Tag Archives: Haymon

Posted on 02/24/2017

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.

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 02/16/2017

Bounce TV Gets A Surprise(And Huge) Ratings Win With It’s PBC Broadcast
By: Sean Crose

Boxing fans and analysts can be a mean bunch. They can be a great bunch, sure, but they can be mean as hell at times. Indeed, some Twitter cranks I know might well openly admit their less than pleasant take on all things boxing. Here’s the thing, though – the nastiness can be grating as much as it can be (let’s face it) genuinely funny. Case in point: Bounce TV, a little-known cable network, has been running Premiere Boxing Champions fights for some time now. And it’s practically been laughed out of Dodge by the fight world’s know it alls.

The fights were crap. The broadcast team was crap. The production values were crap. There was nothing redeeming at all about such a joke of an operation and fight fans were essentially better off checking out bowling instead. So essentially went the word around the sewing circle. Then came last weekend. I wrote about Bounce TVs PBC card that Friday, and it was a doozy. Rising star Robert Easter did his thing, of course, but it was the two lead up fights before Easter’s appearance that made for truly thrilling television. The middleweight throwdown between Terrell Gausha and Luis Hernandez was most impressive. Same with Rau’shee Warren’s upset defeat at the gloves of Shanat Zhakiyaof in a bantamweight title scrap.

What’s, more the audience in Toledo, Ohio was alive and kicking, something fight fans don’t see much of outside of Europe these days. Oh, and the broadcast team, which included Austin Trout, was very likeable and not the least bit grating (unlike some broadcast teams can be at times). Little wonder, then, that Friday’s card did good ratings. What IS a surprise, however, is that the card actually did far better than good ratings. It did great ratings. Over a million pairs of eyeballs tuned into little known Bounce last weekend. That’s big news.

And good news, as well. Not just for Bounce and Al Haymon, the man behind Premiere Boxing Champions, but for the sport of boxing in general. When people in the seven figure range are going down the channel guide to watch some boxing, it’s always a good thing. Perhaps the most important element of last weekend’s success, however, was the fact that the fights were high quality. People talk when there’s exciting matches on television. They tell the internet, and all who read their words, what’s happening. And then people tune in. That’s something this sport’s powers that be seem to have forgotten.

Those of us who are of a certain age remember a time when, late on a winter Saturday afternoon, great boxing could be seen in less than glitzy locations, with live wire crowds and a genuine sense of excitement permeating throughout the broadcast. Last Friday’s Bounce card reminded me of those forgotten times. Which is why the joke is most certainly NOT on Bounce TV right now. Good boxing brings in good numbers. Sometimes that simple message happens to be delivered in unexpected ways.

Posted on 02/13/2017

Leo Santa Cruz: Is 3rd Time a Charm?
By: Francisco Martinez

Coming off a masterful performance that surprised most, Leo Santa Cruz channels his focus into a good deed. Using his superstar status to round up the masses in a charity event for a great cause. A humble beginning to Leo Santa Cruz life a beginning he hasn’t forgotten. Having grown up with no car and using the bus as means for transportation and at times a bicycle. Leo Santa Cruz has not forgotten where he comes from even with now being the owner of a 300k Lamborghini that he bout straight from Floyd Mayweather Jr. himself. The always humble Santa Cruz gives as much to his fans when outside the ring to when he’s inside the ring.

Holding a charity event that rounded up hundreds of his fans to give them the opportunity to own a piece of history as he raffled away his fight gear from the night he avanged his sole defeat by the hands of Carl Frampton “Whatever I can do to give back to all the people who helped me out and also the kids with cancer. It’s really hard to pay the bills so whatever I can do is my pleasure and I’ll do it with my heart” acts of kindness that those who know Leo Santa Cruz will say it’s not something he hasn’t done before.

Contributions from the raffling would be donated to the W.B.C. Cares program & Padres Contra El Cancer. Both programs aim to aid the fight against cancer by offering emotional and financial support. A cause Leo Santa Cruz aids with his full effort and ability to give back as he proved it by donating his ring attire for the benefit of both organizations and children around the world who have fallen ill. Visit WorldBoxingCares.com & IamHope.org for more information.

As for the boxing side of things for Leo Santa Cruz the 126lbs class is one of the most stacked divisions in boxing today. Apart from Leo Santa Cruz and his 2x rival Carl Frampton veteran Abner Mares & Lee Selby along with Oscar Valdez, Gary Russel Jr. all wait in the wings to possibly face Santa Cruz next. Who’s the biggest draw out of the division. The King Of L.A. a name earned back in 2015 when he soundly defeated Abner Mares in front of 13k fans at the Staples Center. A 3rd fight between Leo Santa Cruz & Carl Frampton would be the most lucrative in the division however it’s not certain if that fight is possibly next with the terms of the venue in the 3rd fight seeming to be a sticking point for both camps. As Carl Frampton stated right after the 2nd fight with Leo Santa Cruz

“Let’s do it again…I hope Leo is a man of his word. He said if there was a 3rd time he’d come to Belfast” However in boxing things don’t work like that. There’s a negotiation process and the venue is just one hurdle to making a fight of this magnitude possible. Leo Santa Cruz won’t confirm that a 3rd fight is being negotiated as we speak unlike Carl Frampton and his team are claiming “Like I said I’m a man of my word. If it was up to me I’d go fight him over there right now, already but I have to talk to my team, my manager cause I just can’t say I’m gonna go. Who’s gonna make the fight? I can’t just make that decision but if it was up to me and my manager asked me if I wanted to go fight over there I would say yes. It’s up to my promoter and team” he goes on to say

“I would like to fight him right away but Frampton wants to fight in Ireland so if the fight is not made over there I don’t know if he’s gonna want to fight me over here so if he fights somebody else, I’ll fight somebody else. Maybe unify against Lee Selby. A rematch against Abner Mares. There’s Oscar Valdez, Gary Russell, whoever. I’m willing to fight whoever. I want to fight the best and give the fans a great fight”

