CLOTTEY IS READY FOR PACMAN!!!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Joshua Clottey says that he is ready for a showdown with
the world’s best pound for pound boxer, Manny Pacquiao.
In an exclusive interview with The Mail, Clottey said
that he was ready to upstage the Filipino in the March
13th welterweight bout at the newly constructed $1.2 billion
Cowboy Stadium in Dallas, USA.
“People have started doubting if I am ready for
this deadly fighter but I keep telling them if he is good,
I am better. If Pacquiao beats me, it won’t be news
but if I beat him, the whole world’s attention would
be on me. For a young boxer, this is one of the very few
chances you get and a win against Pacman is like asking
for little and getting enough. I have prayed for this
opportunity and today here I am against the people’s
favourite. I will use him to get the fame and attention
I deserve. A win is all I know now and it won’t
change anytime soon. March 13th is my time with destiny
and somebody like Pacman can’t stand in my way”
“Everybody knows I am a good fighter and I travel
all the rounds in any fight. So this is no news. Yes,
he is a great fighter but on this day, the difference
between a great fighter and an underdog, won’t make
any difference. Dallas should expect a good fight come
March 13th”.
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TOP RANK INK BENAVIDEZ!!!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Top Rank President Todd DuBoef
announced today the signing of the exciting amateur prospect
of Jose Benavidez, of Phoenix, at the Hard Rock Hotel
in Las Vegas.
Benavidez is the 2009 Golden Gloves National jr.
welterweight champion and compiled an outstanding record
of 120-5 as an amateur. Benavidez is currently trained
by Freddie Roach and will make his pro debut on the Martirosyan-Ouma
card Saturday night, against Steven Cox (1-0, 1 KO), of
Independence, Mo.
For many of you that are yet to
see Jose in action, let me be the first to tell you that
this kid looks to be a great addition for the future.
I have witnessed him on many occasions throughout his
amateur days where everytime he has impressed. in sparring
against Amir Khan at the Wildcard he give the WBA champion
everything he could handle. So in my opinion, Please feel
free to Believe the Hype.....
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JONES JR VS B-HOP II SET
FOR APRIL!!!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Before
Roy Jones Jr lost to Danny Green last month everything it
seemed was in place for a fight which would see the rematch
of a fight that originally took place seventeen years ago
between a fighter known to many as Superman (Jones Jr) and
the forever young Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins,
like I said that was before Jones' loss.
Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KOs) went on to win his own bout against
Enrique Ornelas but the hype of a rematch between Hopkins
and Jones had now faded away for many of boxing's insiders.
Many believed the fight was now dead and buried while both
men still talked of an interest in staging the bout and
this was mirrored in Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer comments
later on who told reporters "The interesting thing is the
conversations never died down, even after Bernard won and
Roy lost, the talks continued and different options were
evaluated. But I just felt from talking to Bernard and from
the conversations I had with Jones that they really wanted
to fight each other."
The original deal has seemingly been restructured while
a bonus for a knockout still remains. The two are set to
meet on April 17 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas with the
fight being televised on PPV.
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VASQUEZ JR - SONSONA PRESSER!!!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A press conference was held today in Bayamón,
Puerto Rico for the upcoming WBO Interim junior featherweight
fight between Wilfredo Vázquez Jr. (17-0-1, 14
KOs) and former WBO super flyweight champion Marvin Sonsona
(14-0-1, 12 KOs).
The fight will take place on February 27th at the Coliseo
Rubén Rodríguez in Bayamón, Puerto
Rico. The bout is being presented by PR Best Boxing in
association with All Star Boxing and Sampson Boxing LLC.
Iván Rivera: We are
starting off 2010 with an exciting fight featuring two
of the best, young, and undefeated prospects in boxing.
Sonsona is known in Puerto Rico now after defeating then
world champion Jose ‘Carita’ Lopez this past
September. We know and believe that Vazquez Jr. can become
champion. On February 27th he will get his opportunity
to win the title in his hometown.
Vazquez Jr.: My example
is my father and I’m very proud of him. I’m
going to do everything I can to win this title. This is
for my daughter. I have been training very hard for this
since this past November and I’m very well prepared
on all levels.
Vazquez Sr.: We will take
advantage of this opportunity. Not only is my son going
to win the title he is going to
win the title by knockout.
Sonsona: This
is going to be a very competetive fight without a doubt.
However, I have come here to win and I’m coming
to win by Knockout. There is no doubt in my mind, and
I’m going to knock him out.
Tickets can be purchased by calling (787)
792-5000 or online at www.tcpr.com . Tickets are priced
at $20, $40, $75, $125, $150 and $300
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RICKY HATTON CONFIRMS HIS
COMEBACK!!!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Ricky Hatton has confirmed that he will return to the
ring sometime in the summer of this year, though it is
not yet known who his opponent will be.
