Gamboa defeats Farenas in 12 to win interim WBA Super Featherweight title

09/15/201612/09/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron: Tonight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in the co-main event of the evening, Yuriorkis Gamboa (22-0, 16 KOs) became the interim WBA Super Featherweight Champion by defeating Michael Farenas (34-4-4, 26 KOs) in a surprisingly competitive twelve round unanimous decision.

Although the judges at ringside correctly scored the twelve round contest 117-109, 118-110, and 117-108, in favor of the former World Champion, Michael Farenas proved to be a game fighter who was worthy of competing for a major world title.

The commence the action, Yuriorkis established his speed and power while landing hard, compact shots from mid to long range. The former Top Rank fighter was intent on reminding the fight fans in attendance of what they had missed for fourteen months of political boxing drama and inactivity. The Cuban missile seemed sharp and energetic for the entire three minute round.

After being momentarily wobbled by a straight left hand from the Filipino fighter in the first minute of the second round, Gamboa stayed calm and composed, retaliating with hard combinations on the inside. The Cuban exile floored Farenas with ten seconds left in the round with a hard counter right hook on the inside. Although Farenas was up immediately, the hard punching Filipino was ostensibly shaken by the punch.

Vazquez dominates Gesta for 12 rounds to retain IBF Lightweight title

12/09/201212/09/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron: On the undercard of the Pacquiao/Marquez IV PPV event, Miguel Vazquez (32-3, 13 KOs) successfully defended his 135 pound title by outpointing previously undefeated contender Mercito Gesta (26-1-1, 14 KOs) for twelve uneventful rounds. The judges at ringside scored the contest 117-111, 119-109, and 118-110, unanimously in favor of the reigning champ.

Throughout every round of the IBF Championship Lightweight contest, the incumbent title holder did a brilliant job of landing his left land and moving away from Gesta’s power punch. He seemed to outbox the tough Filipino prospect with ease while connecting the occasional straight right hand.

Javier Fortuna decisions Patrick Hyland to win interim WBA Featherweight title

12/09/201212/08/2012 ESB

By Joseph Herron: In one of the more highly anticipated preliminary bouts on the Pacaquaio/Marquez IV fight card, knock-out artist Javier Fortuna (21-0, 15 KOs) defeated Patrick Hyland (27-1, 12 KOs) with a surprisingly competitive twelve round unanimous decision. The judges at ringside scored the contest 118-110, 116-112, and 115-113.

The scheduled twelve round fight was for the interim WBA Featherweight Championship, and both men were looking for a sensational showing to attract bigger opportunities against the elite level fighters of the 126 pound weight class.

In the first two stanzas of the 126 pound fight, both men showed their opponent much respect and seemed surprisingly tentative to begin the match. But in the third round, Javier Fortuna began to realize that Patrick Hyland wasn’t planning to let his hands go early and began to open up with sharp straight left hands and right hooks around the tight guard of the cautious Irish fighter.

Although the hard punching Dominican fighter overwhelmingly landed more power shots than his opponent in rounds four and five, nothing seemed to detour Patrick Hyland. Fortuna seemed content with landing the occasional combination, then circling the Irish fighter with lateral movement on both sides of the ring.

Mikkel Kessler destroys Magee, wins WBA super middleweight strap

09/15/201612/08/2012 ESB

By Michael Collins,, photo: Wende / Team Sauerland – Using a fierce body attack, Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KO’s) chopped down WBA World super middleweight champion Brian Magee (36-5-1, 25 KO’s) in a third round TKO on Saturday night to capture his World Boxing Association 168 pound title at the BOXEN, in Herning, Denmark.

Kessler started off slowly but once he figured out that Magee couldn’t handle it to the body, he dropped him with a nice right hand in the 2nd and then another time in the 3rd round. After the knockdown at the start of the 3rd, the fight was halted because Magee was in no shape to continue fighting.

Kessler landed probing shots in the 1st round as he looked for areas to attack the 37-year-old Magee. Kessler landed some nice jabs and a few single right hands but nothing special. The southpaw Magee charged Kessler and hit him with a few nice shots at the end of the round but for the most part it was all Kessler.

In the 2nd round, Kessler noticed that Magee was wincing when he hit him to the body. He then loaded up with a big right hand to the midsection of Magee that put him down. Kessler then continued to hammer Magee to the body, causing him on two occasions to crouch down in pain but not hitting the canvas.

