Tag Archives: Kell Brook

Posted on 12/29/2020

By: Hans Themistode

Better late than never.

For years now, both Amir Khan and Kell Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) have bashed one another whenever a microphone was present. Throughout most of their careers, the British natives were considered amongst the very best in their respective weight classes. But while they campaigned at 147 pounds for nearly a decade, a matchup between the two never came close to materializing.

Even with Khan (34-5, 21 KOs) signing a promotional agreement with Brooks than promoter in Eddie Hearn in 2018, bringing them to the negotiating table proved impossible. Despite their refusal to face off, both men continued to throw verbal jabs at one another. Now, several years later, Khan believes it’s time to make the bout happen.

“He’s always been running his mouth,” said Khan to the Khaleej Times. “I think it’s about time to put him in his place and shut him up for good.”

It’s been an inactive year for the 34-year-old Khan. His last ring appearance came in July of 2019 against Billy Dib. While Khan managed to score a quick fourth-round stoppage on the night, his win was highly criticized as Dib routinely campaigned three divisions lighter.

Regardless of the win, Khan opted against stepping inside of the ring at all this calendar year. His time away from the ring provided the narrative that after spending a decade and a half as a professional, that the time to hang up the gloves would be right around the corner.

With that being said, the retirement light at the end of his boxing tunnel is still a ways away.

“No, the gloves are still on. I’m thinking of fighting probably next year. It’s just this year was a bad year for everyone. I didn’t really want to fight behind closed doors, I just didn’t really feel like I could motivate myself. Hopefully, if it opens up next year we can make something happen. I want to fight again in March or April time.”

Posted on 11/20/2020

By: Hans Themistode

Fans and media members continue to play matchmaker. Fantasy matchups between unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. and fellow belt holders Terence Crawford and Manny Pacquiao, continue to be on mostly everyone’s mind.

While it’s fun to discuss who would win those contests, the never-ending discussions have become disrespectful in the mind of Angel Garcia. The continued conversations essentially mean that his son, former two-division belt holder Danny Garcia, has no chance of dethroning Spence Jr. when the two face off on December 5th. While Angel respects Spence Jr. as a fighter, he believes that his team is looking way too far ahead.

“Right now they counting their chicks without hatching,” said Angel to Fight Hub TV. “Talking about fighting Terence Crawford and Manny Pacquiao. They counting their chicks before it hatches.”

To the chagrin of Angel, a showdown between Crawford and Spence Jr. only intensified with the Nebraska native’s latest performance. Just last weekend, the WBO belt holder dropped former champion, Kell Brook, before ultimately stopping him dramatically shortly after. Since then, Crawford has received his fair share of praise.

Brook, 34, was beaten twice before in 2016 and 2017. Once at the hands of middleweight belt holder Gennadiy Golovkin (GGG) in the fifth round of a contest where Brook moved up two weight divisions and again, one year later. This time to Spence Jr. in the 11th round.

Still, Brook was competitive in both of his losses and never received the sort of beating that Crawford dished out to him before. While the performance may have been impressive to most, Angel simply doesn’t understand why he’s receiving all of this praise and attention.

“Terence Crawford just finished fighting Brook and they act like he just beat superman. GGG put the icing on the cake. He was never going to be the same after the ass whopping GGG gave him. He’s like Khan, he’s a big name in Europe. They love him and he sells tickets but his chin is done.”

Beyond Angel’s issue with Crawford receiving a disproportional amount of credit for what he believes was an easy fight, he also takes umbrage with the lack of respect that his son has received over the course of his career.

“Danny was unified champion. Ring magazine. When he unified titles they said Danny just know how to win. They said he was never pound for pound number one ever. But you got somebody else that wins one fight and they say he’s number one in the world.”

Posted on 11/17/2020

By: Hans Themistode

The results are in, and by all accounts, all parties are fairly satisfied.

A peak audience of 2,078,000 tuned in to watch WBO welterweight belt holder Terence Crawford outmuscle former titlist, Kell Brook, via fourth-round stoppage in their ESPN main event. Overall, an average of 2,029,000 flipped on their television screens to watch the event in its entirety.

