Top Stories Boxing

The latest boxing top stories and breaking news

Left-Hook Lounge: How Good is “GGG”?, Is Rios “Afraid” of Pacquiao?, & is Mike Perez a Heavyweight Threat?

perez784H. Barlow (Dallas, TX): Count me to the list of supporters behind GGG! I think the guy is amazing and I don’t see anyone at 160 or 168 who can stop him. Who do you think would give him the “most” trouble between 154 and 168?

Vivek W. (ESB): Before I get into GGG’s performance, I’d like to start by saying great effort by Curtis Stevens. I thought Stevens performed very well, although he hindered himself by only pressing in spurts. Easy to say from my living room couch, but the reality is that when he did move more and let his hands go, I thought he made the fight very interesting. He couldn’t sustain that effort, and most of that has to be credited to GGG. When you analyze GGG closer, you have to give him great absolute credit. One of the things that gave Curtis Stevens a problem all night was Golovkin’s ability to cut off the ring.

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Who You Calling A Coward?

alvarado11While having been brought up in a fight game active family, the massive respect I have for the MEN that enter the ring, on any level, comes only natural. To see how easily some fans blast proven fighters to the point of labeling them “cowards” only shows the little ring or in-deft boxing experience they actually have, if any at all. Fighters know THEMSELVES pretty well. It’s way past hypocritical when those that once praised his ‘Blood n’ Guts’ bravado in the past suddenly turn around and refer to him a ‘coward’ when he admits he’s ‘finished’ for the night and decides to fight another day.

A “coward”? It was probably the wisest decision the fighter or his corner made if we consider his health, family and future after his ring days are over. Hundreds fighters we’ve all admired, the kind that sometimes had to be saved from themselves, have passed away in conditions that would make the most hardened hearts cry. Many more barely exist in nursing homes, shelters, asylums… nobody visits nor offers them any help.

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Golovkin Punishes Stevens and Then Stops Him in the 8th Round

golovkin41Undefeated knockout artist, Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin punished Curtis “Showtime” Stevens over seven rounds before Stevens` head trainer and uncle, Andre Rozier saw enough and stopped the fight before the eight round began, preventing Stevens from receiving anymore punishment. Golovkin retained his World Boxing Association (“WBA”) and International Boxing Organization Middleweight Title for the ninth and sixth time respectively.

This fight took place in an almost sold out Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City, New York and was televised on HBO Boxing After Dark.

Golovkin controlled the action in this competitive bout but one that he outworked and out landed Stevens and demonstrated that he was the vastly superior boxer. He pressed the action throughout the fight and cut off the ring really well as he had Stevens on the ropes on several occasions where he landed a great deal of punishing shots.

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Barrera-Hamed: The fight that closed the show for “The Prince”

naseem553Back in April of 2001, “Prince,” Naseem Hamed, then sporting a perfect 35-0 record, faced “The Baby Faced Assassin,” Marco Antonio Barrera, then holding a 52-3 pro ledger in one of the biggest featherweight fights in recent history. What took place in the ring proved memorable.

The showdown, at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, was widely expected to provide another exciting knockout night for “Naz” – instead we saw a would-be great humbled almost to the point of retirement.

Who can forget the way Hamed, by now trained by the great Emanuel Steward, took so long in coming out of his dressing room for battle? A good fifteen or twenty minutes passed before Barrera, who had made his way to the ring with no fuss at all, was joined by the U.K superstar who was attempting to gain similar status in America. On the way to the ring, carried in as he was by a huge, sort of hoop/swing that held him aloft, Hamed was pelted by unimpressed fans, who threw beer over the deeply religious, non-drinking Muslim. The irony was not lost!

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Keith “One Time” Thurman: “I’m more than just a puncher”

_MG_0970Photo and video courtesy of Carlos Sacriste

Every fighter at the world class level gets tested, in which they’re forced to prove their mental and physical durability. It’s what truly separates the good from the elite.

Interim WBA Welterweight title holder Keith “One Time” Thurman was given that proverbial “trial by fire” in his last outing against hard punching Argentine Diego Chaves, and passed the toughest test of his professional career with flying colors.

On December 14th, in San Antonio, Texas, the 24 year old fighter insists that the boxing world will see even more from “One Time” when he steps in the ring with rugged fight veteran Jesus Soto Karass.