Leo Santa Cruz is more than willing to travel across the pond but his team is not so sure if that’s a good idea. One of the key members in Leo’s team is head trainer and father Don Jose Santa Cruz. Who’s say has a lot of influence over Leo. Don Jose had this to say about the potential of his son facing Carl Frampton for a 3rd time in Belfast, Northern Ireland “No, he can forget about another fight. He can come here and we’ll fight but we won’t go over there. They took the fight away (from us) in New York so if we go over there with more of a reason they’ll take it again. He can come over here and we’ll do it but over there, no”

Don Jose Santa Cruz admits Abner Mares deserves another crack at his son if the 3rd fight isn’t possible with Carl Frampton “There’s Mares. Mares deserves an opportunity” he also adds his thoughts on how he feels a potential rematch would play out with Abner Mares “To be honest I don’t know. They have somewhat of the same style. If Mares fights clean they can make a good fight but if he’s dirty like the first 3 rounds (like the 1st fight) it’s going to be a ugly fight but I’ll prepare him (Leo) so that he isn’t able to grab, hug him”

Leo Santa Cruz added this to the talk of an Abner Mares rematch “He did look like a different Mares but like I proved already I can change my tactics. Once I get up there I can see what style to fight him with and I’ll make it easier for me. I don’t think the fight will play out differently. I’ll still come out victorious. If he boxes me I’ll do different tactics. We’re gonna go with the perfect game plan to beat him. We’ll work on different styles. If he boxes, we can fight like that. If he brawls, we can fight like that. Whatever he comes with we’re gonna have an answer”

Just 2 weeks removed from his masterful performance over Carl Frampton, Leo Santa Cruz makes it known all top 126 pounders are options and from the sounds of it the trilogy with Carl Frampton will have to take place somewhere in the U.S. as Leo’s father made it clear they won’t risk having another fight taken away from them. Hopefully both teams, Frampton & Santa Cruz can come to terms in making this trilogy happen as it would go down in history as one of the greatest 3 fight series in boxing.

Follow BoxingInsider.com for the latest in boxing news.

Posted on 02/09/2017

Gerald Washington: Year of the Rooster
By: Francisco Martinez

After Alexander Povetkin & Andrzej Wawrzyk tested positive for performing enhancing drugs the WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder was left without a dancing partner until Gerald Washington quickly stepped up and claimed the empty slot for a shot at the green belt. Now setting up a February 25th showdown between himself & The Bronze Bomber Deontay Wilder at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama where Wilder has made 3 of his successful 4 title defenses. Last one coming against veteran Chris Arreola who Wilder stopped in 8 severe punishing rounds. However in the process of handing Arreola a brutal beatdown Wilder suffered a torn bicep and a broken hand.

Since having surgery to repair the damage & recovering Deontay Wilder is now set to defend his title against Gerald Washington who is aware of Wilder’s surgically repaired hand but insists that’s not in his focus whatsoever “I’m expecting the best Deontay Wilder there is. It’s gonna be the best. He’s the smartest that he’s ever been at this moment because he’s got most experience he’s ever had right now. I know he’s a dangerous fighter I just have to prepare for the best and I gotta be able to let my guns go too. I just can’t let him walk up on me and think he can fire for free. You gotta pay every time you come over here and I’m a be stepping to him too”

Gerald Washington’s Trainer John Pullman added this to the conversation of Deontay Wilder’s surgically repaired hand “I know he had surgery on his hand & bicep after his last fight but as far as me worrying about that being an issue in the fight, to me, I’m preparing for the best Deontay Wilder. We’re preparing for the best Deontay Wilder. We’re not preparing for a hurt Deontay Wilder cause we’re not banking on any of that. As far as I know he’s throwing his right hand as good as new as best as it’s ever been. We’re ready for the best Deontay Wilder that’s who we’re preparing for”

Upon laying your eyes on Gerald Washington you can quickly see he’s a naturally athletic individual standing 6 ft 5 in, about 240lbs the former U.S. Navy & USC college football star has made his transition into boxing a seamless one and his journey to a world title a well traveled one coming from Northern California the city of Vallejo joined by his long time trainer John Pullman who hails from Connecticut. Bouncing around from gym to gym until trainer John Pullman decided to open up his own in the city of Burbank in Southern California. Pullmans Gym is now home to both and have found great rhythm to their cohesive partnership which has lead to this point of their careers, a WBC heavyweight title opportunity an opportunity that Washington describes as a “blessing from God” as he goes on to say

“Its an amazing opportunity. We come here everyday, we work hard everyday right here, he opened up this gym, Pullmans gym in Burbank, California. We got the opportunity to bring the heavyweight championship of the world here to Burbank, Pullmans Gym. It means the world to us. He came all the way from Connecticut and I’m from Vallejo, California the Bay Area. I was in the military I went to USC I played football and I pursued my lifelong dream as a kid. I’m seeing my passion as being a boxer and look where I’m at now? I got the opportunity to take the bull by the horns and grasp the day and put my name on that list of great champions. That’s an amazing feeling for me and my family. It’s a proud moment for me and it’s something that I really want to capture so I’m a give it all I got”

John Pullman share the same passionate feelings and emotions as Gerald Washington as Pullman expresses “This is it right here. This is what you get into the business of boxing for. For opportunities like this. Gerald is very excited. We’re happy, we’re grateful. We’re excited for this opportunity but there’s a difference between being grateful and excited and satisfied. A lot of people get the chance for a world title and be happy to be there. That’s not how it really goes over here. We’re grateful for the opportunity but we’re not just happy for that. We’re not just happy to be there. We’re coming to do a job”

With 37 wins and 36 of those coming via knockout for Deontay Wilder obviously the clear & present danger is his devastating power. Gerald Washington unlike most heavyweights Wilder has faced utilizes a skillful footwork that only found in most fighters about two divisions below their weight. A skill Washington plans on using against the powerful knockout puncher Wilder “He has all the tools. He’s a big long guy. He’s strong. He’s got knockout power. He’s a big scary dude I got to go in there respecting him and everything he can do. I gotta be prepared for everything. I gotta be my best that night to capture the night. So I’m just working on sharpening my tools and be the best I can be”

BoxingInsider.com: “You have defense. You have good movement for a heavyweight, unnatural movement but you’ve seen how he’s landed on some of the guys and how he has put them down is that a concern for you stepping in there with a guy who has that kind power?”

