Juergen Braehmer says Paul Smith (38-6, 22 KOs) is not on the same level as Tyron Zeuge (20-0-1, 11 KOs) and is confident his protégé will defend the WBA World Super Middleweight title on Saturday, June 17 at the Rittal Arena in Wetzlar, Germany.
Braehmer, who guided Zeuge to his World title win over Giovanni De Carolis on November 5 at the MBS Arena in Potsdam, believes we have yet to see the best of the Berlin boxer, and expects him to show his class against his British challenger Smith.
Welp, looks like we’re off to another iteration of the “Fight of the Century,” and to no surprise, it looks much like the Mayweather-Pacquiao “Fight of the Century” we endured back in 2015.
Both bouts have Floyd Mayweather – the supreme talent of his generation; both feature tireless back-and-forth “will they, won’t they?” speculation and conjecture designed to keep the masses on edge. Both of them seemingly dominate the news in boxing. And both seem less focused on the fight potential itself, and far more heavily focused on the cash-grab potential. Not a good sign.
Carl Frampton certainly likes fighting tough Mexican warriors. The former super-bantamweight and featherweight ruler will face Andres Gutierrez in Belfast on July 29. The fight will be a WBC featherweight eliminator.
Frampton, 23-1(14) was last seen losing a close decision in his rematch with Mexico’s great Leo Santa Cruz, having previously decisioned him in an earlier, more action-packed fight. Now wanting to fight for another world title and become a three-weight king, “The Jackal” has not in any way picked an easy or safe opponent in the 35-1-1(25) 23 year old from Guadalajara.
FOX Sports UFC analysts and hosts react to the Mayweather vs. McGregor announcement today. Plus, on UFC TONIGHT, host Kenny Florian, guest host Tyron Woodley and Karyn Bryant react to the Mayweather vs. McGregor news and catch up with UFC president Dana White and Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole.
UFC TONIGHT host Kenny Florian on Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor and what this means for McGregor: “I’m still trying to figure out what dimension we’re in. We’ve never seen anything like this. Conor McGregor has done some amazing things in mixed martial arts. He’s a two weight champion in the UFC, he’s broken UFC PPV records, and now he’s fighting the best boxer in our generation in Floyd. This is amazing.”
As fans may have read, Russia’s Alexander Povetkin will return to action on July 1st. The former WBA heavyweight champion who has suffered his share of out of the ring issues – testing positive for illegal stimulants; which ruined his big fight with Deontay Wilder, set for last summer – will face Ukrainian Andriy Rudenko, 31-2(19) on a big card in Moscow.
Of all the must-see, must happen fights that we didn’t actually see, because they didn’t happen, the 1990s heavyweight classic that would have been Lennox Lewis-Riddick Bowe has to be one of the biggest disappointments. Back and forth these two stars and rival champions went, only for the fight to fail to get off the ground.
Former heavyweight king Tyson Fury does not want a fight between himself and Anthony Joshua to go the same way: nowhere. Just this week, unbeaten WBA/IBF champ Joshua called Fury out, saying this is the fight the fans want and therefore it is “top of my list.”
Gallagher: Smith can emulate Groves’ feel good story
Joe Gallagher says Paul Smith (38-6, 22 KOs) can emulate George Groves’ feel good story by claiming a World title on his third attempt when he challenges Tyron Zeuge (20-0-1, 11 KOs) for the WBA World Super Middleweight strap on Saturday, June 15 at the Rittal Arena in Wetzlar, Germany.
Unified Light Heavyweight World Champion Andre “S.O.G.” Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) and former titleholder Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) opened Fight Week Powered by Monster with their Grand Arrivals at Mizuya Lounge at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Tuesday, June 13, ahead of their ultimate rematch on Saturday, June 17 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The championship event, presented by Corona Extra, will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
In his peak years, from 1993 to 2003, Roy Jones Junior was as close to unbeatable as any fighter could possibly be. Better than Floyd Mayweather Junior, up there with the two Sugar Rays, maybe even the best fighter of the past forty years or so at the time, Jones was sheer poetry in motion. If only he’d walked away before his skills, and his blinding speed, deserted him.
Andre Ward – With so many good fights in boxing recently, do you feel extra pressure to perform well for the fans? Do you think that if you win the rematch you will be the best P4P fighter in the world? What else is there for you to do in the light heavyweight division if you win again?
“I always want to put on a great show for the fans. I value and appreciate boxing fans, that’s first and foremost. Last fight, we definitely put on a show. That said, I can’t go into a fight thinking about its entertainment value. I just need to do me, execute the game plan and get my hand raised at the end of the fight.