Tag Archives: title

Posted on 12/31/2016

How Mixed-up Are the Heavyweight Champions?
By: Ken Hissner

Wladimir “Dr. Steelhammer” Klitschko, 64-4 (53), of the UKR, lost for the first time in eleven years, to Tyson Fury, 25-0 (18), in November of 2015 losing his three titles. Fury retired in 2016 making all the titles vacant. Klitschko for some reason is only ranked by the WBA and WBO. The 40 year-old former champion is scheduled to fight IBF champion Anthony Joshua, 18-0 (18), of the UK, on April 29th in London. Not only is Joshua’s IBF title on the line but so is WBA Super World title. Klitschko is not ranked by the IBF but is No. 2 in the WBA and No. 3 by the WBO.

Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder, 37-0 (36), of ALA, holds the WBC title. After winning the title two years ago he has made four title defenses and not one with one of the top four contenders. At this time he awaits the winner of the former WBA World champion Alexander “Russian Vityaz” Povetkin, 31-1 (23), of Russia, and the former WBC champion and No. 2 contender Bermane Stivern, 25-2-1 (21), a Haitian out of Las Vegas, who lost to Wilder being the new champions only decision win in 37 fights. Povetkin has failed two of three drug tests but that didn’t stop the WBC from approving Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola who failed a drug test, to challenge Wilder in the champion’s last fight in July. The elimination match is on hold at this time. Povetkin has been the No. 1 contender for some time and it seems has been avoided by Wilder. Wilder’s next opponent is No. 12 Andrew Wawrzyk, 31-1 (19), of Poland whose only loss is to Povetkin. The site is in Birmingham, AL, where Wilder is from on February 25th.
The vacant WBO title was won by Joe Parker, 21-0 (18), of New Zealand, winning a majority decision over Andy Ruiz, Jr., in December. The former champion Ruslan “White Tyson” Chagaev, 34-3-1 (21), of UZB, now out of GER, lost this title to Australian Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne, 24-0 (21), in March of 2016. Browne failed his drug test and the title was declared vacant. No decision for the bout to be reversed or Chagaev retaining his title at this time. Both Browne and Chagaev have been dropped from the ratings. Former WBA champion David “Haymaker” Haye, 28-2 (26), of the UK, is the No. 1 contender and has a match scheduled in March against newly crowned WBC Cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew, 28-2-1 (18), who is on a eight fight winning streak since moving up to cruiserweight.

The WBA title is vacant and this writer is awaiting an answer from the WBA to who will be fighting for that title. Rumors are No. 4 former WBO champion Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs, 60-6-1 (53), of Brooklyn, who came back in 2014 after a three and a half lay-off, and has won nine straight over non-contenders. The opponent mentioned is former WBC champion Oliver “The Atomic Bull” McCall, 57-14 (37), of VA, who is ranked No. 5. This writer questioned why McCall who hasn’t fought in two years can even still be in the ratings. Both Briggs and McCall are 45.

How the WBA would overlook No. 1 contender and former interim WBA champion Louis “King Kong” Ortiz, 27-0 (23), a Cuban out of Miami, and the No. 3 contender Alexander “The Great” Ustinov, 33-1 (24), a Russian out of Belarus, makes no sense. Though Ustinov didn’t fight in 2016 he has been able to hold that high ranking. Since No. 2 contender Klitschko chose to fight for the IBF title he is not being considered.

There are once again too many champions among the four organizations. Boxing does not need four boxers being called “the world heavyweight champion!”

Posted on 12/28/2016

Dillian Whyte Flags a Possible Next Opponent and Signals WBC Title Ambitions
By: G.E. Simons

Dillian Whyte has confirmed his interest in facing former WBC world champion Bermane Stiverne, in what could provide a final eliminator for the right to challenge current WBC heavyweight title holder Deontay Wilder.

Whyte’s options became more interestingfollowinghis wafer thin victory over Dereck Chisora in their chief supporting clash on the Joshua/Molinacard in Manchester, England on 10th December.

Theirs was always going to be the fight most likely to ignite the Warehouse City night, before Anthony Joshua offered Eric Molina the opportunity to take a look at his IBF belt and enjoy a payday as part of his visit to the once industrial north – and so it was.

The dark vaudeville of the build up saw glasses of SKY Sports water thrown, press conference tables flipped and see-you-outside threats made, that ominously suggested the violence might be taken out of the workplace and into a far more domestic argument.

So it was no surprise that the fight itself played out with a brutal intensity reminiscent of a brawl between cuckolded steelworkers on a gravel car park illuminated by the headlights of parked up big rigs.

It was a great domestic settler, borne of genuine needle between two very similar fighters but at very different stages of their careers. The action confirmed the pugnacity that we know Chisora possesses and rubber-stampedthe toughness of Whytewhich we witnessed in his defeat to Anthony Joshua.

Dereck Chisora is unsurprisingly keen on a rematch because it sure was close, but a replay offersonly the revenues it will generate rather than the athletic challenge or the chess board move it represents for him career wise.

Chisora now finds himself check mated in the ‘bloody good opponent’ category for any rising young prospect and one who, for the next 24 months at least, will provide a searching examination of his opponent’s heart, chin and will to win.

Whyte however has now passed that examination, enjoys a #9 WBC ranking and payday aside, has no conceivable motivation to be re-examined by Del Boy.

Stiverne, the Las Vegas based Haitian, possesses a credible record in contemporary heavyweight terms, consisting of 25 wins with 21 stoppages, a single draw and just two defeats. The last of which being a defiant unanimous decision loss to Wilder in 2015, where the WBC title changed hands.

Since that loss Stiverne rebounded with an unremarkable points victory over professional opponent DerricRossy at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
ADecember 17thdate in Ekaterinburg, Russia with Alexander Povetkin to contest the WBC Interim title was next.

But.

20 hours before the ring walks Povetkin returned positive results for the muscle-building substance obstarine, from tests taken on 6th December.

The WBC withdrew its sanctioning.

Andrey Ryabinsky,Povetkin’s promoter described the positive test as “not clear where it came from.”

Stiverne flew home to Las Vegas, saying “There’s no reason to fight if the WBC won’t sanction the bout.”

Povetkinscored a 6th round knock out of late replacement Johann Duhaupas in a then dubious and pointless work out.

A new sample provided by the Russian to the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) a week after the original tests, returned a negative result

Povetkin has retained his #1 WBC ranking and is back in the mix, but the latest complications offerDillian Whyte the potential for real progression within the World Boxing Council landscape by slipping in to secure a fight with the man-sized, #2 rankedBermaneStiverne.

Elsewhere, the WBC ranks recent Matchroom Boxing acquisition Luis Ortiz at #3 and an active KubratPulev at #4, who also offer potentially interesting match ups for Whyte from within the WBC talent pool.

Whoever the opponent, Whyte appears to have wisely aligned himself with a sanctioning body in the WBC, where just one more fight could open the door to a crack at a title that connects Muhammed Ali to Larry Holmes to Mike Tyson to Lennox Lewis, against a current holder in Deontay Wilder who remains strangely disconnected from the general heavyweight discussion.

Posted on 12/14/2016

Joseph Parker Brings World Title to New Zealand​
By: Eric Lunger

​Joseph Parker (22-0, 18 KO’s) made history last Saturday night, when he became the first heavyweight titlist from New Zealand, outpointing a tough and relentless Andy Ruiz Jr (29-1, 19 KO’s) to capture the vacant WBO belt. But there was more at stake than simply the title: this was Parker’s home fight, the culmination of a long campaign orchestrated by manager Kevin Barry and the Duco Events team. It was Parker’s debut on HBO and his first real introduction to an international audience. And it was Parker’s chance to make an emphatic statement to the rest of the division. Was the failure to score a dramatic stoppage a missed opportunity?