The Mancunian made the announcement on his official website
that he would have a couple more fights before he hangs
his gloves up for good.
Hatton it is thought have had enough time to think about
his career and as now opted to have at least one more
bout..
"I've decided to make a comeback and have another fight
his year, probably around the summertime this year," he
told Hatton TV "There's been no opponent that
has been confirmed yet and there's been no date confirmed
yet. But the point is that I have made my mind up that
I'm going to have one more fight. I've had a good break,
a good time off and a good time to reflect and put that
last fight behind me and really get over it and get my
mind straight. I think after the Mayweather defeat I jumped
straight into action and I didn't really perform my best.
This time I've had a good rest, recharged the batteries
and had a really good think. I'm happy to get back at
it now."
On his short-term plans, he added: "I go on holiday next
week with my girlfriend to Australia and then when I get
back, although I haven't got a date yet, I'm going to
go straight back into training. Weight-wise, I've got
a little bit more to carry than I normally do. In order
to do that, I'm going to go straight into training and
shed the weight. When the date comes, I will do my usual
12-week training camp."
Hatton is not ruling out carrying on beyond his next
fight, though he admits his long-term future will depend
on how he performs in his comeback.
"I'm going to have one more fight, maybe two more fights,"
he added. "It all depends on the performance in the first
fight. It would be very foolish of me to say 'two more
fights, three more fights'. It's always hard coming back
from defeat but there were reasons for that (loss to Pacquiao)
from the way my training camp went. There were times when
I should've taken my foot off the gas and I wasn't allowed
to do that. In the latter stages of my training...it took
a lot less of a fighter than Manny Pacquiao to knock me
out.
"Bearing that in my mind, that's what has made me want
to come back, because I know things could have gone better.
But, you know, we will soon find out. I've set the wheels
in motion for my retirement, so I'm not going to have
too many more fights. At the moment I'm only definitely
going to have just one more."
Current IBF light-welterweight champion Juan Urango is
one potential foe, while speculation will grow over the
possibility of a mouth-watering domestic duel with fellow
Brit Amir Khan, who currently holds the WBA belt.
Hatton is determined to face a big name rather than fighting
an opponent he can beat easily.
"It's got to be a top-10 ranked pound-for-pound fighter
or a world champion of some sort," Hatton stated "I could
not have one more fight and people look at me and say
'he's just had this fight just to knock someone over and
end his career on top'. If I'm going to end my career
I want to end it on top. It's got to be a big name so
I can get my teeth into it."
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RUIZ SIGNS WITH GOLDENBOY!!!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

John Ruiz yesterday signed with promotional giants Golden
Boy to help guide his path to a world title and beyond.
“I’m excited to become a member of the Golden
Boy Promotions family and know that I have a great future
ahead of me,” said Ruiz. “I’m going
to continue to make history and break records one fight
at a time, starting with David Haye this spring. I know
Golden Boy will help get me back to the top of the heavyweight
division and to secure my place in the boxing history
books.”
“John Ruiz is a very skilled and talented heavyweight
and we are very excited to add him to our elite stable
of fighters,” said Oscar de la Hoya, President of
Golden Boy Promotions. “He has proven time and time
again that he has what it takes to battle with the top
guys in the division and will continue to do so in 2010
and beyond.”
PHOTO: GOLDENBOY PROMOTIONS
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tAYLOR QUITS THE SUPER SIX COMP!!!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Jermain
Taylor as today withdrawn from the Super Six World Boxing
Classic, although the former middleweight king said that
he wont retire from the sport.
Taylor was knocked out in the 12th round
by Arthur Abraham in October which caused many around
the world of boxing to call for the fighters retirement.
Although he will be taking a break, Jermain stated that
he will return to the ring.
“I'm going to take some time off
from the sport of boxing,” Taylor said in a statement.
“It's important that I give my body and mind some
much-needed rest, because I have been boxing for nearly
20 years. I plan on keeping myself in shape and making
a return to the sport some time in the future.”
“This was not an easy decision
for me, having (to) discuss it with my family, trainer,
friends and my adviser Al Hayman,” Taylor said.
“I wish the best for my five counterparts who will
continue on in the Super Six tournament. Most of all,
I want to thank the many fans for their continued support.”
Since losing four of his last five fights,
it prompting his promoter Lou DiBella to part ways over
concerns about his health.
“I know it must have been a difficult
decision for Jermain, and I'm very happy for him and his
family that he decided to give himself a much-needed break,”
DiBella said in a statement Tuesday.
