Interview: Explosive Joseph Parker meets a Tank

09/18/2014 Bryce Wilson

At just 22 Kiwi Joseph Parker is one of the most exciting heavyweight prospects to come along in some time. Now living and training out of Las Vegas with Kevin Barry, Parker is set to face the very durable Sherman ‘The Tank’ Williams at the Trusts Arena in Auckland New Zealand on October the 16th in what will only be his 11th pro fight. We caught up with Joseph to get his thoughts amongst other things on the fight, how he first got into the sport and the fighters he grew up most admiring.

ESB: Hi Joseph, thanks for making time for us today. What was it that first made you lace up the gloves? Was it your dad that got you in to the sport? How old were you when you started fighting in the amateur ranks and did you have immediate success?

JP: Yeah my dad had an interest in boxing so I came up quite young, probably around the age of about 4 or 5. Then I had my first fight when I was 12 years old. It went well, I got the win and I sort of carried on from there. I did a lot of travelling and represented New Zealand from about 16 onwards.

Coach Kevin Barry discusses the prospects of his exciting young protégé Joseph Parker

09/18/2014 Bryce Wilson

Kevin Barry, a name most familiar to boxing fans as the former long time manager and trainer of David Tua, took time out of his busy schedule to have a chat with us about another exciting heavyweight to come out of New Zealand in Joseph Parker.

Parker will be facing the very durable (and former Wladimir Klitschko sparring partner) Sherman ‘The Tank’ Williams at the Trusts Arena in Auckland New Zealand on October the 16th in what will only be his 11th pro fight.

Check out what Kevin’s thoughts are on the potential of Parker, possible future opponents for him and the trainer that most influenced him during his coaching career.

Gerald Washington, a big man looking to do big things

09/18/201409/18/2014 Michael Montero

http://youtu.be/f4XJKZPbVAw

If you fancy yourself a heavyweight boxing fan, especially American heavyweights with an exciting style, then undefeated prospect Gerald Washington (14-0, 10KO) is someone you need to keep an eye on. The 6’6” 250 pound physical specimen turned pro two summers ago at the advanced age of 30. And it’s been quite a journey that has led the California native to the ring.

Bermane Stiverne Interview: The WBC Heavyweight Champion Speaks Out

09/17/2014 James Stillerman

Canada`s Bermane “B. Ware” Stiverne became the World Boxing Council (“WBC”) Heavyweight Champion after he defeated Chris Arreola on May 10, 2014 when he landed two crushing knockdowns in the sixth round that prompted the referee to quickly halt the bout. This victory enabled him to become the first Haitian-born heavyweight world title holder. Stiverne possesses an outstanding record of 24-1-1 with 21 victories coming by way of knockout.

He`s unbeaten in his last thirteen bouts and among those wins have come against Arreola in their first bout, Ray Austin, Franklin Lawrence and Demetrice King. Over the past couple of years, Stiverne collected the WBC Silver World Champion, WBC International Champion, World Boxing Association Fedelain Champion and the WBC USNBC Champion. The hard hitting orthodox boxer who has knocked out 81% of his opponents, will be making his first title defense against the undefeated yet untested, mandatory challenger, Deontay Wilder, 32-0, 32KOs. Stiverne and Wilder matchup should be an outstanding all action slugfest between two top ten heavyweight boxers, which fight fans will be sure to enjoy.

Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Floyd Mayweather, Marcos Maidana, Timothy Bradley, and more!

09/16/2014 Vivek Wallace

Layton F. (Brooklyn, NY): I never thought I’d see the day, but to me, Floyd Mayweather looked old and out of sorts. I just didn’t think he looked the same. Is it safe to say that he’s no longer the guy he was?

Vivek W. (ESB): The old adage has it that “time waits for no man”! Oddly, we’ve seen Floyd Mayweather dominate for so long that we’ve grown accustomed to the notion that he’s some blind exception to the rule, and unfortunately, this is not the case. While there were some points that just didn’t quite seem normal for him, statistically, we see the same level of success. From day one, Mayweather’s statistics have been mid to high 50 percentile (or greater) in offensive connection rates; all while holding the opponent down to a very low 20 percentile connection rate in exchange. Has he been touched a bit more lately? Certainly seems that way, but again, all percentages remain intact, so is he truly “slippin” (as Steven A. Smith of ESPN went on record to say)?

