On May 2, 2008, undefeated super middleweight Andre “The Matrix” Dirrell takes on Anthony “The Tyger” Hanshaw at Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California on Shobox. Dirrell won an Olympic Bronze Medal in 2004 at 165 pounds while Hanshaw was in the class prior, losing to Jermain Taylor in the Olympic qualifier.
Dirrell was first spotlighted on HBO in June of last year on the undercard of Paulie Malignaggi vs. Lovemore N’Dou, in a winning performance against Curtis Stevens where many thought he could have done more.
Hanshaw hasn’t been active since dropping a lopsided decision to Roy Jones, Jr. as a light heavyweight. SaddoBoxing had the opportunity to speak with both Andre Dirrell and his trainer and grandfather, Leon Lawson, by phone.
SaddoBoxing: How long have you been training Andre?
Leon Lawson: “I trained him for over 12-13 years now. I just constantly train him. I got my son helping me. I worked with him the last 3-4 weeks. He’s down there now with my son.”
SB: What does Hanshaw do that might be problematic?
LL: “Nothing.”.
SB: Is he impressive at all? The last match I saw him in was the draw with Jean Paul Mendy.
LL: “Well no, I was glad Hanshaw didn’t lose. I been knowing Hanshaw for ten years or better. He’s came up with the group ahead of Andre as far as Olympics go. That was his year anyway. Andre, I’ve worked with him the last couple years and cultivated him. It all adds up and that’s why he’s so fast. He’s the fastest thing out there these days.” More…
Whew! Thank you, Sam Peter. Okay, he’s not American born, but one of the titles has been wrested away from those dreaded Russians. March 8 is the new Fourth of July. Saturday night in Cancun is the beginning of a new era. The page has turned.
Well, maybe.
Sam Peter being the next coming in the heavyweight division is as over-inflated a pronunciation as his weight. As exaggerated as HBO’s Tale of the Tape calling him 6’2″. As premature as, well, something really premature.
The “Nigerian Nightmare” was supposed to defeat Oleg Maskaev. Any thinking otherwise was misguided out of contempt for Peter or pining for days long past from Maskaev. Sure, Peter looked very relaxed throughout the fight to the point of barely sweating.
And the sudden chin issues that popped up after the McCline fight have been sorta-kinda answered (I was never convinced from that bout that there was an issue). Peter took a big straight right to the side of the head and immediately countered, showed more of the defensive ability displayed in the second Toney fight and made an effort to throw straighter punches down the middle.
But the old Sam Peter is still around, the one who throws the looping punches that have a tendency to hit an opponent in the back of the head. He clipped the back of Maskaev’s head in the third round and the Cinderella man began putting a glove up and complaining to the referee whenever Peter punched anything above his neck. If stirred, Peter will revert to the fighter he really is and tee off on whatever’s in front of him. More…
Now that IBF titlist Wladimir Klitschko cruised by the highly touted yet mediocre Sultan Ibragimov, lifting the WBO strap, he’s got an open dance card and a few people who’d be likely opponents in his next match.
Alexander Povetkin won the IBF eliminator last month and is the current #1, while Tony Thompson is the #1 contender for the WBO. But neither guy is necessarily going to be the challenger for the man of the hour. Klitschko wants to be THE champion and he may take on the winner of the Sam Peter vs. Oleg Maskaev bout in March for the WBC belt, or he may take on German, by way of Uzbekistan, Ruslan Chagaev for the WBA.
A third option would be for Klitschko to appease the two sanctioning bodies by fighting an opponent who is mutually in their top tens. This option holds the least appeal as no one really knows Alexander Dimitrenko, who is ranked #5 by the IBF and #2 by the WBO and by virtue of him and others being further down on the list, perceived as lesser opponents. More…
Friday night at The Palace at Auburn Hills in suburban Detroit was an easy paycheck for undefeated light welterweight Leonardo Tyner. After bouncing a left hook off Victorio Abadia’s temple, followed by a combination that ended with Abadia impaled on a right hook body shot, Tyner, 19-0 (11), finished the job with an uppercut to the midsection. Abadia, 22-7 (8), folded like a shirt at the laundry.
The fight was supposed to be part of a co-main event with Vernon “Iceman” Paris taking on Mexico’s Roberto Valenzuela, but Paris had to pull out after injuring his hand in training. The Iceman is now slated to fight on the 22nd this month against an unnamed opponent to continue building steam for a televised fight sometime this year.
Vernon made a brief appearance in the ring before Tyner fought, but had disappeared by the time “The Pain Server” had given Abadia a taste of canvas.
