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By Nick Chamberlain November 24th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
© Chris Royle - Hoganphotos / Golden Boy Promotions
With David Haye's emphatic win over ‘The Beast from the East’ recently, we have a new heavyweight champion of the world, breathing a whole new life into the somewhat lacklustre division, and as some would say, a dying sport.
When it was announced that Haye was going over to Germany to fight Nikolay Valuev, many thought that he would have to knock the giant out to take the belt from him in his back yard, and that if Haye settled for the points win, the judges would award it to Valuev on the strength that Haye did not do enough.
This is what happened to Evander Holyfield last year. In many observer's eyes Holyfield won the fight but the judges had decided that since he was not comprehensively beating down Valuev and had failed to knock him out, that he did not deserve the win. More...
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By Scott Heritage November 23rd, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Former world light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton, 45-2 (32), could make a return to the ring as early as the start of next year if current negotiations with Juan Manuel Marquez, 50-5-1 (37), prove successful.
After his recent two round loss to Manny Pacquiao, many thought Hatton's last bout was behind him, but after a guest spot as a host on a WWE show in Sheffield, Hatton said he was eager to get back in the ring in front of the fans again.
Juan Manual Marquez last fought against Floyd Mayweather Jr, and lost a one sided decision, although it should be mentioned that he moved up two weight classes for the fight.
Hatton would enjoy a similar size advantage, and despite his recent losses, would probably be the favourite going in.
Promoter Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy went on record to say that the fight would probably take place in Manchester, and would be contested at 140lbs. More...
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By Paul Downey November 20th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Impact ABC trainer Andy Sedgmore has hailed the performance of Liam Berrisford after he was crowned National Junior Novice School Boy Champion in Liverpool.
The 15 year old from Meir Park took the title after a points victory over Stevenage ABC's Levi Raymond in the 57-60 kilo category.
“The dedication Liam has put in has been rewarded, and the whole gym is buzzing at the point. Raymond was a very tricky customer who was a natural switch-hitter, but the way Liam changed his tactics and coped with him was exceptional,” he said.
Sedgmore has also refused to rule out competing for a spot in the 2012 Olympics, saying, “Never say never, I think we went into the competition looking to get beyond the Midlands level, and then see where we went from there.”
Berrisford, who had only had three bouts before the competition, decided to keep on boxing when some of his friends stopped, and is delighted to reap the rewards. More...
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By Al Bernstein November 19th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
 This weekend I will join the Showtime team in Oakland for the final stage of the Super Six Boxing Classic. WBA Super Middleweight Champ Mikkel Kessler travels across the pond from Denmark to battle Californian Andre Ward. It’s possible this match-up might end up being the best of the three in the tourney’s first stage.
The first two matches produced some intriguing results and some exciting moments. Arthur Abraham scored a 12th round knockout of Jermain Taylor, punctuating a great performance by this German superstar fighting in front of his home fans.
Taylor had his moments early in this match, but as has sadly become his custom lately, he faded as the match went into the middle and later rounds. Abraham showed us that his peculiar style is a tough one to master.
Showtime Boxing analyst Steve Farhood put it best when he said “Abraham is like a football team, he plays defense and he then plays offense, but never the two at the same time.”
Abraham comes out of his defensive shell to throw quick and powerful combinations. He will be a tough nut to crack in this tourney.
The next man to try will be young American Andre Dirrell who lost a split decision in stage one to WBC Champion Carl Froch. Dirrell landed some good counter punches against the charging Froch and even stunned him once or twice, but just didn’t quite do enough offensively to win the day according to two of the judges.
Dirrell came into the tourney as the least battle tested of the six, and he did show he has the poise and ability to hang with the big boys in this tourney. Froch, the tough Brit, came away with a less than artistic win. More...
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By Lee Tan November 19th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
As boxing fans, we’ve probably all sat at home watching a fight and fancied we could’ve done pretty well in the ring with the right training and preparation. But luckily, most of us sober up or realise we’re too old to chase these far-fetched fantasies.
But over the years, many athletes from other sports - especially power sports - have succumbed to the special lure of the ring. Buoyed by great success in their own fields, and the knowledge that they have exceptional strength, toughness and dedication, they become convinced they can also excel in the noble art.
You’ll often hear sports fans talking up the boxing potential of a great basketball, American football or rugby player. This article looks at some star athletes who actually laced on the gloves. As we will see, very few of these men achieved real success in the ring and most were given a painful lesson by this toughest of sports.