The 31-year-old Taylor was scheduled
to face WBA 168-pound champion Andre Ward on April 17
in the second leg of Showtime's modified round-robin tournament,
which is designed to crown one winner from six super middleweight
contenders early next year.
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KATSIDIS WANTS A CRACK AT
MUNDINE!!!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
WBO interim lightweight world champion Michael Katsidis
said today that he would like a shot at Anthony Mundine
and would be prepared to move up the three weight divisions
for it to happen..
"This (fight) is something that would really lift
the profile of the sport in Australia," Katsidis
told AAP "It's just not me, I think a lot of people
would like to see that.
"The very first time it (a fight with Mundine) dawned
upon me is when he flew over to watch me fight Casamayor.
He came over to America and he stood next to me and I
thought he's not that much taller. He's definitely not
wider than me, in the shoulders, he's not as big as me."
Katsidis wasn't worried about Mundine's hand speed either
"It's nothing different to the lightweights that
I am experiencing over here (USA). The speed of the guys
is as fast if not faster, so I am used to that,"
Katsidis said.
Although genuinely interested in fighting Mundine, Katsidis's
No.1 priority remains his mandatory challenge to WBO lightweight
world champion Juan Manuel Marquez.
"I'm honouring the commitment with the WBO,"
said Katsidis.
If he doesn't fight Katsidis next, Marquez - who has
a May 1 date scheduled for his next fight - will be stripped
of the title and the Australian will be recognised as
the full WBO champion.
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MUNDINE GETS PAST MEDLEY!!!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Anthony
Mundine (38-3, 23 KOs) scored a unanimous decision
over Robert Medley (27-3, 17 KOs) in a twelve round bout
today at the Entertainment Center, Sydney, Australia.
Mundine edged a lot of the closer rounds
but was hurt on a couple of occasions throughout, Medley
showed some great skills but in the end the judges scored
the fight unanimously in favour of the former world champion
117-112, 117-115 and 117-113.
Mundine told reporters afterwards “Medley
was ready–he had great preparation. I have had no
KO’s for a while but I tried too hard for the knockout.
I find it hard to get up for these fights. I have not
got the eye of the tiger, but I am still the best.”
In a bout for the Australian Contender
super middleweight title Garth Wood
(7-1, 3 KOs) scored a split decision over Kariz
Kariuki (21-7-2, 18 KOs) over seven rounds. scores were
68-65 and 68-66 for Wood and 68-66 to Kariuki
Junior Talipeau
(14-1-1, 5 KOs) stopped Nader Hamdan (42-7-1, 18
KOs) after an accidental head clash inflicted a cut over
Hamdan’s right eye.
Middleweight Peter
Mitrevski Jr (22-6-1, 10 KOs) decisioned Jakkirt
Suwunnalirt (15-14-1, 6 KOs) over six rounds. scores were
60-54, 60-54, and 60-54.
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UNIVERSUM: STURM UNDER CONTRACT
Monday, January 11, 2010
Universum Box-Promotion has responded to WBA middleweight
Felix Sturm, who had declared himself free of any obligations
to the German boxing Universum contends Sturm has breached
his contract:
Statement:
Contrary to stories in the press put about by Sturm’s
side in the last few weeks, Felix Sturm remains under
exclusive contract to Universum. Universum will take any
legal steps necessary to ensure that Felix Sturm remains
obliged to fulfill his exclusive contract with Universum
until 2012, when the contract ends. We will not tolerate
his participation in any boxing matches which violate
our exclusive contractual rights.
Following Mr. Sturm’s rejection of an offer by
Universum of a voluntary title defense bout to be fought
in November or December 2009, the WBA (World Boxing Association)
ruled that Mr. Sturm must defend his world champion title
in a mandatory title bout by April 2010 at the latest.
The official challenger was named by the WBA as Gennady
Golovkin, who is currently ranked no. 2 in the world and
who is also under contract to Universum. Universum has
asked for Mr. Sturm’s cooperation in arranging this
fight to ensure that it can be carried out in accordance
with contractual provisions and with the WBA rules.
Universum and Felix Sturm have worked together for years,
and until recently (Mr. Sturm’s last title defense
bout at the Nürburgring on July 11, 2009), their
partnership has been successful and mutually satisfactory.
We have put much time, energy and patience into enabling
Mr. Sturm to attain the status of world champion –
including procuring him a fight against boxing legend
Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas. We stood by him unconditionally
when a KO defeat lost him his title in the summer of 2006,
and continued to work with him and for him to become world
champion again.
