Cleverly vs. Kovalev: Is Nathan clever enough to deal with the pressure?

08/16/2013 Chris Carlson

This Saturday on HBO Nathan Cleverly and Sergey Kovalev will get their biggest test to date when they collide in the ring live from Cardiff, Wales. The stage is set, both men unbeaten and fell ready to take the next step up the ladder at the light heavyweight division.

Can Cleverly step up to the challenge of facing a dangerous fighter who will thrown combination punches and with major power in both hands? Will Kovalev be able to handle the pressure of being under the bright lights of HBO, in the Welshman’s backyard, and if the fight makes it to the championship rounds will stamina play a role having only had 57 rounds in 22 fights?

The winner almost certainly will get future HBO options, a pay increase, and will be one step closer to taking on the king of the division.

Has HBO’s The Fight Game with Jim Lampley been more hype than fight?

08/09/201308/09/2013 Chris Carlson

May 12, 2012 was the day HBO Sports debut The Fight Game with Jim Lampley. Many fans, including myself were excited for boxing to have a show with detail that would help exploit issues, and could also keep mainstream fans informed on the world of boxing, a sport that can confuse even the most hardcore follower. Has the fight game live up to its potential or was it just words made to sound good in a press release?

Let’s start with the HBO press release that made the show seem like the perfect medicine for a sport that is in bad health on many levels.

Tony Grygelko & Seconds Out Promotions bringing boxing back in Minnesota market

07/23/201307/22/2013 Chris Carlson

Excluding Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao the only thing you hear from the mainstream sports media is that boxing is dead. The boxing media tends to focus its coverage on the west coast where the best sparring along with some of the biggest names and events taking place in Nevada and California. The east coast has made a bit of a comeback and Texas has a very strong fan base but you rarely hear or see a major event or much news coming from the Midwest. That’s something Tony Grygelko, who is the President/C.E.O. of the premier upper midwest boxing promotional company Seconds Out Promotions aims to change.

Light Heavyweight Reloaded: Who will rule the division when the dust settles?

07/05/2013 Chris Carlson

stevenson22 The light heavyweight division has been very active over the last few years. Fighters, networks, and promoters found away to give boxing fans something they rarely get in the sports current state…clarity. With all 3 forces working together all hell broke loose with unforeseen upsets, draws, rematches, and the triangle theory once again got debunked. We got entertaining scraps that warranted rematch fights with Chad Dawson vs. Glenn Johnson and Bernard Hopkins vs. Jean Pascal.

Jean Pascal may have drew and loss to BHop but was able to upset Chad Dawson, Dawson then rebounded from his first loss to beat the legend of longevity Hopkins only to get upset with a stunning 1st round one punch KO by Adonis Stevenson, in the most recent 175 division matchup.

Golovkin / Macklin: Will Matthew behave like a good boy?

06/28/2013 Chris Carlson

735 When Gennady Golovkin and Matthew Macklin made their HBO debut both exceeded expectations. Golovkin needed only 5 rounds to dispose of Grzegorz Proksa while Macklin showed his worth pushing Lineal Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez proving his draw versus the aging Felix Sturm, which many believe he won, was no fluke. Has Golovkin been prematurely crowned a king of a division? Does Macklin have what it takes as a +650 underdog to pull off the upset? Answers to those questions will come Saturday night with the fans ultimately winning in what should be an entertaining fight.

The day he stepped foot in America and on the premium channel giant HBO, the fighter who goes by the alias “Triple G” made his presents felt in a major way. Golovkin catapulted himself near the top in the minds of hardcore boxing fans across the world, in less time than it takes the average person to say Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin’s full name.

ESPN2 Friday Night Fights Recap from Minneapolis

09/15/201606/22/2013 Chris Carlson

In what was a shorter than expected main event IBF Title Eliminator from the Minneapolis Convention Center which was broadcasted by Espn2 and Espn Deportes. Rances Barthelemy scored a 2nd round knockout with shots the body that put Fahsai Sakkreerin on the floor for the full 10 count. Fortunately Sakkreerin was able to get up after a being tended to by the ringside doctor.

Rances controlled the 1st round with lead left hooks and counter right uppercuts on the inside. Fahsai landed his left early in the round but Barthelemy’s ability to roll his punches enabled him to land anything clean.

