Kovalev vs. Agnew & Dulorme vs. Mayfield: The Return of the Crusher and bigger fights await the winner of the co-feature matchup

03/28/201403/28/2014 Chris Carlson

Photo by Rich Graessle/Main Events – This Saturday night’s HBO Doubleheader marks the return of knockout artist Sergey Kovalev, who crushed his way to the top of the light heavyweight division in 2013. His opponent is Cedric Agnew, a fighter who is both undefeated and untested.

The co-feature pits a fighter who recently reached contender status, Karim Mayfield against Thomas Dulorme, a former prospect to be reckoned with now trying to find his way back to the big leagues after his T.K.O. loss to Carlos Abregu.

Cedric Agnew and his sterling record of 26-0 with 13 KO’s, certainly looks the part to a person who just happens to be at home, channel surfing right around the time the ring announcer is giving introductions.

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Froch vs. Groves II: The Controversial Stoppage and Rematch Prediction

03/27/201403/27/2014 Enlightened-One

We won’t have to wait too long before we witness the rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves, May 31st to be exact, which is being staged at a sold-out 80,000 capacity Wembley Stadium. So I thought I’d provide my own view of the controversial ending of their first encounter and also express an opinion on the likely outcome of the rematch itself.

Just to be clear, when reviewing the first fight, I believe that George Groves had a comfortable lead on the scorecards, despite whatever the official scorecards claimed, and also thought that the ref’s stoppage was premature. However, I’m convinced that this was a classic case of one punch too soon or one punch too late. I feel that Groves put the referee in a difficult situation by not defending himself effectively when he was on the receiving end of Froch’s relentless onslaught.

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Marvelous? Marvin Hagler is not so sure about Floyd Mayweather and his legacy if he doesn’t face Pacquiao, Khan

03/26/201403/26/2014 James Slater

As great and as talented as he is, with many achievements having glorified him during his unbeaten career, has Floyd Mayweather Junior really fought the best opposition he could have faced throughout his time at the top? One man who argues that he himself did just that, in former long reigning middleweight king Marvellous Marvin Hagler, also suggest that Mayweather has not taken on all comers.

In an interview with Mail Online, 59-year-old Hagler, who was part of a golden era that also featured greats Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard, said people will question Mayweather’s willingness to have taken on the best opposition he could have done if he walks away having not fought Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Bradley vs Pacquiao “Face-Off”, Why Golovkin Chose Chavez, Not Andre Ward, and Maidana Fight Strategy!!!

03/24/2014 Vivek Wallace

Steve N. (Reseda, CA): Bradley vs Pacquiao’s “Face-Off” on HBO seemed very intense. Who did you give the mental edge too (based on what we saw)? And who do you think has more to prove given the way things turned out before?

Vivek W. (ESB): I found this particular episode of “Face-Off” to be easily the most compelling of all. I think the episode gave us a strong indication of the pure mindset hidden deep within the dome of both competitors. I thought it was very raw, very intense, and for lack of better words, very unscripted. One thing for sure, there will be no questions remaining in the end this time around, as neither man seems to be willing to give an inch, yet both appear ready to step forward and forcibly take a yard, so to speak! With a few notes in hand and a mind full of contrasting thoughts, my best analysis on what we witnessed would go a little something like this:

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Trainer Joe Goossen examines Vanes Martirosyan’s performance on FNF

03/23/201403/22/2014 Joseph Herron

Last night at the Morongo Resort and Casino in Cabazon, California, Junior Middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan (34-1-1, 21 KOs) took home the WBO Intercontinental title after winning a wide unanimous decision over tough fringe contender Mario Lozano (28-5, 22 KOs).

After ten rounds of action dominated by the speed and accurate punching of the Armenian born fighter, the judges rendered three shut-out score cards that read 100-90 across the board.

Despite the seemingly effortless performance against the hard punching and granite chinned Mexican fighter, veteran trainer Joe Goossen assessed his new pupil’s first fight competing under the Goossen Tutor promotional banner, which was broadcast in the main event of ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights”.

