Boxing News

Click for larger image © Jim Everett / Saddo Boxing

Everyone has something they wish they could do over in their life. For me, growing up I wish I would have been more interested in learning my mother’s native language of Tagalog. I can speak a few words of the dialect from the Philippines, but by no means can I come close to carrying a conversation.

This is something I should have remembered when I tried to impress “The Filipino Flash” Nonito Donaire with my Tagalog when I met him the other day. “Kamusta ka?” I asked. He smiled and was somewhat surprised as he replied “Mabuti.” Unfortunately at that point, I had to admit I did not know much more Tagalog and he laughed, letting me know during our conversation his English is much better than my Tagalog.

Speaking English is not the only thing that Donaire does well. In a division that rarely gets attention, Donaire won the IBF and IBO Flyweight titles in stellar fashion this past July by knocking out then undefeated champion Vic Darchinyan. More...

Click for larger image © Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing

Ricky Hatton is poised to endure his biggest training test tomorrow when he faces trainer Billy Graham for 15 Rounds of the body belt. After a week of training which included sparring with Rock Allen and Karl Dargan, Hatton will pound away at the huge black body belt strapped around Graham's torso – a sight that has become a trademark of the two men.

I’m sure that Ricky will play the odd prank in between rounds so those in attendance better watch-out for water splashes! But his speed, power, energy and focus will be unceasing during each round. Having watched him train just a couple of weeks ago back in The Phoenix Camp, in Manchester – I’d say he was faster and sharper than ever. More...

The British invasion of Las Vegas begins on Friday (December 7) when Hennessy Sports duo John Murray and Lee Meager feature on a Golden Boy promotion at the MGM Grand Conference Center. “BRITISH INVASION – THE U.K. VS. THE WORLD” is a night of world-class professional boxing presented by Golden Boy Promotions. Telefutura’s Solo Boxeo will broadcast the event beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Click for larger image

Murray 22-0 (12 KOs) and Meager 21-2-1 (8 KOs) both face Mexicans the night before their fellow Manchester boxer Ricky Hatton faces American Floyd Mayweather for the WBC Welterweight Title. More...

One of the UK's top prospects, Akaash "Kash" Bhatia, 8-0 (2), fights on tonight's Frank Maloney promoted Ian Napa vs. Martin Power 2 card at the Newham Leisure Centre in London but was able to take some time out from his busy schedule to speak exclusively with SaddoBoxing.

SaddoBoxing: How do you see this fight?

Akaash Bhatia: "At the end of the day, it's another stepping stone but very important that I win this fight. It's another step in the right direction. Thankfully, this fight is made more towards my weight, where as if you look at my record previously, I'm fighting at higher weights. I'm looking forward to getting in there and doing my thing.

"I'm very excited about this fight and I've been training very hard as usual. I feel that when it comes to the actual fight, I'm going to shine. At the end of the day, that's the most important thing for me. I have to put on a good performance."

SB: What is your preferred weight?

AB: "To be honest, I'm a natural featherweight. I train hard and it's easy for me to make featherweight, however, in order to get fights, they've been made at higher weights.I've been asked to come up in weight, which is sometimes a bit difficult to do but at the same time, the most important thing for me is to get a good result. More...

SaddoBoxing caught up with fast rising British light middleweight Gary Woolcombe of Welling, England. The 25 year old London area box-fighter, 24-1 (9), makes an appearance on Frank Maloney's promotion tonight from the Newham Lesiure Centre, headlined by the British Bantamweight title rematch between Ian Napa and Martin Power.

SaddoBoxing: Do you have an opponent for this fight yet?

Gary Woolcombe: "No, they had a couple of opponents, but they pulled out. I'm sure they'll find me someone as it's an eight rounder."

SB: You looked very impressive in your last fight against Jason Rushton, how do you feel about your performance?

GW: "He's never been stopped, had 17 wins out of 20 fights, so it was a good win for me. And that's why I think they're struggling to match me, because Rushton had never been stopped before and I stopped him quite convincingly. I had him out on his feet quite a few times; I had him done in the second, I really thought that I would stop him in that round but I'm glad I got the win." More...

© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing

Moderator: Kelly Swanson

KELLY SWANSON: Thank you operator, and thank you everybody for joining us today for Ricky Hatton's conference call, his last call before the big fight December 8th. And now without further ado, I'd like to turn the call over to Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, PRESIDENT, GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS: Thank you very much Kelly. We are getting closer to the big fight, Undefeated. Now Ricky Hatton is looking in tremendous shape. He feels ready to go, and from the talks we've had with Robert Diaz who was our matchmaker for Golden Boy Promotions. He's telling us that Ricky is looking in the best shape ever. He's never seen Ricky like this, so we're very confident that Ricky is going to do and be the first to give that 0 to Mayweather. More...

Click for larger image © Dwight McCann

JAMES KIRKLAND (20-0, 17 KOs)

“I feel good about my conditioning. I made the weight, but I didn’t agree to fight at 152. I agreed to fight at 154. Making the weight was like taking out one of my kidneys.”

“I figure out my opponent’s game plan in the ring and take advantage of what I learned and practiced.” More...

Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, in association with Romanza Boxing Productions and MP Promotions, are proud to announce that on Saturday, March 15, 2008, Juan Manuel Marquez will defend his WBC Super Featherweight Title against number one contender Manny Pacquiao at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino on HBO Pay-Per-View.

