By: Lou McLaughlin – Darren” Checkmate” Maciunski was a former top level super welterweight contender in the 1990’s. He fought from 1992 through 2002. Interestingly, he got his fighting nickname “Checkmate” from having been an avid chess player as a young teenager and compares boxing to a chess match. He finished his career on a win against Leo Edwards and a record of 20 -8 in 2003. His record does not adequately describe his career. He had 40 amateur bouts before turning pro and fought many of the major names of that era including Kevin Kelly and Fernando Vargas. He had wins over vastly more experienced boxing luminaries veterans Meldrick Taylor then 34-3- 1 and James McGirt 73-4-1. He fought on major televised networks including HBO, USA’s Tuesday Night Fights, and ESPN. His career took him to Australia, Denmark, and Italy.
Month: July 2017
Under-card shaping up for Mayweather-McGregor, Gervonta Davis confirms he will defend his IBF title on the bill
There are plenty of fans who are critical of the upcoming, fast-approaching Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor “Super Fight;” with plenty of these same fans declaring how they will boycott the August event buy not paying for it. Fair enough, if the crossover bout is not your thing, but will a good number of fans find themselves getting pulled in by a stellar under-card?
Canelo Alvarez is convinced: Rematch with Mayweather would be very different
Going into the biggest, or arguably second-biggest, fight of his career, Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez is still being asked about his solitary career defeat. It is the Floyd Mayweather loss of 2013 – the one fight of Canelo’s that was a bigger deal, certainly financially, than Canelo’s upcoming battle with Gennady Golovkin – that reporters still ask the 26 year old about.
Peter Fury says when Tyson returns, “he will go straight into a world title fight”
Peter Fury, trainer of course of unbeaten former heavyweight champ Tyson Fury, says his charge is “in a good place right now,” and that at around 24 stone (approx 336 pounds) he has lost a bit of weight. Speaking on The Bunce Boxing Hour, Peter said that Tyson is sparring to get in shape, not using bags or jumping rope.
Sparring, ten, 15, 20 rounds, three times a week, Fury is slowly shedding the bulk he put on during his layoff. As regards to his impending ring return, Peter said that right now their legal team is working on overturning the suspension Tyson was hit with some months back, and that “if” this is successful, the plan is for Fury to return on the September 23rd bill that will see Hughie Fury challenge WBO heavyweight champ Joseph Parker in Manchester.
Ten years ago today: Wladimir Klitschko batters Lamon Brewster in the only revenge win of his entire career (so far?)
Ten years ago this very day, July 7, 2007, in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, Wladimir Klitschko avenged the most brutal yet at the same time strange and unsettling pro defeat of his career. A decade ago today, Klitschko, then the IBF heavyweight belt-holder, forced Lamon Brewster to remain on his stool after a dozen one-sided sessions.
Ricky Burns-Anthony Crolla All-British showdown eyed for October
Both Ricky Burns and Anthony Crolla are coming off a big fight loss: Burns to Julius Indongo, Crolla to the classy Jorge Linares – and both British stars are weighing up the possibility of facing one another in what would be a big fight, maybe even a great fight.
Team Horn: We welcome WBO re-scoring of Pacquiao bout; do not want Teddy Atlas to call the rematch
Jeff Horn and his team are more than happy with the recent news that the WBO will officially re-score the July 2 Manny Pacquiao fight that saw Horn take the WBO welterweight title via a somewhat controversially received unanimous decision. The WBO will take a second look at the fight, but the organisation has made it clear they will not look to change the result: Horn WU12 Pacquiao will stand.
Canelo Golovkin tickets sold out for September 16 fight
Living up to its billing as the biggest fight of 2017, the September 16 showdown between lineal and RING Magazine Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KOs) and WBC/IBO/IBF/WBA Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs) has sold out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“The boxing public fully understands that this is the biggest fight in many years, and everyone at T-Mobile Arena on September 16 is going to experience a once-in-a-lifetime thrill of watching the two biggest stars in the sport go toe-to-toe, said Golden Boy Promotions CEO and Chairman Oscar De La Hoya. “As we want as many people as possible in Las Vegas for Mexican Independence Day Weekend to experience this battle for the ages, we will soon announce venues showing the fight on closed circuit. And, of course, the best sports network in the business, HBO will present ‘Supremacy: Canelo vs. Golovkin’ on its Pay-Per-View platform.”
The Come Up: Kendrick Ball Jr’s Rise to Prominence
Kendrick Ball was always keen that his son, Kendrick Ball Jr, got into boxing and so started him early.He began by working him out on the mitts around their house. Soon enough a young Kendrick Ball Jr was down at the Worcester boys and girls club sparring.
Ball’s amateur career got off to a slow start, losing his first nine fights. It was perhaps hard to see the unbeaten professional fighter that would eventually be sculpted out. Clearly, Ball needed to significantly increase how much he was training. Some additional conditioning was all that was required to reveal Ball’s underlying talent and he went from strength to strength during the last two years of his amateur career. He quickly became one of the most promising amateurs in New England, winning the Rocky Marciano tournament as well as New England’s and Western Mass Golden Gloves. A narrow defeat to the Olympic alternate was evidence enough that Ball had strong prospects in the professional ranks.
Joe Smith Jr vs Sullivan Barrera on July 15
FROM THE COMMAN MAN TO TOP RATED CONTENDER THE RISE OF JOE SMITH JR.
Born and raised on Long Island, the 27-year-old JOE SMITH JR., (23-1 19 KO’s), has taken the road less travelled to the top of the light heavyweight division. From battling in the New York Golden Gloves to defeating boxing legend Bernard Hopkins live on HBO World Championship Boxing at the iconic Los Angeles venue, The Fabulous Forum this past December, JOE SMITH JR. proved he shines brightest on the biggest stage.