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The latest boxing top stories and breaking news

Redemption: Peterson vs. Holt Or… We Shall Overcome

peterson3by Chip Mitchell: On Friday February 22, 2013, Lamont “Havoc” Peterson defends his IBF Light Welterweight title against Kendall “Rated R” Holt. The fight will be the main event on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights. Co-promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Headbanger Promotions, this showcase represents redemption in a way for both fighters, as they each have had taut moments over the past few years. Boxing wouldn’t be the sport that it is today without some form of turbulence.

Lamont Peterson
For Lamont Peterson, it never seems to come easy. He was homeless on the streets of Washington, DC with his brother Anthony for a few years. While some of Lamont’s 12 siblings moved in with friends, Lamont and Anthony moved on to survive alone. They were forced to sleep in bus stations, abandoned cars, or anywhere they could find. Lamont wasn’t even 11 years old during this time. He took the leadership role, as he often fought to protect his younger brother.

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Mayweather faces Guerrero on 5/4; Floyd signs with Showtime/CBS

mayweather46By Jeff Sorby: Floyd Mayweather Jr. has signed a six-fight deal Showtime/CBS to televise his pay per view fights. HBO attempted to keep Mayweather by making “an aggressive offer” according to Dan Rafael, but it wasn’t enough. The six-fight deal is for 30 months, which means Mayweather is going to have to be a little more active than he’s been lately.

Fighting once a year isn’t going to get the job done if Mayweather is to get all six fights done in just 30 months.

Mayweather’s adviser Leonard Ellerbe told ESPN “HBO, they made a great offer, but Showtime PPV/CBS was substantially greater in every facet. So bottom line, HBO was outgunned. They came to a gun fight with a knife.”

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A Period of Transition in the Heavyweight Division

547By Michael Montero – This Saturday will be an important one in the heavyweight landscape, featuring big step up bouts for prospects from three different parts of the world. In Huntington, New York, American Malik Scott (35-0) faces Ukrainian Vyacheslav Glazkov (14-0), while on the other side of the pond; Englishman David Price (15-0) squares off against American veteran Tony Thompson (36-3) in Liverpool. For Scott, a pro since 2000 who’s been ridiculed for never stepping up, it’s the moment of truth. For Glazkov, a bronze medalist in the 2008 Beijing games, this is his second straight bout on American airwaves and easily the biggest test in his short pro career. And for Price, the 6’8” giant (himself a former bronze medalist), an empathic win over Thompson puts him on the fast track for an eventual title shot.

This is a microcosm of things to come. Things are changing in the heavyweight division. New history is being written, yet old history is being repeated. It’s all part of a cycle: weak, average and strong eras – with the occasional golden era sprinkled in every few generations – only to collapse and repeat again. One could argue that the years following Lennox Lewis’ retirement were an average era, with quality fighters like Chris Byrd, Lamon Brewster, Hasim Rahman, Andrew Golota, both Klitschkos and several others, but no clear owner of the division. In recent years we’ve suffered through a weak era, with the Klitschko brothers having cleaned out the entire division and seemingly no willing, proven, legitimate challenge for the alpha dogs. Yet things are shaping up to start getting pretty damn interesting over the next few years, and fans all over the world are getting excited.

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Deontay Wilder: “I’m ready for the top guys”

wilder5By Dan Emicus:

Despite the fact you secured a bronze medal, it was Team USA’s worst showing at the Olympic games since 1948. Of course, it would have been worse still in London 2012 if not for the inclusion of women’s boxing, which allowed Claressa Shields and Marlen Esparza to spare the men’s blushed by picking up Gold and Bronze respectively.

We all expected to medal. I wanted us all to do well, so it was bittersweet for me to be the only one. It turns out that I’m currently the only medalist since 2004 as far as men’s boxing goes. I don’t know much about the 2012 team, I just know that we just need to get America back on top.

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Can Burns, Anyone At 135 Test Flashy, Classy Adrien Broner?

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By James Slater – I think most fight fans are in agreement right now: it will take a formidable 140-pound fighter to test, much less defeat, blossoming superstar Adrien Broner. Scotland’s reigning WBO lightweight champ (and soon to be IBF title challenger) Ricky Burns disagrees, naturally, but is there really a 135-pounder capable of clipping “The Problem’s” wings?

Broner was expected to be too much for Welshman Gavin Rees last night in Atlantic City, and the formbook was obeyed (despite the sheer heart and guts “The Rock” showed!). But how special a talent does the unbeaten 23-year-old look! His hand speed is amazing, Broner’s power and accuracy aren’t far behind and, to make things worse for any of his opponents, Broner has such a varied number of wicked punches in his arsenal – left hooks, right hooks, uppercuts from either hand, particularly his right, right hand leads and body shots. Broner seems to have it all.

What this latest Cincinnati Cobra has in his future is one huge selection of would-be super-fights!

A Burns showdown would be a major attraction, especially if Burns can add the IBF belt to his WBO by defeating Mexican string been Miguel Vazquez next month. But there is precious little else for Broner at the weight – unless Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa can relocate his top form and persuade his promoters to land him the fight. The really big match-ups, the testing fights that promise to bring out the best in the “Floyd Mayweather Junior clone” will come at 140 and maybe beyond.