In the second round Barthelemy stuck his long jab in Fahsai’s face than followed it up with solid shots to the body and head. The fighters exchange body shots a few times in a row but it was Rances bigger, more accurate shots that ended the night. The win moves Barthelemy’s record to a perfect 19-0(12Ko) and puts him in prime position in the IBF rankings.

Broner vs. Malignaggi: Does Adrien believe in Magic?

06/22/201306/21/2013 Chris Carlson

I can’t recall another fight in recent years that had so much 2 way trash talk leading up to the event. If the fight lives up to even 50% of the hype that got very personal at times, we could see both men fighting with some extra emotion in the ring this Saturday from Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center. This fight isn’t a PPV but you would never guess from the buzz that it has created even with Adrien Broner being a huge favorite at the sportsbooks.

Will Paulie be able push Broner the way Ponce De Leon and Fernando Quintero did? Or will the pre fight presser’s be the only thing we remember about this fight that could be downright boring?

Weigh in results for ESPN2 FNF Minneapolis

06/21/201306/20/2013 Chris Carlson

549 Weights for the Espn2 Friday Night Fights Card-Minneapolis Convention Center

Rances Barthelemy 129 vs Fahsi Sakkreerin 128 IBF 130 Eliminator
Donovan George 161.8 vs Caleb Truax 162 -10 rounds 162
Jeremy Mclaurin 134.6 vs Tony Lee 134 -8 rounds 135
Gavin Quinn 154 vs Kenneth Glenn 158(over)-4 rounds 154
Charles Meirer 154 vs Tyler Hultin 153.6 -8 rounds 154
Pat Quinn 363 vs Josh Schimon-4 rounds Heavyweight
Lewayne Hardiman(no show) vs Dustan Perton 155.7 – 4 rounds
Adrian Martinez 135.7 vs Leonard Overstreet 139.2 -4 rounds

Tickets to Friday Night Fights at the Convention Center start at $35 and can be purchased through www.sofights.com.bIn addition to the 12-round Barthelemy vs. Sakkreerin main event, seven more fights are scheduled including the 10-round televised middleweight co-main event between local hero “Golden” Caleb Truax (21-1-1, 12 KO) of Osseo, Minnesota, and Chicago’s Don “Da Bomb” George (24-3-2, 21 KO).

Mares vs. Gonzalez and Santa Cruz vs. Terrazas close for Aug. 24 on Showtime

09/15/201606/19/2013 Chris Carlson

Espn.com writer Dan Rafael is reporting that a Championship doubleheader featuring Abner Mares vs. Jhonny Gonzalez and Victor Terrazas vs. Leo Santa Cruz is very close to being official. The fights would take place on August 24th and be broadcasted by Showtime Sports.

Since Golden Boy Promotions recently won the purse bid for the Terrazas vs. Santa Cruz fight, which will open up the broadcast, the only thing left is finalizing the fight between all action fighter Abner Mares and former champion Jhonny Gonzalez.

From the sounds of it the fight is just a matter of days away from being done. On Tuesday night Golden Boy C.E.O Richard Schafer told ESPN.com “There are no particular outstanding issues with Mares and Gonzalez. Both fighters want to fight and I’m just trying to finalize everything.”

Garcia vs. Lopez: Engaging, Explosive, or at the very least Entertaining

06/16/201306/14/2013 Chris Carlson

Mikey Garcia made a statement in his last fight when he disarmed tough as nails pressure fighter Orlando Salido from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City on January 19th. The same Orlando Salido that took Juan Manuel Lopez’s “0” in a battle of Mexico vs. Puerto Rico in 2011 and followed that performance up just short of 11 months later with another TKO victory. Which Juanma will show up to the ring this Saturday for his fight versus unbeaten Mikey Garcia at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas?

Bob Arum had to have a tear in his eye the night of April 16th 2011. One of his prized pupils from Puerto Rico had his boxing heart ripped out of his chest, in what was a nightmare scenario to any Puerto Rican boxing fan, by the hands of a Mexican fighter. Yeah Bob Arum made money that night and the fight set up a rematch that also filled the Top Rank coffers. Fight fans were happy with the war that added to yet another classic installment to the Puerto Rico vs. Mexico rivalry. But deep down inside Arum had to feel the pain Lopez felt in his boxing soul, only it wasn’t his soul but a hole he felt in his deep pockets considering what was at stake that night.