Golovkin / Macklin: Will Matthew behave like a good boy?

735When Gennady Golovkin and Matthew Macklin made their HBO debut both exceeded expectations. Golovkin needed only 5 rounds to dispose of Grzegorz Proksa while Macklin showed his worth pushing Lineal Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez proving his draw versus the aging Felix Sturm, which many believe he won, was no fluke. Has Golovkin been prematurely crowned a king of a division? Does Macklin have what it takes as a +650 underdog to pull off the upset? Answers to those questions will come Saturday night with the fans ultimately winning in what should be an entertaining fight.

The day he stepped foot in America and on the premium channel giant HBO, the fighter who goes by the alias “Triple G” made his presents felt in a major way. Golovkin catapulted himself near the top in the minds of hardcore boxing fans across the world, in less time than it takes the average person to say Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin’s full name.

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Gennady Golovkin vs. Matthew Macklin – Preview

738On the 29th of June, Matthew Macklin will be handed his third attempt at the professional fighter’s ultimate prize in challenging WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin. Although there are considerably more avenues to take than days gone by, even consideration for a shot at a World Title lets you know you’re on the right path.

Macklin has the experience of the big occasion, few come bigger than the opportunity for an ‘Irishman’ to face lb for lb great Sergio Martinez on St Patricks day at Madison Square Garden.

A fight Macklin lost, but maintained stock after a good showing even forcing the champion to touch down in the 8th round. Preceding the Martinez fight, Macklin dropped a hugely controversial decision to hometown champion Felix Sturm. A faded Sturm, a solid champion in his own right seemed a little gun shy and overwhelmed by the pace set by Macklin. Although he came on strong late on, I scored the fight in Macklin’s favour as did the majority of media members at ringside. Macklin’ had every right to feel aggrieved and who knows? Maybe third time will be a ‘charm’ for the ‘Irishman’.

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Willie Nelson: The Fighter

436Rising light middleweight contender, Willie “The Great” Nelson (20-1-1, 12KOs) is a born fighter who knows how to battle adversity and come back stronger. As a young child, he survived on the tough streets of East Cleveland, Ohio without any parents, who were dealing with substance abuse issues, living with one family member after another, until his older sister, Raviele took custody of him, when she was only 17 years old. Even after Raviele became Nelson`s guardian, life was still extremely difficult, as they struggle daily to make ends meet.

“I owe a great deal of my success in life to Raviele who sacrificed her life, so that she could take care of me and my younger siblings and that is why every time I step into the ring, I’m not only boxing for myself but I’m also fighting for my four children and my siblings,” said Nelson. “God only know where I would be in life if Raviele didn’t take custody of me, but I know I wouldn’t be where I’m, if it was not for her.”

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Broner/Malignaggi, Khan, Maidana, Rios & More!

broner0009Jamison G. (Hollywood, FL): I thought Adrien Broner’s performance was pretty average. I don’t see the hype in him at all. How did you rate his performance overall last Saturday night?

Vivek W. (ESB): Seems fight fans around the globe are pretty quick to swing on that proverbial ‘pendulum’ for a fighter, be it for the positive or the negative. When a fighter knocks someone out, that person instantly becomes the “new” KO artist. When a fighter is knocked out, that person instantly becomes an “exposed” fighter. Many compare Broner to Mayweather. Others say Mayweather’s the last person in the world he needs to be compared to, as he simply isn’t that good in their mind. Those two widely contrasting perspectives would symbolize precisely why I don’t like to get caught up in the hype, as the truth is always somewhere in between…..not to the extremes that supporters, as well as haters pursue.

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Paulie Malignaggi vs. Adrien Boner: Epilogue

malig56Earlier during Fight week, Floyd Mayweather Sr was asked about the comparisons being made between Floyd Jr and Adrien Broner, to these Floyd Sr responded ‘Broner gets hit too much’. Fast forwarding to the fight Saturday night, it was evident Malignagi’s gameplan was to outwork Broner who’s known as a conservative puncher in the Mayweather mold. Not a big puncher Malignaggi who’s 30+ fights have recorded only 7 KO’s, the Brooklyn natives best chance of winning would be his toughness and workrate.

As the fight progressed, early rounds that Malignaggi was able to put in the bank with a high activity rate were replaced during the middle rounds with Broner’s pinpoint power punching capturing rounds for the 135lb champ. Paulie though losing was still able to land on Broner but with limited effect. In the end the fight was a very fan friendly, exciting contest and a rematch is probably in order.

