Tag Archives: jackson

Sergey Kovalev’s Former Trainer John David Jackson Breaks Down Canelo Alvarez Fight

Posted on 09/19/2019

By: Hans Themistode

With the news of current Middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KOs) deciding to move up in weight and challenge WBO Light Heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 KOs), it has left everyone with an opinion.

Giving a full breakdown of this fight is a difficult one. Canelo has never campaigned at the Light Heavyweight division. How will his body hold up now that he has decided to move up not one, but two divisions? With that being said, Kovalev has been in several wars as of late, Canelo could be catching the current champion at just the right time.

Photos of Sergey Kovalev during a media workout at The Boxing Laboratory in Oxnard, CA on July 26, 2018.

One man who has his own opinions on this contest is former trainer of Kovalev, John David Jackson. He and Kovalev had a successful run together before parting ways back in 2017. Kovalev may not be the fighter he once was but he is sill a hand full for anyone.

“It’s still a bit of a risk,” said Jackson. “The last thing that will leave Kovalev is his punch and he can box when he wants to.”

Make no mistake about it, this is a dangerous fight for Canelo as he will have a four inch height and two inch reach disadvantage. Still, even with those advantages for Kovalev, Jackson see’s an avenue that Canelo could take to victory.

“Canelo and his team are smart so they’ll look too close that distance as soon as possible because Kovalev has a good jab. If they don’t then they’ll be in trouble. Once Canelo gets inside than its going to be trouble for Kovalev. If you watch him closely he doesn’t really have an inside game. Kovalev really has a hard time keeping guys off of him. His body is weak. Whenever you see a guy drinking after a fight than you know he has a problem. Canelo is a very good body puncher. Even the young kid Yarde was going to the body well but he just got caught. At this stage in Kovalev’s career, it’s hard to teach a guy with just one training camp how to fight on the inside. Once Canelo gets in close it’ll cause a lot of problems for Kovalev.”

When the news of this fight taking place broke, it wasn’t surprising to anyone. What was a shock however, was that there is no weight clauses. Even Jackson was a bit stunned by it but he also acknowledged that Canelo is a fighter who doesn’t need or want those advantages.

“A lot of guys in the history of boxing have jumped up and down in weight, but they would typically have weight clauses. What that does is, it helps the smaller fighter who is coming up. With Canelo he’ll fight you at your weight. You have to give him a lot of credit for that.”

As for who Jackson expects to win this contest, he was slightly hesitant, but he anticipates Canelo to be successful in his endeavorers at the Light Heavyweight division.

“I think it’s a tough matchup for Canelo but I think he’ll pull it off. Sergey is older, his life outside of boxing is terrible, he’s been in a lot of wars and he doesn’t seem like he is as passionate and hungry anymore. I think this fight is his cashing out fight.”

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Fight Week in Belfast for Frampton vs. Jackson

Posted on 08/14/2018

By: Oliver McManus

It is fight week in Belfast with 25,000 people set to descend upon Windsor Park this coming Saturday to witness Carl Frampton defend his interim WBO featherweight title against, Australian challenger, Luke Jackson whilst Irish Olympic hero Paddy Barnes challenges for a world title of his very own – the WBC Flyweight belt currently held by Cristofer Rosales – and as if that wasn’t enough the lineal heavyweight champion of the world, Tyson Fury, will complete a stellar line-up.

Fighting at the home of the Northern Ireland football team, Carl Frampton will be fulfilling a lifelong dream and against Luke Jackson, Frampton faces an opponent who, on paper, should be no match for the silky skills of the 31 year old.

Against Nonito Donaire back in April, Frampton displayed a piercing shot selection to outwork the Filipino with ease to win by six rounds on all three scorecards and his aggressive ring-craft shows no signs of letting up regardless of opponent – an almost unnerving knack of remaining steadfast in the centre of the ring before capitalizing on even the smallest of concentration lapses give him a genuine for the best British boxer, pound for pound.

Seemingly annoyed by some of the things that Luke Jackson has said, the added needle is always extra motivation for a convincing performance and with his home crowd roaring his name we can be sure that Frampton will seek to deliver a punch-perfect masterclass as he awaits a potential fight with Oscar Valdez, pending the Mexican getting back from injury.

Jackson, on the other hand, is convinced that his amateur pedigree will see him claimed the victor with, to quote him, Frampton having “achieved everything he wanted to achieve”. Jackson believes himself to be the hungrier of the two boxers and admits that we’ve yet to see anything like his best over the course of his 16 fight professional career.

Having waited seven years from his Commonwealth medal to transfer to the paid ranks, the Australian is looking to rise up ranks in double-quick time and whilst the level of opponent that he’s faced hasn’t been the most inspiring he has, by all accounts, worked his way to this world title challenge with relative ease.

Strong in the engine, Jackson has the stamina necessary to keep a high tempo across the 12 scheduled rounds and attempt to wear down his more experienced counterpart but, in equal part, Frampton’s terrier-like energy ensures that this fight will be an eye-catching spectacle with plenty of shots being thrown from both corners.

If there’s one thing you can count on from this fight between Carl Frampton – an all-time British great – and Luke Jackson – a hungry Hobart hero – its action.

We all know what Carl Frampton is about whereas Luke Jackson has the factor of the unknown about him, if he’s to topple Frampton in his own backyard then he’ll need to produce an all-time great upset in order to match his confident talking.

