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By: William Holmes
By: William Holmes
The Toyota Arena in Ontario, California was the host site for tonight’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) offering on the fox network.
The main event of the night was a rematch between Tony Harrison (28-2) and Jermell Charlo (32-1) for the WBC Junior Middleweight Title. The co-main event was supposed to feature Guillermo Rigondeaux and Liborio Solis in the bantamweight division, but visa issues for Solis forced that fight to be cancelled.
The undercard was televised on Fox Sports 1, and featured a split draw between Huge Centeno Jr. and Juan Macias Montiel. Oscar Escandon also fought on the undercard and stopped Jhack Tepora in the first round.
The first fight on the Fox network was a lightweight bout between Rene Tellez Giron (13-1) and Karlos Balderas (9-0).
Balderas is a 2016 Olympian but was actually three years older than his young and hungry opponent.
Balderas was taller and longer than his opponent, and started off landing clean jabs to the head and body on a pressuring Giron.
Giron was able to land some good punches in their exchanges in the second round and continued to land hard shots in the third. A vicious left hand by Giron sent Balderas to the mat at the end of the round, and he stumbled back to his feet and barely beat the count of ten. He stumbled backwards when the referee asked him to walk forward, but was allowed to continue into the next round.
Giron continued to stay on the attack in the fourth and fifth rounds and was staying dedicated with his body attacks. By the end of the fifth Giron had outlanded Balderas by twenty more punches.
The sixth round started with an accidental headbutt warning from the referee. Giron was able to knock Balderas down again with a clean left hook to the chin. Balderas was able to get up to his feet before the count of ten, but the referee waived the fight off.
Rene Giron scores the upset with a KO at 2:59 of the sixth round.
The next bout was a heavyweight fight between Efe Ajagba (11-0) and Iago Kiladze (26-4-1).
Ajagba stuck with his jab early and had Kiladze wobbled at the end of the first from a stiff right hand.
Ajagba was landing heavy shots on Kiladze and sent him to the mat at the end of the second from another straight right. Kiladze was in bad shape at the end of the round and on rubber legs.
The third round was the best round of the night, as Ajagba was looking to finish the fight and had Kiladze wobbled from a straight right hand, but Kiladze landed a right of his own out of nowhere and sent Ajagba down to the mat. Ajagba was able to survive the round.
Both boxers landed good shots in the fourth round, but Ajagba appeared to land the heavier punches.
Ajagba scored another knockdown in the fifth round, but Kiladze got back to his feet and was allowed to continue. Kiladze stumbled around for a few seconds before his corner threw in the towel.
Ajagba wins a thrilling bout by KO at 2:09 of the fifth round.
Tony Harrison (28-2) and Jermell Charlo (32-1) met in the main event for the WBC Junior Middleweight Title.
Harrison and Charlo couldn’t even look at each other during fighter introductions.
Charlo came out aggressively in the opening two rounds by throwing wild bombs with reckless abandon. Harrison grabbed on whenever Charlo got in tight, but was clipped by a two punch combination that momentarily sent him down in the second.
Harrison was calm going into the third round and fought defensively and smartly. Harrison landed better punches on the inside and surprisingly continued to fight well in tight into the fourth and fifth rounds.
Harrison started to showboat in the sixth rounds and was blocking a lot of Charlo’s punches. Harrison was a more measured fighter in the middle rounds while Charlo was a little more wild.
It was a close bout going into the ninth round with Harrison backing Charlo down while Charlo was throwing heavier but not as accurate punches.
The championship rounds featured similar action, with Harrison landing measured punches and Charlo landing more looping but hard shots.
However, Charlo landed a vicious hook to the chin of Harrison and sent him violently to the mat. Charlo followed it up with several hard uppercuts on Harrison by the ropes and sent him to the mat again. The referee decided to let Harrison continue, but Charlo pressed forward with combinations and forced the referee to stop the bout.
Jermell Charlo wins by TKO at 2:28 of the eleventh round.
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By: Hans Themistode
Around the same time last year, Detroit’s Tony “Super Bad” Harrison (28-2, 21 KO’s) played spoiler to the Charlo household.
Starring as the Grinch, Harrison pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year, placing a blemish on Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo’s (32-1, 16 KO’s) undefeated record while capturing the WBC junior middleweight title.
“It was a surreal moment for me, just recapping everything that happened to me and wishing that all the good people that were in my corner were there to see it and be there with me,” Harrison said.
“I thought of everything that happened to me that was fucked up and I told God I understood why he put me through those things and I understood that he knew that I would get through it and would never lose faith. I was thanking him for all those times, all those moments that made me, me. It was never the good moments, it was always the bad, me being resilient through those moments and me taking that message out of every moment that everything bad happened to make me that man that night to win the fight.”
While Harrison believes he won based on his strategy and skill set; fighting effectively off his back foot, moving around the ring effectively controlling the range, distance, successfully feinting and displaying complete mastery of the jab, Harrison was able to pick his spots and pick apart Charlo.
Charlo believes his aggression and power punching dictated the pace and controlled the fight.
“I definitely feel like I won that fight,” Charlo said in reference to the first bout. “I pulled out way more rounds than he did. But like I said, it’ll be a rematch and I promise you, like I’m gonnatrain harder, I’m gonna try to train different. I did a great job in training camp. I can’t take nothing away from what me, trainer Derrick James and everybody else game plan was,” said Jermell in a post-fight interview.
“I hit hard. You know what I mean?” Charlo said. “I use my power. A lot of people use their skills and use their – I have skills, I have power, I have speed.”
Watching the fight play out and having each fighter describe the punch-by-punch action in their own words, is significantbecause it provides great insight for the mentality of each fighter. Their reactions and analysis may foreshadow the game plan and mindset for each fighter entering the rematch.
Charlo is livid and seems like he carries around a luggage case containing anger. Harrison loves playing the spoiler and enjoys living “Rent-free” in Charlo’s head as the self-proclaimed troll.
The emotional elements of this match-up do more than draw up intrigue, but may influence the outcome of the fight. Are these temperamental components a plus or negative for Charlo heading into the rematch? Can he harness his intensity, ferocity and formulate the proper plan to exact revenge?
“I’m a passionate person,” Charlo said, in a recent PBC preview special. “I’m a winner. When they took that one from me, of course a passionate person is going to have a different reaction than he would have had. I found out where your heart was. I’ve been able to make more investment into myself to destroy you ever since then.”
“I don’t like ‘phony’ Harrison. It’s easy to explain why the rematch will be different. I’m knocking him out. I can’t let them judges make any decisions. That’s what I need. He’s going to sleep. Cold.”
If Charlo intends to achieve victory, he may have to change things this go-around. A complete overhaul may not be necessary, but an honest assessment and reflection may be key for Charlo progressing forward. While we’re officially awaiting part two to this saga, it seems like Harrison is yelling checkmate in regards to the mental warfare.
“When you’re from Detroit, it does something to you,” said Harrison. “It’s just that extra motivation when you’ve got somebody talking that shit to you and you’re talking it back.”
“I’ve been waiting for this my whole life and its fun to me. Living in Detroit, you gotta have the gift of gab, and that’s another art in itself. So I can talk my shit, and I’m destroying him by doing it. It’s fun and it spices things up. This is a good dinner with jalapenos on top.”
This weekend, Charlo aims to reverse roles and perform his best impression of the Grinch, in an effort to ruin the holiday season for Harrison.
The question remains if the Iron Man can adjust and implement a game-plan allowing greater success in the rematch. Can’t rely on athleticism and anger – which is what Harrison hinted at throughout the long build-up to this rematch.
Harrison aims to thwart off Charlo’s advances and remain the WBC junior middleweight champion once the smoke settles.
I think this relationship between me and him is one of the best relationships in boxing,” said Harrison. “You can’t fake it. It’s good for the sport that we really don’t like each other. And this is such a good fight. It doesn’t get much better than me and himand I want to keep topping that.”
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By: William Holmes
On Saturday night the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California will be the host site for a highly anticipated WBC Junior Middleweight Title fight between Jermell Charlo and Tony Harrison. Harrison was able to win a close bout over Charlo in their first fight, and Charlo is looking for revenge and to prove he’s still a top fighter in the junior middleweight division.
Former world champion, Guillermo “El Chacal” Rigondeaux was set to face Liborio Solis in the co-main event of the evening in a bantamweight bout, but visa issues for Solis forced that fight to be cancelled. Rigondeaux will no longer be fighting on Saturday.
