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The latest boxing top stories and breaking news

Malik Scott Speaks Out on Chisora Fight, Wilder and More

scott34Hey Malik, it’s been awhile. How are you doing bro?

I’m good bro, blessed and always be entertained by life.

In your last bout, you lost to Dereck Chisora by what many consider to be a controversial knockout. Talk about the impact that this loss has had on both your career and general psyche…

Well to start things off controversy or no controversy it was a good fight and Chisora officially won fair and square, whatever senseless acts that these referees or judges may do in these fights are not the fighters call, so it is what it is and that milk is spilled so no need to cry over it. As far as my psyche is concerned its better than it has ever been, I still believe I’m the best skilled heavyweight on the planet, I still look good, I have two beautiful, healthy kids that I’m crazy about and I can’t wait to get back in the ring to finish my mission to a heavyweight championship.

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Noah Zuhdi: In a Fight for Respect

zuhdi vajda picWhen WBU Lightweight Champion Noah Zuhdi (16-1, 12 KOs) steps in the ring against Hungarian challenger Gyula Vajda (12-3, 8 KOs) on August 24 at the Lucky Star Casino, he is not just fighting a sharp counterpuncher in his first title defense. He is fighting the litany of naysayers and people who subscribe to an archaic notion that a boxer has to be born and act a certain way in order to thrive in the sport.

We know what real fighters are. Fighters are not practicing lawyers or attorneys. Fighters do not start training in their twenties. Fighters do not grow up geographically and socioeconomically in middle America. And certainly real fighters do not video chat with a wife and infant son every night while in training camp. Yet, Zuhdi is and does all of these things, and he has fought his way to the fringes of boxing stardom.

“Nobody has to fight,” Zuhdi told Eastside before his bout with the tall and crafty Vajda. “No matter what your background is, no one has to get beat up like a boxer does or train as diligently as a boxer does.

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An Inside Look At Michael Oliveira

Michael Oliveira 81[1]Light Middleweight Contender, Michael “The Brazilian Rocky” Oliveira, (21-1, 16KOs), puts his career back on track after it was temporality derailed with his first professional loss to four-time, two division world champion, Brazilian icon, Accelino “Popo” Freitas, (39-2, 33KOs); by winning four consecutive bouts in which he garnered the vacant World Boxing Association (“WBA”) Fedebol Light Middleweight Title and the vacant World Boxing Counsel (“WBC”) Fecarbox Light Middleweight Title. He successfully defended these two straps, twice.

Oliveira, born in Sao Paulo, Brazil but moved to Miami, Florida when he was two weeks ago, is ranked number six by the WBC and number seven by the WBA. He looks to move up the ranking in his division, as he’s tentatively scheduled to fight, Omar “El Businessman” Chavez, (30-2-1, 22KOs), on October 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada, in an intriguing bout between two up and coming boxers.

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Anthony Mundine speaks on bout with Shane Mosley: “I’ve Gotta Be On My A Game”

mundine1Three time world champion Anthony “The Man” Mundine (44-5, 26 KOs) spoke with ‘Radio Ringside’ on SEN 1116 in Melbourne, Australia on Monday night to discuss his upcoming bout with future hall of famer “Sugar” Shane Mosley (47-8-1, 39 KOs) later this year.

Since venturing to the United States for the first time in his career last July to take on Bronco McKart, Mundine has made it clear that each fight going forward is to be a major contest.
Since this point he has remained true to his vision, with his first fight after the McKart bout a rematch of his 2009 classic with countryman Daniel Geale, for Geale’s IBF middleweight title. The bout saw Geale victorious via unanimous decision this January, to even the ledger between the two at one apiece. But the defeat hasn’t deterred Mundine’s quest for supremacy and to fight the biggest names possible in the sport, with the announcement of his bout with Mosley last week reaffirming his plans outlined last year.

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Kubrat Pulev vs. Tony Thompson – analysis and forecast

Pulev_ThompsonPhoto: Team Sauerland – It has been a long dry season for the heavyweight division and this is a fight that could stir interest on both sides of the ocean. The fight has a mandatory eliminator status and the winner should be in line to challenge Wladimir Klitschko for his IBF title.

Both fighters are roughly the same size, Thompson is an inch taller and has a two inch reach advantage, he was also 9 pounds heavier for his last fight at 259 while Pulev weighs around 250 lbs. Their styles are different as they come from a different boxing background and different boxing schools.