Maybe. Or, was Parker’s discipline and adherence to his game plan – his resistance to the temptation to trade recklessly in the center of the ring – itself a statement about his maturity and ring generalship?

​Obviously, Parker fans wanted a knockout, and that would have been a more persuasive argument that Joseph is ready to face the top names in the division. But there were two boxers in the ring at the Vector Arena in Auckland, and Andy Ruiz had his own statement to make. Ruiz came forward aggressively from the opening bell, keeping his guard high and trying to engage Parker from a midrange distance. Parker seemed uncomfortable at first, as though he couldn’t quite set himself to the distance that Ruiz was imposing. Parker likes to jab from a low left hand, but that requires his opponent staying at range. As the fight went on, Parker did establish his jab, but he never dominated Ruiz.

​Ruiz also presented a remarkably versatile defense, blocking a great number of punches with his hands and forearms. Forced to adapt, Parker employed a variety of offensive weapons, but he never lost his composure, never went for the risky gamble. Abel Sanchez, who trained Ruiz for this fight (and probably would have wanted a few more months in the gym), said in the lead up to the fight that these type of bouts often come down to the fighter who can impose his will on the other. In my view, neither fighter reached that point. Parker was able to fight offensively off his back foot, and he was able to adjust his jab. But it meant that it was a close and narrowly won bout, as the scores indicated (114-114, 115-113, 115-113).

​So, if Parker was not able to make the kind of statement he and his team might have wanted, the fans did see a competitive and compelling fight. To me it was more authentic than the bout in Manchester, UK, on the same night, where Anthony Joshua (18-0, 18 KO’s) blasted a listless Eric Molina (25-4, 19 KO’s) in three rounds, in what was essentially a stage-managed lead up to the Joshua vs Klitschko announcement. Presumably, Molina was allowed to dust himself off before Klitschko and Joshua took over the show in the ring. I mean no disrespect to Joshua, and I think the April bout between him and the elder statesman of the heavyweight division will be great for the sport. But let’s not pretend that the Joshua vs. Molina bout was anything more than theatre.

So where does that leave Parker? Well, he has the WBO belt, and that has to mean something. He is a world champion, but at age 24 with only 99 pro rounds, he has plenty of room for growth and development. Should he be in the ring with Deontay Wilder (the WBC champ) in April as part of the Joshua vs. Klitschko undercard? David Higgins of Duco Events has bandied that idea about in the local New Zealand press. I suspect that Joseph’s team will take their time with him, and not let one title belt cloud their judgment. New Zealand has its heavyweight world champion now, but there remain many steps on the journey for Joseph Parker.

Posted on 12/13/2016

Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko Set To Meet In Heavyweight Superbout
By: Sean Crose

This April, for the first time in what seems to be a long time, a truly big heavyweight title fight will be going down. For that’s when, on the 29th of that month, IBF champ Anthony Joshua will face off against the division’s former longtime kingpin, Wladimir Klitschko. Make no mistake about it, Klitschko was nothing if not a dominant force at heavyweight for years on end. Now, though, he’s in his forties. What’s more, he lost his last bout, as well as his heavyweight crown, to the bombastic yet under-rated Tyson Fury over a year ago. Is the Ukrainian still the fighter he was? That may well be the biggest question heading into this throwdown.

For Josuha is undefeated. And, as if that weren’t enough, the man’s won each of his eighteen fights by knockout. In short, the Englishman is seen as the future of the division. Not only does he appear to have an impressive skill set, he has a statuesque physique and carries himself like a gentleman. In other words, he presents himself as the nice guy who can lay the bad boy out cold. There’s a lot of green to be found at the end of that kind of rainbow.

Yet there’s questions regarding Joshua, as well…as is can he stand the pressure of a major bout, can he deal with Klitschko’s power, and can he overcome Klitschko’s vast ring experience? To be sure, it’s the questions involved with this bout that make it so intriguing. It might be easy to write Klitschko off at this point, but that might be a mistake. Sure, Fury made him look second rate, but Fury’s bullying also got in Kltischko’s head. Joshua, on the other hand, let’s his fists do the talking for him, so mind games shouldn’t be an issue.

Promoter Eddie Hearn knows what a big deal this fight is going to be. That’s why word is already out that the match is going to sell out Wembley Stadium in London. To be sure, it’s hard to imagine a crowd showing up in April of less than 80 thousand souls. On top of all that, Dan Rafael of ESPN has tweeted that HBO and Showtime might be in a bidding war for the American television rights to the bout. When’s the last time you heard of anything like that happening?

Although Joshua-Klitschko is a thoroughly European affair between two European fighters in one of the continent’s great cities, this is a fight that should resonate here in America. For here are two of the best men in boxing’s big division, battling for dominance. Sure, there may be other heavyweight champions now, but everyone knows that the winner of this one will reign supreme over the division. Speaking of which, the former premiere weight class of the sport is looking very exciting lately, thanks very much.

This weekend alone showed terrific bouts between the likes of Dillian White and Dereck Chisora, as well as the likes of Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz. It’s also good to keep in mind that American Deontay Wilder is swimming close to shore like a shark and that his countryman Shannon Briggs may be far from the joke some may wish he was. And then there’s Mr. Fury. Who knows what the former champ may bring to the table in the future, should he successfully slay his demons?

Things have gotten interesting.

Posted on 11/24/2016

Mike Tyson – In The Blink Of An Eye
By: Sean Crose

It was November 22nd, 1986 – the Saturday night before Thanksgiving week. I was in the car, on my way to a party in Wilbraham, Massachusetts when I heard the news. Mike Tyson, a kid not much older than my fifteen year old self, had just won the WBC Heavyweight Title from Trevor Berbick in two round fashion out in Vegas. Tyson, who was just twenty at the time, had erased the record previously held by Floyd Patterson to become the youngest person to ever win the heavyweight championship.

To be sure, Tyson was no new name to me. Although I had missed his (up until then) crowning achievement, I had been following the fighter since he started appearing in small televised cards in upstate New York less than a year earlier. Right away, it was clear that he was a man to watch. For starters, Tyson didn’t look like most boxers, especially not those in the heavyweight division. The guy had no neck, after all. He was also destructive in a way kids like myself had never seen before.

We were told he was a throwback to Jack Dempsey, and, judging from what I had read about Dempsey (I loved boxing history, even as a kid), the comparison was a solid one. Tyson was scary – yet awesome. Make no mistake about it, it was hard not to be a fan of “Iron Mike” at the time. After besting Berbick, the future simply seemed boundless for the guy. And for a while, Tyson certainly lived up to expectations. Then, of course, came the long, slow fall.
Robin Givens. Mitch Green. Buster Douglas. Desiree Washington. Evander Holyfield. Lennox Lewis. There looked to be an endless list of names that led to Iron Mike’s seemingly endless demise. One name, however, usually rose above all others – Mike Tyson. Make no mistake about it, Tyson himself was the source of many of his own problems. In just over a decade, the guy went from superstar to pariah.

Now, of course, there’s the tempered, more mature Tyson people see. Is it a true representation? Who are we to judge? When the fighter apologized to Teddy Atlas on air one night for past transgressions, who were we to question Tyson’s sincerity? Fortunately, most haven’t taken a cynical view of the individual once known as “the baddest man on the planet.” Perhaps that’s because Tyson showed he had the ability to laugh at himself.

