The Mirror has reported that WBA/IBF super-middleweight champion Carl Froch will be forced to vacate his IBF strap today as he has failed to set up a fight with the mandatory challenger in James DeGale. This did not seem to be the case of Froch being afraid to fight DeGale, on the contrary he has been looking to find himself a farewell fight in Vegas against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, nevertheless this title will be up for grabs in the coming months and as DeGale is the first in line he will be fighting for it. The number two ranked fighter by the IBF is American Andre Dirrell, brother of WBC champ Anthony Dirrell. This is an exiting proposition as we could have brothers both as title holders in the same weight class.
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Eddie Hearn says Kell Brook targeting Marquez, Maidana, Thurman or Guerrero after Jo Jo Dan
In an interview with Fight Hype Eddie Hearn, promoter for IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook, said that once their mandatory against Jo Jo Dan is complete, they would be looking for a big name in the summer. The names that he chose to mention were Juan Manuel Marquez, Marcos Maidana and the winner of the upcoming Thurman vs Guerrero match up.
Any of these fighters would be a fantastic match up for the 28 year old Brook, and each would most likely be viewed as his toughest test to date. Juan Manuel Marquez has been looking for a title at . Marquez was the third Mexican born boxer to become a four division champion and a win over Brook would make him the first five division champion. His only other options to pick up titles in that weight division would be rematches with Mayweather and Pacquiao so Brook has to be seen as the best route for him.
The biggest things which need to happen for the sport of boxing to thrive
In this article I am going to detail my own personal opinions on what needs to happen, what needs to change and what needs to be stopped for the sport of boxing to increase in popularity and to return to its former glory which was enjoyed in the past. Boxing as a whole has been under a lot of fire in the last few years over a number of topics and this article will look to explain some of the major ones. Some of these are never going to change and are just wishful thinking, others, could very well happen in the next few years.
The Future of the Heavyweight Division
Now the dust has settled on Deontay Wilders impressive and dominant twelve round unanimous decision over Bermane Stiverne to capture the WBC heavyweight title last month, many questions about him have been answered. Can he work for a full twelve round fight? Yes. Can he take a punch? Yes. Can he use fundimental techniques such as a strong jab and lateral movement. Yes. What this means however is that the division has a lot more questions to answer now. Who are the best heavyweights in the world? Are there other heavyweights who will be able to stand up to Wilders punches for a full twelve rounds? And who will be the fighter to finally end the Wladimir Klitschko express and dethrone him as the dominant face of the division (if anyone can do it!)
The Super Lightweight Picture
There are a number of interesting matchups occurring in the 140lb division in the next few months, most notably a showdown between the IBF Champion Lamont Peterson and the lineal Champion Danny Garcia. Garcia had a terrible year in 2014 despite actually winning both of his bouts. This must be seen as the best opponent he has faced since his showdown with Argentinean slugger Lucas Matthysse in 2013.
Also former three weight world Champ Adrien Broner will take on pressure fighter John Molina Jr. Whilst I personally wouldn’t rate Molina as a top 15 fighter in this division, it is interesting seeing Broner in with someone who can punch after his disastrous performance against Marcos Maidana when they fought.
Arum: “I’m optimistic it will all be put together in the next couple of days”
For an unbearably long time, camp Manny Pacquiao was pointing fingers at Floyd Maywether Jr. for delaying, or even avoiding their fight. At the same time, camp Mayweather Jr. were doing the exact same thing, proclaiming that Top Promoter Bob Arum is not letting the fight come to fruition, while Pacquiao is evading certain terms and conditions.
All of this just came to an end, at least for now. In a recent interview with the New York Post, Bob Arum stated that he is now convinced that Mayweather Jr. truly does want this fight to happen: “Based on the meeting with Pacquiao in the hotel suite, Manny and Michael Koncz were convinced Floyd absolutely wants to do the fight.”
Guillermo Rigondeaux vs Leo Santa Cruz?
World Boxing Association (WBA) Super, World Boxing Organization (WBO) and The Ring Magazine super bantamweight champion Guillermo “The Jackal” Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KOs) is encouraged by reports that World Boxing Council (WBC) title-holder Leo Santa Cruz’ promoter, Oscar de la Hoya, believes a Rigondeaux-Santa Cruz unification fight has to happen.
The 34-year-old Rigondeaux, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, has been restricted to Asia for his last two fights, subsequently in low-profile matches, due to the lack of desire by any world-class super bantamweight to challenge the Cuban star.
Arum: Brandon Rios will only get big fights now
Brandon Rios (33-2-1, 24 KOs) came into last night’s fight against Mike Alvarado (34-4, 23 KOs) with his career essentially on the brink of collapse after losses to Manny Pacquiao, Alvarado and question wins over Richard Abril and Diego Chaves. But with his 3rd round stoppage win over a near-frozen Alvarado, Rios’ career has been rejuvenated, at least temporarily.
Rios’ promoter Bob Arum is so excited about his win last night that he’s talking about the 28-year-old Rios getting nothing but big fights from here on out.
Rios blows out Alvarado to Take the Trilogy
A capacity crowd gathered inside the 1stBank Center just outside Denver, Colorado to watch the rubber match between “Mile High” Mike Alvarado and Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios. Oxnard, California’s Rios entered the ring first; drawing boos from the pro-Alvarado crowd. The hometown fighter followed, making his way to the ring among chants of “3-0-3” (Denver’s area code) from the fans. The atmosphere was electric and the stage was set for an epic finale to one of boxing’s finest trilogies in recent years.
The opening round started with Rios stalking and Alvarado looking to stay defensive. Rios controlled the action and buzzed his opponent late in the round, dominating over the final 30 seconds. In the 2nd round Alvarado was already bleeding from the nose and taking a ton of punishment. He tried to buy a minute by nailing Rios with a low blow halfway through the round, but the writing was on the wall.
Rios Stops Alvarado – Bam Bam’s name is a misnomer
The definition of “bam” is (a word) used to imitate the sound of a hard blow. No need for special sound effects tonight in the ring at 1st Bank Center, Broomfield, CO. The stuff heard was no died in the wool imitation. It was the real article! Genuine, double-rectified bust head! (John Wayne, True Grit). Mike “Mile High” Alvarado looked like a bobble head doll. He let Rios get in close, and Bam Bam went to work. He literally hit him with every punch in the book, and Mike’s face took on a bruised and battered look before the end of the first round.
Alvarado’s corner scolded him for not moving and punching more. Everyone knew that’s why Mike was victorious in the second fight of this trilogy. However, even in that fight, it took him approximately half of the rounds before the light bulb came on. Once he started lateral movement, it opened up punching opportunities, and he was able to out throw and out land Rios. There was a lot less bam bam in the second half of that fight.