Outside of ESPN’s recent telecast which was headlined by then unified lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko and then, IBF belt holder Teofimo Lopez, Crawford vs Brook was the most watched bout on ESPN in several years. An average of 2,729,000 and a peak number of 2,898,000 boxing fans witnessed Lopez make history on October 17th, as he became the youngest undisputed champion in boxing history with his win over Lomachenko.

Crawford’s night at the office may be a massive success but it wasn’t his best showing in terms of the numbers. That would come three years earlier in June of 2017 when Crawford took on Jose Benavidez Jr. The two spent most of their fight build up exchanging verbal threats with one another and had to be kept apart on several occasions. Their words reached its crescendo during their weigh-ins when Benavidez pushed Crawford which resulted in the pound for pound star throwing a punch at his opponent. Just one day later, Crawford would make Benavidez pay for his actions with a 12th round stoppage victory.

Things weren’t nearly as tense during Crawford’s fight build up with Brook. With that being said, the pair exchanged heated words as Crawford became apoplectic with Brook’s threats that he would rip away his WBO title and bring it back home to England. Those words however, failed to materialize on the night.

Brook started well, jabbing his man and winning the early exchanges. Yet, it was Crawford who made several adjustments which resulted in Brook hitting the deck in the deck in the fourth round before he was subsequently stopped a few seconds later.

Posted on 11/15/2020

Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) has always been a slow starter and tonight at the MGM Grand Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, he came out sluggish from the opening bell. His opponent on the night in 34 year old former welterweight champion Kell Brook took full advantage.

Over the course of two rounds, Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) out landed the WBO title holder. His slim lead however, wouldn’t last long as Crawford began finding his rhythm in the third round. While things seemed to be just picking up, within the blink of an eye, Crawford ended things.

As the fourth round began, Crawford landed a seemingly harmless jab. Yet, the moment it landed, Brook fell back into the ropes. From there, the former three division champion swarmed his foe until he hit the deck.

To the credit of Brook, he managed to stagger back to his feet. However, it didn’t take long for Crawford to close the show as referee stepped in to call a halt to their contest.

Posted on 11/14/2020

By: Hans Themistode

Terence Crawford has always been an active champion. Yet, with a worldwide pandemic ravishing through most of the world, the Nebraska native was forced to sit on the sidelines until things became more clear.

Now, after spending 11 months on the shelf, the consensus number one fighter in the world will return to the ring to defend his WBO welterweight title as he takes on Kell Brook at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Brook, a former welterweight champion in his own right, has spent the better part of a year begging to face Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs) in the ring. The 34-year-old will now get his wish when the two face off in the main event.

At one point, Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) was considered amongst the very best in the welterweight division. The British native crossed the pond in 2014 to hand then champion Shawn Porter the first loss of his career while ripping away his title. Back to back losses at the hands of Gennadiy Golovkin and Errol Spence Jr. however, saw Brook’s title reign truncated and his stay at welterweight vacated.

In his past three fights, Brook has campaigned at the Jr middleweight division but seemingly had little trouble in making the 147 pound limit for his showdown with Crawford. The reviews coming from his camp and from multiple time champion Billy Joe Saunders, is that Brook is coming into this contest in the best shape of his life. Regardless of that, oddsmakers aren’t buying it as they’ve tabbed Brook as high as a 20-1 underdog.

For Crawford, the 33-year-old isn’t looking at his upcoming showdown in the same fashion as the betting public. The former three division titlist has given Brook all of the respect in the world during most of their build up. With that being said, he might be expecting an arduous time on the night but like most of the public, Crawford is also expecting his hand to be raised at the end of the night.

The action begins at 7 P.M. eastern time on ESPN.

Posted on 11/13/2020

By: Hans Themistode

WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders is in the minority. The overwhelming thought process surrounding WBO welterweight titlist Terence Crawford and his showdown against former belt holder Kell Brook tomorrow night, is that it will be an easy night at the office for the undefeated champion.