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Adrien “The Problem” Broner: “I want to apologize to everybody out there”

Adrien BronerWhile promoting his December 14th, Welterweight title defense against hard punching Argentine Marcos “El Chino” Maidana in San Antonio, Texas, Adrien “The Problem” Broner spent some time apologizing to his die-hard supporters and detractors alike for a shocking “ménage a trois” video that was leaked online earlier this week.

Video interview attached:

“It is what it is,” stated the 24 year old fighter. “I want to apologize to everybody out there. I didn’t leak it, but I just want to apologize.”

While the “X Rated” video has been the topic “du jour” on many internet fan sites, most die-hard boxing fans are much more anxious to hear how the undefeated pugilist plans to deal with a heavy handed and resilient fighter like the former IBF Junior Welterweight title holder.

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Golovkin vs. Stevens: Slugfest, Slaughter, or both?

!cid_2_963738041@web120201_mail_ne1_yahooGennandy Golovkin has taken America by storm shooting up the ladder of success faster than most of his opponents have lasted in his current streak of 14 straight knockouts.

Brooklyn native Curtis Stevens, who will be fighting close to home in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, has taken a much different path en route to get back on HBO after losing to Andre Dirrell his first time on the network.

The Las Vegas betting lines, boxing fans and media alike aren’t giving Stevens much of a chance besides as a puncher. Can you really blame them in a matchup that looks like a duck?

It seems like HBO is playing a dangerous game of trick or treat with triple G’s.

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Andre Ward vs. Edwin Rodriguez: Game on

ward1In the sport of boxing, the first shots of battle are often fired long before a single punch is ever thrown in the squared circle.  

On November 16th, two genuine “good guys” of the sport will tangle to decide 168 pound supremacy when universally recognized Super Middleweight Champion Andre “S.O.G.” Ward steps in the ring with undefeated contender Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez.   

Despite the positive and sportsmanlike reputation both combatants have garnered throughout their respective amateur and professional careers, an unexpected issue has worked its way into the pre-fight banter.  

During the first official press conference, which took place in Manhattan Beach, California, on September 28th, announcing the big Super Middleweight showdown, Rodriguez declared that he would indeed be participating in the “24/7/365” drug testing program administered by VADA, Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, and publicly challenged the historically outspoken anti-drug advocate to get involved with the same program before the date of their highly anticipated championship contest.

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Is Floyd Mayweather One of the Greatest Boxers of All Time?

004 Mayweather vv Canelo IMG_9669After Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr.`s (45-0, 26KOs) twelve round domination against Saul “Canalo” Alvarez last month, garnering the World Boxing Association and the World Boxing Council`s Light Middleweight Belts, his claim of being the best pound for pound pugilist of all time, gained even more credence.

He demonstrated in his last fight that it appears that there is no one in the world that can defeat him. The last 45 opponents tried and failed and none of them besides Jose Castillo, in their first fight, even came close to conquering Mayweather. Mayweather beat him in the rematch, leaving no doubt as to who was the better boxer. Money doesn`t just win bouts, he dominates them and takes the fight to his opponents, which is made all the more impressive when considering that he`s 36 years old, has been fighting for the last 17 years and often times is facing a younger and stronger opponent, as was the case with Alvarez.

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Left-Hook Lounge: Hopkins/Mayweather Legacy, Why We Won’t See Quillin/Rosado II, & Deontay Wilder’s Next Step!!!

hopkins-murat-results2Thomas W. (Conyers, GA): So many have buzzed about the legacy of Floyd Mayweather, but few in the sport give Hopkins the same respect. How would you compare the two legacies?

Vivek W. (ESB): Rather than comparing the legacies of these two men, I’d like to lay out the importance of why both legacies should be celebrated. In Floyd Mayweather, you have a man who managed to put together a level of dominance that remains unparalleled in nearly any sport. His bitter breakup with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum put him in an unfortunate situation where he wasn’t able to face certain fighters at the time; but there wasn’t a man outside of the Top Rank stable in his path who he didn’t face, and those he couldn’t face under Top Rank, he later faced away from Top Rank (Cotto & ODH). The only wildcard is Paul Williams, who decided to go north in weight when Mayweather took time off after facing Dela Hoya and Hatton. When you look at those he did face, you have a tally of close to 20 champions, and more than 10 bona fide Hall of Famer’s.

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