Mike Reed Crushes Canales; Signing Nears

Mike Reed Crushes Canales; Signing Nears

By Justin Jones – Fort Washington, DC — Mike “Indeed” Reed hasn’t been as fortunate as some of his peers when it comes to getting signed by a major or even local promotional outfit upon turning pro, but that hasn’t stopped the standout DMV prospect from obtaining his piece of the “attention pie.”

Reed, a Waldorf, MD native, is similar to a small town star who is trying to catch the eye of his big time college coach for a walk-on opportunity, or a free agent trying to secure a new lucrative and long-term contract with a new team. Some would call Reed’s workman-like approach of fighting every couple of months against the likes of other unbeaten competition, or at the very least fighters with the same or more fights under their belt –unlike some of the built up fighters you see today– the “hard way.”

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Hopkins-Shumenov: Fighter, Media, and Fan Predictions!

Hopkins-Shumenov: Fighter, Media, and Fan Predictions!

By Paul Paparazzi Jones & Justin Jones

Published: April 19, 2014

Eastsideboxing.com surveyed fighters, media members, and fans to get their opinions on the winner of Hopkins vs. Shumenov:

“I always say Bernard [Hopkins], a master technician in the ring. A guy that looks like he can do it for 50 more years because he hasn’t had any big wars. He takes care of himself. He takes care of his body. So, I think he can do it again….Most importantly, he can [box] for the next 5 or 10 years because he’s not a guy that started his career like a lot of people at age 5, 10, and 11. His career started at a late time so, for him boxing, he’s a 20 year-old kid now.”

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Official Weigh-in Results / Photos for Hopkins-Shumenov

Official Weigh-in Results / Photos for Hopkins-Shumenov

By Justin Jones & Paul “Paparazzi” Jones — Washington, DC — Official weigh-ins for the “History At The Capitol: Bernard Hopkins vs. Beibut Shumenov” tripleheader (SHOWTIME® Championship Boxing; 9:00 PM ET/PT) were held at the Marriott Renaissance hotel (Washington, DC) this afternoon in front of an energetic crowd.

The 49-year-old Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins (54-6-2, 2 NC, 32 KOs) and his adversary Beibut Shumenov (14-1, 9 KOs) both weighed in below the Light Heavyweight limit for their unification bout (IBF/WBA/IBA). Hopkins tipped the scales at 172.5 lbs, while Shumenov weighed in at 174.5 lbs.

Co-main event headliners Shawn “Showtime” Porter (23-0-1, 14 KOs) and Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi (33-5, 7 KOs) made the Welterweight limit without incidence. Porter weighed in at 146.8 lbs, while Malignaggi weighed 146.2 lbs.

Comprehensive weigh-in results for the televised portion of the card appear below:

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Malignaggi vs. Porter: Which Shawn “Showtime” Porter will show up against the Magic Man in DC?

Malignaggi vs. Porter: Which Shawn "Showtime" Porter will show up against the Magic Man in DC?

Paulie Malignaggi challenges Shawn Porter for Porter’s IBF Welterweight belt that he won off Devon Alexander last December. The inconsistent Porter looked much improved but can he put his skill and strengths together in back to back performances?

This co-feature fight could go either way with Porter being the betting favorite amongst fans, writers, and betting sites. The style matchup and how it will play out has been bouncing around my brain for some time now to the point that I’m still pulling my decision as I write this article.

Paulie Malignaggi’s career accomplishments fit the “Magic Man” nickname perfectly. A guy with no power to speak of yet still was able to make the fighters and fans respect him.

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Showtime Tripleheader gives BHOP a chance to add more legend to his longevity

Showtime Tripleheader gives BHOP a chance to add more legend to his longevity

The legend of longevity Bernard Hopkins returns to a familiar place of Washington D.C. to once again add more depth to an already legendary career.

Standing in his way of becoming the oldest unified champion is Beibut Shumenov, a fighter with one loss facing his first huge test. Will it be another day at the office for Hopkins? Or will power and youth be the deciding factor?

In the illustrious career of a living legend one can’t help to wonder how much longer Hopkins can stay on top of his game. Every current athlete is on a Hunger Games list of nature eventually taking course.

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Boxing Cheat Sheet: Breakdown of Hopkins-Shumenov

Boxing Cheat Sheet: Breakdown of Hopkins-Shumenov

By Paul Paparazzi Jones & Justin Jones — Washington, DC —There is a longstanding debate as to whether experience is the best teacher or whether youth trumps experience. Given the age gap between Bernard Hopkins (IBF) and Beibut Shumenov (WBA/IBA), it stands to reason that the outcome of Saturday’s Light Heavyweight Unification bout may help to explain this question.

