Fired up Joey Hernandez eyes Canelo fight

09/15/201611/15/2012 ESB

Fired up Joey Hernandez eyes Canelo fight By Prince Dornu-Leiku, photo by Tom Casino/SHOWTIME – Even before he takes to the ring on Friday night against James Winchester, WBC / USNBC Light Middleweight titlist Joey Hernandez is eyeing a fight date against WBC 154-pound champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 31KOs).

28 year old Hernadez, 22-1, 13 KOs, on a 7-fight winning streak, has exclusively told East Side Boxing there is no looking back now as he gets closer to realizing his world title dreams and is promising his fans of becoming a world champion by the end of 2013.

He is therefore pledging a masterclass performance Friday night against Winchester (15-5, 5 KOs) at the Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., Miami, Florida (live at 11 p.m. ET/PT, on SHOWTIME).

“I finally get the opportunity to showcase myself on a national level since my setback 3 years ago which was not me. This fight is the new beginning of my career, I have what boxing needs and will showcase it Friday night,” he said.

The southpaw with Cuban roots and who is trained by Miguel Cotto’s uncle, added: “This fight will be the breakthrough for me. A lot of fans and boxing people around the world will want to see more with what I bring to the ring, I’m excited and ready to go after 9 hard weeks of camp in Puerto Rico with Evangelista Cotto.”

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The Legacy of Emanuel Steward Part 4: Perspective from Cornelius ‘K9’ Bundrage

08/12/201811/15/2012 Geoffrey Ciani

“So he was not just only a manager, a trainer, a commentator. He was a good man. He was a man that would give you the shirt off his back, and that’s what I will remember about Emanuel Steward.”—Cornelius Bundrage

Exclusive Interview by Geoffrey Ciani – This is Part Four of an ongoing series dedicated to the memory and legacy of an extraordinary individual, Emanuel Steward, whose contributions to the world of boxing are simply remarkable. In this installment, reigning IBF junior middleweight champion Cornelius ‘K9’ Bundrage (32-4, 19 KOs) provided his perspective and shared some of his experiences with the legendary Hall of Fame trainer. Here is a complete transcript from my discussion with ‘K9’ Bundrage:

GEOFFREY CIANI: K9, it was a big loss for the boxing world when Emanuel Steward passed away. As a fighter who had the opportunity to work with Emanuel, can you give us your views on his impact on boxing?

CORNELIUS BUNDRAGE: Wow! You know I don’t know if boxing, as far as the knowledge that Emanuel Steward had in boxing, I don’t know if we’re going to run across a guy like that again. I mean how many guys do you know that came across fighters Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, and still have world champions to this day, that knew what he was talking about? I mean I believe he helped Jim Lampley and all of them to know more about boxing, because he was actually a boxer himself. I mean he’s going to be missed by not only just the people in Detroit and the people in boxing, but he’s going to be missed by a lot of people. Emanuel Steward was feeding a lot of people. What people don’t realize or know is he was taking care of a lot of fighters. He once had a house where there were like a lot of fighters who stayed there, and it was fighters from all around the world. It wasn’t just the fighters from the city. You even know Andy Lee stayed in one of his houses, and Andy Lee is from Ireland. But he had a training camp house where I was actually in. It was Johnathon Banks, it was me, and it was another local fighter named John Jackson. He had a whole camp or so. You know there are going to be a lot of people that are going to be really affected by Emanuel Steward leaving, because like I said he was looking out for a lot of people. There were guys at the gym who I know personally that used to go to his house and get a check every week. They’re going to be greatly affected. So you know Emanuel was the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back. He was a real cool guy, definitely a cool guy, and he knew the sport of boxing. He didn’t act like he was too good for anybody, and he was out there. You know people knew who he was all over the world, and he always gave you the time if he had it, and he didn’t treat you like you were a nobody. Even if you were nobody, he treated like you were somebody. That was Emanuel Steward right there. He was like the Michael Jackson of boxing. Or should we say the James Brown of boxing, the Godfather.

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Vanes Martirosyan: “My cut is healing well, but my balls are extremely sore!”

09/15/201611/14/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron: This past Saturday night at the Wynn Las Vegas, former Olympian Vanes Martirosyan (32-0-1, 20 KOs) fought top rated Junior Middleweight contender Erislandy Lara (17-1-2, 11 KOs) to a tactical, nine round technical draw.