Other bouts on the undercard include a heavyweight fight between Efe Ajagba and Isago Kiladze, a junior lightweight bout between Jhack Tepora and Oscar Escandon, and a super middleweight bout between Andre Dirrell and Juan Ubaldo Cabrera. Other fighters on the undercard include Huge Centeno Jr., Juan Macias Montiel, Eimantas Stanionis, Karlos Balderas, and Adrian Taylor.
The following is a preview of the main event of the evening.
Tony Harrison (28-2) vs. Jermell Charlo (32-1); WBC Junior Middleweight Title
Tony Harrison and Jermell Charlo previously met in December of 2018, and featured a shocking upset as Harrison won by scores of 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113. Most ringside observers felt Charlo won that bout, with scores as wide as 117-111 on some unofficial scorecards.
However, one year later Jermell Charlo gets to try and seek his revenge. Unfortunately for Harrison, he has not fought since he defeated Charlo. Charlo on the otherhand was able to face and defeat Jorge Cota before getting his rematch.
Harrison and Charlo are both 29 years old. Harrison will have about a two inch height advantage and a three and a half inch reach advantage.
Harrison hasn’t fought yet in 2019, and fought three times in 2018 and twice in 2017. Charlo fought once already in 2019, twice in 2018, and twice in 2017.
Both boxers were fairly successful on national amateur scene. Harrison is a former US Golden Gloves Bronze Medalist. Charlo won the Junior Olympics Bronze Medal.
Charlo’s only loss was to Tony Harrison. His resume as a professional is impressive and he had defeated the likes of Jorge Cota, Austin Trout, Erickson Lubin, Charles Hatley, John Jackson, Jachim Alcine, Vanes Martirosyan, Gabriel Rosado, Demetrius Hopkins, and Harry Joe Yorgey.
Harrison has lost to the likes of Willie Nelson and Jarrett Hurd, both by stoppage. His wins aren’t as impressive as Charlo, but he has defeated the likes of Ishe Smith, George Sosa, Paul Valenzuela, Fernando Guerrero, Tyron Brunson, Bronco McKart, and Antwone Smith.
Even though Harrison won their first fight, most felt Charlo won. Harrison’s inactivity since then will not help him and Charlo appears to be very motivated to win the rematch and re-establish himself as a champion.
This writer expects Charlo to win, convincingly, on Saturday night.
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By: Hans Themistode
With Jermell Charlo and Tony Harrison officially set to share the ring once again, the two continued to show exactly why their December 21st rematch, will be nothing but fireworks.
The scene from their press conference to promote their event was filled with f bombs, shouting matches and long stares. It’s a long cry from their first conference back in late 2018. At the time, Charlo was the undefeated WBC Jr Middleweight champion and seemed poised to continue his meteoric rise.
When the two met for the first time at a conference in Brooklyn, Charlo and Harrison was actually complimentary of one another. Harrison, praising Charlo for his true championship attitude while also being grateful for the opportunity to compete against him. While Charlo on the other hand gave credit to Harrison for his boxing ability and the things he has done in his community of Detroit.
After 12 rounds of boxing on December 22nd, the boxing world was shocked when Harrison pulled off the stunning upset, winning by unanimous decision. Now that the two are set to do it again, they can end the debate of who exactly is the better fighter.
Although this bout will take place in just over a month, they were originally set to square off on June 23rd. An ankle injury however, sidelined Harrison. Or at least, that was the belief. Charlo never believed for one second that Harrison was actually hurt.
The new WBC champion has since denied those allegations. However, for some inexplicable reason, he seemingly admitted to faking the injury during the conference.
“Pull out the fight with an injury and put on a boot,” admitted Harrison. He also added that he wasn’t actually hurt either.
It sounds as if Harrison admitted to faking the entire injury doesn’t it? Don’t place too much thought into the words of Harrison. He seems to enjoy getting under the skin of Charlo time and time again.
“I’m living in his head,” said Harrison.
As for Charlo on the other hand. He doesn’t believe that what Harrison said was a joke. It only confirmed his original thought process of Harrison pulling out of the contest just to prolong their rematch.
“He told you in Mexico that he had ligament damage He didn’t have surgery. What you think about that?” Said Charlo. “He didn’t have surgery, he supposedly pulled out of a fight before the fight, and he talked a whole bunch of shit at this press conference…then all the sudden he didn’t come out June 23rd to fight me, because he had to have surgery and faked the injury and I put it out on blast. Now he comes outs saying he’s good to go — what was the purpose of pausing? ‘Cause you thought that maybe I need to fight someone else? I did. I blasted him in three, sleeped him in three. All he did was added fuel to the fire. The torch is lit. And if you put that torch next to gas, what happen? Everything else catch on fire, and his ass his gas, and we finna blaze his motherfuckin’ ass. That’s it! It’s what I say and how I feel. And if he like it or not, he gotta deal with it. I’m not gonna stop being who I am. I won that first fight.”
Things between these two have gotten very personal to say the least. What started off as a healthy rivalry, has turned into an all out war. Thankfully for boxing fans, the war of words is over and these two can settle their differences in the ring once and for all.
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By: Hans Themistode
The 2018 boxing schedule was filled with huge upsets. One particular fight that possibly led the upset pack was when former WBC Jr Middleweight champion Jermell Charlo took on Tony Harrison just a few days before Christmas at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York.
It was supposed to be a quick night for Charlo. He was regarded as the best fighter in the division and was headed towards a unification showdown with former unified champion Jarrett Hurd. Since Charlo won his title back in 2016, he looked sensational in every title defense. He obliterated the highly touted Erickson Lubin in the first round when they matched up in 2017. He followed that up by scoring two knockdowns against former champion Austin Trout en route to a decision victory.
Harrison had no chance. His two losses came via stoppage and there was reason to believe that he was headed towards another knockout loss at the hands of Charlo. The fight played out a bit differently than what many were expecting. Harrison didn’t just stay up right throughout the entire fight, but he also made it very competitive. At times, he dominated. Still, as the fight went to the scorecards, many believed that Charlo had done more than enough to win. When Harrison was announced as the winner it sent shockwaves throughout the entire boxing world.
Charlo didn’t take long to exercise his rematch clause to win back his belt. Unfortunately, Harrison was forced to withdraw the first time around because of an ankle injury, which forced Charlo to knockout his replacement opponent Jorge Cota. Now that Harrison seems to be fully healed there, seems to be a new date set for their rematch.
Courtesy of Jermell Charlo’s Instagram, he revealed the news of a deal being reached between the two. He kept it short and sweet when regarding the rematch he has been waiting for.
“December 21st… Nothing he can do !!! NO RESPECT SEASON”
Accompanying Charlo’s statement, was a picture of their first contest. Where this contest will take place is yet to be known as of yet but that detail is sure to be released soon.
What’s most interesting about this event is the date, as it is one day earlier than their original contest last year. Both men have been vocal since they have shared the ring.
Even with a championship around his waist, Harrison was never given the respect he felt he deserved.
“There were three championship judges who all said I won,” said Harrison during an interview a few months back. “I don’t pay attention to what Jermell has to say but I can’t wait to beat him again and prove to everyone that I am the champion now.”
With the rematch seemingly all set, we all can finally decide who is the better fighter between the two.
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By: Kirk Jackson
Leave it to Tony Harrison 28-2 (21 KO’s) to spoil plans for one particular family this holiday season. While the newly crowned WBC junior middleweight champion isn’t a Grinch per say, Harrison certainly ruined the evening of the Charlo twins, capturing his first world title in a well-fought, boxing master-class this past weekend.
Harrison placed together a great game-plan; consistently jabbing, fighting effectively on his back foot, moving offline, moving around the ring effectively controlling the range, distance and feinting effectively.
Harrison’s constant feinting and changing levels kept Jermell Charlo 31-1 (15 KO’s) from getting in position to attack because he had to reset his offense – which negated Charlo from landing combinations. Jermell displayed the tendency to lunge in as opposed to setting up his offense with his jab, or disguising his offense with his jab or even feinting himself. It was in an effect misplaced aggression.
Jermell displayed signs of this same style of attack in his previous bout against Austin Trout and Harrison was able to implement similar elements from Trout’s game-plan to obtain victory against Charlo.
“I showed championship composure. I didn’t have to do much. I used my jab. I used my ring generalship. I kept him at bay. He wound up for big shots and I kept my defense tight. All we worked on was defense,” Harrison said in a post-fight interview with FightHub.
