Algieri Might Be the Most Interesting Man in Sports

Algieri Might Be the Most Interesting Man in Sports

The world has already learned a lot about Chris Algieri, 20-0-0 (8KO), and it wants more. It has listened to him, observed him, sometimes chuckling at what is heard or seen. But, the truth of the matter is Algieri is unlike any other prizefighter practicing his wares, now or in the past. The sporting world might have a real gem in this young man from New York.

Usually the athletes who get the headlines and magazine covers are the men and women with extraordinary physical attributes. They stand out because of their uncommon prowess. They can knock the ball out of the park, or a man to the canvas.

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Wladimir Klitschko: “Pulev is acting like Haye, constantly complains about something”

Wladimir Klitschko: “Pulev is acting like Haye, constantly complains about something”

In a recent interview with Wladimir Klitschko, the Ukrainian heavyweight champion has revealed that he is been annoyed with the way his future opponent Kubrat Pulev has been acting leading up to the fight. The Bulgarian challenger is slated to face Klitschko this coming Saturday in Hamburg, Germany.

It seems as though Pulev has been voicing his concerns more and more as the fight gets closer. This has been happening so much, that Wladimir Klitschko could only compare it to the barrage of issues that David Haye had when their fight was on the horizon.

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Pulev with slight weight advantage over Wladimir Klitschko

Unbeaten contender Kubrat Pulev (20-0, 11 KOs) will be coming into tonight’s fight against IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (62-3, 52 KOs) with a slight weight advantage when they meet up tonight in Hamburg, Germany. During Friday’s weigh-in, Pulev weighed in at 246.92 pounds compared to Wladimir’s 245.82.

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Pacquiao looking past Algieri fight towards Mayweather

Pacquiao looking past Algieri fight towards Mayweather

WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) has a formidable task ahead of him in facing the taller, younger and slicker Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) this month in their HBO pay-per-view fight from Macau, China. There’s a decent chance that Pacquiao could lose this fight if Algieri doesn’t fight stupid like Tim Bradley did in his rematch against Pacquiao. But despite Pacquiao having his hands full with Algieri, Pacquiao is still looking past him towards a big money match-up against WBA/WBC 147 pound champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

That’s the fight that Pacquiao badly wants if he can get it. Pacquiao had an opportunity to get the Mayweather fight on several occasions, but the fights failed to take place due to questionable decisions on Pacquiao’s part.

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Wladimir Klitschko: “When I hear those complaints, it’s the best compliment I can get for my work”

Wladimir Klitschko: “When I hear those complaints, it’s the best compliment I can get for my work”

Despite the fact that Wladimir Klitschko has been successfully defending his titles and dominating the heavyweight division for over a decade, the criticism of his ‘boring’ style and hand-picked opponents is only growing. It has always been either an opponent not in his class or a dreadfully boring bout, with Wladimir Klitschko doing something to cause that.

I must admit that Wladimir is not an explosive fighter, and comparing him to the former champions who were, is not exactly a direct evaluation. The reason for this non-linear comparison being flawed is because while his ability to stand and trade is not quite there, his technical skill is probably one of the best in the heavyweight history.

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Kubrat Pulev Vows to Turn the Cold War into Ring War against Wladimir Klitschko

Kubrat Pulev Vows to Turn the Cold War into Ring War against Wladimir Klitschko

Kubrat Pulev’s grievances with the way he is treated by Klitschko and company are piling up before their fight on Nov. 15 at the O2 Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Pulev had to wait for a long time for this opportunity and he saw the fight postponed once due to an injury Klitschko sustained. Ever since he brought the Olympic drug testing issue, the Bulgarian is treated as a ‘persona non grata” by K2 promotions. He had a hard time getting tickets for friends – he was treated as a regular customer and advised to order tickets on-line if he could find any.

