Tag Archives: olympics

Posted on 06/08/2016

AIBA to allow pro’s in the 2016 Olympic games, Fair or Foul?
By: Matthew Becher

Last month a vote took place with AIBA (Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur or International Boxing Association) in which 84 out of its 88 federations agreed to allow professional boxers to participate in the upcoming summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. This will be the first time that professional boxers will be allowed to compete in a, regularly, amateur event and against other amateur participants. This brings up many questions of why this has been changed so close to the actual events and why a mixing of pro’s and novices would be thought to be Okay to do.

The reasoning for AIBA to allow professional athletes and amateurs to compete with one another is to “increase the amount of competitive boxers”, having amateurs step up their competition can only make them better. What then happens to amateur boxing? Under this new model, the true amateur boxer, who has gone through years of tournaments and trials just to make it to the Olympics will be able to retain their amateur status, but why would they? If you are already going to end up fighting grown men and paid prize fighters in the biggest stage that an amateur can achieve, why not just become a pro as early as possible, get paid yourself. An amateur trying to make an Olympic team goes through a very intense and grueling process to just qualify for an Olympic games. It only comes around every four years, and within those four years, you are traveling, training and for most of these youngsters, still going to school. If you could sign with a promoter, make money fighting and still be able to be able to fight in an “amateur” styled tournament, why stay in a dorm room with other amateurs?

What happens to the great amateur programs of the world, namely the Cubans and Russians? We see so many great professional Cuban and Ex-Soviet country fighters right now, and the main reason why they are so dominant is because they are from Socialist countries, that have extremely disciplined amateur programs. They are paid, not always handsomely, and are only allowed to fight in amateur style tournaments. This, in most people’s opinions, engrains the trades of the sport into them so well, they become second nature. If a fighters has 300+ amateur fights, then they know when to jab and when to duck. It becomes like breathing, it is instilled. They biggest highlight for these men, especially the Cubans, who are technically never allowed to turn pro (unless they defect from their native country) is winning an Olympic Gold, some even do it multiple times. If pro fighters can just get in there with the amateurs, what would happen to these dominant boxing countries?

Safety also has to be an issue. This year, AIBA has also decided to go back to the days of no head gear. This is an issue all in itself, and does seem to have some great benefits, but does it when we start putting 18yr old kids in the ring with say 30+ year old men, some who are current or former world champions. Watching fighters like Gennady Golovkin, Sergey Kovalev, or Artur Beterbiev knockout other professionals in 1 round is one thing, but how does that play out when they put that kind of power on a novice? Many amateurs seem to have no problem with this happening, but we suspect that as bravado. You cannot expect an amateur, who may have sparred with pros in the past, to be able to take that type of power. Sparring with headgear is one thing, a real fight is completely different.

What does AIBA look to get out of this? Is it higher ratings, since Boxing may be on the docket to drop as an Olympic sport in the future? Do they want bigger Knockouts? Most amateur fights go to decisions and work on a point system, does getting rid of Headgear and adding professionals increase viewership and knockdowns? Do they want Stars now, instead of building them up like it used to with Sugar Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali, Oscar De la Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Vasyl Lomachenko, George Foreman, Guillermo Rigondeaux, and the list can go on and on.

Some boxers have showed interest in actually participating in this. Manny Pacquiao has said he would see how it would balance with his new Senatorial duties. Amir Khan has shown interest in participating for his parent’s homeland of Pakistan. Light Heavyweight contender Artur Beterbiev looks to be making his way to Rio. Other boxers have spoken out about it, speaking about its safety issues. The World Boxing Council has even put out a warning, that any professional boxers who do decide to participate in the Olympics will be banned from their rankings for two years. It is a debate that is going on right now, and both sides are making good points to their arguments. Should professionals be allowed to compete in the Olympics, they do in Golf, Basketball, Tennis, Hockey….but those guys aren’t getting punched by fully developed, trained, fighters.

Posted on 05/31/2016

Heather “The Heat” Hardy Interview: “I want a legitimate world title, I want to fight a legitimate world champion”
By: Matthew N. Becher

Heather Hardy is an undefeated Super Bantamweight that is a fixture in the New York boxing scene. She is signed under Lou Dibella promotions and can regularly be seen on the undercards of many major fights that take place in her native Brooklyn, at the Barclays center. In the last year alone, Hardy has fought on the undercards of Danny Garcia, Lamont Peterson, Amir Khan, Chris Algieri, Paul Malignaggi, Daniel Jacobs, Peter Quillin and Errol Spence. Hardy is the face of female boxing in New York and looks to expand her brand, if given the chance, to a wider audience. We were able to catch up with Ms. Hardy earlier this week and ask her some questions about her Past, Present and Future in the sport.

Boxing Insider: So how did you get into boxing?

Heather Hardy: I was in the middle of a lot of stuff. I was going through a divorce, and working a lot of jobs. They opened this little karate school in my neighborhood and my sister, kind of, made me go so that I could be social and have some kind of a life after I’d get home from work. After a couple weeks I had my first fight and haven’t been out of the ring since then.

Boxing Insider: You are a mainstay in the New York boxing scene. Do you want to branch out and become one of the faces of the sports? How do you get your fights televised to do so?

