Boxing News

44 year old former heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Evander Holyfield continues his quest to regain a world title when he steps into the ring tonight at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas, to face 41 year old Houston based veteran Lou Savarese.

There are a few similarities here as both combatants are participating in their fourth fight following two year layoffs that followed consecutive losses.

After being universally castigated for continuing a career placed in jeopardy following a medical suspension, Holyfield, 41-8-2 (27), has made believers of some by handily defeating second tier opponents Fres Oquendo, Vinny Madalone and Jeremy Bates over the last ten months, all in the state of Texas.

Savarese, 46-6 (38), went into a two year hiatus after losing to Kirk Johnson and Larry Donald and since returning in March of last year has stopped a trio of a lower grade of opponents than Holyfield has faced in Marcus Rhode, Travis Fulton and Matt Hicks. More...

WBA Middleweight Champion Felix Sturm, 27-2 (12), places his title on the line tonight for the first time since winning the crown in a rematch with Javier Castillejo in April.

The opponent for Sturm at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart is little known Uruguayan Noe Tulio Gonzalez Alcoba, 14-0 (7).

Fighting out of Sante Fe, Argentina, Alcoba has never been in action outside of South America and has largely been a club fighter since turning pro less than three years ago.

It would be a massive upset if Alcoba, who gone past six rounds just once in his career, a ten round UD victory last December, unseats Sturm as WBA Champion. More...

Last night in front of 6,000 fans at the Palais des Sport in Marseille, WBA Bantamweight Champion Wladimir Sidorenko retained his belt for the fifth consecutive time with a seventh round knockout of French titlist Jerome Arnould.

From the start Arnould was outclassed and couldn't cope with the experience and high energy style of Sidorenko, 20-0-2 (7). By the fifth, the light hitting champion had Arnould, 14-3-1 (9), on the floor before canvassing the Frenchman for good in the seventh frame.

Earlier on the card, Anne Sophie Mathis of Dombasle, France kept her WBA Female Light Welter crown with a close majority decision over popular local ticket seller Myriam Lamare in a rematch. More...

Four-time world champion Stevie "Lil' But Bad" Johnston returns home to fight Rolando Reyes on August 11 in the 12-round main event for the vacant IBO lightweight title, headlining Punchout at the Pepsi Center "No Mercy," promoted by Silverhawk Championship Boxing, at the Pepsi Center in Denver. More...

Danish super featherweight prospect Kim “Golden Boy” Poulsen will not get to box in July as originally planned. The show in Berlin where he was scheduled to fight on July 6 got cancelled when the main event ticket-seller was injured. Risum Boxing have frantically searched for a new show to put Poulsen on, but without luck. More...

WBC CABOFE Champion Miguel Espino looks to continue his winning ways as he is set to face Arturo Ortega in an 8 round bout tonight, Saturday, June 30 at the Sylmar National Guard. Both fighters make weight and guarantee an action packed confrontation. This fight card is brought to you by Cota's Boxing Promotions. Tickets priced at $50 can be purchased by calling 818-612-9296. Fist come first serve for all seating third row and beyond. The Sylmar National Guard seats 500 and is located at 12860 Arroyo St. Sylmar, CA 91342.

Crown Boxing Inc. will return to The Orleans Resort & Casino in Las Vegas at the Mardi Gras Ballroom, JULY 6th , 2007 with a clash between heavyweights Friday "The 13th" Anunanya, 22-5-2 (12), and Franklin Lawrence, 7-1 (4), headlining the show. More...

Featuring the winning submissions of Jake Shaw and Daniel McCarthy

The majority of the time, a person's profession is based on an interest that they had in something while growing up. For example, some found the laws of our nation captivating enough to attend law school. Others had an interest in the human body or desire to help the sick and medical school became the place for them to embark their journey.

I myself had no such luck. It takes too long for a degree in medicine or law to be obtained and the truth is that I hate school, although I have two college degrees sitting on my wall. One is in business and the other in criminal justice but I am no 9-5 guy, nor do I have the desire to chase around bad guys.

One thing that I have always had is the gift to express my opinion, or as my wife likes to say, I have a big mouth!

Well guess what? That big mouth has served us well over the years and during that time, I have managed to go from running my mouth to writing about what I have to say. I have not only been blessed enough to have the ability to write, but I also get to write about my favorite topic in the world other than my children; boxing!