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Adrien Broner bullies his way to 5th Rd TKO of Gavin Rees

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by Paul Strauss:: Saturday night at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Adrien “The Problem” Broner 26-0-0 (22 KOs) surprised no one by scoring a punishing win over the much smaller and out-gunned Gavin Rees 37-2-1 (18 KOs). Not many people gave Rees the proverbial “snowball’s chance in hell”. In fact, HBO’s Max Kellerman stated Rees was an 80 to 1 underdog. To Rees’ credit, though, he tried like hell to make a fight of it, but he just did not have the size, necessary skill or power to be a serious threat to Broner. Initially, Rees made a pest out of himself by shrinking his already short 5’4″ stature to about 3’6″, trying to get under Broner’s shots, so he could get close enough to land some of his own. He managed to get through with some pretty good left hooks to the body. He tried to follow those with clubbing rights to the side and top of Broner’s head, but the angle, due to Broner’s shoulder roll, proved to be a difficult one. Rees just couldn’t get any zip on those shots. Despite that, the referee warned him about the location of his punches?

The only redeeming factor in the bout was Rees’ display of heart and courage. Even though he was totally outsized and outclassed, he fought on hoping for a miracle. It was not to be. Broner did as expected. He started slowly, timing Rees, waiting for his countering opportunities. Early on Rees was able to block Broner’s check hooks, but before too long a couple got across. Those hard shots immediately made Rees less mobile. All of a sudden, his head became more stationary, and although he was bent over, his body was there to be hit as well.

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James DeGale: “I’m in it to win it!”

degale213Exclusive interview by Dan Emicus

How did you get into boxing initially?

I was a bit boisterous and naughty at school, so my Grandad suggested to my Dad that I do a bit of boxing to release some excess energy. I was 9 when I started and loved it from the beginning. Initially all I wanted to do was spar and I didn’t like the fitness side of it, but once I started having fights, I realised how important the fitness was.

You won a bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Was that the point where you and everyone around you believed that you could go on and win a medal at the Olympic Games?

It was actually a disappointment to get bronze at the Commonwealth Games as I was expected to come back with Gold, and to top it all I didn’t even win a medal at the World Championships! The experience and the buzz I got at the big competitions did however make me more determined to work hard and earn a place at the Olympics.

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Mayweather vs. Guerrero and Canelo vs. Trout could be announced next week

canelo1By Bill Phanco: WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) is reporting on his twitter that he’ll be facing WBA World junior middleweight champion Austin Trout (26-0, 14 KO’s) on the Floyd Mayweather Jr. undercard on May 4th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Also, Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Robert Diaz is reporting that Golden Boy will be announcing Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Robert Guerrero and Trout vs. Canelo fight card for May 4th within days.
Here’s what Canelo said on his twitter today: “Canelo vs. Trout, May 4, MGM.”

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Dibella May Sound for Macklin v Lee

By Padraig Ivory: Andy Lee may have returned from an America that was deep in economic turmoil, however he very nearly fell off his own’ Fiscal Cliff’ of sorts when he faced Anthony Fitzgerald on Saturday night. The fight was televised on the ‘Unfinished Business’ card on Sky Sports which was headlined by the European Super Bantamweight title clash between Carl Frampton and Kiko Martinez.

After a disappointing and emotional 2012 the Limerick native was back in Ireland looking to reinstate his middleweight credentials. Andy was entering a new phase in his career after the passing of his Hall of Fame trainer Emmanuel Steward. Manny was more than a boxing coach to the Irishman, he was a friend, a companion and an inspiration. As the infamous Kronk Gym closed its doors Lee had no option but to uproot his training base. The 2004 Olympian teamed up with Adam Booth in November as he began his career rehabilitation following a crushing loss to Julio Chavez Jr. in June 2012.

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Pacquiao vs. Marquez V: “Don’t Play It Again, Sam”

pac53By Marc Livitz: Popular sentiment does not always equal undeniable proof.

Quite often, results can create an aura of their own, and through the course of time, the memories become distorted and the truth is stretched. History gives way to legends and sometimes on to myth. The three hundred defeated the one hundred thousand or so, Saint George killed the dragon, and William Wallace was eight feet in height. These and many more are unlikely episodes yet they are padded by time and tradition.

Boxing cannot as a sport and pastime allow itself to permit the shocking to trump the significant. Earlier this weekend, ESPN aired a replay of the noteworthy and now perhaps in the ranks of fireside chat happenings of December 8, 2012.

Did all time great Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez save fifty people from a burning building? Not exactly. He did what most of us hadn’t anticipated, which of course was to knock Manny Pacquiao across the next three dimensions.

The sixth round knockout cleared the argument in regard to the nonsensical pound for pound debate. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. clearly sat upon the throne, although many would argue that perhaps Marquez or Andre Ward held the rights upon which to take off the load. Boxing in 2012 had its fair share of upsets and horrific displays of ringside judging.

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