Brook, 34, hasn’t boxed at the 147 pound welterweight limit since a 2017 loss at the hands of Errol Spence Jr. which resulted in the end of his title reign. Despite years of fighting one weight class higher, Brook decided that an opportunity to face Crawford was simply too good to pass up on and elected to move back down.

Oddsmakers are under the belief that the move for Brook won’t pay dividends as he’s been penciled as roughly a 20-1 underdog. Regardless of those odds, Saunders is standing right behind his countrymen.

“I believe if his mind is right then I’m backing him,” said Saunders to IFL TV during a recent interview. “He’s in the best shape of his life.”

Before Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) suffered back to back broken orbital bones which resulted in back-to-back defeats, the British product was viewed as one of the best welterweights in the world. In August of 2014, Brook made the long trek to make his American debut. On the night, the now 34-year-old handed former two time champion Shawn Porter the first loss of his career.

Saunders belief in Brook doesn’t stem from simply their friendship. Despite being separated by three weight classes, Saunders has spent time in the ring with the former titlist to help his preparation. Although he refrained from giving the exact details of their sparring sessions, Saunders was left impressed with everything that Brook did in the ring. Including carrying enough power to make the much bigger Saunders take notice.

“I think Terence Crawford is pound for pound number one but I’ve sparred Kell. Kell is a very, very good puncher. You don’t see him coming and I just think that if Kell Brook shows up the best that he can turn up then we got a new world champion.”

Posted on 11/11/2020

By: Hans Themistode

Kell Brook has watched numerous Terence Crawford contests, including sitting front row for his sixth round stoppage victory over fellow British native Amir Khan in mid 2019. Brook, by all accounts, views the WBO welterweight titlist as not only a great fighter, but the very best in the sport of boxing.

With that being said, Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) has spent a bit of time looking through Crawford’s resume and when he juxtaposes it with his own, he’s left unimpressed.

“I’m fighting the best pound for pound fighter,” said Brook during a recent press conference. “But Terence Crawford has never been in with a welterweight with the size and the confidence that I own. He’s never been in with Golovkin and Spence these pound for pound champions. He’s never been in with anybody.”

Brook’s sole losses on his resume came at the hands of the aforementioned Gennadiy Golovkin and Errol Spence Jr. in 2016 and 2017 respectively. The latter resulted in him losing his IBF welterweight title after a three year reign. On both occasions, the former welterweight champion suffered broken orbital bones before succumbing to their relentless power before reaching the final bell.

Each defeat left Brook crushed, but with three straight victories of his own, the 34-year-old believes he’s not only going to beat Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs) this Saturday night and rip away his world title, but also make a statement in the process.

“I believe I stop him or he quits on the stool.”

Saying what he’ll do is easy but following several months sequestered in training camp, Brook is confident that he did all of the work necessary in order to turn his threats into a reality.

“I’ve got to do absolutely everything right,” explained Brook. “I’ve been the first one in the gym and the last one out, putting in the hard work. I’m going to have to show something that I’ve never shown before. I’ve never been ready for a fight like this before, I’m fully prepared.”

Posted on 10/25/2020

By: Hans Themistode

While Kell Brook doesn’t believe he needs any more motivation for his title clash against Terence Crawford in the next few weeks, he found some in an expected place.

Just last weekend the 34 year old former welterweight belt holder sat back in his home and watched a young Teofimo Lopez pull off the massive upset when he dethroned who many believed was the best boxer in the world in Vasiliy Lomachenko. The win by Lopez has only reinforced what Brook believes will happen on November 14th.

“I’m an elite fighter,” said Brook to IFL TV during a recently aired interview. “Look at what Lopez did, everyone wrote him off and he upset the odds and beat the pound for pound number one in Loma so I’m going to do the same.”

At the moment, oddsmakers have Brook as high as a 10-1 underdog. But walking into a contest with the betting world against him is something that he has grown accustomed to over the course of his career. He hasn’t always proven them wrong, but Brook took the time to reminisce about a time in which he did.

“Everyone wrote me off against Shawn Porter and I went out there and became world champion. I know that people are writing me off but I know what I can do and I am going in there one thousand percent confident.”

