Tag Archives: marcus

Posted on 11/12/2019

By: Hans Themistode

It’s been a long time since anyone has seen former two division world champion Marcos Maidana. Five years to be exact.

Maidana had a very successful career that spanned a little over a decade. He’s shared the ring with some of the best fighters of his generation and also picked up some big wins along the way.

In 2009, he knocked out former champion Victor Ortiz to win the vacant WBA Super Lightweight title. He followed that up with impressive wins against DeMarcus Corley and Erik Morales. He did lose his fair share of fights as well as he was beaten by both Devon Alexander and Amir Khan in competitive contest.

Still, Maidana’s resume is littered with great wins. Who could forget his wars against Josesito Lopez and Jesus Soto Karass? Those fights will always be remembered.

No matter how many notable victories he has picked up, none will compare to the 2013 beating he dished out to the then undefeated and flamboyant Adrien Broner, handing him his first defeat. Maidana picked up even more notoriety as he took on all-time great Floyd Mayweather Jr in back to back contest in 2014. Maidana lost both encounters and subsequently has not been seen in the ring since.

Maidana was rumored to have become a very rich man in fighting Mayweather. So much so, that he no longer needed boxing in order to support his family.

Earlier in 2019, Maidana reportedly signed a deal with Premier Boxing Champions and was scheduled to make a ring return. However, those plans were scrapped due to a combination of issues.

Maidana was never heard from again until recently. He will reportedly end his five year retirement and return to the ring. His return has been penciled in for April of 2020 against 46 year old Heavyweight kickboxer Jorge Cali.

Yes, you read that right. Maidana will be taking on a kickboxer, but the bout will be contested under boxing rules. More shockingly, is the weight in which this bout will take place. It hasn’t been quite clear but Maidana could return to the boxing ring somewhere near the Cruiserweight division. Remember, Maidana fought at Super Lightweight and Welterweight for his entire career. Making his return at nearly 60 pounds over his original fighting weight class is an eye opener.

As for what exactly made this contest become a reality is a simple one. The two have been sending videos and messages to antagonize each other. Now, they officially made the fight a reality.

Cali is excited to be sharing the ring with someone the caliber of Maidana, and although he might be at a disadvantage because of the rules of this bout, he is confident of the outcome.

“It is clear that I am at a disadvantage in this because it will be under the rules of boxing,” said Cali. “But in my career fighting with an athlete of Maidana’s status motivates me. It drives me to train and be in the best shape possible.”

On the official Twitter account of Maidana Promotions, they posted a video highlighting the event.

At this present moment, it is unknown whether or not this will be a one off for Maidana or if he will officially return to the ring for good. A press conference in mid November has been scheduled for Maidana and Cali to announce their bout.

It is strange that Maidana has chosen to make his return to boxing in this fashion. Both as a much larger fighter and against such an obscure opponent. However, Maidana has always possessed a fan friendly style, so his return to the ring will provide plenty of fireworks for as long as it lasts.

Posted on 08/01/2019

By: Robert Aaron Contreras

On Saturday, August 3, PBC on FOX was due for a tripleheader from the Barclays Centers in Brooklyn, New York where a trio of big names would have carefully matched opponents in front of them.

Now with former welterweight champion Andre Berto out, Adam Kownacki, who takes on Chris Arreola, and light heavyweight beltholder Marcus Browne, fighting Jean Pascal, are bolstering the bill on their own.

The FOX broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET.

Adam Kownacki vs. Chris Arreola

Kownacki is more than familiar with the Barclays Center, having been born in Poland but becoming a man in Brooklyn. He competed there eight times on his way to this pivotal moment, his first headliner on such a grand stage.

And despite no championship belt on the line, his hometown backing puts him and Arreola in the main event.

The 30-year-old Kownacki (19-0, 15 KO) is a banger, always looking to string together chippy punches from every angle. His appearance earned him the nickname Babyface. He has compiled a nice resume, one of B-level talent like Artur Szpilka and a former beltholder in Charles Martin, putting him in line to take a crack at the world level sooner rather than later. In January of this year, he jumped Gerald Washington—again on primetime FOX.

The Polish puncher took out Washington in under four minutes. Quicker work than even Deontay Wilder had with Washington. Kownacki could beat Wilder’s KO mark again if he takes Arreola (38-5-1, 33 KO) out in less than eight rounds.

Arreola, 38, took a lumping from Wilder, who injured his dominate hand, and didn’t make it out of the corner for the ninth period. It was title opportunities like that that make Arreola
arguably Kownacki’s most notable opponent, even if that doesn’t mean the best.

