Kell Brook vs Shawn Porter – early thoughts and prediction

Kell Brook vs Shawn Porter – early thoughts and prediction

The scheduled match-up between Kell Brook and Shawn Porter is a highly intriguing one; both are unbeaten, spearheading the uprising talent, in the welterweight division, from the UK and the US respectively. For Kell Brook, the pressure is especially intense given that he’s long chased an Amir Khan bout, pulled out of a Devon Alexander clash (who Porter previously toppled), and yet remains relatively untested. Add all of these ingredients to the contrasting fight-styles of these combatants, and it’s easy to foresee a highly entertaining, explosive fight.

Shawn Porter’s style is unorthodox. He’s short but powerfully built. In the ring he stays on the outside, well outside of his opponent’s range, and cleverly accentuates his lack of height by keeping low. Then, almost cobra-like, he’ll literally launch himself into his opponent with straight punches and bombarding them with body shots on the inside. His style does bear similarities to Pacquiao of old, where he uses the element of surprise by jumping in with hard straight shots. It’s actually quite fitting that they were former sparring partners. However, unlike Pacquiao, Porter likes to fight inside. He can also use both hands and bends at the waist. His arsenal together with his awkward style makes him a very tricky opponent.

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Will Floyd fight a different fight in Mayweather Jr. vs. Maidana II on September 13th?

Will Floyd fight a different fight in Mayweather Jr. vs. Maidana II on September 13th?

When boxing fans start wondering, how is it that Floyd Mayweather Jr., far from being the most exciting fighter in boxing, is the highest paid athlete in the world, a video like the above mentioned provides a solid hint: phenomenal ability to create hype and dictate the significance of his decisions. Basically he is capable of feeding the fans exactly what they need, which happens to be a mix of excitement and enthusiasm for what’s coming next.

In the video interview, not only does Mayweather Jr. grip the viewers by pledging to surprise us in May of 2015 (Pacquiao bout is the first thing that comes to mind), but he also announces a rematch against Marcos Maidana, which was unexpected by most.

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Mayweather announces Maidana rematch on September 13th

Mayweather announces Maidana rematch on September 13th

Floyd Mayweather Jr (46-0, 26 KO’s) ended speculation about who he’ll be facing for his next fight by announcing on Monday that he will indeed be facing Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KO’s) in a rematch on September 13th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, and that he also has plans for a huge fight next May on Cinco de Mayo.

Mayweather didn’t say who his opponent will be for next May, but it’s got to be a big, big name in order to persuade Bob Arum of Top Rank in trying to compete with Mayweather by putting on Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto on the same night on HBO pay-per-view.

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Prediction for Floyd Mayweather’s September 13th Fight

Prediction for Floyd Mayweather's September 13th Fight

by Robert Uzzell and Chip Mitchell: Floyd Mayweather, Jr is in the final three fights of his career. Many names have been thrown out there: Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, and of course Marcos Maidana.

In Floyd’s last fight, he faced his stiffest challenge in a while in defeating Maidana by majority decision. The victory by Floyd came at the cost of a few shots to the family jewels and a nice shiner above his right eye.

Before we get to the predictions, let’s look at the odds of each fighter facing Floyd in September.

Manny Pacquiao – 0%. The politics or politricks involved continue and even if both guys were ready to play, there is not enough time to build up this super-fight.

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Terence Crawford takes a big step towards superstardom with sizzling stoppage win over Yuriorkis Gamboa

Terence Crawford takes a big step towards superstardom with sizzling stoppage win over Yuriorkis Gamboa

WBO lightweight king Terence Crawford looked superb last night in handing former amateur superstar Yuriorkis Gamboa his first pro defeat. Too big, tall and rangy he may have been for former featherweight Gamboa, but nothing should be taken from Crawford’s win. Looking for all the world like a Thomas Hearns clone, Crawford displayed power, accuracy, speed and, most of the time – barring the occasion in the 9th-round when he was hurt before turning things back around in his favour – patience.

