Nonito Donaire-Jorge Arce Set To Rumble: Mexico City, Dec. 15th – This One Could Be Special!

09/14/201610/20/2012 Eddy Pronishev

By James Slate Nonito Donaire-Jorge Arce Set To Rumble: Mexico City, Dec. 15th - This One Could Be Special! r – For a while now, Nonito Donaire, one of the finest fighters operating today, and Jorge Arce, one of the toughest fighters operating today, have been looking at squaring off (even though the seen-it-all-done-it-all warrior that is Arce recently said he “is not impressed” by Donaire yet disappointingly opted to face a 36-12-1 Mauricio Martinez in his next bout).

Well, the intriguing clash, one that just might result in something special (depending on how much the somewhat grizzled 33-year-old five-weight ruler has left in the tank after his quite amazing 70-bout pro career) is set to go down in Mexico City on a Bob Arum promotion on Dec. 15th. This is the exclusive word according to Philboxing.com, who report that the fight will be made official this coming Monday.

Sure to be a big deal in Mexico, where millions of real, honest to goodness fight fans live, Donaire-Arce is a meeting of two totally different fighters and men. Donaire, both slick and deadly, can seemingly do it all in the ring yet he is both polite and respectful outside of the squared circle. Arce, meanwhile is a true throwback in the tough sense of the word, “Travieso” is also a proven trash-talker, totally unlike “The Filipino Flash” in terms of personality. The clash of styles and personalities will hopefully make for a memorable battle.

“Kid Chocolate” Peter Quillin goes for the gold on October 20th

09/14/201610/20/2012 Eddy Pronishev

By Joseph Herron – Tonight at the newly erected Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, 29 year old Middleweight, “Kid Chocolate” Peter Quillin (27-0, 20 KOs), will attempt to capture his first major world title as he takes on incumbent WBO Champion Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (27-0, 17 KOs) in the opening act of a spectacular Golden Boy quadruple header.

The action in the ring will be televised on Showtime premium cable network with a start time of 8PM EST/PST.

While most casual fight fans won’t be familiar with the reigning title holder, the hungry young Brooklynite will have his hands full against the durable and undefeated French born fighter.

But according to “Kid Chocolate”, the juice will definitely be worth the squeeze on October 20th.

“Every fight is a 50/50 fight, no matter what anyone tries to say,” stated Peter Quillin. “Any fighter can come into a fight with the right frame of mind and land one shot that puts you away. It only takes one good punch to knock a fighter out and anyone can come in the ring and land that perfect shot on any given day.”

“I know that N’Dam is a world champion and I know he’s undefeated. To get to that level you have to be the hardest working fighter in the gym. Unless you’re Chavez Jr, a world champion is always the hardest working fighter in the gym.”

Paulie Malignaggi: No sleep till Brooklyn

09/14/201610/19/2012 Eddy Pronishev

By Joseph Herron – It’s a great time to be the “Magic man”.

Not only is two division world champion Paulie Malignaggi making the first defense of his WBA Welterweight title, but he’s defending the coveted strap in front of a few thousand of his closest friends…just a few miles from where he grew up.

The 31 year old Brooklynite will be part of a huge Golden Boy Promotions presentation which brings championship boxing back to the famed borough for the first time in over eighty years.

This is a very special event for the current 147 pound champ.

“Whenever you get to defend your title in your hometown, it’s always a very exciting event,” states Paulie Malignaggi (31-4, 7 KOs). “Brooklyn has a lot of boxing history. A lot of great fighters came from Brooklyn and it’s very special to be a part of that history. To be able to bring boxing at a very high level back to this area really means a lot to me.”

The last championship bout staged in the beloved area took place at the legendary Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, back in 1931.

Nonito Donaire: “I want Rigondeaux to be at his best when I fight him”

09/14/201610/18/2012 Eddy Pronishev

(Photo credit: Adrian Hernandez) By Joseph Herron: In less than a full calendar year’s time, four division world champion and pound for pound talent Nonito Donaire (30-1, 19 KOs) has garnered two world titles in the Super Bantamweight division, as well as the WBC Diamond belt and Ring Magazine’s distinction as the man to beat at 122 pounds.

So where does the “Filipino Flash” go from here?

After the 29 year old fighter’s brilliant performance against former WBC Champ Toshiaki Nishioka on October 13th, HBO’s Max Kellerman asked Donaire about a potential meeting with Cuban exile and two-time Olympic Gold medal winner Guillermo Rigondeaux.

While most fight fans were somewhat puzzled with Nonito’s on-air response, the southern California based fighter clarified his reply on Tuesday night’s edition of “The Pugilist KOrner”.

Erislandy Lara: “After I beat Vanes Martirosyan on Nov 10th, I will fight Canelo Alvarez and become WBC Champion”

09/14/201610/18/2012 Eddy Pronishev

By Joseph Herron – With just four weeks before his big title eliminator contest with undefeated Junior Middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan (32-0, 20 KOs), WBC number one ranked 154 pound contender Erislandy Lara (17-1-1, 11 KOs) is very excited to be a part of this highly anticipated event on HBO Boxing After Dark from the Wynn Las Vegas on November 10th.