A lot of time has passed since the young Iron Mike won a heavyweight strap off of Trevor Berbick all those years back. And indeed, lots has changed. There’s one thing worth noting, though: If you had asked anyone that long ago night if the tough kid from New York State would be remembered in 30 years, my guess is you would have been told “yes.” And indeed, those who said so would have been proven right.

For, in the blink of an eye, Mike Tyson blasted his way into the public consciousness – and he’s stayed there ever since.

Posted on 11/23/2016

Expectations Building to a Crescendo for Parker vs. Ruiz, Jr.
By: Eric Lunger​

​On December 10th at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, Joseph Parker (21-0, 18 KO’s) will step into the ring for the biggest fight of his young career.

With the WBO world championship at stake, Parker and his trainer, former Olympic silver medalist Kevin Barry, have been working together towards this goal for over four years. He will face a tough, undefeated and well-prepared Andy Ruiz, Jr. (29-0, 19 KO’s). But remaining focused amid a number of distractions and expectations is the biggest challenge the young fighter from New Zealand must now overcome.

​All fighters must minimize distractions in the final weeks leading up to a bout, but Parker has some unusual ones. First, is the best kind of distraction. On November 21st, Joseph’s long-time partner, Laine Tavita, gave birth in New Zealand to their first child, Elizabeth, while Joseph was finishing his final stretch of sparring in Las Vegas. Having a new baby in the midst of a run up to a title fight might be a distraction, or it might be the purest form of motivation to capture that belt.

​Second, Parker faces enormous pressure in the form of public and press expectations in New Zealand. Duco Promotions, a New Zealand based company, is calling this bout a major moment in New Zealand Sporting history. The company has brought the WBO belt itself to the country, and launched it on its own publicity tour, with the local media tracking its whereabouts each day. In New Zealand, Parker is often called “Gentleman Joe,” an indication both of his kind and humble demeanor outside the ring, and the respect he has among his fellow Kiwis. Furthermore, Parker proudly inhabits his Samoan heritage, and that island nation has backed the fight financially in return for significant tourism advertising. In a sense, Andy Ruiz can roll into Auckland as the outsider, and just focus on his fight plan. Joseph, on the other hand, has the weight of expectations of two nations on his shoulders.

​Third, HBO has picked up the fight, and it will be broadcast December 10th as the lead-in to the Crawford vs. Molina junior welterweight title clash in Omaha. When reached for comment, Kevin Barry characterized the fight this way: “This fight on paper could be the best Heavyweight match-up of the year. Both [guys] are undefeated, both are young, both have very fast hands and love to come forward in an explosive manner…. We are thrilled that HBO believes in this match-up and is showing it.” It’s a big stage, a world-wide television audience, in an era when the heavyweight division is about to catch fire.

​And finally, there’s the fight itself.

Andy Ruiz is a very good heavyweight. While Barry has played down the significance of the trainers, when pressed on the issue by the New Zealand media, boxing fans notice when a fighter heads to Big Bear, CA, and begins training under Abel Sanchez. Parker and his team know that they will be facing the best that Andy Ruiz has been in his career, and that he will come into the fight with a serious game plan.

​Joseph Parker faces some significant pressures and distractions as he makes his final preparations for December 10th. But that’s what you want, and need, if you are going to become heavyweight champion of the world.

Posted on 11/17/2016

HBO PPV Preview: Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward, Hooker vs. Perez, Chilemba vs. Gvozdyk, Stevens vs. De La Rosa
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night Roc Nation Sports and Main Events Promotions will team up to deliver one of the best fights that could be made in boxing on HBO Pay Per View. The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada will be the host site for the WBO/IBF/WBA Light Heavyweight Title fight between Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward.

Ten fights total are featured on this card, including the highly anticipated debut of two time Olympic Gold Medalist Claressa Shields.

HBO appears to be ready to televise four fights on the pay per view, and the following is a preview of all four bouts.

Curtis Stevens (28-5) vs. James De La Rosa (23-4); Middleweights

This bout is on the pay per view card despite the fact it’s highly unlikely that either participant will be fighting for a world title in the near future.

Curtis Stevens is a fan favorite and shocked many in his last bout when he beat undefeated prospect Patrick Teixeira.

He’ll be giving up ½ inch in reach and about three inches in height to De La Rosa. However, he has faced significantly better competition and has a deep amateur background than his opponent.

De La Rosa lost his last two fights and only has thirteen knockout victories. Stevens has twenty one knockout victories and is known for delivering exciting bouts.

Both boxers only fought one time in 2016, zero times in 2015, and three times in 2014.

Stevens has beaten the likes of Patrick Teixeira, Tureano Johnson, Patrick Majewski, Saul Roman, Derrick Findley, and Elvin Ayala. He has lost to the likes of Gennady Golovkin, Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam, Andre Dirrell and Jesse Brinkley. De La Rosa has defeated the likes of Alfredo Angulo but has lost to the likes of Jason Quigley, Hugo Centeno Jr., Marcus Willis, and Allen Conyers.

Stevens has been inconsistent throughout his career, but this is a bout that he should win in a fan pleasing fashion.

Isaac Chilemba (24-4-2) vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk (11-0); Light Heavyweights

Not many boxers can claim to have lasted twelve rounds with Sergey Kovalev, and Isaac Chilemba is one of them.

However, he’s facing a highly decorated Ukranian amateur that is managed by Egis Klimas, who has an impressive stable of boxers under his control, and many consider Gvozdyk to be future world champion material.

Gvozdyk has nine stoppage victories in only eleven professional bouts and is a 2012 Summer Olympics Bronze medalist. Chilemba has ten stoppage victories in thirty professional bouts, so Gvozdyk has a clear edge in power. Chilemba also does not have the amateur experience of Gvozdyk.

Gvozdyk will be the same height as Chilemba but will also have a two and a half inch reach advantage. They are of the same age. Gvozdyk has also been considerably more active than Chilemba. He fought three times in 2016 and four times in 2015, while Chilemba only fought once in 2016 and twice in 2015.

Gvozdyk has already defeated the likes of Nadjib Mohammedi and Tommy Karpency before he has faced his twelfth opponent. Chilemba has defeated the likes of Doudou Ngumbu, Maksim Vlasov, Edison Miranda, Denis Grachev, and Vasily Lepikhin; but he has also lost to the likes of Sergey Kovalev, Eleider Alvarez, Tony Bellew, and Willbeforce Shihepo.

Chilemba is a tough opponent with a strong chin, but he’s not on the same level of technique as Gvozdyk and he doesn’t have the power to score an upset knockout.

This should be a good showcase fight for Gvozdyk to show off his skills.

Maurice Hooker (21-0-2) vs. Darleys Perez (33-2-1); Junior Welterweights

Maurice Hooker is one of the most intriguing prospects on the undercard, as his reach and height has many people comparing him to Paul Williams.

Hooker will have a four inch height advantage as well as an amazing ten inch reach advantage over Perez. He’s also six years younger than Perez.

Hooker is known for being a hard puncher and has stopped sixteen of his opponents. Perez has twenty one stoppage victories, but his best days appear to be behind him.

Hooker fought three times in 2015 and twice in 2016 while Perez fought one time in 2016 and three times in 2015.

Perez has the edge in amateur experience. He represented Columbia in the 2008 Summer Olympics while Hooker’s biggest claim to fame in the amateurs was when he won the Dallas Regional Golden Gloves Championship.

This bout is a big step up in competition for Hooker. He has defeated the likes of Ty Barnett, Wilfrido Buelvas, and Eduardo Galindo. Perez has beaten the likes of Argenis Lopez, Jonathan Maicelo, and Jaider Parra. His losses have come to Anthony Crolla and Yuriorkis Gamboa.

