Lightweight sensation Amir Khan has confirmed that Jorge Rubio has been appointed as his new trainer.
The undefeated star of British boxing, currently world-rated No. 2 by the WBO and No. 4 by the WBC, recently went to America and met with a number of top trainers but gelled best with Rubio. More...
On Saturday night at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, Amir Khan successfully defended his Commonwealth Lightweight title by stopping tough Irish-Mancunian Michael Gomez, in round five of a grueling contest.
But it was never going to be an ‘easy’ fight for Khan and Gomez clearly ‘rattled’ the Bolton man, who suffered a knockdown following a left hook from Gomez in round two. Despite being knocked down himself in round one, big-hearted Gomez continued to walk forward in his usual ‘bullish’ manner.
And in true ‘Rocky’ style - stood fast as he took a number of punches from the Champion, I think he would have stood there all night if the referee hadn’t stopped it - such is the ‘fighting-never give-up’ attitude of Gomez.
Afterward, a calm and thoughtful Gomez admitted to feeling a bit ‘sluggish’ and was disappointed with his performance, but gave huge credit to Khan - who Gomez said had ‘great hand-speed’ but felt that Amir was a ‘vulnerable’ fighter.
That seems the general feeling of those close to, and not so close, to Khan, that he still had things to learn before going for a world-title. More...
Saturday night at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, former British and WBU Super Feather Champ Michael Gomez gave Commonwealth Lightweight titlist Amir Khan a tremendous fight before being controversially stopped in the fifth round of a thrilling contest.
Gomez came out in his characteristically aggressive manner, surging forward behind the jab and forcing Khan onto the backfoot immediately. Khan attempted to pick off his opponent but Gomez bobbed and weaved his way inside, lashing the Bolton starlet to the body whenever close enough to do so.
Khan showed his quality early as well, dumping the Manchester hard man on the seat of his pants at the end of a multi-punch combination to the head at close quarters but Gomez was up at once, resuming his pressure as if the knockdown never happened.
The second frame saw Gomez cutting off the ring, forcing Khan to throw more punches in an attempt to stem the tide. As Gomez gained ground, he backed Khan onto the ropes and Amir let loose a blindingly fast flurry but the man born Michael Armstrong walked through it and unleashed a right hook, left hook combination to the head that made Khan go down on his knees from the force. More...
In a scrap I'm personally looking forward to, Bolton's Amir Khan defends his Commonwealth Lightweight belt against tough Mancunian Michael Gomez this Saturday night in Birmingham, England.
For Khan, this could be one of his last tests before hopefully being pitched in for a world title opportunity. For Gomez, this could be his last chance at the big time.
Champion Khan is unbeaten in 17 bouts with 13 knockouts. Now looking comfortable as he matures into the lightweight limit, Khan for me produced his most mature complete display last time out, stopping Dane Martin Kristjansen in seven rounds in April.
Gomez, although only 30, is the veteran in this bout. A professional now for 13 years, Gomez has spent the majority of his career at the super featherweight limit. More...
Yesterday, at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, Amir Khan, 17-0 (13), came face-to-face with Michael Gomez, 35-8 (24), as they weighed in ahead of their Commonwealth Lightweight title contest tonight at the NIA.
First up was the challenger Gomez, a former British and WBU Super Featherweight Champion, who immediately stripped naked before stepping on to the scales. He neednʼt have worried as he made the weight at 9 stone 8 lb (134 lb).
Next up was the Champion, Khan, who - looking in fantastic physical condition - calmly took to the scales and weighed in half a pound under the limit. Both men were ʼtight-lippedʼ as they faced each other for the obligatory press photograph.
Khan remained cool and expressionless while Gomez couldnʼt suppress the ʽglintʼ in his eye and the wry smile that sneaked on to his lips in the closing seconds. More...
Saturday 21 June, at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England, sees the much anticipated clash between Michael Gomez and Amir Khan in a Sports Network / Frank Warren promoted fight night.
