by James Slater - In the case of many fighters, what they learn in the gym while sparring amounts to way more knowledge than any early pro fight will get them. Larry Holmes, for one example, was the beneficiary of priceless learning of his trade while he was the great Muhammad Ali's sparring partner in the early to mid 1970s. continue
 By Ted Sares - He [Burgess] had power but not enough speed…He chose the distance and that distance was good for me. --Andrey Nevsky
Nevsky is a terrific young talent…He has skill, power, and he is showing his heart in stepping up against a tough, hard-nosed Philly fighter like Burgess. --Promoter Rich Cappiello
Southpaw Nevsky, now 7-0, is a Russian born super middleweight who fights out of Clinton, Massachusetts. Saturday night at the “Showdown at Early Sunset” venue at the Roxy in Boston, he systematically broke down Philadelphian Roberto Burgess by keeping the pressure on with sharp jabs, solid body work, and punishing overhand lefts. Finally in the fourth round, he floored the hard-nosed Burgess twice, though he seemed OK when he got up. continue
CORK, Ireland (June 30, 2009) – Irish boxing manager Gary Hyde, president of NTH Promotions, is seeking an injunction to prevent 2-time Olympic champion Guillermo Rigondeaux from fighting on the July 17th ESPN2 Friday Night Fights show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rigondeaux (1-0, 1 KO), fighting as a bantamweight, now lives in Los Angeles after defecting from Cuba, where he was a 7-time national champion. The 28-year-old southpaw also won multiple World Championships titles, as well as a gold medal at the 2003 Pan-Am Games, during his incredible 243-4 amateur career. continue
Red-hot talent Kevin Mitchell is confident of getting a world title shot - but knows he could miss out if he doesn't perform on July 18. The Dagenham Destroyer is closing in on a crack at WBO World super-featherweight world champion Roman Martinez. But first he has to come through an eight rounder on the undercard of Amir Khan's WBA World Light-Welterweight title challenge against Andreas Kotelnik on July 18 at the M.E.N Arena. It will given unbeaten Mitchell an opportunity to spend more time in the ring following a year-long absence with a hand injury. continue
 By Vivek Wallace, photo by Chris Farina - Top Rank - This weeks 'Left-Hook Lounge' takes a look at a crew of fairly unmentionables. Typically we see the likes of Pacquiao, Mayweather and company, but with the sport literally turned upside down after a slew of cancellations, the spotlight shifts to a crew of new comers, as well as a two familiar names who find themselves in unfamiliar territory. From Lopez, to Maidana, to Ortiz, to Hatton to Pavlik, and down the line, today we once again put an ear to the street to hear the buzz directly from the fans. First question week comes to us from one of my favorite destinations, San Diego, California, where a fight fan wanted to know the following:
Hector A. (San Diego, CA): I think Victor Ortiz is more talented than he displayed against Maidana. What was your take on his KO lost and what do you see in his future?
Vivek W. (ESB): First off, I think you have to tip your hat to Maidana. continue
JAMIE MOORE has promised to take the fizz out of Jimmy Colas when he makes the second defence of his European light-middleweight title at Leigh Indoor Sports Centre on Friday July 24. Moore, recently promoted to number three in the WBC rankings recently is rapidly closing in on champion Sergio Martinez, but knows there can be no slip ups against Colas (27-6). Salford southpaw Moore (32-3) has beaten several serious injuries during his career and claims there are no more fitness worries. continue
Heavyweight Elijah McCall along with his father will make History again. Elijah will appear on the August 21st card in a Heavyweight Fight. The only difference this time is his father Oliver the current IBA Heavyweight (Continental Belt) Champion will wear the Belt into the ring. Oliver McCall will defend his Continental Belt against Franklin Lawrence of Indianapolis, Indiana the former IBA Heavyweight (Continental Belt) Champion. This 7 bout card featuring 34 scheduled rounds of boxing, promises to be another sell out at The Orleans Hotel and Casino on Friday, August 21st in The Boxing Capital of The World Las Vegas, Nevada. continue
 June 29, 2009 – By Scott Kraus at ringside -- On Saturday night, I weaved through the maze of Atlantic City to watch Bob Arum’s Latin Fury 9 live from ringside at the Boardwalk Hall Ballroom. Puerto Rican knockout sensation Juan Manuel Lopez headlined the card in the fourth defense of his WBO super bantamweight title.
The Fight Card: A rundown of the action
Juan Manuel Lopez (26-0) W-TKO end 9 Olivier Lontchi (18-1-2) – Juanma knocked Lontchi down in the second and ninth rounds and beat up the challenger in the rounds between, forcing Lontchi’s corner to stop the fight after the ninth round. The unknown Cameroonian fighting out of Canada presented a very awkward style and landed as many headbutts as right hands but Lopez overcame his difficult opponent and wore him down for a second straight victory by corner retirement. continue
(June 30, 2009) DiBella Entertainment is proud to announce Marcus “Too Much” Johnson, one of the brightest young prospects boxing has to offer, as the latest to join the DiBella Entertainment stable. Johnson will be co-promoted by DBE and Antonio Leonard Productions, and managed by James Prince. continue
by James Slater - Over the weekend, a news story ran in UK paper, The News of The World, in which it was revealed how Ricky Hatton has made up his mind about fighting again. According to the article, 30-year-old Hatton has decided that he will box on for at least one more fight. There were no direct quotes from "The Hitman" himself, the paper instead gave us the word from a "leading ring source," who said the following: "Ricky doesn't take anything away from Floyd [Mayweather Junior] and Manny [Pacquiao] but he feels there were things that didn't help his performances. He believes he can still offer something and wants to have at least one more fight.. continue
 By Shaun Murphy: Amir Khan is, now, only weeks away from his scheduled fight with Andreas Kotelnik and it highlights, for me, why I love boxing.
I first heard of Khan while in a place full of naughty people [I’ll let you guess where], and I spoke to an Asian fellow, in the gym, about Khan’s Olympic prospects. 5-years later – and plenty of good behavior -- that ambitious, articulate and gifted young-man from Bolton-England is on the cusp of a world title fight against Andreas Kotelnik.
Vicariously, I imagine, the Ukrainian people feel the same way about their huge heavyweight-prospect Alexander Dimitrenko. continue
NEW YORK, June 29, 2009 – With the intriguing showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez rescheduled for Sept. 19 in Las Vegas, HBO Sports’ groundbreaking “24/7” reality franchise, which has captured seven Sports Emmy® Awards, will premiere MAYWEATHER/MARQUEZ 24/7 on SATURDAY, AUG. 29 (10:15-10:45 p.m. ET/PT), it was announced today by Ross Greenburg, president, HBO Sports. continue
by James Slater - Promoter Bob Arum says he believes he has found a superstar of the future with unbeaten bomber Juan Manuel Lopez, the unbeaten, reigning WBO super-bantamweight champion from Puerto Rico. Clearly hoping to see the fighter he promotes develop into the next Felix Trinidad or Miguel Cotto, Arum wants "Juanma" to engage in his first truly big fight. According to a number of sources - ESPN and USA Today newspaper for two - this initial big fight could come against another possible star of the future, in unbeaten Cuban featherweight Yuriorkis Gamboa, the current interim WBA 126-pound ruler. continue
 By Paul Strauss: Vicious Victor looked like he was going to live up to his moniker when he ignited the Staples Center crowd in LA with a quick first round knockdown of Marcos Rene Maidana. It was Maidana who came out firing bombs, but Ortiz remained poised and landed a beautiful short right hook to score the first knockdown.
The counter right hook was available because Maidana came out fast, throwing long powerful right hands from the outset, leaving no doubt as to what his game plan might be. He hadn't scored 24 KOs in 25 victories by accident, and instead of backing off after the knock down, he quickly shook off the effects and resumed his attack.
There was no shying away from throwing the right hand either for Maidana. He continued to wing it with speed and power. The crowd hardly had time to stop gushing over Victor's beautiful right hook, and bam down went Ortiz from a long straight right hand. continue
By Doveed Linder - Having faced Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, and Joshua Clottey over the last two years, Miguel Cotto is known for taking on the best available opposition. Now that he has made it past Joshua Clottey, it looks as if the stage is set for a showdown with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao. Cotto has accomplished a lot in his career and he may still have some great fights ahead of him. But if his handlers do, in fact, go forward with the Pacquiao fight, they would be doing their fighter a great disservice.
The fight with Antonio Margarito was a rough night for Cotto. He took some punishment and suffered the first loss of his career via TKO. Because of the controversy surrounding Margarito’s handwraps, some may view this loss as debatable, since the possibility exists that Margarito’s gloves were loaded. But regardless of this issue, the fight took a toll on Cotto and it demonstrated that he has stylistic problems with fighters who bring pressure. continue
Heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury is hot on the trail of English Champion “Big Bad” John McDermott after the British Boxing Board of Control ordered that the bout must take place before the end of November. Purse bids for the bout have been ordered for July 8th and Fury says he can’t wait to get his hands on McDermott. The 6 foot 9 inch Manchester heavyweight has won all 6 of his pro fights since turning pro last December and maintained a 100% KO ratio on the process. His next outing comes at the York Hall, Bethnal Green on July 18th when he appears on the undercard of the Danny McIntosh – Nathan Cleverly British Light Heavyweight title fight. continue
 By ADEYINKA MAKINDE - Almost a hundred years have passed since ‘The Fight of the Century’, namely that world heavyweight title bout staged in Reno, Nevada between the defending champion, Jack Johnson and the unretired and undefeated former champion, James J. Jeffries. Only two other fights have carried a similar level of significance. Joe Louis’ return confrontation with the German Max Schemeling on the eve of World War Two and the 1971 clash between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, each man an undefeated claimant for the heavyweight championship. If Ali-Frazier partly symbolized the clash between the forces of conservatism and youthful radicalism, and Louis-Schmeling that of opposing ideological camps on the threshold of a world war, the encounter between Johnson-Jeffries was perceived and promoted as a clash between black and white and nothing short of a battle for racial hegemony.
After six years out of the sport, paunchy and corroded; Jefferies had been roused out of an almost idyllic retirement by a call first sounded little more than hours after Johnson’s humiliation of Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia on Boxing Day in 1908: “Leave your Alfalfa farm and save the honour of the white race.” It was a burden Jeffries resented and one which he could not discharge. Bloodied and exhausted after been on the receiving end of a largely one-sided mauling by Johnson, the former champion was stopped in the 15th round. continue
Beijing, China. (June 29, 2009) - By Zhenyu Li: China's boxing has made a significant move to add professional prizefighters to its rosters of the national women's boxing team, in the hope of winning one gold in women's boxing during the 2012 London Olympic Games, should the sport is approved for inclusion in the program of the Games.
Xiyan Zhang, the former WBA, WIBC and WIBA title holder, is one of the prizefighters that returned from the professional battle fields to the amateur square ring. She's now the team leader and the assistant coach of the Chinese national women's boxing team, and currently China's biggest hopeful for its female boxing Gold Rush in London. continue
By Bill Patrice Jones - There has now for some time been a potential fight brewing between two top middleweights: Kelly Pavlik and Arthur Abraham. Though both men currently possess their own ‘world titles’ if a fight did take place boxing purists would no doubt understand it as a title defence for Pavlik more than a unification fight. Pavlik after all possessed the linear and legitimate Middleweight championship of the world. It seems over the past few years whilst interest for such a fight between two undefeated champions in a reasonably unentertaining division, perspectives over the winner have changed. continue
 By Vladimir S. at ringside: International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (30-0, 24 KO’s) had a tougher than expected time against number #11 rated IBF contender Mahir Oral (25-2, 10 KO’s) on Saturday night, stopping him in the 10th round at the Max Schmeling Halle, in Berlin, Germany. Abraham, 29, used a very economical approach to the fight giving away many of the rounds to the much busier Oral and making the fight tougher than it might have been had Abraham fought all out in one of the earlier rounds.
Oral, 29, was knocked down five times in total, including three times in the 10th when he took a knee several times to escape punishment. Ultimately, Oral’s corner threw in the towel after the third knockdown in the 10th, as it was clear that Oral was a beaten fighter and couldn’t continue on.
Oral controlled the action in the first three rounds, throwing short combinations and nice jabs and easily outworking Abraham. Oral stood straight up and showed very little power in his shots. continue
-- Click here to listen to the show -- Show starts at 6 pm ET - click "play" on the player to listen live. Call in number (646) 716-5404 -- As the past week in entertainment and boxing alike have shown us, stars can rise just as easily as they can fall. On The Ropes Radio returns on June 29th, 2009 at 6pm Eastern time and after an action packed weekend of fights and with a Guest former World Champion Steve “2 Pound” Forbes for a Interview. continue
Per-Ake Persson - The undercard to Universum´s big show in Hamburg on July 4 features the European debut of Venezuelan Pablo Vazquez, who comes in at 16-0 with all wins inside the distance. Cruiser Aleksander Alekseev is in against Kendrick Releford, who in his last fight in Germany came very close to win over Enad Licina in an exellent fight. On the official scorcards Kendrick was a clear loser but in reality it was very close. continue
 By Frank Gonzalez Jr. - June 28, 2009 -- Victor Ortiz said, “The better man won last night.” And that man was Marcos “El Chino” Maidana. This was one of the best fights I’ve seen this year! This fight had everything, drama, suspense, intrigue, five knockdowns and a pair of young warriors worthy of remembrance. Too bad someone had to lose.
A few times a year, fight fans get treated to a truly wonderful rumble in the ring. Saturday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Jr. Welterweight contender and local product, Victor Ortiz (24-2-1, 19 KO’s) was the featured fighter on the card. His opponent, Marcos Maidana of Argentina, came to LA with an impressive record of 26-1, 25 KO’s and his one loss was the result of a dubious Split Decision that went to Andriy Kotelnik in Germany last February. continue
HOLLYWOOD, FL, June 28 – You could say it was lucky number seven for hot junior welterweight prospect Danny O’Connor Saturday night at The Roxy in Boston, Massachusetts, but when you win by shutout scores of 60-54 on all three judges’ cards, there’s no luck involved. The victory, O’Connor’s seventh in seven pro fights, was his first six round test against 31 fight veteran Sebastien Hamel, and the Framingham, Massachusetts native passed with flying colors in front of scores of local fans who cheered on the 2008 US Olympic team alternate. continue
By Per Ake Persson: June 27, Berlin, Germany: IBF middleweight champ Arthur Abraham stopped brave but outgunned challenger Mahir Oral in the tenth round after scoring three knockdowns in the round with a devastating attack to the body. Referee Earl Brown waved them on again but Oral´s corner retired their man. Oral was down in the fourth and sixth rounds - and a knockdown should have been ruled in the fifth as well. After nine rounds the champ was ahead by scores 86-83 twice and 88-81. Abraham lost the first three and the seventh on two cards. continue
 Undefeated IBF Middleweight Champion King Arthur Abraham scored another spectacular victory as he stopped Mahir Oral in the tenth round. It spelled the 30th win in as many fights for the hard-hitting 29-year-old (24 KOs), who pleased a sell-out crowd of 6,000 fans in Berlin´s Max-Schmeling-Halle with a strong performance and several knock-downs. Oral was off to the better start though, making good use of his jab and trying to exploit his advantage in reach. King Arthur started out defensively. “I am a rather slow starter,” he explained. “Sometimes it takes a little longer until I really get going. That is why I wanted to let Oral attack early doors. But then I gave my best and gave the right answers.”
King Arthur turned it on from the fourth round on, creating more pressure with his jab. A hard series of punches, including a right to the chin, dusted his opponent for the first time. “He can really punch hard,” Oral said. “I tried to remain on my feet but I could only see stars in my head. But I did not want to disappoint the many fans that had joined me from Hamburg so I got back up.. continue
LOS ANGELES - Sports fans around the world can breathe again as it was announced today that the highly anticipated 12-round welterweight showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez has been officially rescheduled for September 19, after Mayweather, who suffered a rib injury while training for the originally scheduled July 18 date, received clearance from his doctor to participate on the new date. continue
Setanta, the Irish based sports company, finally fell into administration on Tuesday after a long battle against overriding debts that mounted up due to a lack of subscribers to the ambitious model Setanta had set out. Along with the demise of Setanta, a large proportion of live boxing, including exclusive deals with Top Rank, Hayemaker and Sauerland Event will go missing from UK screens. As well as the aforementioned live boxing, a much loved television programme which was part of many boxing fans weekly schedule also came to an end, the Steve Bunce boxing hour. continue
 June 26, 2009 –By Scott Kraus at ringside - Television and the Internet are essential for fight fans to keep track of the boxing action around the world, but nothing compares to the thrill of going to a fight in person. Whenever the stars align, I will attend fights in the New Jersey area and relay my experiences in the Jersey Fight Journal. On June 25, 2009, “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis looks to bounce back from a vicious knockout loss in his last fight in front of his adoring fans. I venture up to Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, New Jersey to take in the action.
7:30 – After the standard struggle with New Jersey/New York traffic, I arrive in plenty of time to take in the surroundings and settle into my seat on press row. Unfortunately, press row consists of a table for three stuck behind the neutral corner, with an assortment of four or five additional chairs for those unable to acquire a seat at the table. I am among those unable to acquire a seat at the table, so I sit in a backside-abusing wooden chair and take notes on a notepad on my knee. Oh, the perks of being a greenhorn fight reporter! continue
Rumours on certain boxing chat room forums have falsely suggested that Amir Khan's world title fight against Andreas Kotelnik at the M.E.N Arena on July 18th is off, and that Khan will fight John Murray or Shane Mosley. These rumours are totally false and without merit and should be disregarded. Dean Powell, matchmaker at Frank Warren Promotions, has spoken to Hedi Taouab and Stefan Braune at Universum, the promoter of Kotelnik, and they have denied these rumours. continue
Heavyweight contender Danny Batchelder (25-6, 12 KO's) steps back into the ring for the first time since losing to former WBO heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster in August. Danny's climb back up the heavyweight ladder does not get any easier as he is scheduled to take on former world title challenger Lance "Mount" Whitaker (32-5, 27 KO's) on July 17th in Redondo Beach California. Batchelder steps back into the ring for the first time since last August, although two fights have fallen through, the first against Otis Tisdale when the whole card was cancelled and then a fight against Bowie Tupou that Danny had to pull out of due to an abdominal injury. continue
 (June 26, 2009) –by Pavel Yakovlev - Boxing returns to The Roxy Nightclub Boston this Saturday, June 27th, with a nine bout card headed by super bantamweights Mike Oliver and Castullo Gonzalez. The scheduled ten round main event is regarded as a grudge match between local rivals Oliver (21-2; seven kayos) and Gonzalez (9-8; three kayos). In a previous fight, in 2006, Oliver stopped Gonzalez in nine rounds.
For Oliver, this is a “must win” fight, as he has been kayoed in devastating fashion in his last two bouts. Only a year ago Oliver was regarded as one of the best super bantamweights in the world. Early round stoppage defeats to Reynaldo Lopez and Antonio Escalante, however, have knocked Oliver out of the world ratings.
The Guatemalan born Gonzalez is a rugged, bull-like fighter who can be expected to pressure Oliver as long as the fight lasts. continue
By Shaun Murphy -- I must admit it, from the start of his career, I had massive hopes for the Italian-Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli. I suppose, I’m biased: I love the big guys, and I love big punchers. For that reason, I saw ‘’Big Mac’’ going all the way. Maccarinelli’s promoter, Frank Warren, advertized his charge as the hardest pound-for-pound puncher in the world and, due to the huge array of British cruiserweight talent at the time, I was excited about the future fights the 6’4, Swansea-born fighter would be involved in. Enzo won the WBO cruiserweight title [by a first-round KO over the Englishman Mark Hobson], and looked set for big things. continue
June 25, 2009 - Ever since Allan “Sweetness” Green stole the show on April 25 with a second round knockout over Carlos De Leon, Jr. he has been waiting for the big showcase fight he deserves. With no one stepping up to the plate, Green has set his sights on Carl Froch, the man he shared top billing with in April, in his quest to prove he is the best super middleweight in the world. It’s no secret Green (28-1, 20 KOs) is the world’s most exciting fighter at 168 lbs. His stirring knockout wins over top contenders such as De Leon, Jr., Jerson Ravelo, Darrell Woods, and Jaidon Codrington have been captivating boxing fans for years. continue
 By Vivek Wallce: The island of Puerto Rico has been long known for giving the world of boxing some of its best talent. From Gomez, Benitez, and Camacho, to more recently Felix 'Tito' Trinidad; Emerging from beyond those shadows is the presence of a young man who boasts a talent that many of his native land feel may one day parallel those efforts. Blessed with power, speed, skill, and a wicked southpaw stance, it appears this knight is more than ready to shine his armour in front of anyone willing to watch. Only a few years ago it was Miguel Cotto who walked this path from the land of Puerto Rico to mainstream boxing, but after a jr. welterweight tenure that saw his chin, stamina and skill level questioned, despite his great success as a welterweight, many critics have once again found reason to debate his true worth. So far, the steps along this same trail for the young Lopez haven't quite shed any light on any such problems, but in the mind of his critics, that's precisely the problem....We simply don't know.
With a record of 25-0 with 23KOs, the focus quickly shifts to his level of opposition. As you scan around the sport and look at some of his contemporaries, we learn that the same questions which also now surround fighters like Edwin Valero (25-0, 25KOs) and Andre Berto (25-0, 19KOs), can be quickly answered when met with stiff opposition like that encountered by both Alfredo Angulo and Kelly Pavlik; two fighters who also were questioned before their "O" decided to go. continue
BOSTON , MA . (June 26, 2009) Former world title challenger Elvin Ayala returns to action this Saturday night, June 27th, to face Eddie Caminero at The Roxy in Boston , Massachusetts . The 28 year old Ayala, 19-3-1 (8KO’s), is anxious to return to the squared circle and is looking towards another world title shot later this year. The heavy handed Caminero brings a record of 5-1-0, all five of his wins coming by knockout. In March of 2008, Ayala traveled to the homeland of Germany ’s Arthur Abraham to challenge for the IBF Middleweight Title. continue
NEW YORK (June 25, 2009) — International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion “King’’ Arthur Abraham will put his undefeated record and middleweight title on the line against world-ranked Mahir (pronounced Ma-hear) “Lion” Oral this Saturday in a special primetime edition of ShoBox: The New Generation, on June 27, 2009, on SHOWTIME® at 9 p.m. ET/PT (same day, tape delay). continue
 Interview and photos by Geoffrey Ciani - Tuesday morning, I was given a brief glimpse into the training camp of cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek as he prepares for his July 11 title defense against Bobby Gunn. This will be the second defense of his championship since first winning the title back in December in a sensational effort against Steve “USS” Cunningham. In what was widely considered one of the best fights of the year, Adamek dropped Cunningham three times en route to winning the title. He then went on to defend his crown earlier this year when he stopped Jonathon Banks via brutal eight round knockout.
After a light training session, I was afforded an opportunity to briefly chat with the champion and discuss potential opponents for his future. Adamek made one thing very clear—he is looking for a big fight, preferably against the ageless warrior, Bernard Hopkins.
Q: How is training and preparations coming along for the Gunn fight?
