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Daniel Geale Thrilled To Be Fighting on U.S. Soil
NEW JERSEY (July 31, 2013) – Ever since Daniel Geale (29-1, 15 KOs) pulled off the unthinkable by defeating Felix Sturm on Sturm’s home turf of Germany in September of last year, Geale has essentially cemented himself as one of the elite 160 pounders in boxing. With the prestige and pageantry associated with such esteem comes the responsibility of self-improvement, a trait that often associates itself with the kind of high caliber athlete with an obsession for competition. It wasn’t enough for Geale to take a bite out of the world stage nor was it completely satisfying when he became the No. 1 fighter in his home country of Australia.
That is why Geale is thrilled to have his next fight scheduled on U.S. soil. Immediately following his victory over Strum, Geale made it apparent that he had all intentions to make a name for himself in America, but had unfinished business in Australia with Anthony Mundine, in which he scored a unanimous decision victory. He is still adamant about growing his brand in America. Continue reading
Tony Thompson vs Kubrat Pulev on August 24 in Schwerin, Germany
Fight fans can look forward to a real stacked up card on August 24. With European Light Heavyweight Champion Juergen Braehmer defending his title (against Stefano Abatangelo) and super-middleweight contender Arthur Abraham (against Willbeforce Shihepo) trying to get in position for another world title shot, the show is already loaded with highlights. Now the Sport- und Kongresshalle Schwerin will also play host to a special heavyweight attraction. Kubrat Pulev (17-0, 9 KO´s) and Tony Thompson (38-3, 26 KO´s) will fight it out in an IBF final eliminator with the winner to challenge for the world title.
Pulev, maybe the most avoided heavyweight in recent times, cannot wait to step into the ring again. In 2012, the current IBF International and European Champion made it to the top of the rankings, beating Michael Sprott, Alexander Dimitrenko as well as Alexander Ustinov – all of them inside the distance. But as fighters like Tomasz Adamek, Tyson Fury and Ruslan Chagaev refused to be matched with the 32-year-old Bulgarian, his career came to a brief halt at the start of 2013. Continue reading
Sergey Kovalev – Clear and Present Danger
Credit where credit’s due, most fighters in Nathan Cleverly’s position would avoid a showdown with such a fierce-punching, and unbeaten, rival. There may well be unanswered questions over Sergey Kovalev’s endurance, but why worry about endurance when concussive power in both hands negates the need for such a trait? And who’s to say that the Sergey couldn’t destroy opponents all night long if necessary?
The cold war’s over and Russia’s weapons are no longer steeped in mystery, the world’s well aware of the destructive capabilities of this particular piece of Russian hardware, and it’s even based in the United States of America! One may argue that Sergey’s rise through the ranks is a result of careful selection of opponents but in all fairness, his opponents are exactly that, opponents – they certainly didn’t prepare to help Sergey notch up a knockout rate of above 83%.
To look a little further into the quality of opposition, what did actually happen when Sergey Kovalev stepped up in class and challenged a seasoned pro whom had recently tangled with Tavoris Cloud and, what many spectators feel, won – Gabriel Campillo was, undoubtedly, a test for Sergey. Continue reading
Andre Berto: Saga continues
Debuting on December 4th, 2004, Andre Berto showed much promise from the beginning of his pro career. Michael Robinson was the first of twenty-two victims that failed to hear the final bell. Stopping David Estrada in 2007 for the NABF Welterweight title, and knocking out Miguel Angel Rodriguez in 2008 for the vacant WBC Welterweight title, Berto up to this point, fulfilled all the promise and praise laid upon him.
Knockouts of Quintana and Hernandez heading into the Ortiz fight, Berto looked to tick all the boxes coming in. In an all action shootout, it was Ortiz who prevailed, taking the decision. Coming off his first pro loss, Berto next bested Jan Zaveck, and once again approached a golden opportunity. Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero next stood in front of the top tier gateway. Although only having one bout at 147, Guerrero had all the credentials to be in this spot. Living up to his moniker, ‘The Ghost’, Guerrero proved a nightmare for Berto, and after twelve punishing rounds was awarded the decision. Another key loss for Andre Berto. Continue reading
Interview with “Fast” Eddie Chambers
Chip Mitchell: Eddie, let’s first talk about the decision to move down from heavyweight to cruiserweight? Was part of the decision it based more on size or more opportunities in the division?
