Boxing News

During what was supposed to be a press conference to announce a contest between veteran heavyweight contender Lance "Mount" Whitaker and undefeated prospect Sultan Ibragimov at Gallagher's Steak House in Manhattan, an impromptu, sustained no holds barred brawl broke out between the principals. The trouble started when Whitaker took exception

Click for larger image © David Greene

to Ibragimov's repeated placement of his fist in the towering heavyweight's face. Despite several conference attendees jumping onto the backs of the combatants, it was pure mayhem for several minutes and when the smoke cleared, one of the promoters, Samson Lefkowitcz, was lying on the floor unconscious after having been struck simultaneously by both men when he tried to step between them. More...

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Jaime "The Hurricane" Clampitt was looking forward to finishing off 2005 in a big way, with a win over undefeated Gisselle "Magic" Salandy on Wednesday, November 23rd. Her desire to defend her IWBF world lightweight title, however, was overshadowed by a hand injury suffered last Thursday evening in sparring. The extent of the injury will not fully be known until this weekend when the results of

the MRI & Bone Scan have come back. More...

Okay folks, it’s that time of year again. Naseem Hamed has announced his intention to return to the ring "sometime" next year. I’ve read the interviews, listened to the audio and heard the testimony of "experts" rating his chances of a return to former glory but its now time for the joke to stop. Being a boxing fan is hard enough at the best of times; we have to deal with fights falling through, not being made and so on and so forth. What we don’t need is a former star repeatedly taking the piss, which for the want of better words is what Hamed is doing.

I don’t have a problem with Hamed attempting a comeback, as unlikely as it is now with him reportedly weighing closer to cruiser than feather. I would welcome him back with open arms should he pull it off. What I do object to is the manner in which he chooses to do it and the monotonous regularity with which we are subject to these claims. More...

Before his unanimous win over Verno Phillips in June of this year, Ike Quartey was on hiatus for more than five years. But with a renewed confidence and determination, the veteran from Ghana is determined to earn a title shot and become world champion once again. Quartey is set to do battle against Carlos Bojorquez on the Taylor - Hopkins II undercard, televised live on HBO PPV from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino this December 3rd.

As focused and determined as ever, "Bazooka" Quartey is leaving no stone unturned while stationed in the Poconos for an intense training camp. Much is to be expected from the hard hitting African fighter against Bojorquez as he plans to make a statement to the middleweight division and the world that he means business and that this is "No Laughing Matter"! More...

Whenever there are relatives in the same sport, they are constantly compared to one another. In racing there was Dale Earnheart Sr and Jr, while in the sport of tennis, Serena and Venus Williams come to mind. In boxing over the last twenty odd years in there has been the Mayweather brothers, Floyd Sr, Roger and Jeff Mayweather, and the Ruelas brothers, Rafael and Gabe. Pressure has already been put on the young Julio Cesar Chavez Jr because his father may very well have been the greatest Mexican fighter of all time.

Now the focus goes to the Klitschko brothers. The two six foot five plus Ukrainians together have produced enough knockouts to demonstrate the domino effect. It doesn't matter if you are cousins, father and son, sisters or brothers if you share the same last name; you are linked. One is always in the shadow of the other. Although sometimes things take a twist. More...

Yusef Mack dominates Christian Cruz to retain the USBA Super Middleweight and UBA Light Heavyweight Titles!

Last Thursday in Philadelphia, Shuler Promotions put on a show from that city's First District Plaza with the main attraction being undefeated, rising contender Yusef Mack. The local man was hoping to stay busy after a proposed bout with ex-WBC Middleweight Champion Robin Reid fell through. In a pre fight interview with SaddoBoxing, Mack remarked “they flew Cruz in from Cali to take my titles, but it’s not happening”. The Philadelphia fighter proved to be true to his word as he thoroughly outclassed Christian Cruz, scoring a sixth round technical knockout to retain the USBA Super Middleweight and UBA Light Heavyweight Titles. More...

James Toney:

As you know I signed a contract to fight you for your IBA World Heavyweight Title, December 1st on Fox Sports’ Best Damn Sports Show, Period. (Later moved to December 15th ) This was a fight that you claimed to be a “Stay Busy” fight.