I mean, c'mon, how much better can it get than that? Like anyone else who is a sportswriter, it is my love of the game that makes it so easy. I not only get to state my opinion on what is good, bad or in dire need of change, put out for the world to see, but I also get to ramble on about my favorite or least favorite fighters for a few paragraphs. More...

He hasn't won a fight in over two years and yet you would be hard pressed to find a writer alive that still wouldn't place Zab "Super" Judah, 34-5 (25), in the top ten of the welterweight division. Heck, I for one think that he is still one of the five best in that weight class.

But for one of the most physically gifted fighters of this generation, top five is far from where he was expecting to be at this stage of his career.

As a young fighter from a distinguished boxing family, the early stages of Judah's career had him being talked about in extremely high regard. After a disappointing outing at the Olympic Trials, Zab began his professional career by blazing through his first 28 opponents with ease before falling victim to a perfect punch by Kostya Tszyu in 2001.

Although Judah bounced right back with three straight victories, the invincibility that almost every young undefeated fighter carries with them was gone.

Now, almost eleven years after his professional debut, Zab Judah must take a step back, push away the folks that are yelling in his ears, and decide once and for all, is boxing what he really wants to do anymore? More...

July is a month of boxing rehabilitation in the sense that we have a schedule packed to the top with quality bouts and if you follow the sport, then you know just what I mean.

With so many high level fights on the horizon, July 21 at the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort in Las Vegas stands out as we have two of this sport's biggest names and perhaps two of this generation's best, going at it.

Bernard Hopkins, 47-4-1 (32), the former middleweight champion and current Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion will face a man who some consider the best defensive fighter in the game today, Winky Wright, 51-3-1 (25).

There are no ABC titles on the line in this bout, but something even more precious and I don’t just mean Hopkins' Ring Belt. What I am talking about cannot be put in a trophy case or displayed around your waist; pride and bragging rights!

Yesterday I was on hand, or should I say on the phone, with the trainers of both Hopkins and Wright, two of the best this era has to offer in Freddie Roach and Dan Birmingham. More...

World Boxing Council (WBC) super bantamweight champion Rafael Marquez and former WBC and International Boxing Federation (IBF) 122-lb. champ Israel Vazquez were all business at Thursday’s press conference at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Hidalgo, Texas when they formally announced the most highly anticipated rematch in years, Marquez-Vazquez II.

Click for larger image © Jc Diaz

“I’m looking forward to a very tough fight regardless of what happened the first time around,” said Marquez, who is co-promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Romanza Productions. “He is still a champion in my mind so it’s going to be a rough one.” More...

In a highly anticipated match and can't miss candidate for Fight of the Year, WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito will defend his belt against undefeated, No. 1-ranked and mandatory challenger, Paul “The Punisher” Williams in the main event of "Pride N' Punishment'' on Saturday, July 14, in the outdoor tennis stadium at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The 12-round bout, presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions, will be televised on HBO “World Championship Boxing.”

“The winner of this fight is the preeminent welterweight in the world -- and that includes (Miguel) Cotto or anyone else in the 147-pound division,’’ promoter Dan Goossen said. More...

Boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. has an important fight coming up on pay-per-view TV July 14 from Biloxi, MS., against undefeated opponent Anthony Hanshaw. Jones has made it plain that if he loses to the 21-0-1 Hanshaw, he might take his gloves and head off into retirement. But Jones said that “what if” won’t happen, that he will beat Hanshaw and that he’ll then be more than happy to fight the un-retiring Felix “Tito” Trinidad.

“Will a fight between me and Tito happen?” Jones said in an interview with Puerto Rico’s big El Nuevo Dia newspaper Thursday. “I say it will because if two people, me and Tito, want it to happen, then nobody is going to be able to stop it. This would be a fight that could fill Madison Square Garden or Yankee Stadium. It’s a fight fan’s fight between two fighters who bring fireworks into the ring. More...

Ricky Hatton’s promoter Dennis Hobson has launched a furious verbal assault on former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan.

The Clones Cyclone has repeatedly criticised Hatton over the past few months, claiming the “Hitman” only had two more fights left in him. McGuigan followed that up by saying his clash last weekend against Jose Luis Castillo attracted just a few Hollywood “A” list celebrities.

