Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Stephan A. Smith Challenges Mayweather, Pacquiao and Arum to Settle Disputes Live on First Take
Mario Mungia
By Mario Mungia February 18, 2015 8:33 pm
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IFWT_Floyd_StephenAStephan A. Smith is one of the most loved and simultaneously hated figures on the ESPN team. If you’ve seen Smith on ESPN’s First Take then you know he is outspoken and passionate. If you agree with Smith on a particular subject, then you’ll applaud him for commenting on the enthusiastic nature we’ve come to expect from him. If you disagree with Smith on a particular topic, then chances are you’ll hate every word he spews.

In a lot of ways, he’s regarded in the same kind of way that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is, you either love him, or you love to hate him. Ironically enough, Smith has always defended Mayweather and has deemed him one of the greatest fighters in the history of boxing throughout his tenure on First Take, but that changed last year.

At some point, Smith — who has been a staunch advocate for Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao to finally deliver on the mega fight the world has waited for — began to put pressure on all parties involved, including Mayweather Jr. He became critical of Mayweather Jr. in a fair and rational way.

Mayweather Jr. didn’t like Smith’s viewpoints and gave a harsh interview to FightHype.com where he made comments about Smith’s knowledge of sports, in general.

Fast forward to today and Smith has become even more vocal about his perceptions.

On yesterday morning’s edition of First Take, Smith pleaded his case, and he was as sincere about his desire to see the fight as ever.

“We want the fight, and if Bob Arum is in the way I think that people who cover Bob Arum should highlight that and point it out,” Smith said on air.

As I previously mentioned, Smith has been critical of everyone, and rightfully so, but he can only work with the limited amount of knowledge that we have regarding the many different versions of the truth we get from various people within the negotiations. He wasn’t highlighting Arum because he believes that Arum is solely responsible for the fight not happening, and he isn’t accusing him of being the most problematic figure within the Mayweather-Pacquiao storyline. Smith is simply doing his best to get to the real root of the issues, not to assign blame, but rather in an attempt to rectify the problems in order to make the fight a possibility.maxresdefault-16

In reality, he can’t do much, but he offered up the only real solution he has and the only one he can control. That is why he offered an invite to Arum, Mayweather, and Pacquiao to be on First Take and take their issues public.

“This platform is a nationally televised show, live. I would love for Bob Arum-Floyd Mayweather Jr. to come right in studio with Manny Pacquiao. We can have them for the whole 2 hours if they want to. Let’s talk about the differences here and get it done. All we want is to get it done, so there is a fight, and we want to expose whoever’s in the way preventing this fight from happening.”

It is wishful thinking on the part of Smith. There is no way that any one of the three individuals accepts his offer, let alone all three simultaneously. However, at least he is trying. You can criticize his naive offer, or you can applaud him for using his power in the media.

The truth is we’ll never know who was at fault for this fight not happening over the years. Some people blame Pacquiao for, not accepting the drug testing condition initiated by Mayweather Jr. in the first negotiations several years ago, but others suggest it was just a ploy from Mayweather and that he would’ve used another disagreeable term to avoid the fight, using the logic that Pacquiao finally agreed to the testing and still, the fight hasn’t happened.

We could go back and forth, but we’ll never know who was truly to blame and if the fight doesn’t happen this time the debate will wage on with no real understanding. It is with little comfort that I say this but at least we know it wasn’t Smith’s fault. It might not make this any easier if the fight doesn’t happen, but with the biased views spread around the boxing media landscape it is nice to see a true champion for the impartial minority.

 

[heyzel]

Provodnikov-Matthysse, Crawford-Dulorme Split Site Double Header on The Horizon?
Victor Salazar
By Victor Salazar February 18, 2015 10:25 pm
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Lucas Matthysse vs Ruslan ProvodnikovApril 18th could be a busy day for HBO Boxing. According to a source and confirmed by Dan Rafael of ESPN, Terence Crawford’s return date will be April 18th and his foe will be Thomas Dulorme. Crawford was supposed to fight on March 21st in New York City. But because of Chris Algieri out pricing himself as a possible opponent and Nicholas Walters pulling out because of a flu as the co-main event, the event was scrapped.

Now it seems Crawford will be fighting Dulorme at a venue outside of Omaha, Nebraska due to a scheduling conflict in the Century Link Arena. Rumors in the industry suggest that the bout may be heading to Las Vegas, and it may be for the vacant WBO World Jr. Welterweight Title.

The bout may be paired up with the much anticipated Ruslan Provodnikov-Lucas Matthysse bout. All the terms of the deal are finalized for that bout minus the date and the venue. The initial date of Provodnikov-Matthysse was March 28th. But because the promoters of note, Golden Boy, and Banner Boxing, were unable to secure the Stub Hub Center. Apparently it was on hold for a fight that had not yet been scheduled by Al Haymon and The Premier Champion Boxing Series, Golden Boy, and Banner could not secure the venue.terence crawford vs Thomas dulorme

The Stub Hub Center will now house a fight between Jhonny Gonzalez and Gary Russell Jr. If the Provodnikov-Matthysse bout moves to April 18th, it will go head to head with the return of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., whose fight is also rumored to be in California. Other possible landing spots for the Provodnikov-Matthysse bout could be California, Las Vegas, Miami and even Verona New York.