Now Pulev is at a loss with the gloves for the fight. The gloves Klitschko favors were agreed upon and those are gloves manufactured specifically for Wladimir. “I can’t find the Klitschko gloves”, Pulev says, “those are the gloves Wladimir trains with, they are not available for sale on the market”. Klitschko apparently would not let him try his and “The Cobra” still has not tried on the gloves he is supposed to wear on fight night and he does not know how to wrap up his hands for these gloves. He compared the situation to “going into a Formula 1 race without knowing what kind of tires you will have on the car”.

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Bernard Hopkins: Lace ‘Em Up, or Hang ‘Em Up?

Bernard Hopkins: Lace ‘Em Up, or Hang ‘Em Up?

This past Saturday night, Sergey Kovalev was able to show that his style was indeed something that the older Bernard Hopkins was simply not able to adjust to. Kovalev won every single round, decisively. While he was unable to do any physical damage Hopkins, he did deliver a statement, one advising Hopkins to call it quits.

No matter how you turn it, no matter how you realign it, at this point in time Hopkins would lose to a fighter like Kovalev every time. While Hopkins looked in shape, and showed no lack of stamina or concentration, his savior from hitting the canvas for good was his well chiseled defense. Other than his turtle shell guard, his offense was nowhere to be found.

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24 Hours to Showtime: One on One with Anthony “The Man” Mundine

24 Hours to Showtime: One on One with Anthony “The Man” Mundine

Tomorrow night, Wednesday 12 November 2014 sees Anthony “The Man” Mundine (46-6, 27 KOs) return to the ring to take on the dangerous undefeated Belarussian, Sergey Rabchenko (25-0, 18 KOs) for the WBC Silver junior middleweight title at Hisense Arena, Melbourne, Australia.

Following today’s weigh in, Mundine sat down to chat with ESB about his thoughts on the bout ahead with Rabchenko.

Looking at tomorrow night, you’re back in Melbourne. It’s been six years. How do you feel to be back in Melbourne fighting in a big event?

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Sergey Kovalev Does The Job And Gives Good Advice

Sergey Kovalev Does The Job And Gives Good Advice

Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev 25-0-1(23KO) managed to bundle up three light heavyweight titles (WBA, IBF, & WBO) with his one-sided win over Bernard Hopkins at the Boardwalk Center, Atlantic City, N.J. The main point of interest, prior to the opening belt, was an expectation that sooner or later the experienced oldster Bernard “Alien” Hopkins 55-7-2 (32KO) would manage to set a trap. When the bait was taken, Hopkins would nail the Russia hard enough to start the ball rolling in his favor. After all, the Krusher, according to Hopkins, was a crude brawler, whose defense was porous, someone ready to be exploited.

The main reason or interest in the fight was Hopkins’ advanced age, and that carried through, even thought the ring action was one-sided. But, unlike other one-sided affairs, there remained the faint hope in the wily old fox. Might he once again shock the boxing world? The odds were against it. The likelihood of an upset grew even fainter when Philly’s own went down from a glancing right hand in the first round. The question of whether Krusher could hurt the veteran was answered.

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The “Krusher” debunks “The Alien” – a dream match come true or a round by round chronicle of defeat foretold

The “Krusher” debunks “The Alien” – a dream match come true or a round by round chronicle of defeat foretold

The pre-fight build up and the suspense had obviously gotten to both Sergey Kovalev and Bernard Hopkins as they showed uncharacteristic body language while waiting for the opening bell on Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Kovalev was unusually restless and had an urgent expression while Hopkins’s face was hidden behind his new mask but he looked artificial and stiff walking aimlessly around the ring. Hopkins tried too hard to appear nonchalant and refused to touch gloves with Kovalev who tried to show respect to the veteran but cared little for his mind games.

Round 1- timing is of the essence. Kovalev lost all respect after the bell, he took center ring and stalked Hopkins who openly refused to engage and started trying to buy time while conserving energy. “The Krusher” did not rush forward; he gave Hopkins the courtesy of “feeling him out”, adjusting the range and testing his reflexes. Midway through the round Kovalev’s demeanor changed, he raised his head from behind the guard, his expression softened and he started “walking in the park”, it was his fight already and he knew the reason.

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