Easy paychecks are increasingly coming with a bitter taste for Tyner, though. At thirty-two years of age he’s either at or near his prime and it’s a quick slide downhill for the average junior welterweight. “The Pain Server” has to be wondering how much time he has left to make his mark. More…
Who do we want to see in the coming year? To take a look into the near future, there are really good match-ups that could take place, but it’s anyone’s guess if they’ll happen.
Tony Thompson, 31-1, vs. well, anybody: So long as it’s on TV, we just need to see the guy. He’s supposed to be on fire and at age 36, the clock is ticking. He needs a good television performance to get on the radar and seriously jockey for a run at the championship. But with the division lacking in superstars, there’s no guarantee the bout would get televised even if he fought a champion, unless it was perhaps a Samuel Peter or Wladimir Klitschko. Anybody got the number to Friday Night Fights?
Samuel Peter, 29-1, vs. Wladimir Klitschko, 49-3: As good as the first one was, the second promises to be even better. Peter should be able to get past the aging, ailing, inactive Maskaev, and has improved a lot since the last meeting with Klitschko. Sadly for him, so has Klitschko, who has settled into the Steward-trained style perfected with Lennox Lewis. Klitschko will be more apt to box from the outside and still tie Peter up on the inside like last time, but Peter has developed more movement and boxing ability. The result will be the same, but aside from the knockdowns scored by Peter, it will be a more entertaining fight.
Vitali Klitschko, 35-2, vs. Oleg Maskaev, 34-5: There’s little chance of this fight happening in 2008, not because it can’t be agreed upon by both sides, but nagging recurring injuries from both sides will continually push the battle back. Look for “Ironfist” to come out on top in the battle of words after a duct tape maneuver holds him together just slightly longer than the Big O. More…
The O. It’s been what was for dinner in 2007 for boxing fans. This year has been a fond swan song for the much coveted goose egg. From the first of this year when bantamweight Jonathan Arias kayoed Jorge Lopez Palafox in Baja California in a single round to two weeks ago when Floyd Mayweather stacked his flawless record against the also undefeated Ricky Hatton, 2007 has seen perfect record pitted against perfect record, half of which now besmirched.
The first course was the “O” that came and went belonging to former WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Tomasz “Goral” Adamek, 31-0, by the fast hands of “Bad” Chad Dawson, 22-0, way back in February. It was a completely one-sided broasting as Dawson reduced Adamek to a single dimensioned fighter, knocking him down in the seventh. Adamek returned the favor in the tenth with a straight right after Dawson rested on a gravy train, but was unable to keep him down.
In September, WBC and WBO Middleweight Champion Jermain Taylor, 27-0-1, got a healthy serving of leather from challenger Kelly Pavlik, 31-0-0, as he found himself beltless and momentarily conscious-less. After jumping out to an early lead with a furious display of power that put Kelly Pavlik on the mat in the second round, Taylor was unable to capitalize and drop Pavlik for a full count. Pavlik became more assertive as the rounds progressed until he dumped Taylor like a sack of potatoes against the ropes.
Mikkel Kessler, 39-0, versus Joe Calzaghe, 43-0, made for a fine main course, a definite fight of the year candidate as it had the greatest impact ever in the super middleweight division, pitting undefeated champion against undefeated champion in which neither fighter would yield. Kessler faded while Calzaghe remained fresh throughout the fight, the Dane giving a good accounting of himself before relinquishing his WBA and WBC titles to the WBO linear champion. And this was after Kessler defended his titles against fellow undefeated, granite-chinned Librado Andrade, 24-0, back in March. More…
Ronald “The Motor City Cobra” Hearns has one of the most famous last names in the sport of boxing, racked up 13 KO’s in 16 victories against no losses and has fought all across the country in his brief three-and-a-half year career.
But he is still largely unknown.
However, with the dawn of 2008, many boxing fans may get to know the 6’3” junior middleweight in the opening fight of Showtime’s Championship Boxing broadcast headlined by IBF Light Welter Champion Paul Malignaggi’s defense against challenger Herman Ngoudjo on January 5.
SaddoBoxing confirmed the rumor that Hearns is interested in a fight with another undefeated son of a Hall of Fame fighter, Julio César Chávez, Jr.
“My promoter’s looking into that, so if they want to fight I don’t have no problem with that; whoever they put in front of me I’ll fight,” said Hearns. More…
Berserkers were Norse warriors known to be fierce when given over to uncontrollable rage in battle. Although fierce by reputation, Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler is anything but uncontrolled as evidenced by his landslide victory in his last bout against Librado Andrade.
Although he was unable to knock out his opponent, Kessler put on enough of a display to showcase his talents for his much-anticipated debut to most of the American audience, this Saturday night in Cardiff, Wales when he takes on longtime World Champion and top ten pound for pound boxer, Joe Calzaghe, on HBO.