A: It's good, very good. I've done some good sparring, I have been training well, and I am ready to fight. continue
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (June 26, 2009) -- Undefeated world title contender OLIVIER LONTCHI is "devastated" by the news of Michael Jackson's death. Lontchi (18-0-2, 8 KOs), a native of Cameroon, who fights out of Montréal, Québec, Canada, challenges undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior featherweight champion JUAN MANUEL “Juanma” LOPEZ (25-0, 23 KOs), of Caguas, Puerto Rico, in the main event of “Latin Fury 9” – Tomorrow! Saturday, June 27, in Atlantic City. Promoted by Top Rank, the four-bout “Latin Fury 9” will be broadcast Live on Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. continue
On Saturday June 27th, Star Boxing's jr. middleweight contender Andrey Tsurkan (26- 4, 17KO) takes on 23-year-old up and coming prospect, and 2004 U.S. Olympian,Vanes "The Nightmare" Martirosyan (24-0, 15KO) on the undercard of Latin Fury 9, headlined by WBO super bantamweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez defending his title against Olivier Lontchi. The card will take place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ and be broadcast live on Pay Per View. continue
 One day after meeting with the media at The Show at Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa, here is what Bradley, Campbell, the promoters and other camp members had to say at a press conference Wednesday at The Langham, Huntington Hotel and Spa, Pasadena, Calif.:
NATE CAMPBELL - “I have a lot of respect for Tim. He’s a nice guy with a real good family. He keeps his shoes tied. He wears his pants above his waist. He is going to fight his fight on Aug. 1, but he has never fought anybody like me, and there is nothing he can show me that I haven’t already seen.
“Who’s he fought to get the kind of experience it will take to prepare for a hard-working, blue-collar guy like me? I’ve fought all kinds. I’m a physical guy and he’s never fought a guy at 140 that punches like me. continue
An international mix of talent from the United States, Mexico, Scotland and Australia will step into the ring on Saturday, June 27th to compete on the action-packed undercard of the Victor Ortiz vs. Marcos Maidana WBA Interim Super Lightweight World Championship bout at Los Angeles' STAPLES Center.n Featured on the undercard will be Scotland's Craig McEwan, Mexico's Enrique Ornelas, Australia's William Kickett and the United States' Adrien Broner and Mike Perez. In the main event, Oxnard's "Vicious" Victor Ortiz faces Marcos Maidana for the interim WBA World Super Lightweight Title in a 12 round battle. continue
Kell Brook will aim to win a Lonsdale belt outright on July 18 when he defends his British welterweight title against Michael Lomax. The Sheffield prospect - who has already picked the nickname "Special K" in building up a 19-fight unbeaten record - will form part of the huge undercard to Amir Khan's WBA light-welterweight title challenge against Andreas Kotelnik. And the 23-year-old is aiming to win a Lonsdale belt inside 14 months, having taken just seven completed rounds to win three British title fights already. After stopping Barrie Jones in the seventh, he put former British champion Kevin McIntyre on the floor three times in the first before bombing out Stuart Elwell in two. continue
 by Andrew Harrison, safesideoftheropes.com -- This weekend, fight fans will be tucking into the remains of what should have been a veritable boxing banquet, however after the bizarre spate of cancellations, sick notes and let downs, the feast we originally had in prospect, one which had us licking our lips and tucking in our napkins, has been curtailed somewhat. Ray Arcel, a wise old soul, was right on the money when he remarked ‘tough times make monkeys eat red peppers’. With all the shenanigans and happenings over recent weeks we’re probably all just thankful to have something left on our plate to munch on at all.
Saturday’s ‘Latin Fury 9’ PPV presentation from Atlantic City, originally boasted Kelly Pavlik headlining against former reality TV show winner Sergio Mora, beefed up by Fernando Montiel v Eric Morel, Paulie Malignaggi battling Mike Alvarado and Juan Manuel ‘JuanMa’ Lopez against Olivier Lontchi. Regrettably, only the latter of the quartet has survived. continue
By Ted Sares - It was very tough on me…I was a 24-year-old baby and already thinking about retiring. I didn’t want to box anymore. That was a real low point of my life. It throws you around a bit. It’s still tough to talk about -- Brian Mitchell
If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner. --Nelson Mandela continue
(June 25, 2009) The anticipated match-up between light heavyweight contenders Shaun George and Chris Henry is on for July 10, 2009! The fight will take place at The Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The ten-round bout, which will be televised on ESPN 2, was added on to an action packed card as the co-feature to Matt Godfrey v. Shawn Hawk. continue
 By Dan Hunter - Make no mistake about it - Amir Khan´s July 18th challenge for Andriy Kotelnik´s WBA junior welterweight title at Manchester’s M.E.N Arena is no forgone conclusion. 22 year old Khan will start as a firm favorite to win his first world title, but the Hamburg based Ukrainian is tough and durable, with a wealth of experience both as an amateur and a pro.
We UK fight fans know all about young hotshot Amir Khan, the good-looking kid from Bolton who fights like a young Oscar De La Hoya. We know how he seems huge at his weight, dwarfing all of his opponents, and overpowering them with a relentless combination of speed and power.
We also suspect, but don’t like to dwell on, the possibility that his chin might be less than concrete. continue
At the age of 29, Abraham is a five-year pro. The IBF middleweight world champion, he won the title in December, 2005, and has made nine successful defenses, five of those by knockout.
Abraham has several impressive wins – against former IBF Jr. middleweight world champion Raul Marquez (TKO7), and contenders Edison Miranda (TKO4, W12), Kofi Jantuah (W12), Kingsley Ikeke (TKO5), and Howard Eastman (W12). continue
Wilfried Sauerland is convinced that undefeated IBF Middleweight Champion King Arthur Abraham will not have any problems to make the weight for his 10th title defence. The 29-year-old (29-0, 23 KOs) takes on Mahir Oral (25-1, 10 KOs) in Berlin´s Max-Schmeling-Halle on Saturday night. Prior to his last fights, Abraham was forced to lose a lot of pounds during the week of the fight – but not this time out. “I was a little worried that Arthur could face some problems again,” Sauerland said. “But he has really watched his weight and he is already close to the limit. I am sure he will make a great fight on Saturday.. continue
 June 25, 2009 – By Scott Kraus: Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez, widely regarded as the future of Puerto Rican boxing, will fight at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, June 27, to take another step towards stardom. Standing in his way will be Olivier Lontchi, an unbeaten (18-0-2, 8 KO) and mostly unknown Canadian challenger.
Given Juanma’s recent performances, Lontchi is unlikely to be standing for long.
Lopez is 25 years old (he turns 26 on June 30, three days after the fight). His magnificent record stands at 25 wins without a loss with 23 knockouts for an outstanding 92% knockout rate. He is the reigning WBO super bantamweight titlist making the fourth defense of his belt. He is coming off a dominant victory over Gerry Penalosa in which he handed the great iron-jawed Filipino the first stoppage loss in his long career. Before that he scored consecutive first-round knockouts against Sergio Medina, Cesar Figueroa, and Daniel Ponce de Leon in title fights. continue
At the age of 29, Mahir is a nine-year pro. A contender at 160 pounds, he has won 18 fights in a row since his only loss in March, 2004.
Mahir is a stablemate of Yuriorkis Gamboa, Odlanier Solis, Selcuk Aydin, Juan Carlos Gomez, Erislandy Lara - all are promoted by Ahmed Oner’s Germany-based Arena-box Promotion. continue
Amir Khan has hit back at Andreas Kotelnik and promised to give him a boxing lesson on July 18 at the M.E.N Arena. Khan, 22, has blasted the Ukrainian from his LA gym after the WBA World Light-Welterweight champion claimed he was a little boy who was going to take a beating. "If he's going around saying that I am a kid then I will let my fists do the talking, he's going to be in for a shock. If he thinks it is going to be an easy fight for him then he has got something else coming. "It will be exciting but at the end of the day it will be me with the belt around my waist and we will see who the child is then. His trash talk has made me train a lot harder, made me focused. Knowing someone out there is talking bad about you makes you want to go out there and prove him wrong. "I'm going to give him a boxing lesson. I am confident that I am going to be the teacher and show him what boxing is all about.. continue
 In an unusual twist of events, two world title belts -- one currently owned by Timothy “Desert Storm’’ Bradley, and one he recently relinquished -- will be on the line during a unique world championship doubleheader featuring four of the most talented 140-pounders in the world on Saturday, Aug. 1, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). Bradley (24-0, 11 KOs) will risk his WBO belt against former unified lightweight world champ Nate “The Galaxxy Warrior” Campbell (33-5-1, 25 KOs) in the main event. In the co-feature on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, the boxer Bradley dethroned to capture his first world title -- No. 3 -ranked Junior “The Hitter” Witter -- will face undefeated, No. 2-rated Devon Alexander “The Great’’ for the WBC title that Bradley voluntarily gave up.
The exciting twinbill will originate from the classy, brand-new The Show at Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa in the desert community of Rancho Mirage, Calif., a short distance from Bradley's lifelong home in North Palm Springs, Calif. The event will be promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Thompson Boxing Promotions in association with Don King Productions and Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa. Tickets go on sale July 3, at 10 a.m. (PT) and will be available for purchase online at www.HotWaterCasino.com/TheShow or by calling (800) 585-3737. continue
24.06.09 - Update: Klitschko manager Bernd Bönte has has denied that Klitschko will fight Valuev in the fall: "We currently have no interest in a fight with Valuev. "Both Klitschko brothers want their next fights to be against other opponents. Perhaps next year the fight is a possibility", Bönte said to RTL Online. WBA heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev would like to meet WBC title holder Vitali Klitschko in a unification fight this year.. Nikolai Valuev on Vitali Klitschko: “It is true. We want to make the fight happen.” Manager Wilfried Sauerland: “I know of a phone conversation between Valuev and Vitali. That is why I spoke to Vitali about a potential fight when I met him last weekend at Boris Becker´s wedding. I will get in touch with Vitali in the next days." Klitschko became eligible to fight Valuev after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that he did not have to make a mandatory defense against former champion Oleg Maskaev.
Former IBF Junior Featherweight World Champion, “The Canadian Kid” Steve Molitor (28-1, 11 KO’s) and Mexico’s Heriberto Ruiz (41-7-2, 23 KO’s) met with the media Wednesday for the final time prior to their IBF eliminator for the number two position Friday night, in the Main Event of Rumble at Rama VIII, set for Casino Rama, in Rama, Ontario. continue
 By P.H. Burbridge - Success for a boxer is measured by the number of options he has. When other high profile fighters and their handlers drop your name almost every time a microphone is shoved in their face then you know you’ve arrived. Well, Manny Pacquiao has arrived! Everyone with in a 20 lb radius of him is trying to link their name to his. Right now, he’s the top guy and the one who can generate the biggest purse for an opponent. At this point in time, Manny has a lot of options. Miguel Cotto is a proud champion who for many years has been viewed as a fighter willing to take on the stiffest challenges and the toughest opponents in his division. Cotto is a solid technician and a terrific body puncher who has recently showed a side of himself that few knew existed prior to the fight with Antonio Margarito. Cotto leading into that fight was considered a search and destroy fighter who would simply wear down his opponents with relentless pressure and precision punching. The Margarito fight showed Miguel at his best and also at his . continue
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (June 23, 2009)—World Boxing Council No. 1-ranked super lightweight Devon Alexander “The Great” will fight for the vacant WBC super lightweight championship against the former holder of that belt, Junior “The Hitter” Witter, in a tremendous co-feature on Saturday, Aug. 1 at The Show at Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif. (SHOWTIME 9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). In an interesting twist, Witter lost this title on May 10, 2008, to undefeated Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley (24-0, 11 KOs), who will defend his World Boxing Organization 140-pound crown against former unified lightweight world champion Nate “Galaxxy Warrior” Campbell (33-5-1, 25 KOs) in the main event on this card. In a world title unification, Bradley defeated Kendall Holt on April 4 to capture the WBO belt. Less than a month later, Bradley chose to voluntarily relinquish the WBC strap that Alexander and Witter will be vying for. continue
By Per Ake Persson: There are already talks of newly crowned WBA lightheavy champ Gabriel Campillo defending the title against a Universum fighter, most likely Jurgen Brahmer.
Vitali Klitschko vs Nikolai Valuev? Well, first WBA mandatory contender John Ruiz must be out of the way... either by defeat in the ring or by a hefty step-aside fee. continue
 CHICAGO, IL (June 24, 2009) Two time heavyweight world title challenger Fres Oquendo of Chicago, will now face New Jersey native Mark Brown for the WBC Latino Heavyweight Title this Friday night, June 26th, in the ten round main event at the seven bout “WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 3” at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion, it was announced today by Dominic Pesoli, President of 8 Count Productions.
Said Pesoli, “There was an issue with his original opponent, Gonzalo Omar Basile getting into the United States from Argentina . Brown is a very tough, heavy handed, heavyweight from New Jersey . He’s won eight in a row and had three knockouts in 2008. He’s coming to fight and I know Fres wants to put on a great performance for the fans so it should be a very good battle.” Advance tickets for “WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 3”, starting at $31, can be purchased through the 8 Count Productions office at 312-226-5800 and through Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets will also be available at the door starting at 7pm on the night of the event. continue
Rising stars Erislandy Lara and Deontay Wilder, along with top prospects Seth Mitchell, Hylon Williams, Jermell Charlo, and Keith Thurman, will look to keep their unbeaten records intact this Friday night when they step into the ring at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, Arizona as part of a stacked undercard to the ESPN "Friday Night Fights" main event between Daniel Jacobs and George Walton. In the televised co-feature, Guantanamo, Cuba's Erislandy Lara takes on Gulfport, Mississippi's Willie Lee in a junior middleweight eight rounder, and opening the ESPN portion of the show is a heavyweight four rounder between Tuscaloosa, Alabama's Deontay Wilder and Lexington, Tennessee's Kelsey Arnold. continue
By Seth Green: WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev (50-1, 34 KO’s) will likely be facing WBC title holder Vitali Klitschko (37-2, 36 KO’s) in a unification bout later on in 2009 according to reports. The news has been confirmed by Sauerland, Valuev’s promotional company, and they’ve made contact with Vitali about the fight. Valuev said “I’ve talked to Vitaly on the phone recently and we agreed to meet each other in the ring.” continue
 By Kelsey McCarson -- Klitschko-Chagaev photo gallery -- Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko are clearly the two best heavyweights in the world. Both consistently fight the best fighters in their division. They’re incredible athletes, they hold PhDs in sports science, and both are heavily involved with important social and political issues. Take into account their high knock-out ratios, and the “KO brothers” seem a lock to be both popular fighters and well respected by hardcore boxing fans. It seems neither is the case right now.
Glass Chin or Late Bloomer?
The knock on the younger Klitschko brother, Wladimir, is that he has a glass chin. It sure seemed that way, early on at least. All three of his losses come by either KO or TKO. But when’s the last time he lost? Wladimir Klitschko (52-3) is currently on eleven fight win streak, a streak he’s had going for over five years. He’s also avenged one of those KO losses by returning the favor (against Lamon Brewster). continue
By Shaun Murphy: Now I’ve finally watched Wladimir destroy the very dangerous Ruslan Chagaev, what’s left? Or more precisely, who can beat the Ring Champion now he seems to be hitting his peak? For this article, I’ve decided to write about the heavyweight division’s top three prospects and their chances against the PH.D, W. Klitschko.
Chris Arreola - I, personally, like this Mexican-American prospect: he’s honest and has the kind of in-your-face gallivanting attitude that I enjoy seeing in a heavyweight. continue
For eight weeks ARENA’s promising heavyweight prospect Steffen Kretschmann and IBF middleweight championship contender Mahir Oral have been in training camp together with coach Hans-Jürgen Witte. After a stay at famous “Sportschule Hennef” (near Cologne) and another three weeks of sparring in Hamburg the team has hit Berlin last weekend for their final preparations. Kretschmann (13-0, 12 kos) will be in action on Friday in Völklingen (live on Eurosport) against Russia’s reigning PABA champion Denis Bakhtov (29-5, 18 kos). If “Kretsches” can convincingly beat EBU and WBA #14 Bakhtov he might be in line for a shot at the European championship later this year. continue
 By “Old Yank” Schneider - It was nearing the turn of the century – the 19th century – and he was scheduled for a 25 round bout for the World Middleweight Championship at Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. At 5’ 7 ½” he was a full one and a half inches taller than the average man of his day in the USA. His name was Tommy Ryan and borne on his shoulders were the hopes and dreams of every man between the weight of 148 and 160 pounds. Although he had been a remarkable welterweight, he had grown and developed into the quintessential middleweight of his day. And middleweight more than any other division represented the aspirations of the average man.
At the turn of the century the average height of an American male was 5’ 6”. And when a frame of this size was packed into a lean muscle mass of 160 pounds, these “average” size men were not lanky spindles – they were human pit-bulls. continue
London boxing fans once again get the opportunity to see talented super flyweight Ashley Sexton in the ring on Tuesday, June 30 at York Hall. The sizzling prospect will square up against Northern hard man Mike "Robbo" Robinson in a six rounder that could prove to be a difficult test for "Flash Ash". 21 year old Cheshunt man Sexton, 6-0 (3), has his eye on the titles of Britain's leading little man Chris Edwards, but one slip against his upcoming York Hall opponent will ruin that lofty ambition. continue
King Arthur Abraham, Mahir Oral, Sebastian Sylvester, Frank Shabani and Alexander Frenkel all participated in a public work-out in Berlin´s Axel-Springer Passage today. On Saturday, they will display their talents in the Max-Schmeling-Halle. “I am in great shape,” King Arthur told reporters. “I really look forward to fighting in Berlin. It will be a tough night for Mahir Oral.” Abraham did some skipping exercises before proving his punching power when working the pads with Ulli Wegner. “I want to please my hometown fans on Saturday,” the undefeated IBF Middleweight Champion (29-0, 23 KOs) added. Oral (25-1, 10 KOs) also looked very confident. “If I make the most of my advantage in height and reach, everything will be possible,” he said. continue
 By Ted Sares - Back in July 2006, I wrote an ESB piece to the effect that Sugar Shane Mosley’s brutal KO of Fernando Vargas in their second outing was evidence that like a perfect storm, everything was coming together......just the right things in the mix and with just the right timing for him to fight Floyd Mayweather. Team Mosley was running on all cylinders and it seemed unlikely for anyone to slow it down. But that was then.
In May 2007, I wrote in a second piece that asserted Mosley-Mayweather was no longer the perfect storm. I said “…While Team Mosley may be aiming in the direction of the man with the heavyweight ego, the effort does not seem as energized as it was a year ago. continue
LOS ANGELES, JUNE 24 – Riverside’s Mauricio Herrera captured the vacant WBC USNBC Welterweight title and improved his record to 11-0, 5 KOs as the co-main event on June 12th with an impressive 10-round unanimous decision win over Luis Alfredo Lugo. Witness Herrera’s relentless body shots on the steadfast Lugo who managed to stay standing to the very end on Fox Sports en Español this Friday, June 26th edition of Boxeo Thompson. Herrera vs Lugo will air at 10:00pm ET / PT. Check your local listings for FSE. continue
HOLLYWOOD, FL, June 23 – Southpaw sensation Danny O’Connor has learned his lessons well over the first nine months of his professional boxing career, winning all six of his bouts (two by knockout) against increasingly tougher competition. On Saturday, June 27th, the Framingham native will return to Massachusetts for his first six round bout when he takes on 30 fight veteran Sebastien Hamel in a featured junior welterweight attraction at the Roxy in Boston. continue
 By Paul McCreath: Now that Wladimir Klitschko has finished his business with Ruslan Chagaev the question arises as to who he will meet next and also who will brother Vitali fight. It has been suggested that perhaps the brothers will meet each other. While this would be a huge fight it seems unlikely at least in the near future. Most of us I suspect would prefer that this fight never happens at all. The idea of two brothers fighting does not go down well with many fans and of course their mother as well.
So who are the most likely opponents for the two giants? With Wlad the answer comes fairly easily. He is mandated to fight his top IBF contender Alex Povetkin not later than this fall. Povetkin is a fine young fighter, a former Olympic champ with pro wins over top contenders Chris Byrd and Eddie Chambers as well as fringe contender Larry Donald. He is undefeated and surely deserves a shot at Wlad. They were matched once already but Alex had to pull out with an injury and Hasim Rahman took his place in the bout last December. Now Alex is ready and should get his chance very soon.This one is a no brainer unless someone gets hurt again. continue
23.06.09 - By Shaun Murphy: I admit, being a relative youngster, the 1990’s have a magical appeal to me. After all, apart from the fact, most spent the decade waiting for the year 2000 and the predicted computer crisis. Arguably, the 1990’s was the greatest decade for heavyweight boxing in history. In most people’s opinion, Lennox Lewis was the best of this talent-rich age. I agree, however, Lennox wasn’t alone, luminaries such as Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer and George Foreman created a division that would be competitive with any era. Also, without a doubt, this auspicious age produced one of the most interesting characters boxing’s ever known: Tommy ‘’The Duke’’ Morrison. continue
NORTH BERGEN, NJ (June 24, 2009) Pound For Pound Promotions has finalized details for “SUMMER RUMBLE”, an outstanding evening of world class professional boxing set for this Thursday night, June 25th at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, New Jersey. Tickets, starting at $35, can be purchased in advance by calling the Pound For Pound Promotions office at 201-864-9566 or 866-924-2050. Special VIP stage seats are available for $150. Schuetzen Park is located at 3167 Kennedy Boulevard in North Bergen , New Jersey . Doors on the evening of the event will open at 6:30pm, with the first bell at 7:15. continue
 By Seth Green: British heavyweight David Haye got some bad news after IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko’s 9th round stoppage of Ruslan Chagaev last Saturday night when Wladimir said “Haye has a dirty mouth…He needs to get the line. I simply can’t rely on him.” There you have it. It appears that Wladimir, 33, will no longer be allowing the 28-year-old Haye an exception to fight him without Haye proving that he belongs in the same ring with the Ukrainian by fighting his way into the position like he perhaps should have done in the first place.
Haye was given a shot at Wladimir’s boxing title after having fought only Monte Barrett last year. Rather than waiting for Haye to become his mandatory challenger, Wladimir gave into Haye and agreed to fight him after the British heavyweight repeatedly called him out almost daily in the media for months. continue
NABF and SNBC cruiserweight champion, Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey, plans to showcase his arsenal of skills July 10, headlining ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, against unbeaten Shawn “The Sioux Warrior” Hawk. In a battle of full blooded Native Americans, Godfrey (18-1, 10 KOs), rated No. 6 by the WBC and No. 7 by the IBF, is a Wampanoag who will be fighting in the 10-round main event against a Sioux, Hawk (18-0-1, 16 KOs). continue
Highly active unbeaten prospect Danny O’Connor fights in his first scheduled 6-round bout Saturday afternoon (5:00 PM/ET start) in a junior welterweight Special Attraction against 30-fight veteran Sebastien Hamel at The Roxy in Boston’s famed theater district. The popular Irish-American will be in his seventh fight in eight months since turning pro last September. continue
 By Robert Pengelly - Wladimir Klitschko’s latest victory over the previously unbeaten Ruslan Chagaev ended like so many before it with the younger Ukrainian brother dominating from range and slowly pummelling his opponent into submission. It was a near punch-perfect performance from Klitschko with the challenger able to land only one power punch over the nine rounds that he contested. However, for some observers, it still left a slightly unsatisfactory taste.
