Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Arthur Abraham to fight a tune-up on 2/12 in Germany – News

By Scott Gilfoid: Former IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (31-2, 25 KO’s) will be fighting a stay busy tune-up fight against a still to be determined opponent on February 7th at the RWE Rhein-Ruhr Sporthalle, Muelheim, Nordhein-Westfalen, Germany. Abraham, 30, has been given permission from Showtime to take a fight outside of the Super Six tournament to use it as a tune-up for Abraham’s fight against WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward in May. That’s going to be a very tough fight for Abraham, because he’s already lost his last bouts against the talented Andre Dirrell and Britain’s Carl Froch. Abraham needs to stop his losing streak somehow and by having Abraham fight a soft opponent, this would seem to be the best chance there is for Abraham before he likely takes another beating.


Abraham has to work out his problems with his inability to throw enough punches to win his important fights. Abraham was outworked by both Dirrell and Froch, and looked sluggish in both fights. This is a problem that Abraham has had since shortly before leaving the middleweight division in 2009, and the problem seems to have gotten worse. Back then, Abraham was blaming his poor performances on having to strip off weight to make the 160 middleweight limit. Now that he’s fighting at 168, Abraham no has any excuses to fall back on other than perhaps not enough talent.

The card will have a few decent fights on it with EBU cruiserweight champion Alexander Frenkel in action, and WBA interim cruiserweight champion Steve Herelius facing former Cuban amateur star Yoan Pablo Hernandez. Those fights alone will make this card with watching if not the Abraham fight.

 

[heyzel]

Showtime’s Super Six Tourney has run out of gas – now on fumes!

By Allen Hmiel: Okay it was a good idea when first thought out on paper by Showtime. The Super Six Super Middleweight Boxing Tournament with the original six fighters and champions (Andre Ward, Andre Dirrell, Jermain Taylor, Arthur Abraham, Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch). Four undefeated fighters and two very formidable past champions. all willing to place their records and dreams into Showtime’s hands for the hope of having one Champion standing at the end. The excitement was apparent and the energy levels were high in anticipation of intriguing boxing match ups and epic battles. Well guess what?


Well things didn’t work out exactly as planned and half of the combatants dropped out fairly quickly as Taylor (head)-Dirrell (head) and Kessler (eye) all said adios on the advice and good judgment of their doctors. Showtime has tried very hard to supplement the dropouts with adequate replacements and Green(a flop) and Glen Johnson(a warrior) have attempted to maintain the level of legitimacy for Showtime. But things are not going very smoothly and even though the semi finals are approaching there remains so much doubt as to the venues and timing of the upcoming battles the fans have lost interest in these bouts. Both Froch and Ward the current champions remaining in this stagnant event do not seem willing to put their hard earned prized Super Middleweight belts up for grabs if the Home arena doesn’t come into play. Why risk a title belt on a Tournament that has obviously run out of momentum and a fan base that is dwindling fast.

It is time for the fighters to move on to bigger things and focus on their careers where they can maximize the potential gates by fighting at home or in a venue that will earn them millions in PPV and at the box office. Ward could fight IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute in Montreal for a huge return and Froch has potential millions coming up with a return engagement with Kessler and Light heavy weight title holder Jean Pascal. Showtime had a great idea that didn’t work out and now it is time for the fighters to be released from their commitment and move ahead. Does anybody care about watching Ward fight a battered and confused Arthur Abraham in Oakland or Vegas? Has Glen Johnson have enough left to battle the more aggressive Cobra Froch in Montreal or Vegas? Does anybody really care?

Showtimes’ Super Six Tourneys gas tank is on empty and it is time to move on to new exciting challenges. The fans want something else and personally I think the fighters do also. Let the 4 warriors move on and refill their careers at the pump of their choosing.

I don't agree with this guy the tourney has made the best super middleweights fight each other

 

[heyzel]

Pascal-Hopkins Rematch: WBC Diamond Belt at Stake

WBC President Dr. José Sulaimán said that the WBC World Diamond Belt will be in dispute during the rematch fight between the WBC light heavyweight world champion Jean Pascal of Canada and WBC Emeritus Champion Bernard Hopkins of the USA, as it could not be presented to either of the champions after their sensational first fight, scored a draw, in Quebec City last November. The fight was voted “Fight of the Year” by the WBC.