In what was another promising display of boxing, Danish super featherweight prospect Kim “Golden Boy” Poulsen did what several future world champions couldn’t do, when he knocked down 290-fight British veteran, and former Midlands Area champion, Peter “The Professor” Buckley in the second round on his way to a clear 60-53 verdict from scoring referee Mark Green on Wednesday night, November 28, at the Café Royal in London. More...

© Jane Warburton Saddo Boxing

British Bantamweight Champion Ian Napa faces old nemesis Martin Power this Friday night on a Frank Maloney promotion at Newham Leisure Centre in London, England. The last time these two met in November, 2005, Power was the reigning British Champion and came out on top via split decision after a difficult fight. Since then, Power has been stopped twice for the Commonwealth crown by South

Africa's towering Brit killer, Tshifhiwa Munyai while Napa failed to unseat European Champion Simone Maludrottu but did outfight ex-IBO kingpin Jason Booth for Power's vacant British title earlier this year.

SaddoBoxing caught up with Napa and his trainer Brian Lawrence as they were putting the finishing touches on the British Champion's preparations and we discussed this rematch with Power as well as the looming potential superfight with Munyai.

SaddoBoxing: :How do you see this rematch with Martin Power?

Brian Lawrence: "It's two years down the line and I think Martin Power has slipped back a bit. He' a totally different fighter now. Both of them have gone different ways; Ian's gone up and Martin has gone backwards. I don't expect it to go past seven rounds." More...

Boxing Fans From Around the Globe Encouraged to "Vote for Joe!"

Voting has opened for the BBC Wales Sports Personality 2007 and World Super-Middleweight Champion Joe Calzaghe is a hot favourite to win the award for a third time on Sunday 2nd December.

Calzaghe, who won the award last year and in 2001, is also up against stablemate and WBO World Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Maccarinelli, Manchester United's Ryan Giggs, cyclist Geraint Thomas and golfer Becky Brewerton. More...

Yesterday at the famous Gallagher’s Steakhouse in New York City, Gary Shaw Productions and Showtime held a final press conference to promote their triple-header to close out the 2007 season on Showtime Championship Boxing, Saturday December 1 at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT.

The main event will feature Antonio “Magic Man” Tarver 25-4 (18) defending his IBO Light Heavyweight Championship against Danny Santiago 29-3-1 (19).

Santiago is coming off a TKO loss earlier this year to Zsolt Erdei for the WBO Light Heavyweight Title where he was down twice before the eighth round stoppage. Although his bout with Erdei was a title fight it is Tarver that he has been looking forward to facing, “It is an honor and privilege to be fighting Antonio Tarver, I have been following him since I was 17 years old, what else is there that you can say about him, he’s done it all.” More...

Veteran trainer Don Turner believes WBO No. 2 rated middleweight contender “Ireland’s” John Duddy (22-0, 17 KOs) will become his 21st world champion. First, though, Duddy has to get past former European champion and 2-time world title challenger Howard “The Battersea Bomber” Eastman (42-5, 35 KOs) on December 8 in the 10-round main event at King’s Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland. More...

Former IBA champion and world ranked Cruiserweight Bobby Gunn 18-3 {15 KO’s} is hoping for a fight with former WBC Light Heavyweight and current IBO Cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek. Gunn was recently mentioned for a fight with Antonio Tarver, but was passed by for Danny Santiago. “I watched the fight of the Antonio Tarver and Elvir Muriqi again recently. Elvir showed me that he is a true warrior, and I believe Tarver didn’t like the pressure he applied. This is honestly why Tarver won’t fight Glen Johnson a third time. Tarver didn’t want to fight me because he would be pressured to death!” More...

November 30 in Drummondville will mark the first ever Feminine North American title fight in the history of Quebec.

Fighting in her eleventh pro fight, Danielle Bouchard, 8-1-1 (1), originally from Jonquiere, will try to capture her first belt, the WBC International Super Bantamweight title, against Maria Nunez Anchorena, 7-3 (5). More...

Click for larger image © David Martin-Warr / DKP

Two of the greatest boxers in history, Felix “Tito” Trinidad and Roy Jones Jr., will face each other in a battle boxing fans have been waiting for years to see at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008, and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View.

Trinidad (42-2, 35 KOs), from Puerto Rico, and Jones (51-4, 38 KOs) from Pensacola, Fla.,—both destined for the Hall of Fame—have built a staggering list of accomplishments and will enter the ring for this highly anticipated 12-round fight at or below the catch weight of 170 pounds. More...

World rated light heavyweight contender Danny Green has entered the most crucial phase of training camp in preparation to his title challenge of WBA Champion Stipe Drews at Challenge Stadium in Green's hometown of Perth, Australia on December 16, 2007. More...

Donna Brooks has no doubts in her mind about the skill level of Shaun George. "I've seen it since day one when we signed him," said Brooks, president of Hall of Fame Promotions. When Shaun George enters the ring on December 6 in Newark, NJ's Robert Treat Hotel, the rest of the world will see what she sees, and so too will Eric Harding. More...

Hard-hitting eleventh ranked WBC 154-pound contender James Kirkland (20-0, 17 KOs) hopes to continue his ascension to the top of the junior middleweight division when he takes on the dangerous Allen Conyers (11-2, nine KOs) Friday, Nov. 30, 2007, on ShoBox: The New Generation, live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast. More...

Coming into his fight against the IBF Welterweight Champion Kermit Cintron (29-1, 27KO's), Saturday night at the Staples' Center, Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing promoted, Jesse "El Rayo" Feliciano (15-6-3, 9KO's) understood that many saw him not only as a huge underdog to take Cintron's title, but that he would be lucky to even last six minutes in the ring with the powerful Cintron. More...