Kovalev vs. Pascal: The Krusher takes the show on the road to face Pascal in Canada

03/15/201503/14/2015 Chris Carlson

This Saturday night live on HBO from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, Sergey Kovalev takes his show on the road to face former lineal 175 pound champ Jean Pascal. Can Pascal pull off another upset on his home turf or will the Krusher continue his winning ways? Plus, heavyweight contenders collide in the co-feature when Steve Cunningham and Vyacheslav Glazkov meet in the squared circle.

If there was any question of his supremacy Sergey Kovalev made it crystal clear who the top light heavyweight in the world was in his last outing. In the process the “Krusher” delivered a performance for the ages dominating future hall of famer Bernard Hopkins.

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It’s Do or Die for Andre Berto and Josesito Lopez on PBC’s Spike TV Debut

03/13/201503/13/2015 Chris Carlson

After a successful debut last Saturday night in primetime on NBC, the (PBC) Premier Boxing Champions will make its Spike TV debut this Friday night for what will become a monthly boxing series on the network. The main event features a classic back-against-the-wall matchup that should produce an entertaining scrap. The card will take place in Ontario, California, from the Citizens Business Bank Arena. The co-feature matches former welterweight champion Shawn Porter versus hungry contender Roberto Garcia.

Andre Berto was an HBO sweetheart after he climbed the ranks from prospect, to contender, and eventually champion. Every step of the way he looked every bit the part sporting elite hand speed and plenty of punching power.

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Broner vs. Molina/Thurman vs. Guerrero: 4 Fighters 2 Crossroad Fights on NBC

03/07/201503/06/2015 Chris Carlson

Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions on NBC brings boxing back on free television with the winners likely to get a bump in terms of overall marketing reach and the potential viewership. All four fighters in the co-main events will face a crossroads in their respected careers. Two promising young boxers face two veteran fighters that have already been through the ringer a time or two.

Al Haymon will of course have a plan to feature the newly crowned Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder on NBC but the favorites for this Saturday night’s card are crucial to the success of the PBC on NBC as well. Adrien Broner being a full fledge named fighter in the sport and a young counterpunching knockout artist who remains unbeaten in 25 fights Keith Thurman.

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Golovkin vs. Murray: Martin plans to ruin GGG’s yearly European vacation

02/21/201502/21/2015 Chris Carlson

Gennady Golovkin meets Martin Murray in a place very familiar to each with Golovkin’s middleweight titles on the line. Most of the debate stateside for the outcome of this bout is not about who will win but how long Martin Murray can last. The majority of experts feel Murray doesn’t have the right style or enough power to keep Triple G off of him. Many believe at some point Martin’s pipes will burst under Gennady’s constant pressure.

This fight will mark the third time Martin will have challenge for a world title, the first coming in a draw to former 160 pound champ Felix Sturm. The second came against the lineal middleweight champion at the time, Sergio Martinez. Both contests were razor close decisions that could have gone Murray’s way had he not be the road fighter in the champions home country. Monte Carlo isn’t a home affair for Martin it is however somewhere he’s comfortable with and could help him if this fight goes the distance.

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Alvarado vs. Rios 3: Who will be the last man standing?

01/22/2015 Chris Carlson

A third installment of the spirited ongoing battle between Mike Alvarado vs. Brandon Rios should be, barring a draw, decided this Saturday night on HBO. The fighter that has more left in the tank will prevail in this matchup of modern day warriors. The rubber match will take place in Denver, Colorado and Alvarado hopes this bout ends differently in front of his hometown faithful.
This pair of Mexican-American boxers more than lived up to their heritage’s long history of entertaining slugfests. In their first tilt Alvarado took the early lead only to succumb to Bam Bam’s pressure and power, losing by TKO in the 7th round.

In their second affair Alvarado looked sharp in the opening frame until a Rios jab shook up Mike in the 2nd round. At the end of that round Alvarado was cut above his right eye and seemed already shopworn at such an early stage of the fight.

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Khan vs. Alexander: East meets West at the crossroads

12/15/201412/12/2014 Chris Carlson

Contender crossroads is the theme heading into Saturday nights Showtime main event from the MGM Grand in the city that never sleeps Las Vegas. If Amir wins he will be in line for a huge fight. If Devon wins he saves a once promising career.

For the last two years the only thing that Amir Kahn talks about in interviews is Floyd Mayweather. That and how he’s made significant improvements to his tool belt as a boxer. If Amir Khan can be 75% as good as he thinks he is major fights will be on tap for 2015 and beyond.

Slowly but surely the tide is turning in Khan’s favor for landing Mayweather. There is a small swell of fans who think Khan is being ducked because of his skill set and speed. Meanwhile, his handlers have been carefully matching him after Danny Garcia stopped Khan in the summer of 2012.

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Crawford vs Beltran Preview & Prediction

11/29/201411/29/2014 Chris Carlson

Rising star Terrence Crawford and tough-as-nails Ray Beltran meet in the ring on the man with the nickname “Bud” home turf. Still at 135 Crawford has made a name for himself with two impressive wins so far this year.

The first came over seas in Scotland when Crawford took on the 135 pound Champion Ricky Burns. Once Crawford got past some early slow moments he dominated the Scot, in the process it put him on the lightweight map.

In his first defense Crawford took less money to give his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska its first major title fight since the 1930’s (Check). His opponent was a decorated Cuban amateur Yurioirkis Gamboa, who like Terrence came in with an unblemished record intact.

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Fury vs. Chisora 2 Preview & Prediction

11/29/201411/29/2014 Chris Carlson

Boxing fans have plenty to be thankful for with a jam-packed holiday weekend which includes a return trip to Omaha on HBO Championship Boxing and a rematch across the pond between much hated Heavyweight rivals.

Let’s start with a rematch pitting Tyson Fury against Derrick Chisora at the ExCel Arena from Dockland, London. These two characters met over four years ago in a back and forth fight that saw Tyson Fury walk away victorious.

The combatants traded punches and rounds until somewhere in the middle the pace slowed to a crawl with both fighters gassed. Fury’s excessive holding and Chisora’s inactivity made for an uneven contest.

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Pacquiao vs. Algieri: The Macau Massacre 2?

11/21/2014 Chris Carlson

The place is Macau. A PPV perceived mismatch eerily similar to Manny’s last trip in China. Will Pacquiao pick up where he left off last November when he white-washed face-first mauler Brandon Rios? Or will the upstart Chris Algieri do the unthinkable halfway across the globe?

Bob Arum continues his eastern experiment establishing the sport we love to hate in the Communist Republic of China. Top Rank’s fearless leader is banking on the billion plus eyeballs he can attract to the tube and a live streaming PPV. Zou Shiming and Manny Pacquaio lead the charge of taken China by storm. The process has provided opportunities on the PPV undercard and more importantly given unheralded fighters an outlet to showcase their talents on HBO 2. All from the Venetian hotel and casino site-fee that fattens Bob’s bottom line.

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Hopkins vs. Kovalev: The legend of longevity versus the Krusher

11/08/201411/07/2014 Chris Carlson

Once again in a major fight, Bernard Hopkins will be the underdog entering the ring against Sergey Kovalev, live from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on HBO. The Krusher is known for being amongst the top power punchers in boxing. The question remains whether Kovalev has enough savvy to deliver that firepower. Will Bhop shun the critics and oddsmakers yet again?

At 49 years old most of us in the general public have full schedules that keep us occupied. Whether busy with work demands or family oriented/personal activities. Odds are your not training for a professional prizefight at the highest level in the sport, one that involves real physical damage and is mentally challenging as any.

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