Pascal told President Sulaimán after the fight that he would get it next time. Hopkins answered a TV interviewer who asked him what did Pascal have better, and Hopkins responded: THE BELT.

The WBC is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the service of boxers and promoters, trying its best to have the most competitive and attractive fights for the benefit of the boxing fans and of boxing as a sport. Boxers and promoters who promote fights for a WBC championship are committed to respect the constitution, rules, regulations and rulings of the WBC, in absolute respect to its exclusive ownership of its trademark, as well as the WBC championship accolade.

We have read statements, articles and letters, some aggressive, from our longtime and good friend Gary Shaw, an active WBC promoter, and we understand the position of some promoters strictly in favor of their business. But neither he nor anybody else ever registered any contract for a second fight between our proud champion Pascal and Chad Dawson, which would have required WBC approval and sanction. The WBC never had any official knowledge of a condition to Pascal, who is the champion and not the challenger, to resign to his WBC world championship if he did not fight Dawson next. No promoter or boxer can agree to a fight for the WBC world title without first obtaining WBC approval and sanction.

The WBC, whose obligation is to lead the organization for the benefit of boxing, voted overwhelmingly, 30 to 2, to order a new fight for Pascal-Hopkins – their first fight also earned Showtime's highest rating for a boxing match in the last four years - but also included in its ruling that the winner should make his next mandatory defense against Dawson as proof that the WBC is also supporting him for the good of the boxing matches that boxing needs to continue being one of the most popular sports in the world.

The WBC expects our promoter and friend Gary Shaw to participate amicably and in good faith in favor of this ruling, cooperating for the good of all boxers and not only of one, and continue participating in the WBC where he has always had its maximum support. The WBC will continue its system and style of amicable and positive participation for the good of boxers, promoters, and boxing fans of the world, but it will never stop to struggle to protect the interests of boxing and the WBC, based on its constitution, rules and regulations, regardless of what it might take.

Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins deserve the opportunity of fighting again and win the Most Famous WBC Diamond Belt, which has only one owner in Manny Pacquiao, and also make a very important purse, which would lead also to an immediate new opportunity for Chad Dawson. This is what the WBC is looking for, and will struggle to the end to accomplish.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

It's all African's. A very small portion of the blacks today actually descent from slaves. They look the exact same in Europe, and they didn't have any slavery or breeding going on. Only a certain amount came here for that reason. Plenty more have been here since and you still have people in Africa who are in phenomenal shape. It's just their way of life out there, diet, etc. that have been fine tuned over centuries.

They are still building villages and chasing animals. Hunters and gatherer's till this very day. Nutrition is all natural.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

I don't know what you're talking about, african american's are pretty different then african's from africa or europe in many regards, it's quite obvious tbh.

Go to the south and watch a high school football game and see how many insanely athletic kids are playing.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I'm talking about their physical structure. The genetic make up, DNA, etc.
That is what gives them the advantage.

Grab a random black person from anywhere in the world. Don't let him speak and put him in plain clothes and you won't be able to tell where he is from.

Some of them don't even work out, eat whatever they want, yet they are 8% bf with a ton of lean mass.

I am not crediting any type of skill, just a major advantage in chemical make up.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Grab a random black person from anywhere in the world. Don't let him speak and put him in plain clothes and you won't be able to tell where he is from.

are you being serious? there is a big difference in appearance from east & west africans. And yes, even african americans in general.

To say you can randomly select any black person from any part of the globe and not be able to tell where they come from is like saying you cant tell a japanese person apart from a cambodian or some shit like that.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Japanese and Cambodian are two completely separate races.

African is African.

The genetic make up of an African-American is the exact same as someone from Africa.
The genetic make up of a Japanese-American is the exact same as someone from Japan.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Are you telling me East African is exactly the same as West African?

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I don't really know what you mean as in the same?

I am stating that all black people have higher testosterone levels than any other race, regardless of their country of origin. Studies have been conducted all over the world. It's a fact.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

I don't really know what you mean as in the same?

You stated that if you randomly took a black person from any where on the globe you wouldn't be able to tell where they are from.

I responded by saying East & West Africans for example have distinctive differences. I asked you if this is not true...

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

There are a ton of other pics you can find online but if you take out the culture, clothes, background picture, piercings, tribal, etc.

Stripped down I really don't see any major genetic differences worth mentioning.

