Undisputed world welterweight champion Zab “Super” Judah has been nominated for an ESPY Award in the category of Best Boxer.
Judah earned this nomination after scoring a ninth-round technical knockout over Cory “The Next Generation” Spinks on Feb. 5 at the Savvis Center in St. Louis before the largest crowd to witness a boxing match at an indoor arena in history. More...
DiBella Entertainment's Ike "Bazooka" Quartey, fresh off his convincing victory over Verno Phillips in Memphis on June 11 on HBO, says he is ready to take aim at former champ Oscar De La Hoya.
"I beat Oscar when I fought him the first time even though he got the decision," says Quartey, the gunner from Ghana. "I know I can handle him again. I am ready!" De La Hoya apparently has Winky Wright, Felix Trinidad and Fernando Vargas on the radar screen for his return to the ring. More...
Stretching from Mongolia to Eastern Europe, the Eurasian steppes spawned many robust tribes throughout the centuries such as the Cimmerians, Scythians, Samartians, Mongols, Tartars, Huns, Hephthalites and Magyars. Lacking the natural resources to sustain their growing
hordes, they spread out in all directions, destroying, assimilating or merging with existing societies and eventually settling into the new lands. This is the case with the Magyars, who first lived in an area called Magna Hungaria in the Urals but slowly wandered westward, often being pushed by newer waves of migrating legions, during the 6th to 9th centuries before the eventually settled into the Carpathian basin led by the Pagan chief Arpád, and once again drove out or absorbed the existing residents. Around 1000 AD, under the excellent leadership of Vajk, the various tribes of the area unified and he brought in several reforms to organize Hungary into a feudal state, even converting these ardent Pagans into Christianity. Vajk was renamed King Stephen by Pope Silvester II and the foundation charter of Hungary was drawn up on the northern shore of Lake Balaton, thus becoming the earliest written record extant in the Hungarian language. One thousand years later, a second Magyar swarm has descended as wave after wave of world class boxers are emerging from the Hungarian nation. The forefather was Laszlo Papp who won Gold Medals at three consecutive Olympics (1948, 1952, 1956) before racking up a professional record of 27-0-2 (15). Papp’s world title aspirations were cut short by the Communist regime that revoked his privilege to travel abroad, thus ending his chance of a title shot, and the hopes of a nation. More...
The next "CES' Prime Time Fights" show presented by Classic Sports & Entertainment & Sports, Inc (CES), originally scheduled for August 12, has been changed to Aug. 26 in Down City Providence at the Rhode Island Convention Center, CES president Jimmy Burchfield announced today.
Likely participants include new USNBC super middleweight champion Joey "KO Kid" Spina (16-0, 12 KOs), undefeated cruiserweight Matt Godfrey (8-0, 5 KOs), 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason "Big Six" Estrada (3-0, 1 KO), former world champion Jaime "Hurricane" Clampitt (14-3-1, 5 KOs), and junior welterweight Eddie Soto (1-0, 1 KO).
Ticket reservations are being accepted by calling CES' corporate headquarters at 401.724.2253/2254.
IBF Light Welterweight Champion Ricky Hatton's trip to America this past weekend was an unqualified success. The British hero was in Atlantic City to watch Arturo Gatti put his WBC title on the line against Floyd Mayweather and also to witness Vivian Harris' WBA title clash against Carlos Maussa. Other highlights saw the twenty six year old from Manchester, England filling the studio guest host chair on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights program and Frank Warren's promotional firm Sports Network, in the form of Frank Maloney and Richard Maynard, sponsored a closed door interview session with the top American boxing reporters including Steve Farhood, Dan Rafael, Tim Smith, Greg Leon and George Willis , which served well to introduce the talkative and humorous Hatton to the US Press. More...
Boxing fans are an intense, excitable bunch. I should know, I am one of them. Most every boxing fan remembers the fight or fighter that got them interested in the sport. In my case, it was the first Ali-Frazier fight, back in 1971. The buildup prior to the fight was huge, at least by 1971 standards. I still remember reading a long, interesting article in Sports Illustrated a week or so before the fight. The boxer versus the puncher. The article beautifully depicted the upcoming fight as not just a boxing match, but as a battle between two very dissimilar men with a genuine dislike for one another. Before that fight, boxing never interested me. But like thousands (maybe millions) of others, I got caught up in the hype. I remember rooting for Ali right from the start. If the sense of anticipation was great, the fight more than lived up to the hype. Although Ali lost the fight, the result punctuated by Frazier’s left hook, which floored Ali in the fourteenth round; the fight was an instant classic. From then on, I was hooked. I had become a boxing fan. More...