Gerald Washington: “Every guy that I step into the ring with has power. I treat every guy like they’re Mike Tyson. In my mind I don’t want to get hit with anything. I’m an intellectual fighter. I like guys like Floyd Mayweather, Bernard Hopkins and Andre Ward. Those type of fighters who like to be smart and tactfully in the ring. That’s the type of fighter I gotta be man and use all those tools. If Hopkins can survive Kovalev than I can just be smart and I’m a be offensive too. I gotta mix everything together and put it all together”

February 25th at The Legacy Arena, the home of the Bronze Bomber, Deontay Wilder vs Gerald Washington is set for the heavyweight WBC championship of the world in a classic heavyweight match up where one punch can end it all. So tune in for this PBC on FOX telecast you won’t want to miss it.

Follow coverage of the fight by using #WilderWashington

Posted on 01/27/2017

Fool’s Gold: The demise of Golden Boy?
By: Kirk Jackson

When it rains, surely does it pour. The man referred to within the realms of boxing and entertainment as “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya, along with his boxing promotional company (Golden Boy Promotions), are involved in many headlines as of late.

Headlines involving racism, alcohol and drugs. There are headlines featuring displays of erratic, irresponsible, behavior.

Behavior that is not acceptable for the president of a company. Things that tend to have outsiders questioning the future stability of Golden Boy Promotions.

Perhaps demise is premature and impulsive. De La Hoya may even borrow a quote from famed American writer Mark Twain in stating, “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”

But the recent series of mishaps and controversies involving De La Hoya, in spite of the success of Golden Boy Promotions in previous years, along with the overall success of De La Hoya as a businessman post-boxing career, suggest turmoil at Golden Boy headquarters.

With his recent DUI and subsequent arrest, along with other documented issues involving substance abuse, including a stint in rehab in 2013, it’s fair to suggest De La Hoya is battling many opponents outside the ring.

It’s difficult to pinpoint when the problems started to mount for De La Hoya; it’s hard to gauge the context of personal problems he’s dealing with and it’s unfair to De La Hoya to do so.

But from a business perspective, there may be a trail leading to this current collection of fires. There is great significance with the departure of Richard Schafer from Golden Boy Promotions. Schafer left the company unceremoniously in 2014.

Schafer, armed with business acumen partially gained from experiences as a Swiss Banker, co-founded Golden Boy Promotions with De La Hoya in 2002 and was a key figure into establishing Golden Boy as a brand and into an ever-growing empire.

The overall landscape changed since Schafer’s departure and the company as whole lost much of its luster. Gone are the days of Marco Antonio Barrera, Shane Mosley and Ricky Hatton, standing in arms with their pugilistic compatriot De La Hoya.

The shine that sparkled and ignited many demographics of fighter and fan alike is no longer present. Schafer was not solely responsible for all of the success, but was a crucial component.

The relationship with boxing rival/business partner/annoyance Floyd Mayweather is no longer present. However we want to define the dynamic nature of their relationship, we can’t ignore the fact they did great business together.

Take a look at the numbers from Mayweather vs. De La Hoya fight in May of 2007. Their bout had approximately 2,480,000 HBO Pay-per-view buys and over $136,000,000 in revenue.

They also worked together with Mayweather facing Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez, Victor Ortiz, Saul Alvarez and others.
Whether they were fighting each other, or if Mayweather was fighting one of De La Hoya’s fighters, they generated the most money in the sport.

Segue into Al Haymon. Haymon is a financial advisor and manager – manages over 200 fighters.

He is the advisor and business partner of Mayweather. Haymon also works with Schafer. Heck, Haymon even works with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum (to a degree).

Haymon and De La Hoya were engaged in a court battle. Crossing swords with Haymon probably isn’t the wisest thing to do, especially from a business perspective.

There was a $300 million lawsuit filed by Golden Boy Promotions against Haymon and his enterprise dating back to 2015.

The lawsuit alleged Haymon violated antitrust laws and the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act in an attempt to monopolize boxing. The trial was set to begin in March of this year.

But U.S. District Judge John F. Walter of the Court of Central California dismissed Golden Boy Promotions’ $300 million lawsuit against Haymon and his various business entities.

The Judge granted Haymon’s motion for summary judgment, ending the lawsuit from De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
This highlights another blow for Golden Boy Promotions.

Which brings to attention the recent email revelations; specifically the racist dialogue contained within these messages. The offensive dialogue aimed at Haymon and the lack of many media outlets discussing it.

Emails referring to Haymon as a “Black Hitler-acting nigger,” among other unsavory, distasteful remarks.

This doesn’t directly imply De La Hoya as the main culprit, but it may shed light on the cultural structure of his company and what is deemed as acceptable behavior.

This exposure regarding these toxic emails also points to corruption and the lack of integrity amongst many boxing journalists.

What is the absolute truth is to be determined, but there should be more uproar, more coverage and questions regarding the matter.

This is another conversation in itself, but this is something involving Golden Boy Promotions because affiliates of the company accused Haymon of contemptible acts.