Rafael and Malignaggi pick Marquez to beat Pacquiao tonight

12/08/201212/08/2012 ESB

By Steve Mabbott: Dan Rafael of ESPN and WBA World welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi see Juan Manuel Marquez beating Manny Pacquiao tonight in their fourth fight together. Rafael sees it as a law of averages type of thing, whereas Malignaggi believes that Marquez will win a fight decision.

Mayweather Sr. not interested in Pacquiao-Marquez 4 bout

12/09/201212/08/2012 ESB

By Bill Phanco: Floyd Mayweather Sr. doesn’t have a whole lot of interest in tonight’s clash between Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s) and Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KO’s), because he says he’s seen too many fights between them in the past where the wrong fighter got his hand raised after the fight.

Boxing Losers v. Winners

09/15/201612/08/2012 ESB

By “Old Yank” Schneider

Sentimentalism Defined:

The bloom is off the rose. We all saw it coming with Freddie Roach “wishing” his way to win after win with Amir Kahn. But one more win was not in the cards. Roach fighters would continue to lose. Senshenko…Chavez, Jr….Pacquaio. Wilting in boxing is uglier than it is in any other sport because of the utter sense of downer that follows. There are no other team members to pick you up. When the wilting begins only the solo bloom is there, losing its petals, in what seems a one-act play following an often brilliant career; the soliloquy spoken to an audience that has painfully, quietly and sadly if not pitifully already left the theater. Losing it at the end of a career in boxing is the ultimate solo performance — this rose by any other name does not smell sweet.

The fans are already leaving. We know it to be true. It is the legacy of the old ushering in the new — especially so when all the others have gone — evidenced by them playing their hedging comments out in the blogosphere before the bout has even begun.

Marquez wants to KO Pacquiao to remove the judges from the equation

09/15/201612/07/2012 ESB

By Bill Phanco: Former four division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s) will be looking to knock Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KO’s) clean out on Saturday in their fourth fight between them. Marquez, 39, wants to take the judges completely out of their position of being able to sit as the decider in this fight by knocking Pacquiao and making sure that he won’t be on the receiving end of another controversial decision like in the past three fights.

Speaking with the BBC Sport, Marquez said “I am looking for the knockout. I have trained really hard, and I feel ready. I am looking for the knockout because the judge gave another [bad decision in last Pacquiao fight].”
Marquez has got the body and the strength now to accomplish his goal. He looks even more muscular than in his last fight against Pacquiao, and in that fight Marquez looked powerful.

If Marquez’s extra muscles equate to more power than Pacquiao could be in for a brutal beating tomorrow night because he and his trainer Freddie Roach have already said that they’re going to take the fight to Marquez to try and overwhelm him with punches. Roach seems to believe that the answer to beating guys like Marquez and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is to try and overwhelm their defenses.

Kessler vs. Magee tomorrow night for WBA 168 lb title

09/15/201612/07/2012 ESB

(Photo credit: Sauerland Events) By Michael Collins: Mikkel Kessler (45-2, 34 KO’s) and Brian Magee (36-4-1, 25 KO’s) weighed in earlier today for their fight on Saturday with Kessler coming in at 167.8 pounds and Magee at 168 for their bout at the BOXEN, Herning, Denmark. Kessler, 33, is a huge favorite in this fight, as he has the bigger power, better hand speed, bigger size and the much bigger talent than Magee. Kessler also four years younger than the 37-year-old Magee, and that’s something that will help as well.

Magee has been fighting well lately and has won his last two fights, but he’s traditionally crumbled when stepping it up against quality opposition in losses to Lucian Bute, Carl Froch, Robin Reid and Vitaliy Tsypko. He’s got good power but not the kind of power that will get him past Kessler unless Kessler has really gone downhill since his last fight.

Kessler was knocked down in the 1st round in his last fight by Allan Green last May. Kessler came back to stop Green in the 4th round with a tremendous left hook, but it does cause you to wonder what would have happened to Kessler had he fought someone that was throwing a lot of punches at him. Green only threw a few punches in the entire fight, and yet he had Kessler hurt and on the deck. If Magee can land a decent amount of shots on Kessler’s chin we could see an upset tomorrow night.

Maloney Statement on Fury vs Price

12/08/201212/07/2012 ESB

An offer was made to Tyson Fury guaranteeing him a £650,000 purse to challenge David Price for the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles.

Tyson’s promoter Mick Hennessy turned down the offer, describing it as a “joke” and added that David would have to “step up to the plate on our terms”.