A lot of things are being discussed, and we could end up with a split site double header on April 18th on HBO with Crawford-Dulorme and Provodnikov-Algieri. The logical thing to do for the fans would be to pair the two bouts at the same venue

 

[heyzel]

Manager: “I’m Not Optimistic About Cotto, But I Am For a Fight With Saul Alvarez because the Mexicans like Gennady.”
Victor Salazar
By Victor Salazar February 18, 2015 6:19 pm
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Golovkin-Quillin-LeeMost pundits feel that Martin Murray is Gennady Golovkin’s toughest opponent to date. However, not many people are giving him a chance to pull the upset. Should Golovkin win, a possible return date of May 16th is in the cards, whereabouts to be discussed.

According to Golovkin’s manager, Golovkin wants to unify titles, and he is eyeing the winner of the Peter Quillin-Andy Lee fight happening in April sometime later this year.

“He would love to fight the Lee-Quillin winner because he wants to unify the world titles. He’s mandatory challenger for Miguel Cotto, but I don’t think that fight will happen soon,” Max Herman told ESPN UK.

Regarding a fight to travel to the United Kingdom, Herman says Golovkin would definitely travel for Andy Lee or Carl Froch.

“He hopes in the future to fight against Andy Lee and of course there could be a potential fight with Froch,” Herman told EPSN. “Absolutely he could fight in the UK one day if there’s a good opponent – maybe Carl Froch or maybe Andy Lee, it depends.

However, Herman doesn’t know how willing Froch would be to fighting Golovkin.

“Carl Froch has plans to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and maybe Bernard Hopkins, but he has never mentioned Gennady Golovkin as a possible opponent. I don’t think Carl is afraid of fighting Gennady; it’s just a question of business and Carl has nothing to prove, he’s 36, and I think he will prefer other options than Gennady. But we would like to make this fight,” explained Herman.

Regarding a possible Cotto fight, Herman understands why it might not happen.

“I’m not very optimistic about the Cotto fight because Cotto has a completely different plan other than to fight Gennady,” stated Herman. “Last time he fought was June last year and we don’t know when he will fight next. It’s understandable because Cotto is not a big guy in the middleweight division, so I’m not optimistic about Cotto and am more optimistic about a future fight with Saul Alvarez because the Mexicans like Gennady.”

Regarding a Ward fight down the road, Herman says it will need some building because of Ward’s situation.

“Andre Ward has not fought since November 2013 so he hasn’t fought for 18 months now and he will want a tune-up fight when he comes back and then we will need to then build up the fight with Gennady. It takes time to do all that but 2016 it’s [a fight against Ward] a fight that is realistic for Gennady.

 

[heyzel]

Say Hello To Sergey Derevyanchenko, Al Haymon’s Gennady Golovkin
ThaBoxingVoice
By ThaBoxingVoice February 18, 2015 4:58 pm
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Derevyanchenko_campione.jpg~CFor the first time in its 12-year existence, Broadway Boxing heads north to the suburbs of Westchester County, NY, when DiBella Entertainment (DBE) stages an exciting 11-bout card, featuring a number of DBE’s top up-and-coming talent and world-rated contenders at the beautiful Hilton Westchester, in Rye Brook, NY.

The card is headlined by the homecoming of undefeated prospect Bryant “Peewee” Cruz (13-0, 7KO’s) taking on the tough-as-nails Jorge Pazos (14-7-1, 8KO’s) in an eight-round junior lightweight matchup.

Just added to the card this week is a special attraction middleweight matchup featuring former Ukrainian amateur star and now blue-chip prospect Sergey Derevyanchenko (3-0, 2KO’s) as he takes on Vladine Biosse (15-5-2, 7KO’s). The bout is scheduled for eight rounds in the middleweight division.

Co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions Inc., and advised by Al Haymon, Derevyanchenko was an outstanding amateur, which saw him compile an astonishing 390-20 record, as well as represent his native Ukraine at the 2008 Olympics and win a bronze medal at the 2007 Amateur World Championships. Derevyanchenko also competed in the World Series of Boxing, where he posted a 23-1 overall record and was the 2012 WSB Team Champion and 2011 and 2012 WSB Individual Champion. Derevyanchenko’s rise up the world rankings is expected to be meteoric, and anything less than a world championship would be a disappointment.Arlans

Upon his signing, Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment, confidently stated, “Sergey is one of the most decorated amateurs in the world and absolutely one of the best middleweight prospects in all of boxing. We feel that in one year’s time, he will be ready to compete at the highest levels in boxing.”

Following his first three fights, it has been hard to argue with DiBella’s notion. The 29-year-old, now living and training in Brooklyn, NY, has looked every bit as advertised. The lone opponent thus far to go the distance with Derevyanchenko was Laatekwei Hammond (21-7), who was dropped three times in the second, third and fourth rounds of that fight. In Biosse, Derevyanchenko will meet a tough and experienced southpaw, who has been in with the likes of contenders J’Leon Love, Callum Smith, Denis Grachev and, most recently, former super middleweight world title challenger Andre Dirrell.

