Antonio “Relentless” Orozco (26-0, 17 KOs) wasn’t up to any tricks this April Fool’s Day as he proudly pronounced his return to the ring with a dominating knockout over KeAndre “The Truth” Gibson (16-1-1, 7 KOs) in the fourth round of the main event live from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and televised on ESPN Deportes and ESPN2. Both fighters entered the ring undefeated, yet it was Orozco who walked away as the new WBC USNBC Super Lightweight Champion.
Results: Mairis Briedis defeats Marco Huck
Mairis Briedis (22-0, 18 KOs) took the game but limited Marco Huck (40-4-1, 27 KOs) to school tonight in pounding out a dominating 12 round unanimous decision to win the vacant World Boxing Council cruiserweight title in front of a large crowd of Huck supporters at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Germany.
Rocky Marciano’s legendary 49-0 record: For it to be truly broken, must it be a reigning heavyweight champion who reaches 50-0?
Back in 2015, when Floyd Mayweather tied beloved heavyweight champ Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record, the late ex-champ’s brother, Peter Marciano, was less than moved. It would have been better, more newsworthy, more impressive, he said, if another heavyweight champion had equalled his brother’s astonishing numbers, not a welterweight.
Just recently, little star Roman Gonzalez was getting a ton of press as he closed in on “The Rock’s” record, but as we know, “Chocolatito” lost in a big upset and fell to 46-1 in the process. Now publications and boxing sites are talking about Thailand’s Wanheng Menayothin, the reigning WBC minimumweight champ who yesterday improved to 46-0 with a non-title six-rounder victory. Can he break Marciano’s record they are asking (or, in a sacrilegious move, some have asked if Menayothin can break Floyd’s 49-0 record!)
Froch-Kessler III? In light of Kessler’s comeback, “The Cobra” says maybe – but at light-heavyweight
As fans may have read, news broke earlier this week that Danish great Mikkel Kessler, one of the best super-middleweights of the past decade or so, is coming out of retirement after almost four years out. Now aged 38 and last seen losing a great rematch battle with British great Carl Froch, Kessler is coming back at 168 pounds.
This news caused quite a stir all by itself, but Froch could be about to make even bigger news: by agreeing to a third fight with the warrior he is currently 1-1 with. Writing in his column for Sky Sports, “The Cobra” said Kessler’s comeback has “really got me thinking!”
“Terrible Tim” in the house; Witherspoon speaks on his great career and on Joshua-Klitschko
Former two-time heavyweight champ “Terrible” Tim Witherspoon was a guest of honour in a pub in York, UK last night, promoting his excellent and revealing biography “Terrible Times.”
The Philly legend spent around four hours chatting with a surprisingly small number of fans (making the experience all the more intimate and special); telling us so many stories from his great career: like the time he was thrown out of Gerry Cooney’s gym for being too rough and tough a sparring partner, how he was so massively inspired by sparring and training with the great Muhammad Ali (even though, as Tim said, he knew Ali “was sick” at the time; in the early ’80s), about how he would have loved to have fought Mike Tyson in the 1990s, about how great his era of heavyweights was in comparison to today’s.
30 Years Later – Valdez / Ramirez / Magdaleno / Stevenson Score Hagler vs. Leonard
It took place on Monday, April 6, 1987 at Caesars Palace and it was promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank®. The SuperFight: Hagler vs. Leonard, with Marvin Hagler defending his middleweight title against Sugar Ray Leonard, making a return after a three-year absence from the ring and a big question mark about his surgically-repaired eye. It was one the biggest and most successful sporting events of that era. Caesars Palace was sold out with 15,000 spectators and an estimated 400 million more watching worldwide via closed-circuit or on pay-tv. The media credentialed for fight week was close to 1,1000. It was the quintessential promotion of that time and the foundation on which mega fights are now promoted. And the result? It is as hotly debated today as it was 30 years ago when the judges’ scores were read that night. Dave Moretti scored it 115-113 for Leonard. Lou Fillippo scored it 115-113 for Hagler. Jo Jo Guerra scored it 118-110 for Leonard, making him the new middleweight champion, and completing one of the greatest career comebacks in boxing .
Marco Huck vs. Mairis Briedis: Is Huck ready to pass the torch?
Former 200-pound limit champion Marco Huck meets the new kid on the block Mairis Briedis, for a WBC cruiserweight title fight. The fight being upgraded due to Tony Bellew’s absents is a nice boost for the fighters. More importantly, Huck’s career is on the line against what some have branded one of the next generation cruisers.
Aleksandr Usyk focused on Michael Hunter fight
WBO Cruiserweight World Champion ALEKSANDR USYK, (11-0, 10 KO’s) hosted a huge crowd of media on Thursday afternoon in Downtown Los Angeles joined by his promoter, TOM LOEFFLER of K2 Promotions and manager, EGIS KLIMAS.
Usyk will be defending his title on Saturday, April 8 against undefeated, top ten contender MICHAEL HUNTER, (12-0, 8 KO’s) on HBO World Championship Boxing (10:00 p.m. ET/PT). from The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD.
Mikkel Kessler makes comeback
Danish boxing legend Mikkel Kessler (46-3, 35 KOs) announced his plans to return to the ring at a press conference today at the Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers Hotel.
The former five-time World Champion, who retired following his May 2013 rematch with Carl Froch at the O2 in London, will make a sensational comeback later this year with a date and opponent to be confirmed.
Jermell Charlo quotes for Charles Hatley fight on April 22
Lou DiBella
Thanks for joining us. This is our call to announce the co-feature for Andre Berto versus Shawn Porter, the WBC welterweight world title eliminator — that’s going to be on SHOWTIME live at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT from the Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Saturday, April 22. Tickets for the live event are on sale now. They can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, BarclaysCenter.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000, 1-800-745-3000.
The co-feature is a terrific bout for the WBC junior middleweight championship. Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo 28-0, 13 KOs from Houston, Texas against Charles Hatley, 26-1-1, with 18 KOs from Dallas, Texas. So we got a battle of Texas and Brooklyn on April 22. As most of you know Jermell’s brother is Jermall. They’re one minute apart. Jermell’s one minute younger.