Hobson is seething over McGuigan’s comments, which he says are staggering, bearing in mind the boxing hero commentated on Hatton’s fight for Setanta television.

“I’m totally and completely bemused,” said Sheffield-based Hobson. “Barry McGuigan sounds more and more to me like an embittered ex-fighter who is simply jealous of what Ricky has achieved. More...

The Italian Alessio Furlan is talking the talk ahead of his middleweight clash with John Duddy on the next Hunky Dorys Fight Night at the National Stadium, Dublin on July 14th.

After 20 fights Stateside Duddy returns home for his first pro fight on Irish soil as he looks to press his claims for a shot at the European title.

Standing in the opposite corner will be Furlan a tough, seasoned pro who recently lasted into the 12th and final round with current European Champion, Sebastian Sylvester. The man known as "Il Guerriero" (The Warrior) believes he can spoil Duddy's homecoming and upset his perfect record. More...

Former World Boxing Council welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir weighed 166 1/2 pounds Thursday for his WBC-mandated weigh-in 30 days prior to meeting another ex-WBC 147-pound champ, Vernon Forrest, July 28 in Tacoma, Wash., for the WBC super welterweight interim title.

Baldomir had to weigh no more than 169 pounds or 10 percent over the 154-pound super welterweight limit to be in compliance with WBC rules and regulations. More...

Golden Boy Enterprises, LLC, an entity controlled by Oscar de la Hoya and holder of approximately 4.9% of the outstanding stock of Everlast Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ NM, EVST), announced today it is watching with interest the developments surrounding its investment in Everlast.

On June 1, 2007 Everlast announced that it had entered into an agreement to be acquired by The Hidary Group for $26.50 per share. Golden Boy opposed this transaction because it believed that the sale process was flawed and not conducted to maximize shareholder value because Everlast did not conduct a full action or fully explore other options to increase shareholder value. Instead, Everlast negotiated with a single party and agreed to pay the buyer a minimum $3.0 million break up fee before seeking other potential buyers. More...

On July 7 at the Kolnarena in Koln, Germany, we will have what is perhaps the most appealing heavyweight match up of the year so far.

Current IBF and IBO Heavyweight Champion Wlamamir Klitschko, 48-3 (43), faces American Lamon Brewster, 33-3 (29), in a rematch from their first fight in 2004.

Brewster won the initial bout by TKO but it was a win that many proclaim had more to do with Wladimir, who was winning the fight on all three scorecards, running out of steam than Lamon running over him.

Now three years later, things are in somewhat of a paused state, if you will, almost as if the two fighters have stopped everything and just moved it up three years. Wladimir is the leading name in heavyweight boxing and Brewster is the contender who has plans to spoil the party.

Here is what was said during yesterday's confrence call: More...

If Ruslan Chagaev can be referred to as the "White Tyson", then perhaps we have to ask if Sultan Ibragimov can be called by Evander Holyfield's boxing moniker, the "Real Deal".

Even though the Russian has languished in relative obscurity throughout his career, he's managed to capture one of the four major alphabet titles, although it was in boring fashion against an uninspired and uninspiring Shannon Briggs.

But a draw with the also relative unknown Ray Austin, who most recently was KO'd with a series of jabs in a mandatory bout with champion Wladimir Klitschko, shakes the confidence of even the most hopeful optimist.

Sure, we expected Austin to lose to arguably the best heavyweight in the division right now, but to put on such a pathetic show? How could anyone have ever lost to him let alone fight to a draw?

Ibragimov has good power with 17 KOs out of 21 victories and decent speed, but he often neglects his defense when he opens up offensively.

To his credit, at least he's been willing to risk his chin, but when he scored the knockdown against Austin, he was almost hit with a counter right and against the ropes with Javier Mora, he exposed himself for a long period to land a lethal uppercut. Had either fighter been more accurate, those respective fights could have turned out differently. More...

Four excellent fighters with a combined record of 98-1 with 69 knockouts will be featured in a sensational world championship doubleheader on Saturday, July 7, on Showtime, 9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast.

In a battle of unbeatens in the Showtime Championship Boxing main event, local favorite “Tremendous” Travis Simms (25-0, 19 KOs) defends his WBA super welterweight title against unbeaten No. 1 contender Joachim “Ti-Joa” Alcine (28-0, 18 KOs ). More...