“I got back to my corner after every round and they told me to just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re dictating the pace they said. That’s what champions do. Champions don’t just try to knock people out. That’s all he wanted to do. I dictated it. I used my jab. I dictated the fight. That’s what champions do.”
Harrison’s victory places him in a unique position and potentially causes clutter in the junior middleweight division.
Although Harrison is an elite fighter and proved as much with his recent performance, his fight against Jermell was supposed to be a showcase fight for Charlo twin.
There were plans of a unification bout between Charlo and the current WBA and IBF junior middleweight champion Jarrett Hurd 23-0 (16 KO’s). Now that unification match is in question. Unification may still take place, but Harrison now has the opportunity to play dance partner and exact revenge in the process as he lost to Hurd last year in a fight for the vacant IBF title.
If it’s up to Jermell, he would prefer a rematch to take place and within four months.
“I definitely feel like I won that fight,” Charlo said. “I pulled out way more rounds than he did. But like I said, it’ll be a rematch and I promise you, like I’m gonna train harder, I’m gonna try to train different. I did a great job in training camp. I can’t take nothing away from what me, [trainer] Derrick [James] and everybody else game plan was,” said Jermell in a post-fight interview.
“I hit hard. You know what I mean?,” Charlo said. “I use my power. A lot of people use their skills and use their – I have skills, I have power, I have speed. So just going back in there, regroup and just replaying the fight in my mind, I tried my best to, you know, land that right shot, you know, and just get the night over with. You know what I mean? The check don’t change, so I know how to fight and I’ve done it before and I believe in my power, I still believe in myself. So it’s gonna take just another chance, you know, me getting out there, developing. I’m young. I’m 28-years-old. So, me getting out there again and developing as a fighter, and just growing and learning from that.”
The question remains if Jermell can make the proper adjustments to implement a game-plan allowing greater success in the rematch. Jermell, along with his twin brother Jermall are extremely talented fighters. But with that stated, they struggled over the weekend against tough, game opponents in Tony Harrison and Matt Korobov 28-1 (14 KO’s) respectively.
Can’t fault either twin for their offensive effort regarding aggressiveness and trying to produce a knock-out. The pressure of headlining a big event, may have effected their approach as far as the game-plan they had for their respective opponents. The Charlos want to show they are the best fighters in their respective divisions and they can still accomplish this feat heading into the next year. The Harrison bout threw a wrench in their plans but that’s boxing.
The Premier Boxing Champions event broadcasted on Fox was a showcase event designed and catered to the Charlo twins, in effort to display their talents to a wider audience and to continue the momentum boxing has been building over the past couple of years. More fighters across cable network television, an infusion of young talent ready to take the reigns and carry boxing into the future.
The twins echoed the sentiments of robbery in the aftermath of Jermell’s loss but that may not be the case. Why would the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) go through all that effort to promote the fighter (Jermell) only to have that fighter get screwed on the cards and lose?
Even the commentary team was extremely biased in favor of the Charlo twins that night. Compliments for Harrison and Korobov respectively were far and few. At times, it appeared like the commentary team demonized Harrison for his efforts in spite of a brilliant performance.
And let this be clear, this isn't disrespecting the announcers…I am a fan of some of them. I just don't want to be influenced while I watch a fight.
— Mimi Melendez (@MimiMel0417) December 23, 2018
I re-watched #CharloHarrison with more focus than last night and scored round by round (like a judge). I still scored it the same (close for Charlo) but that's a much closer fight than some people think. Not a robbery! #boxing #PBConFOX #boxeo
— Caryn A. Tate (@carynatate) December 24, 2018
Who truly won can be debated among the viewing audience, as many close fights are. But the biased criticism hurled at Harrison from professional analysts is uncalled for. But I guess that happens when you’re the Grinch.
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By: Bryant Romero
Tony Harrison got a much needed victory to build some momentum in his career as he scored a clear but somehow only a split verdict over the game but outgunned Ishe Smith at the Sam’s Town Hotel in Las Vegas on Friday night. Harrison (27-2, 21 KOs) used his superior size, reach, and punching power to offset the very durable and always tough Ishe Smith as Harrison displayed his jab throughout the fight.
Photo Credit: Chris Farina/Mayweather Promotions
The change in momentum of the fight was in the third round as Harrison scored a knockdown with a clean overhand right that buckled and dropped the former champion. The 27-year-old got the confidence boost he needed as he seemed to run away with the bout thereafter. He hurt Smith on multiple occasions throughout the fight and seemed to be on verge of a stoppage win in some of the later stanzas.
Smith who dropped to (29-10, 12 KOs) with the defeat, showed tremendous toughness by be able to last the distance. However, he had trouble with the length and range of the younger challenger and was limited to only spurts of success has he tried all night to get inside of Harrison’s reach and land devastating punches. Despite getting dropped and stunned in the contest on multiple occasions, one judge had in his favor by the score of 95-94.
Harrison almost made a statement by being very close to being the first to stop Ishe Smith, but it wasn’t to be and settled for the split decision victory. With the win, Harrison moves closer to title contention and perhaps will get opportunity for a title eliminator in his very next bout.
In the co-featured bout Andrew “The Beast” Tabiti kept his undefeated record intact with a knockout win over Lateef Kayode in their scheduled ten round bout. The first five rounds was an ugly hugfest fight as Tabiti (16-0, 13 KOs) spared the audience by ending it with a right uppercut in the sixth round and scoring an impressive knockout victory. Kayode (21-3, 16 KOs) dropped to his knees and was unable to beat the count. With the victory, Tabiti moves closer to title contention in the talented cruiserweight division.
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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.
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PBC on Fox Preview: Tony Harrison vs. Jarrett Hurd, Deontay Wilder vs. Gerald Washington
By: William Holmes
On Saturday night WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder will return to his home state at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama to defend his title against top rated and unbeaten heavyweight contender Gerald Washington live on the Fox network.
The co-main event of the night will be between Jarrett Hurd and Tony Harrison for the IBF Junior Middleweight Title. Fox Sports 1 will also feature some of the undercard bouts, which include a heavyweight fight between Dominic Breazeale and Izuagbe Ugonoh as well as rising prospect Caleb Plant.
The following is a preview of the two title fights set to be televised on Saturday night.
Tony Harrison (24-1) vs. Jarrett Hurd (19-0); IBF Junior Middleweight Title
The first world title fight to be televised will be a very competitive one and is a tough bout to pick.
Harrison and Hurd have very similar physical characteristics. Surprisingly, both boxers are 6’1” tall and both fighters have a reach of 76 ½”. Both boxers are also the same age and are in the midst of their athletic prime at twenty six years old.
Harrison, a Detroit, Michigan native, has a slight edge in amateur experience and success and comes from a boxing family. Both his Father Ali Salaam and Grandfather Henry Hank competed professionally with moderate to good success as a boxer. Harrison was also previously trained by the late, great, Emmanuel Steward.
Both boxers have also been very active in the past two years. Harrison fought two times in 2016 and four times in 2015. Hurd fought three times in 2015 and twice in 2016.
Hurd has never tasted defeat. He has defeated the likes of Ionut Dan Ion, Oscar Molina, Frank Galarza, and Jeff Lentz. He has won his past five fights by knockout.
Harrison has defeated the likes of Siarhei Rabchanka, Fernando Guerrero, Antwone Smith, Tyrone Brunson, Bronco McKart, and Grady Brewer. His lone loss was to Willie Nelson.
This is a tough bout to pick, but when Harrison fought someone at the level of Jarret Hurd he came up short. Hurd’s power is at least equal to that of Willie Nelson, and Harrison’s confidence may not be where it’s needed to defeat someone like Jarrett Hurd since his knockout loss.
This writer has to give Jarrett Hurd a slight edge over Tony Harrison.
Deontay Wilder (37-0) vs. Gerald Washington (18-0-1); WBC Heavyweight Title
Deontay Wilder was originally scheduled to fight Andrzej Wawrzyk, and received heavy criticism for his choice of opponents, but that bout was cancelled due to Wawrzyk failing a pre-fight drug test.
Gerald Washington was chosen as a replacement opponent despite the fact other well known heavyweights such as Louis Ortiz offered to fight Wilder as a replacement.
Wilder is three years younger than his opponent and will have a one inch height advantage and a one inch reach advantage. Wilder also has a much deeper amateur background. Wilder won the bronze medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics for the United States. Washington has no amateur accomplishments to speak of. However, Washington does have an athletic background as he played tight end and defense end for the University of Southern California and played on the practice squad for the Seattle Seahawks and the Buffalo Bills.