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Plenty To Talk About After Broner-Malignaggi Scrap

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Judging by the number of comments ESB readers have been posting with regards to last night’s 12-round SD win Adrien Broner scored over Paulie Malignaggi, the fans have plenty to say and discuss about the fight and the whole event. Firstly, Broner, the new WBA welterweight champ, has further alienated many fans with his crass behaviour, both in and out of the ring – hitting on the break, disrespectful showboating and, worst of all, kicking during the action – and “The Problem” shows no signs of ever earning the respect of many of these fans.

Last night’s split decision, which came as quite a shock, especially to those “experts” who “knew” Broner would KO Malignaggi, has also caused some talk. Broner deserved the win, but what would have happened if referee Benjy Esteves had taken a point or two away from Broner for his many infringements? Can Malignaggi, who said he felt the fight was close and could have gone either way, be justified in complaining over how the split decision handed in by the three judges didn’t wind up being a draw or even a win for him? (had a point been taken away from Broner for his classless kicking stunt, Malignaggi would have got a draw on two cards, thus retaining his belt and scoring a major upset to the Broner applecart.)

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Broner decisions Malignaggi; Bika tops Periban; Mitchell defeats Banks

broner45499Adrien Broner (27-0, 22 KO’s) defeated WBA welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi (32-5, 7 KO’s) by a 12 round split decision at the on Saturday night to win his WBA title at the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, USA. The judges had it 115-113, 117-111 for Broner, and 115-113 for Malignaggi.

You can make an argument that the fight should have been scored a draw, as Broner did little in the first 5 rounds of the fight other than covering up in the turtle shell defense.

Broner failed to set himself apart from Malignaggi in terms of talent in this fight because he just didn’t work hard enough.

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Caleb Truax Stops “Da Bomb” in the Sixth Round

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There’s been a bit of a drought in Minnesota when it comes to victories on the big stage. For a while there, it seemed like it would never happen. ESPN2 analyst and famous trainer Teddy Atlas reminded fans right away of that fact. He has a habit of pointing out what he thinks might be padded records. In Caleb “Golden” Truax’s case, Teddy explained that most of Caleb’s victories took place in his own backyard. It wasn’t hard to figure out what he was implying. He further explained that Caleb blew his big chance against Jermain Taylor on 4-20-12 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Except for a ninth round knockdown of Taylor, Caleb was pretty much shutout. Caleb 22-1-1 (13KOs) was determined to not let that bad memory repeat itself.

Caleb managed to get Don “Da Bomb” George 24-3-2 (21KOs) in trouble right away in the first round. Caleb quickly figured out George was not a counter puncher, and didn’t use his legs much for anything other than moving straight ahead. Consequently, Caleb started teeing off. He was using a hard jab to set things up and then pounded in with good three punch combinations. George’s idea of a guard was easily exploited by Caleb. The 29 yr old kid from Osseo, MN didn’t have to rely on his college degree to realise he could slam shots right into George’s guard without retaliation.

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ESPN2 Friday Night Fights Recap from Minneapolis

In what was a shorter than expected main event IBF Title Eliminator from the Minneapolis Convention Center which was broadcasted by Espn2 and Espn Deportes. Rances Barthelemy scored a 2nd round knockout with shots the body that put Fahsai Sakkreerin on the floor for the full 10 count. Fortunately Sakkreerin was able to get up after a being tended to by the ringside doctor.

Rances controlled the 1st round with lead left hooks and counter right uppercuts on the inside. Fahsai landed his left early in the round but Barthelemy’s ability to roll his punches enabled him to land anything clean.

In the second round Barthelemy stuck his long jab in Fahsai’s face than followed it up with solid shots to the body and head. The fighters exchange body shots a few times in a row but it was Rances bigger, more accurate shots that ended the night. The win moves Barthelemy’s record to a perfect 19-0(12Ko) and puts him in prime position in the IBF rankings.

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Broner vs. Malignaggi: Does Adrien believe in Magic?

006MalignaggiandBronerIMG_0010I can’t recall another fight in recent years that had so much 2 way trash talk leading up to the event. If the fight lives up to even 50% of the hype that got very personal at times, we could see both men fighting with some extra emotion in the ring this Saturday from Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center. This fight isn’t a PPV but you would never guess from the buzz that it has created even with Adrien Broner being a huge favorite at the sportsbooks.

Will Paulie be able push Broner the way Ponce De Leon and Fernando Quintero did? Or will the pre fight presser’s be the only thing we remember about this fight that could be downright boring?

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