Perez was the former WBA Lightweight champion, but he’ll be competing at a higher weight class on Saturday and will be facing a good opponent with a ridiculous reach advantage.

The ten inch reach advantage will be too much for Perez to overcome.

Sergey Kovalev (30-0-1) vs. Andre Ward (30-0); WBO/IBF/WBA Light Heavyweight Title

The main event of the night is one of the best fights that could be made in boxing today and the winner will likely have a claim to the top pound for pound spot on the mythical list.

Kovalev, at the age of 33, and Ward, at the age of 32, are nearing the end of their physical primes but neither have shown signs of slowing down inside the ring.

They both are six foot tall, but Kovalev will have a slight one and a half inch reach advantage when they are both inside the ring.

Ward has the deeper amateur background of the two as he won the Olympic Gold Medal in 2004. Kovalev also had success as an amateur and was a former Russian Champion as an amateur, but he never competed in the Olympics and was engaged intense competition with two other Russian amateur standouts, Matt Korobov and Artur Beterbiev.

Kovalev has the edge in power. He has stopped twenty six of his opponents while Ward has only stopped fifteen. However, Ward is a gifted defensive boxer and is excellent with his counters, and Kovalev often leaves himself open for counters after he throws one of his heavy combinations.

Kovalev has defeated the likes of Isaac Chilemba, Jean Pascal, Nadjib Mohammedi, Bernard Hopkins, Blake Caparello, Nathan Cleverly, Ismayl Sillah, Cedric Agnew, and Gabriel Campillo. He has fought twice in 2015 and once in 2016.

Ward has fought twice in 2016 and once in 2015. He has defeated the likes of Alexander Brand, Sullivan Barrera, Paul Smith, Edwin Rodriguez, Chad Dawson, Carlo Froch, Artur Abraham, Sakio Bika, Allan Green, Mikkel Kessler, and Edison Miranda.

This is a tough fight for many to pick, mainly because Ward has never faced a power puncher like Kovalev and Kovalev has never faced a slick boxer like Ward.

However, Ward’s jab is his best weapon and he’ll likely use it often to keep Kovalev at bay. History has shown that a slick boxer will usually beat a power puncher if everything else is reason, and Saturday should be no different.

Posted on 11/17/2016

Jason Sosa Retains WBA Super featherweight title over Stephen Smith!
By: Ken Hissner

Camden, NJ, resident Jason “Canito” Sosa, 20-1-4 (15) made his first title defense a successful one in Salle des Etoiles, in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Saturday night defeating his No. 7 contender the UK’s Stephen “Swifty” Smith, 24-3 (14), over 12 rounds.

It was a hard fought fight with Sosa dropping Smith within seconds of the second round with a left hook to the head. Smith survived but in the third round received a cut just under the right eye brow that bled the rest of the way from a Sosa flurry. Several times the ring physician was called into the ring to inspect the cut. This may have caused Smith to do too much holding throughout the fight.

Early in the fight Sosa was too strong for Smith winning five of the first six rounds. Smith came back to take rounds seven and eight with the ninth close. Sosa finished up like a champion taking the last three rounds.

“He executed everything we worked on. The referee warned him once but should have been more forceful. He’s only had 3 amateur fights. Every time he fights the UK fighter had several hundred fights. It was really a good performance on Jason’s part. We would like to unify by fighting IBF champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza, 22-0” of Puerto Rico. He barely got by Stephen Smith in April of this year,” said Rivas.
Scores of 116-111, 117-110 and 116-112 all for Sosa. In his corner was his trainer and manager Raul “Chino” Rivas assisted by Rashiem Jefferson. At ringside the UK’s Tony Bellew’s had it 8-4 in rounds with the first round even while Dave Caldwell had it 9-3 in rounds. This writer had it 10-2 in rounds.

“Sosa is one of the strongest 130s around if not THE strongest. With only 3 amateur fights he is still learning and has 100% faith in his trainer and in me. He landed some terrific body shots. Smith also landed some good punches and on one occasion he did buzz Sosa but only briefly. Smith also went to the body and was never intimidated but the difference in punching power was obvious. Again, I have to hand it to the WBA for sending 3 judges who were not in the least intimidated by the hundreds of Brit’s screaming every time Smith threw a punch, whether it landed or not. Sosa is the Rodney Dangerfield of boxing….still gets no respect. They keep writing how he got a gift draw with Walters, then trailed big before stopping Fortuna and he was just a 6/5 favorite over Smith. His last 3 fights have been in New York, China and France and the combined record of those 3 guys at fight time was 79-3-1 with 56 KO’s though he went 2-0-1,” said J Russell Peltz.

Smith lost in another title bid in April of this year losing to IBF champion Jose Pedroza at Foxwoods Resort in CT. He has held the British Super featherweight, and the WBC International Silver Super featherweight titles. For Sosa he hasn’t lost in his last seventeen fights which include’s three draws. Right next to Sosa afterwards was his friend and sparring partner Tevin “American Idol” Farmer, who is No. 5 in the WBC super featherweight rankings and Sosa had this to say about Farmer “We train together every day (Cherry Hill, NJ and both trained by Chino Rivas). I have learned a lot from him. I wouldn’t be champ today if it wasn’t for him,” said Sosa.

Afterwards Smith said “I have no excuses. I had a bad start and it cost me. I tried my best but thought I lost. I was forcing the fight after getting cut which is not my style,” said Smith.

Sosa said: “First and foremost I want to thank God. Without Him I wouldn’t be a world champion. I want to thank my trainer Raul rivas, Rashiem Jefferson, Tevin Farmer, Steven Ortiz and Anthony Burgin. “The reason I’m champion today is we put a hell of hard work in the gym. The game plan went the way we practiced in the gym. Every game plan comes out to perfection and that’s why I’m world champion today. (Interviewer: You are a real road warrior) Yes sir I get to tour the world like every world champion should do,” said Sosa. I like traveling the world going into their backyards and sometimes being an underdog. I would like to fight in my home country of Puerto Rico. I hope to fight 3 times next year,” said Sosa.

Posted on 11/13/2016

WBC Favors Mexican Boxers in Female Flyweight Tournament
By: Ron Scarfone

The World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight tournament in women’s boxing began in October. It was supposed to settle the debate as to who is the best female flyweight boxer in the world. Instead, it has created more questions than answers. Before I delve into that, I think it is important for you to know the past history of the WBC regarding their involvement in women’s boxing. There was a time when the WBC did not embrace women’s boxing. According to Global Boxing Union (GBU) President Jurgen Lutz, former WBC President Jose Sulaiman said that the WBC would not sanction women’s boxing while he was the president, but he later changed his mind because of former Women’s International Boxing Federation (WIBF) flyweight champion Regina Halmich of Germany making the equivalent of millions of dollars in euros.

The WBC began being involved in women’s boxing in 2005. That same year, the WBC approved a reduction in weight classes for women’s boxing from 17 to 13. According to Jose Sulaiman, these changes were made after a review by a “Medical Committee.” Sulaiman also stated that many other actions would be taken in order to make women’s boxing better and safer. I am not a doctor, but it seems to me that having less weight classes would actually make women’s boxing less safe. The WBC eliminated the cruiserweight division from women’s boxing, but this did not have any adverse effect since there are no female cruiserweights. The super middleweight division was eliminated as well as the super welterweight division and super lightweight division. Bear in mind that this statement by Sulaiman was made in 2005 which was the same year that they started being involved in women’s boxing. They did not have much experience in women’s boxing and yet they intended to make wholesale changes that they felt would improve the sport based on the recommendations of a “Medical Committee.” The doctors on that committee should have their medical licenses revoked. Under these rules, a female boxer who was a super lightweight would have to choose between being a lightweight or a welterweight which could affect her performance and her health.

