Month: March 2013

Is Timothy Bradley as good as we thought he was?

bradley14by Robert Jackson – The title of this article has got to be the question that everyone is asking around the water cooler today. Bradley went ‘tooth and nail’ against a fighter who everyone expected him to easily outbox, at times almost getting KO’d. The Russian,…Provodnikov with limited boxing skills, had never in his 6 year career faced an opponent of Bradley’s stature and was chosen as a walkover/tuneup for Bradley who’s looking for more lucrative fights. Having fought most of his career as a Jr welterweight Provodnikov stepped up to the 147lb class to face WBO champion Bradley.

If you were to look at Provodnikov’s boxing resume there are no elite fighters to speak of prior to facing Bradley, expecting most – prior to the fight to disbelieve him able to put the beating on Bradley that he did Saturday nite.

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HBO parts with Golden Boy Promotions

By Rob Smith: HBO Boxing will reportedly no longer be purchasing fights from Golden Boy Promotions, according to Yahoo Sports News. In the immediate future, this will mainly have an effect on Golden Boy fighters WBC lightweight champion Adrien Broner and IBF light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins, as they were two of the remaining Golden Boy fighters that will still having their fights televised on HBO.

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Emmanuel Tagoe returns against Pontillas in Accra April 20

Tagoe vrs POtillas posterBy Prince Dornu-Leiku – World title chasing Emmanuel Tagoe AKA Game Boy makes a return to the ring on April 20 when he fights Filipino, Ronald Pontillas in Accra for the vacant WBO Africa Junior Lightweight (a title Tagoe once held) and vacant WBA International Junior Lightweight belts live on Supersport.

The flamboyant Ghanaian showman will be fighting for the first time under the wing of BabyJet Promotions since signing a 3-year management and promotional deal with the syndicate owned by Ghana national soccer team captain, Asamoah Gyan.

BabyJet Promotions have already outlined comprehensive plans to get Tagoe (20-1, 8 KOs) to world championship glory next year and the fight against 23 year old Pontillas from Philippines is the first of many intended to keep the Ghanaian in shape and improving.

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Joshua Clottey backs Agbeko to beat Melendez

Joshua Clottey interviews AgbekoBy Prince Dornu-Leiku — Former IBF Welterweight champion, Joshua Clottey is confident compatriot Joseph King Kong Agbeko will overcome eColombia’s Luis Mendelez to win the IBO Bantamweight title when they clash in Accra on March 24.

Clottey was present at the Bridge Boxing Gym in the Ghanaian capital on Thursday when Agbeko held an open training session beamed live to the world by Ghana’s leading sports television station, Metro TV. And Clottey who was even made to mockingly interview Agbeko live on TV, believes King Kong is primed for victory.

“At this stage with just a week to the fight, he doesn’t need to train so hard but just focus on his speed. I think with what I’ve seen here today, Agbeko is in good shape and will go for the win. I’m sure he will win by a knockout, even if he doesn’t knock him out then he will win by a wide margin,” Joshua Clottey said at the event.

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Menay Edwards Prepares for Latvian invasion

Menay “the emperor” Edwards fresh from a shut out win over former British Champion Shane McPhilbin takes on his toughest test to date on April 5th in the Goodwin Promotions promoted “Its Banjo time” show at Grays Essex when he takes on World ranked number 77 (Boxrec) Arturs Kulikauskis (9-15-3).

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Bradley defeats Provodnikov in war; Vargas decisions Omotoso

bradley11By Bill Phanco: WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley (30-0, 12 KO’s) defeated light welterweight challenger Ruslan Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KO’s) by a 12 round unanimous decision tonight at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Bradley, 29, was knocked down in the 12th round by Provodnikov, and badly hurt in the 1st, 2nd, 6th in addition to the 12th round. It looks like the referee blew a call in the 1st that would have caused the fight to end in a draw by ruling it a slip after a badly hurt Bradley was knocked down by Provodnikov. The judges scored it 114-113, 114-113 and 115-113.

After the fight, Bradley, with bad swelling on both sides of his face, said “I think I have a concussion. This guy is a power puncher. He’ll beat any 140 or 147 pound fighter out there.

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Austin Trout Exclusive Interview: Canelo Vengeance Factor, Strategy and the Future

IMG_4444By Steve Lopez — After the press conference in Houston, TX concluded, Saul Alvarez and Austin Trout took the time to address members of the media for brief one-on-one interviews. I had the opportunity to sit down with Austin Trout to get his perspective on the fight, Canelo’s mission to avenge his older brother’s loss and what the future may hold for the New Mexico native.

Steve Lopez: “There’s a little bit of a vengeance factor. You beat his older brother a while back. How does it feel being in the ring with younger brother trying to avenge the loss?

Austin Trout: “That’s not really a factor for me. The thing that I think is cool is that I can take two world titles from two brothers. Other than that, his brother was in my way. Really, if you look at it, he was in the path to get to him. In hindsight, looking back, it was just part of the process.

Steve Lopez: “Back in December when you fought Cotto, a lot people had you as the underdog. Kind of a similar story again. I, myself, give you a great chance. In another interview, you mentioned that Canelo won’t be taking advantage of the weight gain he has over other fighters. How do you think that’s going to play out? Usually, he’s the bully.”

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Canelo Alvarez vs. Austin Trout: Houston, TX Press Conference Summary

IMG_4480By: Steve Lopez – Day 2 of the 3-city Texas press tour for the highly anticipated super welterweight showdown between undefeated WBC Super Welterweight Champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and WBA Super Welterweight Champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout continued this Thursday in Houston, TX. I had the privilege to attend the conference and here are some of the highlights from the event.

With a large Latin American community, the Houston, TX crowd was undoubtedly pro-Canelo.

“Canelo! Canelo! Canelo! Canelo!”

That was the instant reaction of the crowd when Saul Alvarez took the podium on Thursday’s Houston, TX Press Conference. The roars were so loud that one could somewhat feel the vibrations of the roars in the air. But before the fighters took the stand, promoters and members of each team addressed the media and the fans to hype up the event. Here are some notable quotes from the conference.

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