Boxing News

Boxing Perspective: No National Broadcast In Canada?

By Jose Espinoza August 19th, 2008 All Boxing Articles

This past Friday, August 15, 2008, a boxing gala took place on the grounds of River Cree Resort and Casino in Canada.

What was so special about the boxing event held in the Edmonton suburb of Enoch, Alberta? It was the first time that a pay-per view service provider broadcasted a boxing event nationwide in Canada.

Hennessy Sports, a British promotional company, made a deal with Super Channel to broadcast the gala from Alberta. The concern here is the inefficiency of Canadian promotional companies to take a proactive measure to secure a deal with a nationwide pay per view channel provider.

This has long been a problem in Canada, which is full of small and scattered boxing
promoters across the country.

The big promoters such as G.Y.M., Interbox and Orion Sports Management, are content with local broadcasts and the occasional nationwide coverage from the Canadian Television Sports Network.

In Canada, there are large regional boxing promoters that carve a niche for themselves in a specific province. More...

The Decline In Canadian Boxing

By Jose Espinoza August 14th, 2008 All Boxing Articles

At the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, there was a parade of athletes from the different countries. They stood together, walking side by side.

In the Canadian delegation however, there was one man that walked alone. Adam Trupish walked among his countrymen and he saluted the crowd with enthusiasm, but this man walked alone. You see, Adam Trupish is the only Canadian boxer to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

On Sunday, August 9, he was defeated by an opponent from Kazakhstan and that was the end for the Canadian dream of a medal in the boxing discipline.

For Trupish, this was his second Olympic appearance and after it was all over, he spoke to reporters. In his comments, Turpish talked about the sorry state that the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association was in.

He spoke about how he had to put himself in debt in order to compete in these games. He even went as far as saying that if the problem with Canadian boxing isnʼt assessed soon, there might be no boxing athletes from Canada in the London Olympics.

In the past six Olympics, Canada has sent 53 boxers to compete in the games. Athletes such as Raymond Downey, David Defiagbon and we canʼt forget Lennox Lewis, have all brought home medals in this discipline.

So why did Canada only send one boxer to Beijing? More...

Boxing Perspective: Sebastien Demers

By Jose Espinoza August 6th, 2008 All Boxing Articles

Who is Miranda? It was five days before Demers was scheduled to fight Fulgencio Zuniga last Thursday that the Colombian boxer declined to fight due to health issues.

It was then that Dionisio Miranda was contacted to take Zuniga’s place. On July 27, Demers was told that his new opponent would be another Colombian who has a respectable record of 19-2-2.

Demers had no choice, he had to fight on August 1 no matter who the opponent. ESPN, as well as other big network broadcast companies, had scheduled Demers on their programming. This was quite an opportunity for promoter Groupe Yvon Michel to headline their talented boxer and let him shine in the spotlight.

How did Demers fall to an opponent who was supposed to be practice for the Canadian fighter?

For two months, Demers had been hard at work training to face Zuniga in an eliminator bout to determine the opponent for IBF Midleweight Champion Arthur Abraham. The anticipation of the fight had attracted the attention of many in the news media, as well as the spectators who packed La Gare Windsor in order to see Demers.

Even with Zuniga sick, the Groupe Yvon Michel had to find an opponent for Demers who was scheduled to fight in an international stage for ESPN.

How did it feel to loose the IBF international belt and the NABA title in front of such important media outlets? That was the question that was most asked to the Canadian boxer. More...

Boxing In Canada: Sebastien Demers vs. Fulgencio Zuniga

By Jose Espinoza August 1st, 2008 All Boxing Previews

Tonight there is a gala taking place in Montreal which will determine the #1 contender in the IBF Middleweight division. Sebastien Demers of Montreal will have an opportunity to shine on the International stage. ESPN will be broadcasting the match live on their ESPN 2 network to a worldwide audience. This is a chance for boxing fans around the globe to witness an up an coming Canadian boxer with the potential to make a huge impact on the sport.

ʽDouble Troubleʼ is the nickname that Demers has been given due to his quickness on the ring and his ability to come back strong after having a good round. With a record of 25 wins and 1 loss, his opponent will have to be aware of Demerʼs persistence at coming inside with the jabs.

Last year, Demers had the opportunity to fight the IBF Champion, Arthur Abraham. When it was all said and done, Demers suffered his first and only loss. This fight, should Demers be the victor, is his opportunity to have a re-match against Abraham.

In an interview granted to Radio Canada, Demers said that he is as exited to fight Zuniga as he was last year when he fought Abraham. The only difference is that he is prepared mentally and is in great physical shape.