These changes that were recommended by this “Medical Committee” were not followed by the WBC. Why? Because they are stupid. Also, less weight classes means less money to be made because of less champions and sanctioning fees. In 2005, Laila Ali won the vacant WBC female super middleweight title which was one of the divisions that the WBC supposedly eliminated from women’s boxing. Also in 2005, Mary Jo Sanders won the WBC female super lightweight title which was a division that was removed according to Sulaiman. In 2006, Jisselle Salandy won the vacant WBC female super welterweight title which was also one of the weight classes that the WBC stated that they deleted.

After Jose Sulaiman died, his son Mauricio Sulaiman became the WBC President. Currently, the duration of rounds in women’s boxing is two minutes instead of three and title fights are ten rounds instead of twelve. Mauricio Sulaiman stated that women have an 80% increased probability of getting a concussion than men. He further stated that “these are pure facts.” Women typically do not punch as hard as the men. Did that fact factor into the WBC’s decision? If the WBC is so concerned about the safety of female boxers, why not have one minute rounds and two minute breaks? How about 16 ounce gloves? The reality is that women will never make as much money as the men if the amount of time that they are scheduled to fight is less than the men. Regina Halmich was an exception and Million Dollar Baby was a movie. In the UFC, women and men have the same rules for amount and duration of rounds in title fights: 5 rounds of 5 minutes each. There is equality in the UFC that does not exist in women’s boxing.

Women’s boxing is very popular in Mexico. Soccer and boxing are Mexico’s two most popular sports. The WBC’s reasoning for limiting the time of women’s boxing is because of safety reasons. WIBF President Barbara Buttrick said that she prefers two minute rounds and ten round fights not because of safety reasons, but because she feels that a shorter fight is faster and more interesting. I can understand her opinion if she feels that women’s boxing is more entertaining as a shorter fight, although I do not agree with it. On the other hand, the WBC claims that women are more susceptible to fatigue and dehydration which is why the decision was made for the women to have different rules than the men regarding the time of each round and the amount of rounds.

These rules are not just with the WBC. All of the other sanctioning bodies are the same in this regard. 10 two-minute rounds has become the standard for women’s world title fights. In general, promoters can justify paying female boxers less money because their fights are scheduled for less time than the men. If the other sanctioning bodies were to change this so that the women have the same rules as the men, then the WBC would possibly be pressured to change their rules as well. The WBC has a history of changing their minds when money is at stake. Choosing to get involved in women’s boxing and retaining the weight classes are examples of this. However, the WBC has an advantage over the other major sanctioning bodies because it is based in Mexico. Because women’s boxing is popular in Mexico and because it is televised there, female boxers can probably make more money fighting there even if the WBC had to compete with women’s title fights scheduled for 12 three-minute rounds in other countries.

Since women’s boxing is so popular in Mexico, you would think that Mexican fans would want longer female fights. Maybe they do, but they would rather have something else. They want the Mexican boxers to win. Rounds that are two minutes each are more difficult for judges to score than rounds that are three minutes each if the judges are actually fair and impartial. Because of that, it is easier to rob boxers of victory if the judges are biased. It does not look as obvious that the judges are biased if the rounds are shorter in time. I also believe that the WBC wants shorter fights for the women because it makes it easier for the WBC’s Mexican world champions to win. I believe that this is not just because of the judging, but also because fights that are shorter in duration are physically easier for the Mexican female boxers. They do not need as much stamina and there are less punches being thrown at them. There is also another reason why I believe the WBC wants women’s fights to be shorter. Less time for the women means more time for the men. Women’s title fights are 10 rounds of 2 minutes each which equals 20 minutes. Compare this to the men’s title fights that are 12 rounds of 3 minutes each which equals 36 minutes. That is a difference of 16 minutes. The women are boxing 16 minutes less than the men. Therefore, those 16 minutes can be used for a 4-6 round men’s fight to be scheduled on the card.

Mauricio Sulaiman made an announcement about the WBC’s plans for a female flyweight tournament and listed potential contestants. 18 boxers made the list and 8 of them were selected to participate in the tournament. Four of them are from Mexico: Jessica Chavez, Ibeth Zamora Silva, Esmeralda Moreno, and Ana Arrazola. The other four came from other countries. Melissa McMorrow is from the United States, Raja Amasheh is from Germany, Naoko Fujioka is from Japan, and Nina Stojanovic is from Serbia. None of the Mexicans were scheduled to fight against each other in the preliminary fights of the tournament. If the fights go the distance, then the outcome is controlled by the judges and then all four Mexicans can proceed to the semifinals of the tournament.

Jessica Chavez who is the reigning WBC female flyweight champion was matched up against Naoko Fujioka. Fujioka is the reigning WBO female bantamweight champion, so she had to go down two weight classes in order to participate in this tournament. Of course, that is a disadvantage in itself. The fight was in Mexico which is another disadvantage. Chavez excels at holding and she repeatedly held Fujioka’s arms and put her head in a headlock. The referee would make them separate, but it kept happening. In round six, there was a clash of heads and Fujioka went down, but the referee ruled it as a knockdown. In the tenth and final round, the referee finally deducted a point from Chavez due to excessive holding. The judges’ scores were 96-92, 95-93, and 95-93 all in favor of Chavez by unanimous decision. I scored it 97-91 in favor of Fujioka. I believed that Fujioka won 8 of the 10 rounds.

The next fight of the tournament matched up Esmeralda Moreno against Melissa McMorrow. Both are former world champions. McMorrow lost to Mariana Juarez and Jessica Chavez by biased decisions in Mexico. McMorrow defeated Kenia Enriquez by split decision to win the WBO female flyweight title. About eight months later, McMorrow was in this tournament. Moreno won the IBO, WIBF, and GBU female super flyweight titles in April 2016. About three months later, she challenged Jessica Chavez for her WBC female flyweight title. Blood was coming out of Chavez’s nose. Moreno lost by a biased majority decision.

Moreno’s next fight was against McMorrow in the tournament. This was a fierce fight between two boxers who are both championship caliber. In round two, the referee deducted a point from McMorrow due to a headbutt which was accidental. Throughout the fight, McMorrow was usually getting the better of the exchanges. Moreno complained again about a headbutt in round eight, so the referee deducted another point from McMorrow. Moreno had a cut above her left eyebrow and it was bleeding, but she was getting punched in the face. The judges scored it 100-90, 100-88, and 98-89 all in favor of Moreno by unanimous decision. The judge that scored it 100-88 did not give McMorrow a single round. I scored it 95-93 in favor of McMorrow and that includes the two point deductions.

The third fight of the tournament had WBC Silver female flyweight champion Raja Amasheh of Germany defending her title against Ana Arrazola of Mexico. Amasheh was undefeated with 19 wins. Arrazola is the only one in the tournament to have double digit losses on her record with 11 losses. This fight was in Austria and apparently was not televised because there is no video of it on the Internet. The only article that I could find about the fight was not written by an unbiased journalist. It was a press release written by the WBC. The article stated that Arrazola landed a lot of clean counterpunches and that she had a close lead on the judges’ scorecards. There was open scoring, so the total scores were announced after rounds four and seven. Arrazola knew that she was leading after round seven with scores of 67-66, 67-66, and 68-65. After the tenth and final round, the judges’ scores were 96-94, 96-94, and 97-93 all in favor of Arrazola by unanimous decision. Amasheh is a much better boxer than Arrazola and I find it hard to believe that Arrazola pulled off the upset victory.

