us not fortunate enough to be ringside, and considering the promotional dream in the leadup to the fight it is sure to be one that doesn’t disappoint when the final bell rings. Will Breazeale survive the hammers of Thor Wilder is sure to bring or will Breazeale punish the WBC champ as he has promised to do? Tune in to find out.

Posted on 05/16/2019

By: William Holmes

On Saturday night the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York will host a heavyweight title fight between Deontay Wilder and Dominic Breazeale for the WBC Heavyweight Title.

This bout will be put on by Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and will be televised live on Showtime.

Garry Russell Jr. will also be appearing on the card and will take on Kiko Martinez for Russell’s WBC Featherweight Title.

Photo Credit: Premier Boxing Champions Twitter Account

The following is a preview of both title bouts.

Gary Russell Jr.(29-1) vs. Kiko Martinez (39-8-2); WBC Featherweight Title

Whenever the name of Gary Russell Jr. comes up a debate follows if he’s a legitimate pound for pound fighter or not.

He’s a boxer who’s only blemish on his record came at the hands Vasily Lomachenko, a fighter most will agree is a pound for pound great. However, he’s also a boxer that has only fought once a year since 2015 and frustrates fans for his inactivity.

Russell will be facing Kiko Martinez on Saturday, a 33 year old boxer with eight losses on his resume and five of those losses coming since 2013. Martinez has been very active, as he fought twice in 2018 and three times in 2017. Martinez will also have about a two inch reach advantage and a half inch height advantage over Russell.

However, Russell has a clear edge in his resume of defeated opponents and amateur background. He won several national tournaments as an amateur in the United States and represented the United States in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Martinez does not have the amateur pedigree of Russell.

Russell has defeated the likes of Joseph Diaz, Oscar Escandon, Patrick Hyland, Jhonny Gonzalez, and Christopher Martin. Martinez has defeated the likes of Marc Vidal, Hozumi Hasegawa, Jeffrey Mathebula, and Jhonatan Romero. He has losses to the likes of Carl Frampton (twice), Scott Quigg, Leo Santa Cruz, and Josh Warrington.

Even though Martinez has been more active than Russell, he doesn’t’ have the talent of Russell and has several losses and draws in recent years, including two losses by stoppage. This shouldn’t be a fight that Russell will have issues in.

Deontay Wilder (40-0-1) vs. Dominic Breazeale (20-1); WBC Heavyweight Title

This won’t be Dominic Breazeale’s first chance at a heavyweight title. When he last challenged for the heavyweight title he was stopped in the seventh round by Anthony Joshua.

On paper, it appears unlikely this fight will be much different.

Breazeale has power, as he has stopped eighteen of his opponents, but he also can be stopped, as he only made it to the seventh round when he faced Anthony Joshua. He’ll need a strong chin when he faces Wilder, who has stopped thirty nine of the forty opponents he has faced, and even knocked down Tyson Fury in their disputed draw.

Both boxers stand at 6’7” and Wilder will have a slight one and a half inch reach advantage. Wilder fought twice in 2018 and in 2017 while Breazeale only fought once in 2018 and twice in 2017.

Both boxers represented the United States in the Olympics. Wilder competed in the 2008 Olympics while Breazeale competed in the 2012 Olympics. Wilder however was able to medal while Breazeale did not.

Wilder has beaten the likes of Luis Ortiz, Bermane Stiverne, Gerald Washington, Chris Arreola, Artur Szpilka, Johann Duhaupas, Eric Molina, Malik Scott, and Siarhei Liakhovich.

Breazeale has beaten the likes of Carlos Negron, Eric Molina, Izuagbe Ugonoh, Amir Mansour, Fred Kassi, Yasmany Consuegra, and Victor Bisbal.

Wilder is looking for a big money fight but has remained steadfastly loyal to Al Haymon and Showtime. Dominic Breazeale stands in his way of that big money fight, but it’s an obstacle that Wilder should be able to overcome.