Paddy Barnes will be looking to produce an upset of his own – at least according to the bookies – but with odds of 2/1 on the leprechaun becoming WBC Flyweight champion upon the conclusion of his fight with Cristofer Rosales, he is well worth a punt.

Barnes will attempt to wrestle the prestigious green belt of the Nicaraguan champion in only his 6th professional fight but with amateur pedigree as rich as royalty, the experience he possess is enough to match any man and as a natural aggressor he’ll look to dictate the pace of the encounter from the outset.

Against Eliecer Quezada – another Nicaraguan – last November. BAarnes looked his most complete with the rangy boxer switching stances periodically throughout the bout and demonstrating his superfluous footwork before rocking Quezada with right hand after right hand, securing a 6th round knockout to set up this world title clash.

Rosales is no stranger to fighting away from home and has even fought on UK soil before when he faced Andrew Selby back in 2017 and himself produced an upset in April this year to claim the world title when he knocked out Daigo Higa during the 8th round of their nip-and-tuck contest.

Faster with his hands than Barnes but slower with his feet, this fight promises to be mouth-watering from the outset and Rosales is, historically, a big puncher with 18 knockouts from his 30 professional fights – 27 of those being wins.

Andrew Selby was on the receiving end of a Rosales trademark on-the-ropes flurry and hit the canvas before overcoming the Nicaraguan on points so whilst the champion does pack that power, if you can keep cool and composed then he’s there for the taking.

Onto the big man then with Tyson Fury who, actually, having said he’s the big man has been looking astonishingly slim when walking around in Belfast this week so you can expect a markedly more mobile performance from the lineal champion than on his June 9th comeback.

Franceso Pianeta is a distinct step up from Sefer Seferi although that’s not particularly hard and even though Pianeta has been a two-time world title challenge there is a distinct yearning for someone like Sam Sexton or Gary Cornish to get in the ring with Fury in order to provide a domestic challenge of some sort.

The German-Italian will come to fight, Fury has said as much, and whilst there seems to be very little prospect of this being anything other than a Fury victory we can be sure to see him work through the motions and, hopefully, unfurl the type of performance we saw against Wladimir Klitschko way back when in 2015.

A return to a world title fight beckons with, WBC Champion, Deontay Wilder set to be ringside in Belfast ahead of the potential announcement of a bout between Fury and Wilder – scheduled for either November or December – that fight “99% done”.

And it’s that fight on the horizon that could serve as the additional motivation required to produce a display that shows the Tyson of old, the Tyson we all want to see back in the ring and, more importantly, the Tyson that can set up a blockbuster fight with Anthony Joshua.

As always when fight night hits Belfast, we are in for one hell of a treat.

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Luke Jackson: Ready for Frampton

Posted on 07/16/2018

By: Oliver McManus

At 4.33 in the morning last Tuesday I was on the phone to Luke Jackson with the Australian in the midst of preparing for a bout with Carl Frampton, at Windsor Park, on August 18th for the interim WBO Featherweight World Championship.

A prestigious amateur talent, Jackson was one of six Australian medallists at their home Commonwealth games in 2006 alongside the likes of Leonardo Zappavigna and Jarrod Fletcher. With the goal of making an Olympic games the Tasmanian featherweight had to wait until London 2012 before he could achieve that initial goalpost and having shared a room with Jeff Horn, his company could be no more befitting ahead of this Summer showdown in Belfast – if anyone knows how to pull off an upset then it’s Horn.


Photo Credit: Luke Jackson Twitter Account

That’s enough of me rambling along, let’s just get straight into the interview –

How’s Australia, how is training going?

Well we’ve got six weeks to go and I’m in Sydney training with Billy Hussein, been in camp for two weeks now and obviously I’m always in the gym, relatively fight, so we started running a bit harder 10 weeks out and now, eight weeks out we’re focussing completely on our boxing training and sparring. We’re in good shape, we’ve got plenty of time and it’s all going to plan.

In terms of training are you looking at any specific areas?

Yeah, look, we’re just trying to improve everything that I’m good at and make it a lot more well-rounded. This is, obviously, a very hard fight but it’s something that we’re willing and able to do, we’re preparing accordingly and we’ve got a couple of different game plans that we’re working on so if the first one doesn’t work as well as we hope then we’ll mix it up and go with our second or third plan. I trust Billy Hussein and what he tells me to do in the gym – I just do it.

On the night under the lights I’ll just do the same again.

You’re stepping into Windsor Park, 18,000 Frampton fans, will that affect you mentally in any way?

At the end of the day it’s only going to be Carl in there, in the ring, and yeah the fans are going to be screaming but whether they’d be screaming for him or screaming for me, it’s still going to be loud and he’ll have that effect on him too – the pressure – it’s going to be the same atmosphere for both of us and I’ll just listen to Billy, I don’t really care what the rest of the crowd does.

That’s my attitude, they can’t fight for Carl and they can’t fight for me either, I’m sure he’ll enjoy having them all there for him but I don’t really care, I’m not focussed on that, I just want to win the fight.

What do you think separates you from Carl?

Well I think he’s achieved everything he’s wanted to do, achieved the goal of becoming a world champion, I haven’t. I think he’s on the decline since the Leo Santa Cruz fight, I think that was his best moment in the first fight. His motivation maybe isn’t what it used to be, I’m not sure, but I’m still chasing my dream and I think that will show on August 18th.

Many people have called you an underdog, does that label bother you?

