Matthew Macklin (29-4, 20 KO’s) has done an admirable job in losses to Felix Sturm and Sergio Martinez when he’s stepped it up a level but he’s failed to get the win. He fought both of them very tough but he came up short because he didn’t have quite enough talent to beat them.
Month: June 2013
Hopkins/Murat Quotes and Photos
BERNARD HOPKINS, IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion
“I just found out a month ago, the doctor will be here before the [fight week] press conference hopefully to explain this, but I must confess that I am not human. I am an alien. No, seriously. I realize that Pluto is no longer a planet now, so I’m from Mars. I’ve definitely retired the ‘Executioner.’ You will not hear me mention the Executioner.
“Now, I’m in this world but I’m not of this world. There is no aging process for me.
“The breaking news is that I am an alien.
“I reflect a little bit in my mind about not only defending my title, but also defending my historic career.
Schaefer: Khan and Alexander on board for December 7th fight
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer is saying that he’s got an agreement from both Amir Khan and IBF welterweight champion Devon Alexander for a fight on December 7th in Dubai. Schaefer is still working out the details of the fight and he still needs to iron out the venue, but he’s got the hardest part out of the way in getting both guys to agree to the fight.
Schaefer’s grand plan is to have Khan fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. next year if he gets past Alexander. That’s a big if. Khan looks almost like he’s on his last legs in losing two out of his last four fights and barely beat Julio Diaz in his last fight.
That would have been three losses in Khan’s last four fights. I actually had Khan losing that fight but it shows you how vulnerable Khan is that he couldn’t even beat a fighter like Diaz without controversy.
Ariza picks Mayweather to beat Canelo
Strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza is picking Floyd Mayweather Jr. (44-0, 26 KO’s) to beat WBA/WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KO’s) in their fight on September 14th on the Mexican Independence Day holiday. Ariza sees Mayweather’s experience being too much for the 22-year-old Canelo.
Ariza said on his twitter “I think Floyd’s skill and experience will be the difference.”
Ariza is probably right. Mayweather is much more skilled than Canelo is and ever will be.
Hopkins plans on going for Murat’s nose with jabs
48-year-old IBF light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins (53-6-2, 32 KO’s) says he’s going to go right after his opponent Karo Murat’s nose right off the bat on July 13th in their fight at the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, USA. This will be Hopkins’ first defense of his title after beating Tavoris Cloud by a 12 round unanimous decision last March to take his title.
Hopkins was hoping to get a bigger fight against the likes of Carl Froch but he had no other choice but to face Murat (25-1-1, 15 KO’s), as he was his mandatory challenger and it was either fight him or risk losing the title by having it stripped from him.
Hopkins said to fightnews.com “He eats jabs. He doesn’t move his head…I will be working on the beak.”
Fury in negotiations with three different opponents; Haye is the one he wants the most
Undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury (21-0, 15 KO’s) is said to be in negotiations with three different opponents at one for his next fight. His promoter Mick Hennessey wants to match Fury against former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (26-2, 24 KO’s), and Fury has even dropped out of his planned fight against Kubrat Pulev just so that he can in the position to get a fight against Haye.
If Fury can get that fight he stands to make £2million, according to Steve Bunce. This is considerably more than the €400,000 he might make for a fight against IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko if Fury were able to get past Pulev in the IBF heavyweight eliminator bout that he had been attempting to put together until recently.
We’ll make Fred Lawson world champ – Alhaji Enusah
Ghanaian boxing enthusiast, manager and promoter, Alhaji Sally Enusah is convinced hot prospect, Frederick Lawson is primed to be a world boxing champion in the not-too-distant future and is promising to spearhead the bid with all the support necessary for the unbeaten boxer to realize the dream.
The hard-hitting Lawson has written the headlines with his spectacular dismissal of opponents in all of his 20 professional fights thus far, not least last March 22’s 3rd round technical knockout stoppage of compatriot Isaac Sowah to claim the IBF Africa Welterweight belt. In all, Lawson has claimed 19 knockouts in his 20 career fights.
The performances of 22 year old Lawson, fondly nicknamed Okumka by his fans has even inspired fear in potential opponents. A purported defence of the IBF Africa title against Burkina Faso’s Patrick Sou Toke on Africa Day, May 25 fell through after the Burkinabe pulled out at the last minute.
Big Weekend Of T.V Boxing Ahead For U.K Fight Fans – And One Writer’s Pre-Fight Predictions
Fight fans in the UK are in for a huge night of televised boxing this coming Saturday night/early Sunday morning – those fans who have access to BoxNation and Sky Sports especially, although there will be terrestrial action on Channel 5.
BoxNation have secured the rights to the third instalment of the Marco Huck-Ola Afolabi series, which will take place in Berlin, Germany. Then, in the early hours of Sunday morning, BoxNation viewers will be able to tune in to the anticipated thriller that is Marcos Maidana Vs. Josesito Lopez, the action coming from Carson, California. This card also features the WBA interim title fight between light-middleweights Erislandy Lara and Alfredo Angulo.
Wladimir Klitschko Wants The Contract Signed, But States Team Povetkin Has Issues
“The contract has not yet been signed because there are still too many not agreed upon clauses in the contract. At this moment there are still too many questions, to which team Povetkin has no answers. All the answers from our side have already been taken care of. There is good communication between us, but when it comes to the official talk, all of a sudden there are questions. I hope that we can solve all the issues and finally sign the contract. If not, we will move forward without Povetkin,” stated Wladimir Klitschko.
I am assuming that the questions and issues that Wladimir is referring to are the drug testing and the financial agreement. Of course K2 promotions is looking to get the bigger cut of the money pie, as they should. The drug testing issue also has numerous ways of being solved, ways that would clearly work for both sides. So what is holing up the fight? Is one side trying to avoid fighting the other?
Austin Trout wants on Mayweather-Canelo fight card on September 14th
Former WBA junior middleweight champion Austin Trout (26-1, 14 KO’s) is hoping to get on the highly visible Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez card on September 14th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Trout expressed interest in his social media site, saying “Looking to get on the September card.”