David Price – Typical British Heavyweight?

02/25/201302/25/2013 ESB

price#2 By Barry Freeman

So it’s happened.

David Price (15-1-0), arguably the most exciting British Heavyweight prospect since Audley Harrison, has suffered his first defeat. Like so many British Heavyweights before him Price was saved by the referee from punishment at the hands of an American.

Tony Thompson’s (36-3-0) crunching right hand put the first blemish on Price’s ledger as referee Steve Gray had no choice but to stop the fight after Price bravely managed to beat the count but couldn’t regain control of his legs to satisfy the referee that he wouldn’t suffer further punishment. So is he to join the long list of British Heavyweights who couldn’t quite make the step and at one point prevented us from having a Heavyweight Champion for nearly 100 years?

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Floyd Mayweather Jr – I think he’s got it!

09/15/201602/25/2013 ESB

by Paul Strauss: Over the years, Floyd has been the brunt of a lot of criticism. Some have criticized him for the careful management of his career, which is a nice way of saying he’s avoided certain fighters, because they might prove damgerous. He also has been criticized for his style of boxing. Many consider it a less than fan friendly. A translation would be he’s not willing to take chances, which means less excitement for the fans. He is often methodical and calculating, setting his opponent up, willing to win by decision. He also has been criticized for engaging in double talk, having at times given the impression (leaked misinformation) he was planning to do this or that, only to later deny having said any such thing. And, of course he has been strongly criticized for allegedly being involved in soap opera like episodes outside of the ring ranging in everything from shootings to charges of abuse and assault. Apparently our legal system felt there was some truth to these allegations, because, he was incarcerated for a short time.

In recent months, those types of criticism have quieted, primarily because he has remained out of the limelight. There have been rumors about him possibly fighting this fighter, or that fighter especially come this May. However, until recently those rumors haven’t been much more than that, rumors. That has changed. Now contracts have been signed by him and Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero. Out of all this manuevering and intrigue, Mayweather has made something clear. He stated unequivacably that he will not fight Manny, unless Manny avenges his two most recent losses. Those of course were to Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez (JMM). The first one was a controversial decision loss to Bradley. Everyone knows Pacquiao won that fight, but the fact remains, on paper Bradley got the “W”. The second loss was the unbelievable kayo he suffered at the hands of JMM in their fourth fight.

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Audley Harrison stops Rossy, Wins Prizefighter Heavyweights tourney

02/24/201302/23/2013 ESB

By Jeff Sorby: Former 2000 Olympic gold medalist Audley Harrison (31-6, 22 KO’s) found the fountain of youth tonight in winning the heavyweight Prizefighter tournament by stopping American Derric Rossy (27-6, 14 KO’s) in the 2nd round at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, in London, United Kingdom.

Harrison stopped Rossy in the 2nd round after drilling him with a left hand that put him down in a delayed reaction. Rossy was also dropped in the 1st round by a left hand from Harrison. Before making it to the finals, Rossy had beaten Ian Lewison and Travis Walker by close three round decisions by landing shots and then smothering them so that they couldn’t get their own shots off. But against Harrison, Rossy was out of his element due to Harrison’s accurate left hand punching.

He wasn’t bothered by Rossy’s head movement, crouching style or his attempts to come forward to clinch and throw punches. Harrison was able to catch Rossy over and over again with lefts when he would try to initiate.

In Harrison’s other two fights in the tourney, he stopped Claus Bertino in the 1st with a hard left hand, and he beat Martin Rogan by a lopsided three round decision.

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David Price vs Tony Thompson Weigh-in Video; Price Keen To Outdo The Klitschkos

02/22/201302/22/2013 ESB

By Phil Barnett, Press Association Sport (@barnettoPA) – David Price wants to send a message to the Klitschko brothers by hammering former world title challenger Tony Thompson in style tomorrow.

The 6ft 8in Liverpool heavyweight has his long-term sights set on a clash with either WBC champion Vitali or his brother Wladimir, who holds the WBA, IBF and WBO belts.

First however, the unbeaten Price faces a step up in class against American veteran Thompson, who has lost twice to Wladimir in the past.

The British champion knows he can make a statement to the world by beating Thompson even more impressively than Klitschko, who needed 11 rounds to stop the Washington man in 2008 and six in July last year.

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Lamont Peterson vs. Kendall Holt Preview and Predictions and Weigh-In Video

02/22/201302/21/2013 ESB

by Chip Mitchell, Robert Uzzell, and Crystal Hamlin: Friday Night Fights returns to Washington, DC as World No. 6 ranked (No. 3 IBF) Kendall “Rated R” Holt, (28-5, 16 KOs) tries to dethrone IBF Light Welterweight champ Lamont “Havoc” Peterson (30-1, 15 KOs) in the main event. The card is billed as “Redemption: Lamont Peterson vs. Kendall Holt”.

Peterson
Lamont Peterson hasn’t fought in the past 14 months, but is coming off a huge, albeit controversial win against Amir Khan. He will enter the bout with Holt winning 3 of his last 4, with a draw against Victor Ortiz mixed in.

Holt
Kendall Holt is coming off of a 12 month layoff. Holt has also won 3 of his last 4, with a split decision loss to World No. 2 ranked (WBA/WBC champion) Danny Garcia.

Common Opponent
Both fighters entered the ring to face Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley in 2009. Holt fought Bradley earlier in the year and almost ended it early with a hook in the first round. He dropped Bradley again in the 12th, but didn’t do enough and lost a decision.

