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.
The World Boxing Super Series is proud to announce that the winner of the IBO World Championship between Chris Eubank Jnr. and Arthur Abraham will enter the competition for the inaugural Ali Trophy. The two stars collide at Wembley Arena in London on July 15, with the final spot in the revolutionary bracket-style elimination tournament up for grabs. The winner will enter a star-studded super-middleweight competition that already features WBA Super Champion George Groves, Callum Smith, who will fight for the WBC Diamond Championship, former world champion Juergen Braehmer as well as undefeated challengers Erik Skoglund, Jamie Cox, Avni Yildirim and Rob Brant.
Both guys are talented, willing to fight the best, and one of them has a legit world title. And it could be, according to RingTV.com, that Billy Joe Saunders, 24-0(12) and Willie Monroe Junior, 21-2(6) will fight in London on September 16 (yes, the same night world middleweight ruler Gennady Golovkin defends against Canelo Alvarez in their Las Vegas Super Fight).
Mexican legend and all time great Juan Manuel Marquez is five years older than Manny Pacquiao but both he and his equally legendary trainer Nacho Beristain think a fight with new WBO welterweight champ Jeff Horn, Pac Man’s (controversial) conqueror, is a good idea.
The 43 year old Marquez (really at an advanced age for a welterweight) is reported by ESPN Deportes to be returning to action against TBA in August; for his first fight since his May 2014 win over the tough Mike Alvarado. And after that, Beristain said that he likes the idea of his fighter going in with new champ Horn.
Whether you agreed with the verdict or not, the recent Jeff Horn-Manny Pacquiao fight and its outcome gave Australian boxing one enormous lift. The biggest fight in Australian boxing history, underdog Horn’s upset win over the all time great attracted around 55,000 fans, and the rematch (likely though not definite) could be even bigger.
Former world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero is hard at work preparing for his main event showdown with unbeaten Omar Figueroa that headlines Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes Saturday, July 15 in the first boxing event at the newly renovated NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
![Abel Sanchez: Absolutely [Mayweather-McGregor] is disrespectful to boxing; the people are going to see that it shouldn't have been made](https://www.boxing247.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/1-floyd-2_Photo-©-Paul-Paparazzi-Jones_2016.jpg "Photo: Abel Sanchez: Absolutely [Mayweather-McGregor] is disrespectful to boxing; the people are going to see that it shouldn't have been made")
While talk continues regarding the impending world press tour to further hype the Mayweather-McGregor fight – set to kick off in either London or Los Angeles; this apparently being a matter of strict secrecy – Abel Sanchez has joined those critics who have no time for the fight.
The World Boxing Super Series is delighted to present the seventh of eight participants in the cruiserweight division. Dmitry Kudryashov has joined a star-studded tournament line-up that features the four reigning world champions Oleksandr Usyk (WBO), Mairis Briedis (WBC), Murat Gassiev (IBF) and Yunier Dorticos (WBO) as well as former champions Marco Huck and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. The Russian Hammer (21-1, 21 KOs) enters the Muhammad Ali Trophy with a fearsome KO ratio of 94 %, with all of his 21 victories coming by the way of knockout.
It appears there is yet more mileage in the classic “Rocky” saga; and in light of how great/very good/good six of the seven movies are, then why shouldn’t its creator Sylvester Stallone keep the feel-good story going?
Recently, via Instagram, Stallone added a tantalising photo, featuring the son of Apollo Creed, star of course of the spin-off “Creed,” going face-to-face with Ivan Drago, star of course of “Rocky IV;” the biggest money-spinner off all the “Rocky” films. This pic, and the attachment that reads: “History will always repeat itself in one form or another, just got to be ready!” suggests all manner of things.
On July the 4th, 1919, a truly memorable and brutal heavyweight championship prize fight occurred in Toledo, Ohio. The reigning heavyweight king, Jess Willard, who had become known as “The Great White Hope” in the months leading up to his successful challenge of the controversial Jack Johnson, was to make his first defense against the much smaller Jack Dempsey. What followed was a performance by Dempsey that revolutionized professional boxing.