 

[heyzel]

Blame The WBC, Blame Al Haymon, Or is Danny Garcia at Fault?
Mario Mungia
By Mario Mungia February 18, 2015 4:20 pm
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Angel+Garcia+Amir+Khan+v+Danny+Garcia+Press+qRwt1oYm-c4lDanny Garcia has received a lot of criticism over the past year for the various decisions he’s made and the ultimate path shift his career has taken.

It started with Mauricio Herrera bout in March of last year. The fight was supposed to be a celebration for Garcia, who was fighting in Puerto Rico for the first time in his career. The promotion was intended to act as a catalyst for Puerto Rican fans to get behind Garcia in a major way.

Although Garcia was not born in Puerto Rico, his father/trainer Angel Garcia is from Naguabo, Puerto Rico, and the bout acted as a sort of homecoming for the father/son duo.

However, the fight backfired when Danny, who was supposed to handle the handpicked Herrera with some sort of ease, struggled in the fight. The bout went the distance, and many members of the media scored the fight for Herrera. When the scores were announced, and Garcia was awarded the majority decision, fans were vocally displeased and called the fight a robbery.Danny Garcia and Mauricio Hernandez

Herrera received a ton of support and many considered the fight to be controversial because Danny was seen as the money fighter with a perceived advantage on the scorecards, while Herrera was deemed a hard-luck loser without enough commercial appeal to receive a fair decision.

That fight started Garcia’s 2014 campaign in a tumultuous direction, but it was only the beginning of things to come and his reputation in the sport would be tested even further in his next bout. Instead of taking a significant fight in an effort of redeeming his perception amongst vindictive fans, Garcia opted to take a catch weight fight against less than worthy opposition in Rod Salka.

The fight ended up being a ShowTime Championship Boxing main event in August, and it was met with much hostility because fans felt that the pathetic matchup didn’t merit the premium cable spot it got.
Garcia scored a 2nd round knockout over the clearly overmatched Salka. It was an anticlimactic ending, which is both a comment on the disdain fans had for the fight and a rarity considering the viciousness of the knockout.

Danny+Garcia+Danny+Garcia+v+Rod+Salka+Un_bZm_7k0AlLamont Peterson was the co-feature on the Garcia-Salka card, and it was speculated that Peterson and Garcia would meet at the end of 2014. That fight didn’t happen because of the changing landscape of Al Haymon’s business plans, and fans were further disappointed.

However, the fight is now scheduled for April 11th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York and it will be part of Haymon’s PBC series on NBC (the second scheduled show on the network). You’d think that the fight would finally give Garcia some of his boxing cred back, the same cred he earned for running the junior welterweight gauntlet from 2012-2013. But that hasn’t been the case, at least not completely.

Some have argued that Peterson isn’t enough of a test for Garcia to make up for last year’s disappointing campaign, but that argument is a bit petty. The real guff from fans concerns the catch weight nature of the bout. The problem fans have is Garcia is the 140lb kingpin and Peterson holds a paper title at the weight class as well, but the bout is being contested at 143lbs. Furthermore, this fight will mark the second in a row that Garcia has failed to defend his title.

It is a disappointing enough situation, but the fact that Garcia represents the hierarchy in a division filled with exciting talent makes the nontitle fight that much more disheartening. Still, fans would probably let this fight slide and actually use it as a reason to praise Garcia if all of these reasons weren’t stacked on each other.danny-garcia-vs-rod-salka-02-photo-by-naoki-fukuda

After all, Zab Judah wasn’t really consider stiff opposition when Garcia fought him, but very few fight fans criticized the fight because Garcia had built momentum and done so much to that point that Judah was given more credit than he deserved as a worthy lineal title challenger.

However, the same way Garcia built his stardom over time through a series of incredible in-ring feats, he has now hurt his brand doing the exact opposite. Garcia’s reputation is now the direct result of mediocre performances against questionable competition in the span of a year.

I completely understand the grief that Garcia has gotten, and I can say that I share in some of the sentiments expressed by fans on Twitter and other social media outlets, but I can say with confidence that Garcia shouldn’t be completely blamed for his current predicament.

I’m not trying to defend Garcia or paint him as a martyr, but I’m really convinced that his situation is circumstantial. First, if you look at the Herrera fight, then you should realize that he knew it was an event for Garcia to be showcased and that it would be difficult to get a close decision in Puerto Rico.

You can make the argument that fair is fair and even if Herrera realized the risks he still deserved a real chance, and I would agree with that because why else would it be considered a sporting event if the opponent doesn’t have a sporting chance.

However, Herrera didn’t beat Garcia. Yes, Herrera did enough to be considered the winner, but he didn’t produce an undeniable performance complete with moments of brilliance. His performance is only magnified under the context of the issues before the bout started, the same timeframe Herrera realized he was basically going on the road.