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Deontay Wilder: “Malik wasn’t fighting his friend, he was fighting the Bronze Bomber”

03/20/201403/20/2014 Joseph Herron

In what was supposed to be his toughest test to date according to most boxing pundits and fight experts, WBC Heavyweight title challenger Deontay Wilder destroyed 13 year fight veteran Malik Scott in just 96 seconds this past Saturday night in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

The “Bronze Bomber” took care of business with a cracking left hook/straight right hand combination that suddenly floored his 33 year old opponent midway through the opening stanza of the scheduled twelve round contest. Although the experienced boxer/puncher attempted to reach his feet before the referee’s final count, Scott failed to show signs of an ability to continue and was counted out by the third man in the ring.

But as quickly as the Tuscaloosa, Alabama native finished the job, fight fans and boxing scribes everywhere began to tarnish his dominant KO performance with sentiments of corruption, regurgitating the idea that the proud Philadelphia born pugilist and fringe contender “took a dive”.

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Boxing 411: “Mayweather vs. Maidana” analysis with Jesse James Leija

03/19/201403/18/2014 Joseph Herron

Last week, Boxing 411 caught up with two time world champion and talented young fight promoter Jesse James Leija to analyze the upcoming super fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Marcos Maidana, which is slated to be broadcast on Showtime PPV on May3rd, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The knowledgeable fight trainer and former world champion recognizes the gifts that both fighters will bring to the ring and examines the tumultuous fight style of “El Chino” Maidana versus the seemingly impervious defensive technique of “Money” Mayweather.

“I expect to see a great, great fight on May 3rd and a tough, tough fight for both fighters,” observes the budding young boxing promoter. “Mayweather brings intelligence, speed, and experience to the ring, and Maidana is so brutally tough that he’ll give you everything you can handle on fight night.”

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Traietti and McLaughlin KO their opponents

03/18/201403/17/2014 James Stillerman

Iraq War Veteran, Chris Traietti landed a devastating right hook at Bryan Dailey who went down quickly and was unable to beat the ten count as the referee stopped the bout at 1:43 in the first round of this scheduled six round cruiserweight bout, giving Traietti the knockout victory.

These fights were presented by Big Six Entertainment at the Royale Night Club in Boston, Massachusetts.

“Dailey is a big strong fighter who throws a lot of punches but has a porous defense, so I allowed him to come after me and patiently waited for a perfect opening and when I saw it, I went after it and knocked him out quickly,” said Traietti. “I was pleased with my performance.”

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Broner and Khan on Mayweather Jr. vs. Maidana Undercard?

07/31/201403/17/2014 Vitali Shaposhnikov

The ability to consistently break his own PPV record is something that only Floyd Mayweather Jr. seems to be capable of doing in the sport of boxing nowadays.

Not only is a Mayweather Jr. fight guaranteed to deliver extraordinary PPV numbers and an impressive performance by Floyd, but his name is a draw for any and all other fighters to compete for a spot on his undercard.

When Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his next rival Marcos Maidana enter the ring to face each other on May 3rd in Las Vegas, Nevada, all of the seats in the arena will likely be occupied. Knowing that, is there another level in success for Mayweather Jr.? Seems like filling the seats long before the main event would be pretty unusual, and an achievement in itself.

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Tyson Fury-Dereck Chisora II official for July 26th in Manchester

03/17/2014 James Slater

It has just been made official how British heavyweights Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora will meet in a rematch of their 2011 clash on July 26th. The rematch, which will be an official WBO final eliminator, will take place in Manchester at The Phones 4U Arena.

BoxNation TV channel in the UK will show the fight live.

25-year-old Fury, unbeaten at 22-0(16) out-pointed 30-year-old Chisora, 20-4(13) three years ago, but Chisora was carrying excess weight and “Del Boy” has promised he will be in tip-top shape this time. Both men want a shot at Wladimir Klitschko and a win on July 26th will take either man a big step closer to that.

Fury-Chisora II has been dubbed “The Fight for The Right.”

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