George Trafton: 4-1
A legendary hard man of American football in the 1920s and 30s, Trafton was centre for the Decatur Staleys – later renamed the Chicago Bears.
At 6 foot 2 and 235 lbs, his powerful hitting and roughhouse tactics soon cemented his reputation as the meanest, toughest player of his time. But Trafton wasn’t just powerful, he was a skilled defensive player, known for his quick reactions and athletic moves; so his decision to take up boxing whilst still a Bears player was met with interest. More...
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By Paul Downey November 17th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Newly-formed Five Towns ABC Coach Clinton Campbell is hoping members of his stable can secure Midlands Championships slots in thoroughout the new season.
“It's going to be tough in our first season, but we are hoping to see champions in this gym over the coming years,” Campbell said.
Campbell and co-trainer Paul Dodd are former coaches at Hulton Abbey ABC, and Clinton insists that the time was right to setup their own stable.
“People have certain ways of doing things, and myself and Paul felt that we could teach the young lads here things maybe they weren't learning at the Abbey.”
Despite their departures both have said that relations between the clubs are superb, and also with all the amateur clubs in the Staffordshire area.
“There was no problem with our decision to leave Hulton Abbey, and we still talk regularly with the trainers there as well as all the coaches for other clubs.” Campbell commented.
The gym situated in Bottleslow Street, Hanley has been open for training purposes since January, but Campbell has now registered it with the ABA, and can now look forward to his boxers competing in tournaments nationwide. More...
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By Al Bernstein November 12th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Boxing’s excellent year of 2009 heads for a potential zenith this weekend with the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight.
Anyone who has even a passing interest in the sport should want to watch this match. The true measure of a fight is how many questions it raises when you try to analyze it. This fight has so many interesting elements that it boggles the mind.
The first is the mystique of Pacquiao. There is this almost pervasive force field around him now that suggests that he can do anything. How do you ever really believe he can lose?
He has gone up from 106 pounds at the beginning of his career to 147 to beat Oscar De La Hoya. In the legendary competition between Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera , Erik Morales and Pacquiao, Manny came out with the best record in face to face matches with these hall of famers. And along the way he has become boxing’s international superstar. Does all that mean something when he steps into the ring with Cotto?
Then there is the “real welterweight” angle to this story. Cotto is that. This Puerto Rican superstar is very comfortable at 147 pounds and has been there for years since moving up from 140. He is a big puncher at that weight and still has hand speed to throw combinations.
There is a school of thought (and I am in this school) that says he will be the hardest puncher Pacquiao has fought. Mystique or no mystique, Pacman has been put down and also stopped in his career—but that was a while ago.
Then we have the “reinvention” of Pacquiao. Nearing 30 he did something almost no boxer can do at any age, let alone that age—he reinvented himself. With the help of Trainer Freddie Roach he went from as kind of one dimensional slugger to the textbook version of a boxer-puncher. More...
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By Jane Warburton November 11th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
 I admit that I’m not the best reader in the world, but I agreed to review a new boxing book recently released by Hatherleigh Press entitled ‘Life In The Ring’. Written by John E. Oden, a white-collar boxing champion, this book is a compilation of the life-stories of boxing legends of yesteryear and present day.
The author has selected 15 boxers ranging from Jack Dempsey and Muhammad Ali to Joe Calzaghe and the Klitschko Brothers. Each chapter of the book is dedicated to a boxer (or pair) and there are 12 ‘rounds’.
This is the sort of book I like because it’s written in an easy flowing style and as each chapter/round is based on a different boxer, you can pick it up and put it down, reading the chapters in any order. Short stories within one book works well for me!
The author cleverly compacts the boxer's life-stories, lingering on great moments and really giving the reader a sense of each man's personality and drive. Each chapter is ‘rounded-up’ with the life- lesson or ‘message’ that the author has derived, resulting in a book that combines an inspirational theme with boxing. More...
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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 Jane Warburton November 2nd, 2009 All Boxing Articles
**With Slideshow**
© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing
This past Friday afternoon, SaddoBoxing visited Shinfield's Gym in Somercotes, Derbyshire, to check in on European Super Bantamweight Champion Rendall Munroe.