I couldn’t care Ollie, I’ll be honest with you, I couldn’t care. I’ve been an underdog all my life, I’m not even meant to be in this position but I am and I’ve worked hard to get here so people who say I’m an underdog and completely write me off are people who don’t really know anything. I understand there are some experts, so-called experts, calling me the underdog and I admit that Carl is an awesome fighter, two-weight world champion, he deserves to be the favourite and it would be ridiculous if he wasn’t.
But do I think I can beat him? 100%, 100%. Do I think he’s the same fighter as he used to be? No I don’t and hopefully I’m right in what I say and, listen, I can sit here and say whatever I want but I’ve got to get in the ring and back it up, Carl is a hell of a fighter, he got a little bit upset because I didn’t think he was a great fighter.

And I don’t think he’s a great fighter but that’s my opinion, take it or leave it, I don’t really care if it upset him. I’m still going to punch him in the head so it doesn’t matter what I say to upset the guy, I respect him as a man and I respect him as a fighter. Hopefully after the fight we can shake hands and have a beer together.

When it came to that press conference, did you say he wasn’t great to deliberately get under his skin?

Never, never, I’ve never been like that, I just meant what I said and he didn’t really like it. I don’t know why, I thought it was a compliment, I think he’s a very good fighter across the board, I think he does a lot of things very well and I thought that was a compliment. I don’t think he’s a great fighter but I could be wrong, I’ve been wrong many time before, but it doesn’t make me a bad person simply for saying what I think.

You only picked up boxing aged 18, 19, what was it that inspired you?

My life was a little bit chaotic and I needed something to keep me focussed and that was boxing. I was involved with the wrong crew, did some things I shouldn’t, and I liked the idea of boxing so I went with that and the rest is history.

When you started, then, was it a genuine expectation to turn professional?

Well my first goal when I started boxing was to see another country, that was my first goal, and then I went from that to wanting to see another country and then wanting to make the Olympic games and I didn’t really think about turning professional and then… well, I did.

Yeah because you got a bronze at the 2006 Commonwealth Games but didn’t turn pro until 2013, why was it so long?

I wanted to make the Olympics and I missed out on 2008 so I had to wait a long time to make that next team.

Since you have turned pro have you found that the amateur experience has made it a little easier?

Of course, things like me travelling to Ireland and fighting in someone’s backyard well, I’m used to that because I did that a lot as an amateur and the only difference is its more rounds and smaller gloves. I’ve thought guys just as good as Carl when I was an amateur so I don’t think I’ll be out of my depth, at all, my team has done a great job of getting me settled and I haven’t been in with as great as opposition as Carl has but I, equally, haven’t taken any punishment.
Carl’s been in a few hard fights and hopefully I can take advantage on the night.

I want to ask you a bit about weight cutting, obviously we saw what happened with Danny O’Connor, so just talk to me about that…

I’ll be honest making weight is never easy, it’s never easy, but it’s a part of our job and not many people will understand it but it’s a hard part, it’s expected of us though and no-one makes us do it, it’s a long process and we leave it to the last minute most of the time. I haven’t missed weight yet, I’ve had 113 amateur fights and 16 as a pro and I haven’t missed the weight yet but, yeah, it’s hard.

Danny O’Connor it’s very unfortunate and I wish him well but hopefully I’m never in that position.

I’ve never been a boxer Luke and I get that it’s all about maximizing your weight advantage when you’re in the ring but is there another reason why people don’t often fight one class above?

Because they (in the weight caterogry above) are too big, that’s the only reason, we’re looking to have the biggest advantage possible and if I went into the ring at 65, 64 or 63 then I’d be at a massive disadvantage to these guys because they can rehydrate much more.

Undefeated as a professional, what would you say is your best performance?

I don’t think I’ve actually had any fights where I was that great to be honest, I’ve never boxed to the best of my ability and hopefully Carl can bring that out in me and I’m looking forward to the test. I don’t think I’ve had any bad performances but I’ve not had any great ones either. I know I’ve got it in me and I’ve not fought to my full potential yet and that’s just my honest opinion.

Hopefully it can happen on August 18th because if I box the way I know I can then I’ll beat Carl Frampton, I know that.

Will you look better when you fight better opponents, then?

Yeah, yeah, I think so, I hate to keep bringing it up but I’ve fought some of the best amateurs in the world and I’ve beaten them so I just haven’t had the right guys in front of me as a professional so far and that’s not necessarily my fault, things happen, and I’m really looking forward to being the best I can be against Carl Frampton and at the end of the day I’m working hard, putting everything into it, and I’m going over there to upset the party.

When things get tough, what is it that motivates you?

I mean I’ve been doing this for 16 years mate and I always here a couple of mates who started off with me saying that I was never the most talented or anything but I stuck it out and I turned up every day, worked hard and kept going when everyone else didn’t and that’s the reason I’m here now because I put the hard work in from the beginning and I’m continuing that hard work.

I won’t lie, if I win this fight then the money will be a massive incentive for me and I want the money out of this game.

If we assume that you get past Carl Frampton have you get any opponents you would like afterwards?

If I beat Carl and it’s a good fight then I’d be happy with a rematch if he wants it or I wouldn’t mind Josh Warrington or Oscar Valdez.

Would you want them in Australia?

I don’t really care where I fight as long as the money is good.

Have you got a specific vision of how August 18th will go?

