Before Antonio “Relentless” Orozco (25-0, 16 KOs) and KeAndre “The Truth” Gibson (16-0-1, 7 KOs) square off in a 10-round super lightweight main event for the vacant WBC USNBC Super Lightweight Championship on Saturday, April 1 live from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and broadcast live on Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN, the two fighters discussed their upcoming fight.
Below is what the fighters had to say about their showdown:
Arguably, and very possibly, the last great American heavyweight champion (begging Deontay Wilder’s pardon) Lamon Brewster will be a very interested viewer when heavyweight giants Anthony Joshua, the IBF king, and Wladimir Klitschko, the former world ruler, clash in London next month.
Brewster, the former WBO king who retired with a fine 35-6(30) record in 2010 (when eye trouble contributed greatly to the Indianapolis warrior’s decision to call it a great career) is the last man to have stopped Wladimir; sensationally – and somewhat disturbingly – scoring a TKO over “Dr. Steel Hammer” in April of 2004 in a wild and shocking slugfest. But Brewster is not worried about losing the distinction of being the last man to have sent Klitschko to the canvas, far from it – Lamon, in kindly giving some of his time to this writer, predicts that AJ will do what he did, and stop Klitschko on April 29.
James Toney, once a truly great fighter, is not quite ready to call it a day and retire just yet. The 48 year-old (49 in August) will reportedly face journeyman Mike Sheppard for the vacant WBF heavyweight strap on May 13, the scheduled 12-rounder to go down in Ypsilanti, Michigan. So far there is no word of any TV coverage, not even an internet presentation.
Toney, a remarkable 76-10-3(46) – numbers compiled without “Lights Out” ever succumbing to a single stoppage defeat – was last seen in a losing effort. It was back in August of 2015 when Toney was simply out-worked by another heavyweight journeyman in Charles Ellis, Toney dropping a decision in Missouri. Who knows what we can expect from Toney-Sheppard.
It’s universally agreed that reigning WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder is a most exciting fighter, a very powerful and dangerous fighter, and a very determined fighter (Deontay could easily have quit in pain having suffered the hand and arm injuries he picked up in his win over Chris Arreola last summer).
But what we don’t know is this: how good is Wilder? The unbeaten KO artist could well be the best big man on the scene today, and Wilder, 38-0(37) has made it clear a number of times that he wants the big, big fights to prove his dominance. These defining fights, against the likes of the Anthony Joshua-Wladimir Klitschko winner, Tyson Fury (if the giant can return as planned) and others may come. But imagine for a second if Wilder was busy defending his green belt against the best contenders the 1990s had to offer; the men who came, oh, so close to becoming champion.
Amir Khan just cannot seem to get himself a fight. Idle since last May – when he was taken out by the much bigger Canelo Alvarez in a fight that has recently been branded a “foolish” move by Khan’s own trainer, Virgil Hunter – the former 140 pound king has seen both a Manny Pacquiao fight and a Kell Brook fight fail to come off (blame who you want for the latter fight failing to materialise).
Maybe due to his frustrations at not yet being able to test his “new,” surgically repaired right hand, Khan is now even talking about the possibility of fighting Conor McGregor, under either boxing or MMA rules! Speaking with ESNEWS, Khan said he’d “give it a go” if the fight was offered to him.
Fight fans may have read how reigning WBO middleweight champ Billy Joe Saunders issued world ruler Gennady Golovkin an ultimatum: sign to fight me by the end of this week or I move on to another fight. Well, Saunders’ promoter Frank Warren, in speaking with ESPN, has extended the deadline to the end of next week.
Like his fighter, though, Warren insists there will be no waiting game employed with this fight.
Marco Huck: „I always want to win by Knockout!“
The decision of the World Boxing Council to confirm that the bout between Marco Huck and Mairis Briedis at April 1st in Dortmund, Germany, will be for the WBC cruiserweight championship of the world was the main topic at the press conference today.
“From my childhood it was a dream for me to fight for the green belt of the WBC”, Marco Huck said. “Now this dream comes true. It is a maximum motivation for me.”
He defeated Anthony Joshua, he was the only Romanian boxer who represented the country at the Olympics and aims for the supreme title in Tokyo in 2020. He is Mihai Nistor – A Moldovan strong as iron, hot as steel, and funny as Seinfeld with box gloves.
Mihai Nistor’s career could have been taken from Tupac Shakur album. When “Me Against the World” came out in March 1995, the Romanian boxer was no more than five years old and had no idea he would become, two decades later, AIBA heavyweight (+ 91 kg) world champion and only a year later, the sole representative of Romania at the Olympics in Rio.“Since I can remember, I was alone against the world. If one thing is fashionable, you’ll not see me pursue it. If everyone goes to the club, I’d rather stay home. In 26 years, I never went once in the club. Not once. “
Undefeated Cuban prospect Leduan Barthelemy (13-0, 7 KOs) scored a ninth round stoppage of Reynaldo Blanco (14-4, 8 KOs) Tuesday night in the main event of Premier Boxing Champions TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes from Robinson Rancheria Resort and Casino in Nice, California.
“I came here knowing that I had to make a statement and deliver a knockout on FS1 and FOX Deportes,” said Barthelemy. “I controlled the fight from the opening bell and never lost focus.”
One year short of two full decades ago today, WBC heavyweight king Lennox Lewis met lineal ruler Shannon Briggs in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and a surprisingly fun fight took place. The two men with a big punch and a big personality, Briggs especially when it comes to the latter, slugged it out for five thrilling rounds.