Here is Miss West Africa

Here is Miss East Africa

The point is that black people have an advantage in sports and Hopkins clearly knows that. He isn't just talking about black people in the US, because it has nothing to do with where you are born. You can take a black person from Iceland, Zimbabwe or the Barbados Islands and their hormonal levels will be superior to other races, which is a huge deal when dealing with sports that require strength and recuperation (boxing, football, etc.).

 

[2-0-Sixx]

ah come on man, you're not going to learn anything by comparing two pictures from a beauty contest where the standards of beauty are judged on certain criteria.

Africa is HUGE. It is absolutely massive. To say African's from Somalia are exactly the same as people from Angola compared to people from Mali is just ignorant. Ask an african (someone from Africa) if they can tell the difference just by looking at an African what region they are from and they'll tell you yes. Again, there are distinctive differences such as East Africans (like from the Horn) tend to be tall for example, there are distinctive facial feature differences, etc.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I was just trying to get a close comparison without offending anyone (posting pictures of villagers, etc.) So I was going with the same criteria (models) from both parts.

Maybe they do have different features. Taller, shorter, bigger noses. I personally can't tell the difference and am not educated enough in regards of African-anything to say otherwise.

I was just stating that on average, African's have superior hormonal levels. Studies show that. Society shows it every day. There is no way to deny it. Then again it has it's cons as well. Studies show that people with naturally higher levels of testosterone have higher aggression (less control) and a lower IQ.

 

[Lamberto Quintero]

Mexicans have mustaches.

 

[heyzel]

Booth: If Klitschko Beats Solis, Haye Will Face Him in May

By Mark Vester

Manager and trainer Adam Booth told Daily Express that WBA heavyweight champion David Haye is very interested in facing WBC champion Vitali Klitschko in May. Klitschko defends his title against undefeated Odlanier Solis on March 19. Booth told the paper that his fighter will not sit around and wait for a bout with WBO/IBO/IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko. If Solis manages to get the upset over Vitali, Haye is willing to face him as well.

Booth said: “I just hope Vitali has a bigger set of man jewels than his brother, who should go into politics and work as a spin doctor. The Wladimir Klitschko fight is dead in the water. He didn’t want it, simple as that, but David Haye’s career does not revolve around him. Unlike all the 50-odd opponents who Wladimir has fought, David is not going to sit around waiting for him.

“Vitali Klitschko’s fight with Solis for the WBC title is interesting because, if Vitali wins, David would love to take him on. If Solis wins, it will be a rematch of their fight in the world amateur championships, where Solis won and David took the silver. That would be a great fight.”

 

[heyzel]

Holyfield vs. Williams 1/22 PPV card loaded with older heavyweights

By Jason Kim: The January 22nd pay-per-view card featuring former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield (43-10-2, 28 KO’s) vs. little known 38-year-old Sherman Williams (34-11-2, 19 KO’s) is filled with a lot of aging heavyweights that have seen better days. The Holyfield-Williams fight is bad enough, as Holyfield has lost two out of his last three fights and hasn’t been a serious contender in the heavyweight division since 2000.


At 48, Holyfield looks awful and is nothing like what he used to be, yet he still has the now hopeless dream of winning and unifying the heavyweight titles. It’s now impossible none of the heavyweight champions are going to give Holyfield the chance, and of course he would have zero chance of beating any of them. Besides the fight between older timers Holyfield and Williams, there’s 39-year-old Monte Barrett (34-9, 20 KO’s) vs. 39-year-old Charles Davis (19-21-2, 4 KO’s), and 41-year-old Cedric Boswell (32-1, 25 KO’s) vs. Dominque Alexander (19-9, 9 KO’s), and Travis Kauffman (21-1, 16 KO’s) and Julius Long (15-14, 13 KO’s). Long and Kauffman aren’t actually old, but they’re not exactly top five caliber heavyweights.

