Marvelous Marvin in the house!…Hagler visits Doncaster, UK

Marvelous Marvin in the house!…Hagler visits Doncaster, UK

There must be something boxing related about the town of Doncaster in south Yorkshire, UK. A few years back, Thomas Hearns and the equally legendary Roberto Duran visited the town on a hugely enjoyable after dinner speaking tour, and last night, Marvelous Marvin Hagler was in town on a speaking engagement of his own. That’s three of The Four Kings in the past four years to have rode into Doncaster.

Last night’s event was, well, marvellous. Hagler, still a formidable looking presence, posed for photos (hundreds of them), signed autographs and took to the microphone to speak about his legendary career – one that saw him become arguably the finest middleweight ruler in boxing history.

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Adrien “The Problem” Broner Holds Media Workout—Photos and More!

Adrien “The Problem” Broner Holds Media Workout—Photos and More!

By Paul “Paparazzi” Jones – Former three-division World Champion Adrien “The Problem” Broner (27-1, 22 KOs) held an open workout today at the Bald Eagle Boxing Annex (DC) in preparation for his May 3rd showdown against Carlos Molina (17-1-1, 7 KOs).

The 10-round Junior Welterweight bout, which is part of the Mayweather vs. Maidana (SHOWTIME PPV®) undercard at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (NV), marks the return of Broner, 24, after losing to Marcos “El Chino” Maidana (35-3, 31 KOs) last December.

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Omar Figueroa Vs. Jerry Belmontes: Two Fighters With A History

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This Saturday, April 26, Jerry Belmontes will challenge fellow Texan Omar Figueroa for Figueroa’s WBC Lightweight Belt. Although this is their first professional bout against one another, the two fighters have fought several times as amateurs.

ABOUT THE FIGHTERS

Omar Figueroa became the WBC Lightweight Champion on July 27, 2013 after winning a unanimous decision against Japanese champion Nihito Arakawa in Figueroa’s home state of Texas. The bout was a 12-round, brutal but fan-friendly fight that resulted in both fighters taking the rest of 2013 off.

A hand injury suffered in his bout against Arakawa forced Figueroa to withdraw from his scheduled March title defense against Canelo Alvarez’s older brother, Ricardo Alvarez. This led to Figueroa scheduling an April 26, 2014 bout against former amateur boxing rival Jerry Belmontes.

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Bernard Hopkins Historic Return to DC

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Almost 21 years ago in historic RFK stadium a boxing card was being promoted that would forever change my perspective and love for the sweet science. The main event for the card was the undisputed heavyweight champ of the world Riddick Bowe v. Jesse Ferguson.

Although the main event was noncompetitive (If my memory serves me correct Bowe knocked out Ferguson with a vicious right upper cut and a short left hook to the temple), there was another fight on the under card that unbeknownst to any one at the time would have major boxing historical ramifications in the future. The fight was Roy Jones v. Bernard Hopkins I, no need to go into the details of that fight but we all know the end result Roy Jones Jr. my unanimous decision for the IBF Middleweight title.

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“The Alien” vs. “Superman” Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You?

"The Alien" vs. "Superman" Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You?

By Paul Paparazzi Jones & Justin Jones – In the aftermath of Hopkins vs. Shumenov, Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins(55-6-2, 32 KOs) wasted little time in ditching his boxing gloves for his promotional hat to campaign for a showdown with Superman. That is, WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (23-1, 20 KOs).

“The Alien vs. Superman” sounds like a snazzy title for a forthcoming DC Universe original movie, but the potential matchup between two of boxing’s elite is a match-up that many boxing fans would pay to see.

“Stevenson, I’m coming to Canada. I’m getting my papers together,” said Hopkins.

Bhops also indicated that geography would not be a barrier to making this fight. “I’ll go anywhere they pay the most,” Hopkins said. “I’ve been in Canada. I love Canada. They’ve got a big fan base for Bernard Hopkins out there. And let me tell you something. This fight would do well at the MGM [Grand].”

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R.I.P Rubin “Hurricane” Carter: 1937-2014

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Legendary 1960’s middleweight contender Rubin “Hurricane” Carter today passed away at the age of 76. Carter, who was famously and wrongfully imprisoned for a 1966 triple murder, lost his battle with prostate cancer. He was a fine fighter and he scored his biggest win in 1963, when he stopped past and future world champion Emile Griffith in the very first round of a non-title clash.