Demers knows the importance of winning this fight and he is looking forward to having another opportunity to demonstrate to the world that he deserves to be the champion.

Fulgencio Zuniga is a Colombian boxer who has a record of 20 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw. He is a brawler with the reputation of being difficult to knock down. He fought against Kelly Pavlik back is 2005, a fight in which he performed well but lost by TKO in the ninth round.

In his last fight, Zuniga knocked out the heavily hyped Victor Oganov in the ninth round. Oganov was the favorite in that fight and had knocked out all of his previous 26 opponents before Zuniga. This Colombian fighter has a reputation of fighting against adversity and to pull off upsets. Will he be able to do so in Montreal?

The victor of this bout will be asked in the next year to fight Abraham and maybe even Raul Marquez. Do not miss the opportunity to see this fight, which should live up to the hype announced by the Groupe Yvon Michel. From Montreal to the world, this will be a bout of a lifetime for these two boxers and for the boxing fan.

Boxing Perspective: Where Will Antonio Margarito Go From Here?

By Jose Espinoza July 28th, 2008 All Boxing Articles

After years of frustration, Antonio Margarito went out and took from Miguel Cotto the respect he was due. Neither De La Hoya nor Mayweather Jr. wanted to face this contender. On Saturday night, Cotto understood the reason why!

In what could probably be considered the Fight of the Year, a determined Margarito knocked out the champion in the 11th round. Early on in the fight, Cotto was able to use his speed to land some hard jabs on Margarito. However, the challenger kept on coming.

It was as if Margarito did not know anything else but to walk forward and pressure Cotto, even if it meant receiving some heavy counter punches. From the sixth round onward, Margarito had control of the match and the bout became a massacre. For the first time in his career, Cotto was receiving the same punishment that he had given to so many of his opponents.

As Miguel Cotto left the MGM Grand Garden arena and headed to the hospital, he told the Associated Press: “He's [Margarito] an excellent fighter. He did his job better than I did''.

With a record of 32 wins and 1 loss, Cotto will bounce back and look for a possible re-match against the new champion. As good as Cotto is as a boxer, he has never in his career faced such a hard hitting fighter.

Margarito’s record now stands at 37 victories with 5 losses. Now that this fight is over, it will be interesting to see his next challenger. More...

Boxing Preview: Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito

By Jose Espinoza July 18th, 2008 All Boxing Previews

On July 26, one of the biggest fights to grace the welterweight division will happen in Las Vegas. Be sure to circle the date and get ready to watch, along with Floyd Mayweather Jr, an amazing bout between two of the very best in the division.

Promoter Bob Arum is confident that this fight between two offensive minded boxers will be a huge draw for boxing fans worldwide. Arum even lobbied the Nevada State Athletic Commission to lower the limit on the 10 ounce gloves regulation to 8 ounce gloves.

When you factor all these equations together, this will be one of the most anticipated fights of the summer.

Now about the boxers: Miguel Cotto is coming off a massive victory against Alfonso Gomez in a five round massacre. Gomez was so badly beaten that it was necessary to stop the fight at the end of the fifth.

Cotto holds an undefeated record of 32 wins and no losses, with 26 knock outs. He is a skillful fighter with good speed and an aggressive mentality in the ring. His best asset as a fighter is his willingness to keep on coming and his willingness to get inside on boxers to get at the body.

He has always been a huge draw in the East Coast as his Puerto Rican fans flock into the venues to see his fights. Will he have a fair following in the West? Not likely and the reason why is Margarito.

Antonio Margarito knocked out his last opponent, Kermit Cintron. It took six rounds for Margarito to claim the victory against an ever diminishing Cintron. More...

Boxing Perspective: When Will Manny Pacquiao Fight Ricky Hatton?

By Jose Espinoza July 16th, 2008 All Boxing Articles

On June 28, 2008, Pacquiao defeated with ease the reigning WBC Lightweight Champion David Diaz. It was a fight that most reporters saw as a clinic for Pacquiao, who dominated the entire bout.

Diaz was mangled and could not go on past the ninth round. And so, the question that many are asking is: what is next for Manny? And the answer lies with several possibilities.

Many reports have been saying that Hatton is targeting a future bout with the boxer from the Philippines. Before that happens however, Hatton still has to face Paulie Malignaggi later on this year.

If Hatton is victorious against Malignaggi, then his final fight could be against Pacquiao. Hatton has said that he wants to fight two more times before he retires from the sport.

According to the Associated Press, Hatton gave an interview in which he stated: "In the New Year, I'm hoping to fight either Manny Pacquiao or Oscar de la Hoya at Wembley Stadium in front of 100,000 people and after that I'll probably retire”. More...