Gomez, fighting out of Bobby Rimmer’s Fight Academy, Stalybridge, Manchester - is looking for the best birthday present ever - successfully defeating Bolton’s Khan.
Khan, who now trains under Dean Powell, will be looking for his 18th professional win and fourth defence of his Commonwealth Lightweight title in front of a sell-out crowd.
SaddoBoxing spoke to Bobby Rimmer this morning regarding the fight: More...
Canastota plays host to boxingʼs retired royalty for 2008
Induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, located in Canastota, New York, has become what many refer to as "Boxingʼs Ultimate Prize". Ultimately, enshrinement there is more important than titles, more important than headlining pay per views and more important than going undefeated.
It is the one last walk onto the big stage where the alumni of boxing will be the center of attention, yet to get there, they need no training camp, no six mile runs alone in the cold at 5am, no slipping jabs and no eating straight rights to the head.
All they need do is show up with a smile, accept the thanks of their peers and enjoy the boxing version of immortality there after.
It's no secret that boxing is a brutal sport, brutal not just in a physical aspect, but in a mental one as well. The long and difficult training camps away from loved ones, the abstaining from the kind of temptations in life that can keep a fighter from reaching goals, the abusive process of making weight and the depression in the dressing room after a loss.
It takes a special breed to be able to endure such hardships and prosper just as, in contrast, it takes a certain kind of person to handle the success gained through hard work.
A fighter has to have a certain charisma in the ring to attract people that want to see them perform again and again and it's even more unusual to have what it takes to make people remember their name 10, 20 or even 50 years after retirement.
It takes true greatness to be the type of person all others are measured against. More...
Last night at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall, Kelly Pavlik extended his domination over the middleweight division as the lanky Ohio man stopped the challenge of Wales' Gary Lockett in the third round to keep possession of his WBC and WBO titles.
The come forward aggression of Pavik proved too much for his challenger from across the Atlantic to defend against as Lockett had to take a knee twice in the second round in an attempt to stave off the inevitable.
But Lockett's run ended in the third when he was canvassed and trainer Enzo Calzaghe called a halt to the one way traffic.
Pavlik improves to 34-0 (30) while Lockett loses for the first time in 14 bouts to fall to 30-2 (21).
In a battle of big punchers, WBO Super Bantamweight Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon, 34-2 (30), of Mexico was shockingly stopped in the first round by challenger Juan Manuel Lopez, 22-0 (20).
British and Commonwealth Super Featherweight Champion Kevin Mitchell, 27-0 (20), was on the bill and the Londoner stopped veteran Colombian southpaw Walter Estrada, 34-6 (23), in five rounds.
Battalions of Kelly Pavlik fans will be invading the beaches of Atlantic City to witness the public weigh-in for Pavlik's first defense of his world middleweight title.
Thousands and thousands of fans from the Pavlik Nation, traveling Coast-to-Ghost, by car, boat, buses, and planes, will be lending their moral and vocal support to Youngstown's favorite son as he steps on the scale at the Circus Maximus Theatre at Caesars Atlantic City. More...
Trainer of the Year Enzo Calzaghe has once again rapped the knuckles of Jack Loew, the trainer of undefeated world middleweight champion Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik.
Calzaghe is incensed that Loew is dismissing Gary "The Rocket" Lockett, Pavlik's No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger, by looking ahead at a showdown against his son Joe, the undefeated division world champion. More...
Hot undefeated junior welterweight prospect, Danny Garcia, 6-0 (5), who hails from the tough streets of Philadelphia, is eager to get back in the ring and let loose his power. The heavy-handed rising star takes the stage June 7, 2008 against an opponent TBA on the Pavlik vs Lockett card, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. More...
Furious Enzo Calzaghe, the reigning "Trainer of the Year," has launched a stinging attack on world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik's trainer Jack Loew after Loew bad mouthed his son Joe - and top-rated middleweight title contender Gary Lockett.