I don’t know, I’ve got a plan that I’ll walk him onto a right hand and stop him. I keep having visions that he’s going to walk onto a big right hand that’ll hurt and then I’ll got the job done but I know I can box for 12 rounds and beat him on points. I’m confident that if I hit him clean then he’ll go, he’s not invincible and I’ve seen him get dropped, we’ve all seen it, I’ve seen him hurt but he’s never seen me dropped or hurt so that’s another thing to give me confidence – I haven’t been on the deck and I’m hoping to put him on his arse if he comes in reckless.

Do you think there is a danger of him, perhaps, under-estimating you?

If he does that then he’ll get a rude shock when he walks onto a couple of my shots with the little 8oz gloves on, let him do that and let him underestimate and he’ll see what it’s all about. Like I said, we’ve still got to get in there and fight, a lot is still to happen, I’m focussed on working hard and getting the job done.

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Sixty One Rounds Of Combat: Jackson Versus Corbett

Posted on 01/30/2017

Sixty One Rounds Of Combat: Jackson Versus Corbett
By: Sean Crose

Heavyweight champion John L Sullivan was racist. Or afraid. Or perhaps both. Whatever the reason, the famous (or notorious) Boston Strong Boy refused to trade punches with a black fighter. Thus, the infamous “color line” was drawn. Black fighters could be good, even great, but they could never expect a crack at the biggest star in boxing (and perhaps the world) due to the color of their skin. Never mind the “microagressions” that overly gentle souls gripe about endlessly today. Sullivan had, in spite of whatever fine qualities he held (and yes, he held them), put forth a cruel obstacle for any black fighter willing and able to offer up a challenge.

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It wasn’t fair. In fact, it was inexcusable. Still, it might have been more than simple racism that prodded Sullivan to employ his own version of “blacks need not apply.” For, by refusing to face a black man in the ring, Sullivan enabled himself to avoid one Peter Jackson without looking like a coward to the general public. Just who was Peter Jackson? Well, along with Sullivan and Jim Corbett (much more on him later), Jackson was indeed one of the top fighters of his day. Could the man have trounced John L in the ring? Who knows? It would have been some kind of fight, however.

Being black, though, Australia’s Jackson could never hope to be champion of the world by besting Sullivan. That didn’t mean Jackson would just evaporate into the vapor, though. The man dominated foes across the globe, earning himself a reputation of note. Besides, not every white fighter was so unwilling to meet the man Sullivan was able to avoid. Indeed, a young white pug from San Francisco proved more than willing to face Jackson in the ring – for a lot of prestige and money, as well. For while James J Corbett was, like Sullivan, of Irish stock, he was a completely different person than the heavyweight champ.

To begin, Corbett represented a new kind of fighter – an actual, dyed in the wool, contemporary boxer, who jabbed, moved, used footwork and essentially viewed his trade as a sport rather than as a lucrative saloon brawl. To be sure, it was said Corbett had never fought outside a ring in his life. What’s more, Corbett was upwardly mobile. He may have been seen as a lowly “Paddy” as the Irish were derogatorily called, but Corbett had high ambitions. He was not, to be sure, eager to present himself as an unseemly roughneck. To the contrary. Hence Corbett’s nickname, “Gentleman Jim.”

As for Sullivan, he had gone the easy route since besting Jake Kilrain in their brutal 1889 battle, and was well into his extended hiatus by 1891. Jackson and Corbett, however, gave the world the chance to witness two top fighters face off in high fashion. For the two men agreed to fight on May 21st of that year in Corbett’s home town of San Francisco. This was by far the most notable bout of both men’s careers up to that point and the winner would inarguably be considered worthy of Sullivan – whether Sullivan decided to face the challenge or not.

And so, on that late spring evening, Corbett and Jackson met in combat at the California Athletic Club to do battle. According to a piece in the “Salem Daily News” the following day, Jackson looked to be a bit bigger than Corbett, but both men appeared to be in terrific shape. Indeed, the paper reported that both men, Corbett and Jackson, were received warmly by the crowd that evening (apparently race didn’t prevent the crowd that night from respecting a top athlete). To be sure, it was also stated that Jackson was the betting favorite walking into the ring.

And indeed, Jackson was reportedly able to take control early on and was able to maintain it for a while. Corbett’s new, advanced style was so far proving to be futile against the experienced, skilled Aussie. Still, even though the fight employed gloves as opposed to bare knuckles, there was no modern time frame for the contest to be engaged within. In other words, things weren’t going to stop at the end of ten, twelve or fifteen rounds. And so the match went on. And on. And on. Then, in the twenty-fifth (that’s right, the twenty-fifth) round, Corbett reportedly engaged in an onslaught that seems to have been somewhat similar to the slick Ray Leonard’s desperate late fight rally against the dominant Thomas Hearns close to one hundred years later.

For the “Salem Daily News” reported that, although Corbett didn’t finish his man, he unloaded with body shots that kept Jackson from being aggressive afterward. Indeed, Jackson ended up with his ribs being broken that evening. Yet Corbett also reportedly busted at least one hand in the fight, a fact that eventually contributed to the fight grinding to a standstill. The brutal truth slowly became clear: both Jackson and Corbett were no longer able to effectively defeat one another. They both continued on gamely, but neither man could emerge victorious.

In the end, the fight was stopped after the 61st round, with neither man officially winning. For neither man was able to continue, the Salem Daily News claimed. What’s more, both fighters made it clear that they were willing to cease competing. Common sense may have saved each man from further physical damage, but it ended up hurting their wallets, as the significant fight purse was withheld. On top of that, none of the bettors were able to cash in on the affair. Many ended up being disappointed, true, but the right decision had clearly been made. When men such as Jackson and Corbett admitted they could no longer fight, there was no point in arguing the fact.