The fourth fight of the tournament has not happened yet, but it is scheduled for November 26 and it will be in Mexico. WBC female light flyweight champion Ibeth Zamora Silva will defend her title against former World Boxing Federation (WBF), WIBF, and GBU super flyweight champion Nina Stojanovic of Serbia. Stojanovic is undefeated at 9-0. This is supposed to be a flyweight tournament. Why is the WBC allowing this to be a light flyweight fight? I believe that there are two reasons. The WBC can collect a sanctioning fee by having Silva defend the title that she already has which is in the light flyweight division. It is also a disadvantage for Stojanovic to have to go down two weight classes. If the fight goes the distance which is likely, then expect the judges to award Silva the victory. If that happens, then all four Mexicans in the tournament will move on to the semifinals.

We do not know for sure what the matchups are going to be in the semifinals, but I am going to make some predictions. Because Silva is really a light flyweight, I predict that the WBC is going to give Silva the easiest road to the finals. I predict that Silva will be matched up against Arrazola. Silva has already defeated Arrazola in Silva’s pro debut and Arrazola is by far the worst boxer in the tournament. I believe that Chavez will be matched up against Moreno. Moreno is a better boxer than Chavez and she proved this when she lost to Chavez by a biased majority decision in July. However, the judges will likely rob Moreno of victory again. I believe that the WBC wants Jessica Chavez and Ibeth Zamora Silva to be in the finals. Both of them are rated in the top ten pound for pound by Ring Magazine and BoxRec.com. Of course, these lists are based solely on the results of the fights and do not take into consideration that there are biased decisions.

Like all the other kinds of championship belts, the WBC belt is made of metal and leather. In my opinion, the WBC female world champion belt does not look particularly attractive. I think it looks like a flower colored with green slime from the Ghostbusters movies. It is true though that the WBC belt is desired by female boxers because of its prestige. The winner of the WBC flyweight tournament will receive the WBC Diamond Belt. The belt apparently has real diamonds on it. It might as well have cubic zirconia instead of diamonds because this tournament is not going to determine who the best female flyweight in the world is. It may not even determine who the best Mexican female flyweight is. Kenia Enriquez was one of the potential participants, but she was not selected for the tournament. Enriquez defeated Arrazola in 2014 to win the vacant WBO female flyweight title.

Who will ultimately win the WBC Diamond flyweight belt? I believe that Chavez will be the winner. Chavez has the same last name as Julio Cesar Chavez who is considered to be the best Mexican boxer of all time. Chavez has an advantage of being a flyweight since the final fight will be (or should be) at flyweight. After all, it is a flyweight tournament. After Chavez wins in the finals, then she will be given the Diamond belt and then there will be a fiesta celebrating Chavez as the best female flyweight boxer in the world! It is good for business to have Mexicans winning in the tournament. The people of Mexico get a vicarious thrill when they see Mexican boxers being victorious against boxers from other countries.

When there is biased judging, it makes boxing similar to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in that the outcomes are predetermined. What happens in the ring is not scripted like the WWE. Boxing is not choreographed beforehand, but the result of the fight can be determined beforehand. The scores just have to coincide with that planned result. What happened to the losers of the tournament so far who are the real winners? Of course, their boxing careers have suffered to some degree. McMorrow is scheduled to fight in California on December 3. It will not be televised, but people will come to see McMorrow who has a lot of fans. McMorrow should still be a world champion. If she was Mexican, she would be. McMorrow should be considered one of the best in the world pound for pound, but her losses in Mexico by biased decisions have prevented her from having that status. Fujioka is rated the No. 1 bantamweight in the world by BoxRec and is also rated No. 9 pound for pound. Ring Magazine does not rate her on its pound for pound top ten list. Fujioka does not currently have a fight scheduled. Amasheh is rated No. 10 at flyweight by BoxRec in spite of her loss by decision to Arrazola. Amasheh has no fight scheduled. Stojanovic still has to fight Silva and the fight is in Mexico.

Women’s boxing needs the support of American promoters in order to flourish in the United States. The fight card in California has all female fights, but it is not televised. Promoters need the support of television networks. If an event is not on television, then it is more difficult to schedule world title fights for that event. Promoters have limited budgets and they often cannot afford to schedule a women’s world title fight if their shows are not televised, even though they would have to pay much less money than for a men’s title fight. There are fees that have to be paid for world title fights such as a sanctioning fee, belt fee, and fees to the officials (judges and referee) who get paid extra for working in a world title fight. The female boxers also get more money than they would normally receive, although each boxer would be very fortunate to receive at least $5,000 if the title fight is not televised. Of course, the promoter can afford to schedule a 4-6 round women’s non-title fight, but women’s boxing has to be televised in order for it to be successful at the highest level in America. World-class boxers who have to go to their opponent’s home country for a shot at a title or to defend their title are not always treated fairly in and out of the ring. There are sanctioning bodies that would like to have title fights for women in America, but they are only limited by the lack of support from promoters, matchmakers, and television networks.

Posted on 11/03/2016

Top Rank PPV Preview: Pacquiao vs. Vargas, Shiming vs. Phaprom, Donaire vs. Magdaleno, Valdez vs. Osawa
By: William Holmes

On Saturday night Philippine Senator and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring and chase another world title as he faces Jessie Vargas for Vargas’ WBO Welterweight Title.

Pacquiao has long been a mainstay with HBO Boxing and nearly all of his pay per views were distributed by them. However, HBO has chosen to go forward with the Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev PPV bout in the month of November and is letting Bob Arum’s Top Rank Boxing distribute Pacquiao’s PPV on their own.

Top Rank has wisely decided to stack their card with four world title fights in what should be an entertaining night of fights. The card will be held at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Photo Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

The following is a preview of all four world title bouts.

Zou Shiming (8-1) vs. Prasitsak Phaprom (39-1-2); WBO World Flyweight Title

This is a rematch of a bout that happened on November 23rd, 2014 in which Shiming defeated Phaprom by decision.

Zou Shiming was supposed to be Top Rank’s vehicle to grow the sport of boxing in China and establish a strong foothold there. He was successful in helping Top Rank break into the Chinese market, but he has lost some of his luster since losing to Amnat Ruenroeng in an IBF Flyweight Title fight in March of 2017.

Shiming is a two time Olympic Gold Medalist and won the Bronze in 2004. He’s the most decorated amateur boxer to ever come out of China and is currently trained by Freddie Roach. Phaprom does not have the amateur accolades that Shiming possesses.

Both boxers are thirty five years old and neither can be considered to be in the midst of the physical prime. Shiming will have a two and a half inch height advantage as well as a two and a half inch reach advantage.

Shiming is not known for his power and many pundits question whether his amateur abilities can translate to the profressional stage He only has two stoppage victories on his resume while Phaprom has stopped twenty four of his opponents.

Phaprom has been very active and has fought five times in 2016. However, Phaprom has fought almost exclusively in Thailand and has only fought outside of it once, when he first faced and lost to Shiming. He also doesn’t have any big name victories on his resume, but has fought thirteen more times since losing to Shiming.

This will be Shiming’s third fight in 2016, and he has defeated the likes of Phaprom, Jozsef Ajtai, Natan Coutinho, and Luis de la Rosa. His lone loss was to Amnat Ruenroeng.

This rematch should play out in a similar fashion to their first bout, with Shiming ending the fight as the winner.