Washington started boxing late and made his pro debut at the age of thirty. He has stopped twelve of his opponents. Wilder has stopped thirty six of his opponents and the only man to last all twelve rounds with him was former world title holder Bermane Stiverne. Wilder has stopped four of his past five opponents while Washington has only stopped two of his past five opponents.
Both boxers have been fairly active recently. Washington fought twice in 2016 and in 2015. Wilder fought three times in 2015 and twice in 2016.
Wilder clearly has the better professional resume. He has beaten the likes of Chris Arreola, Artur Szpilka, Johan Suhaupas, Eric Molina, Bermane Stiverne, Malik Scott, and Siarhei Liakhovich. Washington has defeated the likes of Ray Austin and Eddie Chambers and had a controversial draw with Amir Mansour.
Washington is a tremendous athlete, but he is not on the level of World Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder. Wilder is fighting in front of his hometown fans and will likely put on another exciting stoppage victory for them to enjoy.
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Getting Ready for Hurd vs. Harrison: An Interview with “Swift” Jarrett Hurd.
By Eric Lunger
Next Saturday night at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, “Swift” Jarrett Hurd (19-0, 13 KO’s) will face Tony Harrison (24-1, 20KO’s) in aSuper Welterweight IBF title eliminator bout. Scheduled as the co-main event on the Wilder vs. Washington PBC card on FOX, this is Hurd’s biggest test and his biggest opportunity. Hailing from Accokeek, Maryland, Hurd began boxing at age 15, turned pro at 19, and has his sights set on a world title this year. An exciting and dynamic fighter, Jarrett Hurd is also a serious student of the sport.
Yesterday, in an exclusive interview with boxinginsider.com, Jarrett and his long time trainer, Ernesto Rodriguez, looked back on Jarrett’s last three fights and looked forward to the Tony Harrison show down. Here’s what Jarrett and Ernesto had to say:
Boxinginsider.com: The Frank Galarza fight in November of 2015 was your first ten rounder – you caught Galarza with two really huge uppercuts. Did you all expect him to be vulnerable to that punch or was that a mid-fight adjustment?
Jarrett Hurd: Well, it’s really the way we threw the upper cut. Galarza was used to the basic jab and, right after, the right hand, and after that, the hook. We tried to switch it up, after the jab, or we may lead with the right hand, and bring the uppercut underneath. So, it was the way we switched up the combination. He maybe shoots his left hand up to block the first right, but I come up underneath with the uppercut, and it catches him off guard every time.
Boxing Insider: Your next big fight was Oscar Molina on the Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter undercard in June of 2016. Would you characterize that as your breakout fight? How do you see that in your progression?
JH: I would say that Frank Galarza was my breakout fight, but the Oscar Molina fight was the icing on the cake, letting the people know I was the real deal. The Molina fight was [important for] not only the performance I put on, but it was on one of the biggest cards of 2016, Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter – I was on the big stage, under the big lights, opening up for those guys. And the performance I put on let everyone know I was ready for the big time.
Boxing Insider: Did you take any lessons away from the Molina fight, going ten rounds with a former Olympian and a guy who was 13-0 at the time?
JH: Yes, most definitely. We knew the first couple of rounds were going to be competitive because Molina was an Olympian. Going in into the fight, I wanted to work off the jab – that’s what my trainer taught me – we wanted to beat him from the outside. The fight would have been more technical that way. So, going into the fourth round, we wanted to make it a closer fight. Many guys think, because I am tall and rangy that I don’t have a good inside game, but now they know. I switched the game plan up into close quarters and showed him a whole different style.
From that fight I learned, basically, to adjust and switch a game plan between fights and during fights.
Boxing Insider: Did you think you were going to get a stoppage during the tenth round? What were your emotions like when the referee stopped the bout?
JH: You know, he survived the whole fight, so going into the tenth I didn’t really think I was going to stop him. I knew it was the last round and I wanted to pick it up. In the process of picking up [the pace] I got the stoppage. Not only did I fight a great fight throughout the ten rounds, I actually closed the show, so that was a plus for me.
Boxing Insider: I was in Philly for the Jo Jo Dan fight this past November; how would you evaluate your performance in that bout?
JH: Out of my three ten-round fights, I felt that Jo Jo Dan was not my best performance. It wasn’t because I didn’t have a big uppercut or a highlight knockdown, or anything like that, it was I think that I allowed myself to perform at his level. You know, because he didn’t have power and because I wasn’t afraid of his power, I kind of got lazy on my defense.
Boxing Insider: Were you prepared for the amount of in-fighting that he did? He wasn’t head-butting, but he did lead with his head and tried to push you around.
JH: Yeah, he was trying to use some veteran tactics. As I said, it was more that his power didn’t do much. I was not watching out for little things. I went to my corner, and they said: hey, you’re not moving your head. He didn’t have much power, but you don’t want to get hit with unnecessary punches. So that’s when I started boxing a little more.
Boxing Insider: That brings us to Tony Harrison, February 25th, the co-main event on FOX and Sky in England, so this is a big arena. But you’ve fought at Barclays in Brooklyn, Hard Rock in Vegas, the Prudential Center in Newark — what’s it like going on this kind of big stage, or are you just focused on your job?
JH: I’m just focused on the job, you know. Maybe the first two fights, Galarza and Molina, it was kind of exciting to get under the lights. But now it’s second nature. When it’s time to go out there and fight, I don’t let it affect me. I get nervous and butterflies, just because I want to go out and perform, not because of the crowd I’m in front of.
Boxing Insider: This next question is for Ernesto. How much do you game plan for a specific opponent, or do you say “here are Jarrett’s strengths, and he has to beat us?” Where is the balance there?
Ernesto Rodriguez: Well, the way I look at it, styles make fights. The style of a fighter will determine the adjustment for us, how easy or how difficult a fight will be and what adjustments we need to make. Like it was for Galarza, I saw a lot of mistakes that he made, like leaning in after throwing his right hand. We worked on that uppercut in the gym, specifically for that counterpunch. We knew that Molina was an Olympian, that he was aggressive and would come in, and that same uppercut he threw in the first round — we worked on that in the gym, you know, and it set the tone. For Jo Jo Dan, a southpaw, we worked on counterpunches. And now, for Tony Harrison, he’s a fighter that fights on his front foot, puts a lot of weight on his punches coming forward. In my opinion, he is tailor-made for counter punches from Jarrett, [we’ll] let him run into punches. A lot of people expect this to be a very difficult fight, but in my opinion, in won’t be.
Boxing Insider: It suits Jarrett’s style, in your view?
ER: Right. He is tailor-made for Jarrett to maneuver and be patient, and to set the tone and stop him.
Boxing Insider: Jarrett, as you said, you’re a big guy, 6’ 1’’ and rangy, what’s the process of making weight like for you?
Jarrett Hurd: Weight is never a problem. As a matter of fact, I’ve always come in under weight. I usually make the weight the day before the weigh-in, and we usually don’t work out the day of the weigh-in.
Boxing Insider: What is it like in that last hour before a bout, when you are back stage with your team? Are you guys getting focused, are you talking, are you loose? What is going through your mind and what’s happening back there?
JH: We are warming up and they [my team] are always in my ear, motivating me. They are telling me, you’ve put in all this work. The phrase we always use is: don’t leave no stones unturned. We feel like we’ve put in all the work we were supposed to in the camp, we did all the things that were necessary, so going out there, we have no doubts, no second guessing. We’ve done everything right. So they [my team] are just motivating me, but also making sure I’m relaxed and ready to go out there and fight.
Ernesto Rodriguez: We always pray before we go out.
Jarrett Hurd: Most definitely, we always say a prayer.
Boxing Insider: Obviously you don’t look past anyone in this business, but what are your goals for the year?
JH: Well, win the title! Every boxer’s dream and I know this year, its coming. When you turn professional, you know, you’ve seen your idols win world titles, and that’s something I want to do. To win world titles and to leave this sport with my health, those are the two things I want to do.
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Dusty Hernandez-Harrison and Thomas “Cornflake” Lamanna Rock the House at the Philly Arena!
By: Ken Hissner
This was a Peltz Boxing Promotion with GH-3 who has a good young group of boxers and on a Thursday night. CBS Sports Center will televise the show. The place was packed with standing room only. This one goes back to Ward and Gatti without the hoopla.
Photo Credit: Darryl Cobb Jr.