Known as the Viking Warrior, Kessler won’t enter the ring wearing a wolf’s pelt upon his head like an Úlfheðinn, but he’ll have the WBA and WBC titles either with or on him.
The question is will the fearsome reputation that precedes him, aid in conquering his Welsh opponent, much like his Viking ancestors who conquered Wales and other territories?
The reputation is probably as meaningless to WBO champion Joe Calzaghe as Mikkel Kessler’s tattoos are to him. You don’t beat champions like Calzaghe with what you’ve already done, but with what you do on fight night. More…
Are you ready to be big? Then get ready for Retador Azteca, a new boxing reality series, set to debut in the coming year. It will feature up-and-coming fighters in the featherweight division from Mexico versus the rest of North America.
SaddoBoxing got the exclusive on this show from producer Ed Rosa, a noted publicist for his work with several regarded fighters and they will be holding open casting for professional featherweight fighters.
The program will be directed by Mapi Montero and will be a co-production between Mapitv and Azteca America. Retador Azteca is set to air on the Aztec America Network in the U.S. January 21 through May 25.
Potential candidates must weigh 126 pounds, have a professional record of at least four fights but no more than fifteen total, be an American citizen, bilingual, no criminal history, in good physical condition, between the ages of 18 and 25 and have current health insurance.
Bantamweight contender, former WBC light flyweight, flyweight and super flyweight champion Jorge Arce will be on hand at many of the locations holding open casting to meet with potential contenders. The locations are as follows: More…
I will say that in a rematch that Jermain Taylor could do better against Kelly Pavlik. The fact of it is, Taylor has problems within himself that caused him to lose how he did. Could he ever beat Pavlik? Sure. Will he ever beat Pavlik? No.
He obviously has the power to put Pavlik down, but the difference lies in his ability to keep him down. Taylor appeared too nervous, in fact, rather than a one-time affair, the fight really gave me the impression that that is a characteristic of Jermain’s.
Perhaps this is something addressable; Grant Hill said he had to relearn how to play basketball after a near career-ending injury. Evander Holyfield went into therapy before the rematch against Riddick Bowe in order to “believe” that he could beat him.
Dare I say Jermain has been done the biggest favor of his career so far by losing? He knows he did some things wrong during the loss to Pavlik. It’s just a matter of him sitting down and figuring those things out, then figuring out how to retool himself.
But that doesn’t mean he can ever beat Pavlik. Kelly could just be a better fighter, no matter what Taylor does. In the rematch against Winky Wright, Shane Mosley completely changed how he trained. He didn’t work with any weights, so his speed was improved, but Winky’s defense was much too good for him to make a dent and the end result was the same.
Taylor’s changing shouldn’t just be about beating Pavlik. It should be about making himself a better fighter and maybe the next time a Pavlik comes along, even in a losing effort, Taylor can acquit himself better. More…
Last Monday, the WBC board voted in Samuel Peter as its interim heavyweight champion after Oleg Maskaev pulled out of their October 6 championship bout.
Maskaev, who injured his back while in training camp, says he needs at least three months in order for the injury to heal. But his camp fails to note the fact that he hasn’t defended his title since his unanimous decision win over Ugandan Peter Okhello.
The WBC board states that a champion must be active and with an already ten-month lay off, it would be a year plus before the Californian by way of Kazakhstan would be able to again defend his title.
Oleg Maskaev has not been stripped of his belt. Samuel Peter, the WBC mandatory number one contender, has only been given an interim title. And it isn’t without good reason.
After paying a sanctioning fee to fight in a WBC eliminator against James Toney a year ago, which resulted in a hotly contested decision, the WBC ordered a rematch between the two in January, to which Peter paid another sanctioning fee, and won definitively, reconfirming him as the mandatory number one contender.
In the aftermath, former WBC champion Vitali Klitschko decided to return to the ring to reclaim the belt he never lost. The WBC had given him the title Champion Emeritus, meaning he could step ahead of everyone in line to become the automatic mandatory. More…
Congratulations to Kelly Pavlik for a well-fought fight last night. He captured the middleweight title in a way that Jermain Taylor couldn’t and couldn’t defend. The alleged dissension in the ranks behind Team Taylor, the weight issues and Taylor’s “wasted punches” are excuses that belong to another day, the night was Pavlik’s and he took hold of it.
The tone was set from the opening bell when Kelly Pavlik began forcing Jermain Taylor backwards but two things were different from previous fights of both men; Taylor could fight going backwards a lot better than Edison Miranda did against Pavlik and Taylor had learned not to back straight into the ropes and make camp there.