Brooks win over Porter in 2014, resulted in a title reign that lasted just over three years. He would see it come to a screeching halt however, at the halfway mark in 2017 when Errol Spence Jr. floored the British native twice on his way to a stoppage win in the 11th round. Since then, Brook has gone on to win three straight contests, albeit none has come at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. For his upcoming matchup against Crawford, Brook has agreed to move back down in weight for the first in three years.

Although he has stated on numerous occasions that making 147 pounds is a struggle for him, the British product’s confidence is seemingly through the roof. With that being said, he knows Crawford is the total package.

“He’s got everything,” explained Brook. “He’s a switch hitter and has good power so he has everything but I believe in me. Anything can happen when you have that self belief. I’m self motivated.”

Under normal circumstances, Brook would love to trade punches with Crawford inside of a packed arena. However, due to safety protocols from COVID-19, a raucous crowd won’t be in attendance at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Still, with Lomachenko vs Lopez reaching nearly three million homes worldwide, Brook finds solace in the possibility that millions of fans will tune in to witness him creating history.

“I want the world to see this. I want the world to see me become two time world champion. I’m going in there to dethrone this man. A lot of people have me as the underdog but this big dog is going to make a lot of people money. I’m taking that title back home to Britain.”

Posted on 09/06/2020

By: Hans Themistode

Kell Brook is on the verge of getting exactly what he wants. 

The former 147 pound belt holder has been on a full fledged campaign to get a showdown with current WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford. Now it appears that he’ll get his wish as both sides are inching towards the finish line. 

Originally, with Top Rank offering Brook 1.5 million to take the bout with Crawford, their negotiations seemed to be dead in the water. However, sources close to the situation have told The Athletic that they have since upped their offer to roughly two million. 

Although Top Rank seems to have placated the financial worries of Brook, Crawford on the other hand, hasn’t agreed to his purse just yet. Despite that, he has acknowledged that the Brook contest is number one on his radar and his ring return will take place later on this year.

“That’s what they saying is at the top of the list,” said Crawford as he watched his good buddy Jamel Herring dismantle Jonathan Oquendo. If it’s Kell Brook that I’m fighting then it’s Kell Brook that I’m fighting. Hopefully November, that’s the plan”

For Brook, his days of fighting on the big stage were thought to be long gone. After back to back losses to both Gennadiy Golovkin and Errol Spence Jr. in 2016 and 2017 respectively, Brook suffered consecutive orbital fractures and a loss of motivation. Since then, he’s abandoned the 147 pound division all together and began making noise at 154. Yet with three straight victories under his belt against less than stellar competition, Brook has decided to move back down in weight. In the past he’s complained that squeezing down his Jr middleweight frame to the welterweight limit has cost him on fight night. 

With that being said, a matchup with who many consider the best fighter in the world has apparently changed his mind. 

As for Crawford, a showdown with Brook may represent the fourth defense of WBO title, but for fans of the Nebraska native, he isn’t the name most were hoping for. 

Over the past several months, Crawford has gone back and forth with former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman. In addition to the former titlist, promoter Bob Arum was optimistic of his chances in getting eight division champion and current WBA welterweight belt holder Manny Pacquiao into the ring with Crawford. 

Despite the confidence, nothing ever materialized with either man which left the door wide open for a Brook vs Crawford matchup. 

In terms of the possible date and location, nothing has been finalized but Arum is zeroing in on mid November. 

Posted on 08/25/2020

By: Hans Themistode

After months of hearing his name associated with the likes of Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman and even Gary Russell Jr–Terence Crawford is heading in another direction entirely. 

The WBO welterweight titlist is on a collision course with former belt holder Kell Brook.  Their clash is far from a reality, but according to promoter Eddie Hearn, everything is pointing in the right direction. 

“I had a couple of conversations with Bob and Carl Moretti yesterday,” said Hearn on IFL TV. “I feel that’s a big fight for UK TV, so we’re trying to help out and get that over the line. Personally, I would love to see Kell get that fight.” 