Posted on 05/10/2019

By: Sean Crose

“I thought Fury won that fight,” heavyweight contender Dominic Breazeale said on a Thursday conference call, referring to last December’s Deontay Wilder – Tyson Fury title matchup. Now it’s Breazeale who will be facing Wilder, for on May 18th, the two men will face off at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center for Wilder’s WBC belt in a bout that will be aired live on Showtime. Although some see the 40-0-1 Wilder as perhaps the best heavyweight on earth, the 20-1 Breazeale isn’t particularly impressed. “I don’t see any fundamental skills,” Breazeale said of his foe. “He hasn’t grown. He hasn’t changed. He has a big right hand, but don’t we all in the heavyweight division?”

After having a searing incident in a Birmingham hotel lobby with Wilder and his team several years ago, Wilder made it clear that he’s used the experience as motivation for the May 18th bout. “It’s been the biggest motivational tool in these last ten weeks of camp,” he told me on the call. Still, the fighter indicated he’s not going to let the memory of the incident take away from his game plan. “I’m not going to take any of that emotion and crazy antics into the fight,” he added. “If you do that, you already lose the battle.”

As for Wilder, the WBC champ claimed he went back to the basics for the upcoming match with Breazeale. “It got to the point I had to stop training so hard,” he said on the call, “my doctor advised me to stop training so hard.” The hotel incident has clearly motivated Alabama’s Wilder, as it has Breazeale. According to Wilder, Breazeale has falsely presented himself as the victim of the chaos of that evening. “What goes around comes around,” Wilder said. “Come May 18th it’s punishment time.”

There is little doubt that Wilder can promote a fight. Whether he’s speaking of himself (“I have the heart of a lion. I am a king.”), PED use (“I’m natural. I feel like I have the right to speak my peace”), or the boxing game in general (“It’s a brutal sport that we’re in, and I love it.”), the man makes people take notice when he talks. Still, his anger with Breazeale certainly came across as legitimate on the call. He described his opponent several times Thursday as someone who would enter a business, spill water, then slip on it in order to bring about a lawsuit.

“I want,” Wilder said, “to bring the pain.”

Posted on 04/14/2017

Dominic Breazeale Reportedly Taking Deontay Wilder To Court Over Hotel Fracas
By: Sean Crose

And here it seemed like all would be forgotten.

After both men fought successfully in Alabama back in February, WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder was reportedly involved in a large sized hotel lobby scuffle with fellow heavyweight Dominic Breazeale. “I want to address the fact,” Breazeale tweeted after the incident, “that Deontay Wilder and a mob of about 20 people unprovokedly attacked my Team and my family in the lobby last night.” Although the sport of boxing has a long history of outside the ring incidents such as these, children were unfortunately involved this particular time around. “According to Breazeale,” I wrote at the time, “he and his coach were struck in front of Breazeale’s wife and kids.”

And now things seem to be heading to court. According to TMZ, Wilder is being sued by Breazeale. What’s more, Breazale is also suing the hotel where the incident took place. According to TMZ, Breazeale claims his wife pleaded with Wilder and his brother to put an end to the violence. “Breazeale says his wife begged the Wilders to stop fighting in front of the children,” the site claims, “to which Deontay replied, ‘F-ck your kids.'”

Confusing video footage of the brawl only added to the overall confusion of the incident. Hopefully Breazeale’s children, who are said to have been traumatized by the event, will recover successfully from any trauma they may have endured.

Posted on 02/25/2017

PBC on Fox Results: Breazeale, Hurd, and Deontay Wilder Win by Stoppage
By: William Holmes

Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions series was televised live from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

Two world title fights were televised tonight as Deontay Wilder defended his WBC World Heavyweight Title against challenger Gerald Washington, and Tony Harrison faced Jarrett Hurd for the vacant IBF Junior Middleweight Title.

This was the third straight fight that Wilder fought in Birmingham, Alabama.

The opening bout of the night was between Izuagbe Ugonoh (17-0) and Dominic Breazeale (17-1) in the heavyweight division.