The Current 20 Most Exciting Boxers – A Statistical Analysis

09/16/201409/16/2014 Steven Chang

Boxing is at it’s most exciting when it’s highly skilled, competitive, back and forth fighting with plenty of drama. It peaks when a fighter is hurt and the crowd screams as killer instincts and the will to survive are on full display.

It’s rare to get life changing fights, both for the fighters and fans, such as the grueling Castillo vs. Corrales, but once in a while, a fight has all the right elements to captivate the public. A shaken Froch, climbing off the canvas to slowly dominate Groves and score a controversial stoppage, brought in an 80,000 plus crowd to Wembley stadium for the rematch.

The Calm after the “Mayhem”

09/15/201609/15/2014 Michael Montero

On Saturday night Floyd Mayweather did what he was supposed to do earlier this May – dominate Marcos Maidana. The rematch billed “Mayhem” turned out to be anything but, as boxing’s pound for pound king pitched a near shutout in front of 16,144 fans at the MGM Grand Las Vegas.

Mayweather, clearly more focused this time around, kept the match in the center of the ring and moved or held to avoid taking punishment from his slower, plodding opponent. Other than a flush right hand Maidana landed at the very end of the third round and a bizarre hand biting incident in the eighth, this was pretty much a glorified sparring session. Punch stats tell the story, as the Argentinian slugger threw more, but landed at less than half the rate than Floyd did. Marcos landed just 17% of his jabs (41-237) and 26% of his power punches (87-335), while “Money” landed 43% of his jabs (64-149) and an astonishing 58% of his power shots (102-177). It was target practice, and Floyd’s holding and mauling tactics quelled “Chino’s” attack. Compare that to the first bout, where Maidana threw almost as many power punches (540) as he did total punches (572) in the rematch.

This Day in Boxing History: Ali vs. Spinks II – September 15, 1978

09/15/201409/15/2014 Bill Barner

Approximately 13 years before Muhammad Ali ever stepped into a boxing ring with Leon Spinks, then Cassius Clay had overcome great odds by defeating Sonny Liston to become World Heavyweight Champion.

Ali went on to successfully defend that title nine times against such legendary boxers as George Chuvalo, Cleveland Williams, and Floyd Patterson.

However, Ali was stripped of the belt because of his refusal to report for induction into the U.S. military for the Vietnam War.

“My Fingers Was Numb!” Mayweather Survives Alleged Nom, Dances to UD in Maidana Rematch

09/15/201409/14/2014 Christopher Lettera

(Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp/Mayweather Promotions) Fortify your stomach and think back for a moment on what visceral terror you have seen in this our great and noble sport of boxing. I’m not talking about a sustained beating so much as I’m referencing those singularly weird, graphic manifestations of brutality that years later you can’t shake, even if the fight itself wasn’t particularly noteworthy in the long run.

I’m thinking of that soft-ball sized hematoma that Holyfield head-butted into existence on Hasim Rahman’s forehead back in 02. Or that pearly-white segment of Vitali Klitschko’s skull I swear I can see in photos of that canyon-deep cut he endured against Lewis.

Floyd Mayweather Remains Perfect In Rematch With Marcos Maidana on SHOWTIME PPV

09/14/201409/14/2014 Showtime Boxing

After 24 rounds of boxing with Marcos Maidana, Floyd Mayweather is still the undisputed pound-for-pound champion.

Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) successfully defended his WBC and WBA Welterweight and WBC Super Welterweight World Championships with a unanimous 12-round decision victory in a rematch with Argentine slugger Maidana (35-5, 31 KOs) on Saturday in front of 16,144 fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, live on SHOWTIME PPV®.

“Money” strategically fought the fight that he wanted, effectively avoiding the looping punches against the ropes that “El Chino” was able to land in their first bout and pivoting back to his domain – the center of the ring.