Povetkin stops Rahman’ Pulev stops Ustinov; Culcay defeats Thompson

09/14/201609/29/2012 ESB

Boxing News boxing image / photo By Marcus Richardson: In a fight that should have never been allowed to happen, WBA World heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (25-0, 17 KO’s) destroyed 39-year-old former WBC heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman (50-8-2, 41 KO’s) in the 2nd round at the on Saturday night at the Sporthalle, Alsterdorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Rahman just looked shot to pieces, like a fighter that didn’t belong in the same ring with Povetkin due to his faded skills. In the 2nd round, Povetkin staggered Rahman with a left hook to the head that caused Rahman to staggered back against the ropes. Povetkin then teed off on Rahman with combinations until the referee finally stopped the fight at 1:46 of the round.

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Unbeaten EBU heavyweight champion Kubrat Pulev (17-0, 9 KO’s) defeated the huge 6’7 1/2″ Alexander Ustinov (27-1, 21 KO’s) by an 11th round knockout in an IBF heavyweight title eliminator bout.

Sulaiman doesn’t want Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez immediate rematch

09/14/201609/29/2012 ESB

Boxing News boxing image / photo By Marcus Richardson: If WBC president Jose Sulaiman gets his way there won’t be an immediate rematch between former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32 KO’s) and newly crowned WBC champion Sergio Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KO’s) in early 2013. Sulaiman says that the WBC doesn’t allow immediate rematches for one-sided fights like the September 15th fight where Chavez Jr. took a real pounding in losing by a lopsided 12 round decision to the 37-year-old Martinez.

Sulaiman said to fightnews.com “The WBC is not in favor of immediate rematches, unless there is overwhelming public demand due to some unusual circumstances in the first fight. The fight was one-sided…There was no unusual circumstances to necessitate an immediate rematch.”

Of course there wasn’t. It’s painfully obvious that this is just an opportunity for Chavez Jr., Martinez and Top Rank to make a lot of money in a rematch that could take place at the Cowboys Stadium in Texas. It’s not a fight that’s in high demand but rather a fight that would do well because all of Chavez Jr’s fights do well. Id venture to guess that Chavez Jr. could fight at the Cowboys Stadium against pretty much any middleweight in the division and the fight would pack in at least 40,000 fans and do well on HBO pay per view.

Is Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez ready to headline HBO?

09/14/201609/29/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron – “Where the heavyweight division goes, so goes boxing,” was an age old adage that seemed to characterize the popular sentiment of the sport within any era. But in the new millennium, “Where HBO goes, so goes boxing,” would be a more appropriate maxim to sum up the current state of the industry.

An impressive or disappointing performance while headlining HBO’s “WBC” or “BAD” has become more impactful to a fighter’s career than actually winning or losing a major world title. It is widely viewed as the benchmark for success in boxing.

Tonight on HBO’s “Boxing After Dark”, Super Middleweight contender Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs) will appear in the main event of the popular television series for the first time in his promising career.

In what could be a defining night for the DiBella Entertainment hopeful, the Worcester, Mass resident will face the big puncher from Jersey, Jason Escalera (13-0, 12 KOs), in a Super Middleweight battle of unbeatens.

Is Edwin ready for his biggest moment as a professional?

Rahman gets title shot against Povetkin tonight; Pulev faces Ustinov on undercard

09/14/201609/29/2012 ESB

(Photo Wende) By Rob Smith: Former WBC heavyweight champion 39-year-old Hasim Rahman will get getting a shot at the title against WBA World heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin in their fight at the Sporthalle, Alsterdorf, in Hamburg, Germany. A lot of boxing fans thought that Rahman had retired years ago after getting stopped by Wladiimr Klitschko in 2008. Rahman looked old and shot even then, and one can only imagine how much he’s deteriorated since that fight. But Rahman has been piling up wins over little known 2nd tier opposition and has now won his last five fights, albeit against WEAK opposition.

It’s hard to say why the World Boxing Association decided to give Rahman a #1 ranking because he’s done little to deserve even a bottom #15 in my view. It just seems unreal that Rahman can get the top ranking from wins over the likes of Galen Brown (35-16), Marcus Magee (22-17), Damon Reed (46-13), Shannon Miller (16-4) and Clinton Boldridge (9-15-1). This doesn’t boxing fans any good if a guy is given an inflated ranking and then tossed into the ring with a champion, even a fighter that many boxing fans see as a paper champion like the 33-year-old Povetkin.

You can’t blame Rahman for taking the opportunity to fight Povetkin after he was made the #1 challenger by the WBA, but you can sure find blame with the WBA for ranking Rahman so highly in the first place.

Khan: I know I can get back to the top with Virgil Hunter as my trainer

09/14/201609/29/2012 ESB

By Michael Collins: Former IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan is convinced that his new trainer Virgil Hunter can turn his sinking career around and bring it back to where it briefly was while Khan was being trained by the well respected Freddie Roach from 2009 to 2012. Khan started out well with Roach, winning his first six fights before things started to turn rotten for him with two losses to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia.

Khan said “With Virgil in my corner, I know that I can get back to the very top of the light welterweight division.”

I somehow remember Khan saying pretty much the same thing when he hired Freddie Roach as his trainer not long after Khan was starched by Breidis Prescott. Roach was seen as his savior and indeed he helped Khan’s career by getting him through some decent opponents and through his toughest fight of his career against Marcos Maidana. However, Khan remained pretty much the same fighter he had been with other trainers.

King wins $1.1 million bid to promote Arreola vs. Stiverne WBC heavyweight title eliminator

09/29/201209/29/2012 ESB

By Rob Smith: Promoter Don King won Saturdays WBC heavyweight purse bid to promote the Chris Arreola vs. Bermane Stivern WBC heavyweight title eliminator bout with the winner to possibly face WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko if he doesn’t retire. King came in with the winning purse bid of $1.1 million, twice as much as runner-up Dan Goosen’s $500,000 bid. Golden Boy Promotions’ bid was $515,000, and WealthTV $132,000.

Ricky Burns will be back in the ring in December, but not against Scott Harrison

10/01/201209/29/2012 ESB

By Michael Collins: WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns (35-2, 10 KO’s) will be returning to the ring by December, according to his promoter Frank Warren. However, it won’t be against former WBO featherweight champion Scott Harrison, because the World Boxing Organization president Paco Valcarcel is saying that Burns has to fight his mandatory challenger.

Gamboa could fight on Pacquiao-Marquez 4 undercard on December 8th

09/29/201209/29/2012 ESB

By Michael Collins: Former IBF/WBA featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa (21-0, 16 KO’s) could wind up on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez 4 fight on December 8th, according to Steve Kim. Gamboa hasn’t fought since last year in September in beating Daniel Ponce De Leon. Gamboa has been out of action due to promotional problems in leaving Top Rank.