Ugonoh was giving up several inches in height to Breazeale, but looked like he was in incredible shape.

Ugonoh circled Breazeale in the opening round and attacked the body with an occasional combination to the head. Breazeale seemed bothered by the speed of Ugonoh early on.

Ugonoh continued with the good body work in the third round and Breazeale was missing wildly with his punches. Breazeale had difficulty catching up to Ugonoh, and when he did he was hit with a low blow. Ugonoh ended the second round with a good two punch combination.

The third round was action packed and Breazeale turned the tide of the fight in his favor with a right hand that sent Ugonoh to the mat. Ugonoh was able to get back to his feet and survive an onslaught from Breazeale; before answering back with hard thudding right hands that had Breazeale wobbly on his feet. Both boxers were throwing and landing heavy blows as the third round came to an end.

Breazeale pressed the pace in the fourth round and was walking Ugonoh down early on. Ugonoh was able to hurt Breazeale with a right hand to the temple that sent Breazeale falling forward in a failed attempt to hold onto Ugonoh. Breazeale was wobbly when he got back to his feet but was able to survive the round.

Breazeale was recovered by the beginning of the third round and landed two heavy straight right hands to the temple of Ugonoh that forced him to take a knee. Ugonoh looked badly shaken when he got to his feet and was met with several more hard right hands to the temple that sent him crashing outside the ring.

The referee had seen enough and jumped in to stop the fight at 0:50 of the fifth round.

Breazeale showed incredible heart in a highly entertaining fight to get the TKO victory.

The next bout was between Tony Harrison (24-1) and Jarrett Hurd (19-0) for the IBF Junior Middleweight Title.

The opening round was a feeling out round with both boxers throwing their jab in an attempt to find their range. Harrison did look like he had the quicker hands and wider variety of punches.

Hurd was chasing Harrison in the second round and was eating a steady stream of jabs. Hurd kept up the pressure in the third round but Harrison landed several good counters and check left hooks.

Harrison continued to display the quicker hands in the fourth round while Hurd appeared to do little but walk into the jabs of Harrison. Hurd was able to land a good right uppercut in the fifth round but was still out landed by his opponent.

Harrison picked up the pace again in the sixth round and at one point hard Hurd hurt and backed into a corner; but Hurd turned the tide of the fight back in his favor in the seventh round when he had Harrison badly hurt with good body shots and chopping right hooks.

Hurd kept up the pressure in the eighth round and appeared to be physically hurting Harrison with every punch that he landed. Hurd finally scored a thudding knockdown in the ninth round when he connected with a clean straight right hand that sent him crashing backwards to the mat.

Harrison got back up at the count of nine, but spit out his mouthpiece as the referee was talking with him. The referee immediately waived off the fight, despite the protest of Tony Harrison.

Jarrett Hurd wins by TKO at 2:24 of the ninth round.

The main event was between Deontay Wilder (37-0) and Gerald Washington (18-01) for the WBC Heavyweight Title.

Washington established his jab in the opening round and was causing Wilder some problems early on. Wilder was not used to facing boxers as tall as Washington and he had difficulty finding his openings in the second round and at times was moving backwards.

Washington landed some heavy body shots in the third round and was able to avoid the power shots of Wilder and had a good round. Washington was able to land some combinations in the fourth round and it looked like he had Wilder confused.

Wilder opened up the fifth round with a long reaching jab and a looping left hook, before he cracked a straight right hand to the head of Washington that sent him falling backwards on his butt onto the mat.

Washington was able to get up at the count of eight, but Wilder unloaded several hard shots to the head of a cowering Washington before the referee waived the fight off.

Deontay Wilder retains his WBC Heavyweight Title with a TKO victory at 1:45 of the fifth round.

After the fight, Deontay Wilder acknowledged the presence of WBO Heavyweight Champion Joseph Parker and stated he’s ready to fight him next and unify the titles.

