Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Garcia/Peterson, Quillin/Lee/GGG, & Gary Russell Jr!

04/13/201504/13/2015 Vivek Wallace

Markus H. (Orlando, FL): You were pretty down on Gary Russell Jr. in the past. I wanted to know what were your thoughts about his recent performance and what do you see next for him?

Vivek W. (ESB): There was a point in which I just felt that Russell simply wasn’t showing any evolution. We knew he possessed great speed and a certain level of skill, but we never really saw it translate against the level of opposition good enough to bring all of it out. After seeing him coast to easy victories over guys who had no business in the ring with him, it simply got old. All that being said, just as he once warranted criticism, I think at this stage he clearly deserves praise! And a lot of it!

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A cruiserweight monster in the making – Dmitry Kudryashov

04/13/201504/12/2015 Ivan Ivanov

Dmitry Kudryashov, 17-0 (KO 17), a name widely unfamiliar to the boxing public, has emerged as a rising force and a sure-fire championship prospect. His latest fight took place on April 10 in Moscow on the Lebedev – Kalenga undercard when he defended his WBA Int’l cruiser weight title against seasoned Puerto Rican contender Francisco Palacios. Palacios went the distance twice with former WBC World champ Wlodarsczyk and was supposed to challenge the basically untested Russian who had other plans. Kudryashov boxed stylishly behind a tight high guard scanning for openings before he threw a double left hook, to the ribs and to the temple and put Palacios out cold. As soon as the referee stopped counting he called for first aid and the fallen warrior needed a minute or two before he woke up and a couple more before he was able to get up and sit on his chair. It was a scary ending which replaced the usual celebration of the winner with relief at the recovery of the opponent. The fight lasted 52 seconds.

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Freddie Roach: “It’s for the soul of boxing.”

04/12/201504/11/2015 John Wight

“It’s for the soul of boxing.”

This was Freddie Roach’s summation of the stakes involved in Manny Pacquaio’s upcoming fight – the most lucrative in boxing history – against Floyd Mayweather Jr at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2.

“I can’t lose this fight,” he went on as we sat downstairs from Wildcard in the private gym he opened last year for the sole purpose of working with the likes of Manny Pacquaio and Miguel Cotto in seclusion.

It had been six years since my last visit to the Wildcard Boxing Club, and ten years since I’d been a regular while living in the city. The changes that had taken place in that time were immediately obvious during my initial arrival at the gym two days prior.

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Lebedev beats Kalenga; Brutal Undercard KO Extravaganza In Russia!

04/11/201504/11/2015 King Sports

In an outstanding cruiserweight war, Number 1 Ranked Contender YOURI “El Toro” KALENGA was in the biggest fight of his life on Friday night in Moscow, Russia, challenging World Boxing Association (‘WBA’) Champion DENIS LEBEDEV.

With each warrior being dropped once during the 12-round battle, judges’ scores were 115-112 twice and 116-111 for Lebedev.

“I tip my hat to Lebedev, he’s a great fighter and perhaps I’ll get another chance to face him. He’s without question the toughest fighter I’ve faced but I thought I clearly won the fight,” said the disappointed Kalenga.

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Lee v Quillin: The Wait Is Almost Over

04/09/201504/09/2015 Olly Campbell

As they often do for UK viewers, Boxnation, the channel fronted by veteran promoter Frank Warren will this weekend screen the hotly anticipated bout between “Irish” Andy Lee (34-2, 24ko) and “Kid Chocolate” Peter Quillin (31-0,22ko) that is part of the revolutionary Premier Boxing Champions format Stateside that has been masterminded by the seemingly omnipotent manager/adviser, Al Haymon.

A former owner of the WBO 160lb strap now owned by Lee, Quillin vacated that title rather than face then mandatory challenger, dangerous Russian Matty Korobov, and was heavily criticised at the time for turning down a career best purse. Purse bids for that fight were won by Jay Z’s outfit Roc Nation Sports, and the decision for Quillin to vacate was rumoured to have been ordered by Haymon as Quillins “adviser” based on the fact that Jay Z and Haymon had an existing feud from their previous dealings in the music industry.