I am thrilled to announce that former IBF super featherweight champion of the world Carlos "Famoso" Hernandez has agreed to take part in a question and answer session that will air on the very next edition of the "TKO Boxing Show" coming this weekend. "Famoso" always gives his all in the ring and aside from being a true champion,
"Famoso" is responsible for many memorable moments in the ring against the likes of Erik Morales, Floyd Mayweather and most recently, Jesus Chavez. In addition to this fantastic opportunity that "Famoso" is giving the fans, he has also signed a pair of boxing gloves which will be sent to one lucky winner.
"I am motivated for all my fights, but this guy talks so much, I am even more motivated. I will take great pleasure in closing his mouth once and for all and doing it in a good, convincing manner."
"I do not think Sykes knows what he has got himself into. But he will find out July 2 on SHOWTIME."
"My mindset is the same. In a few days, it will be time to go to my office and go to work. I never allow myself to feel pressure. I do not underestimate any opponent. I do not look past anybody. I take my fights one at a time." More...
Undefeated Hungarian light heavyweight Zsolt Erdei will defend his WBO light heavyweight championship this week. Erdei, who defeated Julio Gonzalez for the title has made three defenses of the belt, two of which came agains Hugo Hernan Garay. Sahnoune of France has thirty-one wins against a single loss, which came against Silvio Branco in defense of the WBA light heavyweight championship he won in his previous fight against Bruno Girard. The hard-hitting Frenchman has twenty-seven stoppages to his credit and will be looking to become a world champion at the second time of asking this Saturday.
Look for a great preview article on this fight from our very own Jonny Townsend tomorrow.
Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao appears to be finally free of legal troubles now that a settlement has been reached out of court between him and now former promoter Murad Muhammad. Pacquiao alleged financial misdeeds at Muhammad who, when challenged claimed to have an unbreakable promotional contract with Pacquiao. Court proceedings unfolded a different story and Pacquiao finally has the freedome from Muhammad's promotional grasp and will have court costs covered by the promoter. Pacquiao will return to the ring later this year at a time and against an opponent yet to be disclosed.
British lightweight sensation and Olympic silver medallist Amir Khan is set to make his professional boxing debut next month. July 16 is the day that Khan will set foot in a professional prize ring for the first time, and he wants his former amateur rival Mario Kindelan to join his camp as a trainer. Khan is full of respect for the man that beat him en route to an Olympic gold medal in last year's games and sees no greater individual that could help him achieve greatness in the professional game. Kindelan traveled to England to fight Khan earlier this year and it was clear that Khan had studied Kindelan and took a hard-fought decision from the talented Cuban. Khan recently visited Kindelan's Cuba and may request formally that the amateur legend be allowed to coach him throughout his professional career.
Barely 15 kilometers (10 miles) separate their training camps in South Florida, yet the lives - and careers - of middleweights Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor have a more noticeable gap. Nearly five years after winning a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics, Taylor try to do what 18 others have failed - dethrone Hopkins from his middleweight reign when the two fighters meet July 16 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. "I'm supposed to be the next in line," Taylor said Tuesday, when he and Hopkins had open workout sessions in Miami. "He's had his chance. Now it's his chance to step down." More...
“Ideally, Cotto - Mayweather in the future could be like Leonard - Duran. The same kind of ingredients, the Latin fighter, the darling kid, it really has that type of possibility.”-Top Rank President Todd duBoef on Floyd Mayweather’s future fights.
I had the good fortune to speak with Top Rank President Todd duBoef in Atlantic City after last weekend's magnificent Mayweather - Gatti fight card at Boardwalk Hall. Despite his
very busy schedule, Todd generously took the time out for SaddoBoxing.com and spoke about Top Rank promoted fighter Floyd Mayweather's future along with the exciting light welterweight division.
SaddoBoxing: Can you tell us about your feelings concerning tonight's card?
Todd duBoef: "I think that tonight's card changed the landscape of the 140-pound division. I remember being on a conference call with Miguel Cotto and everyone was asking 'what's going to happen?' concerning the 140-pound division, and I said that on June 26th, we'll talk about what's going to happen. Who would have thought that Vivian Harris would get knocked out by Maussa? And Mayweather looked like Superman tonight."