Posted on 02/24/2017

Izuagbe Ugonoh set to Make his Mark against Dominic Breazeale: A Conversation with Trainer Kevin Barry
By: Eric Lunger

Live on FOX this Saturday night in Birmingham, Alabama, charismatic American heavyweight Deontay Wilder will make his fifth defense of the WBC championship belt against unbeaten Gerald Washington.The PBC card is stacked from top to bottom, but I am excited about the heavyweight clash between Dominic Breazeale (17-1, 15 KOss) and Izuagbe Ugonoh (17-0, 14 KOs). Even for a global sport like boxing, Izu, as he is known, has made a fascinating journey to reach this moment at the Legacy Arena. His parents emigrated from Nigeria to Poland, where Izu was born. After graduating from Jędrzej Śniadecki University School of Physical Education in Gdansk, Izu embarked on a successful kickboxing career, making the transition to boxing in 2010.

Ugonoh caught the eye of veteran trainer Kevin Barry in 2013, while sparring in Las Vegas withheavyweight prospect Joseph Parker of New Zealand. Parker captured his first world title in December of last year, and Barry hopes to bring Ugonoh along the same path. Boxinginsider.com caught up withKevinon Thursday, and hespoke about his relationship with this remarkable athletewho is about to lace up the gloves for the biggest fight of his career.

Barry met Ugonoh fortuitously, as he was searching for sparring partners for Joseph Parker: “In my early days with Parker, we were traveling around various gyms in Las Vegas sparring anyone we could possibly get some ring time with, and I heard that Izu was training with Kenny Adams. I rang Kenny and went over there, Joe and Izu sparred six rounds, and it was probably some of the best work we had in Vegas. We came away with the thought: we’ve got to get more of this;this kid can really fight!”

It didn’t take long for Barry to connect with the Polish-born fighter: “that went on for about six sparring sessions, and during that time we built up a bit of a rapport with him. As it worked out, both Joe and Izu were helping Bermane [Stiverne] prepare for Chris Arreola, and we became even closer friends. Things weren’t really working out for Izu; I think he had moved around about five different trainers, I believe that he just wasn’t happy. He came to me and asked, ‘would I be interested in working with him?’ It was my second year with Joe Parker, and Joe was living in my house. I didn’t want anything to interfere with the chemistry that we had going, so I sat down with Joe and I sat down with Izu. In the end, in October of 2014, I took Izu to New Zealand, and fought him down there. Then in November of 2014, I moved him into my house with my family and Joe.”

Barry brought Ugonoh along carefully: “we had five fights down there [in New Zealand] in 2014, and then five fights in 2015.” Ugonoh’s pace slowed down last year with two bouts, a fourth round TKO of Ricardo Ramirez and a second round stoppage most recently of Gregory Tony.

Barry is pleased with Izu’s progress: “he has waited very patiently for this opportunity. The last two years, he’s been fighting well within himself, he’s been learning his craft, becoming a better, more well-rounded fighter in all aspects of the game. This is our first fight with Al Haymon’s PBC, and it’s a big fight.”

The matchup is an exciting one for fans. Barry sees the fight this way: “it’s a great matchup of skill and size. Really, they sort of mirror each other: Izu is 30, Breazeale is 31; Izu is 17-0, Breazeale is 17-1. Both have 81 inch reaches, both have about 8 KO’s in the first three rounds.”

Barry concedes that Breazeale has a better resume: “Breazeale has fought better names, sure, Anthony Joshua, Amir Monsour, Fred Kassi.” But Barry sees his fighter as ready to compete at that level. “Look,” Barry said, “Izu would knock out out Monsour and Kassi.I tell everybody, I think Izu is the sleeper of the heavyweight division. On Saturday night, live on FOX and around the world, everyone will know who Izu is.”

Barry feels that Ugonoh is ready for the big stage: “He is a very talented fighter, a very intelligent fighter. He’s got explosive power and very heavy hands. Look, the big question mark is: hey, this is a big step up in class from where he’s been fighting. But this is a fight, when it was first addressed to Izu, he jumped at it with open arms, saying, ‘this is the fight I’ve been waiting for.’”