Nonito Donaire (37-3) vs. Jessie Magdaleno (23-0); WBO World Junior Featherweight Title

Nonito Donaire is the second most Filipino boxer in the world today, but this will be the first time he has ever fought on the same card as Manny Pacquiao.

Donaire’s best days might be behind him. He’s thirty three years old and will be nine year older than Magdaleno come fight night. However, he will be about one inch taller than Magdaleno and will have about a two inch reach advantage.

Both boxers have had successful amateur careers. Donaire was a National Junior Olympics Flyweight Champion, a National Light Flyweight Champions, and a Silver Gloves Champion. Magdaleno was a US National Champion in the bantamweight division and a National Golden Gloves Champion in the bantamweight division.

Both boxers come from a family of boxers and have brothers who compete or have competed professionally. However, Donaire is a former title holder in the flyweight, bantamweight, super bantamweight, and featherweight divisions while Magdaleno is still chasing his first world title.

Donaire has been in the ring with some of the best the sport has to offer. He has defeated the likes of Zsolt Bedak, Cesar Juarez, Vic Darchinyan, Jorge Arce, Toshiaki Nishioka, Jeffrey Mathebula, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., Omar Narvaez, and Fernando Montiel. His losses were to Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nicholas Walters, and Rosendo Sanchez in the second fight of his career.

This will be a big step up for Magdaleno, and he has never fought someone as a professional on the level of Donaire. He has defeated the likes of Rey Perez, Erik Ruiz, and Roberto Castandeda.

This might be the last swan song for Donaire. There’s been a noticeable drop in his speed and power since he lost to Rigondeaux and he was stopped, quite brutally, by Walters. He’s still a good boxer and is experienced enough to give Magdaleno a tough time inside the ring, but Magdaleno is just entering his prime and should be able to defeat the older Donaire.

Oscar Valdez (20-0) vs. Hiroshiga Osawa (30-3-4); WBO World Featherweight Title

Oscar Valdez is one of the most promising young champions on the roster of Top Rank Promotions. He’s also featured in one of the biggest mismatches of the night.

The one, and perhaps only, advantage Osawa will have on Saturday night is that he is about an inch and half taller and four inches longer than Valdez. However, Valdez is the better technical boxer, the more powerful puncher, the quicker fighter, and will be about six years younger than Osawa.

Valdez has an impressive eighteen knockouts and has stopped four of his past five opponents. Osawa stopped nineteen of his opponents but is currently riding an eight fight stoppage victory streak.

Valdez has a deep amateur background and represented Mexico in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. Osawa has no such amateur background.

Both boxers have been fairly active in the past two years. Valdez fought four times in 2015 and fought twice in 2016. Osawa fought three times in 2015 and once in 2016.

Osawa has fought exclusively in Asia and his resume does not include any big name victories. He has losses to unheralded boxers such as Mitsuya Omura, JR Sollano, and Daiki Koide. Valdez only recently won WBO Featherweight title, and has impressive victories over Evgeny Gradovich, Matias Rueda, Chris Avalos, Ruben Tamayo, and Jose Ramirez.

Valdez is the most likely boxer to score a stoppage victory on Saturday night.

Manny Pacquiao (58-6-2) vs. Jessie Vargas (27-1); WBO World Welterweight Title

Manny Pacquiao, despite being a Senator for the Philippines, is still considered a top talent in the welterweight division and one of the sport’s biggest draws.

He’s publically stated his desire to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a rematch, but he first has to get past a tough, young, opponent in Jessie Vargas.

Pacquiao, at the age of thirty seven, is ten years older than his opponent and considered by many to be past his physical prime. Pacquiao will also be giving up four and a half inches in height as well as four inches in reach to his younger opponent.

The one thing that Vargas does not have is power. He’s only stopped ten of his opponents, but he did stop Sadam Ali in his last bout. Pacquiao has stopped thirty eight of his opponents, but his last stoppage victory was in 2009, twelve fights ago, against Miguel Cotto.

Vargas has an impressive amateur background. He’s a two time Mexican National Champion and a two time US Junior National Champion. Pacquiao turned professional as a teenager and does not have the amateur accolades that Vargas has.

Vargas has a good professional resume but it still pales in comparison to Pacquiao. He has defeated the likes of Sadam Ali, Antonio DeMarco, Anton Novikov, Khabib Allakhverdiev, Ray Narh, Aaron Martinez, Steve Forbes, and Josesito Lopez. His lone loss was a close bout to Timothy Bradley.

Pacquiao, clearly, has a hall of fame resume. His notable victories include Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, Brandon Rios, Chris Algieri, Shane Mosley, and Lehlo Ledwaba. His losses were to Juan Manuel Marquez, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Timothy Bradley, and three losses early on in his career to Singsurat, Torrecampo, and Erik Morales.

Pacquiao had erased any concerns about his demise in his last bout with Timothy Bradley Jr., which he won fairly convincingly. Vargas’ age and reach may give Pacquiao some problems early on, but it’s not something that Pacquiao hasn’t handled before.

Pacquiao should walk away with another decision victory, but it will be a tougher than expected fight.

Posted on 10/22/2016

The Heavyweight Crown is Up for Grabs
By: Matthew N. Becher

​A little over a week ago, the reigning (yet non-defending) Lineal Heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, was forced to relinquish his titles. He had not fought it close to a year, was/is battling with an undisclosed “medical” or “mental” condition and has tested positive for cocaine usage. So with this event taking place, three major belts are currently sitting in a vacant state (four if you count the IBO title).

​The WBC belt is currently held by American Deontay Wilder. Wilder has yet to fight a real formidable opponent, one of the Top of the heavyweight food chain. With that aside, he is a heavyweight champion and owns at least 1/5th of the ultimate piece of the pie. Wilder won his belt in 2015 and has defended it 4 times so far. Against the likes of Eric Molina, Johann Duhaupas, Artur Szpilka and Chris Arreola. Wilder was injured in his last fight and will look to defend his title again next year. Getting to the point of unifying the division.

​The IBF belt is currently held across the pond by the 27 year old British heavyweight Anthony Joshua. Joshua is a former Olympic Gold Medalist, who won his title earlier this year, blasting away at then champion Charles Martin in only 2 rounds. Joshua has a date set to defend his title in England on December 10th. Talk of him taking on former unified heavyweight champion Wladamir Klitschko were making the rounds for a bit, but seem to have stalled. Joshua will most likely fight against a lesser than opponent and wait until next year to possibly try and add another belt around his waist.

​So where do the other belts end up?

​The WBO has ordered a fight between New Zealand’s Joseph Parker (21-0 18KO) and Mexican American Andy Ruiz Jr. (29-0 19KO) to take place in Auckland on December 10th. Both men have stellar records, against little known opponents. Parker at 24 and Ruiz at 27 would make either a very young champion and would also surely set them up against one of the upper echelon of the heavyweight division next year.

​The WBA is a bit trickier, in that they have a “Regular” champion and a “Super” Champion. The “Regular” champion is undefeated Cuban Luis Ortiz (25-0 22KO). Ortiz will defend that title November 12th against veteran Malik Scott. If Ortiz can pull through, he should be set up with a chance to fight for the “Super” title, sometime next year.

​All the belts are right now up for grabs and if you noticed, all of the names that have been brought up, sans Klitschko, are of fighters with undefeated records.

Most have yet to test themselves against one another, and the top men in the most glamorous division in all of sport will be put on the spot to finally validate themselves. By this time next year, we should see at least two unified champions, if not one lineal, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. If this doesn’t happen, then who knows where the belts will be, most likely around peoples waist that hardly deserve them.