Until our last joint boxing match at the Nürburgring,
we had not the slightest indication that Mr. Sturm was
anything other than completely satisfied with this extraordinarily
successful and loyal partnership. We can thus only conclude
that his entirely unforeseen attempt to terminate the
contract in August 2009 and the public provocations
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FIGHT RESULTS fROM TOKYO!!!
Monday, January 11, 2010
WBA super bantamweight champion
Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym (40-1, 28 KOs),
scored a majority decision over previously unbeaten Satoshi
Hosono (16-1, 12 KOs) in a back and forth fight in Tokyo,
Japan today.
The official scores were: Tom Miller
(US) 115-113, Michael Lee (Korea) 117-113, both for the
champ, and Raul Caiz Sr. (US) 114-114. Poonsawat kept
the fight at close range and scored with good left hooks
which were mixed with the occasional uppercut to sneak
a decent decision over the impressive Hosono.
Takashi Uchiyama
(14-0, 11 KOs) scored a brilliant stoppage over
the defending champion Juan Carlos Salgado (22-1-1, 16
KOs).
Uchiyama showed the kind of skills that
have led to many of boxing's insiders naming him one of
Japanese best prospects for 2010. He was always ahead
of the champion in the contest with his stiff accurate
jab finding it's mark time after time and as the Mexican
faded throughout the twelfth round, Uchiyama sensed the
end and scored with a MASSIVE right hand that dropped
Selgado to the canvas, the former champion made it to
his feet but was stopped by referee Raul Caiz Sr during
the follow up barrage.
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ROACH: OUR PLAN IS TO KO
CLOTTEY
Monday, January 11, 2010
Freddie Roach, the trainer for World Boxing Organization
welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao told reporters from
Fight Hype yesterday his plans for dealing with the challenge
of Joshua Clottey saying “Our goal is to knock him
(Clottey) out. we have to box this guy [Clottey], in and
out, side to side motion, really, and really be tactical,
because he’s a very strong and big puncher."
Although, I like everyone else around the boxing world
would have loved to have seen a match up between Pacman
and Mayweather, this seems a very interesting match up
and one which is sure to test Pacquiao in the the welterweight
division. Clottey is a strong fighter with decent power
who is a difficult fighter to stop as Margarito and Cotto
and testify to.
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STIEGLITZ RETAINS TITLE!!!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
WBO
super middleweight world champion
Robert Stieglitz (37-2, 23 KOs) scored a brilliant
fifth round stoppage over #11 rated challenger Ruben Eduardo
Acosta (23-4-5, 7 KOs) on Saturday night at Bördelandhalle
in Magdeburg, Germany.
Stieglitz was on top form as he dropped
Acosta in round three and again in round five which he followed
up with a barrage of punches that left the referee with
no option but to stop the fight. Acosta stepped in on late
notice after Edison Miranda had to pull out due to illness.
Heavyweight Manuel
Charr (14-0, 7 KOs) scored a tenth round TKO over
Owen Beck (29-4, 20 KOs). Time: 2:44.
WBC/WBO/WIBF featherweight world champion
Ina Menzer (26-0, 10 KOs) scored a sixth round TKO
over WIBF super featherweight champ Ramona Kühne (15-1,
4 KOs). The bout was stopped in round six due to a deep
cut over Kühne’s left eye.
Super welterweight
Jack Culcay scored a first round annihilation of
Dmitrijus Sidorovicius (2-1, 1 KO).
Heavyweight Denis
Boytsov (27-0, 22 KOs) continued his unbeaten run
with a second round knockout over Kevin Montiy (17-7-1,
13 KOs).
Heavyweight Zack
Page (20-27-2, 7 KOs) won a six round majority decision
over Sebastian Köber (19-1, 13 KOs) in a MASSIVE upset.
Scores were 58-56, 57-57, 59-56.
Khoren Gevor (31-4,
16 KOs) scored a ten round unanimous decision over
Jeferson Luis Goncalo (19-6-3, 10 KOs) by scores of 98-94,
99-91, 96-94.
Heavyweight Christian
Hammer (5-1, 3 KOs) defeated Remigijus Ziausys (8-22,
5 KOs) over six by scores of 59-56, 60-54, 59-55.
Photo: SES Boxing.de
*** PLEASE CLICK THE ABOVE
PICTURE TO SEE VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FIGHT *** |
ATLAS' SOURCE REVEALS SECRET
EMAILS
Saturday, January 9, 2010
PACQUIAO TO FACE CLOTTEY???
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Manny Pacquiao told various reporters yesterday that
he won’t be moving to 154 to face WBA super welterweight
champion Yuri Foreman and Instead will look to defend
his WBO welterweight title against Joshua Clottey.
That fight has been discussed for March 13, possibly
at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas or the Thomas and Mack Center
in Las Vegas.