Sullivan may not have seen the bout, but there was little doubt he knew of it. Indeed, even though Jackson and Corbett hadn’t fought for Sullivan’s title, Sullivan’s days as champion were numbered. A new era was about to arrive, and that era didn’t include the famous Boston brawler.

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Boxing Insider Notebook: Canelo, Smith, Mayweather, Roy Jones Jr., Jackson, Guerrero, and more…

Posted on 07/19/2016

Boxing Insider Notebook: Canelo, Smith, Mayweather, Roy Jones Jr., Jackson, Guerrero, and more…
By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of July 12th to July 19th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

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Photo Credit: Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

Canelo vs. Smith Officially Announced for AT&T Stadium

Former two-division world champion Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) and WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion Liam “Beefy” Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) kicked off the two-city international press tour at AT&T Stadium ahead of their world championship showdown on Saturday, Sept. 17. Located in Arlington, Texas, AT&T Stadium is home to one of the most iconic and successful sports teams in history – the Dallas Cowboys, and will host the big event between Canelo and Smith on Mexican Independence Day weekend, Sept. 17. Canelo vs. Smith will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT on Sept. 17. The heavy-handed combatants will head next to London, England for a press conference at The Landmark Hotel on July 20, 2016.

Oscar De La Hoya, chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, led those present at today’s press conference in a moment of silence to honor the victims of the recent tragedy affecting the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Area Rapid Transit officers.

Below is what the fighters, their teams, promoters and Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones had to say at today’s press conference:

CANELO ALVAREZ, Former Two-Division World Champion:

“I had to work for my birthday, so I’m here to work. I’m very happy to be back in Texas again, in this beautiful stadium. I’m going to take this fight seriously and prepare like always. I know how I’m going to have to train. I like to give the fans a great fight, and that is what I will prepare for.”

LIAM “BEEFY” SMITH, WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion:

“I am very excited, I have asked for a top name for a very long time and when Canelo’s name came to the table it was an automatic ‘yes.’

“We are coming very prepared for this fight, and I’m coming to win.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions:

“Everything is bigger in Texas, and here we are the iconic AT&T Stadium, where we have two world champion fighters known for knocking out opponents in the ring with their strength and power. Come Mexican Independence weekend, former two-division world champion Canelo Alvarez will face the undefeated WBO junior middleweight world champion Liam “Beefy” Smith for his title.

“Here you have Liam Smith, an aggressive, relentless fighter. His previous eight opponents have fallen before the final bell. And then you have Canelo Alvarez, who is only getting more and more powerful with each of his devastating victories.

“Both of these fighters come from boxing families. Boxing is in their blood. To Canelo and Smith, fighting is a family tradition and with that comes a responsibly to live up to the family name. That said, both of them will come to the ring on September 17 to wage a war: for Canelo, to claim a new title as the WBO junior middleweight world champion and for Smith, to successfully defend his WBO title once again and make a name for himself in the U.S.

“While the fights will be the highlight of the weekend–Golden Boy, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys will bring the people a week full of fun activities that fans will enjoy for the entirety of fight week.”

Floyd Mayweather States that the Baton Rouge Killer is Not a Member of The Money Team
Floyd Mayweather says Gavin Long — who went on a cop-killing rampage in Baton Rouge on Sunday — is NOT affiliated with The Money Team … despite the fact he posted several videos sporting TMT gear.
“Gavin Long is not member of TMT by any means,” Floyd’s rep tells TMZ Sports.

“Floyd doesn’t want the TMT brand to be affiliated with the violent act Gavin has caused and neither Floyd nor anyone else from TMT knows him.”

“He is just a random guy who supported the brand but we don’t support him and what he did to those police officers.”

Officials say Long shot 6 officers — killing 3 of them — during an apparent anti-cop shooting spree.
It was later discovered that Long had previously posted several ranting videos on YouTube — and wore a TMT hat and had a TMT sticker on his chair in some of the clips.

http://www.tmz.com/2016/07/18/floyd-mayweather-baton-rouge-killer-is-not-on-the-money-team/

Roy Jones Jr. Considering Five Fight Farewell Tour

47-year-old Roy Jones Jr. says he’s finally ready to hang ’em up … but he wants to go out by flooring 5 more fighters.

The boxing legend tells TMZ Sports he was inspired by the way Kobe Bryant called it quits this year — and says he’d really like a farewell tour of his own.

In fact, RJJ says he wants to line up 5 more fights before the end of the year … but he wants to take on guys he KNOWS he can beat.

“Five guys you should be able to deal with and call it a day.”

Roy says nothing’s in stone yet … but he’s definitely considering it.

http://www.tmz.com/2016/07/19/roy-jones-jr-retirement/

Robert Guerrero to Face David Peralta

Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (33-4-1) taking on David Emanuel Peralta (25-2-1) on Saturday, August 27 (9:00-11:00pm ET/PT) from the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.

Robert Guerrero is among the biggest names in boxing today, having fought the sport’s marquee names like Floyd Mayweather. A former world champion in multiple weight classes, he owns signature victories over Andre Berto and Joel Casamayor. But now Guerrero is on a quest to return to the top of the welterweight division beginning with this matchup on August 27. He must defeat the hard-hitting Argentinian slugger David Emanuel Peralta to see his dreams of sitting atop the division realized once again.

