Carl Froch is a man on a world title mission. Rather than sit back and bask in the glory of his devastating punch perfect win over world operator Sergey Tatevosyan at the weekend, the Nottingham puncher has called on the Russian’s countryman Dennis Inkin to meet him in a final eliminator.
British and Commonwealth super middleweight champion Froch, boxing in front of his loyal hometown fans at the Nottingham Arena, became the first ever to stop Tatevosyan after flooring him with a spectacular right hook in the second round. Tatevosyan beat the count, but was rescued shortly after whilst under a barrage of punches from the merciless “Cobra’.
The win cements his place in the world top two. He was already ranked at #3 by the WBO and WBC but Lucian Bute – who was ranked above him in both – was taken the distance last time out by Tatevosyan and has opted to contest a final eliminator for the IBF championship. More...
After a busy day working out for the media, signing autograph and chatting to many fans in the Gateshead section of Newcastle, England, Alfonso Gomez of both the US and UK versions of The Contender television programs was kind enough to speak by phone exclusively to SaddoBoxing as he rested in his hotel room.
A 26 year old light middleweight from Los Angeles, Gomez, 15-3-2 (6), was a struggling six round fighter when he was projected into the limelight two and a half years ago via The Contender on NBC in America. Gomez racked up wins on the program against the likes of Peter Manfredo, Jessie Brinkley and Ahmed Kaddour while losing to Manfredo in a rematch and also to Luciano Perez.
This Friday, Gomez will challenge Leicester banger Martin Conception, 11-3 (8), on ITV's version of The Contender, with the bout taking place on a bill from the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England. More...
Jamie Moore 26-3 (18 KOs) has at long last found the world class opponent he has been seeking for his top of the card bout at Altrincham Leisure Centre in Manchester, England on Friday, 13 April.
Several highly rated Americans were afraid to leave their shores to take on the formidable 28 year old British Light Middleweight Champion, but two time former world title challenger Sebastian Andres Lujan 26-4-2 (18KOs) of Sante Fe, Argentina, did not hesitate when offered the opportunity to return to the UK.
27 year old Lujan has already tangled with WBO Welterweight Champion Antonio Margarito and WBO Light Middle titlist Sergiy Dzinziruk in highly competitive but ultimately unsuccessful title bids. More...
Last night at the Hotel Convencion in Madrid, Pablo "Hurricane" Navascues went to war with domestic archrival Miguel Angel Pena and came out ten rounds later with a split decision win, the Spanish Light Middleweight title and what is sure to be a lock on challenging for the European belt.
Pena, 25-12-4 (9), hadn't seen the inside of a ring since a failed European Union bid at welter against Antonio Lauri two years ago, which may have accounted for his high pressure attack in the early rounds but Navascues, 25-1 (18), was content to let the older marry carry the action and countered Pena beautifully.
By the sixth frame Navascues had an exhausted Pena reeling but the Man from Madrid was unable to stop his highly decorated rival. Pena, a former Spanish champ at lightweight, light welter and welterweight, regrouped and once again had Navascues on the defensive. More...
Editor's note: the Ring Light Welterweight Champion of the World Ricky Hatton has joined the fray and entered into the Barclays football fan art competition; click on the "more" link below to see Ricky's entry.
The response to Barclays and Arts Council England’s nationwide art competition for football fans has been fantastic. Since the launch of “Barclays: Finding Fan Gogh’ in November last year, we’ve had entries from all over the world – from Nigeria to Australia, Singapore to Sweden and right across the UK with young and old vying for the £10,000 first prize.
There are now only two days to go until entry deadline, Friday 30th March is the closing date, so don’t delay, send your entry today!
In a celebration of the on-pitch artistry and invention football fans see, plus their passion for playing the beautiful game themselves, fans are invited to show “what football means to them’. More...
Metro Detroit’s Mary Jo Sanders continues to win over the boxing world, this time attracting the interest, and national television coverage, of ESPN Sports.
Rarely do women get the spotlight of the main event position on a televised card, but Mary Jo’s recognition in the boxing world as one of the best pound for pound woman in the sport today – plus her growing fan base across the country – has convinced the boxing experts at ESPN to come to Detroit and showcase Sanders.
This prime time boxing show will take place in the Wayne Hall of Cobo Center in Downtown Detroit. The convention center will be transformed into an intimate boxing arena for this special event, with limited capacity and very limited public ticket sales. More...
Joshua Clottey, 30-2 (19), is one of the sport's best but often overlooked welterweights. The native of Accra, Ghana, who now lives in the Bronx section of New York City, has been fighting since he was just a boy. After a lengthy amateur career, Joshua joined the pro ranks in 1995 and won his first bout via points decision over Samuel Lotsu.
He continued his success by winning the Ghanaian light welterweight title and made the occasional trek to England, which helped tone his already evident skills. In 1999, Clottey faced future welterweight world champion Carlos Baldomir. Clottey controlled the fight and was on the verge of winning when he was disqualified in the eleventh round for leading with his head.
