Klitschko dominates Povetkin in dull fight

wlad6778IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (61-3, 51 KO’s) should consider himself lucky that he wasn’t disqualified tonight for the clinching and pushing he did en route to beating WBA heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (26-1, 18 KO’s) by a boring 12 round unanimous decision at the Olimpiyskiy, in Moscow, Russia. Wladimir held more than he usually does for his fights, which is hard to believe and he was shoving Povetkin to the canvas and getting away with it until the 11th round when referee Luis Pabon took 1 point away from Wladimir.

Wladimir put Povetkin down 4 times during the fight and seemingly had him ready to be stopped in the 7th after he knocked him down 3 times in the round, but unfortunately spent the remainder of the jabbing and clinching rather than looking to finish off a tired Povetkin. Wladimir’s first knockdown of Povetkin came in the 2nd when he hit him with a left hook to the head that sent him stumbling backwards to the canvas.

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Klitschko vs. Povetkin vs. Apathy

wladimir2How many people who don’t frequent boxing websites are aware that the Heavyweight Championship of the World will be contested mid-day Saturday? The prize once regarded as the greatest in all of sport will be on the line when Wladimir Klitschko faces Alexander Povetkin in Moscow, Russia. Beyond the traditional significance attached to such an event, another element adds even greater intrigue to the story: history. As Klitschko adds days and numbers to his impressive time as champion he more securely solidifies his place among the sport’s greats.

But, again, who will notice?

If HBO’s Saturday fight schedule were a theatrical production, this heavyweight fight would be nothing but the supporting cast member—resting in the shadow of aging star, Miguel Cotto.

But is it really the case that no one cares; or is it simply that Americans don’t care? Wladimir and his brother Vitali have no problem selling out arenas in Europe. They are loved in their native home of Ukraine and their adopted home of Germany.

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Ward vs. Rodriguez – Ringside with Raymundo: The Return

ward453434 Just off the I-10 freeway in Southern California stands an electric-powered billboard that flashes images of upcoming events, and in-between promoting an upcoming Cher concert and the inaugural game for the Ontario Reign minor league hockey team is an advertisement that simply states, ‘The Return’, with a picture of the consensus No. 2 fighter in the world, Andre Ward, and the date of November 16.

The Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California will be the venue for ‘The Return’ of the fighter who is the closest ranked to the No. 1 boxer in the world in Floyd Mayweather Jr.

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Scott Quigg and co make weight for Carpe Diem O2 bill

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WBA Regular Super Bantamweight Champion Scott Quigg (26(19)-0-1) on Friday weighed in at 8stone 9lbs and 9oz ahead of his first world title defence against undefeated Cuban Yoandris Salinas (20(13)-0-1) this Saturday at the O2, London. The challenger weighed in at 8stone 9lbs and 12oz.

Quigg was recently elevated to WBA regular champion after winning the interim title last November in a career best performance against fellow Brit Rendall Munroe. The champion however, refuses to acknowledge his new found status, insisting that nothing has been won as of yet.

“I’ll win this fight and that’s when I’ll become world champion,”said Quigg in an interview with Sky Sports. “Nobody wants to win a world title outside of the ring. I want to win this title in the ring against a good opponent.”

And that is what Quigg has in the form of Salinas. The Cuban is undefeated as a professional and is reported to have had over 300 amateur contests, including a victory over Chinese superstar Zou Shiming.

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Cotto vs. Rodriguez: Can Delvin derail Cotto’s big plans in 2014?

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This Saturday night Miguel Cotto makes his 2013 debut when he faces the crafty vet Delvin Rodriguez from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. The odometer’s of each fighter is at the tip of everyone’s tongue when discussing this fight and possible outcomes.

Will either have enough left in the tank to make it competitive or at the very least entertaining? Both fighters are clearly past their prime but skill will ultimately rule the day.

Miguel Cotto is one of the best and most liked fighters of his generation. Haven fought the who’s who of names ranging from the 140 pound division all the way up to junior middleweight, giving us thrilling drama on the way.

Naturally a left hander, Cotto fights out of an orthodox stance, building his legend with one of the best jabs in the business and a left hook to the body that has left many of his opponents day dreaming about a cold bath mid fight.

