Heavyweight world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder and two-time title challenger Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola have both enrolled with the world-renowned Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (“VADA”) to conduct the anti-doping program leading up to their Saturday, July 16 showdown that headlines Premier Boxing Champions on FOX & FOX Deportes from Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Month: June 2016
Happy Birthday, Mike Tyson – The youngest heavyweight champ in history turns 50 today
By his own admission, Mike Tyson, who today celebrates reaching his half century, never thought he’d live to the age of thirty, let alone 50. The former street hoodlum who was saved by boxing and then went off the rails as he made too much money, was manipulated by the wrong people he became involved with and eventually fell into pretty much all the traps his mentor and father figure Cus D’Amato so wanted him to avoid, was convinced he’d be dead not too long after his 21st birthday.
But Tyson endured, went through many changes and, by the age of 30, had done it all – he had: made history as the youngest heavyweight champion ever at age 20, become the undisputed king by the age of 21, lost the crown at age 23, served time in jail more than once, taken all manner of drugs and had sex with too many women to possibly count, bitten off a substantial chunk of an opponent’s ear, come close to total bankruptcy, fought on when way past his best, and finally retired from the ring at the age of 39.
Team-Wilder not looking past Chris Arreola, “100-percent focused” on July 16 clash
Some fans have complained about Deontay Wilder’s next defence, a voluntary that was allowed him by the WBC in light of what happened with the Alexander Povetkin fight that was set for May. Unbeaten 36-0(35) puncher Wilder will, as fans know, face veteran, former two-time world heavyweight title challenger Chris Arreola in Alabama on July 16. Though the fight is, at the very least, a good match-up; especially given the relatively short amount of time all concerned had to put Wilder’s next fight together, some fans have moaned.
Liam Smith trainer Joe Gallagher fears judges will not reward his fighter in super-fight chance against Canelo
Britain’s Joe Gallagher has proven his credentials as a world class trainer many times and he has trained, or is training, a number of world champions. A genuinely huge achievement in the Manchester trainer’s career will come on September 17th, though – if his fighter Liam Smith can score the big upset over Mexican superstar Saul Canelo Alvarez. And Gallagher – a man who has shown time and again how he is a mastermind when it comes to planning the downfall of his fighters’ rivals – is hugely confident going into the Las Vegas bout.
Arum wants to make Gilberto Ramirez a pay-per-view fighter, says a win over Golovkin would do it
Latest Mexican star in the making, Gilberto Ramirez, the WBO super-middleweight champion, has what it takes to become a pay-per-view star – so says his promoter Bob Arum. Arum, speaking with Yahoo! Sports, said he believes the unbeaten 25 year-old can defeat feared middleweight king Gennady Golovkin, if GGG moves up from 160 to 168 to tackle Ramirez, and that such a win would make “Zurdo,” as Ramirez is known, a genuine box-office attraction.
Parker’s manager: “How is AJ going to go when he’s eating Joseph’s jab all night?”
Unbeaten Joseph Parker, the mandatory challenger for Anthony Joshua and his IBF heavyweight title, was confident before this past Saturday’s defence by Joshua against Dominic Breazeale, but the New Zealander and his team are even more confident of taking the title when the fight happens; so says Parker’s manager, Dean Lonergan. Speaking with Sky Sports, Lonergan said he wants the fight to happen this year, ideally in November or December, and that he has no doubt his man will win when the big night comes.
Edner Cherry defeats Lydell Rhodes
Former title challenger Edner Cherry (35-7-2, 19 KOs) defeated contender Lydell Rhodes (23-2-1, 11 KOs) by unanimous decision (98-92, 97-93 X 2) in a 10-round super featherweight main event of Premier Boxing Champions TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES from Sands Bethlehem Events Center in Bethlehem, Pa.
Cherry, of Wauchula, Fla. who trains out of St. Pete Boxing Club with welterweight champion Keith Thurman, got off to an early lead in the second round, landing a left that stumbled Rhodes briefly.
Mikey Garcia battles Elio Rojas on July 30
BROOKLYN (June 28, 2016)—Undefeated former two-division world champion Mikey Garcia will return to the ring after a two-and-a-half-year layoff on Saturday, July 30 on an exciting night of boxing on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME EXTREME that is one of the strongest cards ever assembled at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Garcia, who won world titles at featherweight and super featherweight, will fight former world champion Elio Rojas in a 10-round bout in the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING co-feature of the Leo Santa Cruz vs. Carl Frampton event presented by Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).
Andre Ward takes on Alexander Brand on 8/6
NEW YORK, NY (June 28, 2016) – Roc Nation Sports is pleased to announce that Two-Time World Champion and top-rated pound-for-pound fighter Andre Ward (29-0, 15 KOs) will return to the ring on Saturday, August 6, to continue his conquest of the light heavyweight division when he takes on power-punching Colombian Alexander Brand (25-1, 19 KOs) at Oracle Arena in Ward’s hometown of Oakland, California. The event will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Ward and Brand were slated to face each other last November on the pay-per-view undercard of Miguel Cotto vs. Canelo Alvarez, but a leg injury forced Ward to withdraw from participation in the event.
Haye speaks on Fury’s injury, is disappointed Klitschko return got delayed
As fight fans will likely recall, heavyweight contender and former WBA champ David Haye twice pulled out of fighting Tyson Fury due to suffering an injury – a cut eye and then a shoulder injury that needed surgery – and Fury really put the boot in, claiming Haye was scared to face him. Now, in light of Fury’s ankle injury postponing his big rematch with Wladimir Klitschko, Haye could perhaps be forgiven for putting the boot firmly back in.
Instead, Haye said to Sky Sports that he is as disappointed as everyone else who wanted to see the July 9 encounter, and Haye said he feels Fury will be able to recover fast and “get back on it,” (Haye meant back on it with regards to training, not boozing!)