The tripleheader also features all-action slugger Alfredo Angulo (24-5)taking on battle-tested Freddy Hernandez (33-8)in a battle of Mexican brawlers. A fan favorite in Southern California, Angulo enters this fight coming off of two knockout victories and he will look to make it three in a row when he steps into the ring on August 27. A veteran of many exciting 154-pound contests, Angulo is looking to continue to make noise in the middleweight division against Hernandez, who has won his last three fights heading into this showdown.

Rounding out the night of televised fights is 2012 U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha (18-0) putting his undefeated record on the line against the Bronx’s Steve Martinez (16-2). Fighting out of Cleveland, Gausha has risen up the rankings with five victories in 2015 and a seventh round stoppage of Orlando Lora in April. Now he will test himself against against the dangerous Martinez, who has recorded knockouts in 13 of his 16 victories.

Jerry Odom to Face Julius Jackson

Prospect Jerry Odom steps up to face Julius Jackson in a matchup of super middleweights next Friday, July 22 on ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT) from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

The hard-hitting Odom (13-2-1, 12 KOs) replaces Ronald Ellis, who pulled out of the bout on Thursday with a right hand injury.

Odom was deep in training and looking to bounce back from a controversial draw with Ellis in February on ShoBox when he received the opportunity to face Jackson (19-1, 15 KOs). Jackson is the older brother of John and son of former two-division world champion Julian “The Hawk” Jackson.

“I have been training for a few fights that fell through. I’m in shape and ready to go,” Odom said. “When my team got the call we decided it was the right decision to take this opportunity.
“My power will be a big factor. Jackson has faced punchers before, but he hasn’t faced one like me. This is a great opportunity, and I will put on a show next Friday.”

Undefeated top 10-ranked super bantamweight Adam “Mantequilla” Lopez (15-0, 7 KOs) faces Roman Ruben Reynoso (18-1-1, 7 KOs) in the 10-round main event. In an eight round lightweight bout, O’Shaquie Foster (10-1, 7 KOs) meets Rolando Chinea (12-1-1, 6 KOs).

The July 22 ShoBox telecast marks the 15-year anniversary of the celebrated prospect developmental series.

Miguel Flores to Face Ryan Kielczweski on August 12th for the PBC

Undefeated rising contender Miguel Flores (20-0, 9 KOs) takes on exciting once-beaten featherweight contender Ryan Kielczweski (25-1, 7 KOs) in the 10-round main event of Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN and ESPN Deportes Friday, August 12 from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features a welterweight showdown between unbeaten contender Bryant Perrella (14-0, 13 KOs) and Cuban Olympian Yordenis Ugas (15-3, 7 KOs) in 10-rounds of action.

“Fighting on ESPN is incredible because you know that fans from all around the world will be tuning in,” said Flores. “My opponent is a very skilled fighter, so I’ll be at my best when we step in the ring on August 12. Expect me to go to war and bring a lot of action to those who will be watching.”
“It’s always exciting to be fighting on ESPN, especially in the main event,” said Kielczweski. “Training is going well and I’ve been traveling around to get great sparring. I don’t know much about Flores other than that he’s undefeated for a reason. If I perform on August 12 hopefully something big will come next that leads me towards a title. It’s going to be an exciting night and an electric fight.”

David Benavidez to Face Denis Douglin on August 5th

Undefeated rising contender David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez (15-0, 14 KOs) is set to face super middleweight contender Denis Douglin (20-4, 13 KOs) in the 10-round main event of Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN and ESPN Deportes Friday, August 5 live from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.
Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with exciting lightweight contender Alejandro “El Charro” Luna (20-0, 15 KOs) taking on Ireland’s Stephen “The Rock” Ormond (21-2, 11 KOs) in a 10-round attraction.

“We never stopped training after my last fight,” said Benavidez. “We went right back into camp and I’m already in fighting shape. Douglin is a tough southpaw. We’ll start looking at tape and see what kind of holes he has. I’ll start with the jab and break him down. We’re working hard towards bigger and bigger fights. This is going to be a great night of action.”

“I plan on applying pressure and making Benavidez adjust to my style,” said Douglin. “He’s a tall, strong fighter, but he doesn’t use his height. He’s one-dimensional, but he’s very good at what he does. He doesn’t have the experience to deal with my style. I am stepping in with an undefeated fighter but he will leave the ring with a loss.”

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Showtime World Championship Boxing Results: Charlo Brothers and Lara Emerge Victorious

Posted on 05/22/2016

Showtime World Championship Boxing Results:
By: William Holmes

Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions televised three title fights in the junior middleweight division as the WBA, IBF, and WBC belts were up for grabs. Five the top six fighters in the junior middleweight division competed on tonight’s card.

Showtime networks televised the bouts live from the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, despite the fact three world titles were on the line a lot of empty seats were seen inside the venue.

press conference-0014 - Erislandy Lara and Vanes Martirosyan
Photo Credit: Amanda Westcott/Showtime

Jermell Charlo (27-0) and John Jackson (20-2
) opened up tonight’s broadcast with for the WBC Junior Middleweight Title.

Charlo, a large favorite, was giving up a few inches in height to Jackson. Jackson used his jab effectively in the opening round and even had Charlo briefly caught in the corner. Jackson attacked more to the body in the second round and was able to end the round with a strong counter right on a forward moving Charlo.