Taylor gave lateral movement or fought his way off the ropes and made it his duty to always bring the fight back to the center of the ring.
After dropping the first round, Taylor came back to pound Pavlik with a barrage of punches and knock him down in the second. After Pavlik rose, he was almost downed again with a right but held on after Taylor seemingly gassed out near the end of the round.
That just may have been the beginning of the end.
And not because of Taylor’s typical stamina issues. Well, not solely. Kelly’s ability to recuperate from Jermain’s powerful shots and then come back to control the third round was a true test of the fortitude fan’s desire in a fighter. His nose quite possibly broken, Pavlik came back for more with every intention of returning the favor with interest. More…
Donofrio Boxing’s “Boxing Under the Stars” took place this past Friday at the Meadow Brook Music Festival in Rochester Hills, MI and was an action-filled night. With four professional fights that didn’t go the distance, it was a host of battles all night long.
Shortly before the card took place, SaddoBoxing had the opportunity to speak to the man who made it all happen, Joseph Donofrio, a Golden Gloves contender in the mid and late 1960’s who’s been putting fights on in the metro Detroit area since pairing up with Emmanuel Steward a few years ago.
SaddoBoxing: This is an amateur and pro event, right?
Joseph Donofrio: “That’s correct.”
SB: How many fights will there be?
JD: “Ten or eleven; there’s eleven scheduled right now. We’re trying to limit it to ten.”
SB: What boxing clubs can we expect?
JD: “I got a whole list of them right here. Dynamic, Unity, Casa De Boxeo, Laskey, Azteca, Toledo Boxing Club, Border City, and Big Dog Boxing Club.” More…
This past Friday night at Joseph Donofrio’s “Boxing Under the Stars” at Meadow Brook Music Festival in Rochester Hills, MI saw several good fights, including the victory of light welterweight Lanardo “Pain Server” Tyner, whom SaddoBoxing interviewed a few days earlier, over Marteze Logan.
There were a sprinkling of local celebrities there, including Jackie Kallen, Tommy “Hitman” Hearns and his son Ronald “The Motor City Cobra” Hearns. My wife and I were seated in the media section, enjoying the night’s activities when Ronald Hearns and his wife sat by us, with the mandatory “buffer” seat between.
Several people came and went, talking to Hearns throughout the night. I let several opportunities pass before I eventually scooted over to speak with him.
I’ve been interviewing fighters for about a year now but I still get a little starstruck. His style of dress is much more relaxed than his father’s traditional tailored suit; wearing a baseball cap, long yellow shirt past his waist, baggy blue jeans and square-toed black shoes. His watch was huge and much too expensive-looking for me to be able to determine the maker, but as I slid over and introduced myself, he easily extended the hand accompanying the watch for me to shake. It’s firm and over after a quick pump.
I reintroduced myself, having interviewed him a few months back and asked him about his upcoming bout against Robert Kamya on the Pavlik-Taylor undercard on September 29 in Atlantic City. More…
In the headline fight of Donofrio Boxing’s ” Boxing Under the Stars” on Friday night at the Meadow Brook Music Festival in Rochester Hill, MI, light welterweight Lanardo “Pain Server” Tyner made good on his promise to impress when he stepped in the ring with seasoned veteran Marteze “Too Sweet” Logan.
Tyner set the tone early in the first round, blasting Logan with power shots to the body. “Too Sweet” seemed hurt by the middle of the round, grabbing onto “The Pain Server” and blitz rushing him into the ropes.
Tyner almost fell out of the ring and shortly after the referee separated the two, he knocked Logan down. Logan quickly recovered, but held for the remainder of the round.
In the second, Tyner continued working the body. Logan fought back with good combinations, but they seemed to have no effect. Tyner shouted for more before punishing Logan in the corner. More…
What’s wrong with a fighter who throws every punch with deadly intent? Who can fight anywhere between 135 and 147? And add to that, he wants to do it at least six times a year.
Lanardo “Pain Server” Tyner is upset. Someone is keeping food off his table. Whether it’s shady promoters with false promises of big fights on major networks, up-and-coming fighters with comparable records who want to fight him on two weeks notice or journeyman who fight those selfsame up-and-comers for big paychecks, Tyner has a history with guys trying to give him a good look at the backs of their heads.
Just pull up a chair and he can talk you ear off about it.
SaddoBoxing did just that, speaking to the native Detroiter from his Houston home about his upcoming bout with Hugo Lewis that somehow turned into a last minute bout with Covington, Tennessee’s Marteze “Too Sweet” Logan. But the Pain Server has already turned that frown upside down.
