Vanes Martirosyan vs. Erislandy Lara: “It’s time to put up or shut up!”

09/14/201611/07/2012 ESB

Vanes Martirosyan vs. Erislandy Lara: “It’s time to put up or shut up!” By Joseph Herron:, photo by Adrian Hernandez — On Saturday, November 10th, from the Wynn Las Vegas, top ranked Junior Middleweight contenders Erislandy Lara and Vanes Martirosyan will finally get it on in a highly anticipated WBC title eliminator contest.

While both men have finished their respective camps and are currently in Las Vegas, Nevada, Erislandy’s world renowned trainer, Ronnie Shields, feels positive about his fighter’s chances on Saturday night.

“We just finished up a great training camp and Erislandy knows exactly what he has to do. We know it’s going to be a great fight and we’re expecting to see the best version of Vanes Martirosyan on November 10th. To win this fight, Lara simply has to be Lara; display his talents and come out victorious. He’s ready to go.”

Though no one can question the level of talent possessed by the Cuban exile, skeptics and fight critics have publicly commented on the possibility of another questionable decision while fighting on the opposing fighter’s promotional bout sheet.

During his previous appearance on a rival promoter’s fight card, Erislandy took on former Welterweight Champion Paul “The Punisher” Williams in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the main event of a Goossen/Tutor Promotion on July 9th, 2011.

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The return of Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo: Will the dog bark once again on November 10th?

11/08/201211/07/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron – On November 5th, 2011, the boxing world witnessed one of the best rounds of action in recent memory when Alfredo Angulo and James Kirkland battered each other for all three minutes of the opening stanza during their WBC semi-final eliminator in Cancun, Mexico.

Although both men were ostensibly hurt badly throughout The Ring’s “Round of the Year” for 2011, it was the Mexicali warrior who caught the brunt of the more meaningful exchanges on that fateful evening.

But “El Perro” was not only handed his second loss as a professional fighter. Most fight fans and boxing writers described the dramatic bout as one of the most brutal beatings of this era, and further labeled the destruction as potentially career-altering.

After almost a full calendar year of inactivity, Angulo will be stepping back into the ring this Saturday night, alongside heralded trainer Virgil Hunter, to try and repair some of “El Perro’s” dented mystique and checkered persona.

His November 10th assignment will be against Junior Middleweight prospect Raul “El Tigre” Casarez of the Texas/Rio Grande Valley. Though most boxing pundits give Angulo the clear advantage going into this “comeback” effort, is Casarez the right fighter for a rehabilitative outing?

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Is Nonito Donaire the best fighter at 122?

09/14/201611/07/2012 ESB

By Stanley Owens: It is quite likely that if you asked a casual boxing fan who they think is the best fighter at 122 they would answer with two words: Nonito Donaire. After all, Donaire is currently ranked at #5 pound for pound in the world by the Ring, not to mention his well-earned reputation as a devastating counterpuncher.

But is he really the best at 122?

His 2007 knockout victory over the notorious Australian slugger Vic Darchinyan catapaulted Donaire to stardom. But that victory occured at flyweight five years ago and while it was an impressive (and brutal) knockout, it doesnt answer any questions about his standing at 122.

Following the Darchinyan fight, Donaire became a household name in the lower weight divisions and continued to win impressively at super flyweight and bantamweight, culminating in a second round knockout victory over bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel in 2011.

Montiel had been a slight underdog leading up to the fight, yet no one could have predicted the sweet left hook that felled him in the second round and left a visible dent in his forehead. Donaire had reminded the world once again why he was ranked pound for pound.

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Cruiserweight “Fast” Eddie Chambers: “Marco Huck should worry about defending his title…not Wladimir Klitschko”

09/15/201611/05/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron: This past week, WBO Cruiserweight title holder Marco Huck publicly announced his $5 Million proposal to universally recognized Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko before stepping in the ring with 42 year old title challenger Firat Arslan on Saturday, November 3rd, in Nordhein-Westfalen, Germany.

But moments after getting past the experienced former title holder uncomfortably, former Heavyweight title challenger and newly proclaimed Cruiserweight contender “Fast” Eddie Chambers from Philadelphia, PA, USA, had several comments regarding the reigning WBO Champ’s recent activity.

“First of all, struggling with an experienced former title holder really doesn’t incriminate or diminish Marco Huck as a Cruiserweight Champion,” insists the 30 year old American hopeful. “Anyone can give you fits on any given night at this level.”