Now I have learned that our fight has been canceled in hopes that you will fight WBC Champ Hasim Rahman in February or March of 2006. More...

“GLOBAL WARFARE” BEGINS A MONTH EARLY AS IBRAGIMOV AND WHITAKER BRAWL AT NEW YORK PRESSER

It was supposed to be your typical boxing press conference, an opportunity for the media to meet with the participants of Warrior’s Boxing Promotions’ December 15th card at the Hard Rock Live Arena, and discuss the highly anticipated “Global Warfare” show.

But once heavyweights Sultan Ibragimov and Lance “Mount’ Whitaker got close to each other at Gallagher’s Steak House in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, the tension was obvious. And when Ibragimov put his clenched fist to the chin of Whitaker for the third time, the 6-8 contender had enough and the two started swinging at each other a month before they’re scheduled to do it in the ring. More...

© Tom Casino/Showtime

Popular arguments that intend to discredit Mike Tyson and question his status as a living legend and all time great fighters have nearly always included the fact that he never beat a great fighter. However, it must be stated that during the time that Tyson reigned, he fought the best competition available to him. He brutally battered Trevor Berbick

in two lightning rounds and then imposed crushing defeat on the man who twice beat Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks, in a fight where you could only watch in awe of the future great fighter that Tyson was to become.

Mike Tyson beat, bashed, banged and pummelled the best fighters of his era into submission from 1985-1990. There is no more that a fighter can do in order to cement his legacy. Tyson’s training programme at his peak was unrivalled. Reliable sources have stated that he would get up as early as 5am to do a daily five miles jog, after which he would go back to sleep before getting up again and having breakfast. After this he would do up to twelve rounds of sparing and then have dinner, which was almost always either pasta or steak. He would then do more work in the gym before sparing and eating again. After his final meal he would do roughly an hour on the exercise bike before watching TV and going to sleep. More...

A forlorn figure watched longingly from the shadows as his team-mate stood illuminated on the Olympic podium, about to receive his Gold.

It was a bittersweet moment if ever there was one. How could he, at least outwardly, not be happy for Audley? After all, they were not only countrymen but friends. If his face creased into a smile though, rest assured it was a shallow gesture. Smoke and mirrors, a disguise. Behind the grin lay nothing but regret and sadness, encapsulated in a single, unrelenting thought. "That could have been me up there…" Maybe, even, it should have been.

Courtney Fry and Audley Harrison arrived at the Sydney 2000 Games, side by side, with the hopes of a country resting firmly on their well developed shoulders. They were Team GB’s sole boxing representatives, and as such, were both under enormous pressure to perform. We all know Harrison’s story by now, the Edmonton southpaw delivered emphatically. Fry, on the other hand, didn’t even come close. Instead, the 98’ Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, debilitated into a dud. More...

IBF Light Welter Champion Ricky Hatton is counting down the hours until he meets WBA Champion Carlos Maussa in the ring and "The Hitman" won't have to wait long wait for the chance to add the Colombian's title to his trophy cabinet. The two square off next Saturday on a Fight Academy promotion from the Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield, England and when the smoke clears, half of the division's major title belts will be unified. Will it be

Photo by Mark Robinson © Punch Promotions

Hatton, conqueror of the greatly feared and respected Kostya Tszyu, who prevails? Or will Maussa, the resilient underdog who flattened Vivian Harris this past June, pull off another major upset? While many are leaning heavily towards a Hatton victory, the Manchester hardman for one isn't taking his adversary lightly. "I think this is going to be a hard fight," said the twenty seven year old Englishman. "I remember sitting down in Atlantic City to watch Maussa's fight with Vivian Harris and as Michael Buffer was making the introductions, Maussa was just moving about in his corner. More...

By Brian Kirwan

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Nathan Briggs recently moved in just around the block from the Broncos Leagues Club in Red Hill, Brisbane where on Friday November 11 he made his return to the boxing ring after a 13 month lay off. He looked an imposing figure decked out in white trunks and boots and that's exactly how the fight went. Briggs imposed his strengthm and ultimately his knock out powerm with a second round stoppage of Kiwi Sio Vitale.

