Photos – Weigh-in: Garcia-Martinez, Donaire-Darchinyan, Martirosyan-Andrade

11/09/201311/08/2013 Steve Lopez

Boxing returns to the south this weekend in Corpus Christi, TX for another fall Top Rank tripleheader showdown on HBO Boxing After Dark.

Headlining the card is the WBO Super Featherweight title fight between Mikey Garcia and Roman “Rocky” Martinez. After losing his Featherweight title at the scales earlier this year, Garcia makes a move to the Super Featherweight division to challenge Martinez in another Mexico VS. Puerto Rico clash.

Co-headling the card is a rematch between Nonito Donaire and Vic Darchinyan. In 2007, Donaire derailed the Darchinyan express with a vicious left hook to end their first encounter via KO win for Donaire. Six years in the making, Darchinyan gets his chance at redemption. Having never fought at Featherweight, it will be interesting to see how Darchinyan’s chin holds up at the new weight. A heavy puncher himself, Darchinyan is oozing with confidence by ensuring a victory for himself and Armenia.

Donaire vs. Darchinyan 2 & Garcia vs. Martinez: A bridge to nowhere

11/08/2013 Chris Carlson

Normally when two elite fighters are co-featured on a card together you can expect the winners (favorites) to be matched up in a (super) fight of sorts at some point in the near future.

It’s a formula that’s been used to build or as Bob Arum would say “marinate”, certain fights that have been labeled by the fans as must see fights.

Usually the promoters put each fighter in a showcase type fight for future highlight replays that will be used as fuel to stoke the fire of a talked about fight.

Some fights never come to fruition due to the inner political issues of the business of boxing.

Latest Prizefighter tournament line-up complete: James Toney enjoys star status

11/07/201311/07/2013 James Slater

Fight fans can expect an interesting, hopefully exciting, latest instalment of the popular “Prizefighter” tournament on November 14th. Set to go out, as usual, live on Sky Sports, the latest tournament is another international heavyweights edition, with a Team USA Vs. Team UK element added for further intrigue.

The full eight-man line-up has been confirmed by Matchroom Sports as follows:

James Toney (USA)
Jason Gavern (USA)
Brian Minto (USA)
Damian “Bolo” Wills (USA) – (stepping in for Sherman “Tank” Williams, who pulled out for some reason)

Larry Olubamiwo (UK)
Michael Sprott (UK) – (stepping in for an injured Sam Sexton)
Matt Legg (UK)
Tom Little (UK)

Team Abdusalamov Establishing Trust for Their Injured Fighter and Family

11/06/201311/05/2013 Sampson Boxing

Sampson Lewkowicz, promoter of hospitalized Russian heavyweight Magomed “Mago” Abdusalamov, along with promoters Leon Margules and Lou DiBella, and with help and support of others in the industry, are establishing a fund and to donate and raise funds to help alleviate the financial burden the unfortunate brain injury Abdusalamov suffered Saturday night has placed on him and his family.

32-year-old Abdusalamov had to have emergency surgery to remove a blood clot, and part of his skull had to be removed to reduce swelling, following his brutal 10-round war against Mike Perez at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, on Saturday, November 2. The fight was also broadcast worldwide on HBO.

Left-Hook Lounge: How Good is “GGG”?, Is Rios “Afraid” of Pacquiao?, & is Mike Perez a Heavyweight Threat?

11/05/201311/04/2013 Vivek Wallace

H. Barlow (Dallas, TX): Count me to the list of supporters behind GGG! I think the guy is amazing and I don’t see anyone at 160 or 168 who can stop him. Who do you think would give him the “most” trouble between 154 and 168?

Vivek W. (ESB): Before I get into GGG’s performance, I’d like to start by saying great effort by Curtis Stevens. I thought Stevens performed very well, although he hindered himself by only pressing in spurts. Easy to say from my living room couch, but the reality is that when he did move more and let his hands go, I thought he made the fight very interesting. He couldn’t sustain that effort, and most of that has to be credited to GGG. When you analyze GGG closer, you have to give him great absolute credit. One of the things that gave Curtis Stevens a problem all night was Golovkin’s ability to cut off the ring.

Who You Calling A Coward?

11/05/201311/04/2013 EZ E

While having been brought up in a fight game active family, the massive respect I have for the MEN that enter the ring, on any level, comes only natural. To see how easily some fans blast proven fighters to the point of labeling them “cowards” only shows the little ring or in-deft boxing experience they actually have, if any at all. Fighters know THEMSELVES pretty well. It’s way past hypocritical when those that once praised his ‘Blood n’ Guts’ bravado in the past suddenly turn around and refer to him a ‘coward’ when he admits he’s ‘finished’ for the night and decides to fight another day.

A “coward”? It was probably the wisest decision the fighter or his corner made if we consider his health, family and future after his ring days are over. Hundreds fighters we’ve all admired, the kind that sometimes had to be saved from themselves, have passed away in conditions that would make the most hardened hearts cry. Many more barely exist in nursing homes, shelters, asylums… nobody visits nor offers them any help.

Golovkin Punishes Stevens and Then Stops Him in the 8th Round

11/03/201311/03/2013 James Stillerman

Undefeated knockout artist, Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin punished Curtis “Showtime” Stevens over seven rounds before Stevens` head trainer and uncle, Andre Rozier saw enough and stopped the fight before the eight round began, preventing Stevens from receiving anymore punishment. Golovkin retained his World Boxing Association (“WBA”) and International Boxing Organization Middleweight Title for the ninth and sixth time respectively.

This fight took place in an almost sold out Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City, New York and was televised on HBO Boxing After Dark.

Golovkin controlled the action in this competitive bout but one that he outworked and out landed Stevens and demonstrated that he was the vastly superior boxer. He pressed the action throughout the fight and cut off the ring really well as he had Stevens on the ropes on several occasions where he landed a great deal of punishing shots.

Barrera-Hamed: The fight that closed the show for “The Prince”

11/02/201311/02/2013 James Slater

Back in April of 2001, “Prince,” Naseem Hamed, then sporting a perfect 35-0 record, faced “The Baby Faced Assassin,” Marco Antonio Barrera, then holding a 52-3 pro ledger in one of the biggest featherweight fights in recent history. What took place in the ring proved memorable.

The showdown, at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, was widely expected to provide another exciting knockout night for “Naz” – instead we saw a would-be great humbled almost to the point of retirement.

Who can forget the way Hamed, by now trained by the great Emanuel Steward, took so long in coming out of his dressing room for battle? A good fifteen or twenty minutes passed before Barrera, who had made his way to the ring with no fuss at all, was joined by the U.K superstar who was attempting to gain similar status in America. On the way to the ring, carried in as he was by a huge, sort of hoop/swing that held him aloft, Hamed was pelted by unimpressed fans, who threw beer over the deeply religious, non-drinking Muslim. The irony was not lost!