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Glendale “Fight Night” Results

Glendale “Fight Night” Results

Top Rank and Bash Boxing put on another fun card from their “Fight Night” series tonight in Glendale, California; featuring ten 4-8 round bouts between up and coming prospects. The main event and co-feature were broadcast live on UniMás; with former super bantamweight champ Israel Vasquez doing guest commentary. Results below.

Joe Felix Jr. 26-1-1 (21KO) vs. Alejandro Rodriguez 21-14 (12KO)
Super Featherweights, 8 rounds

The UniMás main event between two Mexican natives was a bit of a let down after the great opener. Things started slowly as both fighters attempted to feel each other out while not taking any risks. Rodriguez moved forward and Felix Jr. tried to counter. In the third round Rodriguez was bleeding from his nose, no doubt the result from those counter shots. By the fourth round the nose was bleeding badly and appeared broken. No doubt Felix Jr. was the harder puncher, as his shots were doing more damage as the rounds progressed. Rodriguez continued to stalk but seemed late to the punch in every exchange. Felix Jr. always got off first, while moving his feet and remaining defensively responsible.

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Porter vs. Brook: ‘It’s Showtime’ for the Special One

Porter vs. Brook: ‘It’s Showtime’ for the Special One

Finally, following a rollercoaster 18 months of injuries, accusations and cancellations, Kell ‘The Special One’ Brook will get to live out his childhood dream by contesting for the World welterweight title against ‘Showtime’ Shawn Porter on August 16th at the StubHub Centre in Carson, California.

It’s been nearly two years since the Sheffield boxer was first named mandatory challenger for the IBF title. During that spell three scheduled bouts against former champ Devon Alexander failed to materialise due to injuries to both men. Following Brooks latest setback (a fractured metatarsal), Alexander ‘the Great’ moved on and subsequently lost his title to up and coming Ohio native Shawn Porter.

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Chris Algieri vs. Manny Pacquiao: About the Fighters

Chris Algieri vs. Manny Pacquiao: About the Fighters

On November 22, 2014, WBO Jr. Welterweight Champion Chris Algieri will move up in both weight and opponent caliber as he challenges Manny Pacquiao for the WBO Welterweight Championship.

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is as accomplished as he is well-known. A world champion at a record-breaking eight weight classes, he has fought and beaten nearly every world-class fighter available. Moreover, like Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali before him, he has avenged nearly every loss.

In 2012 questions surfaced as to whether Pacquiao’s career was through. First, he lost an incredibly controversial decision to Timothy Bradley. The same year, he suffered his most definitive loss at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez. However, the Philippine pugilist took a year off and returned to beat Brandon Rios by unanimous decision in 2013. In April of 2014, Pacman decisively beat Timothy Bradley, avenging his loss to the 147lb champion and proving his sustained greatness to the boxing community. At the time of the fight, Bradley was coming off a win against Ruslan Provodnikov and considered one of the best fighters – pound for pound – in the world.

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Kovalev “The Krusher” back on the Boardwalk & Rios vs Chaves potential FOTY

Kovalev "The Krusher" back on the Boardwalk & Rios vs Chaves potential FOTY

Rios claims that he has returned back to earth after his head was stuck in the clouds of success. Alex Ariza is gone from his camp, now he and his world renowned trainer Robert Garcia are going back to the basics. Strength and condition coach or not, Rios better have been on his best behavior to prepare for a hungry and dangerous fighter like Chaves.

Diego Chaves has a snappy jab and loves to throw chopping hooks to the body and head. He favors his left hand for lead hooks and has a decent overhand right to go with it.

The thought amongst fans and media who are picking Chaves are banking on his movement. I question Diego’s capability to outbox Rios only because he hasn’t shown that trait at a high level. He pressed the action for the most part in a loss to Keith Thurman, and in a close victory over Omar Weis. When he was pushed back in both of those fights, he looked very uncomfortable making him vulnerable to a hunter like Rios.