In the sections that follow, we breakdown the Hopkins-Shumenov match-up, consider their respective strengths and weaknesses, and offer keys to victory for each fighter.1

BERNARD “THE ALIEN” HOPKINS

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Bernard Hopkins Vs. Beibut Shumenov: Preview And Prediction

Bernard Hopkins Vs. Beibut Shumenov: Preview And Prediction

On March 9, 2013, Bernard Hopkins (54-6-2 with 32 KOs), then 48 years old, broke the world record for the oldest boxer to win a world title. Whose record did he break? His own.

On April 19, 2014, the self-proclaimed Alien will step into the ring to set yet another world record. Bernard Hopkins will fight to become the oldest boxer in history to unify two major world titles. His opponent is Kazakh lawyer-turned-pugilist Beibut Shumenov. In a sport filled with unique and inspiring backstories, Shumenov’s stands head and shoulders above the rest.

ABOUT THE FIGHTERS

As a child, Shumenov was inadvertently poisoned by his aunt. As his parents took their blue, shriveling child to the hospital, they were informed that their boy would not survive. Doctors managed to save the boy after running an IV through his skull. Subsequent to these life-saving measures, doctors told Shumenov’s parents that he would always be small and that he should avoid physically taxing activities. The 6’2” WBA Light Heavyweight Champion has spent a lifetime proving that those doctors were dead wrong. In his 30 years on this planet, Shumenov has gone from begging relatives for food to becoming a millionaire attorney and a champion fighter.

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The Pound-for-Pound Top 10

The Pound-for-Pound Top 10

The recent Manny Pacquaio vs Tim Bradley rematch was another rare chance for boxing fans to see two certified members of the fabled pound-for-pound top 10 compete.

The result of the fight did much to change the mythical rankings that only exists in people’s heads. And despite only being opinion, the pound-for-pound rankings are given more credence than any title, making these opinions as valuable as anything in sport today.

Of course, fighters can only earn the right to seriously be considered members of this elite club that so many never reach. Only through consistency, quality and bravery will a fighter ever be considered a pound-for-pound top 10 fighter. For this reason, the following list may have a few omissions that will raise a few eyebrows.

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Mayweather Vs. Maidana: Preview And Prediction

Mayweather Vs. Maidana: Preview And Prediction

On May 3, 2014, the hungry heart of Marcos Maidana (35-3 with 31 KO’s) will attempt to dethrone the unofficial Pay-Per-View and Pound-for-Pound king Floyd “Money” Mayweather (45-0 with 26 KO’s)

ABOUT THE FIGHTERS

Floyd Mayweather Jr., the American fighting out of Las Vegas, NV, is the current WBC Super Welterweight Champion, WBA Super Middleweight Champion, Ring Magazine pound-for-pound Champion, Ring Magazine Welterweight Champion, and Ring Magazine Jr. Middleweight Champion.

A native Michigander, Mayweather has a stellar amateur career as a three-time Golden Gloves Champion and a 1996 Olympic Medalist. Since turning professional, Mayweather has achieved World Champion status in five weight classes, ranging from Super Featherweight to Jr. Middleweight, and is a two-time Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year. Most notable about Mayweather’s career is the caliber of opponents faced. He has fought, and beaten, twenty world champions. His list of victims reads like a who’s-who of boxing, including Oscar De La Hoya, Zab Judah, the late great Arturo Gatti, Carlos Baldomir, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, Victor Ortiz, and Saul Alvarez.

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Mayweather Jr. to fight Pacquiao on May 7th, 2016?

Mayweather Jr. to fight Pacquiao on May 7th, 2016?

I recently read an article that quoted Manny Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, claiming that if the eagerly-awaited Mayweather-Pacquiao super-fight does happen, it could be as a career finale for both men.

During the Pacquiao-Bradley II post-fight interview with Larry Merchant of HBO Boxing, Manny stated that he thought he had two years left as a professional boxer, which means his career would come to a close around May 2016.

Intriguingly, Mayweather has three more contests remaining on his contract with Showtime beyond the Maidana bout. Assuming that Floyd remains undefeated and fights every May & September each year, his final bout under the Showtime banner would be September 2015… and a victory on that date would equal Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 professional record.

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