No. 4 Thomas “Cornflake” Lamanna, 21-2 (9), of Millville, NJ, was defeated by No. 1 Dusty Hernandez-Harrison, 30-0-1 (16), of South East D.C. for the vacant USBA welterweight title. “I thought he won 6-4 not like the wide scores,” said Lamanna.
In the opening round Hernandez-Harrison moved around the ring countering well. Lamanna seemed to have problems with the speed of his opponent. In the second round Hernandez-Harrison landed a 3-punch combination. Lamanna is having a problem hitting the elusive Hernandez-Harrison.
In the third round Lamanna flurried having Hernandez-Harrison against the ropes only to have Hernandez-Harrison come back with 3 left hooks. Lamanna came out all fired up landing half a dozen punches without return. Things started heating up in the third round.
In the fourth round a lead right by Hernandez-Harrison rocked Lamanna who came back with a flurry of punches. In the fifth round Lamanna was doing well which seemed to anger Hernandez-Harrison who came back punching Lamanna around the ring. Lamanna has swelling around both eyes. In the sixth round Hernandez-Harrison is putting more behind his punches. Both boxers have plenty of fans in the crowd.
In the seventh round Lamanna landed a power right to the head of Hernandez-Harrison who was holding on. A half a round later it was all Hernandez-Harrison. In the eighth round both went back and forth controlling the round but Hernandez-Harrison’s hand and foot speed always keeps him one step ahead of Lamanna.
In the ninth round it’s more action from both but Hernandez-Harrison continues to batter Lamanna whose eyes are swelling while Hernandez-Harrison is unmarked. In the tenth and final round the fans are yelling “Dusty, Dusty”, as he is looking for a knockout to avoid a hometown decision. This was one of the best fights seen here in sometime with one from Millville and the other D.C.
Judges Bernard Bruni had it 98-92 while judges Tom Schreck and Dana DePaolo had it 97-93 while this writer had it 100-90.
In the co-feature former NFL player Ray “Cincinnati Kid” Edwards, 11-0-1 (7), out of Cinn., OH, won a 6 round decision over southpaw New Jersey champion Dan Pasciolla, 8-1-1 (0), out of Brick, NJ.
In the first two rounds it was the light punching Pasciolla who was taking good body shots from Edwards. The action was very slow. In the third round and fourth rounds Edwards was too strong for Pasciolla.
In the fifth and sixth rounds Pasciolla got his jab in but it wasn’t enough to offset Edwards.
Atlantic City’s Anthony “Juice” Young 14-2 (6) easily stopped Malik “The Freak” Jackson, 3-10-4 (2), of Newark, NJ, at the end of the fourth round stopped by ring physician.
In the opening round a hard right by Young to the head of Jackson dropped him. Referee Clark gave him the 8 count. Jackson did what he had to do to get through the round.
On paper it looked like a mismatch and this writer was surprised Boxing Director Greg Sirb approved it.
In the second round it was more of the same but Jackson staying on his feet. In the third round Jackson’s corner is yelling out instructions but one wonders how they put him in with Young. In the fourth round Young continued bombing Jackson who has little power to hold Young off. A left uppercut to the midsection by Young dropped Jackson At the bell a left hook by Young to the head had Jackson out on his fight.
His corner should have stopped it but it took the ring physician to do it. This was a total mismatch from the time they signed the contracts. Working the corner for Young was Chino Rivas assisted by Rashiem Jefferson.
The Hottest prospect in Philly since 1984 Olympic Gold medalist Meldrick Taylor is Philly’s Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 6-0 (5), from the Germantown section of the city who showed flashes of greatness and needed a fight like Eddie Diaz, 2-4-2 (0), of Compton, CA, gave him. “I should have done better,” said Ennis. You can’t knock everybody out!
In the opening round Ennis came out orthodox showing very fast hands and going to the body of Diaz. Diaz managed to get some punches to the chin of Ennis. In the second round Ennis continued looking terrific but anytime you are in with a fighter from Compton, CA, which is possibly the baddest city in the country you have to be aware he came to fight. Diaz had a small cut outside of his right eye.
In the third round Diaz would take 3 to land 1 which was usually a right to the head of Ennis. The round was won by Ennis but he got rocked at the bell with a Diaz right to the chin. In the fourth and final round Ennis could not hurt Diaz who was one tough fighter. So Ennis continue to throw combinations and uppercuts to the body of Diaz who never took a back step. Ennis needed a fight like this. “We aren’t taking anymore 143 fights. We will move up to 147,” said Bozy Ennis. The young Ennis had an ice pack on his left hand.
Two judges had it 40-36 and one 39-37. This writer had it 40-36.
In a rematch bantamweight Leroy “Luscious” Davila, 3-0 (1), out of New Brunswick, NJ, had Edgar Torres, 3-4 (0), of Vineland, NJ, on the canvas 3 times with the final one in the second round at 2:03.
Both southpaws scoring well while Davila was very conservative with his punches when all of a sudden out of nowhere he drops Cortes not once but twice. Referee Rosato gave him he the 8 count both times. In the second round Cortes walked right into a lead straight left from Davila putting Cortes on the canvas almost knocked out. Referee Rosato wisely halted it and in no time the ring physician was in the ring administering to Cortes.
Junior welterweight Kenneth “Bossman” Sims, Jr., 7-0 (2), out of Chicago, won a hard fought 6 round decision over Gilbert “Gordo” Venegas, 14-24-5 (8), of E. Moline, IL.
In the opening round Sims goes from orthodox to southpaw having his way with tough veteran Venegas. In the second and third rounds Simms continues to show his skills while Venegas lands an occasional overhand right to the head of Sims. Left hooks by Sims are rocking the iron jawed Venegas.
In the fourth round Sims lands a 3-punch combination and follows with a flurry of punches. In the fifth round Venegas has a small cut along the eyebrow of his left eye. In the sixth and final round Venegas lands his best punch of the fight an overhand right to the head of Simms. This is probably the best round of the fight as both fighters were still throwing leather at the bell!
Judges Gail Jasper, Tom Schreck and Dana Depaolo had it 60-54 as did this writer. Sims was very impressive.
Good looking lightweight Devin “The Dream” Haney, 10-0 (6), out of Las Vegas, defeated southpaw “Mighty” Mike Fowler, 5-3 (2), out of Milwaukees over 8 rounds.
In the opening round Fowler controlled the first half before Haney got his rhythm together and took the second half. In the second and third round Haney unloaded on Fowler who is doing very little in return.
In the fourth Haney is landing 3 punches at a time as the nose of Fowler is bleeding. In the fifth round Haney continued to rock Fowler until referee Rosato wisely halted the fight. ”I fought a good fight especially going to the body,” said Haney. He is one to watch!
In the opening bout a war broke out. Darryl “Dreamking” Bunting, 2-1-2 (1), of Asbury Park, NJ, was stopped by Darryl Gause, 2-0 (1), of Vineland, NJ, in a super middleweight match at 2:14 of the second.
In the opening round it was a slugfest with Bunting having the edge until a right hand from Gause had him out on his feet. It looked like referee Dali might stop it. He gave him a standing count at the bell. In the second round the slugfest continued until once again a Gause right hand drove Bunting across the ring into the ropes Gause jumped on him and referee Dali wisely halted the action.
Ring announcer was Mark Fratto.
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Thomas “Cornflake” Lamanna & Dusty Hernandez-Harrison Thursday in Philly Arena!
By: Ken Hissner
You don’t always see two white fighters headlining but Thursday at the 2300 Arena in the Philly Arena a Peltz Boxing Promotion should be a good one and a flip of the coin who the winner will be! CBS Sports Center will televise the show.
Thomas “Cornflake” Lamanna, 21-1 (9), of Millville, NJ, who has won his last five fights and Dusty Hernandez-Harrison, 29-0-1 (16), of D.C. for the vacant USBA welterweight title.
Harrison-Hernandez is coming off a brutal draw and the first event if I am not mistaken without his father Buddy Harrison. Winning the USBA title usually guarantees a ranking in the IBF. In the July USBA ratings Hernandez-Harrison was No. 1 and Lamanna No. 4.
The 8 fight show has Atlantic City’s Anthony “Juice” Young 13-2 (5) against Malik Jackson, 3-9-4 (2), of Newark, NJ, who is a “spoiler”.
Heavyweight Ray “The Cincinnati Kid” Edwards, 11-0-1 (7), of Cinn., OH, is a former football player at Purdue University. His opponent is southpaw Dan Pasciolla, 8-1-1 (0), of Brick, NJ, whose latest win over former IBF Cruiserweight champion Imau Mayfield for the NJ, state title fight was his best showing to date.