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Wladimir Klitschko and Kubrat Pulev sell out the O2 Arena in Hamburg, Germany

Wladimir Klitschko and Kubrat Pulev sell out the O2 Arena in Hamburg, Germany

There are no more regular seats available for the IBF heavyweight title fight on Sep. 6 at the O2 World Hamburg. Kubrat Pulev said he tried to buy tickets for friends recently and he couldn’t, he contacted K2 promotions and found out he might find separate seats if he used a German IP address and checked regularly for availability. Those seats would be either lowest price that do not offer a good view or highest price (unreasonably expensive). Pulev himself was promised “one or two” free tickets, so he is not getting a lot of compliments from Klitschko and company.

The unbeaten Bulgarian knows he is a mandatory challenger per se, that is Wladimir Klitschko clearly does not want the fight and is only complying with an obligation. This is not a big money event for K2 while for Pulev this would be a career defining fight and his biggest payday. K2 promotions are handling the event and Kubrat Pulev is just a participant, and opponent that brings some intrigue and his 0 into the contest but not too much revenue.

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Gennady Golovkin: The Boxing Monster

Gennady Golovkin: The Boxing Monster

I think most may recall the story of how Marvel character Wolverine was created, at least in the movies. He was part of a scientific experiment in which liquid metal was injected to his bones. That created the frightening super hero we all love. I suggest we could come up with a similar comic book style origin story about middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.

The boxer from Kazakhstan caught the eyes of most fans in the United States when he first appeared on HBO against formidable opponent Gregorz Proksa in 2012. Proksa, like 20 others to that date, was defeated before the final bell. His last opponent to have gone to distance(8 rounds) was Amar Amari in 2008. After that the champion has stopped every one of his last 17 opponents.

The power that this man carries is almost unimaginable.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Gennady G. Golovkin vs Daniel Geale, and A Look at Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s Weight Struggles

Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Gennady G. Golovkin vs Daniel Geale, and A Look at Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez's Weight Struggles

Dexter H. (Oakland, CA): I’ve reached the conclusion that GGG is a legitimate problem! I just can’t see this guy losing. What I like is that there are no steroid allegations, or no illegal hand-wrap allegations. Dude is just solid. He wants Cotto next. Do you think Cotto takes the fight? And how do you see that one going down?

Vivek W. (ESB): I admit, it’s becoming harder and harder for me to fight the urge of following his growing fan base in ordaining him as “that guy”! By the term “that guy”, I mean “that guy” who the media begins to conveniently place in sentences next to the words “most feared”, “most dangerous”, “next biggest star”, and “unbeatable”. He’s a heavy handed puncher, he likes to bang, and he’s proven that more often than not, he’ll be the last man standing if his opponent decides to do it with him. I can totally respect that and support him as a growing phenom in the sport. That being said, here’s my thoughts on a showdown between he and Cotto:

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GGG – a modest definition of danger?

YouTube video
Gennady Golovkin did not waste a move in obliterating Daniel Geale at the Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. There were no surprises and Golovkin fought the same fight he usually does and overpowered his terrified opponent.

There was a huge difference in the expressions and conduct of the rivals while Michael Buffer made the announcements. Golovkin was calm and collected, relaxed but focused; he exuded an aura of prime physical confidence and peace of mind. Geale on the other hand was nervous, restless and anxious and he needed to prance and jitter incessantly.

Golovkin has great technique and tactical savvy but he seemed to have no time for such fancy pleasantries once the fight started. He scrapped the jab in favor of a power left that easily turned into a hook and his right hands had no scoring intentions, they meant trouble. He did not even give Geale the respect of using proper boxing defense, GGG simply shrugged off Geale’s shots or walked through them undeterred. He responded in kind for every shot he took and there was a price to pay for hitting GGG. He did not revert to deep defense after he got tagged; he kept his eyes open and seizes his chance.

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Fury pulls out of Ustinov fight: One bizarre week in British boxing!

YouTube video
Who’d be a boxing promoter!

This time last week, fight fans, especially British heavyweight fight fans, were looking forward to the scheduled and quite long since announced return meeting between colourful characters (an understatement) Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora. The fight was given an extra element of spice thanks to Fury’s shenanigans at the London, open to the public, press conference.

Fury was on his A-game when it came to trash talking and being as funny as he was crude. The BBB of C didn’t enjoy what he did, or had to say (especially the latter), but some fans sure did.

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