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Frampton Hits Back At Hearn & Quigg

04/09/201504/09/2015 Olly Campbell

For anybody still doubting the method in the supposed “madness” of Carl Frampton turning down a very public £1.5 million to fight Scott Quigg in Manchester later this year, the Tiger Bay fighters exclusive column for “The Belfast Newsletter” should go some way to making things clearer.

Calling the antics by Quigg and Matchroom on Tuesday “The biggest stunt I’ve seen since Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson at the Superbowl” Frampton went on to detail his dissatisfaction at not just the very public manner in which his rivals conducted their business, but the actual offer itself.

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Artur Beterbiev stamps his mark on the light heavyweight division

04/05/201504/05/2015 Ivan Ivanov

Artur Beterbiev scored his 8th KO in as many fights last night when he calmly brutalized former champion Gabriel Campillo knocking him out in a spectacular fashion in round 4. A short right hand by Beterbiev sprawled Campillo against the ropes and the Russian swiped a left hook through the jaw of his opponent who was probably out even before the last shot landed. Beterbiev could probably have made it a three punch combo but he showed a flair for the dramatic and some compassion. In what could be described as a theatrical gesture he did not even pause to check the effect of the combo and threw the last shot as if he was just passing by in a hurry. When the left hook landed, he turned in the same motion and walked away before Campillo hit the floor. No count was necessary and the terrified Campillo team jumped into the ring followed by the ringside physician.

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Billy Miske – A Champion Forever

04/04/201504/04/2015 Bill Bradshaw

With less than a month to go to the biggest bout in boxing history, some pundits have taken to reflecting on the past when it comes to finding quality opposition for the men of May 2nd. Perhaps it’s just another symptom of a sport in decline, but the fantasy fight is in full swing and scribes have pitted the silky skills of Mayweather against those of the Sugar Ray’s, Sweet Pea Whitaker and the truly brilliant ‘Homicide Hank’ himself Henry Armstrong. Likewise, the question has been asked as to how Manny Pacquiao would have fared against Roberto Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez and the sadly late and flamboyantly great Hector Comacho Sr. I tend not to contemplate such match-ups. They’re called fantasy fights for a reason and the best we can do is to remember past fighters with the respect that they deserve. May 2nd will establish a champion on the night but boxing history is star studded with ring legends and we shouldn’t need a mega bout to recall their names. Even in the long list that spring to mind, there are those whose stories transcend the sport that made them and none…certainly none that I know of…capture the nobility of the fighting spirit more than the ‘The Saint Paul Thunderbolt’ Billy Miske.

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Mayweather/Pac: Why Floyd Has No Chance…

04/04/201504/04/2015 Boxing News

I have heard a lot of hype about this fight, lots of hoopla, people saying stuff about the camps, psychology, trainers, drug testing, networks and so on. I have not seen much about the actual skills of the boxer when pitted against each other. What I have seen is how Mayweather will win and how faded Manny Pacquiao is. Well, I think Pacquiao will win and nobody has really said much about the details of how Pacquiao will win, which is silly because he has a great chance, this is my opinion.

Pacman’s offence, as usual, is the key to him winning specifically his punch output combined with his accuracy and most importantly his footwork; Floyd has never fought anyone with the combined output and accuracy. Manny has a high output and because of the speed which he can deliver punches he is very accurate for a person that throws that many punches.

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OPEN MIC: A Candid Conversation with Lamont Peterson — García, Mayweather, Pacquiao, More!

04/04/201504/03/2015 Paul Jones

IBF Champ discusses his fight preparations and the career implications of a win over Danny García

By Paul “Paparazzi” Jones | Photo & Animation © Paul “Paparazzi” Jones — On April 11^th, The Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series continues with a junior welterweight battle between Danny ‟Swift” García (29-0, 17 KOs) and Lamont ‟Havoc” Peterson (33-2-1, 17 KOs) at the Center in Brooklyn, New York. García, of Philadelphia, is the reigning WBC, WBA (Super), and The Ring champion, while Peterson holds the IBF strap.

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