As for the Salka fight, well that is bad, no doubt. But Garcia basically had two choices: he either fights Salka or sits out the rest of the year. Al Haymon and Golden Boy were in the kind of conflict that cemented Garcia’s fate, not to mention other Haymon fighters with ties to Golden Boy.

We know now what Haymon’s plan was and you can’t blame him for wanting to keep Garcia-Peterson on ice for his own venture, but you can blame him for forcing Garcia-Salka down our throats through a premium cable straw. That fact is unforgivable in my opinion, but Garcia can’t be blamed for Haymon’s plans, and even if you don’t fully agree, you have to admit that the NBC fight is better for Garcia’s career and the blame is shifted a bit.

bos_g_garlam_cr_576x324-2Now, as it stands I’m not a huge fan of Garcia-Peterson, and I never was, but not for any of the reasons that others are upset. Yes, it is troubling that the lineal junior welterweight champion is not defending his title against a highly ranked junior welterweight, but I forgive Garcia because I know his time at the weight class is running out and he will mostly likely be an outright welterweight in his next fight.

It stands to reason that Garcia is only furthering his “big fight” opportunities at welterweight and will be ready for a significant fight at 147 sooner than if he was still defending his belts.

I know the counterpoint to my argument: if Garcia is moving up or can’t make 140 then why not drop the belts? Well, that’s a solid point, but again, the blame doesn’t fall on Garcia.

The WBC released a press release last week giving reasons as to why they’re allowing Garcia to fight Peterson at a catch weight.

The WBC granted Garcia’s request to forego his mandatory title defense against Viktor Postal because Garcia has agreed to defend his title against Postal in his next bout. Furthermore, the number 2 contender and current WBC Silver champion Lucas Matthysse contacted the WBC and stated his desire to fight for the WBC world title again, subsequently the WBC has mandated that the Garcia-Postal winner fight Matthysse immediately following their bout.

This is the WBC breaking their own rules and making special exception for a high-profile fighter that they want to represent their sanctioning body as long as possible. And be clear on this, Garcia might have had a subpar 2014 campaign, but he has earned special exception status with his tenure as the 140lb WBC champion.

That brings us to Postal. The WBC granted Garcia’s request for other reasons that include the step aside agreement between Postal and Garcia. Postal was given step aside money, and the deal also reflected terms that the WBC considered worthy for mandatory postponement.
Again, you can’t fully blame Garcia because Postal had to agree to the step aside deal. The one point that sticks out is Postal’s enthusiastic acceptance of the step aside deal.

From what I’ve been privy to, it appears as though Postal was more than happy to not fight Garcia for the title right now.
It could be that Postal is aware that Garcia is planning to give up the title soon, perhaps right after the Peterson fight, and he could be figuring that he’ll get a softer touch for the vacant title, but that is pure speculation on my part.

Regardless, Garcia isn’t twisting arms, and all parties involved seem more than willing to allow the WBC title to go undefended, yet again.
Garcia isn’t a victim by any means, but these circumstances are unfortunate in the sense that they’ve happened in a consecutive order, thus painting Garcia in an unflattering way. I think Garcia is setting the stage for a big year, and this could end up being a small bump in his road to bigger and better things.

 

[RM211]

^^I didn't mean you specifically, I was just generally speaking.


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BKB April 4 Card (Rosado-Stevens)

Today DIRECTV announced the main event matchup, and majority of its fight card for the second BKB (Big Knockout Boxing) event at Mandalay Bay on April 4th. The event will be headlined by BKB middleweight champ Gabe Rosado defending his title against New York middleweight slugger Curtis Stevens, and it will be broadcast via national PPV across all cable and satellite providers.

Other fights include:
Jesus Soto Karass vs. Ed Paredes (jr moiddleweight)
David Estrada vs. Khurshid Abdullaev (jr middleweight)
Anthony Johnson vs. Joe Montoya (cruiserweight)
Javier Garcia vs. Jonathan Chicas (welterweight)
Herbert Acevedo vs. William Hutchinson (jr welterweight)
Gabe Duluc vs. Antonio Canas (jr welterweight)
Julian Pollard vs. Elijah McCall (heavyweight)


It was also announced that BKB will be the first to use an in-glove technology capturing fighters real time data allowing television viewers to see the force of a punch, velocity of a punch and other data enhancing the television viewing experience.
A similar technology was actually publicized in 2012 and was touted as “the future of boxing.” Ironically, it never ended up being put in play by HBO. Now BKB has developed what it believes is a superior system of this glove-based digital technology, and it will be the first professional boxing organization to utilize the technology within the national broadcast of the event on April 4th.

This technology was approved for use by the Nevada Athletic Commission in its meeting this week.

Gabe should've taken more time off or just retired. Dude takes way too much punishment.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

PBC on Spike TV: Tarver, Smith Join Broadcast Team



New York, NY – Spike TV has added some serious punch to their “Premier Boxing Champions” series announce-team. Five-time, two-division world champion boxer Antonio Tarver and popular Bellator announcer and former professional MMA fighter, Jimmy Smith, will serve as color analysts for Spike TV’s inaugural season of “Premier Boxing Champions.”

