36-year-old Erik Morales promises to give Danny Garcia a boxing lesson on October 20th

36-year-old Erik Morales promises to give Danny Garcia a boxing lesson on October 20thBy Dwight Chittenden: Former four division world champion Erik Morales (52-8, 36 KO’s) sees himself schooling unbeaten WBA/WBC light welterweight champion Danny Garcia (24-0, 15 KO’s) in their fight on October 20th at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York. Morales already fought Garcia last March and was decisively beaten by a 12 round unanimous decision by the scores of 117-110, 116-112 and 118-109.

Morales looked stiff, slow and old in that fight. The performance has since been partially blamed on Morales having recently come off of gallbladder surgery. While that sounds like a good excuse it doesn’t take away from the fact that he was beaten by Garcia, and it’s hard to see Morales improving enough from that fight to beat him in the rematch next October.

Morales said this about the Garcia rematch to Suljos.com “I think Danny Garcia is talking too much. He feels confident but I warn him I will defeat him. I will take him some boxing.”

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Ariza wants to take Pacquiao back to his old ways of training to get him ready for next fight

Ariza wants to take Pacquiao back to his old ways of training to get him ready for next fightBy Rob Smith: Alex Ariza, the strength and conditioning coach for 33-year-old Manny Pacquiao, wants to take him back to the way he used to train Pacquiao in the past to get him ready for his December 8th fight against possibly 39-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao has noticeably slowed down in his last three fights and doesn’t move around like he used to three years ago.

More importantly, Pacquiao is no longer fighting for the full three minutes of every round. In his last fight against Tim Bradley, Pacquiao only fought hard in the past 20 to 30 seconds of the round. It just looks like Pacquiao has aged both in his performance and in appearance.

Ariza told the Manila Standard “He [Pacquiao] has to go back to the old ways of training, focus more on the other stuff.”

This begs the question: Can Pacquiao get back to where he once was even with Ariza putting him through his old paces like in that past or he simply beyond the point of no return? 33 isn’t old, but it is for some fighters. Muhammad Ali had really slowed down by the time he reached 33. Compared how he looked in his 20s and even in his last 20s, Ali wasn’t the same fighter at 33.

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Roach: Chavez Jr. is going to set traps against Sergio Martinez to hurt him with body shots

Roach: Chavez Jr. is going to set traps against Sergio Martinez to hurt him with body shotsBy Marcus Richardson: Trainer Freddie Roach is coming up with plans for his fighter WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) to attack the body of Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KO’s) on September 15th to take the fight out of him. Chavez Jr. needs to be able to work on the inside against Martinez somehow because that’s probably the only chance that the 26-year-old Chavez Jr. has of winning this fight.

Chavez Jr. is not going to be able to beat Martinez by exchanging big shots from a distance. That’s not Chavez Jr’s game. He’s strictly an inside fighter, and if he can’t get that going he’s pretty harmless.

Roach said this about his plans for having Chavez Jr. beat Martinez as quoted by Fightnews.com: “Martinez is a smaller guy and it’s harder to get to his body. But we have traps set to break the body down to take his legs away from him. It’s a difficult task but we’re working on it.”

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Perennial contender Ray Austin discusses his career, the heavyweight division, and the Klitschkos

by Pavel Yakovlev: (September 5, 2012) – Anyone following the heavyweight division knows about Ray “The Rainman” Austin. A professional since 1998, he has fought in several elimination bouts to determine mandatory challengers for the heavyweight champions. In 2007 Austin tangled with Vladimir Klitschko for the IBF world heavyweight title. In addition, the towering fighter – he stands over 6’6” and weighs around 240 lbs. – has squared off against top names such as Odlanier Solis, Sultan Ibragimov, Andrew Golota, Lance Whittaker, Larry Donald, Bermane Stiverne, and DaVarryl Williamson, among others. A perennial contender who is still capable of winning world-class bouts at age 41, Austin will most likely figure in more high profile matches before his career winds down.

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Prediction: Ward will outclass Dawson

Prediction: Ward will outclass DawsonBy Emilio Camacho, Esq. First, I offer my apologies to those who requested this prediction sooner. I have been troubled by this competitive fight but have decided to make a bold prediction. If I am wrong, I will definitely
admit it.

Second, I believe both of these fighters are top-notch. Both of them are in their prime, disciplined, proven champions, committed to the sport and are not afraid to face the biggest challenge. As boxing fans, we are lucky because we do not get fights like these very often (did someone say Manny and Floyd?). So, here is how I think the fight will play out.

Round 1 will be slow and both fighters will try to make sense of each other’s rhythm and style. Not much will happen in this round but Ward’s rhythm will simply look better to the judges and he will get this round.

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PREVIEW – Bellew versus Miranda – Saturday 8th October

PREVIEW - Bellew versus Miranda – Saturday 8th OctoberBy Matt Amos: This Saturday night (8th September) will see the “Wavetree Bomber” Tony Bellew further enhance his credentials when he meets the tough, powerful former middleweight Contender Edison “Pantera” Miranda at Alexandra Palace in London for the WBC International Light Heavyweight Title.

Bellew, 17(11) – 1(0), is an exciting, slick 29 year old boxer who has already captured the British and Commonwealth titles. An articulate, likable family man with an accomplished domestic amateur career having won three National ABA Heavyweight Titles, he will look to increase his worldwide exposure when battling the well known rugged Colombian.