While it is important for all heavyweights to exercise an element of caution when they are dominating a fight, there is a growing feeling that Wlad’s evolution has eliminated the possibility of taking a risk in order to close the show. In truth, it was clear from the fourth round on that Ruslan was at such a physical disadvantage that he was unable to land any meaningful shots. At this stage it would have been nice to see Wladimir step up his assault and force the stoppage. continue
By Steve Brooks: British heavyweight David Haye (22-1, 21 KOs) plans on fighting in September regardless of whether he lands a fight with either of the Klitschko brothers, according to news reports. Currently, Haye is one of three options for World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, who plans on fighting also in September. Should Vitali opt to fight someone else (he's looking at Chris Arreola and WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev as potential opponents), Haye will be selecting another opponent to fight in September. Haye's manager, Adam Booth has other options in mind besides the Klitschko brothers. continue
TEMECULA, CALIF. (June 22, 2009) – Professional boxing returns to the Pechanga Grand Ballroom, on Friday, July 31, with an exciting all-action card hosted by the legendary five-division world champion SUGAR RAY LEONARD. The two main events, which boast a combined record of 60-8-1 (44 KOs) – a winning percentage of 87% and a victory by knockout ratio of 73% -- will be broadcast live nationally on SHOWTIME’s “SHOBox: The New Generation.” Doors Open at 6 P.M., with the card beginning at 7 P.M. The televised portion of the event will begin at 8 P.M. continue
 This weeks 'Left-Hook Lounge' touches the core of some very key issues that remain in the buzz around the world of boxing. Everyone from Wladimir Klitschko, to Pacquiao, to Cotto, to JuanMa, and a host of others made the role call. Hard-pressed to pick the top 5 questions like I always do, I decided to throw in a bonus question this week to spark a flame in a sport that could use a little heat in what now appears to be a dead summer - thanks to a slew of cancellations and withdrawals. So with no further ado, we jump right into it with a question from the Charlotte, NC, where a fight fan wanted to know the following:
Landis W. (Charlotte, NC): Boxing has now seen every major fight of the summer postponed. I'm an old-school fight fan from the 70's and 80's, and I want to get back into watching the sport, but it's getting worst and worst. Being a younger fight fan, can you relate to what I see?
Vivek W. (ESB): At 33, I don't know how young I am, and it sure as hell doesn't feel that way when I'm chasing a four year old on the football field, (smiles), but that being said, there are many things I hate about the sport and politics is the biggest. continue
LAS VEGAS (June 24, 2009) – The nominees for The World’s Greatest Ever Boxer global fan vote were announced today by Greatest Ever Enterprises. On-line voting at www.GreatestEver.com will allow boxing fans from around the world to select the greatest boxer in each of the original eight weight classes, Heavyweight, Light heavyweight, Middleweight, Welterweight, Lightweight, Bantamweight, Featherweight and Flyweight, highlighted by the all-time pound-for-pound “Greatest Ever”. continue
By Manuel Perez: It seems like Shane Mosley is going about trying to get a fight with Manny Pacquiao in the wrong way. First of all, it doesn't matter how interested Mosley is in fighting Pacquiao or how willing Shane is to come down to whatever handicapping catch weight that Freddie Roach and Pacquiao dream up. The fight won't be made unless Pacquiao, his trainer Roach and perhaps most of all Manny's promoter Bob Arum want it to be made. continue
 By Doveed Linder - The fight between Wladimir Klitschko and Ruslan Chagaev unfolded the way many in the boxing world thought it might. Wladimir controlled the action with his left hand, broke him down, and stopped him late. Like the majority of Wladimir’s fights, it lacked drama. By the 3rd round, it’s likely that most fans were wishing that David Haye hadn’t suffered that back injury.
Although Haye probably wouldn’t have fared any better than Chagaev, his attitude and aggression may have made things more interesting. But even though the fight wasn’t especially exciting, it was an important win for Wladimir. Chagaev was considered the 3rd best heavyweight in the world and he was Wladimir’s most accomplished opponent since Chris Byrd. And regardless of how one feels about watching Wladimir’s fights, it can’t be denied that he is the best heavyweight in the world today. continue
After a three year matriculation, featherweight Akaash Bhatia gets his first truly significant bout on Tuesday, June 30 at London's famed York Hall. The 26 year old speed merchant will face opponent Jamie Arthur as chief support to the Jason Booth vs. Rocky Dean British super bantam title fight headliner. Bhatia, 14-0 (5), has experienced a surge in power over the last year, stopping adversaries during his last three bouts after finishing off only two opponents in his previous 11 contests. continue
By Pedro Reyna - Chris John has pulled out from his fight against Rocky Juarez, which was to take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on Saturday June 27th. According to ESPN, John had fainted while sparring on Saturday due to an unspecified blood problem. The search is on for a replacement opponent for Juarez. Many were looking forward to this rematch, including myself, however, John’s health is much more important. Get well John! continue
 By Seth Green: IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KOs) wants a fight with World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev (50-1, 34 KOs) next after defeating WBA champion in recess Ruslan Chagaev by a 9th round TKO on Saturday night in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. "Now I want to fight for the WBA belt and I promise you I will be back here again," Wladimir said after Saturday's fight with Chagaev.
However, a bout against Valuev will be a tough one to arrange, because thus far Valuev's promotional company have seemed reluctant to match the big 7-foot Valuev against either of the Klitschko brothers. Valuev had a chance to fight Wladimir after David Haye, Wladimir's scheduled opponent for Saturday's bout, pulled out of the bout because of a back injury. Wladimir turned to Valuev as a possible replacement, but Valuev and his promotional company failed to take the fight. continue
By Steve Brooks: The unproven sometimes fragile-chinned Amir Khan (20-1, 15 KOs) is reportedly interested in fighting Ricky Hatton. Khan, 22, says “it’s a fight that could happen and what a massive fight it would be in Britain.” Khan has got that right, because the fight would be hugely popular in the UK due to Khan’s large fan base over there and of course because of Hatton’s popularity. There's been a lot of mention of a possible Khan-Hatton fight since Ricky was stopped by Manny Pacquiao. Initially, it was thought impossible because of the friendship between Khan and Hatton. However, Khan wants the fight and has made it known in recent interviews. It's now up to Hatton whether he wants to take a risky fight like this coming off a bad knockout loss to Pacquiao. continue
Saturday, June 13 marked the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s 20th induction weekend Collector’s Convention in Canastota, NY. The date also marked one of the first public appearances by Ardash Sahaghian and the release of Sartonk Designs. As many tri-state metro area boxing insiders have long known, Mr. Sahaghian is responsible for designing virtually all of the boxing belts currently used by professional boxing’s various sanctioning bodies. His contributions span over one of the original WBC belts, the current WBO, WBA, NBA, IBA, IBO, IBF, WIBF and Ring Magazine belts, along with a multitude of others. continue
 By Seth Green: Former cruiserweight champion David Haye (22-1, 21 KOs) was less than impressed with IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko's 9th round stoppage over challenger Ruslan Chagaev on Saturday, saying, "Wladimir [is] the cure for insomnia. He couldn't be more boring," to Sky Sports. Haye had been set to fight Wladimir on June 20th, but David suddenly pulled out of the bout claiming that his back was too injured for him to make the fight. Haye wanted Wladimir to postpone the bout for three weeks, but Wladimir declined to wait around for Haye after David began mentioning needing more time than that.
Haye feels that many of the 60,000 tickets that were sold for Saturday's bout were because of him. "Wladimir sold 65,000 tickets off the back of the fact he was going to fight me." continue
By Jason Peck - That’s it. No more questions, and you’ve got the Ring Magazine to thank for it. For years now, the Ring has insisted that only their belt matters, and winning immediately clears the confusion sown by the alphabets. Therefore, the heavyweight quagmire ended sometime last night, when Wladimir Klitschko finally won their vacant belt. Ring aficionados, breathe a sigh of relief. But what changed, really? continue
Boxing's hottest young star, 2007 amateur world champion, and 2008 U.S. Olympian Demetrius "Boo Boo" Andrade improved his record to a perfect 5-0, 4KO with an impressive four round decision win over Tony Hirsch (8-2-1, 4KO) on ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights". It was Andrade's third showing on FNF this year, and just as in the previous two he looked spectacular. continue
 by Geoffrey Ciani - Wladimir Klitschko completely outclassed Ruslan Chagaev en route to a TKO victory. From the opening bell, Klitschko took control of the contest and dominated the bout from start to finish. The undefeated challenger had no answers as he absorbed a one-sided beating over nine long rounds. The victory further solidifies Klitschko's claim as the best heavyweight in the world.
His methodical approach inside the ring might not be the most exciting, but it certainly is effective. In the early rounds, Klitschko took control of the bout immediately by utilizing his sensational jab and mixing in the occasional right hand. He scored a flash knockdown in the 2nd after landing a well timed right hand dead on the button. Klitschko continued out jabbing Chagaev, and by the 4th round, Chagaev was hardly throwing as he was continuously being peppered with a mixture of jabs and straight rights. Klitschko slowed down a bit in the 6th and 7th but was always in complete control. continue
By Srithar Visuasam: Australian boxing is set to be injected a healthy dose of energy with the launch of the Super Boxer series in July 2009. The four event series scheduled across Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra will be broadcast on free to air television by Network Ten’s One HD on four consecutive Thursday nights between July 9 and July 30. At a media conference for the series on Thursday 18 June in Melbourne, Australia, two of the promoters of the events David Deicke and Fidel Tukel, spoke to ESB at length about what benefits this series will have on Australian boxing and sporting fans alike. continue
ALEX Leapai, the Samoan slugger from Logan avenged last years points to defeat to veteran warhorse Col Wilson with a dramatic knockout in their WBO Asia Pacific heavyweight title fight on the Jamie Myer Fight Night at Southport RSL on Friday. Wilson went in coming off a draw with unbeaten Solomon Haumono in March and was confident he could weather the early storm of Leapai and dominate the second half of he fight. But Col never looked in it. He was bleeding from the nose and mouth by the end of the first round and took a consistent pasting to the head and body. continue
 20.06.09 - By Paul Strauss - The official time was 3:00 of the 9th Round for the IBF, WBO, IBO and Ring Magazine Heavyweight Championship. Wlad's fans in the Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Nordrhein Westfalen, Germany loved their hero’s totally dominant performance. However, it is doubtful American fans would agree.
It was appropriate this fight was televised in the afternoon in the USA. That allowed fans to be able to switch to baseball or golf if needed. It was a typical Wlad fight in which he made good use his height, reach and great jab to keep his opponent at bay. Every round went to Wlad, with the second round scored 10-8, because Ruslan Chagaev was dropped with a straight right.
It's difficult to criticize such complete domination and success. The Klitschko Brothers are obviously nice guys and good role models. continue
After Wladimir Klitschko’s one-sided win over Ruslan Chagaev Saturday night in Germany heavyweight sensation Odlanier Solis feels it’s time for him to take over in order to bring back action and excitement to the division. “To me this fight showed why nobody is interested in heavyweight boxing at the moment”, states Solis. “Of course, Klitschko looked strong but that was merely because his opponent did absolutely nothing. It seems to me that all the guys who enter the ring with either Klitschko freeze with respect or are just not good enough to actually challenge the champions. I am the only worthy challenger out there.. continue
by James Slater -Yesterday evening, in Glasgow Scotland, Edinburgh's former interim WBO super-featherweight champion "Amazing" Alex Arthur made short work of 34-year-old Frenchman Mohamed Benbiou, as he stopped the visiting fighter in just 1-minute and 33-seconds of the very first round. Returning to the ring after a nine month break that followed his losing fight with Nicky Cook, 30-year-old Arthur made his debut up at lightweight. continue
 Wladimir Klitschko beat Ruslan Chagaev in a dominant performance on Saturday before an estimated 60,000 fans at Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Klitschko defended his IBF and WBO heavyweight belts and is now the new Ring Magazine heavyweight champion. Klitschko dropped Chagaev in the second round and did plenty of damage to Chagaev's face throughout the later rounds. Referee Eddie Cotton called the fight after the ninth round after Chagaev was unable to continue due to a cut.
Andy Lee, Irish Middleweight prospect chalked up another decisive win on undercard of the Waldimir Klitschko V Ruslan Chagaev, World Heavyweight Clash tonight (June 20) in the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Lee shared the ring with the durable and strong Olegs Fedotovs from Lativia, who carried a record of 10 W(6KO) 5L(1KO) before the fight. continue
by James Slater - As heavyweight contender and former cruiserweight king David Haye continues to play the waiting game with regards to getting his shot at a version of the world heavyweight title, it now looks as though the 28-year-old will get what he wants this coming September - some three months on from the date his shot against IBF and WBO ruler Wladimir Klitschko would have taken place. Now hoping to get big brother Vitali in the ring in an attempt to take the 37-year-old's WBC crown, word is there is a "realistic" chance Haye will indeed get the fight. continue
BALTIMORE, MD (June 21, 2009) With his light heavyweight battle at Reno’s SUMMER SHOWDOWN against Yerington’s Jesse Brinkley just three weeks away, Mike “THE PERSCUTOR” Paschall has ramped up his training and confidence level for their light heavyweight bout. Finishing up an intense 90 minute training session, Paschall spoke about the upcoming fight.. “I watched Brinkley’s last fight with Joey Gilbert and I wasn’t impressed. Gilbert didn’t want to fight and I can tell the fight fans in Reno that they’ll see a much better fight on Friday, July 10th.” Speaking about his training for the fight, Paschall stated, “My training and sparring has been perfect for this fight. I’m in great shape and right on weight for July 10th.. continue
 20.06.09 - by James Slater - Last night in Montreal, Canada, former WBC super-middleweight title challenger Jean Pascal won an entertaining and hard-fought 12-round unanimous decision victory over the previously unbeaten Adrian Diaconu to annex the 175-pound WBC crown - emerging the victor by scores of 116-111, 116-112 and 115-112. With the win, the Haitian-born 26-year-old improved to 23-1(15). In losing his world title on the first attempt at defending it, Romanian-born Diaconu fell to 26-1(15).
Six months on from his thrilling points loss to WBC 168-pound king Carl "The Cobra" Froch, Pascal proved he is very much world class while also proving he belongs at 175-pounds. Using his fast hands and fine boxing skills at times, and standing and trading with 31-year-old Diaconu at others, Pascal fought another great fight. And this time he clearly did enough to win. continue
The WBA heavyweight title will not be at stake tonight when IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and Ruslan Chagaev, the WBA´s “champion in recess“, fight in Gelsenkirchen. That has been confirmed by the WBA in a statement on their webpage, www.wbanews.com. “Please be informed that the WBA will not complete its review of either the matter relating to the cancelled Helsinki heavyweight title bout or the recent Chagaev special permit request until after 21 June 2009, nor has it sanctioned any heavyweight title unification bout,” Legal Director Robert E. Mack states.
by James Slater - Old-school trainer Freddie Roach has spoken up about the recent large number of big fights that have fallen foul of postponements - with two delayed fights in particular getting Freddie's goat up. Roach is very angry at the fact that WBA light-welterweight champion Andriy Kotelnik had to delay his defence against his fighter Amir Khan for three weeks due to toothache, and the great trainer has also expressed how dismayed he is that Floyd Mayweather Junior pulled out of his July 18th bout with Juan Manuel Marquez with a rib injury. continue
 Weigh-In Results: Wladimir Klitschko 109kg / 240 lb - Ruslan Chagaev 102kg / 225 lb
By Vivek Wallace -- Klitschko-Chagaev photo gallery -- For years, the heavyweight division practically carried the sport. From Ali, to Tyson, as well as the greats before their time, there was always a perennial figure to serve as a landmark for the sports deepest terrain. Fast forward a few decades and suddenly, the landscape is vastly different, and oddly enough, the great American conquerors who once ruled the land have watched their stronghold of dominance loosen like a stripped bolt, opening the door for the era of the super-heavyweight, dominated by the large-and-in-charge European sector. After the departure of Lennox Lewis, the heavyweight division has been held captive by a precious few, one which will stand before the nation on Saturday, June 20th, and attempt yet again to prove his mettle in front of the masses. The man who holds that highly coveted billet is none other than Ukranian Wladimir Klitschko - the heavyweight divisions gentle giant with the "Steelhammer".
Exactly how good is Wladimir? That's a question that has remained on the tip of tongues globally from the moment he made a splash in the sport. What answer you get in response to that question probably has a lot to do with who you decide to ask. In Europe, fight fans are typically more inclined to tune in for what Lennox Lewis often referred to as the "Sweet Science", so the Gatti/Ward type fights are welcomed, but usually tend to take a backseat to the more skillful execution of the art itself of boxing. continue
Interview and Photo by Ricardo Conde - WBA featherweight champion “The Dragon” Chris John (42-0-2, 22KOs), of Indonesia, will face Rocky Juarez (28-4-1, 20KOs) in a rematch on June 27th at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. Their first bout, on February 28th, ended in a controversial draw. John vs. Juarez, which will be shown live on HBO B.A.D. (Boxing After Dark) and being promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, will be the co-feature to Victor Ortiz (24-1-1, 19KOs) vs. Marcos Maidana (25-1, 24 KOs) for the interim WBA junior welterweight title.
We had a moment to sit down and talk to Chris John as he prepares for his rematch with Rocky Juarez, here’s what he had to say: continue
Tickets are now on sale for Amir Khan's big world title clash against Andreas Kotelnik at the M.E.N Arena on Saturday 18 July in what will be this summer's hottest ticket. The Bolton star faces the biggest challenge of his career when he takes on the tough Ukrainian for his WBA World Light-Welterweight title. continue
 19.06.09 - By Shaun Murphy - Yesterday, I was discussing the use and application of the one-inch punch and Joe Louis’s name popped up.
‘’Joe Louis, cor, that man was a master of the one-inch punch’’ said Paddy, while demonstrating the body mechanics of the blow. ‘’No-one could of beaten him,’’ he proclaimed, while self-affirmingly nodding his head. I must admit I admire Joe Louis, but don’t rank him above the modern-day fighters based on boxing’s evolution in skill. ‘’OK then,’’ my friend said. ‘’Tell me anybody who could’ve beaten Joe Louis the day he beat Max Schmeling? – No-one!’’
For the next hour, while sipping Earl Grey Tea, I was treated to an emotion driven seminar on Louis’s technique, conditioning and spirituality. I will admit it, he did well, although I don’t think he was the greatest heavyweight of all time. After my friend’s lecture, I understood some facts. The Joe Louis—Max Schmeling super fight, was one of the most important contests in history. continue
By P.H. Burbridge - Now, that the Mayweather-Marquez fight is on hold due to Floyd’s rib injury and amidst rumblings that ticket sales were less than record setting is it reasonable to believe that Floyd’s bargaining power leading into a future negotiation with Manny Pacquiao will be diminished? I think the answer is “yes”. In previous statements, Floyd has always pointed to his record setting PPV buy rates in matches between common opponents as proof that HE’S the bigger draw between the two and as such deserves a higher percentage of the purse split. The fight with Juan Manuel Marquez could turn out to disprove that claim and may be clear cut evidence that Floyd alone does not have enough fan appeal to draw in paying customers. As it stands today, he can use the fact that he reached a higher plateau at the box office than Manny but not if he doesn’t reach a comparable plateau against Marquez. continue
By Scott Kraus - June 19, 2009 – Here’s a quick little quiz for you: can you name the last sport to die in the United States?I’ll give you some time to come up with an answer.
When the UFC exploded in popularity beginning several years ago, countless curmudgeonly old hacks, along with a new wave of Internet writers inspired by the excitement of a burgeoning sport and a complete lack of accountability (hey, sounds like me!), found new fuel to the seemingly age-old argument that boxing is a dying sport, now doomed to be overtaken by mixed martial arts. continue
 Unbeaten Timothy “Desert Storm’’ Bradley has traveled thousands and thousands of miles for fights in the last 15 months. Now, finally, “Desert Storm” is getting a home game in the California desert when he defends his World Boxing Organization (WBO) Jr. Welterweight world title against former champion and dynamic puncher Nate Campbell, Saturday, August 1, live on SHOWTIME® (9p ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast). The scheduled 12-round world title fight will emanate from the brand-new The Show at Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif., less than 10 miles from where Bradley grew up in North Palm Springs. The event is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Thompson Boxing Promotions in association with Don King Productions and Agua Caliente Casino • Resort • Spa. Tickets go on sale July 3, at 10 a.m. (PT) and will be available for purchase online at www.HotWaterCasino.com/TheShow or by calling (800) 585-3737. continue
Promoter Michael Acri announced today that undefeated former IBF lightweight champion PAUL "The Pittsburgh Kid" SPADAFORA and his new trainer, four-division world champion and Hall of Fame inductee PERNELL "Sweet Pea" WHITAKER, will hold public workouts and autograph sessions in the Pittsburgh area as they prepare for Spadafora's homecoming fight, scheduled for Wednesday, June 24 at Pittsburgh's Amphitheatre at Station Square (125 West Station Square Drive, Pittsburgh, Penn. 15129.) Spadafora (41-0-1), will rumble with Ivan Bustos (27-12-3), of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a 10-round junior welterweight bout, headlining an all-action show which will begin at 7:30 p.m. continue
20.6.2009: 22-year-old Danish lightweight prospect Kim Poulsen improved his record to 12-1 (3) on Friday night in Horsens, Denmark when he annihilated experienced Tanzanian puncher Obote ”The Thunder” Ameme (26-18-2, 29 KOs) in two rounds. Poulsen took charge from the start, controlled the action with his left jab and fired off impressive combinations to body and head of Ameme. continue
 18.06.09 - Interview by Vivek Wallace: Despite the questionable decision rendered last Saturday at New York City's Madison Square Garden, it appears that Ghana's favorite son has found reason to stand firm amidst a world that often shakes around him. The unfortunate mishaps in his career continue to multiply as his disgruntled fan base steadily divides from the mainstream, but ironically, the lesson to be learned is that in life, one can experience addition by subtraction. In the words of the Ghanaian native, he "never knew that he had such support around the world until he noticed the passion of fans who felt his pain" after this recent loss. That statement contained great depth, but in the grand scheme of things, it served as little more than the tip of the 'iceberg', as the next 20 minutes I spent chatting with this warrior would be far more intricate. Those who wonder what's on his mind have to look no further. Unparalleled, unequivocal, and unambiguous, here are the words directly from the horses mouth.....unedited:
VW: Joshua, now that the fight is over and you've had some time to reflect and analyze, what exactly are your thoughts about how things unfolded last Saturday night?
