Month: August 2014

Wladimir Klitschko faces tough test in Kubrat Pulev on September 6th

Wladimir Klitschko faces tough test in Kubrat Pulev on September 6th

In what is easily the toughest test since his fight against former WBA champ David Haye in 2011, IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (62-3, 52 KOs) will be putting his belts on the line against #1 IBF Kubrat Pulev (20-0, 11 KOs) next month on September 6th at the O2 World Arena, Altona, in Hamburg, Germany.

Pulev, 6’4 ½”, matches up well with the 6’6” Wladimir in terms of size and his ability to jab with power. Wladimir has a slight height advantage of a little less than two inches, but they’re both basically the same in the jab department.

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Austin Trout battles Daniel Dawson this Friday in Temecula, CA

Austin Trout battles Daniel Dawson this Friday in Temecula, CA

#7 WBA Austin Trout (26-2, 14 KOs) will be back in the ring this Friday night in an effort to end his 2-fight losing streak. Trout will, 28, will be fighting #15 WBA Daniel Dawson (40-3-1, 26 KOs) at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California.

Trout has lost his last couple of fights against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Erislandy Lara, and looked poor in both fights. Trout cannot afford to lose to Dawson without it putting his career in jeopardy.

Losing to Lara and Canelo is nothing for Trout to be ashamed of because those guys are in the top 5 of the 154 pound division. But losing to the 36-year-old Daniel Dawson, who is no relation to former WBC light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson, would do irreparable harm to Trout’s career.

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Kell Brook to take optional defense later this year

Kell Brook to take optional defense later this year

Al Bernstein says that IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook (33-0, 22 KOs) will be looking to make an optional title defense later this year against an opponent still to be determined. Bernstein seems to think it could be 40-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez, but that’s pure speculation on his part. Bernstein has no idea who Brook’s promoter Eddie Hearn will be choosing for the fight, but if we were to go by Hearn’s track record, I would think not.

.You can’t assume that Brook is going to be able to get past Marquez. That’s a tough fight for Marquez, and Hearn might not want to take the risk in making this fight if it could potentially ruin Brook’s chances of getting a big money payday against Amir Khan, Floyd Mayweather Jr or Manny Pacquiao in 2015.

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Maidana doubts Mayweather can improve from previous fight

Maidana doubts Mayweather can improve from previous fight

Marcos Maidana (35-4, 32 KOs) isn’t buying what he’s hearing about WBA/WBC Floyd Mayweather Jr (46-0, 26 KOs) improving for their next fight on September 13th by making changes in his game so that he’ll beat Maidana with ease in their fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Maidana thinks Mayweather can change, but he also expects to change and improve so anything Mayweather can do to improve will be cancelled out with what he’s doing. Maidana doubts that Mayweather will be able to box much better than what he did last time, because the pressure that he plans on putting on him will ultimately get to him.

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Hearn thinks he can make Brook-Khan fight next year

Hearn thinks he can make Brook-Khan fight next year

If everything goes as planned we could see a fight between British welterweights Amir Khan (29-3, 19 KOs) and IBF 147 pound champion Kell Brook (33-0, 22 KOs) for early 2015 in a large stadium like the Wembley Stadium in London, UK.

Hearn is hoping that Khan will see the huge money that he can potentially make in the fight and decide to take it based on that. It’s pretty clear that Brook needs at least one more solid win under him before a fight between him and Khan could become a really huge event. To be sure, a Khan-Brook fight would be a big success in the UK, because many fans like the fight right now.

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Groves could be facing Anthony Dirrell for WBC 168lb title in 2015

Groves could be facing Anthony Dirrell for WBC 168lb title in 2015

If #4 WBC George Groves (19-2, 15 KOs) defeated #2 WBC Christopher Rebrasse (22-2-3, 6 KOs) in their WBC super middleweight title eliminator bout next month on September 20th at Wembley Arena in London, UK, we could very well see Groves challenging unbeaten WBC super middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell (27-0-1, 22 KOs) for the title sometime next year. Groves has to be seen as a heavy favorite to defeat the light hitting Rebrasse.