Carter’s career was suddenly curtailed due to the wrongful imprisonment, a sentence that saw him serve almost twenty years. Becoming a writer whilst in jail fighting for his freedom, Carter penned his autobiography entitled: “The 16th-Round – from number-one contender to number 45472.”

By the 1970’s the injustice Carter had suffered had become big news and hugely influential world figures such as fellow boxing legend Muhammad Ali and singer/songwriter Bob Dylan came to Carter’s assistance.

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Paulie Malignaggi never took the easy path: Is this the end for “The Magic Man?”

Paulie Malignaggi never took the easy path: Is this the end for “The Magic Man?”

The end of Paulie Malignaggi’s (photo by Paul “Paparazzi“ Jones / ESB) pro career may well have come after last night’s 4th-round stoppage defeat at the hands of a relentless Shawn Porter. The slick New Yorker can now earn a living as a fine analyst for Showtime – if indeed it is the end for a fighter who began punching for pay way back in 2001 and who captured world titles in two weight divisions.

During his long career Malignaggi, as brash and as cocky as they come, more than gave his all in attempting to back up his talk. Fast, clever and possessing a sturdy chin as well as a ton of heart and courage, Malignaggi was cursed with brittle hands and with them little to no venomous punching power to speak of. It was due to this that Malignaggi knew, each time out, he was unlikely to get an early night by way of a KO. The fact that he went in with who he went in with knowing he had bad hands for a large portion of his career (with multiple breaks and fractures suffered) illustrates the Brooklyn man’s courage.

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Porter Stops Malignaggi; Quillin Beats Konecny

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Shawn “Showtime” Porter (24-0-1, 14 KOs) overwhelmed Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs) to remain undefeated and retain his IBF Welterweight World Championship with an impressive fourth-round TKO over the veteran fighter. Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (31-0, 22 KOs) retained his WBO Middleweight World Championship with a unanimous decision win over Lukas Konecny (50-5, 23 KOs) in a fight controlled by “Kid Chocolate.”

Porter rushed Malignaggi right from the opening bell and opened up a cut on Malignaggi’s cheek in the first round. In the second round, Malignaggi was clearly hurt by a leaping left hook from the champion.

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Bernard Hopkins Outpoints Beibut Shumenov

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Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins (55-6-2, 32 KOs), at 49-years-old, made history once again on Saturday night. He is now the oldest man to unify a boxing world championship and the oldest fighter to defend a world title-besting his own record-as he defeated Beibut Shumenov (14-2, 9 KOs) via split decision to become the Unified Light Heavyweight World Champion. Judges Dave Moretti and Jerry Roth scored the fight 116-111 for the future Hall of Famer while Gustavo Padilla scored the bout 114-113 for Shumenov. The event, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, took place at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C.

Boxing’s elder statesman, Hopkins was calm and confident throughout the fight, enforcing ring generalship against Shumenov who was never able to figure out a game plan to score. Shumenov, who is self-trained, threw very few combinations, and did not press the pace. Hopkins, on the other hand, dazzled with his timing, counterpunching and, at times, showmanship. In the 11th round, Hopkins landed a short right hand that sent Shumenov to the canvas for the fifth time in his career.

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Anthony Crolla stops John Murray in 10th-round of a war

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In The Battle of Manchester, Anthony Crolla eventually proved to be too much for lightweight rival John Murray. The two men gave their all in a terrific fight that met, even surpassed expectations, but in the end the younger, fresher man pulled out the victory. Dropping Murray with a left hand that landed behind the ear, Crolla then finished his man with a brutal follow-up barrage that prompted the ref to dive in. The time was two-minutes and 20-seconds of the 10th. Murray, who finished the war with a badly swollen and bloodied right eye, is now 33-3(20). Crolla, the younger many by two years at age 27, improved to 28-4-1(11).

From the outset Murray came out hard and fast as expected and Crolla had to dig deep so as not to be overwhelmed. The pace was a hot one straight away and Murray’s vicious and relentless body work was proving effective. Crolla countered well, though, and he landed the cleaner work upstairs. Crolla did look like he was perhaps tiring by the 4th and 5th-round but Murray’s right eye was swelling noticeably.

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