JC: My thoughts is that I won the fight. There was no question in my mind that the fight would be good for the people, and it was. The judges did what they had to do, it can't be changed, so now I've just stopped thinking about it and moved on. continue
Repeatingly there are irritating and false informations about WBA-World-Champion Ruslan Chagaev in the media. Universum Box-Promotion once again wants to point out the following: Even the Statement of the Association of Professional Ringside Physicians is obviously based on incorrect informations. Universum-Physician Michael Ehnert: "The American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians states that there is a "low hepatitis B viral load" in the case of Ruslan Chagaev. continue
PROVIDENCE (June 18, 2009) -- Two of the best young cruiserweights in the world, Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey and Shawn “The Sioux Warrior” Hawk, have been on a collision course and lead promoter Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES) officially announced today that Godfrey-Hawk will headline the July 10th ESPN2 Friday Night Fights show. Godfrey (18-1, 10 KOs), rated No. 6 by the WBC and No. 7 by the IBF, will defend his NABF and SNBC belts against unbeaten challenger Hawk (18-0-1, 16 KOs) in the 10-round main event. continue
19.06.09 - By Julius Stecker - Just as it seems Miguel Cotto may get a shot at the great Manny Pacquiao. I wanted to speak to Sugar Shane Mosley, to get his take on that potential fight and also the potential of a showdown with Manny Pacquiao. Let it be known here, after speaking to Shane I realized that this fight to him wouldn't be about money. (He discussed his portfolio with me, lets just say he will be fine regardless if he gets the Pacquiao fight) A fight with Pacquiao would be about legacy, the fans, and the people. Even though a fight may now be unlikely. Mosley, ever the fighter is not giving up, and he promises a fight with him will provide more money to Manny Pacquiao, and he says, "It is a no lose fight for him." Answers are in bold
Shane, how are you doing?
Mosley: I am doing well, just driving right now headed to a workout
I heard you are big Lakerfan, did you get to any finals games at all?
Mosley: No I didn't, I just watched. But I was happy to see Kobe and them win. continue
Two more fighters have been added to the undercard of Amir Khan’s world title bout with Andreas Kotelnik on 18 July at the MEN Arena in Manchester. Speaking to the Steve Bunce Boxing Hour on Setanta Sports News Frank Warren revealed that Kell Brook and Kevin Mitchell had joined the line up. He said: “Kell Brook will defend his title on the card. Kell’s a tremendous young fighter. And also Kevin Mitchell will fight on the card, who’s a tremendous young fighter. continue
As it has been reported that Mr. Ruslan Chagaev has tested positive for the Hepatitis B Virus, the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians (the “AAPRP”) is recommending that the proposed contest between Mr. Ruslan Chagaev and Mr. Vladimir Klitschko be postponed due to medical safety issues. The AAPRP also recommends that this fight not take place and suggests that Mr. Chagaev not be permitted to fight (anyone) until, and unless, he can demonstrate a "negative hepatitis status". In several recent media accounts, it has been stated that Mr. Chagaev has a “low hepatitis B viral load” and therefore poses “no risk” of transmitting this dangerous virus. The AAPRP disagrees with this assertion. continue
 by James Slater - As fans know, former heavyweight king Lennox Lewis has just been inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame in Canastota. It could certainly be argued that had Lewis never been trained by Emanuel Steward - who is also enshrined in The Hall - he wouldn't have got there. Seeing Emanuel take over as his coach after being shocked inside two-rounds in a upset against Oliver McCall, Lennox went on to score his most impressive victories.
Today, Steward trains the man who is seen as the best big man in the sport, in Wladimir Klitschko, and Emanuel says he sees plenty of similarities between Klitschko and Lewis. Steward also says the very same negativity Lewis had to listen to from the critics is what those people who are turned off by Wladimir are saying about him today.
"We had the same criticisms of Lennox that we get now with Wladimir," Steward told The Times newspaper. "There are a lot of similarities between the two. They are only as good as the guys put in front of them let them be. Americans have given up on the heavyweights because they don't dominate it, but I think they are coming round to Wladimir now. continue
Alex Arthur is aiming to win a second world title as he begins his new career as a lightweight on Friday night - even if he has to beat some of boxing's biggest names to do so. The Edinburgh ace steps up to 135 pounds after reigning as the WBO world super-featherweight champion until last year. And once he's dealt with French-Algerian Mohamed Benbiou at the Bellahouston Sports Centre, Glasgow, he says he's going after some of the big guns in the lightweight division. The 30-year-old admits it won't be easy, as lightweight reads like a who's who of boxing at the moment, with Juan Manuel Marquez holding two titles and the likes of Edwin Valero, Juan Diaz, Marco Antonio Barrera, Michael Katsidis, David Diaz and Breidis Prescott in the world's top 10. continue
By Laz Izada - Yesterday afternoon at The Bonefish Grill in Miami, Cuban boxing sensation WBA Interim Featherweight Champion Yuriorkis “El Ciclon” Gamboa 15-0,13KO’s and local promoter Henry Rivalta formed a partnership along with attorney David Valdez, creating Ciclon Promotions. Gamboa a former Olympic Gold Medalist from Cuba, upon arrival in the states two years ago had always dreamed of promoting fights and had the rights to the Ciclon Promotion name. He felt that now was the opportune time to launch the promotion along with Henry Rivalta of Top Level Boxing which has been promoting exciting local fights in Miami for the past two years. continue
 By Michael Herron: Competition is a part of life. Every moment of our lives can be described as a competition amongst our fellow man for advancement, security, survival. As naturally competitive beings our attraction to sports and athletics is strong, it is one of the few places where the moment can play out before our eyes and whether it is the Superbowl, the NBA Finals, the World Series, or a 40 yard dash, we are engaged and vested in victory. In most sports, the question of who emerges victorious is clear even when competition is close, but only in boxing is a close decision often deemed a controversial decision.
Before scrutinizing the sport of boxing and its history of controversial decisions, it is important to understand how other sports resolve a close contest. The word close in fact is a descriptor of every major sporting event: a close game, a close race, or as we say in boxing, a close fight. continue
SUNRISE, Fla.—Two of the hardest-hitting boxers in the world will meet when International Boxing Federation bantamweight champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko defends his crown against two-division world champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan at BankAtlantic Center on Saturday, July 11 and on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). The championship is scheduled for 12 rounds. The televised co-feature will showcase two world-ranked No. 4 contenders when emerging lightweight Antonio DeMarco (20-1, 14 KOs), from Tijuana, Mexico, meets Anges “Baby Face” Adjaho (25-1, 14 KOs), from Benin, Africa, now fighting out of Geneva, N.Y. Tickets priced at $75, $40 and $25 and $10 (with a limited number of golden circle seats available at $200) go on sale Thursday (June 18) at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com or BankAtlantic Center box office. continue
August 21, 2009 at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas , Nevada , The Boxing Capital of The World, will be the sight for the UNDISPUTED IBA Heavyweight Championship (Continental Belt). The newly Crowned Champion 44 year old, Oliver McCall, 52-9-0 (37 KO's) and four time Champion, will defend his IBA Heavyweight Title against former IBA Heavyweight Champion 33 year old, Franklin Lawrence, 12-1-2 (7 KO's) of Indianapolis, Indiana. continue
 By Robert Jackson: News broke this past Monday that the comebacking Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather Jr. was injured during training making it necessary to cancel or postpone his July 18th fight against Mexican Warrior Juan Manuel Marquez.
Some boxing insiders have suggested that this is just a ruse or ploy for 'Money May' to get out of the Marquez fight all together and face Pacquiao in November of this year, and that the injury claim is bogus. As of today further information regarding Mayweather's injury has yet tobe disclosed. Also notable is the fact that the Mayweather/Marquez fighthasn't been officially rescheduled.
if it is the case that Mayweather now has Pacquiao in his sights rather than Marquez let's look at the reasons and ramifications. continue
By “Lucicã” - On Friday night on Versus, American viewers will be able to enjoy the much anticipated high-stakes showdown between well-matched unbeaten WBC light-heavyweight champ Adrian “The Shark” Diaconu and top-ranked contender and local rival Jean Pascal, as each vie for more than their hometown’s affection in front of a packed house at the Bell Centre in Montréal. In defending his WBC title, Diaconu, 31, will aim to redeem his last two disappointing performances and prove himself a worthy champion. For his part, Pascal will try to improve on his recent exciting performance against Carl Froch and go one better, proving he has improved and matured enough to win a world title at his second attempt, aged 26. continue
by James Slater - Last week, in an article written about how IBF and WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has been sparring with as many as seven different sparring partners in preparation for this coming Saturday's big fight with the unbeaten Ruslan Chagaev, fans understandably wanted to know the names of the boxers Klitschko has been working with. We knew "Dr Steel Hammer" was obviously using southpaw fighters, as Chagaev is a lefty. But which ones? continue
 King Arthur´s June 27 fight against Mahir Oral will be broadcast by U.S. premium television network SHOWTIME. "That is a big honour for Arthur," Kalle Sauerland said. "It does not happen very often that fights from Germany are on U.S. television. It tells you something about Arthur´s class. This is only the third time in more than 20 years that SHOWTIME Sports has televised world championship boxing from Germany, and it is the very first non-heavyweight bout. Abraham, the undefeated IBF Middleweight Champion (29-0, 23 KOs), is currently shaping up on Usedom, a small island in the Baltic Sea. He was thrilled to hear the news. "I am excited that the fans in the US will be able to watch my fight," he said. "For me personally it is a confirmation that my way of fighting and my style are well-received by the U.S. fans. That means a lot to me.. continue
by James Slater - As was expected, Roy Jones Junior yesterday announced via satellite press conference that he will be taking on Danny Green in Green's home country of Australia, probably in November. First, the two must win on the August 15th card they will share - with Jones taking on Jeff Lacy and Green taking on Julio Cesar Dominguez. Should the two emerge unscathed, they will box one another in what is being called a fight that will be one of the biggest ever in Australian history. continue
by Dan Hunter - And I thought football was a funny old game.
Two weeks ago, we were looking forward to Britain’s David Haye challenging Ukrainian Vladimir Klitschko for his IBF and WBO world heavyweight titles in Germany. Haye´s ingratiating personality and penchant for self promotion and publicity stunts, his undoubted charisma, talent, speed and punch had contributed to a 60,000 sellout at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, the home of Bundesliga side FC Shalke this weekend. continue
 By Bill Patrice Jones - Jim Lampley put it simplest and best when he called Zab Judah the former Welterweight star an ‘enigma’. Certainly he is one of the most argued over fighters of his generation, not necessarily because of the fights he has been involved in but because of the dispute over just how good he is, was or could have been.
The ardent supporters of super Judah will tell you that at his destructive best Judah is quite simply one of the finest boxers on the planet. With an incredibly effective and stylish mode of fighting, the young Judah was once hailed as being in possession of arguably a near perfect style. He fought out of an unorthodox southpaw stance befuddling many opponents, and he possessed impressive hand speed and concussive power. He fought with brash arrogance and always entertained. continue
While preparing for his upcoming fight next Friday (June 26th) in Völklingen (Germany) at a training camp in Istanbul (Turkey) Herbie Hide called out Marco Huck again to face him within the next couple of months. “You see, there is one thing about Marco Huck I just don’t understand”, says Herbie. “How can he keep on ignoring me when I am not only living, training and knocking out people in his home country for more than two years now but also continuously calling him a coward and a pussy? Not only that I have called him out several times I have insulted him. continue
by James Slater - It has been reported in The Southwark News that the treatment David Haye needed on the injured back that forced him out of this Saturday's IBF and WBO heavyweight title fight with Wladimir Klitschko has, "gone to plan," and that he will, "resume full training in two weeks' time." This is the word direct from "The Hayemaker's" trainer and manager, Adam Booth. Booth also said that he and his fighter, "need to take the next couple of days to clear our heads and see where we go from there."
With Haye seemingly out of the Klitschko picture for the next few months at least (although there does remain a slight hope on the former cruiserweight champ's part that a fight with Vitali can be made this year) it looks like it's time the 28-year-old started looking around for his next opponent. continue
 by James Slater - Today in 1951 in El Chorrillo, Panama, a true boxing legend was born. Born Roberto Duran Samaniego, the Panamanian would go on to achieve global fame with the nickname of "Manos de Piedra," or "Hands of Stone." Simply born to fight, Duran is synonymous with all that is tough about the sport of boxing.
Turning pro in February of 1968 - at the young age of just 17 - Duran won a UD over four-rounds against a guy named Carlos Mendoza. Roberto would go on to score a number of brutal KO's and he would also collect no less than four world titles in different weight classes - lightweight, welterweight, light-middleweight and middleweight being the divisions this legend conquered. And who can forget the classic battles Duran gave us while doing so? Indeed, there are so many Duran bouts to recount, this tribute article focuses only on the great man's lightweight contests - 135-pounds being the weight the peak and most formidable version of Duran boxed at. continue
"Fast” Eddie Chambers has been training relentlessly for his July 4th showdown with undefeated Alexander Dimitrenko which will take place in Hamburg, Germany. Chambers has been training at the Fernwood Resort in Bushkill, Pennsylvania which is up in the Pocono Mountains. Chambers, 34-1 with eighteen knockouts is looking to ride the momentum of his victory over Samuel Peter in March and a victory of Dimitrenko (29-0, 19 KO’s) is a WBO Eliminator with the winner receiving a coveted shot at the winner of This weekend’s fight between reigning champion Wladimir Klitschko and Ruslan Chagaev. “I see the light at the end of tunnel”, said Chambers, “I have never trained this hard. I know what’s at stake. I respect that he is undefeated but he has never been in with anyone near my abilities. My trainer Rob Murray Sr. and I have come up with the gameplan to not only win this fight but do it in dominating fashion.. continue
By Shaun Murphy - Being a British boxing fan I’ve learned to be thick skinned. Although the UK’s always achieved sporadic success in the lighter divisions; in the heavyweights there usually isn’t too much strength in depth. Of course, there have been exceptions, such as Tommy Farr, Henry Cooper, Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis -- who all became significant figures in boxing’s glamour division. However, year after year, the UK’s big men have been a sorry second place to their American counterparts. Nevertheless, I believe the current crop of British prospects could surprise the whole boxing world and produce some genuine world-class fighters. For this article, I’ve decided to list the best prospects in my country and hopefully give you some information on them you didn’t know before. continue
Interview and Photos by Ricardo Conde - NABO/USBA light welterweight champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (24-1-1, 19 KOs), from Oxnard, CA by way of Garden City, Kansas, will face Argentina’s Marcos “El Chino” Maidana (25-1, 24 KOs) on June 27th for the interim WBA junior welterweight title at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Ortiz vs. Maidana, which will be shown live on HBO B.A.D. (Boxing After Dark) and being promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, will be the main event that night and in the co-feature will be the rematch between WBA featherweight champion Chris John and Rocky Juarez. At only 22 years of age, Victor Ortiz is quickly becoming one of boxing’s new superstars. We had a moment to sit down and talk to Ortiz as he prepares for his upcoming bout, here’s what he had to say:
Q: You’re currently preparing for your next fight, which will be against Marcos Maidana, what do you know about your opponent and have you seen video of his fights and do you normally watch video of any of your opponents?
A: I know I’m in for a tough, hard fight. He’s there to win and so am I. continue
BALTIMORE, MD (June 18, 2009) Chet Koerner’s TKO BOXING Promotions, originators of the acclaimed “HOMETOWN HEROES TO WORLD CHAMPIONS” national boxing series presents “BALLROOM BOXING”, an evening of world class professional boxing, this Thursday night, June 18th at Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD. Headlining the six bout BALLROOM BOXING card is a terrific eight round junior middleweight bout between popular Maryland native Jessie “THE BEAST” Nicklow and John “NO MERCY” Mackey of Montgomery, Alabama. Along with the outstanding main event, the action packed undercard will truly bring a “HOMETOWN HEROES TO WORLD CHAMPIONS” flavor to the Baltimore area fight fans. continue
ESPN Classic and ESPN360.com will present live coverage of the June 20 Wladimir Klitschko/Ruslan Chagaev bout from Gelsenkirchen, Germany, beginning at 5 p.m. ET. This marks the second time in three months that ESPN networks have aired a heavyweight championship boxing match. ESPN International will also air the fight on ESPN Brasil and ESPN Dos (Mexico and the northern cone). continue
 By Michael Amakor at Ringside - New York City, NY: On June 13, 2009 WBO Welterweight (147) Champion Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27ko’s) narrowly eeked out a razor thin split decision over former champion Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20ko’s) to retain his title in a classical war of attrition in front of a boisterous flag draped Puerto Rican crowd at Madison Square Gardens in New York City on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
Packing a combined record of 68 wins and 47 knockouts there was bound to be fireworks when these two evenly matched forces collided, but both fighters left nothing to chance with an extremely relaxed and ripped Clottey commentating pre-fight “This was my best camp where I went away and was able to concentrate on my training”, I am ready for anything he brings” Cotto on the other hand had a violent break-up with his feuding trainer about tactics just 9 weeks before this fight, but nevertheless managed through all that to get in a good workout by all accounts altogether contributing to a wild toe to toe cock fight as the explosive hooking Clottey traded with the mongoose body punching Cotto over 12 rounds keeping the fans roaring with delight and on the edge of their seats not blinking least the missed a career ending barrage that each fighter tried to unleash to end the fight to no avail. continue
by James Slater - According to The Sydney Morning Herald, legend Roy Jones Junior will today announce that he has agreed to take on Australia's Danny Green in November. Reportedly, a press conference will be held later today, with Jones Junior appearing via satellite from his home town of Pensacola in Florida, and Green in Sydney in Australia. Apparently, the deal is that the two light-heavyweights will clash in Melbourne, Australia - providing they both win their next fight. Jones, as fans know, faces former IBF super-middleweight champion Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy on August 22nd, and there is now a good chance that Green will also fight, against an as yet TBA opponent, on that same Biloxi, Mississippi card. continue
This Saturday over 60.000 fans in the Arena auf Schalke and millions of people on RTL will be watching the highly anticipated fight of the heavyweight world champions. Today both champions Ruslan Chagaev (WBA) and Wladimir Klitschko (IBF, WBO) met for the first time at the Press Conference in Gelsenkirchen. Universum-Promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl, who flew in with Chagaev and his team to Gelsenkirchen, stated on the podium: „We have applied for a Special Request with the WBA, that Ruslan will be defending his WBA title and it will be a unification bout. The opposition will have time until Wednesday to comment on that case. We will be awaiting a decision by the WBA until than. We haven't heard anything official yet and we are remain calm. For us it is clear and that will remain so that Ruslan Chagaev is the only and full WBA world champion. This was shown in the split of the purse for the cancelled fight against Valuev in Helsinki. Ruslan would have received 55 percent and Valuev 45 percent but everyone can form their own opionion about this.. continue
 By Shaun Murphy - I was very interested in Wladimir Klitschko from the start. After all, when I was growing up a Ukrainian heavyweight champion was as likely as Take That reforming. Being a realist, I didn’t believe in miracles…
My intension, in this article, is to give you an unbiased opinion on Wladimir Klitschko, and hopefully I’ll be forgiven if I go over the top. I’ve decided to list Klitschko’s best qualities, entwined with how they’ve manifested in fights. My goal, if I can, is to help you understand what a special talent Wladimir Klitschko really is.
Wladimir’s Jab - I believe facing Wladimir’s jab is much like climbing Mount Everest. I’m told, when a man sees the world’s biggest mountain up close it doesn’t seem too big. continue
by James Slater - It looks like WBO light-welterweight champion Timothy Bradley will make his next defence against former undisputed lightweight king Nate Campbell on August 1st. Up as happening on BoxRec and being discussed on a number of boxing web sites, the top quality match-up will, if it happens, go out live on Showtime at a venue to be determined. A fine pairing of slick operators, "Desert Storm" against "The Galaxxy Warrior" is a tough fight from which to pick a winner. continue
by James Slater - Reigning European light-middleweight champion Jamie Moore hopes to be just one more win away from a shot at the WBC 154-pound championship. Set to defend his European belt against Frenchman Jimmy Colas on July 24th (the fight was originally set for July 18th, but due to Floyd Mayweather's bout against Juan Manuel Marquez being postponed, the Moore fight, which would have been part of the SKY Sports package for that pay-per-view night of boxing, was put back six days) 30-year-old Moore hopes to move on to the world stage afterwards. continue
By Robert Jackson: R&B singer George McCrae released hit song "Rock Your Baby" in the 70's and on the B-Side of the 45 rpm record was the song "I Get Lifted". Rock Your Baby went on to be McCrae's biggest hit and one of the biggest hits of the year! Afterwards that 45 was flipped over and "I Get Lifted" got a lot of radio play and established itself as a another hit for McCrae, almost as big as the first. The fight Saturday night featured an A-side and B-Side, Miguel Cotto coming into the fight with the albatross of Antonio Margarito around his neck against Joshua Clottey trying to prove that he belonged amongst the elite of the 147lb division.
What was amusing about Clottey was his response to HBO's Max Kellerman's question as to whether he could get a 'decision' victory in Madison Square Garden, Clottey responded that both him and Cotto were under the Top Rank banner as fighters and that a 'decision' would be no problem. When Clottey said that this writer wondered who was advising Clottey?? continue
Approaching his July 10 showdown with top contender Chris Henry, New York City's Shaun George has a single-minded agenda: Seek and Destroy. George vs. Henry is scheduled for ten rounds and will be televised as part of ESPN2's Friday Night Fights in the co-featured bout. The fight will take place in Henry's hometown of Houston, TX at the West Side Tennis Club which is located at 1200 Wilcrest Drive and will be contested for the vacant North American Boxing Organization light-heavyweight title. The show will be promoted by CES Promotions. continue
Commonwealth super-featherweight champion Ricky Burns has had enough of Kevin Mitchell - and wants WBO champion Rocky Martinez instead. The Scottish slickster makes the third defence of his title at the Bellahouston Sports Centre in Glasgow on Friday night against Kevin O'Hara. Sky Sports televise live. And if he wins he is hoping he will improve his WBO rating - and get a straight shot at Martinez. "I want Mitchell but if he's not up for the scrap then I want Martinez," said 26-year-old Burns. continue
 by James Slater - It's been reported how Joshua Clottey, so angry and genuinely shocked was he after being deemed a loser against Miguel Cotto when the tallies of the three judges were added up in New York, briefly contemplated retiring from boxing altogether. "The Grand Master" soon calmed down and realised he would not hang 'em up, however, and now he looks to get himself another big fight. But will the man who came within a whisker or two of becoming the second man to defeat the superb Cotto be able to entice another big name into the ring with him?
As has been pointed out by better writers than me, Clottey is in a very tough situation. On one hand, he is a proven talent, yet on the other he is not a household name. continue
June 15 (Merrillville, In) - Welterweight Ed "2 Fast 2 Furious" Ochoa (9-0, 8 KOs) answers the call in his brutal six-round unanimous decision victory (58-55, 58-56, 59-54) over very tough Jesse Davis (11-13, 8 KOs) in the main event after the original and volatile main event of Michael "Midnight Stalker" Walker (19-2-2, 12 KOs) vs. "Iron" Orphius Waite (5-0, 3 KOs) was postponed due to Walker being hospitalized in a Chicago hospital shortly before the "Tinley Park Rumble" Event. continue
Amir Khan's big WBA World title clash against Andreas Kotelnik will now take place at the Manchester Evening News (MEN) Arena on Saturday 18 July 2009 . The Bolton star was originally scheduled to challenge Kotelnik for his WBA World Light-Welterweight title at London's O2 Arena on June 27, but because the Ukrainian has suffered a minor injury and tooth infection the bout had to be postponed.