Spike TV’s first “Premier Boxing Champions” event will take place on Friday, March 13 at 9:00pm ET/PT from the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario, CA. The event will showcase two marquee match-ups including Andre Berto vs. Josesito Lopez and Shawn Porter vs. Robert Garcia.

Tarver and Smith complete Spike’s “Premier Boxing Champions” announce team which includes Dana Jacobson as host and Scott Hansen as play-by-play announcer.

“We are thrilled to add two dynamic and knowledgeable voices who each possess their own unique perspectives of combat sports,” said Jon Slusser, Senior Vice President, Sports and Branded Entertainment. “Antonio delivers a huge personality with a championship pedigree and Jimmy will bring his incredible insight and energy that he has for MMA to boxing.”

Antonio “The Magic Man” Tarver, from Tampa Fla, had one of the sport’s most-decorated amateur careers. In 1995, he became the only fighter to have won the Pan American, U.S. National Championships, and World Championships in the same year. After winning the bronze medal in 1996 Olympics, he turned pro and ascended the ranks of light heavyweight division. In 2003, Tarver defeated Montell Griffin in the biggest win in his career up to that point to claim the IBF and WBC title belts. After a tough 12-round decision loss to Roy Jones Jr, Tarver avenged that bitter defeat with an incredible 2nd round knockout of Jones Jr., shocking and amazing boxing fans worldwide. After splitting two fights with Glen Johnson, Tarver topped Jones Jr. with a 12-round decision victory in the third fight of their memorable trilogy. The 46-year-old Tarver (31-6, 22 KOs) is on a mission to become the oldest heavyweight champion of the world. He is currently world-rated in the heavyweight division at No. 5 by the IBO and No. 9 by the WBA. His last fight (Dec. 11, 2014) resulted in an impressive seventh-round knockout of 29-2-1 Johnathon Banks. He has also served as a color commentator for Showtime Championship Boxing and starred opposite Sylvester Stallone in the feature film “Rocky Balboa” as the character “Mason Dixon.”

Jimmy Smith is currently the color analyst for Bellator MMA on Spike TV. Smith began training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in in 2000 while at UCLA and became a professional MMA fighter in 2003. Smith compiled a 5-1 record before retiring in 2006 to focus on a television career. Smith starred in the Discovery Channel show, “Fight Quest,” where he traveled the world learning different fight disciplines. He joined Bellator in 2010 and has served as its lead color analyst ever since, partnering with blow-by-blow announcer, Sean Wheelock.

 

[RM211]

Really? Jimmy Smith? I guess they kept "in house"

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Ring Ratings Update: Andre Ward stripped of title, dropped from ratings

Despite minimal action in the ring, the ratings took a bit longer to figure out this week. That’s because THE RING’s ratings panel decided to resolve a longstanding issue.

Rated fighters are given 12 months to have or schedule a fight. If not, they are dropped.

The rules are a bit different for RING champions; they are given 18 months. If at the end of that period they have fought no one and have nothing scheduled, the rules state that they should be stripped of their title.

Which brings us to super middleweight champion Andre Ward.

Ward’s last fight was against Edwin Rodriguez on Nov. 16, 2013 – 15 months ago. That means he’s still inside the 18-month grace period. However, there is also this line in the RING championship policy under the section “… here are the six situations in which a champion may lose his belt:”

Ward’s last Top-5 opponent was Chad Dawson on Sept. 8, 2012, nearly 2½ years ago. Under the rules he should’ve been stripped six months ago. But Ward’s situation has been unique: injury and legal issues have kept him dormant. To be clear, THE RING does not believe the latter issues were entirely beyond his control. Ward has played a role, through his own demands that seem at some times simply motivated by ego and others by bad advice from “advisers.”

He also says he wants control of his own career, which is both totally understandable and completely within his rights. According to Ward, those rights were hindered by a contract with the late Dan Goossen.

But we’ve seen this before – a lot recently: fighters who would rather not fight and not get paid at all rather than take less than what someone else has convinced them they’re worth. Or not fight until they are declared the “A side.” Or not fight because they consider an opponent to be beneath them, even if the rest of the boxing world would like to see if that’s true or not.

Not one of THE RING’s panel members wanted to see Ward go and every benefit of the doubt has been given to him. He is an exceptional talent, a superb boxer, and his accomplishments give him every right to be considered the champion of his weight class, not to mention a top pound-for-pound fighter. But, quite simply, rules are rules, and we can’t bend them anymore.

Something further to consider is that even if Ward schedules a fight today – according to veteran boxing writer Michael Woods the Californian’s adviser James Prince says there’s a chance that he could return on a Roc Nation-promoted card in April – it would most likely be another year before he got into the ring with another Top-10 guy, much less Top 5. By any measure this is just too long to keep the title locked up.

Ward’s team was notified of the situation and as of yet they have not replied. And so, the following actions will take place:

THE RING super middleweight championship is now vacant.

Ward will not be ranked in the top 10, having been inactive for more than a year. Upon his return to the ring, ratings panel members will discuss his re-ranking and where he should be placed based on his performance and the quality of his opposition.