31 year old Miranda, 35(30) – 7(3) is a proven operator at top 10 level in the middle and super middleweight ranks and like Bellew attained considerable success at amateur level winning four national titles and reputedly 128 of 132 fights. He achieved his greatest professional triumphs in 2006/7 when stopping the granite chinned Howard Eastman and then defeating the previously unbeaten Allan Green. A controversial world title fight with Arthur Abraham followed in which after breaking the Armenian German’s jaw and having point deductions for headbutting he was subsequently outclassed by Abraham.

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Chavez Jr: Sergio Martinez is just a big clown

Chavez Jr: Sergio Martinez is just a big clownBy Marcus Richardson: WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) doesn’t think too highly of his opponent for September 15th, former WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KO’s) and he plans on shutting his mouth when they face each other in a televised fight on HBO pay per view. The asking price for the fight is $49.99 for boxing fans that have deep enough pockets to shell out that kind of cash in this sorry economy.

Chavez Jr. said this about Martinez today as quoted by Fightnews.com “He’s got a big mouth. On September 15th I’m going to shut him up once and for all. He’s just a big clown.”

Chavez Jr. in fact will be the bigger fighter in the ring on that fight. In looking at recent training video of the 26-year-old Chavez Jr., he appears to be still over 180 pounds and it’s unlikely that he’s going to get down below 180. Chavez Jr. sees his weight as being a significant factor for him in this fight, although he plans on showing some other wrinkles to try keep Martinez guessing. Chavez Jr. can move a little at times, but he’s never shown the ability or the inclination to move for more than a short period.

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Golovkin will be watching Chavez Jr-Martinez fight with great interest, hoping to get the winner

Golovkin will be watching Chavez Jr-Martinez fight with great interest, hoping to get the winnerBy Marcus Richardson: WBA World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21 KO’s) will be watching the September 15th fight between WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) and Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KO’s) with great interest, as Golovkin wants to fight the winner of that bout. Golovkin, 30, fought for the first time in the United States last Saturday night in destroying #3 WBA Grzegorz Proksa in five rounds in a three knockdown performance from Golovkin. The win has suddenly made Golovkin one of the top fighters in the division in the minds of boxing fans, although the hardcore fans already knew how good Golovkin was going into this fight.

Golovkin said to RingTV “For the fight on September 15 between Chavez Jr. and Martinez, I think it’s a 50-50 fight. Sergio has better skills, but Chavez Jr. is younger and seems to be getting stronger with each fight. I look forward to viewing the Chavez Jr-Martinez fight.”

Golovkin would be a serious threat to either Chavez Jr. or Martinez due to his huge power, excellent inside fighting skills and pinpoint accuracy with his punches. Unlike most of the 180 pound Chavez Jr’s opponents, Golovkin would be able to compete with Chavez Jr. on the inside despite giving away 15+ pounds in weight. Chavez Jr. is a dangerous to the body, but he doesn’t have the power that Golovkin has when punching on the inside to the head and body. Chavez Jr. would have to deal with a lot of powerful head and body shots, and it would very tough for him to be able to take those kinds of shots for 12 rounds.

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Amir Khan: Has The King Lost His Crown?

Amir Khan: Has The King Lost His Crown?By Mark Klimaszewski – Olympic-silver medallist. Former two-time world champion. Former unified world champion. Arguably a top 15 / top 20 pound-for-pounder (depending on who you ask, of course).

Several “fight-of-the-year” type battles (and some solid names) on his resume. A consistent desire to fight the best.  A warrior’s heart. A glaring vulnerability (the much derided ‘punch resistance’, or lack of, that arm chair critics are always so quick to point to) which makes him exciting to watch. Seldom in a dull fight.

On paper, Amir “King” Khan sounds like the type of fighter who should receive unprecedented adulation from fight fans. Yet he attracts more hate than almost any other active fighter today. It is a surprising fact; but a true one. Many people who I speak with about the sweet science all share a desire to see Khan get knocked out again. Many fans on internet message boards and what have you, wish nothing more than to see Amir taste bitter defeat once again and leave the sport for good!

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Khan combing NY looking for a new trainer; rules out Joan Guzman as opponent for December 15th

Khan combing NY looking for a new trainer; rules out Joan Guzman as opponent for December 15thBy Michael Collins: Former IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan says he’s going to be checking New York to try and find a trainer and possibly a mentor to get his sagging career back on track following consecutive losses to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia. Khan wants a trainer that can fix his defensive flaws to try and turn things around for him before he gets whipped again.

Khan said to the Manchester Evening News “I’ll be going to New York to speak to a few coaches.”

Khan then oddly compared himself to Manny Pacquiao, saying “If we had the defense we should have had we would be the best fighter in the world. That’s the downfall of me and Manny Pacquiao. We’re both offensively the best fighters in the world, but defensively we’re not the best.”

That’s a bit too much coming from Khan. The best in the world? I think Khan is dreaming here. I think he would be a lot better fighter if his defense was tighter, but that wouldn’t save him from getting knocked out by the likes of Danny Garcia and Breidis Prescott. The shots that Khan got hit with in those fights were punches that even the best defensive fighter would get hit with.

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