Unfortunately for Boxing fans the postponement means the O2 Arena cannot stage the big fight. Michael Jackson has the O2 Arena that night and is performing. continue
 by James Slater - It's no secret promoter Bob Arum had Miguel Cotto firmly on his list of potential next opponents for pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao - even before Cotto's win over Joshua Clottey this past Saturday night. Now that Cotto has won and is still the holder of a world title, it seems as though Arum is keen to get the fight made a done deal. There was reportedly a short list of possible opponents for Pacquiao's next fight (originally thought to be set for October) and it sure looks like Cotto is at the top of that list now.
Pacquiao doesn't seem keen on taking on "Sugar" Shane Mosley, at least not yet. Floyd Mayweather has just pulled out of his July fight with Juan Manuel Marquez with an injured rib, meaning those two greats will have to wait a while - possibly until September - before finally getting it on. continue
PROVIDENCE, RI (June 15, 2009) Middleweight contender Peter Manfredo Jr. has signed an exclusive promotional contract with Las Vegas-based TKO BOXING Promotions, it was announced today by its President, Chet Koerner. “We’re very proud to be working with Peter as he works his way up the middleweight rankings towards a championship bout. He’s been a world class fighter for a long time and we’re very happy to add him to our growing stable of outstanding talent” said Koerner. continue
Promoter Nick Garone of X-Cel Worldwide says he's proud to be receiving the full support of Buffalo businesses and boxing community for his "Buffalo Beatdown" show on Friday, June 19, at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. "This city has been fantastic," says Garone of the support he's enjoyed from locals. "People like "Baby" Joe Mesi and Ray Casal (local trainer and father of main event fighter Nick Casal), Jimmy Ralston (local trainer and former top-ranked light heavyweight contender), Don Patterson (local trainer and former fighter) and Juan DeLeon (local trainer/brother of former world champ Carlos DeLeon) have all been fantastic to work with.. continue
 After a very controversial weekend of boxing, needless to say, this weeks 'Left-Hook Lounge' will span the presence of primarily three fighters which greatly played a role. (Cotto, Clottey, and now also P4P King, Filipino Manny Pacquiao). No matter which side of the fence you reside on, opinions about the showdown which took place at New York City's Madison Square Garden last Saturday night are widespread, and with Manny Pacquiao waiting in the wings, a completely new contingent enters the welterweight equation. A Mayweather injury, an opponent-less Paul Williams and a potential return of Margarito certainly adds a few new wrinkles, but in an effort to sort them out, we put an ear to the streets and throw some heavy verbiage direclty from the fight fans on the cutting blocks. Our first question comes from the Northwest, where an avid fight fan wants to know the following:
Leo S. (Seattle, WA): Where do you now rank Miguel Cotto amongst today's welterweight elite?
Vivek W. (ESB): I think Cotto is still relative but I'm beginning to truly question how much so as it relates to the 'big boys' who undoubtedly run the division. I once viewed Cotto as a big welterweight, but I'm quickly learning that Cotto is technically an average welterweight with a big punch that makes him seem bigger than he truly is. Clottey, Margarito, Williams, those are big welterweights. continue
By Doveed Linder - When Ruslan Chagaev steps into the ring with Wladimir Klitschko this Saturday, he would have to be considered a big underdog. Outside of Klitschko’s experience and overall tack record, he has a considerable size and strength advantage. Chagaev is a good, undefeated fighter with some credible wins and he’s certainly one of the division’s best. But at 6’1” and weighing in somewhere in the 220s, many people believe that he is not big enough to dethrone Klitschko, who stands 6’6 ½” and weighs in around 245.
It’s not unreasonable to think that a smaller man can beat a bigger man. After all, Chagaev himself managed to pile up the points against Nicolay Valuev, who is 7 feet tall and 310 pounds. continue
The highly anticipated July 18 fight between Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez has been postponed due to a rib injury sustained by Mayweather while training. The mega-fight was scheduled to take place at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and be televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View. "I am extremely disappointed that this fight has to be postponed," said Mayweather. "I was training very hard and looking forward to getting back in the ring on July 18th.. continue
 By Errol Hyppolite - Round 1 – The fight began with Cotto and Clottey boxing cautiously. Both fighters patiently mounted their offense off the jab. Cotto was a bit more aggressive in asserting his jab. Clottey’s jab was a slightly more effective than Cotto’s but he didn’t use it enough. In the last 10 seconds of the round Cotto landed an excellent left Jab that caught Clottey off-balance and put him down for the first time in career.
Score: 10-8 Cotto
Round 2 – Cotto came out in Round two pressing the attack and trying to keep the momentum from the first round with him. One minute into the round, Clottey began working the body and pushing his jab through Cotto’s guard. Clottey also began working uppercuts up the middle. Almost all of Cotto’s punches were blocked this round and Clottey did enough to win the round - Score: 10-9 Clottey continue
The mouth watering prospect of two of the Cruiserweight division’s finest former World Champions, Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham and Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite, facing each other is finally a reality after promoter, Don King Productions, confirmed that the fight will take place on the under card of the Joseph Agbeko - Vic Darchinyan IBF Bantamweight title fight at the Bank Atlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida on July 11th. continue
By Frank Gonzalez Jr. - June 14th, 2009 - “I didn’t expect this decision. I won this fight. I want a rematch!” Those were the words of Joshua Clottey Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, after 12 grueling rounds against Welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KO’s) who put his WBO belt on the line to fight Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 KO’s), who had to relinquish his IBF title to make this fight happen.
This was a good fight with lots of back and forth action. It was about as good a match up as you can make these days. On paper, Clottey landed more and at a higher percentage but numbers don’t always win rounds. Numbers don’t account for ring generalship, defense and effective offense. continue
by James Slater - Last night, at Madison Square Garden, New York, Miguel Cotto passed his first acid test since losing to Antonio Margarito, as he sucked it up and came through to win on points against the dangerous Joshua Clottey. Prevailing by a split verdict, the 28-year-old from Puerto Rico got the win by scores of 116-111 and 115-112. 32-year-old Clottey from New York by way of Ghana, was deemed the winner by a margin of 114-113 on the third card. "Junito" is now 34-1(27). "The Grand Master" is now 35-3(20).
The fight, for the first eight-rounds at least, was crammed full of drama. With pound-for-pound king and possible future opponent for the winner Manny Pacquiao sitting ringside, Cotto and Clottey gave their all in an excellent fight that fell short of being a real classic due to the way the last four-rounds saw the pace slow somewhat. continue
by James Slater - Make of it what you will - and it may not be much in terms of where you think he goes from here in boxing - but 48-year-old Ray Mercer last night annihilated the much bigger Tim Sylvia in just 9 seconds of the very first round. Fighting in an MMA rules bout in Birmingham, Alabama, Mercer, looking in pretty good physical condition, came right out and just smoked the 300-plus-pounds Sylvia. A big right hand smacked into the head of the ponderous-looking MMA star, and Sylvia went down almost in slow-motion - looking for all the world like a huge oak tree being felled. continue
by James Slater - The under-card of the June 20th heavyweight championship battle between Wladimir Klitschko and Ruslan Chagaev looks reasonably interesting. Unbeaten heavyweight prospect Alexander Ustinov goes up against the durable Michael Sprott, veteran heavyweight campaigner Cedric Boswell and once-beaten middleweight contender Andy Lee are also in action; and, in the most interesting of the support bouts, Jonathon Banks moves up to heavyweight to take on Paul Butlin. continue
 14.06.09 - By Madra Uladh - In a great display of heart and guts tonight, Miguel Cotto banished forever the ghost of Antonio Margarito. Loaded gloves or no loaded gloves, many thought that Margarito had taken too much out of Cotto and that his days at the elite level were at an end.
Tonight, Cotto showed grace and courage under great pressure to rally late for the win.
And Joshua Clottey, while loudly protesting the decision, will likely kick himself when he watches the tape. The fight was there for him to win heading into the championship rounds. Inexplicably, he dropped his output and allowed a weaker Cotto to steal eleven and twelve. continue
By: Benjie Varella – It was a night of controversy at the Madison Square Garden as the two world title bouts resulted to first, a technical draw between Ivan Calderon (32-0-1, 6Kos) of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and Rodel Mayol of the Philippines for the WBO light flyweight championship, then for the main event, a split decision victory for Miguel Cotto, another Puerto Rican to retain his WBO welterweight title against Joshua Clottey of Ghana.
For the main undercard event, judges scored it 58-56 for Mayol, 58-56 for Calderon while the third saw it dead even at 57-57. continue
Daniel “The Haitian Sensation” Edouard (22-2-2, 13 KOs ) gave an excellent account of himself by overpowering durable challenger Dumont Welliver into a round 8 retirement of their scheduled 10 round middleweight bout. Edouard (WBA #8 middleweight and WBC #14 superwelterweight prior to the bout) who was well ahead on the score cards at the time of the stoppage, displayed superior speed and precision to retain his WBA Fedelatin boxing championship. This showing will certainly improve his standings in the WBA and world rankings. continue
 13.06.09 - By John Wight - It was a reflective Alex Arthur that I sat down to talk to at his home in the centre of Edinburgh, just over a week before his first outing at lightweight in Glasgow against France’s Mohamed Benbiou. Absent was any of the false bravado or bluster we’re accustomed to hearing from most fighters this close to a fight, much of which is geared to a boxing public that has largely come to look upon fighters as machines rather than men with the same fears, vulnerabilities, and pressures we all have to deal with in our daily lives.
What struck me most as we got talking was the maturity of the man. Searching around for a reason why this should be the case, it came to me that here was a fighter whose potential from a very young age dwarfed that of his peers in the game, resulting perhaps in a harsher spotlight being shone on his career than that of probably any other British boxer of his generation. This inevitably fed a sense of waiting for him reach the heights such undoubted potential demands. continue
By Robert Jackson: "High quality sparring is the best method to train in boxing", "Sparring is 'practice fighting' with the aim of training skills and fitness, not to determine a winner". Wikipedia couldn't have been closer to the truth with these definitions. But...in some real world boxing gyms these truths may resonate false. Many trainers, in-fact the top trainers leave out the 'practice' part and emphasize that sparring should be as close to the real thing as possible to prepare a fighter for the stresses and pressure to be expected on fight nite.
Of all of the 'martial arts' boxing training is geared to real 'fighting' moreso than any of the other 'arts'. continue
by James Slater - In news that has been broken by Dan Rafael over at ESPN.com, there is a fair chance WBA light-welterweight champion Andriy Kotelnik will not now be defending against Amir Khan on the originally scheduled date of June 27th. According to ESPN.com's sources, Kotelnik - who has not yet officially been ruled out of the fight - is suffering from a tooth infection, and this could keep him from being able to spar until July and also delay the fight for approx six weeks. continue
 By Errol Hyppolite - In this week’s edition of the Standing 8, I am breaking down the June 16th147-Pound Welterweight showdown between Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey.
Strength / Power - Cotto should hold an edge in the punching power department. Clottey’s advantages will be in strength. Clottey naturally walks around at 160lbs and tends to wear down his opponents over the course of a fight. Cotto is naturally smaller then Clottey but can much more easily concuss an opponent.
With that said, the power of each man will greatly depend on the way the fight breaks down. If Cotto keep’s this fight at a distance he will be able to catch Clottey with well-leveraged and clean counter shots. continue
DENVER, COLO. – The 2009 USA Boxing National Championships concluded competition on Saturday night with 11 men’s championship bouts at the Denver Coliseum in Denver, Colo. Champions were crowned in all 11 weight divisions in the final day of action in Denver. The light flyweight division opened the action with a bout between 2009 National Golden Gloves champion Miguel Cartagena (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Garen Rabellizsa (Waianae, Hawaii). Cartagena recorded his second straight national championship, winning a 7-5 decision over Rabellizsa. He is the first 16-year-old to win both the Golden Gloves and USA Boxing National Championships since Gary Russell, Jr., in 2005. continue
Heavyweight sensation Odlanier Solis impressed the audience at Miccosukee Resort in Miami with a devastating first round k.o. win over journey man “Diamond” Dominique Alexander. The three-time world amateur champion and 2004 Olympic gold medallist dropped his opponent twice, the second time after 2:55 minutes Alexander lay face down on the canvas when referee Frank Santore jr. counted him out. It was the 14th win in as many pro fights for “La Sombra” who had just recovered from a hand injury and fought under the guidance of his old amateur coach and Cuban trainer legend Pedro Diaz for the first time as professional. “Solis showed that he fights in a league of his own”, says promoter Ahmet Öner. “Now we will match him with world class opposition to keep on bringing him to the top fast. I am the future of the heavyweight division”, states Solis. “Nobody in the world can beat me. I will be the next undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.. continue
 Exclusive Interview by James Slater - As has been reported on this web site, Paulie Malignaggi and Juan Diaz will clash in Houston, Texas on August 22nd in a very interesting catch-weight bout. Fighting at an agreed weight of 138.5-pounds, "The Magic Man" and "The Baby Bull" will both be hoping to get the win that will propel them back into the world title picture.
Very kindly taking time to speak with me yesterday after he'd finished training, former IBF light-welterweight king Malignaggi had the following answers to my questions.
James Slater: It's great to speak with you, Paulie. We hear the fight with Juan Diaz is signed now, and the fans are already talking about it. One of the first things some fans have asked is, are you concerned about going to Diaz' hometown of Houston? Are you worried about him maybe getting a home decision if the fight goes to the cards? continue
By Leon de Juda - Freddie Roach liked what he saw of acclaimed former 2 time Cuban Olympic Gold medalists Guillermo Rigondeaux and Olympic Silver medalist Yudel Johnson. He'll be seeing a lot more now that Roach agreed to train the highly talented Cubans amateur stars. Roach, who will pick up his 2008 Boxing Writers Association of America award for trainer of the year at Friday night's annual banquet in New York, signed on to train the Cuban duo on Tuesday, a day after he spent part of the day meeting the fighters and working out with them. continue
By Ralph Rimpell - On June 13, 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York city, Puerto Rico’s WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (33-1, 27 KOs) will defend his title against Ghana’s Joshua Clottey (35-2, 20 KOs) the IBF welterweight champ. Those of us who follow boxing know that the popular Cotto will once again face a legitimate world class fighter who has a very good chance of defeating him on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in NYC. Could there be a little de ja vue in the air? continue
 By: Benjie Varella- Filipino boxing prospect Feranando Lumacad and his team are all set to leave Manila on June 14 for Los Angeles. His international promoter Sammy Gello-ani will arrive the following day to lead Team Lumacad to Juarez, Mexico for his final preparation as he gear up for a battle with popular Mexican warrior Jorge Arce (photo by Tom Casino) for the vacant Super Flyweight International Boxing Federation (IBF) Intercontinental Title on June 20. Lumacad’s manager Ken Smith who founded and based American Boxing Academy Stable in Digos City, Philippines told East Side Boxing that the 23 year old kid from the Philippines is in great shape and is more than ready to slug it out with Arce who is known as an aggressive fighter and a boxer who loves attacking each second of every round.
Smith said that Lumacad is well focused and stressed that Arce and the Mexican people will be in for a big surprise. He added that Lumacad’s hand speed and slick body movement will be the keys for the Mexican’s downfall. continue
By Derek Kelley - I anticipated one of the most hyped World Heavyweight title fights in some time in the David Haye-Wladimir Klitschko fight to match the hype and resolve some questions on June 20. I was really looking forward to the Klitschko-Haye fight for the IBF/WBO/IBO Heavyweight Championship because of all the variables going into the fight. David Haye is a rising star in boxing who can promote a fight perfectly and did enough trash talking to the Klitschko family to upset Vitali and Wladimir greatly. continue
by James Slater - When they met in Belfast last month, heavyweights Martin Rogan and Sam Sexton gave us a fight that was as controversial as it was exciting. Round number-eight saw much drama, and the action instantly caused much debate. Looking "gone," underdog Sexton lost his gum-shield and gained precious seconds to recover from being hurt as "The Entertainer" stopped punching when his Commonwealth title challenger indicated to him he'd lost his mouthpiece. continue
 By Vivek Wallace: There was a point recently where one could shuffle the deck of roughly 8 contenders in this deep welterweight division and feel totally comfortable knowing the fighter chosen could potentially prove his mettle and run the boards on any given night. Fast forward a few months down the road and as if it were even possible, suddenly, the plot thickens a bit more. The last year in this well chronicled division saw the man (Margarito) who beat 'the man' (Cotto), lose to the man (Mosley) who was beat by the man (Cotto). No doubt, that man-moniker was probably a bit confusing, but it doesn't take the intuitive skills of a woman to realize there's no better way to describe a boxing division where literally every 'man' wants to be thee man! The return of Mayweather has been great for headlines and the mistake of Margarito didn't help them, but in an effort to strike a happy median, both of those men and all their welterweight contemporaries take a step back tonight for two warriors also find themselves eager to take the lead. As we prepare for this showdown, we analyze "Keys to Victory", "Four to Explore", and an "Official Prediction": continue
Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing won the purse bid for the Vacant IBF Welterweight Championship of the World between Star Boxing's IBF #2 rated Delvin Rodriguez (24-2-2, 14KO) and IBF #3 rated Isaac Hlatshwayo (28-1-1, 10KO). The winning bid was $136,000.00. Star Boxing, who promotes Rodriquez, beat out the bid of Branco Sports Productions, whose bid was $127,500. continue
By P.H. Burbridge - The nightmare that is David Haye has finally ended for the Klitschko camp as Wladimir has once again pulled a rabbit out of his hat to salvage another Haye / Booth blunder. So, welcome to the big time, Ruslan Chagaev courtesy of a loud talking and still unproven David Haye. The Wladimir Klitschko vs Ruslan Chagaev fight is starting to grow on me as it draws nearer. It better because I don’t have a choice. continue
 Photo by Wray Edwards / ESB - NEW YORK (June 12, 2009) -- The long awaited and eagerly anticipated rematch between undefeated two-time light heavyweight champion CHAD DAWSON and former world champion GLEN JOHNSON is on. Promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, DiBella Entertainment and Seminole Warriors Boxing, Dawson-Johnson II will be broadcast live on HBO World Championship Boxing in the fall. The site and date will be formally announced shortly.
The world title rematch pits Dawson, the light heavyweight division’s kingpin, defending his world championship belt against Johnson, the man who gave him the stiffest test and closest shave of his career. In their first battle, which took place in April 2008, the two squared off with Dawson’s WBC light heavyweight title on the line. Dawson came away with a hard-earned unanimous decision, but the entire boxing world was left clamoring for more from these world-class fighters. continue
NEW YORK (June 12, 2009) – Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan arrived in the U.S. late last week to finish training as he looks to become a world champion in a third weight class when he challenges International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight champion Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko on Saturday, July 11, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). Darchinyan has already solidified his status as the No. 1 super flyweight in the world and one of the top pound-for-pound boxers. Now, with less than one month to go before his highly anticipated showdown with Agbeko, Darchinyan is back in the U.S., where he has been dominant in his last three world title fights. continue
Amir Khan has congratulated Lennox Lewis on reaching boxing's Hall of Fame - and says he wants to follow in the former heavyweight world champion's footsteps. Lewis will be inducted over the weekend in the American city of Canastota after a glittering career which saw him become undisputed champion and twice regain the world title. And Khan, 22, says he has been inspired by the feats of Lewis - and wants his own Hall of Fame career. continue
 By Andrew Schweitzer - For some fights, desire for a rematch is created the moment the fight ends (Pacquiao/Marquez I, the Vazquez/Marquez trilogy). However getting from desire to reality is another matter.
No greater example for that argument could be made than the rematch between Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas ‘Hit Man’ Hearns for the WBC Super Middleweight Championship.
In 1981, the two met as welterweight champions in a unification bout at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
In the blue corner, you had Sugar Ray Leonard (30-1 with 22 knockouts). An Olympic gold medalist of the 1976 Montreal Games, Leonard became an instant star with his charming personality, good looks and brilliant boxing ability and seemed to be the heir apparent to Muhammad Ali, as to who would be the face of boxing. continue
By Coach Tim Walker - Show me a fighter who doesn't think he is the best and I will show you a fighter who's either been beaten mentally before, is being beaten mentally right now, or is primed to be beaten mentally in the very near future. If you hadn't heard it before boxing is 90% mental 10% physical.
With boxers "you must be the best" is a common and expected frame of mind. From the first time a boxer enters a local amateur gym he is bombarded with this single principal. To achieve success he is expected to train harder than every other boxer in every other gym on the planet. His mental focus must be as sharp as a sword. His ability to adjust in pressure situations and deal with adversity must be an uncommon but unequalled strength. continue
LAS VEGAS (June 11, 2009) – Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez hope to unite the stately leaders the United States of America and Mexico by inviting their respective Presidents Barack Obama and Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa to their Saturday, July 18 Mayweather vs. Marquez: “Number One/Numero Uno,” mega-fight at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. The bout will be broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. continue
 LAS VEGAS (June 12, 2009) – Floyd Mayweather, a six-time world champion and a proud member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team, is back, and hopes to breathe new life into the long-standing tradition of American dominance in the sport of boxing. In recognition of his heritage and in celebration of two of America’s upcoming holidays—the nation’s Flag Day, June 14th, and Independence Day, July 4th—Mayweather has wrapped his Las Vegas-based boxing gym with an American flag and will host an early July 4th barbecue for Las Vegas youth on Wednesday, July 1 when he opens training camp to the media covering his upcoming bout with Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday, July 18, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
“I embrace my patriotism and feel boxing has lost a bit of its ‘American’ luster, which I intend to change immediately,” said Mayweather. “We have dominated the sport which, like the United States, has always stood for hard work and dedication, and I intend to use my comeback as a way to bring it back around and remind everyone that the best fighters are American and it will always stay that way.. continue
San Jose California (June 12, 2009) - Philadelphia's undefeated Jr. Welterweight prospect, Danny "Swift" Garcia (12-0, 7 KO's), is prepared to bring fans to their feet tonight June 12, 2009 on ESPN 2 "Friday Night Fights". Garcia, Golden Boy Promotions rising star, will be the co-feature to Robert Guerrero as he squares off against Pavel Miranda in a scheduled eight round bout. "I'm very appreciative that Shelly Finkel and Golden Boy Promotions have faith in my skills to be the co-feature on ESPN 2 "Friday Night Fights," said Garcia. continue
Reigning English Champion Scott Lawton has warned John Murray not to take him for granted ahead of Saturday nights British title showdown at the Robin Park Arena in Wigan. Lawton will challenge for Murray’s Lonsdale belt in the main event on Hennessy Sports “Rule Britannia” event which is live on ITV4 from 8pm. Murray claims his focus hasn’t been distracted by talk of a big fight Stateside with Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz or the prospect of another British title defence against former European champ Jon Thaxton in what would be a major domestic showdown. continue
 by Dan Hunter: WBO welterweight champion Miguel Angel Cotto has the opportunity to put what had been a marquee career back on track when he takes on Ghana’s former IBF champ Joshua Clottey in what should be a classic encounter at the venue of all venues, Madison Square Garden tonight.
Other fights this year have attracted more press and generated more money, but none have the genuine ´´throwback`` appeal of this match up between the classic pressure fighter in 28 year old Cotto (33 – 1, 27 ko´s) and the defensive counterpunching 32 year old Clottey (35-2, 20 ko´s).
