Huge break for Joey Abell – will face undefeated Kubrat Pulev

12/10/201312/10/2013 Paul Strauss

IMG_7493Abellvictory Joey “Minnesota Ice” Abell 29(KO 28)-6(KO 4)-0 couldn’t turn it down, even if it is short notice. Joey’s break came when veteran Sherman Williams suffered an injury in training camp. Williams had to back out of his December 14th bout with Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev 18 (KO 9)-0-0. The winner has a shot to fight Wladimir Klitschko. Somebody wake Joey, this is a terrific chance.

It’s safe to say Minnesotans believe in Joey. Who knows, in this crazy sport, Joey (a southpaw) might carry off his best imitation of the late hard punching Corey Sanders. Back in 3-08-2003 the man from South Africa, who also was a big underdog, uncorked a big left on his way to stopping the then undefeated Wladimir. There’s no doubt Joey can punch, but will he move his head enough to keep from catching one himself?

When enough is not enough

12/06/201312/05/2013 Paul Strauss

pac784 Boxing fans and sports fans in general have recently had some good and bad news bounced off of them. Momentary rekindling of their hopes (for the big fight) grew to be a flicker, only to be doused with negative news.

This is how is went. Fans were gradually pumped up with a good bit of worldwide ballyhoo, hawking Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao’s return to the squared circled against a worthy opponent, who was presented as a dangerous slugger with only one loss on his record. Questions were going to be answered. Either a new star would emerge from the USA, or another would re-emerge brighter than ever.

Colorful tidbits of Information were supplied, making old news new news, and the ordinary extraordinary. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum carefully orchestrated the one ring circus, so fans could understand the potential of the fertile ground he was about to exploit. The octogenarian and the sport of boxing were about to conceive a new fruitful baby in Maucau, China.

Pacquiao fans breathe a sigh of relief as he shuts out Brandon Rios

11/26/201311/23/2013 Paul Strauss

Looking at the score cards wouldn’t tell you the whole story of Manny’s victory of Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios. If that was all you had to find out what happen Sunday (Saturday night here) at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort in Macau, China, then you would probably think Brandon Rios didn’t put up much of a fight. However, if you asked Manny Pacquiao, he would change your opinion, explaining that Rios was dangerous right up until the final bell.

In fact, Manny told HBO’s Max Kellerman in the post-fight interview that Bam Bam hurt him in the fifth round. Manny appeared very tired, and speaking softly gave an honest response when admitting Rios hurt him. He thought it might have been in the fifth round. Regardless, Manny added that Rios was very strong and tough. Manny said it was a hard fight for him; although, he knew he was winning, so in the twelfth round, he backed off, giving up any possible chance he might have had for a stoppage. He wasn’t about to make the mistake of getting careless again.

Has Freddie Roach’s plan backfired?

11/22/201311/20/2013 Paul Strauss

Manny Pacquiao’s hall of fame trainer Freddie Roach would have liked nothing better than to see dissension in the ranks at Camp Rios. Freddie hoped the likelihood of that happening would increase dramatically with the addition of Alex Ariza to the team. Freddie made headlines when he fired Ariza from the Pacman team. Freddie explained Ariza was a disruption to training activities, a troublemaker who couldn’t get along with anyone.

An interesting point about this whole mess seemed to be that Manny expressed no dissatisfaction with Ariza; although, he did feel he had to honor Freddie’s wish and agree to Ariza’s dismissal. Therefore, Ariza got the heave ho. Soon after, Ariza latched on to the job of training Brandon Rios for his big fight against Pacquiao. When Freddie got the news, he apparently thought (and hoped) Ariza would have a disruptive influence with the Rios Team.

14 mo’s off, no problem – Andre Ward dominates Edwin Rodriquez

11/17/201311/17/2013 Paul Strauss

433 When the last time you saw an 8/7 round? That’s what happened at the Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, CA when referee Jack Reiss got very angry at both Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriquez and Andre S.O.G. Ward. A lot of punches were flying in the fourth round. The problem was quite a few of then came after Reiss called “break”. One of those shots caught him, and Reiss was pissed! He halted the action and angrily signaled both men to neutral corners. Then he advised each of the three judges to deduct two points from each man. He also explained he was hit and wanted both men fined, emphasizing he would leave it up to the commission as to the amount. When he finally waved both men back to center ring, he cautioned them he wasn’t going to put up with the dirty tactics, and if it continued he would DQ one or both and they wouldn’t get paid!

