“The Moment” Fight Week Day 2 : Final Press Conference

05/01/2014 Steve Lopez

Day 2 for “The Moment” came with with final press conference for the Welterweight unification bout between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Marcos Maidana.

The trainers, promoters and sponsors all took the time to thank the fans and media as the build-up for the fight continues.

Mayweather, Jr., in an effort to show his philanthropic side, announced a donation to the Sussan G. Kommen Foundation. But this is a stage that Mayweather has been on for so many years already. Mayweather promised victory the same way he always has over the years.

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The Weigh-In: ESPN Thursday Night Fights: A Preview Of May 1

05/01/2014 Bill Barner

On April 30, 2014, eighteen fighters ranging from Featherweight to Light Heavyweight took center stage at Hialeah Park and Casino to weigh in for ESPN’s Thursday Night Fights.

First to weigh in were Texan Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia (34-3, 22 KOs) and his scheduled opponent, Dominican Victor “Mermelada” Cayo (32-4, 23 KOs). First, Roberto Garcia played to the crowd a bit, flexing and mugging for cameras. After taking a minute to remove all of his jewelry, he weighed in at 146.2 lbs., or 3.8 lbs. under their 150 lb. contract weight. However, things did not go as smoothly for Victor Cayo.

First, Cayo awkwardly approached the scale with his back to the audience and cameras. After being turned around twice, he weighed in a few ounces over the 150-lb. contracted weight at 150.6 lbs. . Pursuant to the rules that contemplate such a discrepancy, Cayo was given two hours to re-weigh. He left the stage and returned minutes later to re-weigh. This time, Cayo stood on the stage naked as the day he was born, but still weighed 150.2 lbs.

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“The Moment” Fight Week Day 1: Fighter Grand Arrivals – Photos

04/30/2014 Steve Lopez

“Ole…ole…ole…oleeeeee!!!!! Ole…….Ole!!!!!”

Such were the chants echoed through the MGM Grand’s lobby that were heard as Marcos Maidana took the stage for his grand arrival.

Was this a soccer match or a boxing event’s fight week kickoff?

Las Vegas, NV is once again the boxing spotlight. Two and a half weeks after headlining a Welterweight showdown between the anticipated rematch of Pacquiao and Bradley, the boxing world’s attention turns to The Moment: Mayweather Vs. Maidana.

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Ron Lipton remembers ‘Hurricane’ Carter

04/27/2014 ESB

By Kevin Gleason, recordonline.com – Ron Lipton asked about the photo of the guy up on a wall at the famed Mooksie’s Gym in Newark, N.J. “That’s Hurricane Carter,” said Lipton’s trainer, who had also trained Carter.

“Why don’t you get him to come to the gym?” Lipton asked.

“Because he doesn’t like white guys,” the trainer said.

The trainer set up a meeting anyway. Lipton, a talented boxer with 145 amateur bouts, was young and fearless and crazy, apparently the perfect combination for middleweight title contender Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. “I hear you need to beat up another white guy,” Lipton said when Carter showed up, “and I’m here for the job.”

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Will Floyd Mayweather risk a fight with one of the young guns? Thurman and Porter breaking through at 147

04/27/2014 James Slater

Today’s welterweight division is almost ridiculously talented, with the 147-pound weight class being stacked with excellent fighters. Floyd Mayweather Junior is of course the king of the hill, and any fighter from 140 to 147 (and 154-pounds also) is gunning for that life changing payday. But 154 aside, Mayweather has more than enough potential challengers at welterweight.

Over the past few months, two welterweight young guns have really broken through and impressed: Shawn Porter and Keith Thurman. Both guys are talented, fast (Thurman especially) and powerful (Porter especially). Helping make an already exciting weight class that much more exciting – with top class operators Tim Bradley, Manny Pacquiao and (expected to move up from 140 any time now) Danny Garcia also fighting at 147 – Thurman and Porter have some people thinking they are capable of testing Floyd and testing him hard. But will Mayweather, who next faces the powerful yet slow-footed Marcos Maidana, an 11-1 underdog, risk a fight with one of the young guns who are hungry for the ultimate challenge?

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Keith Thurman Scores Third-Round TKO Over Julio Diaz

04/27/201404/27/2014 Showtime Boxing

In the main event of the Golden Boy Promotions-promoted event at StubHub Center, Thurman (23-0, 21 KOs), of Clearwater, Fla., dropped Diaz in the second round. Diaz (40-10-1, 29 KOs), of Coachella, Calif., rebounded with a strong showing in the third but got hit with a body shot that ended the fight. Diaz, upon the suggestion of his corner between rounds, did not come out for the fourth.

Said Thurman, “I felt the body shot (to Diaz). I felt he was going to go down. I wondered if I hadn’t landed it clean enough. He’s a tough guy. He showed up to fight. You saw what he was doing in the ring. His rib… he had eight more rounds to go so he did what he had to do.

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Matthysse Beats Molina In Fight Of Year

04/27/201404/27/2014 Showtime Boxing

On an exciting night when unbeaten WBA Interim Welterweight Champion Keith “One Time” Thurman retained his title with a third-round TKO over former world champion Julio “The Kidd” Diaz and undefeated Omar “Panterita” Figueroa successfully defended his WBC lightweight crown with a 12-round split decision over Jerry Belmontes, Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse stole the show with a spectacular, brutal 11th-round knockout over John Molina in the leading Fight of the Year candidate Saturday on SHOWTIME®.

The Argentine, ranked No. 1 in the world at 140 pounds, was hurt in the first and dropped in the second and fifth rounds. But the former interim WBC 140-pound world champion came back with knockdowns in the eighth, 10th and 11th to turn back a determined bid by Molina and capture the WBC Continental Americas Super Lightweight Championship.

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Before You Complain About Klitschko-Leapai…

04/27/201404/26/2014 Jason Peck

Wladimir Klitschko has triumphed again in commanding fashion, an action which typically raises complaints that the long-time champ fights “bums” rather than “real” challenges.

Of course, this raises an interesting question. Who are the bums and who are the real challenges? If Klitschko avoids a challenge, then name the challenge. And be careful with your answer.

I remember little more than a two years ago when Klitcshko easily KO’d Tony Thompson in six. Critics immediately excoriated him for fighting a geriatric, rather than an unstoppable machine like David Price. Yet Thompson’s name is now mysteriously removed from the retrospective list of “bums” that Klitschko fought and – just as mysteriously – David Price is no longer a “real” challenge.

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Lucas Browne overcomes horrific cut eye to stop game Eric Martel Bahoeli in 5th-round

04/27/201404/26/2014 James Slater

Tonight in Sheffield, Australian heavyweight giant Lucas Browne won the vacant Commonwealth title with an exciting 5th-round KO over Canada’s Eric Martel Bahoeli. Browne’s Sunday punch, his big right hand, got the job done, as Bahoeli was clubbed to the floor whilst stuck in a corner. The time was one-minute and 26-seconds. Browne is now 20-0(17). Bahoeli, the younger man by three year at age 32, is now 10-4(7).

There was plenty of drama to keep the fans on the edge of their seat before the ending. Browne, stalking a moving target, looked to unload his power punches, with Bahoeli boxing well, landing some shots with his fast hands. The difference in power and strength was obvious however, and sure enough Browne, known as “Big Daddy” broke though in the 2nd. A looping right hand decked Bahoeli and it looked as though the fight was over with.

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

04/26/2014 James Slater

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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