Directly after the fight he told "In the Red Corner - Briz 31" that this was part of a four month schedule which should net him the Australian Heavyweight Title. " I am at about 85% tonight but come December 2 everyone will see Nathan Briggs version 100%" More...

Showtime Championship Boxing To Broadcast The Biggest Title Unification Fight Since Leonard - Hearns I

Promoter Gary Shaw announced today that the long-awaited world super middleweight title unification fight between IBF/IBO champion Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy and WBO champion Joe "The Italian Dragon" Calzaghe has been signed and will be broadcast live on Showtime Championship Boxing. Promoter Frank Warren, who represents Calzaghe, stated that the fight would take place in February or March 2006 in Cardiff, Wales. The Ring Magazine will also sanction this super fight for its vacant title. Not since undefeated world welterweight champions Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns locked horns 24 years ago, has there been a world title unification so eagerly anticipated! More...

Danny Williams reckons Audley Harrison will need to go on the new series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! to rebuild his career after their fight on December 10 at the ExCeL London. The Brixton puncher, who in the build up to their grudge clash has accused Harrison of being a celebrity boxer, intends to not only smash up his rival but also reduce his celebrity status to rubble.

In a stinging attack Dynamite Dan said, "He might be a powder-puff when it comes to punching but one thing about Audley is that he can talk so there is never any danger of him being out of work once I've finished his boxing career!" More...

Chris Sanigar's West Country Boxing Promotions presents a stellar night at the fights this Thursday at the Dolman Exhibition Hall in Bristol, England as an evening with American boxing legend Rubin "Hurricane" Carter kicks off the event. Four bouts then follow, featuring light heavyweight Leigh Alliss against Varuzhan Davtyan, super middle Dan Gutherie meeting Marko Doknic and light welter Gary Buckland squaring off with Bheki Moyo as well as an appearance by light welter Ali Wyatt. More...

The doors are locked and the windows are shuttered. No one is allowed to look in as boxing superstar Antonio Tarver prepared for the fight of his life. His opponent? Rocky Balboa.
But even though Tarver’s acting debut as Mason “The Line” Dixon in the sixth Rocky film - entitled “Rocky Balboa” - sees him portraying a fictional heavyweight champion, “The Magic Man” believes that in this case, art may soon be imitating life. More...

Promoter Frank Warren is delighted to announce that WBO World Super-Middleweight Champion Joe Calzaghe will face IBF holder Jeff Lacy in a sensational unification showdown set for early 2006. Warren was in New York last week locked in negotiations with Lacy's promoter Gary Shaw and US TV Network Showtime and has confirmed that the super-fight is signed and will take place in Cardiff in February or March.

"This is the fight that Joe, the media and the fans wanted and I am absolutely delighted that following some hard work over the last few days the fight is on," Said Warren who will promote the show in association with Shaw. More...

Boxing trainer and ESPN/2 Friday Night Fights analyst Teddy Atlas champions the cause of the less fortunate every day, and those works on behalf of the needy will culminate at the ninth annual Dr. Theodore Atlas Foundation Dinner on Thursday night, November 17, a the Hilton Gardens Inn in Staten Island, with a bevy of sports and entertainment giants on hand to help the cause. More...

Former world title challenger, and world rated featherweight contender, Missy "The Fury" Fiorentino (12-1, 7 KO's) will battle WIBF world junior featherweight champion Esther "The Blonde Dutch Girl" Schouten for the vacant IWBF world featherweight title on Wednesday, November 23rd at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence's Down City.

Schouten was the only fighter up for the challenge to face off against Fiorentino, and will be traveling all the way from Amsterdam, Holland for the opportunity. More...

World Famous Laugh Factory Hosts New York City Boxing Press Conference.

DiBella Entertainment's Ike "Bazooka" Quartey (36-2-1, 30 KO's) will continue on his comeback road toward a world title opportunity when he squares off against Carlos Bojorquez (25-7-6, 21 KO's) on Saturday night, December 3, live on HBO Pay Per View from Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

The Quartey-Carlos Bojorquez contest is a 10-round junior middleweight affair, and will be one of the featured televised attractions on the "No Respect" Jermain Taylor vs. Bernard Hopkins II undercard. More...