Holyfield wants a shot against the Klitschko brothers and WBA heavyweight champion David Haye in the worst way. Unfortunately, the only way humanly possible for Holyfield to get that shot is to force the issue by fighting top contenders and working his way to a mandatory position where he can then force the issue with the help from the sanctioning bodies. However, Holyfield seems resistant to doing that, and instead is wasting his time fighting older heavyweights like Williams, Francois Botha and Brian Nielsen for some reason. Beating those people won’t get Holyfield pushed to number #1 in the heavyweight rankings, although I’ve seen that kind of thing having been done before in the past with heavyweights facing terrible opposition and still getting ranked at number #1. I don’t see it happening here with Holyfield

 

[heyzel]

Khan: After I Beat Mayweather and Defend, I'll Go To 154

By Mark Vester

WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan is planning out the next couple of years for his boxing journey. Khan is set to return on April 16 at the MEN Arena in Manchester. Lamont Peterson and unbeaten British champion Paul McCloskey are two of the possible opponents being mentioned by Khan. After April, Khan wants to fight again in July with the winner of January's 140-pound unification between Tim Bradley and Devon Alexander. The final fight on Khan's list will take place at the end of the year or early next year, with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Khan wants to beat Mayweather, capture a welterweight title and then make a few defenses. After he makes a few big defenses at 147-pounds, Khan wants to end his career by moving up to 154-pounds to win a third division title. If he wins a third crown at 154, he will retire afterwards. Khan says the entire career layout will take about four years to complete.

"First comes the fight in April, then the unification of the light welterweight division in the summer and then, hopefully, a move up to welterweight with the fight against Mayweather taking place next year. I want to be ready for him and that means another 12-15 months of development," Khan told Daily Mail.

"After I’ve beaten Mayweather and defended my welterweight crown a few times, there would be just one final goal to achieve — to become world light-middleweight champion. I reckon it will take four years to achieve this and become the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. Then I’ll quit, after just one fight at that weight."

 

[heyzel]

Andre Berto: I Have No Reason To Fear Kermit Cintron!

By Chris LaBate

A few days ago, former welterweight champion Kermit Cintron appeared on BoxingScene.com and ripped into WBC champion Andre Berto. Cintron was very angry after reading reports that a deal was being negotiated for Berto to defend his title against 140-pound contender Victor Ortiz on April 16. Cintron has been calling out Berto for a while.

"It just shows to everyone in boxing how much of a p*ssy 'Berta' is. Now he's looking at another 140-pounder, but this time it's a young buck who can't really defend himself. 'Andrea' will continue to suck [manager] Al Haymon's d**k, as long as Haymon gets him the 'easy way out' fights," Cintron said to BoxingScene.com. "No one wants to see 'Berta' fight anyone but me. I've been calling him out for a while and three times personally with [manager] Josh [Dubin].

Berto spoke to Suge Green of OnTheGrind Boxing Radio and replied to Cintron's allegations of running scared and being protected by his manager Haymon.

"I don't have no reason to be scared of Kermit Cintron one bit. He hasn't done anything at all to have me afraid at all. Everybody knows it would definitely be a good fight, but you know he's just basically doing a lot of barking because we're in the same stable," Berto said. "But then again I'm moving and he's staying still. I believe it's a little bit of him being anxious to get back out there, and what better way than start calling people out?

"Kermit knows that he can't really you know, compete. Like I said, he's getting frustrated that his time at the stable is pretty much at a standstill. He just can't really move. I show him a lot of support and I wish him the best."

 

[heyzel]

Hopkins: "Mosley Has Shot With Pacquiao, Who Gets Hit"

By Lem Satterfield

Former undisputed middleweight champion, Bernard Hopkins, is regarded by many as the man behind the widespread sentence - "Manny Pacquiao has never faced a top notch African American fighter." Pacquiao has reached a deal to face Hopkins' friend, former three division champion Shane Mosley, on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Hopkins, who turned 46 on Saturday, gives Mosley a shot at beating Pacquiao. According to Hopkins, there are holes in Pacquiao's defensive skills, and Mosley does very well against boxers who move forward and like to fight.

"Hey, I don't know what Shane Mosley is motivated by, but I can tell you that anybody has a shot, and you can't count Shane Mosley out. I'll say this, we get up for fights, you know, guys who fight like we do," Hopkins said.

"Manny Pacquiao is definitely faster and quicker than Antonio Margarito and won't get tired. Manny Pacquiao don't have the greatest defense, but he throws so many punches that sometimes, you can't hit him. But Shane Mosley has Naazim Richardson in his corner. Now, I'm biased, because Naazim Richardson is also my trainer. But if Shane listens, and doesn't over-train, and doesn't get too over-hyped for this big event, then he could win