Oscar De La Hoya, one of my favorite fighters in recent memory. That guy had the whole tool box, but also had the fearlessness to be great. I enjoyed watching Oscar over his career; he took on every tough opponent that was there to fight. Oscar had the total package, for those of us who like a display of skills, Oscar provided that. For those who like fights with the very best in the sport facing off in their known primes, Oscar also gave us that. I can’t think of a fighter he may have ducked, I can’t think of a fight where he didn’t give the fans what they wanted. In my estimation, these are traits of a fighter that anyone could be proud of. But when it comes to Oscar, I never felt the Mexican community totally embraced him, and I’ve always wondered why.
Month: September 2013
Dahou beats Dodze to win WBC Youth title
Algerian, Nasreddine Dahou claimed the WBC Youth Welterweight championship following a 3rd round stoppage of Ghana’s Frank Dodze on Friday night in Accra.
Fighting in front of a massive crowd at the D.G. Hathiramani Hall of the Accra Sports Stadium, 21 year old Dahou defied the huge home advantage of Dodze, flooring the Ghanaian in round 2 of their scheduled 10-rounder before the corner of the Ghanaian couldn’t take it any longer, throwing in the towel in round 3 much to the delight of Dahou.
Afterwards, the Algerian was decorated with the WBC Youth Welterweight belt by WBC Vice President also African Boxing Union (ABU) President, Houcine Houichi ably assisted by Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) President, Peter Zwennes.
Caleb Truax vs Cerresso Fort: Unfinished Business; Weigh-In Results
This Saturday rising middleweight contender Caleb Truax, who was last seen knocking out Donovan George on Espn Friday Night Fights, faces an old nemesis from his brief amateur career, Cerresso Fort at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
The card is promoted by Seconds Out Promotions, a company that in recent years has created a boom for Minnesota boxing.
Adonis Stevenson Interview Transcript
Operator: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Adonis Stevenson v. Tavoris Cloud conference call. Unfortunately, the Tavoris Cloud side was not able to make the conference. All lines are currently in a listen-only mode and you may press 1 on your telephone keypad to enter the question queue at any time. Mr. Bob Trieger will now begin.
Bob Trieger: Thank you. Welcome to the Stevenson/Cloud media conference call and thanks for taking the time from your busy schedule to join us today. We have just learned that Team Cloud will not be participating, but we are moving on.
“Superman Returns” on Saturday night, September 28 matches two of boxing’s most lethal punches as World Boxing Council, Ring Magazine, and lineal light heavyweight champion, Adonis “Superman” Stevenson makes his first title event against former world light heavyweight champion, Tavoris “Thunder” Cloud.
Stand out Amateur Donovan Estrella making his Pro Debut Tonight
Decorated amateur Donovan Estrella will make his pro debut tonight against John Nunez at The Stampede in Aurora, Colorado on a card promoted by AirTight Boxing. Estrella amassed a stellar record going 121-9 in the amateur ranks.
Donovan’s grandfather, who started boxing at age 12, played a major role in his life and boxing when he influenced Donovan at a very young age. Many of Estrella’s family members currently or have been involved in the sport of boxing, including his father, two brothers and three cousins. Being the youngest boxer of a big family Donovan was just 4 years old when he started going to the gym, looking up to his brothers and cousins watching and learning enough to have his first fight at age 8.
Andre Ward vs. Edwin Rodriguez: Saturday, November 16 Live on HBO
SHERMAN OAKS, CA (September 20, 2013) – Following slightly more than a year’s absence from the ring due to injury, Bay Area hero, 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist and current WBA and Ring Magazine World Super Middleweight Champion, Andre “S.O.G.” Ward makes his highly anticipated return to the ring defending his title against Edwin Rodriguez on Saturday, November 16 at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA.
Simply and appropriately billed as “The Return,” Ward (26-0, 13 KOs) will risk his title against the undefeated Rodriguez (24-0, 16 KOs) in the scheduled 12-round World Championship main event which will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Producers of Being: Mike Tyson Give an In-Depth Glimpse Into the Documentary
Both guys, Steve Michaels and Andrew Fried, had a lot to say about the experience of working with Tyson. They talk about the coming together of the idea, as well as the eye and mind opening scenes that the audience can expect to witness. Let me tell you, this is worth tuning in for.
“The One” Sets All-Time Money PPV Record
NEW YORK (Sept. 19, 2013) — Last Saturday’s blockbuster boxing event — THE ONE: MAYWEATHER VS. CANELO — ranked as the highest-grossing pay-per-view of all time, with nearly $150 million in U.S. pay-per-view revenue reported to date. The news was announced today by Showtime Networks Inc., a division of CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS), in conjunction with event promoters Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions. The SHOWTIME PPV presentation of THE ONE surpassed the previous record of $136 million generated by Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing event in 2007.
Preliminary reports from distributors show pay-per-view buys projected to be 2.2 million. While not fully reported from all distributors, the total buys could challenge the existing record of 2.48 million pay-per-view buys set by De La Hoya vs. Mayweather. The initial report immediately following the De La Hoya vs. Mayweather event in 2007 was 2.15. THE ONE has already exceeded the previous #2 event, the infamous World Heavyweight Championship bout between Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II (1.95 million, 1997).
Face Off With Max Kellerman: Alvarado/Provodnikov Debuts Saturday, Oct. 5 on HBO
Sept. 19, 2013 – Fight fans eager for a unique inside look at the highly anticipated Oct. 19th HBO World Championship Boxing® showdown between junior welterweights Mike Alvarado and Ruslan Provodnikov should mark their calendars to catch an all-new edition of “Face Off,” starring the two prizefighters. “Face Off With Max Kellerman: Alvarado/Provodnikov” debuts Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1:00 a.m. (ET/PT) on HBO immediately following an action-filled evening of boxing programming on the network highlighted by a World Championship Boxing card live from Orlando, FL.
A Tribute To Ken Norton – 1943-2013
As fans have no doubt read by now, heavyweight legend and former world champion Ken Norton passed away earlier today. The magnificently conditioned former U.S Marine, most famous for his three epic fights with Muhammad Ali, suffered a stroke last year and had been in poor health since. Today, fans and former champions everywhere are sending out messages of condolence to Norton’s family.
I had the opportunity to meet Kenny last year, in Las Vegas.
By way of a tribute to the Hall of Famer who met such heavyweight titans as: Ali, Larry Holmes, George Foreman, Gerry Cooney, Earnie Shavers and many, many more – I recall the short amount of time I spent with Norton during the Floyd Mayweather-Miguel Cotto fight week of May 2012.