The Hottest prospect in Philly since 1984 Olympic Gold medalist Meldrick Taylor is Philly’s Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 5-0 (5), who has been fighting once a month since turning professional has his father “Bozy” Ennis in his corner. His opponent which would be his toughest to date is Eddie Diaz, 2-4-2 (0), of Torrance, CA, welterweight match-up.
A good prospect is bantamweight Leroy “Luscious” Davila, 2-0 (0), out of New Brunswick, NJ, taking on Edgar Torres, 3-3 (0), of Vineland, NJ. Welterweight Kenneth “Bossman” Sims, Jr., 7-0 (2), out of Chicago meets up with Gilbert Venegas, 14-24-5 (8), of E. Moline, IL. Devin “The Dream” Haney, 9-0 (5), out of Las Vegas battles Mike Fowler, 5-2 (2), out of Milwaukee in a lightweight match. Darryl “Dreamking” Bunting, 2-0-2 (1), of Asbury Park, NJ, meets Darryl Gause, 1-0 (0), of Vineland, NJ, in a super middleweight match.
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Boxing Insider Notebook: Pacquiao, Mayweather, Bute, Guerreo, Harrison, LaManna, and more..
By: William Holmes
The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of August 9th to August 16th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.
Pacquiao vs. Vargas Official for November 5th
Manny Pacquiao has made it official; he will be fighting Jessie Vargas on November 5th at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bob Arum confirmed the fight announcement to ESPN after meeting with Pacquiao and Michael Koncz in the Philippines to go over the details.
Terence Crawford was in the running to be Pacquiao’s next opponent, but Vargas won out despite being the lesser draw.
Vargas is coming off of a ninth round knockout of Sadam Ali.
TMZ Sports Reports One of Floyd Mayweather’s Bodyguards Accused of Battery
One of Floyd Mayweather’s gigantic bodyguards has been accused of roughing up a restaurant patron during a heated altercation over the weekend — and it all culminated in a citizen’s arrest.
TMZ Sports has learned … Mayweather and his security team hit up Hot N Juicy Crawfish in Vegas on Sunday afternoon.
Sources tell them … a verbal altercation broke out between Mayweather’s team and a male/female couple at a nearby table, who were teasing Floyd that they were Pacquiao fans.
We’re told things escalated when the couple whipped out their cell phones and began shooting video of Floyd’s crew.
The couple claims a bodyguard, who goes by the name Big Pat, grabbed their phone away and wouldn’t give it back … and pushed the man in the process.
The Henderson PD confirms they were called to the scene and the alleged victim told them he wanted to make a citizen’s arrest … which essentially means he wants to press charges for battery.
Cops are investigating. Big Pat has not been charged with a crime and Mayweather’s camp is not commenting.
Read More at http://www.tmz.com/2016/08/10/floyd-mayweather-bodyguard-battery-citizens-arrest/
Bute Claims He’s the Victim of a Tainted Supplement
Former world champion Lucian Bute learned late yesterday afternoon that the test of his “B” sample was positive, as was his “A” sample, which was no surprise and these findings were welcomed by Lucian and his team.
When the initial announcement of the positive result revealed Ostarine, Lucian didn’t understand what could have happened, hence his disbelief of the situation yet hope regarding test results of his sample “B”. At that time it was announced extensive research would be conducted to find out what really happened. Today, more than ever, Lucian says he never knowingly used illegal products during his illustrious career in professional boxing.
To assist in his search for truth, Lucian retained the services of a Los Angeles-based lawyer, Howard Jacobs, who requested all nutritious supplement products used by Bute during in his training camp for the fight against Badou Jack.
KorvalLabs, an accredited laboratory in California specializing in sport, was mandated to carry out all of the analyzes, and results were obtained Monday.
However, analysis of a product named Dynamita recovery, made by Pharmagenic laboratory in San Diego, California, contained traces of contamination, Ostarine.
The supplement formula prescribed by physical trainer Angel Heredia (see photos) had to be perfectly free of all illegal substances in its composition, meaning, unfortunately, it had been contaminated during preparation of this supplement at the Pharmagenic laboratory.
Responsibility for the detection of Ostarine in Bute’s tests was totally up to Pharmagenic laboratory in San Diego. Bute and his lawyer intend to pursue legal proceedings against the laboratory that has caused irreparable harm to the integrity and reputation of the former IBF super middleweight champion.
Details of the investigation were forwarded to the athletic commission in Washington DC, which will therefore be inviting Bute to enable representations and explanations of what happened before it takes a decision.
Meanwhile, Lucian Bute is in training at the gym of the Grant brothers regularly, does not put his career in question and is determined to take all means to become world champion in his division once the details of this case are fully set.
Robert Guerrero Press Conference Quotes
Former multiple division world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (33-4-1, 18 KOs) will bring his exciting style to the ring as he looks to put on a show when he he headlines Premier Boxing Champions on Spike against Argentine slugger David Emanuel Peralta (25-2-1, 14 KOs) Saturday, August 27 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Guerrero, along with his trainer and father Ruben Guerrero, have put together another successful camp in the Bay Area as Robert looks to earn another opportunity at the top fighters in the sport. Here is what Guerrero had to say about his matchup, training camp and more:
On fighting in a special weekend edition of MMA and Boxing on Spike…
“It’s going to be a great weekend of fights on Spike. On Friday, you got top level MMA fighters like Benson Henderson throwing down. He’s always giving the fans their money’s worth. On Saturday, you got Alfredo Angulo and myself, who always bring excitement to the ring. We’re never in boring fights. All in all, there’s going to be a lot of action packed fights that weekend. Everyone should be tuning in that’s for sure.”
On his recent training camp…
“There’s been a lot of hard work that’s been put into this recent training camp. My dad and I have been grinding daily to get ready for this fight. It’s been a productive camp though. I got a lot of rounds sparring with top guys. I’m in tip top shape and ready to go.”
On facing tough Argentine David Emanuel Peralta…
“Anytime you’re facing a fighter from Argentina you know you’re in for a tough fight. Peralta knows this is his chance to make a name for himself so I know he’s coming with his very best. He’s had a lot of time to prepare for this fight but I’ll be well prepared for anything he brings. He’s going to realize once he’s in the ring with me that I’m not some washed up fighter like some may think. I got plenty of fight left in me and Peralta will find out what I’m all about on August 27th.”
On the importance of coming out victorious..
“It’s very important that I win this fight at all cost. The welterweight division has plenty of good fighters that I want to get in the ring with. So it’s a must that I win this fight. I’m not taking Peralta lightly. I’m coming to win and win impressively.”
On fighting in Anaheim at the Honda Center…
“Anytime you’re fighting in Southern California, you know the fans are going to be passionate about the fights. They love to see a lot of action and that’s exactly what they’ll see when I step in the ring. The Honda Center is a top level venue where the fans will all have a great seat. I’m looking forward to fighting in front of the SoCal fans once again.”
Greg Cohen Promotions Signs Samuel Clarkson
Greg Cohen Promotions proudly announces the signing of red-hot light heavyweight contender Samuel “Main Event” Clarkson to a co-promotional agreement, along with Ronson Frank’s Uprising Promotions LLC.
25-year-old Clarkson (17-3, 11 KOs), from Cedar Hill, Texas, had a sensational year in 2015, scoring five wins, including two impressive ShoBox: The New Generation-televised victories over then 15-1 Lavarn Harvell (TKO 2) and then 13-1 Jerry Odom (TKO 3).
Clarkson also beat former world title challenger Cedric Agnew (then 27-1) by decision on DiBella Entertainment’s Broadway Boxing.
Trained by his father, Samuel Sr., since starting in boxing at age 17, the southpaw Clarkson went 69-9 as an amateur, winning the 2009 National PAL Amateur Championship and a pair of Texas Golden Gloves State Championships.
“It’s a blessing,” said Clarkson of the signing. “We sat down and talked to Greg Cohen about the opportunities he could offer me and my family in the boxing business and I’m looking forward to a very bright future.”
Clarkson says his streak of impressive victories started when he began to focus on more than his punching power.
“In my amateur days, I had a lot of knockouts,” he explained. “I knocked out everybody, but then in the pros I started to focus more on my boxing skills. I learned you can’t just go in there and swing hard punches and knock everybody out. I dissect my opponents now before getting them out of there. I pick them apart and then, when I see somebody hurt, I go in for the kill. That’s the biggest change in me.”
