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Boxing Articles By Jose Espinoza
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By Jose Espinoza November 10th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
In July of 2009, the US Congress approved a resolution to pardon Jack Johnson. The House passed the resolution by voice vote a month after the Senate approved it. Yet, when it came time for President Barack Obama to issue a presidential pardon that even his fiercest political rivals agreed was long overdue, he declined to do so.
The question then remains who was Jack Johnson and why is this pardon so important?
On December 26, 1908 Johnson became the first African American heavyweight champion of the world by defeating Tommy Burns at Rushcutters’s Bay in Sydney, Australia. It was a controversial fight because Johnson was constantly being denied his chance to fight for the title due to his race.
This was also a time in history when black athletes were forbidden to compete against white athletes. From that day on, Johnson became a wanted man; promoters all over the world looked for the “Great White Hope” to dethrone the newly crowned black heavyweight champion of the world.
What makes this story even more compelling is that Johnson was born to a former slave on March 31, 1878 in Galveston, Texas. At that time in U.S. history, it was illegal for blacks to walk down the same side of the street as white people.
After his win in Australia, Jack Johnson had become legendary taking on the greatest fighters in the world. Along with being the first black heavyweight champion, Johnson’s escapades and marriages to white women turned a large part of the US public against him. More...
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By Jose Espinoza October 26th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
According to the infectious disease specialist that treated Kelly Pavlik, the middleweight champion was very close to dying after an extreme allergic reaction to his medication.
Pavlik`s temperature rose past 104 degrees and his heart rate accelerated to 150 beats a minute. The 27 year old fighter was admitted to the hospital in these conditions.
"I don't remember that day, that's how bad it was," Pavlik told the Associated Press upon being released from the hospital in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio.
Pavlik does remember however that the doctors warned him that his condition was pretty serious.
It all began with a small staph infection on the knuckle of his left hand, for which he received a cortisone injection. The infection however was not getting better, even with antibiotics. More...
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By Jose Espinoza October 16th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Boxing fans will have to wait a little longer for the Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. rematch.
Originally, the light heavyweight fight was scheduled to take place early in the New Year. According to officials however, there is a clause in the contract that allows Jones to honour an already agreed upon fight which means that Hopkins has the option to go out and take on an interim bout.
This brings us to the announcement made on Wednesday, October 14, 2009, that Hopkins has taken on a fight against Enrique Ornelas. That bout is scheduled for Wednesday, December 2, 2009.
This interim fight is meant to prepare the aging boxer for his upcoming clash against Jones Jr.
At age 44, Hopkins has an impressive record of 49 wins and 5 losses with 32 knockouts. His opponent Ornelas has a record of 29 wins and 5 losses with 19 knockouts. Ornelas is the brother of super middleweight contender Librado Andrade, who is scheduled to fight Lucien Bute in a much anticipated rematch. More...
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By Jose Espinoza September 28th, 2009 All Boxing Results
The WBC light heavyweight belt will remain in Montreal following Jean Pascal’s victory over Silvio Branco on Friday at the Bell Centre.
The bout ultimately ended at 2:19 in the 10th round when Branco’s trainer threw the towel after seeing his fighter knocked down and in bad form from Pascal’s strong hits to the head.
Pascal was able to knock down Branco twice in the tenth round with strong combinations to the Italian's upper body. This bout was a showcase for Pascal, who won the fight convincingly by throwing strong punches in close and using his speedy jab at points when the slower and less mobile Branco stepped out.
The 26-year-old Pascal won the WBC light heavyweight belt with a 12-round unanimous decision over rival Montreal fighter Adrian Diaconu on June 19. More...
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By Jose Espinoza September 17th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Miguel Angel Cotto is climbing his way back to the top of the boxing world after a difficult loss to Antonio Margarito.
Since that devastating loss, the fighter from Puerto Rico has fought against Michael Jennings and Joshua Clottey. In both cases, Cotto has been victorious and demonstrated through his domination in the ring that he is capable of taking on top ranked opponents.
When the opportunity came along for a fight between Cotto and Manny Pacquiao, both parties understood the immense potential to make lots of money and deliver one of the biggest fights of the year.
This fight is so important to Cotto’s career that he took less than 50 percent of the money and agreed to go down in weight for the fight.
There is no question that Cotto is willing to do what’s necessary in order to face Pacquiao, but the question remains; does he have the necessary skill to beat the best fighter in the world in a 12 round assault?