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The Legacy of Emanuel Steward Part 2: Perspective from Iceman John Scully

08/12/201811/05/2012 Geoffrey Ciani

“I mean in 1981 as a kid I was reading about Emanuel in a magazine and watching that big fight, and then years later whatever it was, here he was working my corner in the gym”—Iceman John Scully

Exclusive Interview by Geoffrey Ciani: – This is Part Two of an ongoing series dedicated to the memory and legacy of one extraordinary individual, Emanuel Steward, whose contributions to the sport he loved are simply immense. In this installment, trainer Iceman John Scully 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 Iceman Scully:

GEOFFREY CIANI: John, a week and a half ago was a very sad day for the boxing world, and we lost a remarkable individual when Emanuel Steward passed away. As a trainer, a commentator, and an overall ambassador for the sport of boxing, when you think of Emanuel Steward what do you think of his impact on the sport and his legacy?

JOHN SCULLY: I mean I’ll tell you when I first started boxing, when I first started getting involved in boxing as a fan as a kid, he was one of the premiere trainers at the time. It was the late 70s and in the early 80s. So he had Hilmer Kenty and Tommy Hearns at that time, and the Hearns-Leonard fight was a huge part of my youth in boxing. So I’ve obviously been very, very aware of Emanuel since that time, and what’s funny is it just dawned on me the other day. After he passed away and I read one of his obituaries, it dawned on me one of his amazing feats is that when Leonard and Hearns fought the first time, Emanuel was only in like his mid 30s at the time as his trainer. He was training the beast that was Tommy Hearns in that huge fight, the trainer was only I think 37 or whatever he was at the time. I think he was 37. So putting that in perspective, I mean that’s pretty amazing in itself what he was able to accomplish at such a young age.

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Mayweather And Fifty Cent, Once “Brothers,” Now Enemies – The Rap Star/Boxing Promoter Says He “Can’t Hang With Floyd No More, I’m Tired Of Running From Pacquiao”

09/14/201611/02/2012 ESB

By James Slater – Unless superstars Floyd Mayweather Junior and Curtis “Fifty Cent” Jackson are engaging in a well publicised bit of play acting designed to give their boxing rivals false hope, a firm bond has been forever broken. Once “brothers” who would do anything for one another, Mayweather and Jackson have taken to warring on Twitter; the result of “Money” walking away from the rap mega-star’s recently formed TMT Promotions.

Whatever the reasons for Mayweather’s displeasure with his former friend’s plans for TMT – and Fifty, during one of his Twitter rants said he “can’t hang with Floyd no more, I’m tired of running from Manny Pacquiao – Jackson has now formed another outfit, called SMS. The two appear to have become bitter enemies (unless it is all an act designed to benefit them both in the end; highly unlikely considering some of the nasty things the two have said about each other on the social network) and Jackson will now concentrate on promoting Yuriorkis Gamboa, Billy Dib, Andre Dirrell and others without the unbeaten master’s assistance.

With the long-running (and highly tiresome) Mayweather-Pacquiao saga dragging on and on, some fans have come to the conclusion that Mayweather is the fighter afraid of taking the fight; what with Pac-Man’s recent “desperate” act of agreeing to take a 45-percent split of the purse and of agreeing to take all the drugs tests Floyd has long since demanded. And it now looks like Fifty Cent is among those people who believe Mayweather wants nothing to do with the southpaw dynamo. This could be the main reason for the split. Mayweather sure hasn’t been left looking good; reduced as he has been to slinging cheap insults at his one-time “brother.”

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Abner Mares: In the tradition of greatness

09/15/201611/02/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron: On October 20th, in Brooklyn, New York, the world of boxing more than likely witnessed the final chapter in the career of a Mexican boxing legend.

Four division world champion and future Hall of Famer Erik “El Terrible” Morales was unceremoniously knocked out by the young incumbent Junior Welterweight Champion, Danny Garcia in just four rounds of action.

Although the 19 year fight veteran was most recently campaigning in the 140 pound weight class, the battler most affectionately known as “El Terrible” will most widely be remembered for his breathtaking matches at 122 and 126 pounds that truly captivated the masses; classic battles against Marco Antonio Barrera, Daniel Zaragoza, Junior Jones, Kevin Kelley, In-Jin Chi, and Manny Pacquiao.