Not that Haymon is above accusation, but the language used, along with the biased perceptions and propaganda perpetuated by certain journalist and media outlets is irresponsible.

Regarding Haymon’s corruption, Judge Walter thought otherwise.

In rejecting Golden Boy’s allegations, Walter wrote, “Plaintiffs contend that Haymon Sports has used these provisions to force its boxers to work with ‘sham’ promoters and/or prevent its fighters from entering into contracts with Golden Boy and other ‘legitimate’ promoters.”
“However, not a single boxer has testified that he has been coerced into selecting a particular promoter or prevented from selecting the promoter of his choice. In fact, defendants have submitted the declarations of six boxers who testify directly to the contrary.”

Regarding the original series of emails, how are we to combat discrimination, racism, if we bypass this and look the other way?

Does De La Hoya want to take accountability for the character issues of his business partners and employees or is this a reflection of his core values?

As a reminder, yes you can employ people of a different background and still discriminate; former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers Donald Sterling is a prime example.

Golden Boy is down for the count, but not all is lost.

Golden Boy recently inked a deal with ESPN; a joint venture between the two companies including a multi-year, international agreement for a series of fights to be televised live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

Golden Boy also added Olympic medalist, former world champion, Yuriorkis Gamboa to the roster, which also includes Sadam Ali, Jorge Linares, Mauricio Herrera, David Lemieux, Gabriel Rosado, and other prominent fighters.

And they still have arguably the biggest draw in boxing, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

Although Alvarez endures a storm of criticism with his supposed reluctance to step in the ring with Gennady Golovkin.

There is a litany of things that must be resolved. From a business perspective, this involves court cases and match making.

From a personal and personnel perspective, this includes some form of rehabilitation and counseling for Oscar De La Hoya and associates.

Restoring the reputation and public perception should take precedence. No one is perfect, mistakes are made, that’s a given.

But redemption starts with De La Hoya first and foremost. He is the face of the company and one of the integral faces of boxing period.

Whether you fall on the side of supporter or detractor, this current state of De La Hoya is not a good look.

It’s been a busy week for Golden Boy Promotions. The path to recovery begins now.

Posted on 01/26/2017

Breaking News: Haymon Wins Legal Battle Against Golden Boy
By: Sean Crose

Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions has lost a lawsuit worth hundreds of millions of dollars against boxing guru Al Haymon, and his Premiere Boxing Champions series. John F Walters, the judge presiding, dismissed the case without prejudice. This is an important moment for Haymon. After his PBC enterprise was said to be hemorrhaging the money given to it by hedge fund Wadell and Reed, big fights involving Haymon fighters have finally been scheduled. And now that he’s won his battle with Golden Boy, which accused him of being a manager AND a promoter (which is illegal) the enigmatic Haymon can breathe a bit easier.

To be sure, Haymon, who doesn’t speak to the media, has been bombarded with allegations that he overpays his fighters (often for engaging in non-competitive matchups) and has worked to essentially create a boxing monopoly for himself and for his organization. He was recently sued by another competitor, Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions, but that suit was reportedly settled out of court. Things obviously did not work out so well for Golden Boy, however, which was defeated soundly in California’s Central District on Thursday afternoon.

Posted on 01/26/2017

Conspiracies Real and Imagined? Golden Boy Takes a Loss in District Court
By: Eric Lunger

​James DeGale took a savage beating from the hands of Badou Jack last Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Despite a perforated eardrum and two lost front teeth, the judges rendered a rare majority draw. The crowd — vocal and active during the fight on behalf of both fighters – made its disapproval clear. Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Jack’s promoter, did not hide his scorn for the decision, flinging about vulgarities and self-pitying complaints in the post-fight ring interview and the post-fight press conference. I have nothing but respect for Mr. Mayweather as a boxer, but his post-career propensity to see conspiracies against him behind every curtain, this Mayweather contra mundum act, is growing stale.

​I attended the bout as a fan, and I have to say that it was an unbelievable night of boxing. The undercard was stellar, while the main event featured an action-filled bout with both fighters at the peak of their art. Defense, offense, power, knockdowns; this fight had everything. But as I was leaving the arena, I overheard some fans saying that the scoring was fixed, because “there was no way they would let Floyd’s fighter lose.” I didn’t stop to ask the speaker who “they” were, but the sentiment was clear enough: boxing is manipulated by the financial titans of the sport.

​While grousing about scorecards will never be eradicated, the real conspiracies in the sport might be the antitrust kind. After years of pre-trial maneuvering, Golden Boy Promotion’s antitrust suit against Al Haymon (the financial power behind PBC) appeared to be close to trial. At issue was whether Mr. Haymon has established market power in boxing management, and whether has violated the manager/promoter firewall set up in the federal Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. Market power is a legal concept; the suit alleged that Mr. Haymon has so much financial power that he is able to act as a monopoly, or to wield monopoly power to the detriment of other economic competitors. The firewall issue stemmed from the Reform Act’s prohibition against the same person acting as manager and promoter. Managers have a fiduciary duty to the fighters, while promoters are in business for themselves. Separating the two roles protects boxers and ensures integrity in the business side of the sport.

​PBC contracts separate promoters for each of its shows, and Mr. Haymon’s fighters always refer to the reclusive businessman (Mr. Haymon never gives interviews and is difficult even to photograph) as their advisor, not manager. The Golden Boy suit alleged that these moves are illusory and meant to camouflage actual violations of the Ali Reform Act’s requirement that managers and promoters be separate persons.

​Golden Boy is not the only rival promotion company to take a swing at Mr. Haymon in court. Bob Arum’s Top Rank Boxing sued Mr. Haymon in federal court in California in 2015, alleging antitrust violations. After U.S. District Judge John F. Walter dismissed most of the antitrust claims, the parties reached a confidential settlement. Thus no legal conclusions were reached.