LaManna and Hernandez-Harrison Set to Battle September 15th
Welterweights Thomas LaManna and Dusty Hernandez-Harrison will square off in a scheduled 10-round bout for the vacant USBA Welterweight title on Thursday, Sept. 15, in a highly anticipated showdown at the 2300 Arena. The card is promoted by Final Forum Boxing, Peltz Boxing Promotions & GH3 Promotions and will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
“This is the kind of fight boxing needs at this juncture,” said Hall-of-Fame promoter and matchmaker J Russell Peltz. “We have two young prospects at the same level meeting in a logical location–New Jersey against Washington, D.C. in Philadelphia. Boxing needs more fights like this in this kind of setting. This is the best fight for each of these fighters at this point of their careers.”
The wick for this explosive fight was lit several years ago when LaManna and Hernandez-Harrison engaged in heated sparring sessions which forged the rivalry for the inevitable bout.
LaManna, 24, of Millville, NJ, has a record of 21-1, 9 K0s. He has been fighting regularly on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ, since turning pro in 2011. He won his first 16 bouts, highlighted by wins over Ashandi Gibbs, of Tampa, FL, and Jamaal Davis, of Philadelphia. Since suffering his only loss to world-ranked middleweight Antoine Douglas, of Burke, VA, last year in a ShoBox-televised contest, LaManna moved back down to welterweight and has won five matches in a row. In his last fight July 22 at the Claridge in Atlantic City, Lamanna, knocked out Engleberto Valenzuela, of Mexico, in the first round.
“I’ve been looking forward to this fight for a long time,” said LaManna. “Our careers have run parallel. Dusty will bring plenty of fans to support him that night and the same goes for me. It’s an intriguing match for both of us and it’s in a natural setting where it belongs.”
Hernandez-Harrison, 22, of Washington, DC, is 29-0-1, 21K0s. He has been touted as the city’s “best boxing prospect since Sugar Ray Leonard” by the Washington Magazine.
He began fighting at the age of 6 in a boxing exhibition at the Ritz Nightclub in Northwest D.C. and became a sanctioned amateur at the age of 8.
Hernandez-Harrison compiled an amateur record of 167-30, winning Ringside World Championships, National Silver Gloves Championships and three consecutive National Golden Gloves Championships from 2007 to 2009. He turned pro in 2011 at the age of 17 in Mississippi, the youngest licensed pro boxer at the time.
Under the promotional banner of Roc Nation, Hernandez-Harrison has wins over Tim Witherspoon, Jr., of Philadelphia, Tommy Rainone, of New York, and Michael Clark, of Columbus, OH. His fights have been televised by ESPN, Fox Sports 1 and BET and he recently entered into agreements with FILA and GEICO to be a brand ambassador, the only professional boxer to represent each prestigious company.
“This is a big opportunity for both of us,” said Hernandez-Harrison “The winner will get a Top 15 world ranking by the IBF and that’s what this is about. I have known Thomas for a long time, but that all goes out the window when we step into the ring.
Slovenia Braces For Big WBF Convention Event
Slovenia is beginning to look forward to the upcoming World Boxing Federation (WBF) World Convention in Maribor (Sept. 22 – 25) in a big way.
As delegates from all over the world will be making their way to the small, but sports-crazy country, champions past and present, headed by local icon Jan Zaveck (Dejan Zavec), former world Light Heavyweight champion Donny “Golden Boy” Lalonde of Canada and first and foremost Italian superstar and all-time great Nino Benvenuti, to name but a few, have confirmed their presence at Maribor.
Meanwhile, RTV Slovenija national television have announced to not just cover the WBF Championship Boxing Night on the Saturday (Sept. 24), but also broadcast the Official Opening Ceremony of the WBF World Convention.
As if to underline the importance of the occasion, several honoraries will attend, among them Mr. Andrej Fistravec, mayor of Maribor, Mr. Bogdan Gabrovec and Mr. Tomaz Barada, President and Vice President of the National Slovenian Olympic Committee respectively.
Don’t miss what shapes up to be the biggest event in the history of the World Boxing Federation, dating back to its founding in 1988 in the USA, by registering today. Click here http://worldboxingfederation.net/articles/WBF-Convention-2016.pdf for the Registration Form.
Karim Mayfield Plans Big Surprise for Eyubov
If the team behind Bakhtiyar Eyubov think his next fight will be another easy showcase for their unbeaten welterweight, his opponent, Karim Mayfield has a message.
“He’s a very strong guy, but I’m more experienced than he is for sure,” said Mayfield. “He comes out looking for the first-round knockout by swinging with everything he’s got and he’s going to find it doesn’t work on me.”
Mayfield (19-3-1, 11 KOs), of San Francisco, will take on Kazakhstan’s Eyubov (10-0, 10 KOs) in the 10-round opening fight on ShoBox: The New Generation® on Friday, Aug. 19, live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, N.Y.
In the 10-round main event, power-punching Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (17-0-1, 15 KOs) will take on smooth veteran Fred Kassi (18-5-1, 10 KOs) for the NABO Heavyweight Title. In the 10-round co-featured bout, top prospect Mason Menard (31-1, 23 KOs) will face tough Bahodir Mamadjonov (19-2, 11 KOs) in a 10-round battle for the NABO Lightweight Title. Also featured is WBO NABO Bantamweight Champion Antonio Nieves (16-0-1, 8 KOs) of Cleveland, Ohio, defending his title against Alejandro “Peque” Santiago (11-2-1, 3 KOs), of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
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Showtime World Championship Boxing Results: Frampton Decisions Santa Cruz in Slugfest, Harrison and Garcia Win by TKO
By: William Holmes
Tonight’s edition of Showtime Championship Boxing was presented by Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and broadcast live from the Barcalys Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The undercard was packed with televised worthy bouts. Amanda Serrano was able to retain her WBO World Featherweight Championship with a first round TKO over Calixta Silgado. This victory sets up a possible title fight with fellow undefeated Heather “The Heat” Hardy, who was in attendance and watched the bout keenly from ringside.
Two bouts were televised on Showtime Extreme before the start of the main card on showtime. Tevin Farmer was able to score a mild upset over Ivan Redkach with scores of 99-89, 98-90, and 98-90 in the lightweight division. Paulie Malignaggi faced off against Gabriel Bracero in the main event of Showtime Extreme and was able to win the decision victory in the welterweight division with scores of 96-94, 98-92, and 98-92.
Photo Credit: Andy Samuelson/Premier Boxing Champions
The first televised bout on Showtime was between Tony Harrison (23-1) and Sergey Rabchenko (27-1) in the junior middleweight division.
Tony Harrison, a Detroit native that was formerly trained by the late Emmanuel Steward, is a boxer with a lot of promise that lost some of his luster when he was upset by Willie Nelson.
Both boxers fought out of an orthodox stance and felt each other out in the opening round. Harrison began to throw more straight right hands and combinations in the second round and was starting to find his target.
Rabchenko was more aggressive in the third and fourth rounds than Harrison, but he wasn’t able to land many punches of significance as Harrison was able to keep his jab in the face of Rabchenko and out of range.
The fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds played out like the earlier rounds, with Harrison pop shotting Rabchenko but not taking any risks to try and finish the fight.
Fans were starting to boo the action in the seventh round and that continued into the eighth, though Harrison was able to land some hard left hooks to the head of Rabchenko.
Harrison scored a knockdown n the ninth round with crisp straight right hand to the temple of Rabchenko that put him on wobbly legs and down to the mat. He was able to get up before the ten count but still had shaky legs and waived off the bout.
Tony Harrison wins by TKO at 1:18 of the ninth round.
Mikey Garcia (34-0) returned from a two year layoff to face Elio Rojas (24-2) in the Super Lightweight Division in the co-main event of the night.
Garcia refused to touch the gloves of Rojas at the start of the bout. Garcia looked good, physically, in the junior welterweight division, but was tentative in the opening round and might have given it away on inactivity alone.
Rojas threw more punches and landed more punches than Garcia in the second round, but Garcia started to warm up near the end and was able to land a hard lead left hook and straight right hand.
Garcia started off the third round by landing some piston like jabs and was chasing Rojas around the ring. He was able to land a short left hook out of nowhere that sent Rojas to the mat and on one knee. Rojas was able to get back to his feet and land some counter punches when the action continued, but was cracked with a hard straight right hand that sent him to the mat for a second time. Rojas, to his credit, was able to survive the round and second knockdown.