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KARMAZIN DESTROYS MIRANDA!!!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Former jr middleweight champion
Roman Karmazin (40-3-1, 26 KOs) last night knocked
out Dionisio Miranda (20-5-2, 18 KOs) in round ten but
had to get off the canvas in doing so at the Civic Auditorium
in Glendale, California.
Both fighters threw some heavy leather with Miranda perhaps
shading proceedings, rocking the Russian on a couple of
occasions before scoring with a right hand in round nine
that dropped Karmazin hard to the canvas. Karmazin was
noticeably in trouble but came storming back in round
ten to drop Miranda twice which resulted in a KO victory.
Time was 2:34.
Jose ‘Shibata’ Flores
(44-10, 26 KO’s) stopped Roberto Valenzuela
after the second round of a scheduled six round bout.
Heavyweight Andrey Fedosov (20-1,
16 KOs) scored a brilliant second round KO over
Lionel Butler (32-15-1, 25 KOs).
Light heavyweight Anatoliy Dudchenko
(7-2, 5 KOs) took a unanimous decision over Isaac
Atencio (2-2-1, 2 KOs).
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MAYWEATHER: I WANT TO KICK
HIS PUNK ASS
Friday, January 8, 2010
Team Mayweather went on the attack yesterday with a press
release in which they want to make very clear that he
isn't scared of fighting Manny Pacquiao.
Floyd wants the world to know was that he agreed to a
modification of his previous demands about blood testing
PRIOR to the mediation and Camp Pacquiao knew that.
Floyd Mayweather says that he already cut the time back
from his demand for unrestricted testing and came half-way
between his approach and Pacquiao's suggestion that there
should be no tests closer than 30 days prior to the fight,
in other words, the 14 days prior to the fight proposal.
That's why he is ticked that Pacquaio's people wouldn't
play ball and see that Floyd had split the difference.
In Mayweather's opinion, that should have been the winning
solution to break the imapsse.
He's also adamant that his handlers did NOT suggest he
agree to the Pacquiao proposals, thus making it look like
he was afraid to fight the Pacman.
Below is the press release:
"Throughout this whole process I have remained patient,
but at this point I am thoroughly disgusted that Pacquiao
and his representatives are trying to blame me for the
fight not happening when clearly the blame is on them.
"First and foremost, not only do I want to fight
Manny Pacquiao, I want to whip his punk ass.
"Before the mediation, my team proposed a 14-day,
no blood testing window leading up to the fight. But it
was rejected. I am still proposing the 14-day window but
he is still unwilling to agree to it, even though this
is obviously a fair compromise on my part as I wanted
the testing to be up until the fight and he wanted a 30-day
cut-off. The truth is he just doesn't want to take the
tests.
"In my opinion it is Manny Pacquiao and his team
who are denying the people a chance to see the biggest
fight ever. I know the people will see through their smokescreens
and lies. I am ready to fight and sign the contract. Manny
needs to stop making his excuses, step up and fight."
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ROACH WARY OF THE MAIDANA
CHALLENGE!!!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Trainer Freddie Roach isnt looking forward to the challenge
of one of his star pupil's the WBA light welterweight
champion Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KO’s) fighting interim
WBA champion Marcos Maidana (27-1, 26 KO’s)
Roach told The Sun newspaper, “It’s a business
and it’s about the right fights at the right time.
There are some good fights out there for Amir. He [Khan]
can outbox Maidana, but he’s tough, a good puncher,
and you don’t want to exchange with him too much.”
If Khan doesnt choose to defend his title, then he would
have no choice but to vacate the title he won from Andriy
Kotelnik
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ARUM: THE FIGHT IS OFF!!!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
According to reports, Top Rank’s Bob Arum stated
late last night that the proposed Floyd Mayweather-Manny
Pacquiao bout scheduled for March 13 in Las Vegas is officially
off.
Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, reportedly went on to
say that Pac Man will likely fight WBA 154 lbs. titlist
Yuri Foreman instead on March 13 or 20th.
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FORGET ABOUT PACQUIAO, MONEY
WANTS ROSS!!!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
While the focus of the boxing world may be on a super
fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao,
the man many know as "Money" Mayweather was
last night looking to go head to head with a heavyweight
Floyd was attending the opening of a new nightclub named
Vanity in Las Vegas last night where he got into a confrontation
with the BIG time rapper Rick Ross.
Several sources at the nightclub said that the confrontation
started to get heated after one of the two men bumped
the other, seconds later both of the men's entourage became
confrontational while the nights host P Diddy had to get
involved to calm down the action before any punches were
thrown.