Puerto Rican Cotto is hugely popular in New York, and the fight is a guaranteed 18,000 sellout. Both fighters have shown immense respect for each other in the build up for the fight. ´´Cotto is really giving me a big opportunity. I will always respect Miguel Cotto.`` said Clottey earlier this week. Cotto himself anticipates a tough battle.´´Like Joshua said before, he’s going to leave everything in the ring and I am going to do the same to be the winner and retain my title. But the real winner will be all of the fans.`. continue
Men’s open division action moved into the semifinal round on Thursday night at the Denver Coliseum in Denver, Colo., with 20 bouts on tap. Jesus Magdaleno (Las Vegas, Nev.) recorded the upset of the night and the tournament, pulling out a tiebreaker win over two-time Olympian and 2007 World Champion Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio). Warren held a significant lead going into the final round, but Magdaleno pulled the bout to a tie in the final seconds and won the 19-19 final decision on his 40-39 total punch count edge. continue
Former World Heavyweight champion Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe will be appearing this Saturday at the Meadowlands Marketplace in East Rutherford, NJ. Bowe will be on hand from 11-3 to sign autographs, pose for photos and chat with fight fans about his sensational professional career. “I am excited to return to New Jersey where I have many great memories”, said Bowe, who fought 16 times in the Garden State including a first round knockout over future titleholder Bruce Seldon. continue
 By Vivek Wallace: In this weeks 'Call Em Out Fridays' segment we take a look at two men who suddenly find themselves with quite a bit of weight on their shoulders. For the last few years, the welterweight division has been the deepest in the sport and every step of the way these two men have played very intricate roles. Despite both fighters being reserved in demeanor, oddly enough, the paths taken to reach this point has been vastly different. For Miguel Cotto, his rise to fame came on the shoulders of a nation that has long awaited a new heir-apparent to take the mantle in the absence of yester-years Felix 'Tito' Trinidad. For Joshua Clottey, the sports proverbial 'man-so-smooth-in-a-world-so-rough', the surrounding hype and mainstream fan support has remained a bit minimal despite great efforts, making his level of opportunity an arrested development. Cotto enters the ring on the heels of nearly a full year of pure chaos, stemmed with everything from a brutal loss, to family violence which stripped him of his only career trainer, and more. Clottey, on the other hand has had a smoother ride, but failure to seize a landmark opportunity has kept him from center stage. Considering the given perspectives, this fight receives a rating of P.D., for another setback for either man can indeed result in PERMANENT DAMAGE. continue
By Jonny Stapleton - One of the other two WBA World Champions in Bernard Dunne’s super bantamweight weight division, and the man the Dubliner is set to inherit as a mandatory challenger claims he is the WBA number one, and he can’t wait for the opportunity to face the Irish hero so he can prove it. Most Irish fight fans believed after Dunne had sensationally knocked out Ricardo Ricardo Cordoba earlier this year he became the sole WBA World Champion. However it seems the Dubliner holds only one third of a world belt. continue
Shaun Murphy - Among the intelligentsia IQ has become the bastion of the good; hell, if you score above 120 you’re seen as a higher specimen of humanity and inherently better. If you think I’m wrong check it out; from the far-right to the leaders of the world. For many: your IQ score is more important than what you can actually do.
However, being somewhat, the least intelligent in a family of sickenly clever people I went into sport. Nevertheless, I am a voracious reader and I decided to search for the Philosopher’s stone: what genius really is. Of course, I was interested in the sporting applications…I read books on IQ and I was told a genius was an individual that scored over 140 on a test. continue
 by James Slater -- Not long to go now until welterweight talents Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey climb into the ring at Madison Square Garden, New York in their WBO title showdown. For Cotto, the fight will be his first real test since sensationally being stopped by the subsequently disgraced Antonio Margarito, and for Clottey tomorrow night's fight represents the big opportunity he has been craving since losing a decision to common opponent Margarito.
Was Cotto damaged long term by the hammering he took late in his July 2008 loss to the Mexican? Is Clottey clever enough to be able to defeat the Puerto Rican star? Accra-born Clottey is certainly tough enough to have a very good chance of winning, and the man who gave up the IBF 147-pound belt he won by stopping Zab Judah (another common opponent of the two) so as to get Cotto in the ring is convinced he is faster than Cotto also. continue
by James Slater - Reigning IBF and WBO heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko is currently locked away pushing himself to the limit in training camp for his June 20th defence against the unbeaten Ruslan Chagaev. Always a true professional, it really is no surprise Wladimir is cutting no corners whatsoever for the fight that will contest the Ring magazine championship belt. However, if anything, "Dr. Steel Hammer" is working even harder for this fight than he has for any other. continue
Carl Froch will defend his WBC super-middleweight title against Kelly Pavlik early in 2010, according to the founder and Chairman of Top Rank promotions Bob Arum, the most powerful man in boxing. Speaking today on the Steve Bunce Boxing Hour on Setanta Sports News, Arum revealed the news. He said: “That is absolutely true. Todd Duboeuf of Top Rank has discussed that fight and yesterday we met with HBO and talked about Pavlik fighting Felix Sturm in the fall; and then early as next year, perhaps as early as the end of January, fighting Froch. Since his defeat of Jermain Taylor in April, Froch has been linked with every marquee fighter in his division. continue
 by James Slater - On today's issue of The Steve Bunce Boxing Hour on Setanta Sports, promoter Bob Arum was an over-the-phone guest. Speaking primarily about this coming Saturday night's big welterweight clash between Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey - a fight that Arums says has sold out - the long-time promoter also revealed how a most interesting fight is currently being discussed for next year.
According to Arum, unbeaten Carl Froch, the reigning WBC super-middleweight champion, may well be hooking up with the reigning middleweight king, Kelly Pavlik in 2010. No major details were given out, but Arum did confirm that Top Rank have discussed the fight and that it could be Pavlik's next fight after he has fought Felix Sturm - the Sturm fight also being worked on at present. continue
Freddie Roach will collect the 2008 Boxing Writers of America Association award for Trainer of the Year this Friday night in New York before heading to Bolton with Amir Khan. Roach, regarded as the world's number one boxing trainer, recently masterminded Manny Pacquaio's devastating two-round victory over Ricky Hatton and is preparing Khan to win his first world title. Bolton star Khan takes on Ukrainian hardman Andreas Kotelnik at London's O2 Arena on June 27. continue
Sebastian Sylvester is determined to fight for the world title again soon. He could make a giant stride into the right direction with a victory over Lajuan Simon. The duo will come face-to-face on the Abraham undercard in Berlin on June 27. Sylvester will defend his IBF International Middleweight Title, with the bout also serving as an eliminator for the IBF number 2 spot. Giovanni Lorenzo, who will face King Arthur this fall, is currently in the top spot. “If Sebastian defeats Simon we would be very well positioned within the IBF, with Arthur the champion and Sebastian the number 2,” Sauerland Event General Manager Chris Meyer said. continue
.jpg) Andy Lee, Irish Middleweight prospect turned 25 years old today (June 11) and he certainly got the birthday present he was looking for. It has been confirmed today that the Kronk star will feature on the undercard of the Waldimir Klitschko V Ruslan Chagaev, World Heavyweight Clash on June 20 in the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Lee will share the ring with the durable Olegs Fedotovs 10 W(6KO) 5L(1KO) from Latvia.
Lee has spent the last month in the Klitschko training camp in Austria and is delighted to be fighting in his 19th fight in such a prestigious promotion. ' I'm really honoured to have the opportunity to fight on the card, it is not every day you get a change like this; the undercard of a World Heavyweight Title fight in a sold out 60,000 capacity venue is truly amazing. Waldimir is a real professional and is an inspiration and role model to me as a boxer in the process of learning my trade.. continue
Fans of heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury will have to wait a little longer for his seventh professional outing. The 6 foot 9 inch Fury has suffered a back injury in training meaning that his next bout has now been postponed until July 18 in Norwich. Fury had been set for action on this Saturday’s “Rule Britannia” card at the Robin Park Arena in Wigan. The Hennessy Sports event is live on ITV4 from 8pm and is headlined by John Murray’s British Lightweight title defence against Scott Lawton. However with a persistent back injury hampering his preparations Fury has been forced to withdraw from the card. “I’m very disappointed but the doctor has said that the only thing for the injury is to rest for a week so then I should be able to get back to training for the July 18th fight,” said Fury. continue
June 10, 2009 - All open issues have been resolved regarding the proposed Paulie Malignaggi and Juan Diaz fight on August 22, 2009 in Houston, Texas. DiBella Entertainment and Golden Boy wrapped up negotiations today and tied up all loose ends for the fight- including the agreed upon weight of 138.5 lbs. “I told Paulie to lay off his Grandma’s pasta and eat one less cannoli,” said Lou DiBella about Malignaggi dropping an extra pound or two. “Paulie is confident of his speed and boxing ability and is prepared to win in the lion’s den of Houston. “This is a fight between two guys looking to prove something. We are both coming of losses in big fights and we are both coming in hungry. Expect fireworks,” said Malignaggi. continue
 After Wladimir Klitschko has neglected his offer to step in for injured David Haye to fight the IBF / WBO / IBO champion in Gelsenkirchen (Germany) on June 20th ARENA’s heavyweight sensation Odlanier Solis (13-0) will be back in action this Friday (June 12th) at Miccosukee Resort & Gaming in Miami, Florida, against “Diamond” Dominique Alexander (18-6-1). Solis has just recovered from a hand injury which prevented him to fight “Fast” Fres Oquendo earlier this year. After defecting from the Cuban national team in December 2006 along with WBA interim featherweight champion Yuriorkis “El Ciclon” Gamboa and turning pro in April 2007 for Hamburg based promoter Ahmet Öner the three-time world amateur champion and 2004 Olympic gold medallist has been on the fast track to the top scoring impressive wins against high-quality opposition.
“La Sombra” became WBC international champion by stopping Chauncy Welliver in October 2008 and defended his title successfully at his US debut on January 9th against “Big Man” Kevin Burnett. continue
by James Slater - It will be a busy night of boxing on June 27th - on both sides of the Atlantic. In the UK we have the big O2 bill in London topped by Andriy Kotelnik against Amir Khan. In Germany that same night middleweight king "King" Arthur Abraham defends his version of the 160-pound title against Mahir Oral. While on June 27th in America, we will be treated to the Chris John-Rocky Juarez rematch in L.A, and the fight that is the main subject of this article - Juan Manuel Lopez defending his WBO super-bantamweight belt against Olivier Lontchi in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It should be some great night of boxing all round. continue
By Tino Villela - The light flyweight division right now is shaping up to be one of the hottest division’s in boxing today. 108 pound division is loaded with talented fighters that come from all different time zone and regions of the world. The “Big” three of the weight class are Ivan Calderon from Puerto Rico, Brain Viloria out of the United States and Edgar Sosa out of Mexico. continue
 CHICAGO, IL (June 10, 2009) Two time heavyweight world title challenger Fres Oquendo will face Gonzalo Omar Basile in the new ten round main event at “WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 3” on Friday, June 26th at the UIC Pavilion, it was announced today by Dominic Pelosi’s 8 Count Productions, HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING.
Recently signed to Simmons Entertainment Marketing LLC, Oquendo is looking towards another run at a world championship bout in the near future. The bout against Basile, for the WBO Latino Heavyweight Title, is Oquendo’s first hometown bout in nine years. Tickets for “WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 3”, starting at $31, are on sale now through the 8 Count Productions office at 312-226-5800 and through Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com. continue
After the stunning cancellation of the fight in Helsinki the World Boxing Association has now clarified that Nikolai Valuev is the official WBA heavyweight champion. That is what is stated in a letter from WBA attorney Michael E. McAleenan to Team Sauerland and all parties involved. Furthermore, after the third cancellation, Chagaev´s status as “champion in recess” is “under review”. “From our point of view the WBA made the only right decision,” Sauerland Event General Manager Chris Meyer said. “Valuev is the official WBA heavyweight champion. This is the third time that Chagaev could not fight Valuev for medical reasons. We expect that the WBA will now deprive Chagaev of his strange status as ‘champion in recess’.. continue
NEW YORK, NY (June 9, 2009) – Video: World Boxing Organization welterweight champion MIGUEL COTTO hosted an open Media workout in Manhattan at Trinity Boxing Gym. This will be Cotto’s final Media Workout as he prepares for his world title defense against Joshua Clottey. Cotto was also interviewed following his workout in preparation for Saturday June 13 fight against Joshua Clottey at Madsion Square Garden. Promoted by Top Rank, Cotto vs. Clottey will take place This Saturday!, June 13, at the “Mecca of Boxing,” Madison Square Garden in New York, on the eve of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade. continue
 by James Slater - The fight is not in any way a done deal yet, but there is a good chance, reportedly, that former world champions Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi will clash in the summer. "The Baby Bull," who is coming off a courageously exciting stoppage loss to the superb Juan Manuel Marquez, is scheduled to fight on August 22nd, in his hometown of Houston, Texas; and there is a good chance his dance partner will be "The Magic Man."
Diaz, the former WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight champion, can't be expected to go up to 140-pounds, but a catch-weight bout is very much on the cards. Former IBF light-welterweight champion Malignaggi, himself looking to get his second win since his forced retirement loss to Ricky Hatton, is no big light-welterweight, and as such he could perhaps drop a few pounds and meet the 25-year-old in what would surely be a most interesting and compelling fight. continue
by James Slater - In less than three week's time, 22-year-old Amir Khan will attempt to become Great Britain's second reigning world champion, as he takes on the respected Andreas Kotelnik of Ukraine. The once-beaten former Olympian will try his best to take the WBA light-welterweight crown from the 31-year-old who also managed to win a silver medal as an Olympic amateur. continue
In response to complaints from Nikolai Valuev and Sauerland Event that Ruslan Chagaev and Universum are spreading incorrect information, the WBA clarified on Tuesday that Valuev is the WBA world champion and Chagaev is merely the champion in recess. A May 30th showdown between Valuev and Chagaev was derailed when Chagaev’s uncertain hepatitis levels caused the Finnish boxing commission to declare him unfit to fight. Since then, Chagaev and Universum issued press releases stating Chagaev is the WBA champion, a claim now refuted by Tuesday’s letter. continue
 By Doveed Linder - With David Haye pulling out of the fight with Wladamir Klitschko due to a back injury, Ruslan Chagaev makes for an ideal replacement. It’s a perfect fit, since Chagaev’s fight with Nicolay Valuev was cancelled just a couple of weeks ago. Plus, Klitschko/Chagaev seems to be a much more appropriate fight than Klitschko/Haye would have been.
Ruslan Chagaev has been a top heavyweight for a few years and most people in the boxing world have him ranked at either 3 or 4. He beat John Ruiz and he’s the only fighter who has an official win over Nicolay Valuev. He’s a good, undefeated fighter, but just how good remains to be seen. But of all the top heavyweights, he is perhaps the most deserving of a shot at Wladamir Klitschko.
Like Chagaev, David Haye is also a good fighter who has not yet had the opportunity to demonstrate his full potential. He has one loss on his record which came via 5th round TKO against Carl Thompson. continue
There’s plenty in store on the Steve Bunce Boxing Hour this Thursday at 2pm on Setanta Sports News. Michael Jennings will be in the studio looking ahead to Miguel Angel Cotto’s WBO welterweight title defence against Joshua Clottey, which is live on Setanta Sports 2 at 2am this Sunday. Jennings knows all about Cotto having suffered a fifth round defeat against the hard hitting Puerto Rican in February. continue
By Shaun Murphy - I will always remember when I started boxing aged 9 and the unforgettable magic of the gym: I will forever cherish the memories of perfecting the speed ball; the rat-tat-tat of the skipping ropes; learning to punch on the bag and pads, and the advice given by hard-boiled old pugs on how to plan my ascent to greatness.
Like yesterday, I remember my first boxing match aged 10. A gym bout you couldn’t win or lose, but you got a generic newspaper decision against a short, dark-haired Irish kid in London. continue
 08.06.09 - By Andrew Harrison, SafeSideOfTheRopes.com - Miguel Angel Cotto wears a haunted look these days.
The dark and solemn eyes which with a single glance could at once wither a man now look as though they’re searching for answers to questions, questions Cotto is asking of himself.
The effects of the brutal beating Cotto suffered at the hands of the now discredited Tony Margarito are still unknown. The Puerto Rican star’s lone outing since his very public ordeal in July of last year amounted to nothing much more than a tool sharpening exercise against the overmatched Michael Jennings.
On Saturday evening we will see exactly what is left in the Cotto locker as he takes on the tough as nails Joshua Clottey in what should be a fizzing Madison Square Garden. continue
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Former WBA super middleweight champion Manny Siaca is offering present IBO title-holder Anthony Mundine an opportunity to avenge one of his three pro losses, even if it means fighting Mundine again in his hometown of Sydney. Five years ago, Siaca captured the WBA super middleweight belt from Mundine, by way of 12-round decision, in Sydney. continue
June 9, 2009) DiBella Entertainment has announced the signing of undefeated light heavyweight prospect Isiah Thomas. Thomas (3-0, 3 KOs) has no relation to the former basketball player, but much like his namesake, Thomas has built a reputation in his home city of Detroit, and is ready to show off his skills as one of boxing’s rising stars. continue
 By Anthony Coleman - By the time of his second attempt at a world title Juan Manuel Marquez was in a peculiar position: he was one of the most respected fighters in the sport yet had never held a major belt. He was mentioned in quite a few top 20 pound for pound lists (like Maxboxing founders Steve Kim and Doug Fischer) and was considered, along with Floyd Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins as one of the best ring technicians in the sport. Yet superstardom eluded him.
Though he was a fixture at the old Great Western Forum in Los Angeles and impressed with his devastating combination of defense and offense, he was still poorly managed and he was seen as a high risk-low reward boxer, which resulted in many of the top fighters in the sport not wanting to step into the ring with him (most notably Prince Naseem Hamed refused to fight him even though he was his WBO mandatory). However, after years of victories Marquez finally got his shot at a world title when he took on WBA Featherweight champion Freddie Norwood. continue
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (June 9, 2009) – Tecate, cerveza con carácter and primary sponsor of the “Number One/Número Uno” showdown between Floyd “Money” Mayweather (39-0, 25 KOs) and Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs), will be launching an integrated campaign to build buzz around the event among its adult consumers. Marking the return of Mayweather, six-time world champion in five divisions, after more than a year away, the match will be televised live on July 18, 2009, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas via HBO Pay-Per-View. continue
On June 26, 2009, the hottest prospects in boxing converge on Desert Diamond Casino’s Diamond Center to determine who makes the step up and who gets left behind. World-class fighters and former amateur world champions make up the latest Golden Boy Promotions/Desert Diamond Casino fight card; this fight night marks the 23rd event in the partnership and will be televised on ESPN. Doors open at 6:00 PM with the first fight beginning at 6:30 PM. Tickets range from $25 to $120 in advance and are on sale now. They can be purchased at any Ticketmaster location, by calling 1-800-745-3000, by contacting the Desert Diamond Casino Box Office, or by visiting www.desertdiamondcasino.com. continue
 By Geoffrey Ciani - Rampant rumors recently suggest the possibility of an October 17 showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Sugar Shane Mosley, but will the bout really happen? Odds are, probably not. The rumored match-up is theoretically slated to take place at an unknown catch weight somewhere between 140 and 147 pounds. According to reports, Pacquiao has agreed to fight Mosley and all that is left is working out the details of the contract. Even still, I believe the odds of this fight coming to fruition are very slim, mainly because of the looming interest in a proposed mega bout between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Junior.
Two things jump to mind as a result of these recent reports. First, Shane Mosley really wants this fight. In fact, he seems almost “desperate” to make this happen . Not only as he agreed to meet Pacquiao at an unidentified catch weight, but he has also eagerly conceded a 60-40 purse split favoring Pacquiao and has insisted that Pacquiao get an immediate rematch clause in the event of a Sugar Shane victory. Such concessions lead me to the other thing that jumps to mind—since Mosley is doing everything in his power to try and lure Pacquiao into the ring, he must be extremely confident that he can beat him . continue
by James Slater -- Earlier today in London, David Haye held a press conference to speak with members of the media about his regrets regarding his big fight with Wladimir Klitschko being called off due to his suffering a back injury. Haye also spoke about his new hopes for the future. Making his first public appearance since the June 20th fight was sensationally called off last Wednesday, Haye answered some of the questions the boxing writers and fans have been asking since last week. continue
Former British and European Champion Jon Thaxton believes the pressure is all on John Murray ahead of his British Lightweight title clash with Scott Lawton in Wigan this weekend. Murray makes the second defence of his title against reigning English Champ Lawton on Hennessy Sports “Rule Britannia” event at the Robin Park Arena in Wigan this Saturday (June 13th) with the winner set to defend against Thaxton in the autumn. continue
 08.06.09 - by James Slater - 24-year-old European cruiserweight champion Marco "Kapt'n" Huck is a fighter known for being exciting and explosive. Currently sporting a fine 25-1(20) pro record - with the sole loss coming in a IBF title challenge against Steve "USS" Cunningham - Huck is definitely world class.
Very much wanting another shot at becoming a world champion, the all-action puncher who was born in Yugoslavia but now lives in Germany will first make another defence of his European belt.
Very kindly taking time out to answer the following questions via his interpreter Frank Bleydorn (who kindly set up the following Q and A session), Marco had plenty to say. continue
By Horea “A. R.” Ursu - In the autumn of last year, Montreal’s IBF supermiddleweight titlist Lucian Bute faced a bona-fide world class fighter for the first time in his career. After giving everything he had for twelve rounds minus two seconds, he was knocked down hard but found the extra bit of strength required to clear the floor and beat the count, putting the decision in the hands of the judges. The gods of boxing were definitely on Bute’s side that night... and some rightly say the referee was too. Still, Bute won fair and square, even though the referee had leaned towards him during the fight. In my preview of the fight, I wrote that it would not turn out to be a simple bull-fight, cooked up to make Bute look good. Well, Bute definitely wasn’t made to look good, and it was far from an easy fight, but it did turn out to be a good ol’ bull-fight nonetheless. And like all good bull-fights, it ultimately followed the script – the brave, honourable bull learnt the game too late for his efforts to be deservedly rewarded. continue
June 6, 2009 – By Scott Kraus - Television and the Internet are essential for fight fans to keep track of the boxing action around the world, but nothing compares to the thrill of going to a fight in person. Whenever the stars align, I will attend fights in the New Jersey area and relay my experiences in the Jersey Fight Journal.
On June 6, I cruised down to Bally’s Atlantic City to see a Peltz Boxing Promotions card featuring super bantamweight Teon Kennedy against Lucian Gonzalez in Bally’s Grand Ballroom. Also on the card is Patrick Majewski in the co-feature against Latif Mundy, meaning Polska Power is in the house. The originally scheduled feature bout between Mike Jones and Larry Mosley was cancelled due to a Jones injury. continue
 By Benjie Varella – It seems that every top boxer of their respective division is aiming for the head of the pound-for-pound king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. The long line of list includes Edwin Valero, Juan Manuel Marquez, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Sugar Shane Mosley.
Don’t forget Australian Michael “The Great” Katsidis who have travelled all the way to the Philippines to join the serenade and who has written a statement love-letter-like to lure Pacquiao into a match just several days ago.