Rojas was able to stay on his feet in the fourth round and connect with an occasional straight right hand, Garcia, however, pressed forward the entire round and landed the heavier shots in the round.
Garcia scored another knockdown in the fifth round with a straight right hand. Rojas beat the count again, but got cracked with a left hook from Garcia that sent him to the mat for the fourth, and final time.
Mikey Garcia wins by TKO at 2:02 of the fifth round.
The main event of the evening was between Leo Santa Cruz (32-0-1) and Carl Frampton (22-0) for the WBA World Featherweight Championship.
The upper sections in the Barclays Center were closed off, but the bottom half of the arena was packed and many fans of Carl Frampton were in attendance and were very loud and supportive of their fighter and very hostile towards Santa Cruz.
The crowd was deafening in the opening round and both boxers seemed content with trading leather rather than feeling each other out. Santa Cruz appeared to have landed more, but the crowd roared every time Frampton landed a punch and may have titled the scorecards in his favor.
The crowd continued to sing in the second round to spur their fighter on, and Frampton got them exited when he rocked Santa Cruz with a counter left hook and sent him stumbling backwards. Santa Cruz was able to stay on his feet, and land good shots of his own, but that punch likely won Frampton the round.
Santa Cruz looked recovered by the third round and continued to come forward throwing a high volume of punches, but Frampton landed several crisp counters and dug in some heavy body shots.
The fourth round had several good exchanges, but Santa Cruz appeared to land the higher number of punches and caught Frampton by surprise with a good right hand to the temple. Both fighters landed, and took, several hard shots to the head.
The action slowed down in the fifth round, and the slow down clearly favored Frampton. His counter punches were more noticeable this round and Santa Cruz looked frustrated.
The action picked up again in the sixth round and featured both boxers standing in the middle of the ring and exchanging and firing at will, but Santa Cruz appeared to get the better of Frampton and did good work to the body and head.
Santa Cruz did state that he would begin to take over the fight in the sixth round in pre-fight interviews.
It looked in the seventh round that Santa Cruz’s prediction might come true, as he kept up the pressure and took the fight to Frampton. Frampton was still able to land an occasional counter, but he was not landing them as cleanly as he did in the opening rounds.
Frampton retook control in the eighth round by landing good shots to the body when in tight and connected on several hooks to the head of Santa Cruz.
Frampton did well in the opening minute of the ninth round and was matching the work rate of Santa Cruz, which not many people can do. However, Santa Cruz connected with two hard right hands near the end of the round and was doing some damage on Frampton when his back was against the ropes.
The tenth round could have been scored either way, as Santa Cruz pressed the action but Frampton was landing some good counter shots.
The eleventh round was one of Santa Cruz’s best rounds. He landed several hard right hands and appeared to hurt Frampton once or twice, but Frampton was able to land good shots of his own.
The crowd was on its feet in the final round and neither boxer could have felt comfortable going to the scorecards. Several violent exchanges were made in this round, and both boxers landed their fair share of punches and like several rounds before it, could have gone either way.
It was an exciting and action packed title fight. The judges scored it 114-114, 116-112, 117-111 for Carl Frampton for a majority decision victory.
Undercard Quick Recap:
Josh Taylor (6-0) defeated Evinii Dixon (7-15-1) by TKO at the end of the second round in the junior welterweight division.
Min-Wook Kim (16-1) defeated Louis Cruz (11-2-1) by TKO at 2:33 of the first round in the junior welterweight division.
Jose Gomez (8-0) defeated Josh Crespo (5-4-3) by TKO at 2:31 of the first round in the featherweight division.
Conrad Cummings (10-0-1) defeated Dante Moore (9-1-2) by decision with scores of 59-53, 58-54, and 58-54 in the middleweight division.
Amanda Serrano (29-1) retained her WBO World Featherweight Championship with a TKO victory over Calixta Silgado (14-7-3) at 1:41 of the first round.
Tevin Farmer (22-4-1) defeated Ivan Redkach (19-2-1) by decision with scores of 99-89, 98-90, and 98-90 in the lightweight division.
Paulie Malignaggi (36-7) defeated Gabriel Bracero (24-3) by scores of 96-94, 98-92, and 98-92 in the welterweight division.
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Throne Boxing on BET Results: Hernandez-Harrison Gets a Lucky Draw, Del Valle and Rock Win
By: William Holmes
Dusty Hernandez-Harrison fought in his home town of Washington, D.C. for a Roc Nation Throne Boxing event live on the BET network. The D.C. Armory was the host site for tonight.
The first fight of the night was between Orlando Del Valle (20-2) and Thomas Snow (18-2) in the featherweight division.
The opening round was a slow one, with Del Valle trying to press the pace but Snow kept him at bay with an occasional counter. Del Valle was missing most of his shots, but he finally connected with a clean straight right hand in the second round that hurt Snow and sent him to the mat. Del Valle tried to swarm Snow when he got back to his feet, but Snow was able to survive.
Del Valle started off the third round aggressively and connected with a hard left hook to the temple of Snow that sent him down for the second time of the night. Snow got back to his feet again, but took hard shots to the body from Del Valle and tried to tie up to slow down the assaults of Del Valle.
Snow was able to avoid another knockdown in the fourth round and fifth rounds as the action had slowed down, but it was Del Valle who had the rounds won comfortably.
Snow’s best round came in the seventh round when he momentarily hurt Del Valle with a crisp straight left hand, but he wasn’t able to capitalize on it with a knockdown.
The fight went the full twelve rounds all three judges scored it 76-74 for Orlando Del Valle.
The next bout of the night was between Darmani Rock (0-0) and Carlos Black (1-3) in the heavyweight division.
Rock is considered by many to be a high ceiling prospect, and the Philadelphia native wasted little time in showing that he is worth the hype.
Black was able to touch Rock with a few jabs in the first round, but when Rock’s first left hook connected he had Black backing up and he followed it with another hard left hook followed by a straight right left hook combination that sent Rock to the floor.
Rock’s eyes are glassy and he was stumbling when he got back to his feet and the referee wisely stopped the fight.
Darmani Rocks wins by TKO at 1:54 of the first round.
Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (29-0) and Michael Dallas Jr. (21-3) met in the main event of the evening in the welterweight division.
Dallas had been in the ring with some good boxers before and he did not look intimidated at the sight of Hernandez-Harrison. He was active with his jab in the opening frame and clearly outworked the patient Hernandez-Harrison.
Dallas’ hustle continued in the second round and he constantly kept a fist in the body and head of Hernandez-Harrison, who seemed hesitant to let his hands go.
Dallas began to throw some power behind his punches in the third round and he had bruised up the left eye of Hernandez-Harrison. Dallas is consistently the first person to throw a punch whenever they are within range of each other.
Hernandez-Harrison tried to pick up the pressure in the fourth round, but Dallas’ faster hands continued to give him problems and Dallas was more accurate with his high volume of punches.
Hernandez-Harrison fought with more urgency in the fifth round and he had a decent round as he was able to land a few good right hands to the body and head, but Dallas fired back whenever he was punched. During one exchange Hernandez-Harrison was cracked with a hard right hand to his chin and he went to the floor. He got up at the count of eight, but looked like he was still hurt when he got back to his feet.
Dallas opened up the sixth round by throwing very hard shots to the head and body of Hernandez-Harrison and was connecting. Hernandez-Harrison could not keep up with the activity of Dallas and the power edge that Hernandez-Harrison showed that he had in some earlier exchanges had disappeared.
Despite keeping a high work rate, Dallas still looked fresh by the seventh round and was able to rip some hard digging shots to the body of Hernandez-Harrison. Hernandez-Harrison frustration began to show by the end of the seventh round and landed shots to the liver and threw a punch after being told by the referee to separate.
Hernandez-Harrison seemed to be way behind on the scorecards of most observers, but he scored a questionable knockdown in the eighth round when he struck Dallas with a low blow which forced him to take a knee. Dallas however, won the remainder of the round by landing looping hooks and short shots to the body.
Dallas looked like he was tiring by the ninth round but he was still winning the rounds and outworking Hernandez-Harrison. It looked to many that Hernandez-Harrison needed a knockout in the final round to win the bout, but that knockout never came despite the fact Hernandez-Harrison probably won the final round.
Despite the fact Dallas outworked Hernandez-Harrison for a majority of the fight, the judges wrongly scored the fight 96-92 Dallas Jr., 95-94 Hernandez-Harrison, 94-94 for a draw.