While preparing under the tutelage of world renowned trainer Ronnie Shields in Houston, Texas, the talented Cuban fighter visited with “The Pugilist KOrner” on Tuesday night and gave his thoughts on the upcoming match-up.

“I feel great and I’m training extremely hard for this fight on November 10th,” stated Erislandy Lara. “I am very happy to be back on HBO and very excited for the opportunity to face another world class fighter like Vanes Martirosyan.”

“Everything is going well in training camp and I have three weeks left to go, but I’m ready to fight right now. I just went ten rounds easy today and I will be very prepared for the best version of Vanes Martirosyan on November 10th.”

“In addition to working with trainer Ronnie Shields, I’m currently working with strength and conditioning expert Edward Jackson and everything is going perfectly. On November 10th, I’m going to bust Vanes right in the mouth and earn my title shot against Canelo Alvarez.”

With the confidence that comes with being an elite level talent, Erislandy is happy that the WBC title eliminator will be one of the best fighters in the packed 154 pound weight division.

Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero vs. Andre Berto, Nov 24th on HBO

09/14/201610/18/2012 Eddy Pronishev

By Joseph Herron: On Thanksgiving weekend at the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario, California, four division world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (30-1-1, 18 KOs) will face his toughest test to date when he defends his interim WBC Welterweight title against former 147 pound world champion Andre Berto (28-1, 22 KOs) on the biggest stage of boxing, HBO.

Despite being an avoided fighter throughout the majority of his career in the Featherweight, Super Featherweight, and Lightweight divisions, the 11 year fight veteran has patiently waited for his big moment to face a marquee fighter and a legitimate champion on a big HBO event.

Now that he finally has his golden opportunity against a two-time Welterweight Champion, “The Ghost” is at long last ready to make his mark as an elite level fighter in the sport of boxing.

Manager Luis DeCubas Jr. spoke out on this week’s edition of “The Pugilist KOrner” concerning Guerrero’s long overdue opportunity on November 24th.

“Robert is very excited for this fight,” insists the lifelong boxing proponent. “For eleven years, Robert has been working towards this moment. While fighting in the lower weight divisions, none of the other title holders wanted to take on “The Ghost” because they felt he was too big and too skilled. That’s why we ultimately made the jump up to 147.”

Nonito Donaire…you have just entered the “Pacquiao Zone”

09/14/201610/17/2012 Eddy Pronishev

By Joseph Herron – Since bursting onto the big stage of boxing with one crushing left hook to the chin of the most feared Flyweight in the world circa 2007, Nonito Donaire has been one of the most dominant fighters in boxing. With lightning fast reflexes and freakish power for a lower weight division fighter, “The Filipino Flash” has made twenty nine consecutive victories look like an easy month at the office.

But like many dominant fighters of years past, Nonito Donaire currently finds himself in somewhat of a boxing quandary.

It seems the 29 year old fighter’s reputation has preceded his presence in the ring since placing a dent in the face of Fernando Montiel on HBO last year; not only to his opposition, but to the fans of boxing as well.

Since destroying the three division world champion on February 19th, 2011, most of Nonito’s opponents have receded into a timid and unwilling shell while standing in the ring with the pound for pound fighter. Although it’s an amazing testament to the talents of the proud Filipino pugilist, it doesn’t make for a very eventful evening of boxing.

After Donaire’s third championship victory in the Super Bantamweight division on Saturday, October 13th, his opponent admitted that his reluctance in the ring was intentional.

“The difference in the fight was the speed and I had to be careful,” stated Toshiaki Nishioka. “I had never faced a fighter with the speed of Donaire.”

East Side Boxing Adopts The Transnational Boxing Rankings

09/14/201610/16/2012 Eddy Pronishev

by Matt McGrain: The WBA currently recognises two heavyweight world champions. The WBA “Super” champion (you read that right) is Wladimir Klitschko. For most people, Wladimir is recognised as the best heavyweight on the planet currently. The second best is his brother, Vitlali Klitschko.

Vitali is not ranked amongst the WBA’s top contenders, because Vitali is the world champion for a rival organisation.

Meanwhile, the second champion the WBA recognises is Alexander Povetkin. He is the “World” champion (remember when that meant something?). Povetkin is Wladimir’s most notorious serial-ducker. His own people have not been shy about advertising the theory that Povetkin is not yet ready for Wladimir.

In other words, the WBA’s World champion and “Super” champion are unlikely to meet. The WBA gave Povetkin the shot at Chagaev knowing that this was likely to be the case, and when it indisputably became the case, instead of stripping Povetkin, they lined up Cedric Boswell, Marco Huck and Hasim Rahman for him as “title” defences and continued to merrily collect their sanctioning fees. Rahman, ranked as the #1 contender for Povetkin’s last defence, struggled badly with the arena steps due to shot knees and offered absolutely no resistance in an embarrassing capitulation once he had hauled his once impressive frame through the ropes. Rahman attained his #1 status by beating such luminaries as Galen Brown (2-2 in his last four), Marcus Magee (2-1-0-1 in his last four), Damon Reed (2-2 in his last four) and Shannon Miller (2-1-0-1 in his last four). He hadn’t been scheduled to box twelve rounds since his 2008 destruction at the hands of, you’ve guessed it, “Super” champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Clear? As mud.