Month: June 2016

Fonfara was “Stuck in the Middle With You”

Fonfara was "Stuck in the Middle With You"

By now you know light heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara was annihilated in the first round this past Saturday night. Fonfara was being showcased on NBC by Premier Boxing Champions at UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois. Chicago is Fonfara’s stomping ground, and the largely Polish crowd looked forward to an impressive win by their hero. After all, Fonfara was a top World Title contender, and “Who was this Joe Smith, Jr. guy”? Fonfara, the heavy favorite, was expected to do a little Polka as he danced through the gaps in Smith’s defense.

The “Irish Bomber” with a record of 21-1-0 with 17KOs seemed impressive on paper, but really who had he beat? Five years ago he suffered a TKO loss to Eddie Caminero, whose current record is 7-9-0, 7KOs. To make matters worse, Caminero has been kayo’d seven times. What does that say about the power of this Irish lad from Long Island, N.Y? The announcers let fans know Smith’s real job was in construction with Union #66. Polish fans expected an exciting, but short night with a Chicago Honky or Push to follow.

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Sugar Ray Leonard & Thomas Hearns Weigh-In on Thurman vs Porter

Sugar Ray Leonard & Thomas Hearns Weigh-In on Thurman vs Porter

“The winner of Thurman-Porter will immediately move into the
welterweight penthouse.” – Leonard

“I know that Porter and Thurman both have the ability to get each other out of there. It’s going to be a matter of who gets to who first.” -Hearns

Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas “Hitman” Hearns might be uniquely qualified to talk about what WBA welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman and “Showtime” Shawn Porter are thinking and feeling heading into their battle that pits two men against each other who are in their primes in a highly charged battle for supremacy in the talent-laden welterweight division.

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Dillian Whyte to face Danny Batchelder on Saturday’s Joshua-Breazeale card

Dillian Whyte to face Danny Batchelder on Saturday’s Joshua-Breazeale card

Returning to the ring for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery after his exciting loss to current IBF heavyweight ruler Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte will face short notice foe Danny Batchelder this Saturday on the Joshua-Breazeale card at The O2. 28-year-old Whyte, 16-1(13) last boxed in December, the 7th-round stoppage loss to A.J, and he is chasing a rematch with Joshua. As a comeback opponent, Batchelder, 31-11-1(15) is not a bad choice; even if the man from Phoenix has seen better days.

Go back a few years, to 2007 and 2008, and Batchelder was facing former world champions James Toney and Lamon Brewster and giving them good fights, Toney especially, who won only a split decision over him. A top class journeyman/trial horse in his day, Batchelder could always be relied upon to give world class fighters a decent enough test. But Batchelder, who has been stopped six times, has not fought in almost a full year and he lost his last two bouts. Before that, though, Batchelder had reeled off six straight wins (against limited opposition).

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William Hill Sponsors Joshua vs Breazeale; Breazeale Confident Ahead Of Fight

William Hill Sponsors Joshua vs Breazeale; Breazeale Confident Ahead Of Fight

Dominic Breazeale says that Anthony Joshua MBE has had it easy in his career so far but he’ll take him into deep waters when they clash for Joshua’s IBF World Heavyweight title at The O2 in London on Saturday June 25, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Breazeale returns to London four years after he was Team USA’s Super-Heavyweight representative at the London 2012 Olympics. Joshua would go onto win gold that summer and become a British sporting hero in the process, and the Londoner has built on that momentum to move to 16-0 with 16 KO wins, the latest in April landing him the IBF crown he defends on Saturday.

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Hearn: I think I’ve got the best heavyweight on the planet for the next ten years

Hearn: I think I’ve got the best heavyweight on the planet for the next ten years

The above statement, on IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua, was not made by Eddie Hearn, but by his father, Barry Hearn. Still, regardless of who made the bold statement, it is just that – bold. Many people (myself included) see Joshua, 16-0(16) as a talented fighter with plenty of potential, but nothing more at this stage in his career. Look at Joshua’s record of opposition and you will see two, maybe three decent names. Until he beats an elite heavyweight – a Tyson Fury, a Wladimir Klitschko or a Deontay Wilder for example – the jury will still be out on how good, or great, as Hearn claims, Joshua really is.

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Korean boxer Lee Kyu Suk makes waves in Ghana

Korean boxer Lee Kyu Suk makes waves in Ghana

Lee Kyu Suk claimed a second straight first round win in only his second professional fight after stopping Ghana’s James Lamptey in a Welterweight contest on the undercard of Isaac Dogboe-Edward Kakembo WBO Africa championship in Accra on Saturday night.

Lee who arrived in the West African country two months ago on a 6-month training tour to hone his boxing skills, launched his professional career with a round one victory over another Ghanaian, Francis Gakpetor back in April and the Korean was at it again on Saturday night at the Accra Sports Stadium in front of dignitaries including former Ghana president, Jerry Rawlings and former boxing world champion and Hall of Famer, Azumah Nelson.

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Tyson Fury still angry at IBF, vows to never again fight for the belt he once held

Tyson Fury still angry at IBF, vows to never again fight for the belt he once held

Tyson Fury, the lineal world heavyweight champion, is still angry at the way the IBF declared their belt vacant just days after he had won it by beating Wladimir Klitschko in a big upset last November. Fury, unable to defend the strap as quickly as the organisation demanded, watched as Charles Martin became the new IBF ruler, subsequently losing it in double-quick time to Anthony Joshua.

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40 years on and “Rocky” still inspires

40 years on and “Rocky” still inspires

It’s quite hard to believe, but the classic, the inspirational and the just plain terrific “Rocky” movie is 40 years old this year. Released just before Christmas, in early December of 1976, the film was an instant success and all these years later it’s still nothing but a treat to watch. There is just so much to enjoy from this, a relatively low budget, but highly moving piece of cinema. The film of course made a hero out of its star, Sylvester Stallone, but the supporting cast, the theme music, the realistic fight scenes and makeup, all share top billing.

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Joe Smith Jr. TKOs Andrzej Fonfara in round one

Joe Smith Jr. TKOs Andrzej Fonfara in round one

6/19/16, Chicago- The light heavyweight division has a new face, and his name is Joe Smith, Jr. In one of boxing’s shockers of the year, Star Boxing’s Long Island knockout artist known as “The Irish Bomber” (22-1, 18 KOs) stunned the heavily-favored power-puncher Andrzej Fonfara (28-4, 16 KOs) with a first round TKO in the scheduled 10-round light heavyweight main event on Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC on Saturday night (June 18) at UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

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Justin Fortune: “Solomon Haumono can punch like a train” – confident of upsetting Joseph Parker

Justin Fortune: “Solomon Haumono can punch like a train” - confident of upsetting Joseph Parker

40-year-old Solomon Haumono will certainly be ruining a lot of big plans if he pulls off the upset and defeats top-ranked IBF heavyweight contender Joseph Parker when they meet next month, but Haumono’s trainer Justin Fortune is confident it can happen. Currently training the 24-2-2(21) giant in Los Angeles, Fortune – best known as a former co-trainer of superstar Manny Pacquiao but also a former heavyweight himself – told The Daily Telegraph that “Sol,” as he refers to Haumono, is “going to be completely different to anything he has ever shown in the past.”

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