Arreola is back mainstream TV for reasons that are hard to understand outside of simply being a heavyweight. One who used to have a good chin. But one that can punch a little and fights in the same mold as his younger counterpart.

He has never shied away from the spotlight. His is a spotty record since being promoted as possible the man to claim that notional title of first Mexican heavyweight champion before being easily stamped out by Vitali Klitschko. He relied on that heritage and slapdash soundbites to keep him in business and eventually a mainstay with the PBC.

Marcus Browne vs. Jean Pascal
WBA champion Marcus Browne (23-0, 16 KO) is one of a quartet of remarkably talented light heavyweight champions. With Artur Beterbiev scheduled to unify two belts with Gvozdyk, the American of the bunch it could be said is fighting them as much as he is Jean Pascal (33-6-1, 20 KO), to the extent tat as they are all compared against each other for recognition of the true 175-pound kingpin.

Pascal, 36, was once the lineal light heavyweight ruler. That was a decade ago. Still in the Year of Our Lord 2019 this weekend will mark the second consecutive world title challenge for Pascal, of Canada. Despite falling way short against an operator like Dmitry Bivol, the respected former champ has the pull and reputation to remain relevant in the title picture.

Browne, Staten Island’s own, was on big promoter’s wishlist coming out of the London Olympics. He has spent time with Golden Boy Promotions and like many other East Coast talent thriving under Lou DiBella for a stint. Browne’s highlight being a first-round knockout of longstanding gatekeeper Gabriel Campillo

Fighting out of New York, Browne signed with Golden Boy out of the London Olympics. But soon like most east coast fighters, he thrived under Lou Dibella. The highlight being a first-round thumping of longstanding gatekeeper Gabriel Campilloin 2015. But a fickle decision over puncher Radivoje Kalajdzic that left a sour taste in the mouth of fight fans who then became ready to scrutinize Browne as an overhyped prospect. His reoccurring legal trouble were no help.

Browne eventually stomped Thomas Williams Jr. in six rounds as well as the previously undefeated Sean Monagham, also of New York. Now campaigning with Al Haymon’s crew, Browne can boast an incredible win over Badou Jack, a star-making unanimous decision victory.

Still undefeated and untouched, Browne can only hurt himself this weekend. No matter how ferociously he takes out a reputable veteran like Pascal, the Canadian is a shell of his former self—hardly throwing punches these days. The matchup pales in comparison to a delectable unification like Beterbiev-Gvozdyk.

Browne should keep an eye out on the winner.

Posted on 08/01/2019

By: Hans Themistode

The Light Heavyweight division is flooded with talent. Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Sergey Kovalev, Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev are all belt holders in the division. With the exception of Kovalev they are all undefeated as well.

Rising contenders such as Badou Jack, Eleider Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez are also highly thought of within the division. The list of contenders and champions gets mighty long before we reach the name Marcus Browne.

The current WBA interim champion has an unsullied record at 23-0 and the personalty that should allow him to be easy to promote. He has managed to run through his competition with ease. That statement does however, come with a bit of caveat. Browne has spent the majority of his career facing mostly obscure opponents.

Browne has recently proven that he does belong with some of the elite of division. In 2017, it took him only two rounds to dispatch of the previously undefeated Sean Monaghan.

He has since followed that up with an impressive win over former two division champion Badou Jack. It was in that very fight where Browne knew he belonged.

“I always knew that I was a great fighter, but that fight allowed the world to see just how great I truly am,” said Browne. “It was a tough fight and Badou proved that he was a warrior that night so I tip my cap to him.”

Many believe that his contest against Jack was his coming out party. Still, even with the WBA interim title around his waist, Browne continues to get little credit for the sort of performance he put on that night. He will once again have another opportunity to prove his doubters wrong as he will take on multiple time champion Jean Pascal.

At age 36 and fresh off a defeat against WBA belt holder Dmitry Bivol, Browne is fully aware that Pascal is in a desperate situation.

“He needs this win. I know that he doesn’t want to have back to back losses at this stage in his career but that is exactly what is going to happen. He’s a great fighter and I respect everything that he has done in this sport but I’m not losing.”

Browne has said repeatedly that he is fully focused on just this fight. However, with pound for pound star Canelo Alvarez recently making headlines about his venture into Browne’s division, he made it clear that if he was given the chance he would welcome it with open arms.

“Canelo don’t want any problems with me. The only reason he keeps mentioning Kovalev is because he sees the chinks in his armor. I don’t think he wants any of the problems that I come with.”