Barry and his fighter know that the stakes are high: “Izuknows that the spoils definitely go to the winner in this fight: a great performance will see with Izu or Breazeale go on a short list for a fight for the world title.”

Posted on 07/14/2016

Who is the Real Heavyweight Champion?
By: Ken Hissner

This Saturday WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder, 36-0 (35), of AL, USA, age 30, defends his title against Chris “Nightmare” Arreola, 36-4-1 (31), of CA, age 35. in Birmingham, AL, Wilder’s hometown. In Arreola’s last fight he failed a drug test. Wilder has defended against No. 12, No. 9, No. 7 and now another No. 9. He was scheduled to fight Alexander “Russian Vityaz” Povetkin, 30-1 (22), of RUS, age 36, who failed a drug test and passed on second time around. Povetkin is also a former Olympic Gold medalist.

Tyson Fury, 25-0 (18), UK, age 27, who holds both the WBA and WBO titles since defeating now former WBA, WBO and IBF world champion and Olympic Gold medalist Wladimir “Dr. Steelhammer” Klitschko, 64-4 (53), UKR, age 40, who is now No. 2 in both the WBA and WBO. This took place in November of 2015. Fury was scheduled to give Klitschko a rematch but injured his hand in training. There may be a bout in September but no date has been set.

WBA World champion is Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne, 24-0 (17), AUST, age 37, having won the title in March stopping Ruslan “White Tyson” Chagov, 34-2-1 (21), of UZE/GER. The No. 1 contender and WBA interim champion is Luis “King Kong” Ortiz, 25-0 (22), CUBA/Miami, USA, age 37, is schedule to fight No. 3 Alexander Ustinov, 33-1 (24), RUS/Belarus, age 39. The winner may be in line to fight Browne.

IBF champion and Olympic Gold medalist Anthony Joshua, 17-0 (17), UK, age 26, recently won the title stopping Charles Martin who has dropped to No. 10 in the rankings. He defended his title with a stoppage of Dominic Breazele in June. His last four opponents had been unbeaten.

The No. 1 IBF and WBO contender is Joseph Parker, 19-0 (16), NZ/NV, USA, age 24, who is fighting No. 11 WBA contender Solomon Haumono, 24-2-2 (21), NZ, AUST, July 21st in NZ. Parker is No. 8 in the WBA and No. 4 in WBC. The winner could be in line to fight Joshua.

So you have a pair of champions fighting out of the UK in Fury and Joshua. One from Australia in Browne and one from USA in Wilder. It would make sense if Joshua fights the Fury-Klitschko winner. Browne to the fight Parker-Haumono winner and Wilder fight Povetkin. As noted quite a few of the top boxers are between 35 and over like Klitschko and Humono both 40. Ustinov is 39, Ortiz and Browne are 37. Povetin is 36 and Arreola 35. Wilder is 30, Fury 27, Joshua 26 and Parker 24.

Joshua is without a doubt the champion to reckon with in the future since only having 17 fights. Klitschko was considered the best holding three titles until a very poor showing losing to Fury who didn’t exactly set the world on fire. Wilder is still untested while the Povetkin fight was to be his toughest test until cancelled. Arreola is a big underdog to Wilder. Parker is high in two of the organizations but doesn’t look like he has champion qualities. Browne is a late comer who won his title in Russia and could be a spoiler. The most dangerous is probably Ortiz. Any way you look at it there are several who could achieve three titles as Klitschko did.

It’s also the feeling Klitschko will win the title back. Fury has mentioned this could be his last fight. So unless the champions fight one another it could be a long time until there is going to be an undisputed champion holding all four titles!

Posted on 04/21/2016

HBO World Championship Boxing Preview: Golovkin vs. Wade, Chocolatito vs. Arroyo
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night two of boxing’s best pound for pound fighters in the world, Gennady Golovkin and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, will defend their titles at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood California. These bouts will be televised live on HBO.