Posted on 10/13/2016

Tyson Fury Abdicates Heavyweight Throne
By: Sean Crose

Tyson Fury’s reign as heavyweight champion of the world has come to an end without the Englishman having engaged in a single title defense. Indeed, Fury, who has tested positive for cocaine and who has admitted to engaging in a serious battle with depression, has decided to give up his title belts – as well as the lineal title he won by defeating Wladimir Klitschko in a stunning upset last year in Germany. Thus ends one of the strangest heavyweight reigns in all of gloved boxing history.

To be sure, Fury proved to be one of the more colorful – some would argue offensive – people to ever sit atop the heavyweight division. Make no mistake about it, as far as unique personalities go, Fury was right up there with such larger than life characters as John L Sullivan, Jack Johnson, and Muhammad Ali. Yet unlike those men, Fury never attained any level of greatness while wearing the heavyweight crown. Still, Fury remains under thirty, which means perhaps that the best is still yet to come.

That remains to be seen, of course. What is now a matter of record is that the strange yet talented Irish Traveller came from an oppressed background and shocked many – though not all – observers when he flustered the previously very dominant Klitschko en route to a decision victory late in 2015. Truth be told, the result shouldn’t have been all that much of a surprise. Klitschko had previously shown signs of weakness against American Bryant Jennings in his previous bout, after all. What’s more, the long reigning Ukrainian was pushing forty when he finally met the awkward, nearly seven foot tall giant with the faster than expected hands.

Then there was the matter of Fury’s mouth. Indeed, Fury proved he knew how to bully someone. Dominating Klitschko with mind games all the way up until the opening bell rang, Fury may well have assured himself a win before a single shot was thrown. It was that same mouth, however, that brought Fury a lot of trouble after winning the belt. Ultimately, however, it appears to have been the influence of drugs – and perhaps alcohol, as well – which ultimately brought the man down. Giving up training, growing despondent – such matters are par for the course with those who fall into the realm of addiction.

Hopefully this is the beginning of a brighter days for the man, be they with or without ring glory.

Posted on 06/03/2016

PBC on Spike Results: Barthelemy Defeats Bey by Split Decision, Rodriguez Decisions Guevara
By: William Holmes

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida was the host site for tonight’s Premier Boxing Champions Card on Spike TV.

Mayweather Promotions in association with King’s Promotions and Panther Promotions put on tonight’s card.

Photo Credit: Stephanie Trapp/Mayweather Promotions/Premier Boxing Champions

The opening bout of the night was between Puerto Rican boxer Emmanuel Rodriguez (14-0) and Mexican fight Alberto “Metro” Guevara (24-2) in the bantamweight division.

Both boxers fought out of an orthodox stance Guevara attacked the body and had moderate success with his double left hook combination. Rodriguez was accurate with his straight right hand early on and was able to stagger Guevara with a left hook near the end of the round.

Guevara had a decent second round and out threw Rodriguez, but Rodriguez had the stronger shots and even took the body attacks of Guevara well.

Rodriguez picked up his pace in the third round and his left hook was stinging Guevara, and his counter punching continued to improve in the fourth and fifth rounds. The area near Guevara’s left eye was cut in the fifth round from a head butt and the blood appeared to bother him throughout the fight.

Rodriguez’s jab and pressure was just too much for Guevara to handle. Guevara was able to land some combinations, but he didn’t have the power to hurt Rodriguez, while Rodriguez’s straight right hand was able to effectively slow down and neutralize Guevara.

The final scores were 99-91, 100-90, and 99-91 for Rodriguez.

The second bout of the night was between middleweights Caleb Plant (12-0) and Carlos Galvan (12-4-1) in a short six round fight.

Plant has some moderate hype behind his name, and he looked in control in the opening round and looked like the bigger fighter inside the ring.

Plant however was in the ring with someone who never defeated an opponent with a winning record. Plant briefly had an offensive burst in the second round and did a lot of show boating after dodging punches in the third round, but some in the crowd started to boo his defensive style inside the ring.

Plant surprised everyone with a hard left hook to the body out of nowhere in the fourth round that sent Galvan to the mat for a full ten count.

Caleb Plant wins by knockout at 1:24 of the fourth round.

The main event of the evening was between Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy (24-0) and Mickey Bey (22-1-1) for the IBF Lightweight Title.

Both boxers fought out of a conventional stance and Barthelemy established himself as the aggressor early on and attacked the body of Bey.

Barthelemy continued to control the bout in the second round and his reach was appearing to give Bey problems, until a head butt occurred in the second round that forced Barthelemy to fall to his knee. The referee, incorrectly, ruled it a knockdown.

The knockdown seemed to awaken Rances Barthelemy and he was extremely aggressive in the third and fourth rounds and pounded the body of Bey and kept his opponent moving backwards.

Bey was able to take control of the fifth round by sticking to his jab and popping and moving before Barthelemy could trap him. The sixth round could have gone either way, but Barthelemy was the aggressor.

Barthelemy did a good job at catching the punches Bey in the seventh round and was able to work around the jab of Bey. Barthelemy came on strong at the end of the eighth round and got his Cuban supporters in the crowd on it’s feet.

By the ninth round Bey was falling badly behind on the cards and by the championship rounds he needed a knockout to win.

That knockout didn’t come, and Bey was simply outworked by Barthelemy for the remainder of the fight.

The final scores were 117-110 Barthelemy, 117-110 Bey, and 116-111 Barthelemy.

Posted on 05/18/2016

Canelo Giving Up WBC Belt
By: Sean Crose

That which many had feared has come true. Canelo Alvarez is giving up his WBC belt rather, presumably, than make a deal within the next few days to face Gennady Golovkin in a championship fight this fall. Although there were probably countless analysts out there predicting as much, there had been a glimmer of hope lately that a Canelo-GGG superbout would indeed soon be made for September. Negotiations between team Canelo and team GGG had begun, after all. Not only that, but there was a seriousness to the maneuvering that could be found in the lack of information sent out to the media. The hope, however, appears to have been short lived.

Dan Rafael of ESPN reported that Alvarez “announced today that he has vacated the WBC middleweight title but still wants to fight GGG.” Needless to say, Rafael also reported that “GGG will become the WBC’s titleholder with his interim tag being removed.” Sure enough, both parties had until next week to come up with an agreement or the potential fight would have gone to purse bid, something Canelo’s team clearly didn’t want to have happen. Canelo is the most lucrative fighter in the world at the moment, and a purse bid would have possibly turned out less lucrative for he and his team.

Let’s face it, this is major news indeed. It’s rare that a fighter gives up a belt in the face of a potential fight. To be sure, Canelo wishes to save face. “I will fight ‘GGG,’ and I will beat ‘GGG,’” Canelo claimed in a statement, “but I will not be forced into the ring by artificial deadlines.” Whether or not this will help the Mexican slugger, who recently demolished Amir Khan, save face remains to be seen. Again, it’s not often that a fighter gives up a title under such circumstances. Riddick Bowe comes to mind – and that’s about it.

As for Golovkin, he is now the WBC world middleweight champion, as opposed to its interim champion. His team also is making it clear that they still want to fight Canelo. Indeed, there appears to be no bashing of Alvarez on the part of GGG’s promoter Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. Clearly, team Golovkin still wants this fight to happen. And why not? It remains the biggest throwdown in the sport. As for Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo’s promoter, he’s clearly sticking by his man, stating Canelo “is eager to get in the ring with ‘GGG’ to show the world that he is also the best pound for pound fighter in the sport, but we won’t negotiate under a false deadline.”