Before COVID-19 turned the boxing landscape upside down, Brook was amongst Arum’s possible opponents for his welterweight titlist. Although, the long time promoter ranked it his least favorite amongst the remaining options on the table

“There are a number of possibilities,” said Arum to talkSPORT two months ago. “Thurman, Porter or this kid Ugas, the Cuban who’s a good, good welterweight. They’re with Al [Haymon’s] company PBC. But we’re working well together with that company, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem. And then finally there’s Kell Brook. So the first possibility is Pacquiao, if that’s possible. Second possibility is a fight against one of Al’s guys. And the third possibility is Kell Brook.”

For Crawford, his name has appeared in the headlines even more than usual as of late. 

Current 126 pound WBC champion Gary Russell Jr. kicked things off. The Maryland native recently revealed that he broke the jaw of Crawford at the Olympic center several years ago during a heated argument. The former three division titlist quickly went online to dismiss Russell Jr’s claims and threatened to “break his neck.” 

Those threats fell on deaf ears as Russell Jr. offered to move up four weight divisions to face Crawford. Most recently, the long standing champion claimed that an offer was sent out to Crawford for a showdown later this year but a response was never sent back. 

As they continued to go back and forth, Crawford quickly found himself feuding with another former champion, but someone his own size in Keith Thurman. 

“You never got respect in the game at 147,” said Thurman to Brian Custer on the Last Stand podcast recently. “You haven’t pushed the buttons at 147.”

With the two sides continuing to bark at one another, Arum nixed any possibilities of the two squaring off in the ring, claiming that Thurman wanted mind numbing money. Numerous reports were that the former champion’s number was in the 10 million dollar range. 

Now, with Thurman off the table and Manny Pacquiao currently eyeing other opponents, Arum appears to be settling for his least desired option. News that brings a smile to the face of Hearn. But before an agreement surfaces, Hearn has made it clear that Arum will have to dig deep in those heavily funded pockets of his.

“I think [Top Rank] had a conversation with Keith Thurman, and obviously they wanted too much money. It’s difficult at the moment … Crawford wants a lot of money, and Kell wants a lot of money. He deserves it. We’re trying to make that fight happen to assist Top Rank in getting the numbers together.”

Posted on 03/28/2015

by Johnny Walker

IBF world welterweight champion Kell Brook retained his title today in his hometown of Sheffield, England, stopping game Romanian-Canadian mandatory challenger Jo Jo Dan in four rounds at the Motorpoint Arena. Brook was coming back from a bizarre attack suffered in Spain, in an incident where he suffered a deep gash to his leg that could have ended his career or even his life.

It was evident from the start that Dan was completely overmatched, as Brook rocked his opponent with everything that landed, even wobbling Dan with hard left jabs.

Dan went down twice in the second round, first from an uppercut and then from a hard right hand. It was already apparent that it was merely a matter of time for the totally outclassed Dan.

Dan gamely attempted to make the fight messy in the third round to try and survive, but Brook proved too strong and too skilled to be put off by roughhouse tactics on the inside.

The fourth round spelled curtains for Dan, who opened by scoring with a right hand and some body shots. Brook then decided enough was enough, scoring with a hard counter-right hand, sending Dan into pure survival mode.

Brook kept up the attack, rattling his opponent with some big right hands and sending Dan (34-3, 18 KOs) to mat twice more, the last knockdown coming at the bell. After a brief discussion in the fighter’s corner with referee Earl Brown, Dan’s team decided their man had taken enough punishment for one night, and the fight was called off, giving Brook the TKO victory.

Brook (34-0, 22 KOs) made sure to call out fellow Briton Amir Khan after the win, drawing cheers from the partisan crowd, and made clear his elation at not only winning this fight, but at having survived a life-threatening attack outside the ring to do so.

Posted on 03/28/2015

By: William Holmes

Showtime’s Championship Boxing series will televise three fights from two different locations on Saturday night as Kell Brook defends his IBF welterweight title against Jo Jo Dan in Sheffield England, while in Las Vegas Jhonny Gonazalez takes on Gary Russell Jr. for Gonzalez’s WBC Featherweight Title and Jermell Charlo takes on Vanes Martirosyan in the junior middleweight division.

