This March 29th marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Muhammad Ali-George Chuvalo world title fight. The fight, not widely expected beforehand to be too memorable – Ali, having trouble finding U.S venues willing to host his fights due to his political beliefs, only took on Chuvalo as a late replacement because he was also finding it tough getting the big fights – instead proved very interesting.
James Slater
Ruslan Provodnikov to face John Molina Junior in June – a can’t-miss slugfest
Showtime yesterday announced a string of upcoming fights set for the summer and one of these match-ups caught the eye of any discerning fan of a slugfest: the June 11th Ruslan Provodnikov-John Molina Junior clash. Provodnikov – who will be making his Showtime network TV debut – against Molina Junior will surely feature plenty of drama, for however long the light-welterweight shootout lasts.
David Lemieux fails to make weight, De La Rosa fight off
In a disappointing turn of events, middleweight star David Lemieux failed to make weight for tomorrow night’s fight against James De La Rosa. The fight, agreed for a catch-weight of 163-pounds, fell apart when Lemieux came in at a heavy 165.6-pounds – really nowhere close to the agreed poundage.
De La Rosa, no doubt disgusted, walked away and refused to negotiate any deal with Lemieux that would allow the fight to go ahead with Lemieux at the higher weight. De La Rosa made weight. Lemiuex was hoping to bounce back from his October defeat to Gennady Golovkin but now he faces an unknown immediate future.
Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller to return to action May 27th, will face Razvan Cojanu in New York
Brooklyn’s Jarrell Miller injured his shoulder in his last fight, an impressive 7th-round stoppage of Donovan Dennis in January, yet the fast-talking, hard-hitting heavyweight who has been compared by some to the great Riddick Bowe, will not need a long layoff. Miller, 16-0-1(14) will face Romanian Razvan Cojanu on May 27th in Niagara Falls, New York, Miller’s co-promoter Greg Cohen told RingTV.com.
Miller, a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer, has plenty of talent, he is a great interview and, perhaps most importantly for a heavyweight who wishes to be fan-friendly, he can whack. Miller, with his unusual nickname of “Big Baby,” is one of the most interesting of the current young, unbeaten U.S heavyweights.
Miguel Cotto-James Kirkland on June 18th?
Puerto Rican great Miguel Cotto will fight again on June 18th at The Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York; the only question – quite a big one – is who will the former four-weight ruler face? There has been talk of Cotto facing everyone from Juan Manuel Marquez to Andy Lee, and the latest rumour circulating on a number of boxing web sites says Cotto, 40-5(33) and coming off a competitive points loss to the much bigger and younger Canelo Alvarez, will face Texan slugger James Kirkland in June.
The Heavyweight Division Shake-up: ranking today’s top-10
Beginning with underdog Tyson Fury’s points win over a long dominant Wladimir Klitschko last November, the heavyweight division has seen a major shake-up. We currently have five fighters claiming at least a portion of the heavyweight title. The unbeaten Fury is recognized as THE champion – the man who beat the man and all that – but who is the best heavyweight today?
We’ve seen new talent aside from Fury crowned with a strap: Charles Martin, also unbeaten, and Cuban banger Luis Ortiz, himself sporting a perfect record recently being crowned. Added to these two is Lucas Browne, who made history as the first-ever Australian to hold a version of the heavyweight crown this past Saturday, with his thrilling win over Ruslan Chagaev.
Jessie Vargas wants Tim Bradley rematch, fights with Danny Garcia, Kell Brook
Once-beaten Jesse Vargas, who won the vacant WBO welterweight title with an impressive 9th-round stoppage of Sadam Ali this past Saturday, has a number of fighters in mind for future showdowns, but when it comes to the one man Vargas, 27-1(10) really wants, there is one stand out choice: Tim Bradley, the man who gave Vargas his sole career defeat.
Vargas, in speaking with RingTV.com, said he wants to take over where he left off in his June 2015 fight with Bradley, when he had Bradley hurt and in trouble in the 12th and final round (before referee Pat Russell made an error and, thinking he heard the bell when in fact it was the last ten-seconds warning, jumped in and ended the fight around ten seconds early). Vargas, though, says he will “knock Bradley out in four-rounds next time.”
“Prince” Charles Martin says he’ll go down in history as the greatest-ever southpaw; vows to “spark out” Joshua
Charles Martin, the recently crowned IBF heavyweight champion, isn’t just going to defeat Anthony Joshua next month, he is going to knock him out and go on to become recognised as the best southpaw in boxing history. At least this is what a supremely confident “Prince” Charles told Sky Sports recently.
Martin – whose sole victory of note came against Vyacheslav Glazkov in a fight that ended in an unsatisfying manner when Glazkov’s knee blew before the fight could really get going – believes he is destined for greatness.
Lucas Browne not happy about being called out by “undeserving” fighters
Australian warrior Lucas Browne, who overcame tremendous odds to take a portion of the heavyweight title this past Saturday night in Grozny, Russia, does not appreciate being called out and challenged by fighters he says have not earned a world title shot. Browne, who has also boxed away from home in England, is understandably proud of the way he worked his way up to title contention and he says other fighters who want to challenge him for his next belt should do the same.
Shawn Porter would like to fight Danny Garcia if the Thurman fight doesn’t happen by May or June
Shawn Porter Vs. Keith Thurman is a great welterweight match-up between two quality 147-pound operators, as fans agree. The fight should be taking place this Saturday night, but a car crash suffered by Thurman curtailed the fight; as fans also know. However, if the fight does not happen, by May or June at the latest, there is a chance we could see an equally good match-up involving former IBF champ Porter: one with reigning WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia.