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Boxing Articles By Curtis McCormick
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By Curtis McCormick September 15th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing
Promoter Frank Maloney unexpectedly found star super middleweight prospect Darren Sutherland dead yesterday in Sutherland's home in Bromley, England.
Maloney, who also managed Sutherland, went to pick the boxer up for a news conference but found that Sutherland looked to have committed suicide by hanging. The 55 year old was subsequently taken to hospital for a suspected heart attack.
Sutherland had won a Bronze Medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and had won all four of his professional contests to date in dominating fashion.
The 27 year old originally from Dublin was well-liked outside the boxing ring, tremendously talented in it and expected to eventually contend for a world title.
The SaddoBoxing community extends its deepest sympathies to Darren Sutherland's family.
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By Curtis McCormick March 6th, 2009 All Boxing Previews
Tonight, Jamie Moore could realize the potential he first saw come to fruition with a British and Commonwealth title win in 2003 as he contends for the European title.
Moore, 30-3 (21), meets Italy's former IBF Welterweight Champion Michele Piccirillo, 50-4 (21), for the vacant European Light Middleweight title on a Frank maloney promotion at Robin Park Arena in Wigan, England.
For Moore, it's been an excruciating wait for a chance to win the Continental crown as the Salford southpaw has seen scheduled clashes for the belt go down in flames through a kaleidoscope of injury, business politics and just plain bad luck.
The 30 year old Manchester area hero first shot to prominence in 2003 when he put the first loss on towering Liverpool man Michael Jones' record, winning Jones' Commonwealth title along with the British belt in a masterful display of educated pressure and sheer toughness.
Title defense stoppages of Gary Logan, Andrew Facey and Adam Katumwa followed suit and by June of 2004, Moore looked to be an unstoppable express bearing down on the European title and the world rankings. More...
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By Curtis McCormick October 10th, 2008 All Boxing Interviews
© Gianluca "Rio" Di Caro
One of the best boxers on the planet at any weight, IBF Cruiserweight Champion Steve Cunningham, took the time out from his busy schedule to speak with SaddoBoxing about a variety of subjects as he prepares for a title defense against dangerous former WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Tomasz Adamek at Newark NJ's Prudential Center on December 11, 2008.
SaddoBoxing: Although you were a Golden Gloves Champion, you only had 55 fights as an amateur. Given that amount of amateur experience, what was it that allowed you to compete with and defeat such proven operators as Sebastiaan Rothmann and Guillermo Jones before you even had 20 professional bouts?
Steve Cunningham: First, my faith and trust in God and Jesus name. It helps me to do all things in the name of Christ which strengthens me, so that right there is the ultimate.Second is the hard work, that I got from growing up in Philly, you know, fighting on the streets and then there's the hard work, you know, the extra hard work I got at boot camp in the Navy and working in the Navy.
It gave me drive, made me work harder towards being the best. I know that nothing can stop me when I'm right, training and working hard, I always do extra, I push myself. Basically that's it. The Lord and dedication to my training. More...
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By Curtis McCormick July 24th, 2008 All Boxing Interviews
© M.A. Sayer of arena box-promotion
Welterweight Selcuk Aydin, 15-0 (12), has parlayed sterling amateur days bristling with medal winning efforts into one of the most promising professional careers in the world of boxing today.
The 24 year old from Trabzon, Turkey is one of the brightest stars in the stable of Hamburg, Germany based promoter Ahmet Oner's Arena Box-Promotion and shed the prospect tag in April when he defeated tough South African Lucky Lewle over twelve rounds to win the vacant WBC International Welterweight title.
SaddoBoxing: How did it feel to fight in your hometown for the first time in your career? Would you like to do so again or is it better to only fight in front of friends and family every now and then?
Selcuk Aydin: I used to fight in Trabzon a lot as an amateur, but doing a professional fight in front of your home crowd is a whole different story. It felt great to be there and to show all my fans, friends and especially my family, my best boxing. It was a great honour for me fighting in Trabzon and I thank Ahmet Öner and Arena Box-Promotion for making this possible. More...
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By Curtis McCormick June 5th, 2008 All Boxing Interviews
© Curtis McCormick / Saddo Boxing
SaddoBoxing had the honor of briefly speaking with Oscar De La Hoya, a man who needs no introduction, in the dressing room of Ricky Hatton after the Hatton vs. Lazcano fight in Manchester, England recently.
SaddoBoxing: What are your impressions on the Hatton vs. Lazcano bout that we just saw?
Oscar De La Hoya: "I was telling Ricky I thought that he did excellent. Excellent because he answered a lot of questions. [such as] Can he come back from a loss? Can he keep his composure in front of 56,000 people in his hometown?
"That's a lot of pressure for a fighter that just came off a loss, but I telling Ricky he looked excellent, because considering all those factors, considering all those pressures he was able to keep his composure, he was able to outhustle a fighter who has a lot of experience, a granite chin and the heart of a lion. So, he did great." More...
