Curtis Stevens
“Training camp was excellent. I did the first half in Boca [Raton], Florida and the second half we did up in Oxnard. It was great. I brought in Cicilio Flores for strength and conditioning. Everything was great.
“I need to go in there and let my hands go like I did in the Teixeira fight. I don’t look at this fight as another step towards the big fight. A fight is a fight. He is coming to win and so am I.
Could 2017 see two big heavyweight comebacks? While nobody knows if and when Tyson Fury might box again, fans hope his return will happen, and next year. But one man who says he will definitely take over where he left off with a return next year is WBC champ Deontay Wilder, who of course is aching to get it on with Fury.
While a Wilder-Fury fight might not take place next year (we all hope it will happen, naturally) Wilder says he fully expects he will fight again before too many months have passed in 2017. Speaking with Sky Sports, the unbeaten champ said the injuries he picked up in his last fight, a July stoppage win over the tough (and hard-headed) Chris Arreola, have “fully healed,” and that he is back “punching with both hands.”
It seems Manny Pacquiao’s recently donned jacket was and is a nifty fashion accessory and nothing more; even if Pac-Man knew this to be the case or not. Pacquiao’s jacket had, sewn into the lining, pictures of himself and Floyd Mayweather in fighting pose, and the Tweet Pac-Man wrote accompanying the picture asked “Like my jacket!”
Many people felt the jacket, the Tweet and the short message meant a rematch between the two superstars was on the cards, or at least Manny felt one was on the cards. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Mayweather was a ringside guest at Pacquiao’s November 5 fight with Jessie Vargas. But it seems none of this matters at all, because Manyweather, who calls all the shots, has insisted, again, that he has zero interest in fighting again – against anyone.
In sad and shocking news it has been reported how 1980’s and ’90’s heavyweight contender Alex Stewart has died at the far too premature age of just 52. Reports are sketchy at this point and Stewart’s cause of death has not been confirmed. A pure puncher and a genuinely exciting fighter, Stewart was also a softly-spoken, even shy person who some felt was too much of a gentle soul to be a prize fighter.
A star-studded press conference took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Wednesday, as Floyd Mayweather, along with several New York boxing “ambassadors,” signified the return of boxing to New York by announcing the super middleweight world championship unification fight featuring Badou Jack against James DeGale that will take place Saturday, January 14 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn and live on SHOWTIME®.
Also announced on Wednesday and featured on the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast is undefeated junior lightweight world champion Jose “Sniper” Pedraza taking on unbeaten rising contender Gervonta “The One” Davis.
With rumour and talk continuing to circulate suggesting former super-middleweight king Carl Froch could be on the verge of ending his over two-year retirement to face reigning middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, it has taken Froch himself to end such talk. It’s not going to happen, not now, not ever.
Writing a piece for Sky Sports web site, “The Cobra” said he has not even spoken with either Tom Loeffler or Eddie Hearn and that although he feels he could beat GGG as he is just too big for him, he is not going to end his retirement for such a fight.
Ghana President John Mahama has apparently demanded boxer Emmanuel ‘Game Boy’ Tagoe to knock out Argentina’s Fernando David Saucedo by the end of round 3 when they clash for the IBO Lightweight championship in Accra on November 25.
Tagoe and Team BabyJet Promotions who are promoting the bout at the newly built Bukom Boxing Arena, met and presented the IBO belt to the Ghanaian leader during Tuesday night’s official inauguration of the new edifice. Tagoe appeared all smiles as he engaged in a tete-a-tete with President Mahama, and now the boxer has revealed what he was told.
Bob Arum is about to hit another landmark in what has been a landmark year for the Brooklyn-born Hall of Fame promoter.
On March 29, Arum celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first event he ever promoted — the battle for the Heavyweight Championship of the World between Muhammad Ali and George Chuvalo.
Is Gennady Golovkin a great middleweight, worthy of being ranked alongside the special ones such as Marvin Hagler, Carlos Monzon, Bernard Hopkins and, perhaps the best of the lot, Sugar Ray Robinson? No, he isn’t – – but he might be one day.
There is no denying GGG’s qualities: his withering punching power, his accuracy, his ability at cutting the ring down on anyone he fights and his speed and punch variety. Indeed, Golovkin seems to have it all – except for one thing: a defining fight. Golovkin is so desperate to bank himself a career-definer, he (or his team) are even looking to lure a 39 year-old Carl Froch out of retirement. GGG has also spoken of his willingness to go up or down in weight in search of that one sparkling win all the greats seems to have on their resume.
Conor McGregor has set his terms to box Floyd Mayweather — $100 MILLION!
The two had been going back and forth on TMZ Sports earlier this week — with Floyd calling him an “ant” and Conor daring him to “say that to my face.”
But Tuesday night at 1 OAK in NYC, Conor took over the DJ booth, hijacked the mic and called out the boxer for everyone to see.