With his fight now just a few days away, Browne is keeping his eyes on the prize.

“I would love to stop Pascal. Only Kovalev has been able to do it so of course I would love to get it done myself but I’m not focusing on that. As long as I get the victory, I’ll be happy. That’s the most important thing.”

Posted on 01/17/2019

By: William Holmes

On Saturday night, hall of famer Manny Pacquiao will be making his debut under Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) banner when he faces off against Adrien Broner. This bout will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and will be distributed live on PPV by Showtime.

The co-main event of the night will be between Badou Jack and Marcus Browne for the WBA Interim Light heavyweight title.

Two other title fights will also take place. The WBC Bantamweight Title will be on the line when Rau’shee Warren takes on Nordine Oubaali. The WBA Interim Featherweight Title will also be on the line when Jhack Tepora takes on Hugo Ruiz.

Other fighters on the undercard include George Kambosos Jr., Rey Perez, Jayar Inson, Jonathan Steele, Genisis Libranza, and Carlos Buitrago.

The following is a preview of the co-main event and main event of the evening.

Marcus Browne (22-0) vs. Badou Jack (22-1-3); WBA Interim Light Heavyweight Title

The co-main event of the evening has the potential to be a very competitive fight.

Both Marcus Browne and Badou Jack are very solid boxers with strong amateur backgrounds. Browne was a National Police Athletic League Champion, a US Amateur Light Heavyweight Champion, and represented the United States in the 2012 Olympics. Jack was a multi time Swedish National Champion as an amateur and represented Gambia in the 2008 Olympics.

Browne is seven years younger than Badou Jack, who at thirty five years old is nearing the end of his physical prime. Browne will also have about a half inch height advantage and a two and a half inch reach advantage over Jack.

Browne has a slight edge in activity. He fought twice in 2018 and twice in 2017. Jack only fought once in 2018 and fought twice in 2017. They both have decent power but neither is known as a true knockout artist. Browne has sixteen stoppage victories on his record while Jack has thirteen. However, Browne has stopped three of his past four opponents while Jack has only stopped one of his past four opponents.

Jack appears to have faced the better competition of the two as a professional, but fights in a lot of close matches. He has majority draws with Adonis Stevenson, James DeGale, and Marco Antonio Periban on his record. He has beaten the likes of Nathan Cleverly, Lucian Bute, George Groves, Anthony Dirrell, Farah Ennis, and Rogelio Medina. His lone loss was an upset TKO loss to Derek Edwards.

Browne has never tasted defeat as a professional. His closest fight to date was a split decision win over Radivoje Kalajdzic. He has wins over Thomas Williams Jr., Sean Monaghan, Francy Ntetu, Lenin Castillo, Gabriel Campillo, Cornelius White, and Aaron Pryor Jr.

This should be a close competitive fight, but the writer has to give a slight edge to Marcus Browne based on age, physical advantages such as reach and power, and more recent success and activity.

Manny Pacquiao (60-7-2) vs. Adrien Broner (33-3-1); WBA Welterweight Title

Manny Pacquiao is a living legend, but he’s now forty years old and his time at or near the top is coming to an end. He’ll be facing Adrien Broner, a high level boxer who was once considered to be the next Floyd Mayweather Jr., but hasn’t been able to reach that level of fame or success…yet.

Broner is still in the midst of his athletic prime at the age of twenty nine, while Pacquiao is no longer at his prime at the age of forty. Broner will only have a half an inch height advantage and about a two inch reach advantage over Pacquiao, which is actually a smaller advantage than what Pacquiao is accustomed to.

Pacquiao, as most know, turned professional as a teenager and doesn’t have the deep amateur experience of most professionals. Broner was a two time National Silver Gloves Champion as an amateur.

Pacquiao has thirty nine stoppage victories as a professional, but got his first TKO win in nine years when he beat Lucas Matthysse. Broner has twenty four stoppage victories.

Pacquiao has defeated an impressive list of well known opponents. His wins include Lucas Matthysse, Jessie Vargas, Timothy Bradley Jr., Chris Algieri, Brandon Rios, Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and Lehlo Ledwaba.

Many of his losses are either disputed, or were losses he avenged or beat the opponent earlier. His losses were to Jeff Horn (disputed), Floyd Mayweather Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez(beat twice), Timothy Bradley (disputed, avenged), Erik Morales (avenged), Rustico Torrecampo and Boonsai Sangsurat.