Dirrell’s power could be a problem for Groves because he hits so hard and he’s got excellent hand speed. Groves isn’t going to knockout a fighter like Dirrell. That’s probably not going to happen. But for Groves to beat Dirrell, he’s going to need to handle the huge shots that Dirrell hits him with for 12 continuous rounds.

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Anthony Barnes takes out Darryl Fields with a first round KO

Anthony Barnes takes out Darryl Fields with a first round KO

The KP Production’s 10 fight card at the Royal Oak Music Theatre, was more than expected. The last two showcase fights, ended in first round KO’s for the local winners Anthony Barnes and Michael Portillo. Barnes now stands at 6-0. His opponent, Darryl Fields from Akron, Ohio was a last minute substitution. Fields was caught off guard as Barnes landed an early heavy handed right with 21 seconds into the fight. Fields attempted to stand but it was all over.

Portillo’s opponent, Bernard Webster of Shawano, Wisconsin suffered a broken rib and the fight had to be stopped. Portillo, a Detroit native son, who had a large following, went to 3-0.

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Brook Upsets Porter to take home the title

Brook Upsets Porter to take home the title

There’s something about the atmosphere at the StubHub Center when the sun has fallen and it’s time for the main event! Over 7,000 fans came out to watch American Shawn Porter defend his welterweight title against England’s Kell Brook. The Brit made his way to the ring first, practically jogging his way through the crowd and between the ropes, looking eager to get it on. Porter’s ring walk was slow and calculated, making his opponent wait for him. Jimmy Lennon announced the fighters in his classy, unique way. Brook drew boos from the partisan crowd, yet had plenty of British supporters making their presence felt.

Porter came out with a lot of energy, trying to get inside on his taller opponent and work the body. Brook seemed content to hold and back up; while Porter looked like a pit bull in the early going. In the second round a clash of heads caused a small cut over Brook’s left eye, yet his cut man did a great job with it.

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Figueroa stops Estrada in an exciting fight

Figueroa stops Estrada in an exciting fight

Another great night of boxing at the StubHub Center in Carson, California! After an entertaining undercard featuring Deontay Wilder, Jorge Linares and other notables, the tripleheader broadcast kicked off with Texas native Omar Figueroa defending his lightweight title against Daniel Estrada of Mexico City. It was an exciting opening to another solid tripleheader from Showtime Boxing, which was criticized for the one-sided Al Haymon showcase in Brooklyn they broadcast last week (topped off with the Garcia-Salka fiasco).

Figueroa started cautiously in the early going, attempting to move his head and responsibly. It didn’t last long. By the end of the first round both men were exchanging blows on the ropes. Figueroa stalked forward and seemed to do the better work, yet Estrada stood his ground and made his presence felt. A low blow in the third round seemed to really bother Omar, as he took a long break at the suggestion of referee Raul Caiz to recover.

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Dirrell wins rematch with Bika, takes home the belt

Dirrell wins rematch with Bika, takes home the belt

(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) The first time these two fought in Brooklyn last December, a rough and rugged contest ended in a controversial draw. Bika, of Australia by way of Cameroon, held onto his title but the sanctioning organization mandated a rematch take place. It’s clear to anyone who’s paid attention during the build up to this rematch that Bika and Dirrell don’t like each other, as they jawed back and forth at the presser and weigh-in earlier this week. But how would all that animosity translate into the ring? It didn’t take long to find out.

The first round of this boxing match looked more like a wrestling match, as the fighters took turns slamming each other into canvas. Referee Jack Reiss tried to establish control of the fight early and told the fighters to knock out the rough stuff or he’d take a point. Dirrell, the quicker, slicker boxer, attempted to confuse his opponent by switching between the southpaw and orthodox stance.

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