This time add another top boxer from his division, the number 9 pound-for pound boxer and the undisputed super-flyweight champion, another Australian citizen, Armenian-born Vic Darchinyan. continue
LOS ANGELES, June 5 – Former two-time world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero now has a new opponent for his June 12th fight at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, after original foe Johnnie Edwards withdrew from the bout due to a back injury. Stepping up to the plate for the ESPN “Friday Night Fights” main event is veteran contender Efren “Huracan” Hinojosa. continue
Paul McCloskey will finally get his chance at a European title on July 3rd but the undefeated Derry man will have to concede home advantage by travelling to France to battle it out with former World Champion Souleymane M'baye for the vacant European Light Welterweight title. McCloskey was made an offer that manager and trainer John Breen admitted was simply too good to refuse to travel to Paris to take on M’baye. “They made us a very, very good offer to go to France but Paul’s one of those guys who has no problems going into the lions den,” said Breen. continue
 by James Slater - The shamed Antonio Margarito has been quiet as of late, but in a news story that circulated yesterday, the Mexican welterweight revealed how he has been training ever since being suspended for attempting to use loaded gloves in his January bout with "Sugar" Shane Mosley. According to the article that first appeared on ESTO but has since been picked up by a number of boxing web sites, the 30-year-old former 147-pound champion expects to be back in action as soon as this September.
Margarito still maintains his innocence, claiming his trainer applied the illegal substances to his hand wraps without his knowledge. Due to this, Margarito expects his suspension to be lifted by The Californian Athletic Commission this month, and he says he will return to the ring in September, against an as yet unknown foe in a scheduled ten-rounder. continue
NORTH BERGEN, NJ (June 8, 2009) Former world title challenger “MIGHTY” Mike Arnaoutis will face Puerto Rican veteran Doel Carrasquillo in a ten round junior welterweight bout in the main event at “SUMMER RUMBLE” on Thursday, June 25th at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, New Jersey. The Arnaoutis/Carrasquillo bout headlines an outstanding evening of world class professional boxing presented by Pound For Pound Promotions. continue
Olympic champion James DeGale will get his first taste of domestic opposition on June 27 when he tackles former Irish champion Ciaran Healy. "Chunky" has won his first two professional fights, including an impressive first round demolition of unbeaten Czech Jindrich Kubin last time out in Belfast. And he'll be looking for another blitz at the O2 Arena, London, when he's part of the undercard to Amir Khan's WBA light-welterweight title challenge against Andreas Kotelnik. continue
 This weeks 'Left-Hook Lounge' touches on a few highly key topics in the world of boxing. With David Haye now hiding out, suddenly it appears that Wladimir Klitschko will set his sights on Chagaev, but unfortunately for the two, (as well as interested American viewers), HBO doesn't plan to put it's 'sights' on their fight. After dissecting that very topic, we'll get a chance to also analyze the potential Spinks/Cintron showdown being discussed, as well as implications surrounding the pending Cotto/Clottey fight, and a potential ring return for Antonio Margarito. With no further ado, we jump right into the mix with a question from Manhattan, NY..
Alex U. (Manhattan, NY): What are your thoughts on Ruslan Chagaev and Wladimir Klitschko, and why do you think HBO hasn't decided to pick up this fight?
Vivek W. (ESB): My initial thoughts on Klitschko/Chagaev is that it could potentially be more attractive to the fight public than many seem to think. continue
By Paul Strauss: This is a subject that has been tossed around ad nauseam. No amount of arguing or reasoning will change the thinking of those picking opposite sides. Consequently, rather than picking sides, we should possibly start the discussion with the acknowledgment that we are all of the same side. We are all fans who love the sport and want what is best for it. Reaching that agreement might help bring us closer to center, rather than drive a wedge between us.
Granted the title of this article itself is inflammatory, and makes obvious insinuations that immediately cause tendons to flex and jaws to clench. continue
by James Slater - 07.06.09 - Last night proved to be a good night for two heavyweights who are at very different stages of their respective careers, as twice-beaten contender Travis "Freight Train" Walker emerged victorious and in so doing remains a hopeful contender, and George Foreman III began his pro career with a win of his own. Both men won in the 1st round yesterday in Louisiana, and both Walker and Foreman stopped their opponent with shots to the body.
26-year-old "Monk" Foreman floored the 0-1 Clyde Weaver with a left hook to the chin, and then finished Weaver off at the 1-minute and 16-second mark of the opening round with a left hand to the body. continue
 by James Slater - David Haye and his manager/trainer Adam Booth have not given up on the idea of "The Hayemaker's" next fight being against Klitschko - it's just that now the plan just might be for Haye to fight Wladimir's older brother, Vitali, instead. Wladimir, who chose quite rightly not to wait until July to fight a Haye whose back would have been better (now, according to some reports, it will be the 25th when Haye is back to full fitness, and not the originally promised date of July 11th) will be all tied up for the rest of this year and into the next.
First it will be Ruslan Chagaev, then Wladimir's IBF and WBO mandatory challengers, Alexander Povetkin and the winner of the Eddie Chambers-Alexander Dimitrenko clash will have to be accommodated. So, with Waldimir's schedule very much a full one, Haye is now looking at a September fight with WBC champ Vitali. "Dr. Iron Fist's" own mandatory challenger, former champ Oleg Maskaev, may have something to say about it, but it is possible that Haye could wind up facing the rock-chinned older brother after all. continue
LOS ANGELES, CA (June 7, 2009) World ranked Alex Valdez returned to action on Saturday night in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico and was dominant earning a seventh round stoppage of Genaro Carmago. Working angles, using his height and reach advantage and a terrific, radar-like jab, Valdez controlled the action from the outset bloodying the brawling Carmago’s face before his corner called a halt to the action after the sixth round. With the win, the 25 year old Valdez improved to 21-3-2 (15KO’s), while Carmago moved to 24-7-0 (17KO’s). It was Valdez ’s first bout since his loss to WBC Bantamweight World Titlist Hozumi Hasegawa on October 16th. continue
Amir Khan's father Shah has been receiving cookery lessons - in a bid to help deliver a world title to son! Khan Snr is with Amir in LA as he prepares for his June 27 clash at London's O2 Arena with Andreas Kotelnik for the Ukrainian's WBA World Light-Welterweight title. And he has been donning his chef's hat in a bid to make sure Amir feels at home - after taking instructions from his wife. On being asked about his diet ahead of the fight, Amir said: "My dad can cook now, he's learning how to cook a little bit more, my mum has taught him how to cook a few things. continue
 By Scott Kraus - Television and the Internet are essential for fight fans to keep track of the boxing action around the world, but nothing compares to the thrill of going to a fight in person. Whenever the stars align, I will attend fights in the New Jersey area and relay my experiences in the Jersey Fight Journal.
On Friday, June 5, I ventured out to the Capital One Bank Theater at Westbury in Westbury, NY for the DiBella Entertainment card headlined by junior middleweight Pawel Wolak against Vinroy Barrett and featuring a number of young prospects from the New York/New Jersey area.
8:35 PM – In the first Jersey Fight Journal, I battled fog (and ghost pirates) on my long ride down to Atlantic City. This time, relentless rain and traffic plague my trip out to Long Island. My GPS promised I was one hour and nine minutes from my destination, but I do not arrive in Westbury until more than two hours after my departure. As a child, the superhero power I most coveted was teleportation, the ability to instantly appear anywhere in the world. Over the years, nothing has changed. continue
By Dean Parr - On the 2nd May, Manny Pacquiao clinically finished Ricky Hatton inside two rounds. While the ‘Pac Man’ was on top form, what can’t be denied is that we saw a below par Ricky Hatton in the ring that night. I will now look at the possible reasons why Ricky didn’t turn up in top form, as in the weeks after the fight, new information was revealed which could be crucial in working out why he lost in such devastating fashion. continue
by James Slater - Talk about a fighter who once occupied his fair share of the spotlight disappearing completely from view. Who has seen or heard a thing from the once very popular former British heavyweight champion Gary Mason lately? At one time on one UK T.V station or another almost constantly - both during and after his active career - the big Londoner who was born in Jamaica in 1962 was a genuine household name in Britain.
A very capable and enjoyable to watch in-studio expert on Sky Sports' Ringside boxing show in the 1990s, Mason looked set to enjoy a long running career as a T.V pundit. continue
 Ruslan Chagaev is the new opponent of IBF, WBO and IBO World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko on June 20 in the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. WBA Champion Chagaev was engaged after original fighter David Haye had pulled out due to an injury on Wednesday. The winner of the bout will receive the vacant Ring Magazine Heavyweight Championship Belt which was held by Vitali Klitschko until he retired in 2005.
„It is sad that David cannot compete. However, I am looking into the future and forward to fighting against Ruslan. He is WBA Champion, very experienced and a tough challenger. For my preparation, I have to change my sparring partner from orthodox to southpaw”, says Wladimir Klitschko. continue
by James Slater - With IBF and WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko opting to go ahead and fight the unbeaten Ruslan Chagaev on the June 20th date that was originally set for his voluntary defence against David Haye, the plans Haye had of "becoming a legend" have been severely compromised. As we know, Haye asked for Klitschko to delay the fight with him for three weeks, so that the two could then fight when the challenger's back problem had been sorted out. But Wladimir said no to this proposal.
No-one can blame Wladmir one bit for choosing not to wait around in the hope that the talked about July 11th date would be one Haye actually managed to fight on (Bernd Boente asked, quite rightly, what would happen if Haye re-injured his back some time prior to the new date?) continue
Preliminary action moved into its first evening session on Monday at the 2009 USA Boxing National Championships. Competition in the junior men, open division men and open division women’s divisions at the Denver Coliseum in Denver, Colo. proved exciting, as the best amateur boxers in the United States began the long journey toward becoming a national champion. continue
 By: Benjie Varella, Manila – WBO Interim titlist Michael “The Great” Katsidis’ (25-2, 21KO’s) recently issued a challenge against the pound-for-pound king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao during the SCOOP sa Kamayan Press Conference last Friday morning.
Katsidis in not new to Filipino boxing fans. His name in the Philippines became the talk of the town when he defeated then Filipino boxing prospect Czar Amonsot via a 12-rounds unanimous decision. Instead of being criticized, he gained myriads of fans from the Philippines due to his extremely unorthodox exciting way of fighting.
He loved the Philippines too. Actually, after disposing Amonsot on July 2007, he captained 7 Filipino fighters for the battle of Philippines Vs Mexico barely a month after. continue
By Andrew Walker - Putting the experienced world level campaigner and former undisputed cruiserweight world champion David Haye aside, there has been a buzz about the heavyweight boxing scene once again here in Britain these last few months. A great deal of that has been down too two men in particular though. Martin Rogan and Tyson Fury. Helping them to create this interest has been a supporting cast consisting of Sam Sexton and Derek Chisora. Also waiting in the wings but not discussed here is one fight pro novice former Olympian David Price. continue
Wladimir Klitschko will defend his IBF, WBO heavyweight title and fight for the vacant Ring championship against WBA "Champion In Recess" Ruslan Chagaev on June 20 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Klitschko manager Bernd Bönte told ESPN.com that he made a verbal deal with Chagaev: "We will now exchange the contracts, we have verbally agreed with each other on the Chagaev fight. The fight is on, we are all absolutely thrilled because this is an even bigger name and he is unbeaten. Chagaev offers something. It shows Wladimir's class, too, that on short notice he accepts this strong guy and has to change his training to prepare for a different kind of fighter because Chagaev is a southpaw." Boente said from Germany. continue
 By Leon de Juda: In recent years, there has been a Cuban invasion in professional boxing. Hot prospects like super featherweight WBA interim Champion Yuriorkis Gamboa, skillful and talented prospect Erislandy Lara and now 2 time Olympic Gold medallist Guillermo Rigondeaux have, without a doubt, gained a major fan base due to their extreme skills and amateur accomplishments in the International stage. However, there is also another Cuban campaigning in the heavyweight division that is on par in talent and amateur accomplishment with Gamboa, Lara and Rigondeaux. His name is Odlanier Solis, 2004 Olympic Gold Medal winner.
Odlanier Solis Fonte defected in December of 2006 to realize his dream of becoming World Heavyweight Champion. He was a very decorated heavyweight amateur who captured Gold in the 2004 Olympic Games, captured Gold in 2001, 2003 and 2005 World Amateur Championships and Gold in 1999 and 2003 PanAmerican Games. continue
by James Slater - Colombian puncher Juan Urango sure made the smart decision when he chose not to relinquish his IBF light-welterweight title when moving up to challenge WBC welterweight boss Andre Berto. All but shut-out over the 12 rounds this past Saturday, "The Iron Twin" left the ring feeling deflated. The top-level career of the 28-year-old is not over yet, though, thanks to his keeping hold of his IBF 140-pound strap. continue
by James Slater - Okay, Oscar De La Hoya may be guilty of being a touch biased for two reasons: number-one he is a business associate of Shane Mosley's, and number-two Oscar was badly beaten up by Manny Pacquiao. But the recently retired future Hall of Famer has gone on record as saying Mosley - the man who twice out-pointed him in big fights - would definitely beat Pacquiao if the two pound-for-pound stars met. However, De La Hoya also says he is very doubtful the two talents will actually collide in the ring. continue
 WBA World Light-Welterweight world champion Andreas Kotelnik has entered a top-secret training camp ahead of his June 27 clash with Amir Khan. The pair meet at London's O2 Arena, topping a mouth-watering evening of boxing. And 31-year-old Kotelnik is desperate not to give anything away before the fight - even if his experienced team know the challenger inside out. "Andreas has begun sparring and he is looking very, very impressive," said his trainer, Michael Timm.
"But I don't want anyone to even know who the sparring partners are.
"It's a secret. We don't want Khan to get any kind of advantage."
Yet while Kotelnik is keeping everything under wraps, Timm is leaving no stone unturned in his quest for glory.
"I've seen Khan twice as an amateur, at the Olympics and I've been watching all his fights as a professional on DVD," said Timm. continue
LOS ANGELES, June 5 - On Friday, June 26th, fight fans at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, Arizona will get a first-hand look at the brightest young stars in the boxing universe, when undefeated middleweight Daniel "The Golden Child" Jacobs, rising junior middleweight star Erislandy Lara and 2008 United States Olympic Bronze Medalist Deontay Wilder step into the ring in separate featured bouts on ESPN's "Friday Night Fights". continue
By Gordon Solie Jr: Boxing fans this Friday night May 5th on ESPN 2 don’t miss out in the Jr. Middleweight main event battle between “SO. CAL’S last remaining bad boy” Danny Perez 34-5 (17KO’S) and “CHI TOWNS” Carlos Molina 16-4-1 (5KO”S). The card will take place at the Mahi Shrine Temple in Miami; Fl showtime on ESPN 2 will begin at 8:30 pm EST. continue
 by James Slater - 31-year-old WBC super-middleweight champion Carl Froch is proving to be as good as his word when it comes to going after the best possible opposition to face. Since winning the title with a superb showing in a great fight against the then unbeaten Jean Pascal, Froch has shown he is willing to travel to America to get it on with the best fighters out there. Now, following his dramatic, last-round stoppage of former middleweight king Jermain Taylor, Froch has narrowed things down to just two men with regards to his next fight. And the date for his next action will very likely be September 5th.
Talking to BBC, "The Cobra" made it clear he is willing to travel to the States once again, while a fight in his native Nottingham is also a possibility. In a nutshell, Froch will either face the legendary Bernard Hopkins next, or he will face IBF 168-pound champion Lucian Bute. If it's Hopkins, the fight will take place in Las Vegas; if it's Bute, the fight will take place in the UK. Either way, and whichever bout Froch takes, the fans are sure to be interested. continue
CANASTOTA, NY –JUNE 5, 2009 – A “Night of Rising Stars” featuring several of today’s exciting contenders and champions is planned for Friday, June 12th as part of the 20th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, June 11-14th in Canastota, NY. The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Rusty Rail Party House in Canastota, NY and consist of fight highlights, speeches, photograph and autograph opportunities and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets are priced at $50 each. continue
By Shaun Murphy: During my time getting punched in the face as a sport, the term ‘’natural fighter’’ was very common in my Gym. My trainer, a lovely guy called Mick, admitted it was every coach’s dream for that once-in-a-lifetime fighter to walk through the doors, and we’d often talk about the legends of the past like they were superhuman. However, after my skill increased I noticed the top amateurs weren’t so far of myself. So I tried to become a top fighter. Hell, I even wrote down on a piece of paper once I was going to be undisputed World Heavyweight Champion by 2013. Unfortunately, whenever the alarm rung for my morning run I stayed in bed, and, I couldn’t resist the drink, women and godless-lifestyle so prevalent in British culture. Inevitably, I failed. But I believe I have enough knowledge to explain why some make it and some don’t. continue
 By Vivek Wallace: With many stories in the world of boxing fighting for headline space, there seems to be one in particular that has quite a few people buzzin'. When one gets beyond the drama unfolding in the welterweight quest to land P4P king Manny Pacquiao in the ring, the attention of the sport almost unequivocally shifts to the once gone, now strong heavyweight division. With two of the most recognized champs in the division preparing for battle in separate matches, sudden cancellations forced the spotlight to their contenders instead. One (Chagaev) for re-birthing a very old trend of mysteriously backing out, and the other (David Haye) for reasons which still appear unknown. Within his short tenure in the heavyweight division, Haye has managed to perform the indelible task of both commanding the attention of fight fans - while almost simultaneously losing it. Despite the emergence of guys like Chris Arreola, and a few others, it's the one who speaks the most who remains the one who has done the least. Few since the days of "Iron" Mike Tyson have come to the heavyweight ranks toting an assembled bag of assets containing everything from speed, to power, to footwork, and beyond. Many critics question the durability of his chin, but on a grand scale, that's one of the few things about Haye that remains in question....or is it? continue
PITTSBURGH (June 4, 2009) -- Promoter Michael Acri announced today that four-division world champion and Hall of Fame inductee PERNELL "Sweet Pea" WHITAKER is the new chief trainer for undefeated former IBF lightweight champion PAUL "The Pittsburgh Kid" SPADAFORA as he prepares for his Wednesday, June 24 homecoming at Pittsburgh's Amphitheatre at Station Square (125 West Station Square Drive, Pittsburgh, Penn. 15129.) Spadafora (41-0-1), will rumble with Ivan Bustos (27-12-3), of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a 10-round junior welterweight bout. The all-action show will begin at 7:30 p.m. continue
04.06.09 - by James Slater - When the unexpected news broke of heavyweight title challenger David Haye pulling out of his June 20th date with IBF and WBO king Wladimir Klitschko, a number of top names from the division leapt forward and made it clear they are ready to step in at short notice as a replacement. This excitement has got the fans talking, and many of these fans have asked why Chris Arreola doesn't take the shot.
Speaking to me over the phone earlier today, the unbeaten "Nightmare's" trainer, Henry Ramirez, told me why his fighter will not be taking this short notice bout. continue
 LOS ANGELES (June 4, 2009) - Despite yesterday's announcement that the June 20th World Heavyweight Championship bout between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye has been called off due to a back injury Haye suffered during training camp, a disappointed Haye is seeking a postponement rather than a cancellation. Adam Booth, Haye's trainer and manager described the news as "the most disappointing and devastating that David has ever had to deliver".
He continued, "Unfortunately David has sustained a back injury which means he is unable to continue training for a short period. We're heading back to the UK for some aggressive physiotherapy.
"It looks like there will be only a three week delay from the original fight date with respect to David's readiness, which hopefully means that Wladimir will only postpone the fight, rather than cancel it.. continue
Aside from the action-packed fight card, the event also carries forward the promise of giving back to those who serve LI. Promoter Lou DiBella has made tickets available to the members of the Long Island FD, the Long Island PD, as well as to returning Long Island Vets and their families. continue
LAS VEGAS (June 4, 2009) – If the WBA doesn’t rule in favor of a petition filed for two-time WBA heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz (43-8-1, 29 KOs) to fight WBA heavyweight champion Nicolai Valuev for the title, Ruiz is prepared to replace injured David Haye as IBF/WBO/IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko’s opponent June 20 in Germany. continue
 Andrew Walker - With the disappointing news that Britain’s David Haye has had to pull out of his proposed June 20th showdown with WBO, IBF & IBO heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko due to a back injury, who will now step in and try to wrestle the titles from the divisions number one? Most boxing pundits and writers will have seen their inboxes filled with press releases from various promoters and fighters this morning, all eager to fill the void left by the Haye withdrawal. Many of them are the usual American based suspects who would do little more than come to the Veltins Arena in Germany for a payday and a hug or two with Wlad.
That’s not too say that there are not a few American based fighters worthy of a shot but the few who spring to mind are either tied up with their own fights in the coming weeks/months or not quite ready to take such a big step up in class and be placed in a ring on foreign shores against a champion of the calibre of Wladimir Klitschko just yet. Except maybe Chris Arreola? continue
by James Slater - Thanks to both Bernd Bonte and Adam Booth being phone-in guests on today's issue of The Steve Bunce Boxing Hour on Setanta Sports, we have a little more info regarding the situation with the Wladimir Klitschko-David Haye fight and it's postponement.
First of all, early reports that the injury Haye suffered was a hand injury have been proven to be false, with the actual injury being a strained back suffered by the 28-year-old. Now requiring some, "aggressive physical therapy," according to his trainer and manager Booth, Haye will be ready to fight again on July 11th. continue
04.06.09 - by James Slater - As expected, the BBB of C was unable to ignore the crazy ring actions unbeaten British heavyweight contender Derek "Del Boy" Chisora adopted in his win over fellow Brit Paul Butlin back on May 22nd in London. continue
 MANILA—Boxing’s No. 1 pound-for-pound best fighter Manny Pacquiao was surprised and flattered over the enterprising reports which came out in the media that a fight with “Sugar” Shane Mosley has been forged Wednesday. Apparently, a press release from a group associated with Mosley, the Entertainers and Athletes Group (EAG), came up with the story that Pacquiao agreed to fight the current WBA welterweight champion Mosley on Oct. 17.
“It’s funny that I am the last man to know about this supposed fight. I know everyone wants to fight me and I have said I will fight anyone, including Mosley. But I have not heard from my promoter or have seen any contract or fight detail. So, there is no fight yet,” said Pacquiao.
“I am flattered that even the great “Sugar” Shane Mosley is now going after me by any means. I am not closing the door on any negotiations, though, and I trust my promotional and training team to make the best decision for me,” added Pacquiao, almost a month after knocking out consensus 140-pound champion Ricky Hatton of England in only two rounds. continue
By Doveed Linder - Paul Williams is the man who can fight anywhere from 147-160 and there has even been some talk of him fighting at 168. He is also the most avoided fighter in boxing. After his dominating performance over Winky Wright, Williams is now considered to be among the top 10 fighters in the world. In boxing, you have to beat a top guy in order to be a top guy. Given the fact that Williams has recently made such a strong case for himself, one would think that some of the other top guys in the game would be beating down his door. But when you hear fighters calling each other out and talking about how they want to prove that they are the best, Paul Williams’ name is rarely if ever mentioned. continue
Russian combat fighting legend Fedor Emelianenko defends his WAMMA heavyweight title against No. 1 contender Josh Barnett, when Affliction M-1Global presents its third major mixed martial arts show, “Trilogy,” Saturday night, August 1 live on Pay-Per-View from Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The monster card has been separated into two live broadcasts in the same night. A one-hour special will air on HDNet starting at 7:30 PM/ET (4:30 PM/PT), followed by the sensational Pay-Per-View event, “Trilogy,” commencing at 9 PM/ET (6 PM/PT). MMA News l continue
 by James Slater - It's not a joke or a misprint; the Wladimir Klitschko-David Haye fight set for June 20th in Germany is off. All over the news, both on the net and on TV, the word has been revealed that Haye injured a hand during training for the fight, and he needs six to eight weeks so as to be ready to fight. The question now is, will Klitschko opt to take on another opponent on June 20th?