Tony “The Tiger“ Thompson has 41 fights on his record and obviously has more experience as a pro. He is also 9 years older but at 41 years of age this will not be an advantage. He is a good honest pro who had to go through the motions and wait for years for his opportunity. He fell short twice against W. Klitschko but the reason he is in the mix again is because he exposed David Price twice. Price used to be a decent amateur at least on paper but could not adapt to the longer professional bouts.Thompson has a typical pro style which is individual and instinctive, he improvises with his game and this makes him somewhat unpredictable. His greatest asset against Pulev will be his southpaw stance. It will make landing the orthodox jab hard and even dangerous and the jab has been Pulev‘s best weapon.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Vivek Wallace Speaks on Stevens vs GGG, Canelo’s Weight (Reason for Concern?), & Zab Judah!

stevens22Mark C. (Hollywood, FL): Looks like Curtis Stevens has talked his way into a showdown with GGG. I like Steven’s power and his heart. Do you think he can pull off the upset?

Vivek W.: When you have two heavy punchers like this, anything is possible. But I wouldn’t advise anyone to drop any ducats in the bucket! Sometimes in life we have to be careful what we wish for! I won’t go out on a limb and say, unequivocally, that Stevens loses. But when you examine things a bit closer, I really don’t know that his chances are as great as he may think. I love his confidence, and I think you have to respect a young lion in the sport who feels strong enough about his talent to not only call out the biggest star in his realm, but actually go forward with the plans to take him out. That being said, GGG has been in beast mode lately, and there’s really nothing major for Stevens to get out of this fight.

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Cleverly and Barker: Heartbreak In Wales, Tears Of Joy In Atlantic City!

IMAG0001What a rollercoaster night of emotions British boxing fans experienced last night! In Cardiff, Wales, unbeaten WBO light-heavyweight champ Nathan Cleverly was the victim of one of the most one-sided beat-downs seen, as the lethal-hitting monster that is Sergey Kovalev won by crushing yet at the same time seemingly effortless fashion.

Simply put, the fight was no contest from the start, as the Russian terror knocked the unbeaten Welshman senseless, to the point where the referee was all but holding Cleverly up at the end of that torrid 3rd-round. The slaughter should have been stopped then, as Cleverly was totally gone and seemed out of it as he sat on his stool. Cleverly actually appeared to come to in the corner and he was allowed out for the 4th. The inevitable was swift in coming, however.

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Sergey Kovalev vs. Nathan Cleverly – round by round breakdown of the fight

UEFA Women's Under 17's Draw(photo credit: Main Events) Sergey Kovalev has emerged as a force to be reckoned with and he is like a breath of fresh air. Fans like to see boxers winning decisively beyond doubt and leaving no room for controversy and politics. Kovalev did just that and perhaps established himself as a leading pay-per-view star. Here is a quick breakdown of his winning effort:

Round 1: Not much of initial probing and testing, the differences in their stances reflected the difference in their styles. Cleverly leaned a little forward most of the time smoothly shifting weight between offense and defense. Kovalev had a puncher’s stance and kept his weight on the back foot as a rule but shifted form foot to foot with punches. His footwork was much faster and sharper than Cleverly’s as was his hand speed. His superior range orientation allowed him to keep his guard low and the hands free for punching. His defense relied heavily on counter punching and reflex. He used the jab only as a range finder for his left hooks and right hands. Cleverly did not throw or land anything significant and this would become a worrying pattern for him.

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Jacobs, Quillin and Dirrell “Get In The Ring” To Knock Out Childhood Cancer, Obesity and Bullying

IMG_6465Yesterday, at the Starrett City Boxing Club in Brooklyn, the “Get In The Ring” foundation held its first ever awareness event. The charity targets childhood cancer, obesity and bullying and has been raising awareness since its inception earlier this year. Founder and cancer survivor Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs was joined by WBO middleweight champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin and super middleweight Anthony Dirrell.

Raffles were held to help raise money. With guests winning anything from signed boxing gloves, to a pair of tickets to see Jacobs fight Giovanni Lorenzno, August 19 at the Best Buy Theater in New York City.

“This feels better than the fight itself. I’m happy that a lot of people came out to support me,” Jacobs said. “I’m really trying to target some key issues in our community, so to know that people have my back means a lot to me.”

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The Top Heavyweights Of 21 Years Ago Vs. Today’s Top-10: Who Wins?

wladimir65How fit and healthy is today’s heavyweight division? Did we fight fans have a better time of it in previous decades, or are today’s big men holding up the “glamour division” in good stead?

Picking up an old issue of Ring Magazine recently, the August 1992 issue, I scanned the top-10 heavyweight rankings. A great bunch of fighters are listed on the page of that 21-year-old issue, that’s for sure – but would the likes of Holyfield, Lewis and Mercer have beaten the cream of today’s crop?

Read on and see what I think!

The heavyweight top-10: Ring Magazine, August issue 1992 VS. Today’s heavyweight top-10: Ring Magazine

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