Broner hasn’t defeated the type of named opponents that Pacquiao. His wins include Adrian Granados. Ashley Theophane, Khabib Allakhverdiev, John Molina Jr., Carlons Molina, Paul Malignaggi, Gavin Rees, Antonio DeMarco, Jason Litzau, and Daniel Ponce De Leon. His losses were to Marcos Maidana, Shawn Porter, and Mikey Garcia.

Pacquiao’s lack of activity in the past two years is concerning. He’s only fought once in 2018 and once in 2017. However, Broner has only fought once in 2018 and doesn’t appear he’ll reach the potential many thought he once had.

This is a bout that Pacquiao should win, and if he wins convincingly his popularity and hall of fame resume will only get bigger.

Posted on 01/09/2019

By: Sean Crose

“Trust me,” light heavyweight Marcus Browne said this week, “I know it ain’t easy. And I’m working like I’ve never worked before in my life, so trust me, I know it ain’t easy. And you could say what you want from the outside. Come January 19, you’re going to see. You’re going to see. So, keep it up.” Browne was speaking of his upcoming fight with the esteemed Badou Jack, which will be the co-feature of the Manny Pacquiao-Adrien Broner Pay Per View card, airing live on Showtime Pay Per View.

The undefeated Browne, 22-0, has beaten the likes of Gabriel Campillo, and Seanie Monaghan, but has never faced the likes of Jack, 22-1-3, who fought Adonis Stevenson to a draw in an absolutely grueling affair last May. Jack also has earned victories over the likes of George Groves, Lucien Bute, and Anthony Dirrell. What’s more, many felt Jack was shortchanged in his draw with Stevenson, as well as his draw against James DeGale in 2017. Still, during a recent conference call to promote the fight, Browne made it clear that he’s brimming with confidence. “This ain’t no old Adonis Stevenson,” he said. “This ain’t no Nathan Cleverly. This is Marcus Browne, my brother. So make sure you’re ready because I know I’m ready.”

Jack, however, carries his own confidence. “I let my hands do the talking,” he said during the call. “Everybody knows me.” Jack, who is a mature enough fighter to avoid boasting or making bold statements, made it clear he’s viewing things in a professional, realistic manner. “I’m listening to my corner and following the game plan,” he said. “Of course, I want to knock guys out. If they don’t come, they don’t come. I’ll show you January 19 what I’m about.”

Browne claimed he wasn’t strictly looking for a knockout, either. “If a knockout comes, it comes. But if not, we are winning every round and that’s that…I’m not here to lose rounds and that’s about it. But I’m not concerned about what the judges are doing. We already know what type of time it is already.” Although the match may be appearing to fly under the radar of the glistening Pacquia-Broner bout, call host Leonard Ellerbee went so far as to make a bold prediction:

“This fight here will be probably the best fight on the card,” he said. “These guys will be looking to steal the show.”

Posted on 07/15/2017

PBC on Fox Results: Omar Figueroa, Jr., Marcus Browne & Adam Kownaci Win at Nassau Coliseum
By: Ken Hissner

PBC on FOX Network featured 3 major fights at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY, Saturday.

In the main event returning after 19 months former champion now at welterweight Omar “Panterita” Figueroa, Jr., 27-0-1 (19), of Weslaco, TX, returning after 11 months stopped southpaw former champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, 33-6-1 (18), of Gilroy, CA, at 1:30 of the second round.

In the opening round Guerrero won the inside fighting over slow starting Figueroa. In the second round Figueroa hurt Guerrero with a left uppercut to the chin. Seconds later Figueroa dropped Guerrero who came back strong only to be dropped again with a short right uppercut to the chin. In the third round Figueroa twice dropped Guerrero forcing referee Ron Lipton to halt the fight. The second knockdown was a questionable border line punch.

“We followed the game plan especially the right uppercut. The fun part of boxing is that he came fighting back between knockdowns. I want to fight at 140 in the future,” said Figueroa. It was an action packed fight.

In the co-feature light heavyweight 2012 Olympian southpaw “Sir” Marcus Browne, 20-0 (15), of Staten Island, NY, halted Seanie Monaghan, 28-1 (17), of Long Beach, NY, at 1:40 of the second round.

In the opening round after 40 seconds a lead left from Browne on the forehead of Monaghan dropped him. Being over anxious Browne landed a slightly low left hook punch giving Monaghan several minutes to re-coup. Browne had his jab continuously in the face of Monaghan. In the second round a solid right hook from Browne to the head started a dozen unanswered punches to the head and body of Monaghan who was up against the ropes defenseless forcing referee Steve Willis to halt the fight.