Because the fight was deemed by the WBC as an official title eliminator, the inconclusive results will force a rematch at a future designated date and venue. Although many fight fans who witnessed the awkward yet tactical bout aren’t exactly clamoring for an immediate sequel, both fighters have acknowledged a willingness to step in the ring one final time.

On this Sunday night’s edition of “The Pugilist KOrner’s: Weekend Wrap”, Lara’s world renowned trainer, Mr. Ronnie Shields, revealed that the Cuban missile sustained an injury to his right hand in the first round. The famed fight trainer claims that Erislandy’s injured hand drastically affected his punch output within the calculated boxing match.

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Abner Mares is the Real Deal

09/15/201611/13/2012 ESB

by Emilio Camacho, Esq: Abner Mares is young, disciplined, undefeated and hungry. That is a powerful combination in boxing. He has had a magnificent run and last week he did not disappoint.

Mares’ story is compelling. He was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and was brought to the United States as a child to the city of Hawaiian Gardens, California. As many youngsters from low income households, gangs and bad company pushed him into trouble. As a result, his father sent him back to Mexico in order to avoid a tragic result (jail or death).

Back in Mexico, he took boxing seriously. He went to the Olympics and lost a highly controversial decision against Zsolt Bedak of Hungary by 27-24. Some experts believe he could have won the gold medal.

As a professional, his success has been intensifying. First, similar to Andre Ward, Mares won the Showtime four-man single elimination Bantamweight Tournament, which also included the top fighters at the time—Vic Darchinyan, Yonnhy Perez and Joseph Agbeko. The final match of the tournament against Agbeko was a controversial one. As a result, Mares accepted a rematch (something he did not have to do) and won that convincingly. He settled the controversy the way it should be done: in the ring. You gotta love that approach (yes, Floyd and Manny, but mostly Floyd now).

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Broner vs. DeMarco: Antonio would be wise to take a page from the Abner Mares playbook

09/15/201611/13/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron: This past Saturday night from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, WBC Super Bantamweight Champion Abner Mares defeated, who most boxing pundits viewed as the 26 year old fighter’s toughest test to date, Super WBA Bantamweight Champion Anselmo Moreno by way of gritty, twelve round unanimous decision.

Many ringside experts felt that the skill level and natural athleticism of the Panamanian southpaw would be too much for the undefeated fighter. But Mares took Moreno out of his comfort zone and forced a more torrid pace than the defensive technician had grown accustomed to seeing.

Abner took away Anselmo’s natural southpaw advantage by bringing the fight to close quarters and touching-up the seemingly untouchable and slippery fighter with a barrage of punches from various angles. Mares’ intent was to hit Moreno anywhere he could, as often as he could, and to force Moreno into fighting a very physical and uncomfortable contest.

On Saturday, November 17th, from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Antonio DeMarco (28-2-1, 21 KOs) will attempt to defend his WBC Lightweight title against the very talented, defensive specialist Adrien “The Problem” Broner (24-0, 20 KOs).

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Ronnie Shields: “Erislandy Lara would have knocked out Vanes Martirosyan in the 10th or 11th”

09/15/201611/12/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron: Last night on “The Pugilist KOrner’s: Weekend Wrap”, veteran trainer Ronnie Shields shared his thoughts regarding Erislandy Lara’s (17-1-2, 11 KOs) technical draw with Vanes Martirosyan (32-0-1, 20 KOs) on Saturday night at the Wynn Las Vegas.

Although the Cuban exile didn’t take full advantage of his opportunity to meet Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in 2013, Mr. Shields is very proud of his Junior Middleweight star for fighting through a very unexpected situation.

“What most people didn’t realize was that Erislandy injured his right hand in the first round,” proclaims Ronnie Shields. “After the first round, he came back to the corner and whispered something into his manager Luis Decubas Jr’s ear. I didn’t find out until after the second round had started that Erislandy severely injured his right hand in the opening round.”

“I told Erislandy to just box Vanes and feel him out for the first few rounds. That was the primary game-plan anyway. I wanted to see what Freddie Roach had planned for Martirosyan to begin the fight. I had a feeling that they were going to have Vanes uncharacteristically fight while moving forward, because they felt Erislandy wasn’t as effective fighting while backing up.”

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Will Virgil Hunter make a difference for Amir Khan?

