It really was 30 long years ago this week (November 22) when a young, soon to peak Mike Tyson made boxing history by becoming, at the age of 20, the youngest ever claimant of a world heavyweight title.
Tyson, who had been a pro for just 20 months, challenged WBC champ Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas and those in attendance witnessed a quite brutal coronation.
The highly anticipated match-up between undefeated light heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev and undefeated former super middleweight world champion Andre Ward did not fail to live up to expectations. The two pound for pound elites battled for pound for pound supremacy in a back and forth fight which brought out the best of both fighters. After being dropped early by a devastating left-right combo from the champion, Andre Ward persevered and rallied back to secure the victory in this close and competitive affair. The official judges all scored the bout in favor of Andre Ward by the same score of 114-113.
The rising star of African boxing, Isaac ‘Royal Storm’ Dogboe is adamant he may have to critically look at fighting again in Ghana after the WBO African boxer of the year was unbelievably ignored during the commissioning of the newly built Bukom Boxing Arena.
President John Dramani Mahama officially unveiled the new boxing edifice inside the Trust Sports Emporium near the Korle lagoon in the outskirts of Accra last week amid fanfare where all of Ghana’s former world champions were honoured in the presence of the entire boxing fraternity.
The only thing fans are in agreement on regarding last night’s exciting fight between Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward (the winner’s name goes first) is there simply has to be a rematch. The razor-thin unanimous decision awarded to Ward instantly became a topic of huge contention, even before either fighter had left the ring in Las Vegas – some even calling the verdict a “robbery,” some saying it is one of the worst they have ever seen.
There was a rematch clause inserted ahead of last night’s bout, so it seems there is a good chance a return fight will happen and soon. Kathy Duva, promoter of Kovalev, is calling for an immediate return. Kovalev, who says he never lost more than three rounds, is not guilty of having sour grapes; he genuinely believes he won the fight. Many millions of fight fans firmly agree with the now former light-heavyweight champ.
On the night of the region’s first snow fall, Promoter Jim Frio’s “FALL BRAWL”, the 2nd installment of Revolution Boxing Championships took place Saturday November 19th at the Wheeling Island Casino in Wheeling WV. Despite the weather, a large crowd showed up to support local boxing.
-Things got underway with pro welterweight debut Mike Conway fighting Charleston WV’s (0-2) Christopher Kuhn in a welterweight bout. Conway wasted no time and ended the show early with a devastating left hook body shot in round one. The spike haired Kuhn could not weather the punch at 2:51 of the 1st round.
Sad affair saturday night at Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. Expectations were high. Fans hoped for a classic matchup. What they got was an attempted mugging and resulting robbery. To call Andre Ward’s efforts scientific would be ill-judged, which is what happened with the decision in Ward’s favor.
One simple way to tell who won the fight is to look at each fighter’s face. Andre Ward’s was red, lumpy and swollen. The Krusher’s face was relatively unmarked.
There were plenty of boxing greats in Las Vegas last night to attend the big Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward fight, with big names from past and present on hand to watch the light-heavyweight title showdown. One of these great fighters was living legend Julio Cesar Chavez, the greatest Mexican fighter in history according to most experts and fans alike.
And while he was in town, the former multi-weight king was asked – and not for the first time – how he felt he would have done, in his prime, in a fight with 49-0 master Floyd Mayweather Junior. Chavez, who twice defeated Floyd’s uncle and trainer Roger, smiled as he told Fight Hype how, at 140-pounds, he would have “F****d him up.”
In front of a packed house at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and live on HBO Pay-Per-View, Andre “S.O.G.” Ward (31-0, 15 KOs)* won a close unanimous decision victory over Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) to steal the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Titles in a decision that most ringside media thought went the wrong way.
Both fighters were feeling each other out in the first two rounds. The Krusher continued his come-forward attack and knocked Andre down in the second. Ward managed to get up quickly and took several hard shots from Sergey before the bell rang to end the second round. The next several rounds included heavy shots from both fighters and some wrestling-style moments. The majority of the rounds were hard-fought and close. Many writers had the decision going to the other way but all three judges scored the bout 114-113 in favor of Ward.
Former undisputed heavyweight king Lennox Lewis says that although the current heavyweight division is “wide open,” Wladimir Klitschko remains the man to beat. Speaking with The New Zealand Herald, Lewis said that with Tyson Fury unable to fight (for well-documented reasons we all know about) Klitschko is “still the man to beat right now.”
Lewis, who of course called it quits on a great career after a win over Wladimir’s brother Vitali, says he “feels bad” for Klitschko, who is unable to try and avenge his decision loss to the troubled Fury.
Anyone who has followed the course of Marco Huck’s dozen year, fourty-four bout boxing career is likely to say a couple of things about him as a fighter.
The first thing that can be said is that his style isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing to watch. In fact, I’m being charitable when I write that. Huck’s approach to fighting isn’t pretty at all. It’s actually quite the opposite. This is a fighter who often lunges in awkwardly with rainbow right hands and wide volleys of hooks, and who spends a lot of time grappling and mauling opponents in close, all the while clubbing them with whatever hand might be free at the time. He’s an unorthodox and occasionally crude brawler who doesn’t seem particularly concerned about the rules at any given point, or about where his punches might make contact on his foe’s person. Really, to say Huck (40-3-1, 27 KO’s) isn’t at all pretty is probably understating matters. To refer to his style as being “bowling shoe ugly” is much better way of describing him in action.