It is thought that both men have shown a dislike for
each other for a few years now with Ross writing a few
diss songs about Mayweather in the past.
PHOTO'S BY: WWW.TMZ.COM
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HAYE: I`LL ALWAYS HAVE A
SUSPECT CHIN
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
David Haye doesn't believe a suspect chin stop him ruling
the world.
In an interview with GQ magazine Haye admitted:
"I'll always have a suspect chin. Anyone who's been down
always will have. But I've never been on the canvas for
longer than eight seconds. You can train yourself to take
punishment."
Haye also believes the his defeat to Carl Thompson in
September 2004 was a blessing in disguise, admitting:
"I realised then that talent can only get you so far.
I’d had 10 easy fights as a pro. I felt like a footballer
who scores five goals every week. After a while you wouldn’t
bother training, and I didn’t.
"I learnt to have more hunger during training, and I
didn't want that horrible, embarrassed feeling afterwards,
sitting in hospital."
Haye now awaits the challenge of the American John Ruiz
for his first title defence which he hopes will lead to
a match up with one of the divisions super powers. The
Klitschko brothers.
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CUBAN ACOSTA HEADING TO THE
STATES!!!!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
CORK, Ireland Unbeaten Cuban bantamweight
Alexei “The Hurricane” Acosta, now fighting
out of Ireland, will cross the Atlantic Ocean later this
month to prepare for his United States pro debut in 2010.
The 21-year-old Acosta defected from Cuba in 2008 and
signed a managerial contract with Cork, Ireland-based
Gary Hyde, president of Nowhere To Hyde Promotions.
The thrilling, power-punching Acosta made his pro debut
September 13, 2008, knocking out Krastan Krastanov in the
second round of their fight in Cork. Fighting exclusively
as a pro in Ireland and Great Britain, Acosta has stopped
all nine of his opponents, the last this past November,
via a second-round stoppage of Sean Hughes (15-9-1) on Belfast.
“I’ve always dreamed of becoming
world champion as a professional,” 2006 Junior World
champion Acosta explained in fluent English, “but
that that was never going to be possible if I stayed in
my native Cuba. The hardest thing for me was leaving my
family behind in Cuba, especially my son, Michel. My dream
is going to become a reality soon, when I go the United
States and win the world title in six or seven more fights.”
Hyde has been involved in talks with
some leading boxing promoters interested in signing his
top fighter, 2-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux
(4-0, 3 KOs), the multi-talented bantamweight who had
an incredible 243-4 amateur record.
“They have all also expressed interest
in signing Acosta,” Hyde noted. “I hope to
have Alexei fighting alongside Guillermo because this
will give him the best possible platform to shine. Alexei
is very excited about fighting on the important U.S. circuit.
Belfast’s Tony Dunlop coaches Alexei, who has punching
power in both hands and hasn’t been extended more
than three rounds in any of his nine pro fights.”
Hyde also manages two other Cuban boxers,
heavyweight Mike “The Rebel” Perez (8-0, 6
KOs), winner of the World Junior Championships; and super
middleweight Luis “El Leon” Garcia (5-0, 4
KOs), 2006 World Junior Championships winner, in addition
to Irish super middleweight brothers J.J. “Slick”
(2-0, 2 KOs) and Paddy McDonagh (2-0).
“My original plan was to bring
my Cuban fighters to Ireland and, after they built-up
respectable records, send them to the U.S. to win major
titles. I picked three of the brightest young stars on
the Cuban National Team, but I also needed one of the
most decorated amateurs ever to go pro, ‘Rigo,’
as my key for fighting them all in the U.S. My plan was
sidetracked for a while due to the Rigondeaux situation
(Hyde recently won a legal judgment in Miami that validated
his managerial contract with Rigondeaux). I am now putting
it all back together with Acosta joining Rigondeaux (living
in Los Angeles) in the U.S. I will be spending a lot more
time in the United States, developing my team in 2010,
and they should all be ready for global dominance by the
end of this year.”
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DEMARCO: fIGHT WITH VALERO
IS PERSONAL
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The
interim WBC lightweight champion, Antonio DeMarco (23-1-1,
17 KOs) began training camp in December as he readies
for the challenge of the WBC champion Edwin Valero (26-0,
26 KOs) on February 6th in Monterrey, MX.
“We had a good rest, we went home
to Los Mochis and I visited my family. We got back and
began training in mid December. They called us about the
fight and we came back to train, it’s not such a
big deal, this is our work and it is what we love to do
and we are ready,” DeMarco stated after an intense
training session.