Most boxing analysts have already spoken in favour of Pacquiao. There is too much skill and ability on the side of Pac Man that it’s difficult to make a case for Cotto winning the bout. However here are few elements to take into consideration when making your prediction for the fight.
Bob Arum has stated publicly that he is expecting to see an all-action brawl when the two fighters get together on November, 14, 2009. If Arum’s prediction holds true, an all out brawl will benefit Cotto. More...
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By Jose Espinoza September 10th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
There are few boxers in the business who have the charisma and ability that Jean Pascal demonstrates. The 26 year-old fighter from Montreal is living the life and enjoying every minute of his well deserved fame.
No one will forget Pascal’s form against Carl Froch in a WBC super middleweight title contest that is still being talked about as one of England’s best fights of the year.
Unfortunately for Pascal, he lost the fight but won the respect of many boxing fans and established a name for himself as a fearless fighter.
During the summer, Pascal won the WBC light heavyweight belt from an undefeated Adrian Diaconu by unanimous decision.
On September 25, 2009, Jean Pascal will face Italy’s Silvio Branco at the Bell Centre in Montreal. This will be Pascal’s first title defence and he is looking in great physical form, with lighting fast movement and a good hard punch. More...
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By Jose Espinoza March 15th, 2009 All Ringside Boxing
On Friday night at Montreal's Bell Centre, Lucian Bute took another step toward his dream bout against one of the world’s best fighters in the super middleweight division.
Since his debut in 2003, Bute has been fighting his way up from a no name in his division to the current IBF Super Middleweight Champion. Showtime Inc. believes that Bute is on brink of becoming one of the best in boxing. They made a deal with Interbox, the promotion company that represents Bute, to broadcast every one of his fights. The 29 year old, Romanian fighter has come a long way.
Interbox decided to stage Bute’s third title defense on Friday the 13th in May. His opponent was Fulgencio Zuniga from Colombia, who came into the contest with 19 knockouts in his 26 fights as a professional. Bute's defense against Zuniga, who is ranked 10th by the IBF, was a voluntary selection.
The fight lasted only four rounds. "Is there any doubt now over who is champion?" said Bute. More...
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By Jose Espinoza December 18th, 2008 All Boxing Previews
On January 30, 2009, there will be a championship fight taking place in Montreal between two hungry boxers who are getting a second chance at a title.
Herman Ngoudjo will face Juan Urango of Colombia for the vacant IBF Light Welterweight title. The previous beltholder, Paul Malignaggi, beat Ngoudjo in a title match last January. On that same night, Urango was defeated in a title fight against Ricky Hatton.
A year later, Ngoudjo defeated Souleymane Mbaye of France in an elimination bout in June, while Urango knocked out Carlos Wilfredo Vilches in the fourth round of an eliminator bout on April 23 in Florida.
This is a redemption fight for both boxers. Who will take home the IBF title and who will be left in the cold?
Letʼs take a look at these two fighters: Herman Ngoudjo is a 29 year old boxer originally from Cameroun, who fights out of Montreal. At 29 years of age, "The Black Panther", as Ngoudjo is known, holds a record of 17 victories and two losses.
In his last few fights, Ngoudjo has not been consistent and has not performed to his potential. He looked strong but lost a bout with veteran Jose Luis Castillo in Las Vegas last year, he also lost a close decision to Malignaggi in a title fight on January 5 in Atlantic City. Ngoudjo did not fight well but still won fights in Montreal against Mbaye and Randall Bailey. More...
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By Jose Espinoza December 17th, 2008 All Boxing Articles
On Saturday, December 6, the main event in boxing proved to be the one sided fight between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya. However, in Nottingham, England, one of the very best bouts of the year took place.
Jean Pascal of Montreal lost a unanimous 12 round decision to Carl Froch, in a contest that surpassed expectations for the vacant WBC Super Middleweight title.
Both Pascal and Froch entered the ring as unbeaten champions. Both had strong collateral to their names, Pascal had the prestigious NABF title while Froch held the respected Commonwealth Championship. After the fight, Froch called out Calzaghe, the previous owner of the WBC belt, in hopes of luring him out of retirement and having a lucrative super fight.
However, the reality of the matter is that Froch will probably meet Jermain Taylor or Lucien Bute as his next opponent. At the other corner, Pascal looked stunned by the judgeʼs decision. This loss cost Pascal a shot at Jermain Taylor, the WBC belt and the possible money associated with a victory. When Pascal arrived in Montreal, the fans were waiting for him and cheered him on. In fact, the city rallied behind Pascal, whoʼs future looks hopeful.