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By Curtis McCormick June 3rd, 2008 All Boxing Interviews
© Curtis McCormick / Saddo Boxing
SaddoBoxing had the good fortune to catch up with one of the top middleweights in Britain, Paul Smith, 23-0 (13), while in Ricky Hatton's dressing room following the victory of "The Hitman" over Juan Lazcano recently at City of Manchester Stadium in England.
Paul had burst onto the national scene in Britain on the strength of his 2002 Commonwealth Games Silver Medal winning performance as a light middleweight, losing only to Canada's Jean Pascal, the currently undefeated NABO/NABF/NABA Super Middleweight Champion.
Turning pro in April, 2003, the Liverpool based "Real Gone Kid" matriculated under the watchful eye of trainer Billy Graham, counting Ricky and Matthew Hatton along with Matt Macklin, Steven Bell among his stablemates and ran his record to 14-0 through 2005. More...
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By Curtis McCormick May 27th, 2008 All Boxing Results
**With Slideshow**
© Curtis McCormick / Saddo Boxing
The second bout of the massive Hatton vs. Lazcano card on Saturday night at City of Manchester Stadium featured towering light middleweights Andrew Facey and Thomas McDonagh.
Facey was coming into the bout as the reigning English Champion and at age 36, had experienced his biggest fights over the last year and a half.
While the lean six footer had earlier in his career derailed the developments of such promising prospects Matthew Macklin, Gilbert Eastman and Matthew Tait but that phase of Facey's CV was brutally put down by Jamie Moore in a failed British title bid in 2003. More...
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By Curtis McCormick May 27th, 2008 All Ringside Boxing
**With Slideshow**
© Curtis McCormick / Saddo Boxing
Our massive coverage of the historic Ricky Hatton vs. Juan Lazcano card this past Saturday night in Manchester, England continues with the first of three undercard bouts.
A contest for the vacant English Super Bantamweight title opened the show and it was a highly contentious affair between undefeated prospect Mark Moran and the half-brother of ex-British Champion Carl Johanneson, the gritty Danny Wallace.
The bout opened with southpaw Moran using good footwork to deal with the pressure of Wallace. The highly regarded Liverpool lad tried to keep Wallace at bay with the right hand jab and the tactic worked initially. More...
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By Curtis McCormick May 12th, 2008 All Boxing Interviews
© Gianluca "Rio" Di Caro
Philadelphia, PA is well known for producing a long line of quality fighters in many weight classes. Even at age 43, Bernard Hopkins remains the flag bearer of the legendary Philadelphia fighter in the sport today but there is a younger cast of boxers beginning to surge forth that will shortly begin to replace the old guard.
Super middleweight Gee Cullmer is one of those hopefuls and since turning pro in December, 2000, the 32 year old has racked up a promising 14-1-1NC (3) record including 10 straight bouts without a loss since dropping a four rounder to Dorian Beaupierre in 2003.
SaddoBoxing was fortunate enough to catchup with with Gee soon after he posted a hard fought majority decision over Mustapha Johnson at Philadelphia's famed Legendary Blue Horizon last month and you won't want to miss what this talented and thoughtful fighter had to say about his career and bright future. More...
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By Curtis McCormick April 24th, 2008 All Boxing Interviews
 Image © Mike Cleary BoxingPhotographs.com
British super featherweight Steven Bell, 14-1 (5), has parlayed a heavily decorated stay as an amateur that saw him as Captain of Team England into a successful career as both a top level professional boxer and a burgeoning actor on some of his country's most popular current television shows and a highly acclaimed feature film.
SaddoBoxing had the good fortune to catch up with Steven as he continues his campaign to rule the 130 pound division in the British Isles and you want want to miss what the 32 year old had to say about his fascinating careers!
SaddoBoxing: How do you feel about your performance recently in beating iron-chinned light welter journeyman Baz Carey over six rounds?
Steven Bell: "Yeah, I have had two good wins now since that defeat [to Femi Fehintola] in October. I won every round against Carey without any problems and boxed the way I planned, so was happy with the performance. More...
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By Curtis McCormick April 17th, 2008 All Boxing Interviews
This Friday, April 18, 2008, South London's charismatic Gary "Hot Stuff" Woolcombe, 25-1 (10), will be putting his British Light Middleweight title on the line for the first time since winning the vacant crown against Marcus Portman last December in Wigan, England.
The 25 year old has filled London's York Hall for this hotly anticipated clash with big punching southpaw and former titlist Ryan Rhodes, 38-4 (26), on a Frank Maloney promotion and we had the good fortune to catch up with Gary as he was putting the final touches on his training camp.
SaddoBoxing: Who are you sparring against in the gym in order to prepare for Ryan Rhodes and can you say a bit about how that sparring is going?
Gary Woolcombe: "The sparring has been going really well. I don't have a problem with southpaws. I have been sparring Sam Webb, he is an orthodox fighter, but he's been turning southpaw for me. I reckon he's a better southpaw than he is orthodox fighter, anyway.
"I sparred Tony Oakey a couple of times, we got let down by Craig Watson, and Tony jumped in at the last minute. I sparred Gokhan Kazaz quite a few times and had a good spar with him. I did actually spar Craig, but only once and also John Honney, he's a lot better in the gym then he is on the night, but I had great sparring sessions with all of them."