The "Boxing Binman" will be making the fifth defence of his crown on November 20 in Nottingham, England when he faces Italy's former European Bantam Champion and world title challenger Simone ‘Boom Boom’ Maludrottu, who brings a record of 30 wins (11 by KO) and 2 losses to the contest.
With an impressive record of 19 wins (8 by KO) and just 1 loss, which occurred during a British Featherweight title challenge against Andy Morris in 2006, southpaw Munroe is surely heading for a world title clash. More...
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By Jane Warburton October 31st, 2009 All Boxing Articles
**With Slideshow & Audio**
© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing
Today, Hatton Promotions held a press conference about their upcoming show on Friday, November 13 at Fenton Manor Sports Complex in Stoke.
Headlining the bill is the IBO welterweight title bout between champion Lovemore N'Dou and challenger Mathew Hatton.
On hand at the press conference were Matthew and his brother, former light welter world champion Ricky Hatton along with Hatton Promotions partner Gareth Williams, matchmaker Richard Poxon and Impact Boxing's Scott Lawton. More...
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By Al Bernstein October 30th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Sometimes in life you end up viewing something extraordinary—something you might have missed. That happened for me and all the fans that filled up the Mardi Gras Ballroom at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas this past Friday. We saw a fight of the year candidate. We were in the right place at the right time.
The match between former cruiserweight champion Arthur Williams and Victor Barragan was expected to be an entertaining and competitive fight.
The 44 year old Williams had been somewhat inactive in the last two years and wanted to show that he still had the skills to fight at a high level. The 28 year old Barragan came in with a decent 10-4 record and he needed a win over a cruiserweight of note to move up the ladder. Both men were successful, even though one lost.
Crown Boxing matchmaker Frank Luca provided a classic match of styles. Williams was the taller fighter who used his length and reach to land from the outside—working in a dash of lateral movement. Barragan is a classic attacker, using jabs to work his way inside for a volley of body shots, and finally a left hook or two to the head.
This style dynamic and both fighter’s desire to win created something more than just an entertaining match-up—it was a wildly exciting and well fought match—one of the best I’ve seen this year.
The early rounds were fought at a very quick pace with Williams landing big shots from the outside and then Barragan working his way inside to blast the body and head. Both men used a wide array of punches that included uppercuts, hooks, jabs and even overhand rights. The pace was brutal and seemed to favor the younger man, but Williams gave as much as he took.
The pace and Barragan’s body shots had their effect on the 44 year old Williams. By the 7th King Arthur had slowed a bit. In that round the Oxnard, California resident came up with some big hooks and straight right hands to stop Williams in his tracks and force the fight to be stopped. More...
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By Nick Chamberlain October 29th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
As the first stage of the Super Six Tournament has been and gone, some questions have been answered whilst some remain.
Arthur Abraham did exactly what every-one predicted he would do; tucked up for the majority of every round but without letting the points stack up against him, riding out the storm, and toward the last minute of each frame would unleash hard, wild, looping hooks to head and body that quite visibly shook up Jermain Taylor.
Taylor was again slightly unlucky when he was levelled in the 12th round as he did not see the right hand coming, and it ended him. However, it was a good display from Abraham, who had a good game plan that he stuck to, showing us all the power he has when he lets his hands go.
Carl Froch tackled Andre Dirrell, whom we had not seen a lot of, and the majority of people thought it would be a repeat performance of the Taylor fight, while in fact it was Taylor who produced the repeat performance that night.
When first writing about the Super Six Tournament, my previous prediction was that Froch would stop Dirrell, but in reality Froch could not catch Dirrell.
Dirrell was sharp, fleet of hand and foot, his punches were clean and accurate, especially on the counter and the only thing going against him in this fight was that he did not want to get involved in a toe-to-toe war with Froch, which is understandable.
Froch was almost exposed in this fight, in which he was very, repeat, very lucky to get away with the win.
Next up for Froch is Mikkel ‘The Viking Warrior’ Kessler, who's glittering 42-1 (32) record has only been sullied by the top super middleweight of the last ten years, Joe Calzaghe. 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 Paul Downey October 22nd, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Impact ABC Coach Andrew Sedgemore is hoping for a double triumph from his stable this week, as two of his young guns compete for glory in the Staffs and Midlands categories.
“It is great for the area and for the gym, that Liam and Matt both have the possibility of representing the Midlands," he said.
"It's a good confidence booster for them and us as trainers, but they must stay focussed and continue their good work”.