“I had to do what I had to do. Start with the jab and follow up with the rest. I started with the jab and landed a right hook. I want to thank God for keeping us safe along with Al Haymon. I want to fight Adonis Stevenson next and bring the belt back to New York”, said Browne. It was an ill advised fight for the Monaghan camp to take. He was a easy target setting up Monaghan with his jab and the rest is history.

Heavyweight southpaw Artur “SzpilaThe Pin” Szpilka, 20-3 (15), of Wieliczka, POL and Houston, TX, was stopped at 1:30 of the fourth round by Adam “Baby Face” Kownaci, 16-0 (13), of Lomza, POL, and Brooklyn, NY.

In the first two rounds Kownaci landed the harder and a much larger amount of punches while Szpilka was on the defense though had a bit more hand speed. Kownaci used his lead right well. In the third round Kownaci continues to force the action. A solid left hook .from Kownaci to the ribs of Szpilka got his attention with 20 seconds left in the round. In the fourth round Kownaci dropped Szpilka with a right, left right to the head. Kownaci jumped on Szpilka who had his arms to his side and taking four solid punches to the head starting with a right from Kownaci having Szpilka defenseless forcing referee Arthur Mercante, Jr. to call a halt.

Posted on 05/26/2017

Boxing Insider Interview with Seanie Monaghan: “This is going to be a real big win on my resume”
By: Matthew N. Becher

​Sean Monaghan is an undefeated (28-0 17KO) light heavyweight from Long Island who has been waiting for his big shot, for the last few years. He is a staple in the NYC fight scene, bringing a dedicated and raucous crowd wherever and whenever he fights. For a while, Monaghan was thought to have finally gotten his big fight chance against current WBC light heavyweight champion, Adonis Stevenson, until the fight was unexpectedly called off. Monaghan then believed that a fight with fellow Long Island fighter Joe Smith Jr. would come to fruition, until Smith took a better deal on the left coast against Sullivan Barrera.

​Fortunately for Monaghan a big fight came through in the way of undefeated, Staten Island fighter Marcus Browne. The two will battle it out on July 15th, on Fox primetime television and will be part of the first boxing card at the newly renovated Nassau Coliseum. Seanie took some time away from his training schedule to speak with us at Boxing Insider.

Boxing Insider: How does it feel to be on the first boxing card at the new Nassau Coliseum?

Sean Monaghan: Its beautiful man. I run on Mitchell field, the track is right outside of there. Every Monday and Wednesday morning, I’m doing my laps and I look up at the Coliseum, imagining myself fighting in there. So it’s the perfect fit for me. That’s my home.

Boxing Insider: You are going up against someone you know in this fight. Tell us about your relationship with Marcus Browne.

Sean Monaghan: Out of all the guys in boxing, he is probably one of my better friends in the boxing game. It is a little unusual for me, I’ve never done this before. We haven’t spoken about it yet, but I’m sure we will be cool when it’s all over. We just have to go do what we gotta do. It’s nothing personal, strictly business.

Boxing Insider: Is he someone that you have trained and sparred with before?

Sean Monaghan: I’ve sparred with Marcus more times than I can remember, I’ve sparred with Marcus a lot.

Boxing Insider: Is this fight “Make or Break” for you?

Sean Monaghan: 100%. I feel like, I’m thinking like none of my fights before this even mattered. This is my chance to prove that I’m one of the best fighters in the world. This is going to be a real big win on my resume.

Boxing Insider: Talks were out there that you were going to fight Adonis Stevenson or Joe Smith Jr. What happened to those fights?

Sean Monaghan: I don’t know what happened with the Adonis thing to be honest with you. I thought it was a go, we trained for five weeks for it and then one day I found out like everybody else. So that sucked. Lou DiBella made me a promise that he would get me a big fight, he gave me his word. They offered me Marcus or this Swedish kid. The money for Marcus was double. I said if I beat this Swedish kid (Erik Skoglund), nobody would care. I knew I would have to fight Marcus, we’ve always known. There were times when you had me, Marcus Browne and Joe Smith all sparring, all doing the round robbing sparring at the same time. We all knew that, sooner or later, we would all have to fight.

​We tried to make a fight with Joe Smith and it just wasn’t the time. His promoter thought they had a better gig somewhere else. So that is on hold for now. It’s a fight that I want and I know personally Joe would do it. It’s just a matter of the promoters getting it together.

Boxing Insider: What are your thoughts on the WBC letting a guy like Fonfara getting a crack at Adonis twice, before giving you a shot?