​What made the Golden Boy suit especially bitter is the personal antagonism just below the surface. Mr. Haymon had offered to buy out Golden Boy in 2013, and when the deal failed, a number of big name fighters jumped ship to Mr. Haymon, including Floyd Mayweather. So to listen to Mr. Mayweather complain about being conspired against after the Badou Jack decision is a bit jarring. His fighters on the card, Badou Jack and Gervonta Davis (the exciting new super featherweight champion), are both advised by Mr. Haymon.

​On Thursday, Judge Walter granted Mr. Haymon’s motion for summary judgment, finding that Golden Boy was “unable to present any evidence of harm to competition, instead [they] have merely presented evidence of harm to themselves.” In other words, the judge found that even if all of Golden Boys allegations were true, they did not add up to an antitrust violation. It was a stunning win for Al Haymon.

​I had a fantastic time at Barclays Center last Saturday night at the PBC show, and I can’t wait to watch the Thurman vs. Garcia bout in March on network TV (CBS, it was announced Wednesday, will televise the bout). I wonder sometimes whether Golden Boy is hurting boxing more by putting their last big name, Canelo Alvarez, only on PPV shows against lesser opponents. ​

​And, adding more mist to the cloudiness of this issue, a few days ago Golden Boy announced a long-term deal with ESPN to broadcast a boxing series much along the PBC model. Sounds like competition to me. The real issue, which Congress attempted to address in the Ali Reform Act, is that boxing lacks a unified, national-level governing body. There is no NFL or NHL for boxing. Until we have a National Boxing League or some such entity, and as long as the only regulatory mechanism is expensive antitrust litigation, the conspiracy grumbling will continue.
​

Posted on 01/13/2017

Breaking News: Canelo Will Fight Chavez Jr. On May 6th
By: Sean Crose

“It’s on!!”

So claimed Oscar De La Hoya on Twitter minutes ago.

Indeed, Golden Boy Promotions’ Canelo Alvarez, will be facing Julio Caesar Chavez Jr on May 6th in Las Vegas.

Although Canelo may be in his prime and Chavez has largely been seen as one of boxing’s great slackers, this is a big fight that is guaranteed to bring in a lot of attention. For, both men are enormous stars in Mexico. What’s more, both men make for exciting fights. Needless to say, this should be a very entertaining affair.

Is it a great matchup, though? No. Should Canelo be fighting Gennady Golovkin this May instead? Probably (though I think that fight will probably go down in September – provided Canelo and GGG keep on winning fights in the meantime).

Still, it’s hard to argue that Canelo-Chavez Jr won’t be an intriguing affair.
So continues Canelo’s habit of facing big name competition that, by all rights, does not represent the greatest of challenges. Last year it was Amir Khan, this year it’s Chavez Jr.

Posted on 01/13/2017

Did Star Wars Gobble ESPN’s Boxing Budget?
By Ivan G. Goldman

Word is circulating around ESPN ranks that the network will present 12 of Al Haymon’s PBC shows this year, but so far only one is on the schedule – an April 14 card with fighters and location yet to be announced.

Employees were also told the network may make a deal to do some shows promoted by Golden Boy. Or maybe not.

ESPN is owned by the $175 billion Disney corporation. You’d think it could scrape up the funds to maintain its relationship with the key sport of prizefighting, but right now there doesn’t appear to be any plan to revive Friday Night Fights as a regular series you can count on. Well, the $4 billion Disney put up to purchase Lucasfilm, owner of the Star Wars franchise, had to come from somewhere.

Haymon’s PBC, which came into the world nearly two years ago with a huge budget and great ambitions to dominate the sport, now limps along on an array of mostly small channels and far more subdued production values. Its war chest is clearly dwindling. But PBC can still boast of a talented stable and its pulse is quite detectable.

With no crossover superstars to build a buzz, boxing stumbles through a rough patch. There’s probably more media attention paid to retired Floyd Mayweather than any active fighters.

HBO, which used to be the face of big-time boxing, has only four shows slated for this year so far, and three of them are pay-per-view. These days the creation of PPV cards doesn’t necessarily signify fights that fans can’t wait to see. More often it means the network is unwilling to front sufficient cash. So the shows must sink or swim pretty much on their own.

HBO is a subsidiary of the $72 billion Time Warner monolith. Its stock shares bounced up 34.5 percent over the past year, but its executives are loath to get behind boxing as they have in years past. As we speak chieftains of $249 billion AT&T are in Washington seeking government approval to swallow Time Warner. That deal might have something to do with HBO’s ragtag retreat from prizefighting.
Remember those boxing shows on premium channel EPIX? History.

Showtime is the bright bulb in the boxing constellation. The premium network isn’t dependent on the PPV financing model and has announced seven shows for this year already. They include a tasty welterweight title unification match March 4 between Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia that will be free to Showtime subscribers. Both are PBC fighters.

Meanwhile, back at ESPN, the sport-savvy network knows what it has to do to be re-identified with boxing in the minds of the fans: Build good fights and the viewers will come.

Ivan G. Goldman’s 5th novel The Debtor Class is a ‘gripping …triumphant read,’ says Publishers Weekly. A future cult classic with ‘howlingly funny dialogue,’ says Booklist. Available from Permanent Press wherever fine books are sold. Goldman is a New York Times best-selling author.

Posted on 01/12/2017

Showtime World Championship Boxing Preview: Jose Pedraza vs. Gervonta Davis, James DeGale vs. Badou Jack
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York will host a WBC/IBF Super Middleweight Unification Title fight between Badou Jack and James DeGale to be televised live on the Showtime Cable Network.

This bout will help determine who the true number one boxer is in the super middleweight division since Andre Ward bumped up to the light heavyweight division.