Ward has been dropped from the Pound-for-Pound rankings. Undefeated WBA middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin, who is rated No. 1 at 160 pounds, will enter at No. 10.

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Andre Ward in talks to return to action

(Basically James Prince/Roc Nation are saying maybe April, nothing lined up as of yet...)

The return of Andre Ward to the ring is a development I’ve been harping on. Why? Because the WBA super middleweight titleholder might just be the best pure boxer on the planet.

The Oakland-based hitter, on the shelf with some injuries off and on, and then because of a contractual beef with then-promoter, the late Dan Goossen, is real close to gloving up again.

I heard rumblings that current promoter Roc Nation Sports, the entity headed up by mega mogul Jay Z, is readying to put on its second show, likely sometime in April. I touched base with Roc Boxing spokesperson Ron Berkowitz to try and nail down some specifics. Is there a show common in April? “We are talking about it,” he told me yesterday.

I reached out to Ward adviser James Prince to get the scoop. “There have been a lot of conversations,” he told me. “Nothing is set in stone. Things are being discussed.” He didn’t shoot down a possible return on an April Roc date, should that come to fruition.

And what foes are in the mix? Prince didn’t want to get into that. Names we know and maybe some guys we aren’t as familiar with, maybe an Eastern Euro hitter or what have you, could be in contention.

Prince told me we could hear real, real soon what’s next for Ward, absent from the ring since beating Edwin Rodriguez (UD 12) on Nov. 16, 2013.

The 27-0 master pugilist, who holds 14 KOs to his credit, turns 31 on Feb. 23, so his fans will be happy more of his potential athletic prime isn’t going to be spent on the shelf.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Crawford-Dulorme, Provodnikov-Matthysse on April 18



By Rick Reeno & Steve Kim

Sources with knowledge of the details have advised BoxingScene.com that a split-site HBO televised doubleheader is being planned for April 18th. The location and venue has not being finalized for either location.

In one location, former WBO lightweight champion Terence Crawford (25-0, 17KOs) will move up in weight and makes his junior welterweight debut, against Thomas Dulorme (22-1, 14KOs). Dulorme was last seen in action back in December, winning a split decision over Hank Lundy. Crawford dominated Raymundo Beltran over twelve rounds in November.

On the other end, a junior welterweight explosion between Ruslan Provodnikov (24-3, 17KOs) and Lucas Matthysse (36-3, 34KOs). The fight was initially targeted for March 28th at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. But, the venue was already reserved for a Haymon Boxing event, and the influential adviser/manager, Al Haymon, had no intention of letting the date go.

 

[Lamberto Quintero]

Lucas vs Ruslan...oooooohhh weee!

 

[WYNO707X4]

Crawford vs dulorme is a good one also..

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather-Pacquiao Only to have 3 fights on PPV for 100$?
Mario Mungia
By Mario Mungia February 19, 2015 3:13 pm
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Celebrities At The Los Angeles Lakers GameESPN’s Dan Rafael has tweeted a couple details regarding a potential deal for the PPV mega bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

It is worth mentioning that Rafael did not reveal any sources and never mentioned where he got the info. However, the news is worthy because Rafael is regarded as one of the most prominent boxing writers in the business and regardless of your personal opinion on him, Rafael has time and again proven to be one of the deepest insiders plugged into the most privy information in the sport. There is no debate his pipeline runs deep and true.

Also, I can say that he is one of the safest writers when it comes to confirmed information. He rarely speculates and almost never buys into innuendos or speculation without substance. My point is his information always stems from legit sources, and he chooses to wait for confirmation opposed to quickly releasing shaky rumors. That said, his tweets revealed pretty significant aspects of the deal.

These were Rafael’s exact tweets:
“If #Mayweather-Pacquiao gets done PPV will be 3 bouts. Main event (Mayweather-Pacquiao) and Top Rank and Mayweather Promotions each make 1 fight of their choice.”

Soon after he tweeted, “Also if #MayweatherPacquiao gets done price of PPV will be greater than usual but I am told the exact price has not been set yet.”

I will operate under the assumption that A) the fight is done and B) this information is factual. There has long been speculation about the potentially inflated price of a Mayweather-Pacquiao PPV. Some knowledgeable insiders have suggested the price could get up to $100.
My issue is with the 3 televised fights that Rafael reports will be on the televised PPV.

I’m okay with it if they’re going to televise the preliminary undercard on FrontRow, Audience, or some sort of standard PPV preview channel, that way I can see the undercard on my big TV and not miss a beat. Plus, I’m sure the party will get started soon and having boxing in the background is just tradition, although we’re the weirdos that actually watch the deep undercard fights.

However, if the undercard is streamed or available on a non-network outlet or worse yet completely unavailable then I don’t think depriving us of an extra fight is fiscally responsible to the fans paying a higher PPV charge.

The word is today will be the day that Mayweather-Pacquiao will be announced, but as of now nothing has been announced.
I think it is a shame that we won’t get the opportunity to get an extra fight on the PPV telecast. We all know that the card will be spread thin anyway.