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Tyson Fury-Steve Cunningham: No Easy Assignment For Tyson’s U.S Debut

02/21/201302/21/2013 ESB

fury67 By James Slater: Tyson Fury already enjoys at least something approaching a decent profile in America today, and now the 20-0(14) giant is bursting with anticipation over his American debut. U.S fight fans who have already formed an opinion of the 24-year-old (most of them through seeing his recent fights, against American imports Vinny Maddalone and Kevin Johnson, on Wealth T.V) will get to see Fury in the flesh on April 20th – at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York, no less.

Fury deserves credit for the quality foe he and his team have accepted for his U.S debut, too. Former IBF cruiserweight champ Steve “U.S.S” Cunningham may be 36-years-old and he may have picked up just a single heavyweight win since moving up from 200-pounds; yet most fans who saw the Philadelphian’s recent, Dec. 2012 clash with another former cruiser champ, in Tomasz Adamek, feel Cunningham deserved the points victory. In a rematch of their 2008 thriller, Cunningham lost a debatable 12-round split decision. Cunningham, 25-5(12) was disgusted with the result.

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Mayweather vs Guerrero: May 4th and Why People Still Love Boxing

02/21/201302/21/2013 ESB

By Julius Stecker: Boxing has always been the one sport that has separated itself from all others. There is a reason why you will have a boxing movie every 4 or 5 up for an Academy Award. Why do people still love Rocky? Why did people care about Micky Ward? Why do people still talk about Buster Douglas beating Mike Tyson? The reasons are not because of jabs, left hooks, hand speed, and or defense. The explanations for this are boxing provides us with the ultimate life metaphor.

It grants us with the underdog and the survival stories, it gives us the drama of one of one combat, and it provides for the individual who participates in it a legacy to remember and possible great financial reward. May 4th will give us all of this and more. We will have a prohibitive underdog in Robert the Ghost Guerrero. Guerrero’s personal family struggle with the scourge of cancer will not leave a dry eye in the building, once the world finds out what they had to go through to get this opportunity.

It will have perhaps the greatest prize fighter (Floyd Mayweather Jr.) of the last 25 years involved. He will be attempting to continue on his stellar legacy and once again send another challenger back to where he came, while keeping his undefeated record. The event could have the best undercard match-up of the last decade. Canelo Alvarez, perhaps boxing’s brightest young budding star, will possibly be taking on boxing’s most underrated champion Austin Trout in a Jr. Middleweight unification bout.

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Andrew Golota returns to face Przemyslaw Saleta

09/15/201602/21/2013 Geoffrey Ciani

by Geoffrey Ciani – Andrew Golota is a poster boy for unfulfilled potential in boxing. His unique adventures through the heavyweight rankings were interesting, unpredictable, and sometimes downright bizarre—and apparently his journey is not yet finished. This Saturday, 45 year old Golota (41-8-1, 33 KOs) will step inside the squared circle for the first time in more than three years when he is pitted against fellow Pole, Przemyslaw Saleta (43-7, 21 KOs). Saleta himself turns 45 this March and has not seen action in over seven years, effectively rendering this into a pick’em fight between two old war horses both absent from the battlefield for quite some time.

The boxing history books will show that Golota was unsuccessful in four bids for portions of the heavyweight crown, one against each of the four major sanctioning alphabet organizations. These were bookended by devastating first round knockout losses at the hands of Lennox Lewis (WBC) in October 1997 and Lamon Brewster (WBO) in May 2005. In between he had a solid showing in a twelve round draw against Christ Byrd (IBF) in April 2004, and followed that up with a good account of himself in a somewhat controversial loss against John Ruiz (WBA) that November. Even though he failed to secure a title belt in ‘04, many observers felt that Golota did well enough to deserve a victory in both contests.

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Ricky Burns vs. Miguel Vazquez WILL take place on March 16th

02/20/201302/20/2013 ESB

la foto Photo: Vazquez with manager and trainer Javier Capetillo holding a signed bout agreement

By Jeff Sorby: Contrary to the news that came out yesterday about IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez saying a fight between him and WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns isn’t a done deal for March 16th, Frank Warren Promotions, the promoter for Burns, is saying the fight is going to take place on that date.

East Side Boxing has obtained an a signed letter of acceptance from Vazquez’s promoter Juan Carlos Torres of Zanfer Promotions that confirms the agreement for the Burns-Vazquez fight on March 16th. The acceptance was signed on January 10th, 2013.

East Side Boxing also obtained an e-mail from Torres to Frank Warren Promotions matchmaker Dean Powell on January 10th that confirms the fight four days prior to Mr. Warren announcement of the fight in a press conference in London.

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Malik Scott: “I’m in awesome shape and I’m ready to go put my hands on Glazkov this week”

02/20/201302/20/2013 ESB

Exclusive Interview by Charles C. White

How’s it going Malik?

What’s up bro? Everything is great. I’m in awesome shape and I’m ready to go put my hands on Glazkov this week.

So you’re scheduled to fight Vyacheslav Glazkov on February 23rd. How are your preparations going ahead of this bout?

My preparation for this fight was very intensely simple if you understand what I mean by that. But if you don’t, what it mean is whatever hurt the most I did the most. Everything that is considered a so-called weakness of mine I did it repetitiously until all the jagged edges was smoothed out. The product is done and now I cannot wait for the world to see “King” Scott this upcoming Saturday.

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