Another bout scheduled for Saturday will be between Jose Pedraza and Floyd Mayweather Jr. promoted Gervonta Davis for Pedraza’s IBF Junior Lightweight Title. This bout should open up the Showtime broadcast.

The following is a preview of Saturday’s card.

Jose Pedraza (22-0) vs. Gervonta Davis (16-0); IBF Junior Lightweight Title

This is an intriguing matchup between two young upcoming stars in boxing with a bright future ahead of them. It’s also interesting because both boxers have had some much publicized issues with their management teams in the months coming into this fight. It’s been alleged that Pedraza wasn’t completely pleased with his lack of activity underneath the management of Al Haymon, and it’s also been alleged that there was some friction between Gervonta Davis and his promoter, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

However, those issues appear to have been resolved to allow this matchup to take place.

The most noticeable difference between the two boxers on Saturday will be the difference in size. Pedraza will have a two and a half inch height advantage over Davis and will also have about an inch and a half reach advantage. Pedraza is also five years older than Davis, and is experienced enough to deal with the southpaw style that troubles many boxers.

Pedraza does have an edge in amateur experience. Davis did well on the national level; he was a 2012 National Golden Gloves Champion, a three time National Silver Gloves Champion, and a two time PAL Champion. But, Pedraza competed on the international stage as an amateur and represented Puerto Rico in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Valuable international experience that Davis does not appear to have.

Davis has been the more active boxer between the two. He fought five times in 2015 and twice in 2016. Pedraza only fought twice in 2015 and once in 2016.

Davis is also the more powerful puncher/knockout artist. He has stopped fifteen of his opponents. He has defeated the likes of Marco Antonio Macias, Guillermo Avila, Luis Sanchez, and Cristobal Cruz.

Pedraza only has twelve stoppages on his resume. He has defeated the likes of Stephen Smith, Edner Cherry, Andrey Klimov, Michael Farenas, and Tevin Farmer.

This will be an entertaining bout between power and technique, and it should be a close one. But Pedraza has faced better opposition both as an amateur and a professional, and that experience alone gives him a slight edge going into their fight on Saturday.

Badou Jack (20-1-2) vs. James DeGale (23-1) WBC/IBF Super Middleweight Titles

This is one of the best bouts that could be made in the super middleweight division, and the winner should be considered by most to be the best super middleweight.

Both boxers are beginning to leave their prime ages as Jack is thirty three years old and DeGale is thirty years old. Neither boxer is known for their power, as Jack only has twelve stoppage victories and DeGale has fourteen stoppage victories.

Even though both boxers are at the top of their weight division, neither fighter has been very active. Jack fought once in 2016 and twice in 2015, and DeGale also fought once in 2016 and twice in 2015.

Both boxers have a deep amateur background. Jack represented Gambia in the 2008 Summer Olympics and DeGale represented Great Britain in the 2008 Summer Olympics. However, only DeGale medaled as he won the gold medal.

Jack has defeated the likes of Lucian Bute, George Groves, Anthony Dirrell, Rogelio Medina, Marco Antonio Periban, and Farah Ennis. His lone loss was an upset loss to Derek Edwards which he lost by TKO.

DeGale has defeated the likes of Rogelio Medina, Lucian Bute, Andre Dirrell, Marco Antonio Periban, Gevorg Khatchikian, and Dyah Davis. His lone loss was the George Groves.

Even though this is a good matchup, it will likely not be a fan pleasing fight as both boxers are technically skilled fighters that are not known for their power. DeGale has experienced more success as an amateur than Jack, and that indicates that he’s the better technical boxer.

DeGale should win by a close decision on Saturday night.

Posted on 01/12/2017

Golovkin vs. Jacobs Promotional Tour Kicks off at MSG
By: Eric Lunger

On Tuesday morning at Madison Square Garden, Tom Loeffler and K2 Promotions kicked off the media tour for the upcoming middleweight title fight on March 18 between Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Danny “Miracle Man” Jacobs. With a slate of big fights on the horizon, boxing fans can be optimistic that the doldrums of 2016 are behind them. We have Jack vs. DeGale this weekend (an IBF and WBC super middleweight unification), Frampton vs. Santa Cruz II at the end of January, Cotto vs. Kirkland in February (I am fired up about this fight mainly because Rigondeaux is back!), and Thurman vs. Garcia in early March. Each of these matchups are intriguing in their own way, but in my view, Golovkin vs. Jacobs is the jewel in the crown.

There are two kinds of press conferences in boxing: the hostile, aggressive, showdown with posturing and scowling (a table or two might be thrown), and, on the other hand, the mutual-admiration fest, where both teams thank each other and outdo each other in praise and respect. The affair at MSG fell into the latter category.

Tom Loeffler of K2 was optimistic and positive, framing the bout as a super-fight and a triumphant return to MSG for his fighter. Having partnered with HBO, Mr. Loeffler couldn’t resist a slight dig at Showtime for passing on Golovkin early in the Kazakh’s US career. That’s a bit rich, as HBO seems to be fighting on the back foot in the network battle. But let’ not quibble: the fans win when an HBO-backed fighter can get in the ring with a Showtime (and Al Haymon) fighter. There is too much territoriality in boxing, a deeply rooted and often intractable problem.

But the human element of the sport was on proud display when the trainers addressed the media. Abel Sanchez (Golovkin’s trainer) opened his comments by thanking Danny Jacobs “for being the gentleman that you are.” He complemented Andre Rozier (Jacobs’s trainer), and said the run up to the fight would be “fun.” He then sat down. Mr. Rozier for his part recognized the paradox at the heart of the close-knit boxing community. Those in boxing at the high levels often respect and like each other, but then have to fight. Said Mr. Rozier: “I am a big fan of this young man [motioning to Golovkin], he’s a class act, but on March 18, I don’t know him.” It is an exercise in compartmentalizing strong emotions. I hope to see more of Mr. Rozier during the promotion; he is a boisterous and instantly likeable man, yet a man of serious substance as well. “I call Danny Jacobs my son,” he said. And he meant it.