I’m not suggesting an extra fight is worth causing the kind of uproar that would prevent the fight because we all know any little thing could completely derail this fight. My only point is once again fighters and promoters are not catering to the hardcore fans, the ones that care about the undercard.

We all know how Bob Arum feels about PPV undercards, and I understand catering to the casual fan’s interests because it outweighs the boxing heads’ interests. It also takes away from two fighters with the potential for big exposure, and we all know that Mayweather Promotions fighters and Top Rank fighters could use every bit they can get at this point.

 

[heyzel]

this is a big move for kirkland and premeditated like a mofo this should be a bigger story right now kirkland pulled a ace out of the hole with this because Angel “Memo” Heredia fighters come ready minus the steroids rumors


Kirkland-Canelo Kirkland Hires Cotto’s Advisor and Angel “Memo” Heredia
Mario Mungia
By Mario Mungia February 19, 2015 2:39 pm
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James-Kirkland1We had all hoped that Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Miguel Cotto would challenge Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the sake of Cinco de Mayo’s future by challenging each other for the lineal middleweight title on that same date, but like most things in boxing it was too good to happen on its first real attempt at negotiations.

Still, we weren’t left completely disappointed as Canelo and Golden Boy Promotions, Canelo’s promoter, went with “Plan B” represented by the always exciting James Kirkland. Now, Canelo and Kirkland are set to meet in May though the specifics are still uncertain at this point.

The fight is signed, but the date and venue are dependent upon whether or not Mayweather Jr. signs to fight Manny Pacquiao. De La Hoya has repeatedly stated that if Mayweather fights anyone other than Pacquiao on May 2nd then Canelo-Kirkland will challenge the ShowTime PPV by going head-to-head on regular HBO.

Furthermore, De La Hoya has said he is willing to compete with Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas should he pass on the Pacquiao fight. While most insiders claim that San Antonio is a lock to host Canelo-Kirkland. Thaboxingvoice.com has gotten reports from sources with information that Golden Boy has no issue with hosting the fight at another venue in Las Vegas on May 2nd—obviously not the MGM Grand because that is where Floyd will fight—most likely the Thomas & Mack Center.

The word is Mayweather-Pacquiao is close, operating under that assumption we can expect Canelo-Kirkland in San Antonio at the Alamodome on May 9th.

While the excitement level for Canelo-Kirkland is high, the promotion took a disappointing hit after reports surfaced that Kirkland is once again estranged from his longtime trainer Ann Wolfe. I’m not completely sure how many times Kirkland and Wolfe have parted ways, and I’m not even sure what the reason is this time.

I’ve heard reports, and I’ve gotten wind of some rumors, but what I mean is I don’t care enough to decipher from the truth because it really doesn’t matter.

At this point, it’s clear that there is no reason that Kirkland continues this tumultuous path of dropping and reconnecting with the same team. There is no need to focus on the excuses we get because there is something deeper with Kirkland and his relationship with Wolfe exists on a level that is far too complicated to dissect without all the tangibles.
For these reasons, among others, I care far less about why he dumped Wolfe and much more about the implications.

It has been proven that Kirkland is much more effective with Wolfe in his corner than he is without her, and the buildup is more interesting when Wolfe gets camera time, but that’s just an added bonus.
The assumption is that Canelo will be facing a watered-down version of Kirkland on fight night.

What makes Kirkland so dangerous is his will to continue through very tough moments. Kirkland is a dangerous puncher, but the better the condition, the more dangerous he remains for a longer period in the fight. If Kirkland isn’t as conditioned as he’d be with Wolfe, then he becomes dramatically less dangerous as the fight progresses.
However, Kirkland is adamant about the new team he’s set in place, and it starts with Angel “Memo” Heredia, who is Kirkland’s acting strength and conditioning coach.

Heredia, of course, is best known in boxing for his work with Juan Manuel Marquez. However, his controversial past with doping and Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) is always going to be an identifier with the man formally known as Guillermo Heredia.

Regardless of which side of the debate you fall on, the undeniable truth is Heredia has had an incredible impact on Marquez’s conditioning. Not to mention his strength, which is vastly superior since the two teamed up back in 2011, especially compared to Marquez’s early career. Heredia has also worked with Jorge Arce and even though it isn’t as highly profiled as his tenure with Marquez; Heredia made strides with Arce as well.

ESPN Deportes released a story on Gabriel Penagaricano and the involvement he had in making Canelo-Kirkland. Penagaricano, who represented Kirkland in the Canelo negotiations, told ESPN Deportes that his involvement came into play because of his close relationship with Memo.

Penagaricano is Miguel Cotto’s longtime advisor and it is strange to me that he was able to come to terms with Golden Boy for Canelo-Kirkland, but was unable to do the same thing for a fight between Cotto and Canelo. Well, it isn’t strange as much as it is ridiculous, but I digress.
Penagaricano says that Oscar De La Hoya was surprised when he found out Cotto’s advisor would also be representing the backup plan in Kirkland, but he insists there was no animosity.