Jhonny Gonzalez and Gary Russell Jr.

The Kell Brook vs. Jo Jo Dan bout will be available live for Showtime subscribers in the afternoon and will be shown again on replay later on that night.

The following is a preview of the three televised bouts.

Kell Brook (33-0) vs. Jo Jo Dan (34-2); IBF Welterweight Title

When you hear boxing pundits talk about British welterweight boxers, you usually hear the name of Amir Khan before Kell Brook, but that has started to change since Brook won the IBF Welterweight title over American Shawn Porter in August of 2014.

Kell Brook will make his first defense of his title when he faces the veteran Romanian Jo Jo Dan in Brook’s home country.

Brook is in his prime and has considerable power. He has stopped twenty-two of his opponents, including four of his past five fights. This might be Dan’s last title shot at a legitimate title as he is currently thirty-three and may be slowly starting to fade. He also doesn’t have the power of Brook, as he has only had two stoppages in his past five fights and two of his wins were by a close split decision.

Brook is arguably a top five welterweight and has faced some decent opposition at this point in his career. He has defeated the likes of Shawn Porter, Vyacheslav Senchenko, Carson Jones, Hector David Saldivia, Matthew Hatton, Lovemore Ndou, and Michael Jennings.

The one knock against Brook is that he has fought most of his career in the United Kingdom, and he has only fought outside of the United Kingdom twice.

Jo Jo Dan has held several regional titles in the past but he has never been a world champion. He has fought all over the world, with most of his fights being in Canada.

Jo Jo Dan has defeated the likes of Kevin Bizier twice by a close split decision and a faded Steve Forbes. He also faced and lost to Selcuk Aydin twice.

This should be an easier fight for Book in his home country. There is a risk that he is looking past Dan and forward to a possibly fight with Amir Khan, but it’s unlikely that Dan will score the upset.

Jermell Charlo (25-0-0) vs. Vanes Martirosyan (35-1-1); Junior Middleweights

The first televised bout of the night from Las Vegas will be between undefeated Jermell Charlo and Vanes Martirosyan in the junior middleweight division.

Martirosyan had a notable amateur career that includes an appearance in the 2004 Olympics for the United States that saw him go 1-1. Jermell Charlo is one half of the noted twin Charlo brothers and he also had a successful amateur career, thought not as successful as Martirosyan. Charlo won the bronze medal at the 2005 Junior Olympics.

Charlo is four years younger than Martirosyan and they are both similar in height and reach. Martirosyan has stopped twenty-one of his opponents, but has only stopped one of his past five. Charlo isn’t known for his power either, as he has only stopped eleven of his opponents and one in his past five.

At this stage of their careers, Martirosyan has faced the better opposition. He had an excellent win over Willie Nelson in his last bout and has also defeated the likes of Ryan Davis, Troy Lowry, Richard Gutierrez, Saul Roman, Joe Greene, and Kassim Ouma. His lone loss was to Demetrius Andrade in November of 2013.

Martirosyan’s best bout was actually a draw against Erislandy Lara in November of 2012.

Charlo has yet to challenge for a legitimate world title, but he has passed every test so far with flying colors. He has defeated the likes of Charlie Ota, Gabriel Rosado, Demetrius Hopkins, and Harry Joe Yorgey.

Martirosyan is experienced enough to give Charlo problems inside the ring, but Charlo is just too quick and smart of a boxer to lose this bout if it goes the distance. Martirosyan’s best shot at victory will come by way of stoppage, but Charlo’s defense is good enough to allow him to stay on his feet for the entire fight.

Jhonny Gonzalez (57-8) vs. Gary Russell Jr. (24-1); WBC Featherweight Title

Gonzalez won his first world title down in the bantamweight division way back in 2005 against Ratanachai Sor Vorapin for the WBO World title. Ten years later, he’s still a champion, but this time in the featherweight division for the WBC title after winning it in a shocking upset over the highly rated Abner Mares.