Sean Monaghan: With boxing, Fonfara has been in there with tough guys, but no way does he deserve a shot over me. And as much as I don’t like to say it, Joe Smith really deserved the title fight, he knocked Fonfara out in one round. I mean we’re all here scratching our heads thinking how does this thing happen. I think boxing fans have to take a stand and demand better fights, because these sanctioning bodies work in mysterious ways. I think they are hurting the sport, with whatever private deals they make. Like if you look at the UFC, those guys have to fight a tough guy right away, and if you beat him then you get an even better fight. If you get knocked out you aren’t getting a title fight your next fight, it doesn’t happen like that. I don’t know. I’m just focused on this fight, I was pissed off about the Fonfara thing, but I don’t even care about it anymore, I got bigger fish to fry. Marcus is going to be a very tough fight. Stevenson is a killer puncher with his left hand, but Marcus has a very difficult style to deal with, he’s got power in both hands, he’s slick, he’s fast. These are the kind of fights I’ve been looking for and I’m super excited about it.

Boxing Insider: This is a big show, you will be primetime televised on FOX. If you win this fight, you will have a huge audience watching, will you be calling out any names?

Sean Monaghan: I still want Adonis Stevenson. I’m not sure if it really matters to call out names at this point. It doesn’t seem to do anything. Right now I’d have to imagine that the winner of this fight would be next in line for a title shot.

Posted on 02/16/2017

Showtime World Championship Boxing Preview: Broner vs. Granados, Peterson vs. Avanesyan, Browne vs. Williams
By: William Holmes

On Saturday Night Mayweather Promotions, TGB Promotions, and About Billions Promotions will televise three high caliber fights on the Showtime Network live from the Cintas Center at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The opening bout will be between undefeated United States Olympian Marcus Browne and Light Heavyweight contender Thomas Williams Jr. The co-main event of the evening will be between David Avanesyan and the returning Lamont Peterson in the welterweight division.

The main event of the night will be between Cincinnati native Adrien Broner and Adrian Granados in the welterweight division.

The following is a preview of all three televised bouts.

Marcus Browne (18-0) vs. Thomas Williams Jr. (20-2); Light Heavyweight Division

Marcus Browne represented the United States in the 2012 Summer Olympics and is a former National Police Athletic League Champion. He comes from a deep amateur background but will be facing one of the toughest tests of his career when he takes on former Light Heavyweight Title Contender Thomas Williams Jr.

Both boxers are southpaws, but Browne will have a slight ½ inch height advantage and an imposing four and a half inch reach advantage. Both boxers have decent power as Browne has stopped thirteen of his opponents while Williams has stopped fourteen. However, it should be noted that both of Williams’ losses have come by stoppage, so his chin can be considered questionable.

Williams has been fairly active and has fought twice in 2016 and once in 2015. His two losses were to Gabriel Campillo and Adonis Stevenson. He has defeated the likes of Edwin Rodriguez, Cornelius White, Yusaf Mack, and Otis Griffin.

Browne has never tasted defeat but won a very questionable decision over Radivoje Kalajdzic in his last bout. He has defeated the likes of Gabriel Campillo, Cornelius White, Aaron Pryor Jr., and Otis Griffin.

This will be Williams’ first fight since his devastating knockout loss to Adonis Stevenson. Williams was doing well in that bout, but unwisely chose to slug with a knockout artist. Browne isn’t considered by many to be a knockout artist, but he has a strong amateur pedigree and will likely be able to outbox and outlast Williams.

This is a good test for Browne and should be a compelling fight, but Browne should be considered the slight favorite.

David Avanesyan (22-1-1) vs. Lamont Peterson (37-3-1); WBA Welterweight Title

Lamont Peterson has been in some very entertaining fights during his career, but didn’t have any fights in 2016 and had no fights in 2015. He’s also thirty three years old and will be five years older than Avanesyan on fight night.

Avanesyan has spent most of his career fighting in Europe and Russia and wasn’t known by many until he defeated a washed up version of Shane Mosley. Avanesyan has been slightly more active than Peterson and fought once in 2016 and twice in 2015.

Avanesyan will be giving up one inch in height and about four inches in reach to Lamont Peterson. Peterson is also the better knockout artist as he has stopped seventeen of his opponents and Avanesyan has only stopped eleven.

Peterson’s losses were to Timothy Bradley Jr., Lucas Matthysse, and a razor thin decision loss to Danny Garcia. He has beaten the likes of Felix Diaz, Dierry Jean, Kendall Holt, Amir Khan, Lanardo Tyner, and Victor Cayo.

Avanesyan’s professional resume pales in comparison to Peterson. He has defeated the likes of Carlos Herrera, Shane Mosley, Kaizer Mabuza, and and Charlie Navarro. His lone loss was to Andrey Klimov in the second fight of his career.