Meir Park youngster Liam Berrisford will be part of a Midlands squad that will compete against a North West select team in Chesterfield on Saturday at Junior Novice Class A Level.
After a unanimous decision victory over Grimsby's Joshua Hyldon two weeks ago, his coach is adamant that Berrisford can be make an impression on the junior amateur scene. More...
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By Jane Warburton October 19th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Sad news I’m afraid. Joe Calzaghe will no longer be gracing our screens on Saturday nights.
This weekend, the ‘Pride of Wales’ was ultimately voted off the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ show by the panel of judges, in fact it was a unanimous decision!
This weeks dance was the ‘Jive’ and - wearing bright red, shiny, satin shirt and dark trousers - Calzaghe kicked along to the up-tempo sounds of ‘Rock This Town’ alongside partner Kristina.
Grinning - he looked to be enjoying himself out on the dance floor. Bruce Forsyth congratulated them but thought they should have got Joe a boxing ring to dance in. “It might have helped,” Bruce offered. 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 Al Bernstein October 15th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
I am off to England for the opening weekend of the Super Six World Boxing Classic and the gravity of the moment is hitting me, as it is everyone else associated with this rather grand event.
Without overstating the case, this is a pretty significant undertaking. What makes it even more so is the fact that this is something that has never been done. Very seldom can you say you are participating in something in a sport that has not been done.
As this “World Cup” type tourney begins, it is thrusting boxers, promoters, TV executives, sportscasters and fans into some uncharted territory. There have been tournaments in boxing before, but none with this format, none that stretched this long and none that had such logistical challenges.
Six boxers will; be bound together for months, facing each other and no one else. They will be scouting future opponents and preparing for their own battles at the same time. They will know what lies ahead of them and have to carefully plan what they do in the ring so they can keep winning, remain injury free and have enough in the tank to get through five matches against top competition over the next 18-24 months to win this tourney.
One of the intriguing aspects of this is that most fighters don’t fight that many matches in a row against the best men in their division. Recent examples of tough schedules for fighters are revealing when compared to this super middleweight task. Take Erik Morales, who within a 24 month period fought super featherweights Manny Pacquiao three times and Marco Antonio Barrera once. He was 1-3 in those fights.
In the 1999-2000 calendar years, Oscar De La Hoya took on the best welterweights available to him; Ike Quartey, Felix Trinidad and Shane Mosley. He went 1-2. More recently from 2006-2008, Miguel Cotto, within the welterweight division, battled Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey. Despite a 3-1 record in that group of fights, we know it took a toll on Cotto—though part of that toll may have come courtesy of the “extra powerful” gloves of Margarito. More...
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By Jane Warburton October 14th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
 Irish middleweight Andy Lee, will face current European Union and French champion Affif Belghecham at the UL Arena in Limerick, on November 14 in a Brian Peters event entitled ’Yanjing’ Fightnight'.
Peters sees this as Lee’s ’stepping stone’ to a title clash with Birmingham boxer Matthew Macklin, or Irish boxer John Duddy, next year.
As Macklin is now the European and British champion at the weight and Duddy has become a big name in America, either matchup would be sure to fill the seats with Irish boxing fans wherever the contest is held.
At a press conference yesterday - Lee was excited to be fighting in Limerick and though confident - admitted this would be a hard fight against Belghecham.
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By Ricky Jones October 12th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
David Haye has done all the right things via the press to get generate a heavyweight title challenge and has been rewarded with a shot against WBA champion Nickolay Valuev in Nuremberg, Germany on November, 7.
But with the same certainty in which that statement can be made, there's no doubt the former world cruiserweight champion hasn't earned that opportunity in the conventional sense.
Haye clambered atop the 200 pound class with wins against the likes of Jean Marc Mormeck, Enzo Macarrinelli and Giacobbe Fragomeni while never having faced Tomasz Adamek or Steve Cunningham in order to truly rule the division, skipping instead to join the heavies.
At that higher weight, Haye hammered out aging former contender Monte Barrett over five rounds a year ago but has gone no further during that time.
Generally, this sort of limited activity as a heavyweight would have earned Haye the chance to meet such opponents as Hasim Rahman, Ray Austin, Fres Oquendo...etc, for a few bouts before a genuine world title opportunity would have materialized, assuming "the Hayemaker" won those contests. More...
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