Loew has been quoted in the press as saying: "Maybe Enzo can teach Lockett to slap like a girl - just like Joe." More...
Now that Joan Guzman has vacated his WBO 130 pound title, the undefeated Dominican-born speedster is looking for a challenge at the lightweight level.
“I think Nate Campbell would be a perfect opponent for me,” said Guzman, who is a two-division champion with a record of 28-0 with 17 knockouts. “Nobody wants to fight Nate at 135 pounds and no one wants to fight me at 130 pounds. So let’s just fight each other.” More...
World Boxing Organization (WBO) Junior Lightweight Champion Joan Guzman doesn’t believe Scotland-native Alex Arthur, the interim champion, has the heart or desire to fight him for the full version of the title.
“I don’t understand what the hold up is,” said Guzman, who is promoted by San Diego-based Sycuan Ringside Promotions. “Forget everything you’ve heard or read from Arthur and his promoter about me having visa problems. It’s all a smoke screen. More...
Jack Loew, trainer of world middleweight champion Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik, read with great interest the remarks made earlier this week by Gary "The Rocket" Lockett, the No. 1 contender who will be challenging Pavlik for the title in June.
"I see where Lockett has become inspired by Joe Calzaghe's victory over Bernard Hopkins in his US debut and is predicting the same result against Kelly. Maybe Enzo Calzaghe can teach Lockett to slap like a girl, just like Joe," said Loew. More...
No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger Gary "The Rocket" Lockett, 30-1 (21), from Cwmbran, Wales, has vowed to follow in the footsteps of two-division world champion and fellow stablemate Joe Calzaghe by winning his debut fight in America.
The Rocket Man challenges middleweight kingpin Kelly Pavlik, 33-0 (29), from Youngstown, OH, in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall on Saturday, June 7, for Pavlik's WBO and WBC world titles. More...
WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Joan Guzman, 28-0 (17), has obtained a visa that will allow him to travel to Scotland to defend his title against interim champion and Scotland-native Alex Arthur.
“This was the last hurdle that we needed to clear before we could make our title defense,” Guzman said. “Now we’re just waiting on the new date.” More...
Contrary to information circulated on the internet, undefeated WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Joan Guzman, 28-0 (17), will travel to Scotland to defend his title against interim champion Alex Arthur.
Inaccurate reports across the internet have stated that Guzman has pulled out of his title fight against Arthur, 26-1 (19), which is currently scheduled for Saturday, May 3 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The highly anticipated fight, however, will likely be rescheduled. More...
After a break of 14 months, Audley Harrison of London, made his return on Saturday night as he faced Jason Barnett of Florida at the Thomas and Mack Centre, Las Vegas, on the undercard of the Joe Calzaghe vs Bernard Hopkins main event.
Under promoter Frank Warren again, Harrison has something to prove, because this is really his last chance. If he fails at this one - I doubt he’ll be taken seriously by the boxing notables - or fans again.
For me, Harrison won the Olympic Gold in 2000 and, in his mind I feel, he believed that he didn’t need to prove anything else, that the British public would give him respect and honour and he no longer needed to ’earn it’. More...
It was ‘spot the celebrity’ on Saturday night as the stars came out for Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins as they battled for the Light Heavyweight Championship at the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas.
Both men fly out of their corners for the first round but after only one minute - Hopkins lands a left followed by a right punch straight through the middle, landing hard on the nose of Calzaghe and the Welsh man goes down to the canvas - for only the third time in his career.
“Super, Super Joe…..Super Joe Calzaghe…” the British fans sing. There’s a cut on the bridge of Calzaghe’s nose as he returns to his corner at the end of the first frame.
Mid-way through round two and a swinging left from Calzaghe, its impact can be heard clearly, lands on the face of Hopkins but the veteran doesn’t flinch from it! Seconds later and another solid right hand from Hopkins lands on the face of Calzaghe. More...