SaddoBoxing continues to deliver the best interviews out there. Top Rank President Todd duBoef discusses the possibility of a Hatton-Mayweather fight. Don’t miss it.More...
The heavyweight division is the biggest division in size, in punches and in paying out the biggest paychecks. On the other end, it is also one of the most lackluster and confusing divisions out there. Who is the king of the heavyweights? Don King, spare us the financial profiting you seem to receive while pushing this heavyweight tournament of crowning one champion with all three belts. If we allow King to continue this pace, the future three-belt champion is not even born yet, so I will consider taking a nap near ringside; wake me up when he arrives. This is a time when a six-foot-two-inch heavyweight with potent power and the imagination to take over the heavyweight division can do so, and if anyone can make the division wake up, Samuel Peter is the man. Saturday will be the day in which Peter can convince more people on why he should be earning a title shot at one of the three beatable and non-dominating heavyweight champions. More...
For the first half of his title defense against Gerardo Verde, Ivan Calderon lived up to his "Iron Boy" nickname. The diminutive minimumweight hammered his younger opponent at will, blunting the Mexican's aggression with sharp, discouraging counters. For a while it looked as if Calderon would pull off a dominating
performance but all the movement began to catch up with the thirty-year-old. At ten years Calderon's junior, Verde, 13-2 (10), entered the later rounds the much fresher man. Gradually Calderon threw less and landed at a lower percentage, while the pressure of the Mexico City man finally began to become a factor in the bout.
Curtis McCormick rounds up his ringside coverage of the Gatti-Mayweather fight card for SaddoBoxing.com. Look out for more great ringside snapshots.More...
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. easily had his way with a decent journeyman on Saturday night's Mayweather - Gatti undercard in Atlantic City and entertained the audience with a methodical breakdown that brought back images of his famous father in his prime. Rueben Galvan was certainly no world beater but at nineteen years old, Chavez Jr. showed maturity and strength
as he brushed away the Indiana man's offensive efforts while landing stinging shots, being particularly effective with a heavy left hook to the body. Galvan almost didn't make it out of the initial frame but his experience saw him through, grabbing hold of the much taller and seemingly larger Chavez Jr. The young son of the Mexican legend showed a bit of the father's mean streak, at one point throwing a retreating Galvan through the ropes and nearly out of the ring itself. More...
Only July 16, an intriguing match-up will take place. Call it historical; call it whatever you wish but this just might be the changing of the guard for an old warrior. Bernard Hopkins (46-2-1, 32 KOs) will square-off against the brightest middleweight prospect this decade in Jermain "Bad Intentions" Taylor (23-0, 17 KOs) in what figures to be a good match-up. "The Executioner" owns four middleweight title belts and holds wins over future hall-of-famers such as Felix Trinidad and Oscar de la Hoya. Jermain has blown out virtually every fighter he has faced including a twelve round win over former three-time WBA middleweight champion William Joppy. Taylor's management team has to be thinking if this is a bad move for their young twenty-six-year-old fighter because they are facing a fighter who has not lost since May 22, 1993 against fellow hall-of-famer Roy Jones. History tells us that seemingly unbeatable foes can easily be outclassed and beaten badly on any given night, which means that the question remains: will the stars be aligned on the night for Taylor to be the undisputed middleweight champion? More...
I had the luxury of spending some quality time watching some old footage of Oscar de la Hoya’s two fights against Shane Mosley and a thought entered my mind right then and there. What would a fight be like between De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather? This fight has the promise of rising to the occasion and presenting a huge plus sign to the sport of boxing. I could also be the springboard for Mayweather’s mainstream career. Let’s not forget the large paycheck, sold out tickets and a high amount of pay-per-view buys. Before you cast off De La Hoya as being an old boxer, listen to yourself and compare other attributes that could make these two boxers even. Oscar is thirty-two, Floyd is twenty-seven, Oscar’s height is five-feet ten or eleven, and Mayweather is five-feet-eight or nine. A seventy-three inch reach will help support Oscar's jab and Floyd's reach is seventy-two inches. Mayweather's speed is one that reminds you of Meldrick Taylor. More...
Fans arriving early to the “Trailblazers’ event at the Nottingham Arena on July 9th co-headlined by Carl Froch and Junior Witter will get to see an extra – guaranteed to be exciting - fight.
With doors opening at 5.30pm and boxing not scheduled to start until 6.30pm, promoters Hennessy Sports have decided to fill the opening hour with coverage of local fighter Froch’s recent win in America on their trademark jumbo video screens. More...