With a record of 21 victories and one loss, Pascal is still one of the worldʼs best super middleweights. Letʼs face it, Pascal fought well and was able to score some damaging left hooks and solid rights over the low left hand of Froch.
Pascal had never faced a fighter who threw the kind of hard and accurate punches that Froch is known for. Pascal took the sort of punches that would surely have finished off most fighters, but he kept coming back, fighting until the bitter end. More...
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By Jose Espinoza November 1st, 2008 All Boxing Articles
From Montreal, Olivier Lontchi is a fighter on the rise. He currently holds the NABA Super Bantamweight title and is defending the belt tonight against Ruben Estanislao, 18-10-3 (3)
Lontchi came to Canada from Cameroon. He was a Bronze Medallist in the featherweight division when the 2001 Francophone Games were held in Quebec. His professional career began in September 2004, and he has not stopped climbing the standings ever since.
With a record of 16 wins, no losses and 2 ties, Lontchi has knocked out his opponents on six occasions. Lontchi is currently ranked #22 by the WBC and #9 by the WBA. These numbers however are only temporary because this kid from Cameroon keeps climbing the standings with his constant accuracy and powerful right hand.
Lontchi is looking ahead to this fight because it may mean a possible bout against IBF Champion Steve Molitor, Canada's top fighter. His promotional team, Groupe Yvon Michel, has been trying to arrange this fight since last year, but it seems unlikely that Molitor would fight Lontchi at this stage in his career.
However, European Champion Rendall Munroe of the UK or Reynaldo Lopez of Colombia could be in the horizon for Lontchi if he continues to impress.
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By Jose Espinoza October 30th, 2008 All Ringside Boxing
Sometimes you see an injustice that makes you question your world. What took place in Montreal last Friday night, made me sick.
In the last few seconds of the 12th round, challenger Librado Andrade in my opinion was robbed of a win by referee Marlon Wright. IBF Super Middle Champion Lucien Bute was given a 'Long Count' by the referee, who in my opinion, allowed the hometown boxer to win the bout.
Throughout the fight, Bute had dominated Andrade. In my unofficial scorecard, I had 10 of the 11 first rounds for Bute. Then the 12th round happened.
Andrade came out looking for the knockout and he found a slower and rattled Bute, who went down once. To his credit, Lucien got up and went punch for punch with Andrade, who knocked the champion down again with less than 10 seconds left.
At this point, referee Wright wasted four seconds telling Andrade to return to his corner. He started the count at four but then he slowly counted up to seven.
The referee then proceeded to yell at Andrade again. No one knows why Wright did this, since Andrade was in his corner. The count resumed at seven, with another slow count by Wright. More...
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By Jose Espinoza September 23rd, 2008 All Boxing Articles
Steve Molitor, the IBF Super Bantamweight Champion, is looking towards a defining moment in his career. The undefeated boxer is fresh from winning his most recent bout, against Ceferino Dario Labarda. According to his handlers Orion Management, a victory would secure Molitor a title unification fight against Celestino Caballero. So far, no news about any upcoming fight. Instead, there is a lot of speculation about Molitor's past choices and what this means for his future.
The Canadian Kid, as Molitor is known, has made headlines over the past few months, but not because of his boxing accomplishments. Molitor got into a public argument with his manager, Allan Tremblay, reportedly because of his recent fight purses.
The public fight is now resolved, but there were casualties. There is a strain now between Orion Management and Steve Molitor, and his trainer for the past seven bouts, Chris Johnson, has been replaced. Molitor is now being trained by Stephane Larouche, the man who is responsible for Lucian Bute and Adrian Dianocu. Will this be a good match for Molitor? Only time will tell.
Another issue that has been brought up in the Canadian press, is the quality of Molitor's opponents and his unwillingness to fight outside of Canada since he won the IBF title. His opponents have been carefully selected by his management team to make Molitor shine in his title defenses.
The list goes as follows: Labarda, Takalani Ndlovu, Ricardo Castillo and Fernando Beltran Jr have been his last four opponents. These fighters have little experience fighting real contenders and have rarely fought outside their home countries.
Why hasn't a fight against a more aggressive and experienced opponent been arranged for Molitor? It would benefit him because if you fight against better fighters, you become a better fighter and real contenders will want to fight you. More...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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.
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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...
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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...
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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...
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