Gamboa, at a major disadvantage in terms of reach, had to, as commentator Larry Merchant said, “try and make things happen,” and in doing so, by coming in and trying to land dome hurt on his taller opponent, the Cuban talent put himself at serious risk. Crawford of course took advantage of this and buzzed his challenger a number of times. Only Gamboa’s ridiculous heart and courage kept him in the fight, and Gamboa even stated post-fight that, after the second hurtful knockdown of the 9th and final round, he’d wanted to continue.

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Evander Holyfield retires at age 51 – “The Real Deal” goes down in history as a true great

Evander Holyfield retires at age 51 - “The Real Deal” goes down in history as a true great

Living legend and huge overachiever Evander Holyfield has officially retired from boxing at the age of 51. “The Real Deal” said that he has been unable to get fights and that he “don’t want to get hit.” The announcement will no doubt come as a relief to Holyfield’s fans and friends, as it looked until quite recently that the former four-time heavyweight ruler would stick around for what he hoped would be one last big fight.

Now that he has realised he has done more than enough in boxing, Evander can sit back and let the historians decide where they will rank him amongst the other boxing greats that lit up the sport. It’s almost a gimme that Holyfield – who retires with an overall record of 44-10-2 – 1 no-contest (29 KO’s) but a spotless 18-0 (14) as a cruiserweight – will go down as THE greatest cruiserweight of all-time. As to where he will be placed amongst the heavyweight immortals, the 1984 Olympic bronze medallist will probably be placed somewhere in the top-10, or at the very least just below the top-10.

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Errol Spence – Something better than Gold

Errol Spence - Something better than Gold

photo by Esther Lin / SHOWTIME – Errol Spence Jr has been seen as the cream of the crop of the 2012 United States Olympic Boxing Team by the boxing world. That much is certain. However, what’s uncertain is how he will fair against higher level competition. This is a test that all prospects must face at some point in their career, yet Errol is electing to take on the scrappy veteran Ronald Cruz in a ten round bout at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas this Friday, June 27th.

The welterweight division in boxing may be the hottest most competitive divisions in boxing in a few years from now, and several names are eyeing a position to explode as the figurehead of the division. Errol Spence is a recipient of good timing as he has the skill-set and upward ceiling to improve to incredible heights in a post Mayweather period.The attributes continue to build, as he possesses the power, speed, ring IQ to defeat his opponents. Not to mention he is a southpaw.

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Yuriorkis Gamboa: time to deliver

Yuriorkis Gamboa: time to deliver

Go back a few years, to 2008 or 2009, and an unbeaten Cuban talent by the name of Yuriorkis Gamboa was on the lips of many a fight expert as a can’t-miss prospect of the hottest variety. The Olympic gold medallist and sensational all-round amateur standout who had defected from his homeland and set up base in Miami appeared to have it all: speed, power, balance, elegance and a killer instinct to match a peak Mike Tyson.

Back then, the only negative aimed at Gamboa was his somewhat leaky defence and his tendency to go down as a result. This only made the featherweight all the more exciting, however, and Gamboa always got back up and upon doing so took care of business. World titles and superstardom looked inevitable but – though the man dubbed “El Ciclon de Guantanamo” picked up a not so shabby three “world” titles at different weights (the WBA and IBF belts at feather, the interim WBA strap at super-feather-weight and interim WBA belt at lightweight) – somewhere along the way Gamboa all but fell off the radar.

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Rankings, Belts, Weight Classes and Mandatory Challengers: A Guide for the Casual Boxing Fan

WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF leave casual fight fans referring to the sweet science as “Alphabet Soup.” Add to these the dozens more obscure sanctioning bodies and multiply that by the number of weight classes – 17 total – and the number of belts, champions and challengers can be dizzying. Fans are left confused as to who is really the champion, why so often the two best fighters are never mandatory challengers for one another, and how all the various weight classes come into play.

A basic understanding boxing’s framework with regards to champions, weight classes, and mandatory challengers will assure any fight fan a more fulfilling (and less frustrating) experience following the sport.

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