Both fighters spoke, and both seemed to grasp the gravity of a big title fight at MSG on HBO PPV. Danny Jacobs was soft-spoken, self-possessed, and quietly confident. He was adamant that this was the fight he wanted as soon as he made his recovery from his bout with cancer. While professing his “utmost respect for Gennady and his team,” Jacobs said that his motivation in the ring was his son: “my mission in this fight is to prove to my son that as long as you believe in yourself, anything is possible.” Otherwise his remarks were brief: “I am going to let my fists do the talking. That’s what fighters do.”

Golovkin, who is generally amiable and charming with the media, made only brief remarks. He conveyed his respect for Jacobs and his team, and seemed slightly awed by the prospect of returning to MSG for a HBO Pay-per-View. Golovkin normally expresses a keen understanding of his position in the sport. He indicated that he understood that Jacobs will be his biggest test, with four out of five belts on the line (Billy Joe Saunders is currently holding the WBO belt hostage in England). This will be a career-defining fight. “Today, I understand, huge fight for us,” said Golovkin, “I promise amazing show, a historic show.”

Posted on 12/18/2016

GGG-Jacobs Set For March 18th…On PPV
By: Sean Crose

First, the good news. Middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin will be facing middleweight powerhouse Daniel Jacobs next March 18th at Madison Square Garden in New York. This after negotiations which seemed to drag on forever. Indeed, the fight was originally supposed to occur this month, but – this being boxing – things moved at the pace of a snail going in reverse. To be sure, there were those who were starting to feel the match might not happen after all. Now, however, fans can breath a sigh of relief, for Golovkin is finally getting to face an opponent who could prove to be a challenge.

The flip side of this shiny coin, of course, is that the bout is going to take place on pay per view. That’s right, pay per view. Make no mistake about it, GGG-Jacobs is a big fight, it’s a legitimate one, too. That, however, does not make a bout pay per view worthy. At least it didn’t used to. Today, however, all bets seem to be off. HBO, under whose banner the fight will take place, once put on the Tyson-Holmes heavyweight title fight free for subscribers. Those days are long gone. Today we are told the network has budget issues. Needless to say, fans are paying for it.

Or not.

For fans are actually turning away from pay per view these days…and it’s doubtful GGG-Jacobs is going to break that trend. Indeed, Golovkin’s last fight – a huge affair against Britain’s Kell Brook – was on HBO. So was the Kovalev-Hopkins fight of just a few years back. Subscribers and boxing nuts are having a hard time accepting the fact that HBO is now the place for tuneups and low level matches. The fact that HBO hasn’t been too open about it’s recent boxing issues hasn’t exactly endeared it to fans, either. There have even been whispers that HBO is getting out of the boxing business – though it’s easy to see that assertion as being something of a stretch.

One fight that fans will indeed be willing to see on pay per view is a potential GGG fight with Canelo Alvarez. That particular pairing seems to be coming next fall, provided neither man loses in the interval. Canelo may fight Julio Caesar Chavez junior in what would surely prove to be a cash cow. By taking on Jacobs, however, GGG is arguably facing the more daunting challenge. To be sure, some might go so far as to say Jacobs may prove to be more of a challenge for Golovkin than Canelo might be.

Posted on 11/15/2016

PBC Card in Philadelphia had its Ups and Downs
By Eric Lunger

I happened to attend the Danny Garcia vs. Samuel Vargas PBC event Saturday night in Philadelphia. The experience was a pleasure all around, except, unfortunately, for the main event. I’ll get to that in a moment, but first I’ll offer a few observations about watching live boxing in Philadelphia. First off, the Liacouras Center is a wonderful venue; parking, access, concessions, the arena staff – everything was top-notch. And the arena feels small and big at the same time: when seated close to the ring, the blazing lights make you feel like the ring dominates the whole building; but if you wander up to the upper decks, you can sit by yourself in the massive bank of seats looking down on the spectacle. I did so for Garcia’s ring walk, and watching his massive entourage snake its way to the ring between the crowd-control barriers was like watching an ill-intentioned dragon slither out of a burrow.

The crowd was an interesting mix of folks from almost all walks of life. I was surprised and pleased by the congenial and carnival-like atmosphere. Everyone was courteous, in a cheerful mood, and there was a sense of camaraderie in the building, like, “Hey, we’re all here for fight night!” Not the usual Philly sports crowd – I’ve been to a Flyers game where they booed the Zamboni driver. There were well-dressed folks; there were folks in jeans and sweatshirts. There were couples out for date night. It was also very much a home-town night, in so far as the promoters had a done a nice job matching local prospects against good, but not world class opponents. Omar Douglas, from Wilmington, DE, and Jarrett Hurd, from Maryland, were loudly supported by their traveling fans.

There are some interesting things about watching boxing live, as opposed to on TV. First thing I noticed was how tense the crowd was during the bouts. A boxing crowd goes from tense quiet to an explosion of sound in split-second. A good shot or big punch is immediately punctuated by a crowd reaction. But most of the time, the crowd is tensely observing the action, with occasional members yelling instructions to the fighters, which I doubt they hear. A corollary of the relative quiet is that the punches are audible. A “thudding” punch is not just a cliché – its real. Second thing I noticed was that I didn’t miss having TV commentators interpret the fight for me. I had to really focus on what was going on in the ring and I had to rely on my own interpretation of who won that round, or why so-and-so stopped using his jab, or where a certain fighter’s strength lay. It made for a much more immersive and active experience.

