HBO finalizing Wladimir Klitschko – Alexander Povetkin deal to air fight live in U.S

09/15/201608/01/2013 Bill Phanco

KlitschkoBanks001_PublicAddress HBO is working to finalize a deal to show the October 5th fight between IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (60-3, 51 KO’s) and WBA champion Alexander Povetkin (26-0, 18 KO’s) live in the United States, according to Dan Rafael. If HBO can swing this, it will be a big deal for American boxing fans, because they don’t get to see too many fights of the Klitschkos anymore.

HBO is selective in which fights of the Klitschkos they televise in the U.S, and rightfully so with Wladimir facing the likes Jean Marc Mormeck, Francesco Pianeta, and Mariusz Wach in the past two years. If HBO had aired any of those mismatches, it would have likely brought in poor ratings.

Mike Alvarado and Ruslan Provodnikov agree to terms for October 19th fight in Denver

08/02/201308/01/2013 Jeff Sorby

Mike Alvarado (34-1, 23 KO’s) and the recently beaten Ruslan Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KO’s) have reportedly agreed to terms for a fight televised by HBO on October 19th at the First Bank Center, Denver, Colorado, USA. Top Rank finalized the deal, according to Yahoo Sports.

Top Rank president Todd duBoef said to Yahoo Sports “What this fight shows is the value of putting on a great performance in the ring, win or lose. Provodnikov had a great performance against Bradley, and thought he was on the losing side, he’s coming right back in the main event in a significant fight.”

Sergey Kovalev – Clear and Present Danger

07/31/2013 Dean Tinklin

Credit where credit’s due, most fighters in Nathan Cleverly’s position would avoid a showdown with such a fierce-punching, and unbeaten, rival. There may well be unanswered questions over Sergey Kovalev’s endurance, but why worry about endurance when concussive power in both hands negates the need for such a trait? And who’s to say that the Sergey couldn’t destroy opponents all night long if necessary?

The cold war’s over and Russia’s weapons are no longer steeped in mystery, the world’s well aware of the destructive capabilities of this particular piece of Russian hardware, and it’s even based in the United States of America! One may argue that Sergey’s rise through the ranks is a result of careful selection of opponents but in all fairness, his opponents are exactly that, opponents – they certainly didn’t prepare to help Sergey notch up a knockout rate of above 83%.

To look a little further into the quality of opposition, what did actually happen when Sergey Kovalev stepped up in class and challenged a seasoned pro whom had recently tangled with Tavoris Cloud and, what many spectators feel, won – Gabriel Campillo was, undoubtedly, a test for Sergey.

Interview with “Fast” Eddie Chambers

07/31/201307/30/2013 Chip Mitchell

Chip Mitchell: Eddie, let’s first talk about the decision to move down from heavyweight to cruiserweight? Was part of the decision it based more on size or more opportunities in the division?

Fast Eddie Chambers: It is a combination of all that. But honestly when you thing about the opportunities in cruiserweight it’s almost in some ways just as difficult because you see a lot of these champions sitting on belts. At least in heavyweight division you’ve got one guy saying ‘Look I’m going to try to rule the division’.

In the cruiserweight division we have four different champions and they’re all sitting on belts. And they are like ‘I don’t want to pick and choose’ and the promoters have to do this and that. Like Kathy (Duva) was saying a little earlier, they talk about having this other fight already made or that other fight made, so they’re not really thinking about getting anybody a shot at taking their title. They are thinking of keeping their belts and sitting on them.

Left-Hook Lounge: Duran/Mayweather, Andre Berto & Keith Thurman!!!

07/29/2013 Vivek Wallace

Kevin O. (Aventura, FL): Is it safe to say that Andre Berto is now done as a fighter? He has changed trainers and I don’t know of a way that any one out there can rebuild him at this stage to make him a top contender. What are your thoughts?

Vivek W. (ESB): I’ve been asked this question by almost every fight fan that I know and to be very truthful, it’s a very easy question to answer. For starters, when people ask me should he retire? I can address that one very easily in saying “NO”. There are several fighters around the sport who one can argue should, but the reason that I argue he should not is because he has a ton of heart, which means win, lose, or draw, he will make for competitive fights. Fight fans want to see competitive fights. You may enter that competitive fight knowing what the outcome is when he’s facing a perennial contender, but you know that he has just enough ability to land his shots and make it interesting before he ultimately gets bust up in the face and takes an “L”.

Jesus Soto Karass: Give This Man A World Title Shot!

07/28/2013 James Slater

Last night in San Antonio was quite simply boxing at its very best. The Golden Boy card – surely the leading candidate for Card Of The Year (if there is such an award) – gave us three, count them, three, great fights; two of which are definite FOTY candidates. With the televised opener (at least it was on BoxNation, and how grateful should UK fight fans be for that channel picking up last night’s card!) we had a very good fight in Keith Thurman-Diego Chaves, while with the two epics that were Omar Figueroa-Nihito Arakawa and Jesus Soto Karass-Andre Berto we had unforgettable action delivered by way of two breathtaking slugfests.

The WBC interim lightweight battle was truly awesome, with both guys hammering away at each other with scarcely a jab or anything resembling a clinch in sight all night. That fight may not be topped as far as 2013’s FOTY award goes, but last night’s main event sure came close. Andre Berto, once looked at as a star and a future pound-for-pound talent, showed a ton of heart in his must-win war with Mexican warrior Soto Karass, but he didn’t win. A huge setback, the 12th-round TKO may well have ended Berto’s chances of being an elite fighter.

Post-Fight Press Conference: Berto vs. Soto Karass, Chaves vs. Thurman & Fight Summaries

07/28/2013 Steve Lopez

The city of San Antonio was treated to another excellent night of boxing with Knockout Kings II. Thurman, Figueroa and Soto-Karass scored impressive wins in fights that tested the will, heart and determination for all six fighters. After a night like this, it would be no surprise if fans are already looking forward to Knockout Kings III!

As with most contests, there are winners and losers. Thurman’s performance earned him the Knockout Bonus Prize as he dispatched Chaves in 10 rounds. The bonus was no easy task to win for Thurman as the Argentina fighter tested him early in the fight causing Thurman to adjust in the second part of the bout en-route to a 10th round knockout.

Exclusive Interview – Omar Figueroa, Jr. & Team Arakawa

07/27/2013 Steve Lopez

The co-main event for Knockout Kings II will feature Texas’ own Omar “Panterita” Figueroa against Japan’s own Nihito Arakawa.

Figueroa is expected to be the fighter that Texas will be cheering on during Saturday night as he’s the one with the momentum between the two fighters. Arakawa is seemingly unknown to the mainstream fan. Could this fight be more competitive than we think? Team Arakawa certainly thinks so.

I had the opportunity ask both Figueroa and Team Arakawa some questions to shed some background and expectations to the viewers that don’t know much about them. Figueroa, though in his early twenties, showed maturity for his age as a fighter and person. Team Arakawa showed optimism for the upcoming bout as they recognized their opponent’s strengths and opportunities.