“Yes, it obviously caused a surprise,” said Penagaricano to ESPN Deportes. “But not in a negative way. Golden Boy did not know of the great relationship between ‘Memo’ Heredia and me. He is the fitness trainer for Kirkland and the subject came up and they hired my services.”

So now Kirkland has a knowledgeable if not controversial, conditioning coach with the potential to duplicate the success he had with Wolfe, but he also has a very capable advisor in Penagaricano. Perhaps the close affiliation with someone directly tied to Miguel Cotto is enough incentive for Kirkland to train properly and the possibility of facing Cotto after defeating Canelo will drive Kirkland to be the best version of himself in camp.

Also, being able to trust that a coach is knowledgeable and effective will allow Kirkland to blindly follow Heredia. That could lead to a more confident version of Kirkland on fight night, as well.
Kirkland always fights to his best abilities on fight night, and no one can say otherwise. The problem has been those times where he is bringing a flatter version of those abilities.

So, Kirkland will always give it his best on fight night, but his best is only world-class when he did the right things long before the opening bell on fight night. Kirkland doesn’t have Ann Wolfe, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t found a new way to win with a different team behind him

 

[heyzel]

Quillin “Workin’ On Having Fireworks Come Out In Any Round”
Timothy Bartolini
By Timothy Bartolini February 19, 2015 6:06 pm
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Peter QuillinNestor Gibbs of ThaBoxingVoice.com had a chance to speak with Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin about his upcoming fight with WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee. Of course, when talking about Andy Lee, the conversation is bound to turn to Lee’s late-fight theatrics.

The question of stamina and training should be a concern for anyone getting in the ring with Andy Lee as he is one of those fighters that is dangerous at any point in a fights no matter what the score cards say. Over 46% of Andy Lee’s knockouts have come at the halfway point of the fight or later.

As recently as last December, Lee was in a tough fight with then-undefeated Matt Korborov when he landed a devastating sixth round right hook that resulted in the WBO belt being strapped around Andy Lee’s waist. Nes brought up Andy Lee’s reputation and how it may have affected Quillin’s approach to the fight after his long layoff and Quillin feels that he has already proved what he can do over the course of 12 rounds.

“Let’s just say that I’m just workin’ on having fireworks come out in any round. I done already proved I can fight hard for 12 rounds, like Hassan N’Dam [N’Jikam], goin’ twelve rounds with ‘em, I dropped him twice in the twelfth round, so like I done proved over and over again that I can go hard twelve rounds.”

Along with Quillin’s more traditional boxing training at Wildcard West, he has also been participating in hot yoga and spin classes on a regular basis. Alternative training techniques can be a mixed bag with Robert Guerrero’s poor performance after singing the praises of his new CrossFit regimen being one of the latest examples. Gibbs brought this up to Quillin and asked whether Quillin was worried about any of it being detrimental to his performance in the ring. Quillin considers it all just part of his routine.Peter Quillin wins

“Outside of camp I have to stay in shape, so these are some of the things that I usually find myself doing, playing basketball, you know rock climbing, I just try to live an active lifestyle. As far as the spin classes, it makes me feel good, and I work hard and I just think you gotta figure out what works for you.”

Quillin has certainly proved that he can go rounds. 10-12 round fights are all over his record, but it remains to be seen if he can stay sharp enough to counter the tenacity that Andy Lee has been known to bring into the later rounds. As a fighter that makes it a point to stay in shape year round, I would think that even in the face of a year-long layoff, “Kid Chocolate” should have no problems with stamina as long as he can keep clear of that Andy Lee right hand.

Peter Quillin fights for Andy Lee’s WBO middleweight championship on April 11th at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The fight will be broadcast as part of Al Haymon’s PBC on NBC.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Looks like Top Rank is getting a deal done too:

Dan Rafael mentions it in today's chat:
"I think TR has it's own TV deal in the works with a major cable network."

Sooooo maybe I shouldn't have overreacted with the Death of Friday Night Fights thing after all. Boxing will be on NBC, NBC Sports, CBS, Spike TV, B.E.T, several Spanish channels, Fox Sports 1 and now whatever Top Rank has cooking. In addition to the paid networks HBO and SHOWTIME of course. So all of this is great news. Now that they have all these outlets, the key obviously is to deliver a good product (good fights, not showcase mismatches).

 

[heyzel]

al haymon tone his ass down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPC4l0daGPg

 

[battle619]

So os Broner gonna be boring now?

 

[Lamberto Quintero]

Looks like Top Rank is getting a deal done too:

Dan Rafael mentions it in today's chat:
"I think TR has it's own TV deal in the works with a major cable network."

Sooooo maybe I shouldn't have overreacted with the Death of Friday Night Fights thing after all. Boxing will be on NBC, NBC Sports, CBS, Spike TV, B.E.T, several Spanish channels, Fox Sports 1 and now whatever Top Rank has cooking. In addition to the paid networks HBO and SHOWTIME of course. So all of this is great news. Now that they have all these outlets, the key obviously is to deliver a good product (good fights, not showcase mismatches).

Thank God for Al Haymon.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Canelo-Kirkland now goes officially to May 9th according to Eric Gomez of GBP