Watching boxing live also underscores how dangerous boxing really is, and why defensive boxing is such an art. The punches are fast, accurate, and hard. Javier Fortuna in the first round of the first televised undercard made one error, and Omar Douglas caught him with a brutal hook inside: Fortuna went down like he had been shot in the head. From then on, Fortuna fought from the outside, boxed, jabbed, moved, and never again got in range of that short hook. That bout developed, after the first round knock down, into a classic battle between a come-forward puncher (Douglas) and a dancing, southpaw boxer (Fortuna). Fortuna edged out Douglas on the cards and the crowd was not happy with the decision, though I think it was correct.

The second undercard was entertaining and compelling as well, but for other reasons. Jarrett Hurd is a talented and fundamentally trained boxer with a complete skill set. He is also a big super welterweight – keep you eye on him in the future. His opponent, a very tough and very professional Jo Jo Dan, took a lot of punishment, landed a number of his own shots, but didn’t have the power at this weight to do damage. Hurd was patient, methodical, and precise, landing increasing damaging blows through Dan’s defense. The referee called off the bout at the right time, as Dan took more damage without returning fire.

I wish I could say something positive about the main event, as I think the Garcia camp has taken enough abuse in the media, but Samuel Vargas (nothing against him personally) was a gross mismatch. The fact that he lasted seven rounds testifies to his toughness, if nothing else. Garcia blasted him at will. The partisan Garcia fans loved it, but it was lesser end to a better undercard. It was a shame because the Liacouras Center is a great venue to watch boxing, and the undercard deserved a better main event.

Posted on 11/08/2016

Caleb “Sweet Hands” Plant A Champion in the Making!
By: Ken Hissner

In a sport that has so many prospects than never pan out Caleb “Sweet Hands” Plant, 14-0 (10), from Ashland City, Nashville, TN, and now out of Las Vegas, NV, is the real deal and not only can he fight but he’s a thinking boxer!

Plant was one of many signed by Al Haymon to manage his career. Plant’s is coached by Justin Gamber with Caleb’s father Richie as his assistant coach. He started boxing at the age of 12 which is half of his life being 24 that he has been in the sport of “hard knocks”.

By the age of 18 Plant placed fourth in the 2010 USA Boxing National Championship. The next year in 2011 Plant defeated Sean Daniels (NJ), Craig Duncan (FL) now 6-1-1, Cory Richards (TX) and Jerry Odom (DC) now 14-2-1. This won him the 2011 National Golden Gloves at 178 pounds. Dropping down to 165 pounds the following year plant defeated Oliver Rivera (Omaha) but lost to southpaw Chris Galeano (NY), now 10-1-1 as a pro.

Plant has fought in Pennsylvania 5 times which is the most of the states he has participated in. Marshall Kaufman’s Kings Promotions out of Reading, Pennsylvania. His partner is David Feldman. Plant has fought out of the country once and that was in Canada. Of his 14 opponents 9 had winning records and 3 even records.
This writer covered all of his 5 fights in PA. He is a “thinking man’s” boxer. He isn’t one to come out looking for a knockout but waits until an opponent is hurt and ready to be taken. He has a very good defense with those “Sweet Hands” of his.

Plant debuted in May of 2014 and won 5 fights that year. In his ninth fight he stopped Hungarian Zoltan Sera, 20-5, in Montreal who had defeated 3 unbeaten opponents. In October of 2015 he defeated Philly’s Tyrone Brunson, 22-5-1, who had 21 knockouts. That made Plant 6-0 in 2015 after going 5-0 in eight months in 2014. In his next fight in January of this year he stopped Spain’s Adasat Rodriguez, 11-4-2, in L.A. In June he returned to the Sands in Bethlehem, PA, for his last 2 fights knocking out Colombian Carlos “Galvan, 12-4-1, who had lost a pair of split decisions to Javone Starks, then 12-0 and Immanuwel Aleem, 14-0. In his last fight in the main event he defeated Colombian Juan “La Amenaza” De Angel, 18-4-1, with 17 knockouts over 10 rounds on SPIKE. All 3 judges scored it 100-89 which included a knockdown. De Angel had won 9 of his last 10 fights.

This writer expects good things from Plant who I have briefly talked to after a couple of his fights. Since the Boxing Director in PA doesn’t allow you to go into the dressing room prior to or after a fight you hope to get some comments before they reach the dressing room.

Plant has worlds of talent and Al Haymon keeps him busy with promoters like Kings Promotion’s Marshall Kauffman and David Feldman.

KEN HISSNER: You seem to have a good relationship with your father. Did he train you in the amateurs?

CALEB PLANT: Yes my dad trained me my entire amateur career.

KEN HISSNER: What would it be like to be the first world champion from Tennessee?

CALEB PLANT: It would be a huge blessing to see me and my team’s hard work pay off.

KEN HISSNER: When did you sign with Al Haymon?

CALEB PLANT: I signed with Al Haymon the beginning of May in 2014.

KEN HISSNER: I know you haven’t boxed in Tennessee but they only had one show in 2015 and 3 in 2014 all in Nashville. Would you like to box at home?

CALEB PLANT: Yeah, it would be an honor to fight in Tennessee when the time is right.

KEN HISSNER: You won a National Golden Gloves title at 178 in 2011 before dropping down to 168 the following year. You have maintained that weight as a professional. Do you have any problem making weight?

CALEB PLANT: No it’s not too hard as long as I train and eat right.

KEN HISSNER: What made you want to move to Las Vegas?

CALEB PLANT: To better my personal life and expand my professional career.

KEN HISSNER: You had 6 fights last year but only 3 so far this year. Do you have any idea when your next fight is or how many you would like before the end of the year?

CALEB PLANT: I’m hoping to have one more fight this year in December making four fights total in 2016 that would be great.

KEN HISSNER: I want to thank for taking the time to answer questions. I look forward to seeing you fight in Pennsylvania in the future.

CALEB PLANT: Thank you and that would be nice.