Vera defeats Bondorovas on questionable stoppage

03/30/201303/30/2013 Bill Phanco

vera11 Middleweight Brian Vera (23-6, 13 KO’s) got a lucky break tonight when the referee Charlie Fitch stopped a fight that Vera was clearly losing to Donatas Bondorovas (17-4-1, 6 KO’s) after the 7th round because of two small cuts that Bondorovas in their fight at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York, USA.

After an especially strong round by Bondorovas in the 7th, referee Fitch asked Bondorovas if he could see out of his eyes, and he said “not so good.” Bondorovas then angrily got to his feet and told Fitch “I said I CAN see.” It was no use, Fitch had made up his mind and the fight, which was actually good one, was stopped prematurely.

Is Floyd Mayweather Jr. to Blame for the HBO GBP split?

03/29/201303/28/2013 Robert Jackson

floyd8 Whether it’s Floyd Mayweather Jr. – the guy that everyone loves to hate, just signing a big money deal with the Showtime Network for whom he bolted from HBO for, or other reasons, HBO has now struck back, severing it’s boxing relationship with Golden Boy promotions (GBP) whom Mayweather has collaborated with for his last few fights.

HBO’s claims of Mayweather’s defection having no affect on their boxing program couldn’t be farther from the truth. Truth is they wanted Mayweather and his move was an unexpected shock to HBO who stands to lose millions of dollars and its #1 status from Mayweather PPV’s. So HBO had to do something, cutting their losses they went after the group who reportedly brokered the Mayweather/Showtime deal; Golden Boy Promotions.

Robert Guerrero arrested in New York for attempting to carry a pistol onto a plane

07/22/201903/28/2013 Bill Phanco

In a potential buzz-kill, WBC interim welterweight champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (31-1-1, 18 KO’s) was arrested earlier today for attempting to board a plane with an unloaded pistol while at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.

According to Yahoo Sports, the 29-year-old Guerrero was leaving New York after spending a short period of time promoting his huge blockbuster pay-per-view bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Guerrero was boarding a Delta flight 1429 to Las Vegas at 8:10 a.m. Guerrero attempted to declare the pistol [40 caliber semi-automatic] at the Delta counter, but was arrested. The pistol wasn’t loaded.

Canelo-Trout: Will Alvarez’s stamina hold up for 12 fast-paced rounds?

03/28/201303/28/2013 Rob Smith

One of many question marks about WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) going into his April 20th fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Austin Trout (26-0, 14 KO’s) is whether Canelo’s stamina will hold up for the full 12 rounds in a fast paced fight.

We’ve seen how Canelo has looked tired in his fights against Ryan Rhodes, Matthew Hatton, Alfonso Gomez, and Shane Mosley, and those were fights where he was allowed to plod for the full fight and not have to move quickly to catch up to a fighter on the move like he will against a constantly moving Trout at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Canelo looked like he didn’t have a lot of excess energy in the gas tank any of those fights, which is perhaps why he seemed to pace himself and fight flat-footed in each one of them. They were all mismatches, yet Canelo wasn’t take to take it out of 2nd gear to put these guys away quickly. He did stop Rhodes and Gomez, but it took a lot longer than it should have, and I don’t buy the excuse that his fans make that Canelo did this on purpose.

The Klitschko Craft – a proven formula for success

03/28/201303/27/2013 Andrew Picken

Love them or hate them the Klitschko’s demand respect. With the rumours surrounding Vitali’s inevitable exit to pursue his political ambitions in the Ukraine let’s forget the critics and examine why they have ruled the Heavyweight division so consistently since Lewis’s retirement. Comparisons will inevitably be made at how these two brothers would fare in a different heavyweight era, but the fact of the matter remains these guys remain at the top of their game for a reason, or rather reasons.

Despite the obvious physical attributes the Klitschkos bring to the ring, what really sets them apart from other contenders is there in fight intelligence and to a greater degree there out of ring intelligence. First of all let’s take a brief look at their fight strategies. It’s been well documented by many commentators and observers that the Klitschkos like to stay behind that ram rod like jab. They are comfortable at range, they have control and can dictate the pace.

David Haye to announce comeback on Thursday in London press conference

03/28/201303/27/2013 Rob Smith

Former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (26-2, 24 KO’s) will be holding a London press conference this Thursday at which time he’s expected to announce his comeback, and his two-fight plan to get himself locked in as the mandatory challenger for IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

The 32-year-old Haye, who hasn’t fought since last July in beating 2nd tier heavyweight Dereck Chisora by a 5th round TKO, has given up trying to talk WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko into fighting him. Haye now wants to force the issue on his brother Wladimir by fighting two quick fights against top tier opposition to get himself locked in as Wladimir’s mandatory while at the same time putting him in a better spot to get more money than he would if it were to be an optional title defense.

Canelo: I hope Guerrero beats Mayweather

03/26/201303/26/2013 Rob Smith

WBC 154 lb. champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is pulling for WBC interim welterweight champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (31-1-1, 18 KO’s) to cause a big upset on May 4th by beating undefeated WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (43-0, 26 KO’s) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Canelo said to esnewsreportingcom: “Anything can happen in boxing, but I hope Guerrero wins.”

It’s interesting that Canelo is hoping that Guerrero gets the victory because this would be something that would hurt Canelo by having Mayweather’s unbeaten record taken away by somebody else. That undefeated record is obviously something that helps bring huge money to Mayweather with fan interest.

Rios-Alvarado on HBO this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada

03/26/201303/25/2013 Bill Phanco

Brandon Rios and Mike Avarado will be going to war on Saturday night in a fight for the interim WBO light welterweight title on HBO at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The winner of the Rios vs. Alvarado fight will be in line to eventually challenge for the WBO full 140 pound title, which is held at this time by WBO champion Juan Manuel Marquez.

For Rios, it’s important that he defeat Alvarado once again in order to get a big money fight against Manny Pacquiao. Rios was supposed to be fighting Pacquiao already, but the plans were changed when Pacquiao was destroyed by Marquez in a 6th round knockout last December. Pacquiao now could end up facing Marquez, the winner of the Alvarado-Rios fight or Tim Bradley in September.