“He’s a last minute replacement,” Lanardo admits, “but he fought some world champions and guys that knocked him out. And by me not having my mind focused on him, it’s gonna be a lot harder. That’s what I get for not having a promoter.” More…
If Ruslan Chagaev can be referred to as the “White Tyson”, then perhaps we have to ask if Sultan Ibragimov can be called by Evander Holyfield’s boxing moniker, the “Real Deal”.
Even though the Russian has languished in relative obscurity throughout his career, he’s managed to capture one of the four major alphabet titles, although it was in boring fashion against an uninspired and uninspiring Shannon Briggs.
But a draw with the also relative unknown Ray Austin, who most recently was KO’d with a series of jabs in a mandatory bout with champion Wladimir Klitschko, shakes the confidence of even the most hopeful optimist.
Sure, we expected Austin to lose to arguably the best heavyweight in the division right now, but to put on such a pathetic show? How could anyone have ever lost to him let alone fight to a draw?
Ibragimov has good power with 17 KOs out of 21 victories and decent speed, but he often neglects his defense when he opens up offensively.
To his credit, at least he’s been willing to risk his chin, but when he scored the knockdown against Austin, he was almost hit with a counter right and against the ropes with Javier Mora, he exposed himself for a long period to land a lethal uppercut. Had either fighter been more accurate, those respective fights could have turned out differently. More…
Ann Wolfe, 24-1 (16), is one of the premier Women boxers in the world, having won world titles at light middle, super middle and light heavyweight since turning professional in 1998.
At 36 years of age, Wolfe is still dangerous, but the aging lioness is aware that her time is coming and has become frustrated with the politics behind boxing. SaddoBoxing spoke exclusively with the native of Waco, Texas, who also trains light middleweight prospect James Kirkland, and is never at a loss for words.
SaddoBoxing: Is it tough to stay busy between fights when you have a long layoff?
Ann Wolfe: “No. I had surgery on my shoulder. I don’t never layoff; I train every day. Right now I’m walkin’ around at 170 and 172. I have about 30 amateurs. I own a gym and my number one goal is to keep kids out of the street.”
SB: Emmanuel Steward told me that when fighters also train others, it makes them better fighters. Do you find this to be true?
AW: “When I train other people? Yes. I’m a better trainer than fighter. I have some kids that are coming up that have that kind of potential. I want to be the first female to take a male to a world title. I already know it’s going to happen. If Kirkland keeps going at the rate he’s going, he’ll be a champ.” More…
James Kirkland, like many up-and-coming fighters, has something to prove. It’s easy for even a young and talented fighter to be missed when there are countless others to choose from. But a record of 18-0 with a boastful 16 KOs, the light middleweight has established himself as a power hitter which will surely catch even the casual fan’s eye. And he has the work rate of fighters from yesteryear, fighting six times in 2006 and once already this year.
SaddoBoxing spoke to James regarding his latest obstacle, former Commonwealth Light Middle and Welter Champion Ossie Duran of Ghana, whom Kirkland fights on June 1 at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez , California on ShoBox, but first we spoke to his trainer, Ann Wolfe.
SaddoBoxing: What does James do well right now that is going to be a problem for the elites?
Anne Wolfe: “He puts constant pressure on you. I think a lot of people are goning say they think he’s wild, but he is a very intelligent fighter and he knows how to move. Better than people can imagine. He’s got some punching power, out this world.” More…
Saturday was a great night for Michigan in sports. The Red Wings won, the Tigers won, the Pistons won and Floyd won. But with that being said, boxing was the only sport of the four that was out of the casual sports fan’s mind come Monday morning.
The city of Detroit was once known as a mecca for boxing. With champions like Tommy Hearns, James Toney and Joe Louis, the city spent many years being synonymous with the sport. But if you were to ask many visitors or even residents what the iron fist on Jefferson signified, (dedicated by Sports Illustrated in tribute to Joe Louis) they would be hard-pressed to answer.
HBO’s 24/7 and other advertising tactics were supposed to change that sort of awareness. As a hardcore boxing fan, I knew about the Mayweather-De La Hoya match-up soon after the ink of the W on Pretty Boy Floyd’s record had dried after the Baldomir fight.
But a few days ago I asked my wife, who despises boxing, if she had any awareness of the impending superfight. She skirted answering by reminding me of some household chore I hadn’t finished but Saturday night, no less, she referred to the fight as “De La Hoya-Mayfield”.
Maybe Rob Parker of the Detroit News had it right: the inaccessibility of boxing to the casual fan by premium channels and even more so by ever-increasing pay-per-view prices is boxing’s way of killing the gloved goose laying the golden egg. More…