Gary Russell Jr. is a former amateur standout who won the Junior Olympics as well as the Golden Gloves. Russell was a highly touted prospect, but he has lost some of his shine when he lost a wide decision to the very talented Vasyl Lomachenko.

Gonzalez will be seven years Russell’s elder, and at the age of thirty-three it appears his physical prime should be behind him. Gonzalez, despite starting his career at a lower weight, will have five-inch reach advantage and about an-inch-and-a-half height advantage over his younger opponent.

Russell has been criticized for facing lesser opposition and never challenging himself prior to his fight with Lomachenko. His notable wins include Christopher Martin, Christopher Perez, and Vyacheslav Gusev. When Russell was inside the ring with someone who could match his hand speed and in ring generalship, he lost to Lomachenko in a fight that was closer on the scorecards than it was in the ring, but Russell did show tremendous heart during those twelve tough rounds.

Gonzalez has been in the ring with some of the best lighter weight boxers in the past ten years, and has had mixed results against them. His biggest wins have come against a past his prime Jorge Arce, an upset knockout over Abner Mares, and victories over Rogers Mtagwa, Hozumi Hasegawa, Irene Pacheco, Fernando Montiel, and Marc Johnson. His notable losses were to Israel Vazquez, Gerry Penalosa, Toshiaki Nishioka, and Daniel Ponce De Leon.

Gonzalez’s eight losses at first glance will make it seem like that he should be a walk-over for the much younger Gary Russell, Jr.; however, it should be noted that he has gone 9-1 in his last ten fights and has the power to score a flash knockout like he did against Mares.

That being said, this writer expects Gary Russell Jr. to be able to avoid the power of Gonzalez and cruise to a twelve round decision to win his first legitimate world title.

Posted on 03/17/2015

By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of March 10th to March 17th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Floyd Mayweather’s Diet Valued at $1,000 a Plate

TMZ has reported that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has hired a private chef to cook up his meals for the Manny Pacquiao fight at a price for about $1,000 a plate. If Floyd were to eat four meals a day he’s look at a bill of around $184,000.

The woman he has hired is Chef Q who is based out of Las Vegas. More information can be found here.

Manny Pacquiao Donates P5.3M to United Nations World Food Program

Manny Pacquiao has donated P5.3 million ($120,000) to the United Nations World Food Program to fight hunger in the Philippines. The contribution will support the World Food Program’s school feeding program in Central Mindanao.

“The school feeding program ensures that school children in Central Mindanao have one less thing to worry about so they can instead focus on their studies. According to our monitoring data, school feeding programs help increase the retention rate of students in WFP-assisted schools by over 90 percent- a testament to how school feeding helps these children stay in school,” said WFP Philippines Representative and Country Director Praveen Agrawal.

More information can be found here.

Premier Boxing Champions Returns to Spike TV on Friday, April 24th in Chicago

The Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series will return to Spike TV on April 24th at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.

The main event will be in the super middleweight division between Anthony Dirrell (27-0-1) and Badou Jack (18-1) and the co-main event will be between Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs (28-1) and Caleb Truax (25-1-2) in the middleweight division.

The bout is co-promoted by Warriors Boxing and Mayweather Promotions and tickets will be available online at www.ticketmaster.com.

“I’m extremely excited to be fighting on Spike TV and I plan on being the guy everyone is talking about when the night is over,” said Dirrell.

“This is a great platform for me and I’m more motivated than ever to put on a show for the fans. Badou Jack is a tough opponent, but I’m going to make it a very bad night for him.”

“This is a great opportunity for me and I am not going to let it slip through my fingers,” said Jack. “I know Anthony Dirrell is a very skilled fighter but he’s about to feel a different kind of power when I hit him. I’m looking forward to becoming the super middleweight champion on April 24th.”

ESPN Friday Night Fights Returns to Mohegan Sun

ESPN Friday Night Fights returns to the Mohegan Sun on Friday, April 17th. The main event will be between highly touted prospect Sergey Derevyanchenko (4-0) and former world-title challenger Elvin Ayala (27-6-1) in the main event of the evening and the co-feature will be between Ryan Kielczweski (22-0) and Danny Aquino (16-2) in the featherweight division.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be headlining this card and appearing for the first time on the ESPN network and I want to thank my promoters DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions Inc. for this opportunity,” said Derevyanchenko.