Charlo continued to have trouble finding his rhythm in the third round as Jackson was the more accurate puncher and was landing some good shots to the body. Charlo tried in vain to chase Jackson around the ring and trap him, but Jackson was throwing and landing more combinations than his opponent.

Charlo landed his first hard clean shot of the night in the fifth round with a sweeping left hook in the fifth round that got the attention of Jackson. Charlo was also able to put together a good body head right hook combination near the end of the round.

Jackson was able to go back to his lateral movement in the sixth round and was able to touch Charlo often with quick jabs and crosses before moving out of the way. Charlo was much more aggressive in the seventh round and was able to land some hard right crosses to the chin of Jackson, but Jackson was still able to land combinations of his own.

Charlo was able to get in close to Jackson in the opening minute of the ieghth round and blasted him with a right hook that had Jackson frozen and unable to defend himself, and he then followed it up with a left hook that hard Jackson falling back into the corner and out on his feet.

The referee quickly jumped in and stopped the fight before Jackson could get hurt any more. Jermell Charlo won by TKO at 0:51 of the eighth round.

Jermall Charlo (23-0) faced Austin Trout (30-2)
in the co-main event of the night for the IBF Junior Middleweight Title.

Trout has been in the ring with high level competition such as Canelo Alvarez and Miguel Cotto, but he was in the ring with a taller and younger boxer with a high level ceiling.
Jermall Charlo is considered by many to be the stronger puncher of the twin brothers.

Charlo had a strong jab in the opening round and Trout was throwing his jab to the body and connected with a left uppercut to the chin. Their feet got tangled up and Trout slipped to the mat. Charlo was able to land a good straight right lead in the final minute of the round.

The second round was close to call, but Charlo landed the hardest punch of the round with a short left hook. Trout however, was able to land more punches, especially to the body. The difference in power was evident in the third round, as Charlo was able to land several hard right hands to the cin of Trout which got the crowd roaring in approval.

Trout showed good head movement in the fourth round and was able to pepper Charlo from the outside. Trout stunned Charlo in the fifth round with a lead right hook, and he remained elusive enough to avoid the hard shots of Charlo. Charlo came on in the second half of the fifth round and was able to cause some swelling around the right eye of Trout.

It was clear that Charlo was not afraid of Trout’s power in the sixth round and he continued to come forward and was able to land some clubbing right hands.

Trout was able to land some solid counter left crosses and short uppercuts in the seventh round, but you could tell that Trout was very cautious of the power of Charlo. Charlo was able to land a hard straight right hand in the final seconds, but still, the seventh round was a good round for Austin Trout.

They both stepped off the gas pedal a little bit in the eighth round, but Trout was looking more confident in throwing and landing his combinations. Charlo stepped up his aggression in the ninth round and was effective with his heavy jabs.

A cut opened up over the right eye of Austin Trout in the tenth round, and boxers landed their fair share of punches, but Charlo was definitely landing the harder shots.

Trout likely needed a knockout in the final two rounds to win the bout. But he fought well and could have won these rounds on some of the judges’ scorecards.

Unexpectedly, the judges scored the bout in favor of Jermall Charlo with scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 116-112.

The main event of the night was between Erislandy Lara (22-2-2) and Vanes Martirosyan (36-2-1) in a rematch for the WBA Junior Middleweight Title.

Lara, a southpaw, was using a lot of up and down movement and was active with his jab in the opening round. Martirosyan was most effective when he threw to the body, but Lara landed more to the head.

The second and third rounds were slow, but the slow pace favored the style of Lara who was able to pop shot Martirosyan and move safely out of the way.

Lara was aggressive at the start of round, and a hematoma started to form on the head of Martirosyan. Martirosyan was warned again in the fourth round to keep his body punches up.

The fifth round featured more action than the previous round, with Lara’s best punch being the straight left to the head and Martirosyan’s best punches being the hooks to the body. The same theme repeated itself in the sixth round, but Martirosyan’s body punches were beginning to land with more frequency.

In the sixth round, Lara’s high guard was getting banged by the shots of Martirosyan and some were sneaking through. Martirosyan’s activity was much higher than Lara in this round.

The seventh round was close but Martirosyan was able to land some good body shots. Lara opened up the eighth round with quick combinations and more aggression. Lara landed clean to the nose of Martirosyan with a hard straight left hand near the end of the round.

Martirosyan fought a good ninth round but constantly coming forward and attacking to the body and threatening the chin with short quick uppercuts. Martirosyan had Lara fighting while moving backwards in the tenth round by pressing the pace and banging hard hooks to the body and head of his opponent. A clash of heads occurred in the tenth and Martirosyan hit Lara with a low blow and received a hard warning for the referee.

Martirosyan hit Lara with another low blow in the eleventh round and was deducted a point by the referee. Martirosyan was infuriated, and fought with fury for the remainder of the round but was unable to hurt Lara. Martirosyan went hard for the knockout in the final round and likely won it, but Lara fought defensively and safely and was never in danger of getting knocked down.

Erislandy Lara retained his title with scores of 115-112, 116-111, and 116-111.

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Showtime World Championship Boxing Preview: Lara vs. Martirosyan, Charlo vs. Trout, Charlo vs. Jackson

Posted on 05/19/2016

Showtime World Championship Boxing Preview: Lara vs. Martirosyan, Charlo vs. Trout, Charlo vs. Jackson
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night Mayweather Promotions will team up with TGB Promotions to showcase three bouts live from the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. All three bouts will be competed in the junior middleweight division and the WBA, IBF, and WBC belts will be up for grabs.