SB: What were the key components in your British title winning effort against southpaw Marcus Portman last December? What did you find that really worked for you and how were you able to nullify his effectiveness?
GW: " I took the fight at a week's notice, so I never had any southpaw sparring for it, I just took things as they came. I just adapted to his style, that's what makes a good fighter. All my career, I have been due to fight, say, a come forward fighter, and the day before the fight, they change the opponent to a runner, so I had to learn to adapt to deal with the change of opponent." More...
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By Curtis McCormick December 11th, 2007 All Ringside Boxing
**With Slideshow**
© Curtis McCormick / Saddo Boxing
The only title fight to go all twelve rounds this past Saturday on Frank Maloney and Steve Wood's promotion in Wigan, England was also the most bitterly contested scrap at the Robin Park Centre.
The battle featured two reigning English titlists, flyweight Chris Edwards and bantamweight Jamie McDonnel, each attempting to demonstrate their worthiness to assume the inaugural British Super Flyweight Championship.
While Edwards brought a dodgy record on paper to the fight, the compact dynamo from Stoke was in the middle of a definite reversal of fortune, having defeated ex-Commonwealth Flyweight titlist Dale Robinson before fighting him to a standstill for the British and Commonwealth Flyweight crowns this past April. More...
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By Curtis McCormick December 11th, 2007 All Ringside Boxing
**With Slideshow**
© Curtis McCormick / Saddo Boxing
One of the four title fights on the Frank Maloney/Steve Wood shared promotion on Saturday at the Robin Park Centre in Wigan, England featured welterweight Ali Nuumbembe putting his Commonwealth crown on the line against hard punching Manchester southpaw Craig Watson.
Watson came out first and was greeted by a very vocal and large section of the audience, who had come to support their local hero. Glossop based Nuumbembe came out next with his smaller but devotedly hard-core following showering their favorite with applause to try and combat the vigorous "Who are ya? Who are ya?" chants of the Watson cheering section.
In the first frame, Nuumbembe tried to study Watson but the challenger eschewed that time honored tradition in favor of immediately attacking the Commonwealth king, scoring with several thudding overhand shots. But Nuumbembe soon regrouped and began to unload scathing counters upon the head of his tormentor. More...
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By Curtis McCormick December 9th, 2007 All Ringside Boxing
**With Slideshow**
© Curtis McCormick / Saddo Boxing
Frank Maloney and Steve Wood put on a big show at Robin Park Centre in Wigan, England last night, with two British and two Commonwealth title fights on tap along with a host of undercard bouts.
There was a lot of action on the card with three vacant titles being sorted out, one title changing hands and five bouts finishing early.
In the main event, Welling's determined Gary "Hot Stuff" Woolcome overcame tough southpaw Marcus Portman to win the vacant British Light Middleweight title when it was determined that the West Bromwich man couldn't continue after the ninth frame due to a bad cut above the right eye. More...
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By Curtis McCormick December 8th, 2007 All Boxing Articles
Yesterday at the Woolcombe vs. Portman British Light Middleweight title weigh-in, there were wildly different opinions on just who would win tonight's greatly anticipated Ricky Hatton vs. Floyd Mayweather WBC Welterweight title showdown.
Glenn McCrory, former world champion boxer and current Sky Sport Commentator: "I'm pretty much convinced that Hatton is going to pull it off in a sensational win. I think that he totally believes in himself and that he can do it."
Adam Smith: Sky Sports Commentator: "I think that this is a head vs. heart fight. When the fight was first announced, I was convinced that Mayweather would win on points. He's too big, probably too classy and Ricky cuts. Ricky isn't a welterweight, he's away from home...
"There's just so much against Ricky but over the last 12 weeks, I think that he has won the psychological war. I think he looks in terrific condition and if anyone can do it, it's Ricky. I think that he's got a bigger chance now than when the fight was first announced but I'll still go with Mayweather on points."
Frank Maloney, Boxing Promoter: "Mayweather all night long. I think that he'll give Hatton a boxing lesson and probably stop him in the later rounds. Most of the Brits are being ruled by their hearts, the same as it is with the football and we always come up losers in that." More...
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By Curtis McCormick December 7th, 2007 All Boxing Photos, Radio Show
**With Slideshow and Full Audio Stream**
© Curtis McCormick / Saddo Boxing
Yesterday in Wigan, England, promoters Frank Maloney and Steve Wood held a press conference for their "Home Guard" show this Saturday at the Wigan Arena, facing off the eight fighters that will clash in four title fights.
The British Light Middleweight title will be up for grabs when Gary Woolcombe meets southpaw Marcus Portman for Jamie Moore's old title. Woolcombe is continuing a comeback from the Andrew Facey loss while Portman comes into the bout as the reigning WBF titlist.
Commonwealth Welter Champ Ali Nuumbembe will look to retain his belt for the first time when he meets hot prospect Craig Watson from Manchester. The native Namibian stunned British Champion Kevin Anderson in February to win the Commonwealth but may have his hands full with the young southpaw Watson. More...
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