As fans know, the fight has resulted in a huge out-door sell-out at Schalke stadium in Germany, and the administration headache of refunding tickets and so forth may be too big a task to undertake, and the rescheduling of the fight for a later date may be ruled out as a result. continue
Amir Khan has vowed to bring a world title back to Britain this summer, but says he is "gutted" for David Haye after he pulled out of his fight against Wladimir Klitschko because of a back injury. The Bolton hot-shot is training in Los Angeles for his own world title challenge at the O2 Arena in London on June 27 against Andreas Kotelnik - a week after Haye was due to meet Klitschko for the heavyweight crown. continue
WBA World Light-Welterweight champion Andreas Kotelnik has revealed his secret weapon in his fight against Amir Khan - spinach. But the Ukraine's answer to Popeye says it's not any old spinach, but prize-winning bunches of the superfood shipped in from a secret destination in his home country to his German training base. The 31-year-old tackles Khan in the third defence of his title at London's O2 Arena on June 27. And he insists that tucking into the iron-rich nutrient three times a day has left him in the best shape of his life. continue
 By Conor Ward - Many have tried – all of them have failed. A few lucky lesser lights met their end early on in proceedings, caught out and flattened by the blinding speed of a sharp right hand or a stinging left hook. Others fared a little better, forced to hit the showers midway through the schedule after a brutal and unrelenting accumulation of punishment. Some managed to reach the sanctity of the final bell, though they too arrived at that same inevitable fate and had that big eye-soaring ‘L’ chalked up next to their name. And so after a pro career which spanned eleven years the first time around, that ‘L’ remains nowhere to be seen on the ledger of one Floyd Mayweather Junior / “Pretty Boy Floyd” / “Money Mayweather.” Call him whatever you like, but just call him the best while you’re at it.
And so on July 18th at the MGM Grand, it falls to Mexico’s best current fighter and pound-for-pound number two Juan Manuel Marquez to take a stab at a task which is - if not quite in the impossible category – at the top end of the difficulty scale in matters sport. continue
By Tony Nobbs: As he inconspicuosly walks amongst the crowd at an amateur fight night on any other Saturday, Philip Holiday does not carry like a man who once knocked out Australia’s most famous fighter. No frills. No gold. No attitude. As he warms up his young charges for their bouts, he goes almost un noticed. He’s like any other ex fighter putting back into the sport.
After losing his IBF lightweight world championship to the still mercurial Shane Mosley in 1997, Philip continued to box, eventually settling in Brisbane, Queensland and defeated Ernie Artango and Fred Kinuthia in 2002. continue
NEW YORK (June 3, 2009) - Justice Louis York of the New York State Supreme Court dealt a serious blow to Victor Conte's efforts to avoid paying the price for the outrageous lies he has continued to tell about Shane Mosley. Mosley has sued Conte for defamation based upon Conte's outright lies concerning Mosley's use of steroids. In an effort to avoid reaching the truth, Conte tried the procedural gambit of seeking to dismiss the case for no merit. His efforts were met with a judicial slap in the face, as the Judge denied the motion orally without even feeling the need to write an opinion. As a general rule, only the most frivolous claims are dealt with in this manner. Judd Burstein, Mosley's attorney, stated, "This is one step along the road of securing justice for Shane. Conte can run, but he cannot hide from me."
 The fight between IBF, WBO, and IBO Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye is cancelled. The reason is an injury of David Haye. Further details are not known yet. Klitschko Management was informed about the cancelation on late Wednesday afternoon. Nevertheless, the fight night on June 20th at the Veltins-Arena in Schalke is supposed to take place.
“I am very disappointed that the fight got cancelled. I’ve been in training camp for weeks. I am in top condition and I was really looking forward to fight night. I don’t want to disappoint the fans in Schalke and I am willing to fight a different opponent as well”, said Klitschko. “We will do everything to realize this fight night. After having recovered from the first shock, we will work on finding a top opponent”, confirmed Bernd Bönte, Managing Director of the Klitschko Management Group. Further information follows in due time.
By John Martinez, IronBoxing.com: In a story carried by Eastsideboxing.com, but originally posted and broke on Ringtalk.com, Ringtalk writes that Manny Pacquaio’s trainer, Freddie Roach, is set to become the newest instructor for Manchester, England’s Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton. I spoke moments ago with Hatton’s manager, Paul Speak, on the matter and he said: “There is no truth in the rumor”. continue
Los Angeles, CA, June 3, 2009— Press release Team Mosley - Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao has agreed to meet WBA Welterweight Champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley in a mega-fight at a catch weight. In an interview today with Filipino news organization GMA News, Manny Pacquiao agreed to Mosley’s dare to meet in the ring. “No problem, we can fight. As long we negotiate," Pacquiao said from his hometown, General Santos City. Mosley countered, “Now that Manny has stated that he is ready to fight me, the only thing left to finish are negotiations. Richard Schaefer and Bob Arum are working out the details now. I will be ready to fight Pacquiao on October 17th.” Mosley has agreed to a 40-60 split and is willing to fight at a catch weight to meet Pacquiao in the ring. continue
 By Bill Patrice - In a few weeks time Amir Khan will face off against Andriy Kotelnik for the WBA light welterweight title. It will be young Amir’s first shot at a recognised ‘world title’. Most fans and analysts alike agree that Khan should have little trouble in disposing of Kotelnik. He is bigger, stronger, faster, highly skilled and coming off a victory over Marco Antonio Barrera. Anything other than a lopsided Khan win would certainly be a shock to most viewers.
This is not Amir Khan’s coming of age fight, even though it will be a first venture into the world title scene. There will undoubtedly be more meaningful fights ahead of him in the near future and the question which pervades any discussion of Khan’s future is: How good is he?
Amir Khan is something of a strange quantity to grapple with, he has an at times strained and unhelpful relationship to the British public, he became a wealthy superstar before he ever fought professionally and he has had to deal with and eventually overcome the ‘hype machine’. continue
03.06.09 - After the late cancellation of last weekend´s title fight between WBA heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev and “champion in recess” Ruslan Chagaev, Wilfried Sauerland, Valuev´s manager, has given an exclusive interview, explaining the happenings in Helsinki and revealing additional background information.
Q: Mr. Sauerland, how disappointed were you about the cancellation of the fight?
Wilfried Sauerland: It was a major disappointment for everyone involved, especially the athletes. Not just the main fighters but also the undercard fighters were affected. continue
by James Slater - 2008 gold medal Olympian James DeGale and his trainer, former world title challenger Jim McDonnell, are hugely confident men. So much so that in a news article in The Newham Recorder, DeGale and his coach have gone on record as saying a world title shot will be on the cards in the year 2012, and that in eight years time the boxer nicknamed "Chunky" will be at the level the great Floyd Mayweather is at right now. continue
 02.06.09 - by John Martinez, IronBoxing.com: In the district that spans from 140 to 154 pounds, some of the sweet science’s most gifted warriors reside and thrive.
From junior welterweight to super welterweight, this region of weight classes is stacked with fighters that are willing to give the public what they want and deserve- a fight.
Names like, but not limited to, Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquaio, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Joshua Clottey, whom I believe will give fits to the PR bomber but ultimately lose by split decision, Paul Williams, Timothy Bradley Jr., Ricky Hatton, Andre Berto, the once mighty Antonio Margarito, and the new addition of lightweight champion, Juan Manuel Marquez can be found here.
Among those names, but not receiving a lot of attention from boxing scribes, fighters, and fans alike, stands first ballot Hall of Famer- “Sugar” Shane Mosley. continue
By Benjie Varella – Filipino boxing prospect Fernando Lumacad is in for the toughest fight of his life as he faces one of the most popular boxing warriors Mexico has produced, Jorge Arce for the vacant Super Flyweight International Boxing Federation (IBF) Intercontinental title on June 20 at Juarez, Mexico. American promoter Ken Smith who founded and based American Boxing Academy Stable in Digos City, Philippines told East Side Boxing that “Lumacad is in incredible shape and his rapid hands will surely pull an upset.. continue
Former world title challenger Alejandro Valdez will make his return to the ring this Saturday night against Genaro Carmago headlining a seven bout action packed card at the Explanada Tecate in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora Mexico . The Valdez/Carmago super bantamweight bout is scheduled for ten rounds. The 25 year old Valdez , 20-3-2 (14KO’s), had been undefeated in his previous seventeen bouts prior to challenging WBC bantamweight title holder Hozumi Hasegawa on October 16th on Tokyo, Japan . continue
 by James Slater - Some writers called it the biggest upset in the heavyweight division since James "Buster" Douglas shocked "Iron" Mike Tyson in ten rounds in 1990. The prestigious Ring magazine, no less, called it "The upset of the year." The fight in question? Hasim "The Rock" Rahman's incredible and quite unlikely 5th round KO of WBC and IBF - but most importantly, Linear - heavyweight champion of the world Lennox Lewis.
Looked at as nothing more than an easy, away from home payday - one that would add to his legacy as a WORLD champion - Lewis was unprofessional in his preparations going into the April, 2001 bout. Having taken part in a mock fight scene with Wladimir Klitschko for an appearance in the movie Ocean's Eleven only days before the Rahman defence, Lewis arrived in the high altitude of South Africa no way near early enough to adjust before fight time. continue
Fresh off his demolition job of former NABO and WBO title challenger DeAndrey Abron, Mack now feels he is ready for anyone in the division. He has now chalked up 5 impressive wins which include 3 by stoppage and now is quickly becoming recognised as one of the top challengers at light heavyweight. On speaking to Yusaf regarding a choice for his next opponent he mentions a few of the top guys out there, Yusaf great win the other night who now do you see yourself fighting next time out. continue
by James Slater - According to a shocking news article that has appeared as an exclusive on RingTalk.com and has since been picked up by a number of other boxing web sites, trainer of the hour Freddie Roach will become the new trainer of a certain Ricky Hatton very soon! According to the breaking story put out by RingTalk.com, a "stunning announcement is forthcoming.. continue
The first press conference ahead of the IBF World Title fight between King Arthur Abraham (29-0, 23 Kos) and Mahir Oral (25-1-2, 10 KOs) in the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin was held today, almost four weeks before the middleweight showdown. The two title rivals met on Tuesday to give their first statements regarding the June 27 fight. Whoever expected insults to fly from the 29-year-old IBF champion and his challenger from Hamburg was left disappointed: Instead, both gave a rather laid-back, relaxed impression.
“It was a great pleasure for me to hear that I was going to fight Arthur” opened Mahir Oral. “We know each other from our early days as sparring partners, although now we have both matured. Arthur has become King and I have developed a lot too.” Although Oral can well remember Abraham’s brutal knock-out triumph over Khoren Gevor in Berlin in August 2007, that does not scare him in the slightest. continue
TAMPA, FL: After a one-year hiatus, One Punch Productions is bringing their successful “Ballroom Brawl” series back to the Tampa Bay area. The event is set for Saturday July 25, and will be the first ever boxing event held at the luxurious waterfront Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. The event is being co-promoted by Voodoo Management, the management firm founded by former unified lightweight champion and current top 5 jr. welterweight contender Nate Campbell. The main event of the evening will feature rising undefeated Tampa based cruiserweight contender Nick “The Assassin” Iannuzzi (11-0, 7 KO’s). continue
Commonwealth Super-Featherweight Champion Ricky Burns is taking the threat of swine flu so seriously that his boxing gym has been turned into a hospital ward. Burns, 26, trains at a gym in Stepps, but following a sudden increase in cases of the virus in Scotland over the last few days, Burns and his coach Billy Nelson have taken extreme precautions to ensure he is not struck down before his big title fight on June 19. Top talent Burns is preparing to defend his Commonwealth super-featherweight title against Irishman Kevin O'Hara at the Bellahouston Sports Centre in Glasgow. continue
 by James Slater - His son, George Foreman III, launches his own pro heavyweight career this coming Saturday night in Louisiana, but it was forty long years ago this month of June that "Big" George Foreman chose boxing as a fulltime career for himself. On the 23rd of the month in the year 1969, against a guy named Don Waldheim (5-4-2 going in), the 20-year-old from Marshall, Texas punched for pay for the first time; and the start of a truly great career was witnessed inside Madison Square Garden.
How different the sport was back in those days, though. Back in '69 a young fighter who had managed to capture an Olympic gold medal was not assured the million dollar contracts that abound for such talent today. No, the young Foreman was paid a few hundred bucks (if that) for his debut. Fighting with an intimidating rage that served to put fear into his opponents - yet at the same time make George a fighter with limited stamina due to the way he would put everything into every single shot he threw while attempting to knock his rival's head off - the 6'3.5" approx 220-pounder climbed the heavyweight rankings. continue
At the Grand Casino, Hinkley, Minnesota Triple OG Otis Griffin, former NABO champion looks to get back on the right track with a victory over the previously unbeaten Marcus Oliveria. Griffin is coming off a bad decision against Jeff Lacy after dominating the fight only to be robbed at the hands of the judges. Now Griffin who has been training once again up at altitude at the Talon boxing gym, run by managers John Tandy and Keith Allen, and is in tremendous condition. Trainer Tandy has worked hard on improving Griffin’s power and hand speed, both of which due to the hard work and perseverance of Griffin have increased 10 fold. continue
LAS VEGAS (June 2, 2009) – The North American television debut of light heavyweight sensation Beibut Shumenov starts tomorrow and continues this summer with airings of the taped May 9th show from Shumenov’s hometown of Chimkent, Kazakhstan. 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian Shumenov (8-0, 6 KOs), 2008 WBC Asian Boxing Council Organization’s Boxer of the Year, captured the vacant IBA World title with an impressive fourth-round stoppage of former two-time world champion Byron “Slama from Bama” Mitchell (27-5-1, 20 KOs). continue
 By Ron Scarfone at ringside - At the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, Warriors Boxing and DiBella Entertainment promoted a fight card featuring two marquee matchups televised by HBO’s Boxing After Dark. Boxing used to be very popular in South Florida. However, in the last couple of years, mixed martial arts has eclipsed boxing in the amount of events and attendance at those events. The mediocre MMA events continue to draw people in droves with a foolproof formula: tattooed guy versus tattooed guy multiplied by seven equals making money. For boxing to get people back in the seats, top talent fighting each other is necessary. This was proven when the Hard Rock Live Arena was nearly filled to capacity with over 4,000 people, including several celebrities.
The main event was a world championship with Andre Berto of Winter Haven, Florida making his third defense of the WBC welterweight title against IBF junior welterweight champion Juan “Iron Twin” Urango of Cooper City, Florida. The co-main event was a WBC junior middleweight eliminator with former IBF welterweight champion Kermit “The Killer” Cintron of Reading, Pennsylvania against Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo of Coachella, California. continue
By Shaun Murphy - All through my childhood I thought three things would never change: the USA’s President would always be white, the world heavyweight champion would always be African-American, and gay marriage would always be illegal [thank God I’m not a criminal] . However, starting with two-huge Ukrainian Brothers something interesting began to happen in the heavyweights. A wave of Eastern-European fighters invaded boxings glamour division, and established themselves as the successors to the USA’s dominance. During this article, I’m going to explain my theory on why this has happened. continue
by James Slater - It seems there will be a long, hard road of tough negotiating ahead if we are ever to get the much sought after modern day dream fight that is Manny Pacquiao Vs. Floyd Mayweather Junior. Both fighters and their teams feel that they are the star attraction and the greater fighter, thus both Manny and Floyd argue they should be paid the lion's share of the bout's purse when and if the match-up takes place. continue
 by James Slater - 22-year-old Amir Khan believes his fight with defending WBA light-welterweight champion Andriy Kotelnik will be the start of big things for him. Set to challenge the 31-year-old in his first crack at a world title, Khan has gone on record as saying he feels a win could even lead him into mega fights with the likes of Ricky Hatton and the winner of the upcoming July 18th showdown between Floyd Mayweather Junior and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Originally, when the subject of an all-British super-fight with Hatton was brought up, Khan said he'd prefer not to fight "The Hitman," because he'd rather remain friends with Ricky. Now, however, as revealed in an article in The Guardian newspaper, Khan is very much up for a fight with Britain's most popular fighter. Such a bout, should it ever come off, would be absolutely massive over here in the UK, and the amount of money the fight would make would be mind boggling. continue
Boxing promoter Don King believes the World Boxing Association must strip Ruslan Chagaev of any claim to its heavyweight championship after the Finnish Boxing Federation reviewed blood tests and refused to allow Chagaev to participate in Saturday's match against WBA champion Nikolai "Giant Russian" Valuev in Helsinki. "Unfortunately for Ruslan Chagaev, he has suffered from a number of different medical maladies that have prevented him from participating in matches since at least 2003," King said. continue
LAS VEGAS (June 1, 2009) – Team Ruiz has filed an official petition with the World Boxing Association asking that heavyweight Ruslan Chagaev be stripped of his “Champion In Recess” status and demanding an immediate purse bid for Valuev-Ruiz III to be held by August 30 for the World Boxing Association heavyweight title. continue
 By Benjie Varella- Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, the pound for pound king has two to three more fights left before he enters once again the political arena in the Philippines come 2010. He is seeking to win a congressional seat for the second time after losing to Darlene Antonino during the 2007 Philippines national elections.
To put an exclamation mark to Bob Arum’s statement he made after the May 2 annihilation of Pacquiao to Britain’s Ricky Hatton, that his boxer is “the greatest boxer who have ever lived”, the pound for pound king has to fight who the fight fans wants him to fight.
Obviously, fight fans wants Pacquiao to challenge the best boxers before he retires, particularly those who are calling him out. continue
After the cancellation of Saturday´s heavyweight title fight between WBA heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev and Ruslan Chagaev Wilfried Sauerland, Valuev´s manager, has rejected claims made by Universum Box-Promotion. “It is a fact that for several weeks prior to this fight inaccurate statements about Ruslan Chagaev´s health were given by Team Chagaev,” Sauerland said after leaving Helsinki. continue
After the WBA heavyweight world championship was surprisingly called off over the weekend in Helsinki, WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev’s promoter Universum Box-Promotion held a press conference at the InterContinental Hotel in Hamburg. Universum chief Klaus-Peter Kohl, Chagaev, German Federation (BDB) President Bodo Eckmann, Dr. Michael Ehnert (Chagaev’s doctor) and Dr. Heiner Wedemeyer of the German Liver Foundation spoke to reporters. continue
 This weeks 'Left-Hook Lounge' hones in on some very intriguing topics once again. Coming on the heels of a weekend with action perceived to be questionable at best, needless to say, many fight fans were left with a ton of thoughts to ponder. Making the mailbag this week is of course the usual suspects - Filipino Manny Pacquioao and Mayweather - as well as a few other highly notables like Mosley, Berto, Angulo, and the list goes on. With no further ado, we jump into the mix with a question coming to us from the 3-0-5, Miami, Florida, where a fellow fight fan wanted to know the following:
Charles W. (Miami, FL): In my opinion, Andre Berto failed again to give fight fans much to cheer about and spent way too much time holding. Is it me or is there something missing?
Vivek (ESB): After watching the fight, I listened carefully to those around me, simply to gauge his performance. I heard three sentiments in different verbiage: "poor stamina", "fast but not impressive", and "powerful but beatable". continue
The battle between two former Cruiserweight World Champions, Steve ‘USS’ Cunningham (IBF) and Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite (WBC), is a mouth watering prospect in itself, but when you add into the equation that the winner will earn the right to face current Champion, Tomasz ‘Goral’ Adamek, in the mandatory defense of his IBF title later this year, you just know that it’s going to be one seriously exciting, all-action affair with “Fight of the Year” potential plastered all over it in capital letters. continue
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – With less than one week until the opening bell of the 2009 USA Boxing National Championships, over 450 male, female and junior athletes are finalizing their preparations for the event. The final entries have been tabulated and the rosters are now finalized in all of the age groups and weight divisions. continue
 By Doveed Linder - Bernard Hopkins is among the last of his generation who is still competing at an elite level. Shane Mosley is once again at the top of the welterweight division, Roy Jones, Jr. has kept himself in the mix, and Vernon Forrest has a belt, but Hopkins is perhaps the only one of this bunch who has stayed on top and remained a serious factor throughout his career. Even when he lost to Jermain Taylor and Joe Calzaghe, the decisions were close and in the eyes of many, debatable (particularly the fights with Taylor). Having shut out Kelly Pavlik last October, Hopkins is looking to once again set up a meaningful fight that is financially rewarding. But given the state of the light heavyweight division where Hopkins has fought his last four fights, his options are limited.
The fight with Kelly Pavlik was the perfect situation for Hopkins. At the time, Pavlik was undefeated and he had just scored two big wins over Jermain Taylor who, on paper, had twice defeated Hopkins. Hopkins was an underdog going into this fight and he went in there and put on an absolute clinic, giving his best performance since his fight with Trinidad. Now that Hopkins wants to continue with his career, his best options might be Chad Dawson, Roy Jones, Jr., and Felix Trinidad who he is currently pursuing a fight with. continue
CANASTOTA, NY –JUNE 1, 2009 - The International Boxing Hall of Fame announced today legendary trainer Angelo Dundee will attend festivities planned for the 20th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Weekend set for June 11-14th. “Angelo Dundee has trained some of boxing’s best fighters,” said Hall of Fame director Edward Brophy. “His knowledge of the many facets of boxing is remarkable and fans always love the opportunity to visit with him.. continue
The Fenton Manor Sports Complex in Stoke-on-Trent, England, was the scene of Chris Edwards retaining his British and Commonwealth flyweight titles with a well deserved 12 round points verdict over opponent Usman Ahmed. Edwards, 13-13-3 (4), mounted a trademark hyper-busy attack, pressing Ahmed, 5-2-1 (0), for the majority of the bout. Ahmed, who lost his professional debut to Edwards in 2006, bravely tried to trade shots but didn't have the power to keep the champion off. It was a clinic in attack and disruption from Edwards, who swept the cards 118-109, 118-109 and 117-111 to move one step closer to a European title challenge. continue
 31.05.09 - Exclusive Interview by James Slater - Unbeaten 24-year-old Ukraine-born cruiserweight contender Alexander Frenkel last fought in May, yet he is out again on the June 27th Arthur Abraham bill in Berlin. Now living in Berlin, Germany, the 17-0 (13 KOs) Frenkel began his pro career in September of 2006 and he has maintained a fast pace since.
Fighting under the Sauerland banner, Frenkel, a former holder of the IBF Youth cruiserweight belt, is a promising talent who is expected to go far.
Very kindly taking time out to speak with me over the phone today, the 24-year-old was happy to talk about his career. Unnecessarily apologising for his "not so good" English, Frenkel gave the following answers to my questions. continue
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