Erislandy Lara will defend his WBA Junior Middleweight belt in the main event of the evening, while Jermall Charlo will defend his IBF Junior Middleweight Belt against former champion Austin Trout in the co-main event of the evening, and Jermell Charlo will open up the broadcast against John Jackson for the vacant WBC Junior Middleweight Title.

The following is a preview of all three bouts.

Martirosyan_Lara_121110_004a

Jermell Charlo (27-0) vs. John Jackson (20-2); WBC Junior Middleweight Title

The opening bout of the night will be for the vacant WBC Junior Middleweight Title.

Jermell Charlo is only twenty five years old, but he has already beaten the likes of Joachim Alcine, Vanes Martirosyan, Charlie Ota, Gabriel Rosado, Demetrius Hopkins, and Harry Joe Yorgey.

He will be one inch shorter than his opponent and will be giving up two inches in reach. He is also two years younger than Jackson and both boxers are in their athletic primes.

They have similar amateur experience. Charlo won the Bronze medal in the 2005 Junior Olympics and turned professional at a young age in 2007. Jackson represented the Virgin Islands in the 2008 Summer Olympics, but did not achieve much success on the international stage.

Jackson’s professional resume pales in comparison to Charlo. His only notable victories, if you can call them that, were to KeAndrae Leatherwood and Cerreso Fort. He has lost to the likes of Willie Nelson and Andy Lee.

Neither boxer is known for their power, Charlo has twelve knockout victories during his career and Jackson has fifteen. Jackson’s chin however was shown to be prone to a knockout when Andy Lee crumpled him in 2014.

Jackson fought once in 2015 and twice in 2014, but this is by far his toughest matchup since his loss to Lee. Charlo fought three times in 2014 and twice in 2015 and has never tasted defeat.

Every time Jackson has faced competition that is on the same level or higher as him he has come up short, and Saturday will likely be no different.

Jermall Charlo (23-0) vs. Austin Trout (30-2); IBF Junior Middleweight Title

On paper, the second bout of the night will likely be the most competitive bout.

Austin Trout became a well known name in boxing when he had a stunning upset over Miguel Cotto in 2012. However, he followed up that loss with two consecutive losses to Saul Alvarez and Erislandy Lara and has been struggling to regain his championship status since that loss. Other notable opponents that Trout has defeated include Joey Hernandez, Daniel Dawson, and Delvin Rodriguez.

Charlo, the older of the twin brothers, won his IBF belt with a victory over Cornelius “K9” Bundrage. His other notable victories include Wilky Campfort, Cornelius Bundrage, and Michael Finney.

Charlo will have a slight one and a half inch reach advantage, but will also have a notable two and a half inch height advantage. His is also five years younger than his opponent at the age of twenty five.

Both boxers had successful amateur careers and came close to making the US Olympic team, Charlo in 2008 and Trout in 2004.

Charlo has the stronger punch of the two. He has eighteen stoppage victories as a professional while Trout has seventeen stoppages with nine more bouts. Charlo has also stopped four of his past five opponents.

Trout was never able to capitalize on his victory over Cotto and hasn’t been a major player in the junior middleweight division since his back to back losses to Alvarez and Lara. He’ll be Charlo’s toughest opponent to date and he’s still in his athletic prime, but Charlo should be able to outbox and out muscle Trout over the course of twelve rounds.

Erislandy Lara (22-2-2) vs. Vanes Martirosyan (36-2-1); WBA Junior Middleweight Title

This bout is a rematch of their 2012 encounter that ended in a draw. This is despite the fact Lara landed forty two percent of his power punches in comparison to the sixteen percent that Martirosyan landed, and the fact Lara landed seventy four punches during that bout in comparison to the thirty three punces that Martirosyan was able to land.

Despite the statistical advantage that Lara had, the judges somehow scored it 87-84 for Lara, 86-85 for Martirosyan, and 86-86.

Lara, at the age of thirty three years old, is nearing the end of his physical prime. He’s a southpaw that will have a four inch reach advantage over Martirosyan but will be giving up two and a half inches in height. Martirosyan is three years younger than Lara.

Martirosyan does have the edge in power, as he has stopped twenty one of his opponents while Lara has only stopped twelve of his opponents.

They both fought twice in 2014 and in 2015. They both also had successful amateur careers. Martirosyan represented the United States in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Lara won the gold medal in the 2005 World Amateur Championships and was favored to win the 2008 Summer Olympics before defecting from Cuba.

Lara has the more impressive resume. He has defeated the likes of Jan Zaveck, Delvin Rodriguez, Ishe Smith, Austin Trout, Alfredo Angulo, and Freddy Hernandez. His losses were to Paul Williams and Canelo Alvarez, and arguments could be made that he should have won both of those bouts.
Martirosyan has defeated the likes of Ishe Smith, Willie Nelson, Ryan Davis, and Kassim Ouma. He has lost to the likes of Demetrius Andrade and Jermell Charlo.

Many felt Lara won their first bout and even though Lara is getting older, he hasn’t shown signs of slipping in the ring. Martirosyan on the other hand has gone 2-3 in his last five fights and squeaked out a decision against Ishe Smith and was dominated by Jermell Charlo.

The biggest knock against Lara is that he does not have a crowd pleasing style, but it’s hard to imagine him not being more aggressive and active in this bout. Lara should win the rematch, and likely in much more convincing fashion than in 2012.

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