Joey “Minnesota Ice” Abell 29(KO 28)-6(KO 4)-0 couldn’t turn it down, even if it is short notice. Joey’s break came when veteran Sherman Williams suffered an injury in training camp. Williams had to back out of his December 14th bout with Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev 18 (KO 9)-0-0. The winner has a shot to fight Wladimir Klitschko. Somebody wake Joey, this is a terrific chance.
It’s safe to say Minnesotans believe in Joey. Who knows, in this crazy sport, Joey (a southpaw) might carry off his best imitation of the late hard punching Corey Sanders. Back in 3-08-2003 the man from South Africa, who also was a big underdog, uncorked a big left on his way to stopping the then undefeated Wladimir. There’s no doubt Joey can punch, but will he move his head enough to keep from catching one himself?
Boxing fans and sports fans in general have recently had some good and bad news bounced off of them. Momentary rekindling of their hopes (for the big fight) grew to be a flicker, only to be doused with negative news. 
When the last time you saw an 8/7 round? That’s what happened at the Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, CA when referee Jack Reiss got very angry at both Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriquez and Andre S.O.G. Ward. A lot of punches were flying in the fourth round. The problem was quite a few of then came after Reiss called “break”. One of those shots caught him, and Reiss was pissed! He halted the action and angrily signaled both men to neutral corners. Then he advised each of the three judges to deduct two points from each man. He also explained he was hit and wanted both men fined, emphasizing he would leave it up to the commission as to the amount. When he finally waved both men back to center ring, he cautioned them he wasn’t going to put up with the dirty tactics, and if it continued he would DQ one or both and they wouldn’t get paid!
Once again, come this Saturday night at the Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, CA, fans will be treated to one of those battles where “Someone’s ‘O’ has got to go”. HBO’s main event will feature Andre S.O.G. Ward, 26-0-0 (KO14) versus Dominican Republic’s Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriquez 24-0-0 (KO16). 
Saturday night at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX started slow with an ugly affair between two unbeatens, Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (20-0, 13 KO’s) and Vanes “Nightmare” Martirosyan (33-0-1,21 KO;s). After witnessing their ugly affair, you wondered how they stayed undefeated for so long. Vanes is trained by Freddie Roach, he was supposed to be the aggressor. Apparently no one told him that. His corner tried to, but their pleading between rounds fell on deaf ears. Viewers wanted him to do more, to do something to stop Andrade’s clumsy attempts at controlling the action. 
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer recently offered his opinion that Amir Khan was faster than Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr. Are you buying it? Inside the ring, the truth is that there are two kinds of speed. One is measured and calculating. The other is just plain jittery speed. 
Showtime’s festivities at the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ started with Deontay Wilder’s ugly destruction of Nicolai “Stone Man” Firtha. Neither man deserves much attention. How Deontay can be viewed as a legitimate heavyweight contender is a mystery to me. Showtime’s Al Bernstein tried hard to describe Firtha as a real threat to Deontay. Al struggled to try and make viewers believe because he fought pretty well against Tyson Fury and that he could do the same against Wilder. It’s doubtful viewers bought Al’s efforts. His announcing partners, Mauro Ranallo and Paulie Malignaggi were probably holding their hands over their mouths to suppress laughter.