Both Golovkin and Wade are considered the heir apparent to the throne that Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao have abdicated since their retirement, and both are deserving of that title.

Big money matchups await both if they are successful on Saturday night. The following is a preview of both of these fights.

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (44-0) vs. McWilliams Arroyo (16-2); WBC Flyweight Title

HBO has recently shown more attention to the lighter weight classes in boxing, and nobody has benefited more from that exposure than Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez.

Gonzalez has some of the best movement in boxing today and has the ability to attack from all angles and finish a fighter when the opportunity presents itself. He has stopped thirty eight of his opponents with a knockout ratio of 86%. That nmber is even more impressive when you consider he’s been a world champion since 2008.

His opponent, McWilliams Arroyo, is a Puerto Rican boxer that has stopped fourteen of his opponents. However, Arroyo has not been as active as Gonzalez and has not faced the level of opposition that Gonzalez has faced. Arroyo is thirty years old and two years older than Gonzalez. He’ll have a slight one inch height advantage.

Gonzalez has been very active as a champion and fought three times in 2015 and four times in 2014. Contrastingly, Arroyo has only fought once in 2015, twice in 2014, and once in 2013.

Both boxers have had successful amateur careers. Gonzalez had a record of 88-0 as an amateur and won the flyweight gold medal in the 2004 Central American Championships. Arroyo won the gold medal in the 2009 World Amateur Boxing Championships as a flyweight.

Gonzalez has defeated the likes of Brian Viloria, Edgar Sosa Medina, Akira Yaegashi, Rocky Fuentes, Omar Soto, and most impressively, Juan Francisco Estrada. Arroyo’s losses have come against Amnat Ruenroeng for the IBF Flyweight title and Takashi Okada. His notable victories include Victor Ruiz, Foilan Saludar, and Miguel Tamayo.

Even though Arroyo had an impressive amateur background, he will be overmatched in the ring when he faces Gonzalez. Arroyo does have the power to pull off an upset victory, but it appears highly unlikely to happen.

Gennady Golovkin (34-0) vs. Dominic Wade (18-0); WBA/IBF/Interim WBC Middleweight Title

The main event of the evening will be between Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Dominic Wade in a middleweight title fight.
Golovkin has been begging for a big money fight ever since HBO started televising his bouts, and it appears Canelo Alvarez could be next for him if he is successful on Saturday.

Golovkin is currently riding an amazing twenty one fight stoppage streak. His last non stoppage victory was way back in 2008. Golovkin possesses power that no current middleweight can match. He has stopped thirty one of his opponents, and has kept an active schedule.

Golovkin has fought three times in 2015 and 2014. His opponent, Dominic Wade, fought four times in 2014 but only one time in 2015.

Golovkin had a very successful amateur career and was a 2004 Silver Medalist in the Olympics and a 2003 Gold Medalist in the Amateur World Championships. Wade does not have the amateur success on the international stage that Golovkin posseses.

However, Wade does have some advantages in the ring. He is eight years younger than the thirty four year old Golovkin and will possess a four and a half inch reach advantage.

Wade, however, has never faced an opponent that is on Golovkin’s level. His biggest wins to date were over Nick Brinson, Sam Soliman, and Marcus Upshaw. His last fight was against Sam Soliman, and it was only a split decision victory.

Golovkin on the other hand has soundly beaten every opponent that dared step in the ring with him, including several top rated opponents. He has defeated the likes of David Lexmieux, Willie Monroe Jr. Martin Murray, Marco Antonio Rubio, Daniel Geale, Curtis Stevens, Matthew Macklin, Gabriel Rosado, and Kassim Ouma.

This is one of the rare instances in which an Al Haymon fighter will participate in an HBO televised event. However, this is a case where Wade is a heavy underdog with little chance of victory. Golovkin is getting older and will be past his physical prime soon, so observers will be paying attention to see if he’s showing signs of slowing down, but his impressive knockout streak will likely continue on Saturday.