Morales developed his exciting brand of brutality by predominately fighting the best of the Super Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions. And in a sport that traditionally showcased big men, the undersized warrior pioneered a boxing future that would eventually be filled with big events dominated by the action packed lower weight divisions.

On November 10th, 2012, just a little over 15 years since Morales won his first Super Bantamweight title, 26 year old Abner Mares will headline a major televised event that will take place in a 20K capacity arena in downtown Los Angeles.

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Argentina Continues to Shine

09/15/201611/01/2012 ESB

By Emilio Camacho, Esq. – Thomas Dulorme was supposed to be the next Puerto Rican boxing star. He was supposed to be the Felix Trinidad. That’s gone.

This was important because Puerto Rico is losing its big stars. Miguel Cotto is getting old and has few fights left. Ivan Calderon retired after being defeated because he cannot compete at the elite level any longer. Juan Manuel Lopez was crushed by Orlando Salido. Twice. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. was defeated by Jorge Arce and Nonito Donaire. Carlos Quintana and Kermit Cintron are not “A” class fighters. In short, Puerto Rico was looking at Thomas Dulorme as the next Puerto Rican hope. Unfortunately, they pushed him far too soon.

Last Saturday, Luis Carlos Abregu, a fighter from Argentina, crushed Dulorme. After a big right hand landed on Dulorme in the 3rd round, sending him to the canvas, there was no way he could recover. In the end, the corner stopped the fight and Puerto Rico’s hope for Dulorme as its next star, if any, faded. In all fairness, Dulorme is only 22 years of age and he could always come back stronger (Pacquiao is a good example).

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Javan “Sugar” Hill: “Adonis Stevenson is ready to become the IBF Super Middleweight Champion”

09/15/201611/01/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron – After becoming the mandatory IBF title challenger by knocking out Super Middleweight contender Don “Da Bomb” George on October 12th at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (19-1, 16 KOs) is ready to take on the best at 168 according the his friend and trainer Javan “Sugar” Hill.

“Adonis showed me a lot in his victory over Don George,” professes the nephew of boxing legend Emanuel Steward. “Even with an injured left hand, he showed a lot of poise and stuck to the game plan of out-boxing George. Even after he had a lot of good exchanges with Don, he went right back to the focus of boxing instead of slugging it out with him.”

“Even with the injury to his power hand bothering him, Adonis was able to turn it up and get Don George out of there in the twelfth round. Adonis really showed me that he’s ready to fight anyone in the world.”

Although Stevenson is the next in line to face the current IBF Super Middleweight Champion Carl “The Cobra” Froch, the talented young trainer claims that Adonis is willing to fight any of the major title holders in the packed 168 pound division.

“Without a doubt, Adonis is ready for any one of the three recognized major world champions at Super Middleweight; Carl Froch, Arthur Abraham, and Andre Ward. Adonis really proved a lot on October 12th. With the pressure of fighting a big puncher like Don George in an IBF title eliminator, and having to overcome the adversity of decisively beating a tough opponent with an injured hand, Adonis proved that he is worthy of an opportunity for a world title.”

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Interesting Match-Ups Await “Dr. Steel Hammer” – are Wach, Povetkin, Boytsov/Fury soon to give Wladimir a real fight?

09/15/201611/01/2012 ESB

By James Slater – Those fans who have been waiting oh, so long to see heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko’s formidable skills tested to the full might, just might be about to see the 36-year-old in a real fight. Hardly pushed at all since his first encounter with the hard-hitting Samuel Peter, way back in 2005 (although to be fair, David Haye did win a couple of sessions during his July 2011 challenge of Wlladimir), Klitschko has gone through the likes of Ruslan Chagaev, Jean Marc Mormeck and, last time out, Tony Thompson, like a hot knife through warm butter.

But the seemingly laughably easy fights may be at an end for the unified WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO ruler. Next up for Wladimir is unbeaten but unproven (at the highest level) Polish banger Mariusz Wach. No, this fight, set for Nov. 10th, doesn’t look exactly like an ultra-dangerous fight for Wladimir, but the outside chance of a potential banana skin awaits him all the same. Not only is Wach, 27-0(15) a pretty stiff puncher, with the right hand especially, he is also able to look Wladimir directly in the eye. Much has been made of the fact that never before has Wladimir faced so tall an adversary, and, with the sad passing of his long-time trainer and friend Emanuel Steward, this fight could possibly prove difficult for Klitschko.

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