Hopefully ring rust won’t be a factor for Peterson, but he’s been known to start fights slowly and warm up to the end. If Peterson waits too long to attack the body he could give up some early rounds and lose another close decision.

But Peterson has been in big fights before and he’s used to the pressure of a nationally televised audience. This experience gives him the edge over Avanesyan on Saturday.

Adrien Broner (32-2) vs. Adrian Granados (18-4-2); Welterweight Division

A lot of people have been questioning Broner’s conditioning and commitment to boxing as he has recently requested that this fight be fought at the welterweight limit and he appears to be several pounds over his normal fighting weight at recent press conferences.

Broner and Granados are both twenty seven years old, but Broner will be giving up two and a half inches in height and four and a half inches in reach. Both boxers are also similar in that they both have a decorated amateur background. Broner was a National Silver Gloves Champion and Granados was a Mexican Olympic Team Reserve and a Junior Golden Gloves Champ.

Broner is the bigger puncher of the two. He has stopped twenty four of his opponents while Granados has only stopped twelve. They both went 5-1 in their last six fights.

Granados has losses to Brad Solomon, Felix Diaz, Frankie Gomez, and Joe Juan Fuentes. He has beaten the likes of Amir Imam, Kermit Cintron, and Lanardo Tyner. His win over Imam was a major upset and likely got him this bout with Broner.

Broner has defeated the likes of Ashley Theophane, Khabib Allakhverdiev, John Molina, Emmanuel Taylor, Carlos Molina, Paulie Malignaggi, Antonio DeMarco, Daniel Ponce De Leon, and Jason Litzau. His losses were to Macros Maidana and Shawn Porter.
Broner’s recent appearances and social media drama gives this writer some concern going into Saturday, but this bout will be fought in Broner’s hometown and Granados, absent one upset victory, has never faced or defeated someone on the talent level of Adrien Broner.

Of the three televised bouts this one will likely be the biggest blowout.

Posted on 12/08/2016

Marcus Morrison Future Middleweight Champion in the Making?
By: Iftisaam Khan

Looking ahead to a big night of boxing this weekend sees Anthony Joshua take on American, Eric Molina at the Manchester Arena in what is expected to be an intriguing night of boxing. With the likes of Connor Benn, Ortiz, Yafai, Quigg and Smith fighting on the bill, there won’t be any moments to turn a blind eye that’s for sure.

Elsewhere on the undercard sees Dilian Whyte (20-15-1) and Dereck Chisora (26-18-6) meet in a real grudge match following a rather eventful build up to the event. With the ‘Body Snatcher’ and ‘Del Boy’ coming to blows in the making of the boxing programme, Gloves Are Off in addition to plenty of verbal’s in the press conferences as well as thrown tables; the Manchester crowd and wider public are in for a real treat.

Saturday also sees the return of hometown fighter, Scott Quigg who will be looking to bounce back after his loss to Carl Frampton. Having recovered from a broken jaw, the 28-year-old will be looking to ease his way back in the ring as he faces Mexican, Jose Cayetano. Moving up to featherweight, the former Super Bantamweight title holder will be hoping to avenge his defeat against Frampton in the near future, but that will be at the back of his mind as he steps in the ring for the first time since February.
One of the less known fighters- Marcus Morrison (13- 10-0) is also featuring on the undercard. The unbeaten fighter who is regarded as a future world champion is somebody that possesses talent in abundance- not just in boxing. Having been on the books of Manchester City at the age of 16, he decided to pursue a career boxing after being deemed ‘too small’ to make it in the sport. Fast forward 7 years, the 23-year-old already holds a title, picking up the International silver middleweight title after stopping his opponent, Luiz De Sousa in the second round in front of a packed Manchester Arena.

Going into his 14th bout full of confidence sees the local fighter face Harry Matthews as he looks to extend his great form in the paid ranks. Known for his explosive power and speed, Morrison will be looking to add to his list of victims having recorded 10 KO’s in his last 13 bouts. With Matthews having faced the likes of Chris Eubank Jnr, Tommy Langford and Tom Dorran it definitely won’t be an easy night for Morrison, as he resumes his career this Saturday.

Under the guidance of his trainer, Joe Gallagher- who is known for producing world champions, having guided stablemates Anthony Crolla, Liam smith and Scott Quigg to world titles, don’t be surprised to see Morrison adding to that very list. Although its early days, if the 23-year-old carries on progressing at the rate he Is, it would be only himself to blame if he doesn’t achieve great things in the sport.