After the minor setback, Joshua continued his winning ways and in 2003 made his American debut at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Manhattan with a sixth round stoppage of Jeffrey Hill. Since then, it’s been full steam ahead for the African native.
Clottey won his next eleven bouts, becoming more impressive each time out, and then finally on December 2, 2006, the hard work paid off when his chance at a world title arrived. The opportunity came against WBO Welterweight titlist Antonio Margarito. More...
WBC number one cruiserweight and European champion David Haye has a new target at 200 lb with Jean-Marc Mormeck's recent world title win over hated rival O'Neil Bell.
"I'm really looking forward to fighting Mormeck," said Haye. "I think our styles will make for a great tear up but I'm convinced that I have the ability to beat him.
Haye has a letter from the WBC confirming that Mormeck must face the lanky London powerhouse and Haye's promoter Frank Maloney feels a sense of deja vu.
"Having already taken Lennox Lewis to the top, I firmly believe David has what it takes to rule the cruiserweights," said Maloney. "We also believe David can win the world title at heavyweight but he's at a very dangerous stage of his career and must dispose of Tomasz Bonin before we can start looking too far ahead." More...
British title hopeful, Chris Edwards received a boost to his preparations today when he learned that had become the first member of Impact Boxing’s fledgling stable to earn a world ranking. The WBC, one of the leading sanctioning bodies in world boxing, now ranks Edwards at number 38 in the flyweight division.
Matched against former Commonwealth champion Dale Robinson once more at Altrincham Leisure Centre on 13th April, Edwards now has his sights firmly set on becoming the first Potteries fighter to win a Lonsdale Belt since Tommy Harrison in June 1922.
Contemplating the biggest fight of his career to date, Edwards has taken leave from work for the first time ever in order to prepare and is now training three times a day. More...
Five-time world champion and reigning WBA cruiserweight title-holder Virgil "Quicksilver" Hill has collaborated with Grammy Award-winning record producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and singer Joy Enriquez to produce "Conqueror," a new single that will be released at "The Rematch," headlined by the 12-round main event between Hill and Henry "The Gentleman" Maske, on March 31 in Munich, Germany.
"The Rematch," promoted by WHS International at Olympia Hall, will be broadcast live in the United States on cable and satellite pay-per-view starting at 4 PM/ET, 1 PM/PT.
The event is being distributed for pay-per-view by Integrated Sports and will be available via iN Demand, DirecTV and TVN for a suggested retail price of only $24.95. More...
"Collision Course" is a throwback to the days when boxers readily fought each other, politics didn't play a role, and fans always got their money's worth.
"Collision Course," promoted by Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc. (CES), headlines ESPN2 Friday Night Fights on April 6 with young cruiserweight contenders Matt "Too Smooth" Godfrey and Felix "Bad News" Cora, Jr. squaring off at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Godfrey and Cora, roommates at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, will battle in the 12-round main event for Godfrey's NABA title belt and the vacant NABF cruiserweight championship, as well as a possible world title fight opportunity later this year. More...
In April 13, 2007, Cestus Management’s 168-pound prospect Don “Da Bomb” George returns to the squared circle as his promoter, Top Rank, is presenting a boxing card at Cicero Stadium in Chicago, Illinois.
The promotion will be televised on Telefutura. That night the undefeated George will take on former regional title challenger; the grizzled twenty-seven fight veteran Alberto Mercedes.
It is a fight in which “Da Bomb” looks to show how he is the prospect to watch. Donovan said, “Albert Mercedes is a very experienced fighter who has been in there with top opposition. It is the type of fight that is good for me as I am going to show my abilities put I’m going to put some serious hurt on this guy.” George continued, “This guy is coming to my home and he is not welcomed so I’m going to punish him mercilessly.” More...
Super featherweight Hector Velasquez will return to Chicago on Friday, April 13th to face Francisco Lorenzo at Cicero Stadium in the main event of Resurrection, it was announced today by Dominic Pesoli, President of 8 Count Productions.
Tijuana, Mexico native Velazquez, 46-11-2 (32KO’s), riding a four bout winning streak, is coming off an outstanding win over Manny Pacquiao’s brother Bobby on November 16, 2006 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Velasquez was well ahead on points when Pacquiao was disqualified in the eleventh round.
As he showed against Pacquiao, Velazquez is a very tough veteran capable of breaking down opposition with his trademark well placed body shots. His fourteen year career includes battles with numerous champions and highly ranked fighters including Manny Pacquiao, Rocky Juarez, Israel Vasquez, Guty Espadas Jr., Kevin Kelley, Orlando Soto, Robbie Peden and Carlos Rios. More...
Last night in front of 20,000 people at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark, WBC/WBA Super Middleweight Champion Mikkel Kessler won every round enroute to posting a wide points decision victory over hard nosed Librado Andrade.