“Ayala is a very tough and experienced opponent. He challenged Arthur Abraham for his title, going 12 hard rounds. He is coming off a very good win in his most recent fight and I know he will be coming to win in front of his hometown fans come April 17. I am looking to make a statement in this fight though. I am going to show the world that I am one of the best 160-pounders in all of boxing and I belong at the elite level of this division.”

“On April 17th, I will be victorious” said Ayala. “I am training like never before and I am ready to put on the performance of a lifetime. I have suffered losses in my career but never defeat. God knows this and I know this and now it is time for the world to know it, beginning with Sergey Derevyanchenko.”

Kell Brook vs. Jo Jo Dan to be Televised on Showtime

Showtime Sports has announced that they will broadcast the Sky Sports telecast of the IBF Welterweight World Championship between Kell Brook and the number one challenger Jo Jo Dan on Saturday, March 28th live on Showtime at 6:15 p.m. ET/3:15 p.m. PT. This bout will be held at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England.

The same evening will feature a WBC Featherweight Championship bout between Jhonny Gonzalez (57-8) and Gary Russell Jr. (25-1) in the main event of Showtime Championship Boxing as well as a bout between Jermell Charlo (25-0) and Vanes Martirosyan (35-1-1) in a super welterweight bout.

“After everything that’s happened over the last six months, it feels incredible knowing I will be defending my World title in Sheffield,” said Brook. “I’m not looking past JoJo, I know he will bring the heat but I want to get this mandatory defence done and then target those mega-fights that are out there in the division. I know he feels he worked so hard to get into the mandatory position just like I did, but I will be working twice as hard to keep the belt that I earned. After May 2nd, there will only be two champions in the division—myself and Floyd or Manny. I want to unify this division in style. I’m coming for them all.”

Willie Monroe Jr. to get Title Shot Against Gennady Golovkin

Many people were hoping that Gennady Golovkin would be facing an elite level boxer such as Miguel Cotto or Canelo Alvarez in his next bout, but fans will have to accept the fact that the winner of the 2014 Boxcino Middleweight tournament as Golovkin’s next opponent.

Willie Monroe Jr. will face Gennady Golovkin for his WBA/IBO and WBC Interim Middleweight Championship on May 16th at the Forum in Inglewood, California. This event will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing.

“On May 16, I will shock the world,” said Monroe. “I think this is an awesome fight. We have two contrasting styles that will make for some spontaneous combustion. We will see which style comes out on top on May 16.”

Monroe went on to state, “I want to thank Banner Promotions for standing by me. I also want to thank “GGG” for accepting the fight. This is a risky fight for him because people have not given me credit for who I am,” continued Monroe. “I also want to thank Brian Kweder and John Campagna of ESPN for the platform of the Boxcino tournament. I know that it was those three fights that really springboarded me into this position.”

Adrien Broner Arrested on Drunk Driving Charge

The Sharonville, Ohio police arrested Adrien Broner in January of 2015 for a drunk driven charge after he refused a breath test when officers stopped his Merecedes.

He has pleaded not guilty and will ask for a jury trial.

More info can be found here.

Full March 20th Fight Card Set Featuring Alfonso Gomez

Golden Boy Promotions recently announced the full card for March 20th at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. Former world title challenger Alfonso Gomez (24-6-2) will take on Japan’s Yoshihiro Kamegai (25-2-1) in a super welterweight bout.

This bout will be aired live on Fox Sports 1 and future hall of famer, Bernard Hopkins, will be in attendance to meet and greet with fans at the Special Events Center from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The undercard will feature Ronny Rios (23-1) taking on Sergio “El Frio” Frias (16-4-2) and former Irish national championship fighter Jamie Kavanagh (17-1-1) facing Miguel Zamudio (29-6-1).

More information can be found at www.goldenboypromotions.com.