Go with Andre Ward – It’s easier

11/15/201311/15/2013 Paul Strauss

Once again, come this Saturday night at the Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, CA, fans will be treated to one of those battles where “Someone’s ‘O’ has got to go”. HBO’s main event will feature Andre S.O.G. Ward, 26-0-0 (KO14) versus Dominican Republic’s Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriquez 24-0-0 (KO16).

Both fighters are quality individuals, having exhibited excellence from the amateurs into the professionals. Andre is talked about in P4P terms. Edwin has been compared to past greats. How can you pick a winner? It’s hard to cheer for one over the other. They are both worthy. They both have the “bona fides”. They both conduct themselves well. They’re likable and avoid all the braggadocio and trash talking engaged in by so many.

Andrade beats Martirosyan; Donaire defeats Darchinyan; Mikey Garcia crushes Martinez

11/10/201311/10/2013 Paul Strauss

Saturday night at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX started slow with an ugly affair between two unbeatens, Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (20-0, 13 KO’s) and Vanes “Nightmare” Martirosyan (33-0-1,21 KO;s). After witnessing their ugly affair, you wondered how they stayed undefeated for so long. Vanes is trained by Freddie Roach, he was supposed to be the aggressor. Apparently no one told him that. His corner tried to, but their pleading between rounds fell on deaf ears. Viewers wanted him to do more, to do something to stop Andrade’s clumsy attempts at controlling the action.

Early on there was hope as the “Nightmare” surprised “Boo Boo” with a counter left hook that left him on the seat of his pants. After that the unpleasantness set in and there was only one boo, and that was coming from the crowd. The crowd was justified. These two guys did their best to uglify their chances to capture the vacant WBO light middleweight title. How can anyone accurately describe the scene? How about trips, stumbles, wild misses, shoves, elbows, late hits, and an out of breath referee named Jon Schorle.

Mayweather’s Speed is Calculated – Khan’s is Jittery

11/08/201311/08/2013 Paul Strauss

khan11 Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer recently offered his opinion that Amir Khan was faster than Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr. Are you buying it? Inside the ring, the truth is that there are two kinds of speed. One is measured and calculating. The other is just plain jittery speed.

The first involves cold blooded focusing. Nothing takes this speedster out of his game plan. He ignores the crowd and the noise. His movements are smooth and for a reason. He doesn’t waste motion. He avoids being duped or a victim of feints. He throws punches with mathematical precision, taking advantage of mistakes and traps, not wasting energy. He always seems to be in control, set and on balance. He makes the difficult look easy. Often he is described with superlatives such as genius, maestro, and poetry in motion. That’s Money.

Triple G beats down Stevens for his 15th straight kayo win

11/03/2013 Paul Strauss

WBO/IBO Middleweight Champ Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin took his time on the way to his 25th victory. He took some hard shots from hard hitting Curtis “Showtime/Kryptonite” Stevens, impressing the packed house in the Theater at Madison Square Garden. The destroyer from Kazakhstan picked up his 15th straight knockout, passing yet another test to further prove he is one of the elite fighters in the division. It’s came as no surprise that he now wants to fight the lineal champ Sergio Martinez.

Triple G’s only setback came in the post-fight interview when he said Curtis never hurt him. There was a collective groan heard from the crowd, and not just from Stevens’ fans. They weren’t biting on that bit of bragging. The truth is there were some pretty tense moments in the fight, enough to keep fans on the edges of their chairs. Even while hurt, it was obvious to them Stevens remained a threat. He proved he could take a punch, coming back strong after a big Triple G left hook put him on the canvas in the second round. Stevens beat the count, but clearly was hurt and confused. He kept looking to his corner as though he wanted confirmation that he had been decked. Or, maybe he thought they could yell out some sage advice.

Alien B-Hop displays familiar weapons to conquer Karo Murat

10/28/201310/27/2013 Paul Strauss

Showtime’s festivities at the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ started with Deontay Wilder’s ugly destruction of Nicolai “Stone Man” Firtha. Neither man deserves much attention. How Deontay can be viewed as a legitimate heavyweight contender is a mystery to me. Showtime’s Al Bernstein tried hard to describe Firtha as a real threat to Deontay. Al struggled to try and make viewers believe because he fought pretty well against Tyson Fury and that he could do the same against Wilder. It’s doubtful viewers bought Al’s efforts. His announcing partners, Mauro Ranallo and Paulie Malignaggi were probably holding their hands over their mouths to suppress laughter.