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Earnie Shavers: Pure Power, Pure Punching, Pure Passion

shavers643277Having just read another article on heavyweight punching legend Earnie Shavers (this fascinating piece on Ringtv.com), I wanted to put up my own piece on “The Acorn,” a man who was once dubbed “The Puncher of The Century.”

I’ve had the privilege of speaking with the 1970’s and early ’80’s heavyweight terror a number of times and here he kindly lists for me his top-three all-time heavyweight punchers; as well as telling me how he feels he would have done – in his pure-punching, zinging prime – against fellow legends, Tyson, Foreman, Liston and today’s kings, the Klitschkos.

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Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin sell out the Olympic arena in Moscow

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Apparently their heavyweight championship fight on October 5 will do very well at the gate as all 14 000 seats have been sold out. Tickets ranging from 90 EUR/120 US$ to 6665 EUR/9000 US$ were no longer available at the end of last week. The fight set one financial record already when Russian promoter Vladimir Hryunov bid $23,333,330 to stage the fight and outbid more than three times K2 Promotions and Sauerland Event.

Two Olympic champions in the ring should always mean a great match unless one of them is called Audley Harrison. In this case one of the champs is unbeaten while the other has three KO defeats on his record. Ironically the unbeaten Povetkin is the underdog in this fight. His last outing against a serious opponent – the cruiser weight champion Marco Huck (Muamer Hukić) – did not leave a good impression. He out boxed and out punched Huck easily but his shape was substandard and his conditioning betrayed him in the championship rounds. Only his amateur boxing skills and survival instincts helped him hear the final bell when he barely stood on his feet and fell into the arms of his corner right after the bell. After this spurious performance Povetkin boosted up his confidence with two early KO wins against softer opposition – a faded Hasim Rahman and a Polish heavyweight by the name of Andrzej Wawrzyk.

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“Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag”: Chavez Jr. at 168, Cotto’s Last Dance? & Khan’s Pursuit of Mayweather!!!

floyd7773Marco G. (Miami Lakes, FL): I’m a Chavez Jr. fan, but I was totally disgusted with the outcome of the fight! I’m beyond entertaining the thought of what our sport can do to fix this criminal activity. But I would like to know how you think he will perform at 168lbs?

Vivek W. (ESB): I think the pending move to 168lbs will demonstrate that it’s both a curse and a blessing, as all positive effects of this move will be nullified by the reality it brings. When we look at his past fights, Chavez Jr. has shown what some view to be a “very good chin”. But few stop to actually question whether or not this has anything to do with the fact that he’s taking shots from men who are naturally much smaller.

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Adonis Stevenson vs. Tavoris Cloud: “Superman will be looking for the knock-out!”

Adonis Stevenson vs Tavoris CloudOn Saturday, September 28th, from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the lineal Light Heavyweight Champion, Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (21-1, 18 KOs) will defend his Ring Magazine and WBC belts against former IBF titlist Tavoris “Thunder” Cloud (24-1, 19 KOs) as part of a sure to be action filled “Double Header” on HBO Championship Boxing.

While many ringside observers are predicting the highly anticipated match-up to go the distance, due to the mental and physical durability of the title challenger, Stevenson’s trainer, Javan “Sugar” Hill, warns everyone not to blink when the opening bell sounds.

“With Adonis, you just never know how long the fight will be,” claims the Kronk Gym trainer. “Because of his massive power, you really don’t know if the fight will go twelve rounds, six rounds, or just 76 seconds.”

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Wilder vs. Firtha on Hopkins-Murat card next month

003WildervictoryIMG_3358Unbeaten KO artist Deontay Wilder will face experienced big guy Nicolai Firtha in his next pro outing, on the Bernard Hopkins-Karo Murat under-card at The Barclays Centre New York on October 26th.

Wilder, 29-0(29) is coming off that scary 1st-round destruction of former WBO heavyweight titlist Serhai Liakhovich and it will be interesting to see if he can keep his KO streak going against the 34-year-old who is both big and game.

Firtha, 21-10-1(8) is not a top-rated contender and his record is somewhat patchy, yet he has been in with some big names and acquitted himself well. Since being stopped (arguably prematurely) in the 5th-round by Tyson Fury in what was a sizzling slugfest while it lasted, Firtha has dropped a 12-round decision to Johnathon Banks (who went on to ruin Seth Mitchell via 2nd-round stoppage, before Banks lost the return via forgettable 12-round snoozer) and won a stay-busy six-rounder against Robert Hawkins.

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