DeMarco told reporters yesterday that he
trains with the same intensity that he did three months
ago when he won the Interim title over Jose Alvaro “It’s
the same, the same rhythm and with the same effort. My
whole team and myself, we are working hard so that we
can win this fight” DeMarco stated. “One thing
I can say, this is the hardest I have worked in training
camp because my bout against Valero is personal.”
The Mexican also mentioned that the championship
bout against the undefeated Valero came at the right time
in his career.
“I have always said that God does
certain things for a reason. God put this opportunity
at my doorstep and I have to take advantage of it. This
is the right time for me for this fight,” DeMarco
said. “As far as Valero, when I said it was personal,
I meant it as it is a personal challenge for myself. There
is a lot of negative people that say that I won’t
make it past three rounds in this fight and it is a personal
challenge for myself to prove to those people and to myself
that I am ready for Valero and much more.”
DeMarco, 23, does not deny that he has heard
some of the comments that Valero has made in the press
but he will not succumb to what he believes is another
facet of the profession he chose.
“To me, they are just rumors that
people say or even Valero himself who said that Humberto
“Zorrita” Soto and myself are little Mexican
girls because we weren’t willing to face him in
Venezuela. I have respect for him because he is a fellow
boxer and we both know what we have to sacrifice to climb
into a ring,” DeMarco stated. “I have a lot
of respect for him as a person and as a fighter because
I have nothing against him. Once in the ring, that respect
goes away because this is a sport in which one has to
go in with everything, to win, to try to knock out your
opponent because he is trying to knock you out.”
DeMarco added that it does not bother him
if his next opponent talks about him.
“No, on the other hand, I like it,
I like that he mentions me even in that way,” DeMarco
says chuckling. “For me it is something natural
in this sport, the thrash talk, but it is not about that,
it is about getting ready for a fight and climbing into
that ring and putting on a great fight for the fans and
for oneself.”
Photo: Main Events Media
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MAYWEATHER & PACQUIAO
TO MEDIATION!!!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are going to
mediation to try and salvage their March 13 fight.
The two fighters are due to meet on Tuesday with a California
mediator in an effort to reach agreement on blood testing
issues that have threatened to derail the fight.
The mediator will be the retired federal judge Daniel
Weinstein, who was used by promoters for both fighters
three years ago to resolve a dispute over promotional
rights of Pacquiao.
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STIEGLITZ WILL FACE ACOSTA!!!
Monday, January 4, 2010
WBO super middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz (36-2,
22 KOs) will now face WBO #11 rated Ruben Eduardo Acosta
(23-3-5, 7 KOs) on Saturday in Magdeburg, Germany.
Stieglitz was originally set to face the Colombian Hard
Hitter Edison Miranda, who had to pull out due to illness.
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COTTO'S FATHER DIES OF A
HEART ATTACK!!!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Media in Puerto Rico have reported today that Miguel
Cotto’s father sadly passed away this morning. Miguel
Cotto Sr is believed to have died from a heart attack.
According to police, the senior Cotto, who carried an
oxygen machine due to asthma, felt ill, stopped the car
and asked for help before collapsing.
Our Heartfelt prayers go out to the Miguel's Family and
Friends at this very difficult time.
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GREEN OFFERS HOPKINS NEW
DEAL!!!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
IBO cruiserweight champion Danny Green is doing everything
possible to get his match up with Bernard Hopkins into
fruition which includes taking a smaller purse for the
fight. Green originally offered a 50-50 split which was
originally accepted but later the American had requested
a 60-40 split in his favour after it was revealed HBO
would televise the fight on prime time USA television.
Green said, “When I left the States two weeks ago
we had an agreement that whatever goes into the pot we
were 50-50 which is what we did with Roy Jones. And after
the momentum of the Roy Jones fight, I could fight SpongeBob
SquarePants and still make good money. But it’s
not about the money for me. It’s about continuing
to try to build a legacy and knocking out two future hall-of-fame
fighters. Knocking out two legends, bringing two legends
to my backyard and helping the sport of boxing. I spoke
to Bernard again on Christmas Eve and then I had the Sydney
to Hobart, so I haven’t spoken to him for the past
week. I’ve got one more phone call to make to him
to try to make this happen. I’m confident that he’s
going to take this deal. He’s squabbling over making
millions. Let’s just make it happen and get it on!”
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URANGO V ALEXANDER SET FOR
MARCH 6TH!!!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
IBF light welterweight champion Juan Urango will face
WBC light welterweight champion Devon Alexander on the
6th of March in what promises to be a facinating fight
between the two title holders.