Fast Eddie Chambers: It is a combination of all that. But honestly when you thing about the opportunities in cruiserweight it’s almost in some ways just as difficult because you see a lot of these champions sitting on belts. At least in heavyweight division you’ve got one guy saying ‘Look I’m going to try to rule the division’.
In the cruiserweight division we have four different champions and they’re all sitting on belts. And they are like ‘I don’t want to pick and choose’ and the promoters have to do this and that. Like Kathy (Duva) was saying a little earlier, they talk about having this other fight already made or that other fight made, so they’re not really thinking about getting anybody a shot at taking their title. They are thinking of keeping their belts and sitting on them. Continue reading
Pacquiao-Rios Notebook: Beijing Edition
BEIJING (July 30, 2013) — Stop No. 2 on the Manny Pacquiao – Brandon Rios 23,722-mile international media tour to promote their historic 12-round welterweight rumble has landed them in Beijing. On Monday, Pacquiao, Rios and their respective trainers, Hall of Famer Freddie Roach and Trainer of the Year Robert Garcia, began the day with a little morning roadwork – approximately 3,000 steps worth — as they climbed a portion of the Great Wall, at Shuiguan, which was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and is famous for its precipitous cliffs and beautiful views.
Before embarking on the massive climb, Rios and Garcia ducked into a souvenir stand and emerged wearing cowboy hats. “The rancheros have hit Beijing,” exclaimed Rios to the delight of the hundreds of tourists visiting and the media covering. Continue reading
V. Klitschko vs. Stiverne WBC purse bid postponed again
OTTAWA, Canada (July 26, 2013) — When heavyweight contender Bermane “B. Ware” Stiverne (21-1, 20 KOs) upset Chris Arreola (35-3, 30 KOs) on HBO this past April 27, in a title elimination bout, it set-up the dangerous Canadian for a super fight versus future Hall of Famer and long-time World Boxing Council (WBC) World Heavyweight Champion, Vitali Klitschko (45-2, 41 KOs).
Stiverne completely dominated former world title challenger Arreola, dropping him in the third round, en route to a unanimous 12-round decision (118-109, 117-110, 117-110) for the vacant WBC Silver title.
A purse bid was set and postponed, reset and re-postponed. Finally, July 22 was supposed to be the final purse bid date when, surprisingly, the WBC once again granted another extension requested by the Team Klitschko, forcing the mandatory challenger to wait once again for his world title shot that he has now earned twice by winning a pair “title elimination” bouts. WBO No. 1 contender Stiverne, who is also rated No. 10 in the world by The Ring Magazine, had knocked out Ray Austin in the 10th round of their WBC heavyweight title eliminator on June 25, 2011. Continue reading
Zsolt Erdei Calls Out Andre Ward
New York, NY (7/29/13) – Former light heavyweight and cruiserweight world champion Zsolt Erdei (33-1, 18KO’s) isn’t looking for any easy fights after suffering his first professional defeat in a razor-thin and questionable split decision loss to Denis Grachev in the first leg of the Monte-Carlo Million Dollar Super 4 Tournament. Erdei is instead offering up his services to super middleweight kingpin and ESPN.com’s pound-for-pound number two-ranked fighter in the world, Andre Ward.
Ward, who is coming off a shoulder injury and extensive rehab, hasn’t fought since scoring a 10th-round TKO over Chad Dawson in September of last year. Erdei says he has no problem in moving down to super middleweight and would jump at the opportunity. Continue reading
Denis Boytsov joins Team Sauerland
Heavyweight Denis Boytsov is the latest addition to Team Sauerland! Today, the 27-year-old signed a deal to fight under the promotional banner of Sauerland Event until at least the end of 2015. He formerly stepped into the ring for the by now bankrupt Universum Box-Promotion.
“After we found out that Denis was officially a free agent, we immediately tried to sign him,” said Chris Meyer, managing director of Sauerland Event. “Promotions all over the world tried hard to get his signature but in the end he decided to join us, which makes us very proud.”
Having started his boxing career in the amateurs, Boytsov already showed his potential back then, winning 115 out of 130 fights. At the age of 18, Boytsov made the transition over to the paid ranks where he has won all of his 33 bouts to date, having stopped 26 of his opponents. Continue reading
Chris Traietti Dominates Dion Stanley
Iraq War Veteran, Chris Traietti scored a six round knockout over Dion Stanley as the referee stopped the bout at 1:11 after Traietti landed several combinations that had Stanley down for the second time in the fight, the other knockdown was in the fifth round.
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