From the start it was clear that Andrade didn't come to Copenhagen to deliver anything less than full effort but sheer will and toughness couldn't overcome the sizable edge in skill enjoyed by Kessler.
Despite only being an inch taller than the champion at 6 foot 2, the California based Mexican was substantially bigger than the Dane and Andrade's size and reach advantage gave Kessler some difficulty throughout the night but it was the challenger's chin that kept him in the fight.
Kessler relied on quick footwork and superb balance to prevent Andrade from mounting any sustained or coordinated offensive effort while patiently picking moments to rip the visitor with well placed combinations that lashed Andrade's head at times as if it was on a swivel. More...
This past Friday night at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, CT, welterweight Jessie Feliciano challenged reigning USBA titlist Delvin Rodriguez and stopped the heavily favored Dominican in the eighth round. Also on the bill, southpaw welter Said Ouali stopped rival Irving Garcia in the second round.
Round one: The highly anticipated bout between Feliciano and Rodriguez starts with Rodriguez coming out throwing a stiff jab and stalking the circling Feliciano. Feliciano is the much shorter fighter and is pawing with the jab early, trying to get inside. Rodriguez has his right hand cocked back and unleashes a quick one for the first time, a minute in, but fails to catch Feliciano as he moved inside.
Feliciano is circling to the right a lot early and two minutes through the round, hasn't thrown anything other than a soft jab. Rodriguez has fast hands and catches Feliciano for the first time with a right uppercut as Feliciano charged inside with his head down. Feliciano seems very tentative in this opening round while Rodriguez is just looking for a place to fire. The whole round was spent as a feeling out session for both fighters.
Round two: Rodriguez has his hands way out in front of his face and is keeping Feliciano at bay just by putting his hands to the top of Feliciano's head. Feliciano however, is more aggressive this round, coming in with his head down but Rodriguez is prepared and lands two very quick right uppercuts. More...
Last night in front of a packed house of hometown fans at the Ice Arena in Nottingham, England, super middleweight Carl "The Cobra" Froch put a quick end to the challenge of Russian southpaw Sergey Tatevosyan, blasting out the import at 2:54 of the second round.
British and Commonwealth Champion Froch started off the bout with a few range finding jabs before unleashing his full arsenal upon the durable visitor.
Tatevosyan spent the rest of the opening frame on the defensive, looking for a way to escape the furious shelling from Froch but there was no place to hide as the Russian fielded some blistering right hands. More...
HBO's hit late-night boxing series showcases an emerging super middleweight star when HBO Boxing After Dark: Mikkel Kessler vs. Librado Andrade is seen Saturday, March 24 at 9:45 PM ET/PT from Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, as well as closed-captioned for the hearing impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.
HBO2 playdates: March 25 (7:45 AM, 4:45 PM) and 27 (11:45 PM). Times are ET/PT. More...
After losing his first title match via highly controversial split decision, Cestus Management’s 140-pound contender “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis is back in training.
The Greek powerhouse, who is out to prove that his only loss is a fluke, is slated to face Kendall Holt in a WBO Junior Welterweight title eliminator which will be broadcast live on Showtime. The fight scheduled for April 20, 2007, is going to take place at the Bally's Event Center, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Arnaoutis, whose record stands at 17-1-2 with 9-kos said, “I was so disappointed in myself as I let my team (Cestus Management), family, friends, and entire country (Greece) down in my last fight (against Ricardo Torres),” Mike (Michael), Gina (Iacovou) and all of Team Cestus have been very supportive. More...
Tonight Thompson Boxing Promotions will present two of its unbeaten rising stars in separate bouts at the Doubletree Hotel in Orange, CA.
Super Featherweight Dominic Salcido of Rialto will face brawler Barbaro Zepeda in an eight round bout, while hard-hitting Colombian Yohnny Perez faces Oscar Andrade in an eight round bantamweight bout.
Proceeds raised from the event will benefit two youth centers: The Indio Boys & Girls Club and the Alhambra Youth Boxing Club.
Salcido (9-0, 6 KOs) will be fighting for the second time in a month. In his last bout, Salcido won a convincing six round unanimous decision over hard-hitting Juan Alfonso Figueroa in Ontario. More...
I love my position as Assistant Editor. On one hand, I get to associate with and learn from the biggest names this sport has to offer. On the other hand, I get to scratch my creative itch and showcase my mumbo jumbo for the world to read. Yes folks, life as an Assistant Editor is a good
one indeed, although there are the occasional moments that have me scratching my head in wonder.
You see as an Assistant Editor, I am easily accessible. This of course is mainly due to the fact my e-mail address is available on the front page. So, I often get a nutty proposition offering me some type of financial award for my help in the persons cause.
Now, I don’t know if they actually believe the title Assistant Editor make me someone with real clout or that my name gives off the “Sucker” vibe, but either way these dreamers seem to feel the urge to offer me the once in a lifetime opportunities. More...
Photo ©Barclays