“I’ll fight Alexander in March, it’s
gonna be an interesting fight and I’m ready to battle,”
said Urango “I am honored to hold the IBF world
title for the second time, but I think the fans deserve
to find out who is the beast at 140. I call out the champions
to help me unify the titles in our weight class and give
boxing fans the holiday present they deserve”
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STURM INKS NEW DEAL!!!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
WBA middleweight world
champion Felix Sturm has signed a ten fight deal with Ufa
Sports according to BILD. The deal will cover ten fights
over the next three to four years and be worth $20 million
Euros. The first fight is scheduled for Spring 2010. Univerum
Box-Promotion, however, maintains that it has options on
Sturm until 2012 so a legal battle will likely occur before
Sturm can return to the ring. |
MIRANDA PULLS OUT OF STIEGLITZ
BOUT!!!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Edison ‘Pantera’ Miranda, who was scheduled
to fight for the WBO belt against Robert Stieglitz, on
Jan 9th in Germany has unfortunately been struck with
the flu and had to cancel the bout. “For the past
two weeks Edison has been fighting this thing but he just
couldn’t shake it” says renowned trainer Joe
Goossen. “We have been monitoring his health very
closely and trying to get him through this. We had to
pull the trigger and do what was right.
“I want to apologize to everyone, Robert Stieglitz,
Universum, the WBO, my team, and all boxing fans for not
being able to make this fight happen. I am very upset
with having to cancel. This was a great opportunity for
me. Hopefully we can try to reschedule sometime in the
next 4-6 weeks.” According to Team Pantera there
are other opportunities that have been mentioned if the
Stieglitz camp decides not to reschedule this bout. One
name that has been mention is IBF belt holder Lucian Bute
who is looking for an opponent to fight this April. “My
first priority is to make the fight with Robert Stiegltiz
happen as soon as possible. If this cannot happen I will
look for the next best opponent who is willing to fight
me.”
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MAYWEATHER / GOLDENBOY STATEMENT!!!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
After
a Christmas weekend filled with comments and reports related
to the potential mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather and
Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions
have issued the following joint statement:
Let the record be clear: Manny Pacquiao and his promoter
Bob Arum are threatening to walk away from the largest
fight in history. The fact is that random blood and urine
testing was one of the many deal points and was listed
along with the others, such as the financial split, the
weight, financial penalty for being overweight, the appointment
of the foreign sales agent, the production of the marketing
assets, the gloves and many more. Team Mayweather made
major concessions in many of these areas and we were optimistic
that Team Pacquiao would do the same as it related to
the request for random blood and urine testing, which
Floyd Mayweather agreed to immediately.
It is disappointing for us to see that the benefits of
blood testing and the fact that many different substances
and procedures can only be detected by blood testing,
are still not fully understood by all.
Their “take it or leave it” approach where
blood testing would stop 30 days prior to the fight unless
the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) approved differently
is another indication that they may not want this fight.
Pacquiao’s position (and as stated on his website)
is. “The truth is taking blood out of my body does
not seem natural to me and mentally I feel it will weaken
me if blood is taken from me just days before the fight”
or he is “afraid of needles” and does not
feel comfortable with blood being taken closer than 30
days before the fight is another interesting point. The
fact is that he did have blood taken just 14 days prior
to his fight with Ricky Hatton, an event which was documented
on HBO’s 24/7 reality show.
Also when told that Pacquiao feels that the United States
Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is an agent of Golden Boy Promotions-which
is in and of itself a ridiculous accusation-we moved swiftly
and made yet another concession by stating that we would
be perfectly fine to retain another agency which would
do the random urine and blood tests and jointly agree
on a reasonable cutoff prior to the fight but which would
still maintain the integrity of the results. Let it be
clear that this procedure was declined by Pacquiao as
was the proposal to bring in an independent mediator such
as Sen. John McCain, a suggestion that was in fact embraced
by Bob Arum, but also declined by Manny Pacquiao.
Let it be very clear that nobody from Team Mayweather
or Golden Boy Promotions is accusing Pacquiao of anything.
But the reality seems to be that for whatever reason Pacquiao
does not want to participate in random blood testing,
which has already been deemed a harmless procedure that
many current athletes are subjected to prior to and during
competition.
Team Mayweather and Golden Boy Promotions is still open
to the earlier discussions of having both parties work
out a mutually agreeable understanding of the testing,
which would be conducted by a mutually agreed upon agency.
In closing Floyd Mayweather is one of the most decorated
athletes boxing has ever seen and he is anxious to make
this fight happen for all of the fans and sports enthusiasts
that are asking for this fight to happen too. As you might
have noticed Floyd has been silently watching and patiently
waiting for the final details of the fight to get worked
out. As Floyd has already stated he does not have a problem
with the random procedure and will be under the same requirements
as Pacquiao, it is simply hard for him to understand why
there is reluctance on Pacquiao’s part to agree
to do the same.
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