Posted on 04/14/2016

PBC on NBC Preview: Browne v. Kalajdzic, Cunningham v. Glowacki & Spence Jr. v. Algieri
By: Matthew N. Becher

This Saturday, Premier Boxing Champions will present an exciting boxing card from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Packed with Olympians, former titlist and the WBO Cruiserweight champion. Teammates on the 2012 US Olympic team Errol Spence Jr. and Marcus Browne will reunite and put their undefeated records on the lines against each owns respected opponents. While the Co-Main event will see the return of former two time Cruiser weight world champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, in his first fight back from a brief stint at heavyweight, he will attempt to win back a world title against the undefeated Kzysztof Glowacki.

Marcus Browne (17-0 13KO) vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic (21-0 14KO): Light Heavyweight

Marcus Browne is a 25 year old, undefeated Southpaw, who was a member of the 2012 US Men’s Olympic team. Browne has an impressive record and has faced some tough fighters on his quick rise up the light heavyweight division. He fought four times in 2015, winning all of his fights, including a knockout out of former titlist Gabriel Campillo and retiring veteran Aaron Pryor Jr. Browne has a very good amateur background and knows how to box, but he also carries heavy hands, with 13 of his 17 wins coming by way of the knockout.

Kalajdzic is also a young, undefeated fighter, with heavy hands. His opponents have not been up to the same standard as Browne’s, but Kalajdzic possesses stopping power in his right hand and he will look for the upset on Saturday night. Kalajdzic also fought 4 times last year with wins over Larry Pryor, William Johnson, Gilberto Domingos, and Fabio Garrido. This would be a big upset if Kalajdzic could pull it off, but he is undefeated and relatively unknown. This would be his chance to show what he is made out of on national television.

Krzysztof Glowacki (25-0 16KO) vs. Steve Cunningham (28-7-1 13KO): WBO Cruiserweight Title

Cunningham first became a world champion in 2007, traveling to Poland and winning a Majority decision against Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. He defended that title against Marco Huck and ended up losing the title to Tomasz Adamek in 2008. He regained it 3 years later in Germany against Troy Ross, before losing it to eventual lineal champion Yoan Pablo Hernandez. After that fight, Cunningham decided to make a run at the heavyweight titles. Even though he was much smaller than his competition, Cunningham stayed in the division for three years, going 4-3-1, with wins over Manuel Quezada, Amir Mansour, Natu Visinia and a draw with Antonio Tarver. Cunningham was never able to put on enough weight to fully compete in the division against the very large men and decided to come back down to his natural Cruiserweight division and attempt to become a 3 time world champ.

Glowacki is a 29 year old who is coming off the biggest fight of his life. In August of last year, he ended a historic championship run by Marco Huck, coming from behind and picking himself off the canvas to Knockout Huck in incredible fashion in the final round of their “fight of the year” candidate match. Last year’s fight against Huck was Glowacki’s first fight outside of his native Poland and he proved his mettle. This has the promise to be a very exciting fight, with an old and young champion coming to stop the other with a possible unification bout later this year.

Errol Spence Jr. (19-0 16KO) vs. Chris Algieri (21-2 8KO): Welterweight

Chris Algieri is the former WBO Jr. Welterweight champion of the world. He won that title after upsetting hard hitting Russian Ruslan Provodnikov. That night certainly changed Algieri’s life forever. After hitting the deck twice in the first round and his eye swelling completely shut, Algieri proved that he could not only re adjust to a fight in very quick fashion, but that he had the heart of a champion. He turned that fight into a three year run that has seen him face Manny Pacquiao, lose a tough nosed brawl against Amir Khan, and then duke it out last year against a very game Erick Bone. Algieri has gone from the “underdog” to the “gate keeper” of the welterweight division. He will be Spence Jr.’s toughest opponent to date, and many think that Algieri could derail the former amateur standouts road to a title fight this year.

Spence Jr. is what many are calling the future of the welterweight division. Spence is a 26 year old southpaw that seems to have it all, the hand speed, footwork and power to give anyone from 140-154 trouble. Spence is riding a 5 fight knockout streak against Javier Castro, Samuel Vargas, Phil Lo Greco, Chris Van Heerden and Alejandro Barrera. Spence Jr. is a very exciting fighter, whose future looks extremely bright. He will be fighting a former champion against Algieri, and the two seem to match up well on paper. This is a big moment for Spence to shine on the big stage of a primetime nationally televised audience, and if he fights the way he is capable of, this could lead to a big fight later on this year.