Heather Hardy: It’s really tough. I kind of gotten to a stage in my career, where I just keep growing and growing and it’s really just like a glass ceiling. There is nothing for me to aim for. If I was a guy that was 16-0, fighting at the Barclays center, doing all these big shows, the natural progression would be for me to be tested on television. The problem is that these networks won’t televise female fighters. They don’t even want to take a chance on a woman’s fight. It makes my growth limited and that is what I’m fighting for, lobbying the networks to give the girls a chance. The big argument with the networks is that “nobody wants to see women fight”, but the truth of the matter is I have a very small reach, I’m just one person, but I sell $30,000 worth of tickets for my shows. I prove that I can get people to come and watch me fight, so give me a bigger stage.

Boxing Insider: What are your thoughts on the double standards between Men & Women boxers; Questions pertaining to your looks or your dating life, when male boxers in the same position as you are absolutely never asked about these things?

Heather Hardy: That’s a great thing to bring that up. I was asked the question (about her dating life) and I was shocked that the interviewer asked me that. The old saying to women is “how do you balance your career and your family”, and nobody ever asks a man that. I hate to say that it is unprofessional by the interviewer, because they just ask what they think the mainstream wants to hear or see. I was surprised and sad that it became a topic of the conversation. I think they are trying to show society the soft side of the woman, that we are tough in the ring but we’re also ladies in public.

Boxing Insider: Do you pay attention to the US Women Olympic team and do you feel they will have a big impact on the sport once they become professional?

Heather Hardy: I do! There is a huge pool of talent that is being unnoticed in the female boxing scene. Not even just the girls in the Olympics, but Golden Gloves champions. I even have my eye on a couple that are coming up that I may have to train for. I hope to open a few doors, so that when these extremely talented women decide to come up in the pro ranks, they will have some more opportunities available for them.

Boxing Insider: How long until you get a World Title fight?

Heather Hardy: I don’t know. It’s a fun question, because there are so many sanctioning bodies for female world titles. I kind of said at the beginning that I don’t want to fight for a world title just to fight for a world title. I want a legitimate world title, I want to fight a legitimate world champion. I’m not really the type of fighter to call someone out, but I have a hit list of about five girls in my head that I have to go through before I can be a world champion.

Boxing Insider: What type of imprint does Heather Hardy want to leave on the sport, especially for young girls and women, when she’s all done and hangs em up?

Heather Hardy: When I first started boxing, someone told me in the amateurs, I had been fighting for 18 months. I had won eight titles, nationals, regionals, ranked #1 in national golden gloves, getting ready to turn pro in my career. I had finally found something that I was good at and one of the Pros said “Heather, don’t even bother, this is the limit for you”. It was the second time in my life that I felt why do I have to be good at something that has no future for me. When I was a kid I always dreamed of being a New York Yankee, but girls can’t play for them. If I can leave any mark on the sport, I want it to be that I was the one that made a change, that made it so girls can be on the same level as boys. Because in the end their isn’t boys and girls boxing, it’s just boxing.

Posted on 05/04/2016

Biyarslanov Aiming to Make History in the Olympics
By: Ed Hitchins

When Canadian Olympian Arthur Biyarslanov first took up boxing, he never thought of a gold medal. He thought of ways to get out of it.

“I really sucked,” recalls the 21-year-old. “I don’t like doing something I’m not good at.

“I was the worst one of all the guys there,” Biyarslanov says.

“I hated going back to the gym. Sometimes I would pretend I was asleep because I didn’t want to go. My brother boxed too. He would eventually catch onto my little tricks.”

Biyarslanov, born in Chechnya during the war with Russia in the mid ‘90s and emigrated immigrated to Canada from Azerbaijan when he was 10, would eventually start winning.

After the 2012 London games, he set his sights firmly on 2016.

“I felt that, my whole life I’ve been a fighter,” he says. “I have the fight in me. So I started to take boxing seriously. I just kept going and winning tournaments and got more motivated. So, I set a goal for myself for 2016.”

Biyarslanov, who has dreams of becoming a cop, put his degree in psychology on hold. Training 30 hours in the gym at a week, he simply doesn’t have time to study.

He also found a new trainer. Chris Johnson, who won a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympic games. Johnson feels Biyarslanov’s dedication to his craft is what will carry him into Rio.

“It seems like I’ve training him for 10 years,” says Johnson, who has been Biyarslanov’s trainer for the past six months. “He’s more confident and powerful. He hits the target.”

“This kid has all the attributes,” Johnson says. “He has power, speed and smart. He’s a wolf, he’s going to tear the opponent apart when he’s in the ring.”

Biyarslanov, who goes by the nickname ‘Chechen Wolf’ in honour of his roots, is aware of Canada’s drought in boxing. There hasn’t been a Canadian medalist in boxing since David Defiabagon in 1996. A Canadian hasn’t won a gold medal since Lennox Lewis took it in Seoul in 1988.

Having won Pan Am Gold in Toronto last summer and ending a 50-year drought at that competition, Biyarslanov would like to do the same at the Olympics.

“It would be awesome. It’s been a really long time,” he says. “Being in Canada, if I wasn’t here I would have never taken up boxing. I would have never had the opportunity to go to school.

“I want to work as hard as I can and return to Canada with the gold medal,” Biyarslanov says.

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.