09/15/201611/12/2012 ESB

By Robert Jackson: After seeing Alfredo Angulo – following a 10 month respite from the ring, KO Raul Casarez Saturday night, it had me wondering how effective would Amir Khan be in his next fight. Both Angulo and Khan now train under Virgil Hunters watchful eye and if Angulo’s performance was any indication, Khan may have made the right choice and can be expected to perform excellently.

After the fight ended, Hunter was the first one in the ring to offer support to his charge, there was a genuine closeness between the 2 men that could be seen as both men embraced each other. Hunter remained at Angulo’s side keeping the emotional Angulo calm as El Perro answered post fight questions posed by Showtime’s Jim Gray.

What was as wonderful as the comraderie between Angulo and Hunter was the near flawless performance that Angulo put on that saw him quicker and stealthier in his boxing technique than in previous fights. Granted Casarez has a lot to learn as a fighter, he hadn’t lost in 5 years and is highly regarded as an up-and-coming middleweight. Angulo’s body also looked leaner than he’s looked before.

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Has the time has come to create a new division – a superheavyweight division?

09/15/201611/12/2012 ESB

Rob Moore: After watching another Wladimir Klitschko win, this time over the even bigger Mariusz Wach, I had to face up to the fact that my interest in watching much of what the heavyweight division has to offer, has waned considerably . The same division that that used to excite me and initiated my lifelong interest in the sport.

So many fights are truly underwhelming with guys showing limited range of skills, movement and conditioning, leading me to bore my kids with accounts of quality of fighters who graced the division in the past. You could never accuse Wladimir of not coming in in top condition and Wach showed great heart, but was the fight really top quality boxing and entertainment?

Unfortunately it seems like my diminished interest is shared by many, particularly in the US which just isn’t good for the sport’s future. There is certainly a valid point made by many that the Klitschko brothers have dominated the division for so long that it has hurt the division outside of Germany. While there is some mileage in that view, I see the problem as being more fundamental, and can be largely attributed the sheer size and weight of modern day heavyweights and the limitations this brings.

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Tagoe beats Ashie to win WBA International title

09/15/201611/12/2012 ESB

By Prince Dornu-Leiku – Emmanuel Tagoe lived up to his word by claiming a majority decision victory over compatriot George Ashie as their much trumpeted ‘Clash of Kings’ headliner finally came to a head Saturday night in Accra.

Tagoe, famously called Game Boy had gone into the fight telling anyone who cared to listen that he was going to defeat his big local rival through a points decision and how true his words came alive as the verdict was read after twelve pulsating rounds in which neither boxer could break the foe.

In the end, 114-114, 115-113, 116-112 the three judges had their scorecards tallying in favour of Tagoe who claimed the vacant WBA International Lightweight belt as a result. The crafty GameBoy who entered the ring carried aloft in a palanquin amid carrying a sword like a king, was crowned king and improved his record to 19-1, 8 KOs whilst condemning the amiable Ashie to the fourth defeat of his 28 fight career.

“First of all, I thank God for giving me this victory. I also thank BabyJet Promotions because I’ve wanted this fight for more than six years to prove that I’m the best in the country but never got it. So we thank God that thanks to BabyJet, we have seen the best,” a very satisfied Tagoe told Ghanaian journalists at the unprecedented press conference immediately after the fight at the Accra Stadium Media Centre early hours of Sunday morning.

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Mares has too much Giddyup for Moreno

09/15/201611/11/2012 ESB

by Paul Strauss: Super bantamweight Abner Mares 25 (KO 13)-0-1 literally ran after southpaw Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno 33 (KO 12)-2-1 Saturday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA . He was determined to keep, for the most part, Moreno from getting set and displaying his masterful boxing skills. It’s one thing for a boxer to say he’s going to pressure his opponent and get him out of his game plan. It’s another to actually carry it out, and to such an extent that one judge thought the fight was a shutout.

That judge, James Jen-Kin, was in the minority. Most, including ringside commentators Al Bernstein, Steve Farhood and guest Paulie Malignaggi, all thought Moreno, who hasn’t been beaten in ten years, had managed to keep the fight much closer, despite being knocked down in the fifth and penalized a point in the eleventh for pulling Mares’ head down. The usually calm Bernstein got a little frustrated with what he thought were unfair tactics by Mares. Specifically, he felt Mares was deliberately lowering his head, bull rushing Moreno, and letting go with low-blows. Others chimed in that Moreno was pulling Mares’ head down; hence, the low blows. In fact, as previously mentioned, Moreno was the one who got penalized for doing so.

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