Santa Cruz, Frampton, Garcia, Malignaggi final quotes

(Photo credit: Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME) BROOKLYN (July 28, 2016) – Undefeated three-division world champion Leo Santa Cruz and undefeated former unified 122-pound world champion Carl Frampton went face-to-face Thursday at the final press conference before their featherweight world title clash that headlines a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING triple-header this Saturday, July 30 live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Televised coverage begins on SHOWTIMEat 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features undefeated former world champion Mikey Garcia taking on former world champion Elio Rojas in the co-main event,plus once-beaten contenders Tony Harrison and Sergey Rabchenko in a junior middleweight title eliminator.

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Get ready for Danny Garcia vs. Andre Berto

It’s not official yet, but welterweights Danny Garcia and Andre Berto are in talks for a possible September or October fight; so reports RingTV.com (although the man with all the news, Dan Rafael, wrote how this fight was a possibility a few days ago). Reportedly, the likely date is September 24th at The Barclays Centre in New York, with a later date in October also being looked at. But never mind the finer details – are fight fans happy with this match-up?

It’s by no means a bad fight, but shouldn’t Garcia – a superb fighter who looked as though he was at least three feet along the road to superstardom after his fine 2012/2013 wins over Amir Khan and Lucas Matthysse – be facing the elite of the elite? Okay, Garcia, 32-0(18) has not had that much experience as a welterweight (his biggest wins coming down at 140) but with the likes of Keith Thurman calling him out and with those recent reports suggesting “Swift” was in the running to face the soon to return Manny Pacquiao, it’s possible fans will fail to be too thrilled if the Berto fight is finalized and then announced.

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Ricky Hatton “feels sorry” for Kell Brook, wishes him well against “punching machine” Golovkin

British boxing hero Ricky Hatton, a fighting man who knows all about how special it feels to smash the odds, and, all about how it feels to be smashed when the odds against you are obeyed, is hoping his countryman Kell Brook can pull it off against Gennady Golovkin on September 10. But, in speaking with Ring Magazine, “Hitman” Hatton wasn’t about to betray his brutally honest nature and he had to admit how he feels Golovkin will prove too much for Brook.

Brook is of course moving up from 147 to challenge the feared middleweight destroyer, a destructive puncher nobody has thus far been able to go the full 12-rounds with, and it is this “punching machine” that Hatton feels will win in London in just over six week’s time. Hatton said Brook “cannot be blamed” for taking this, the ultimate of gambles, but the warrior who faced three pound-for-pound stars during his exciting career – Kostya Tszyu (a magnificent win), Floyd Mayweather (a spirited loss) and Manny Pacquiao (a brutal KO destruction) – can only hope that Brook will somehow prove him wrong and score a sensational upset win.

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Santa Cruz geared up for Frampton fight

(Photo credit: Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME) LONDON (28 July) – Mexican star Leo Santa Cruz has insisted that he is undaunted at facing a hostile Carl Frampton crowd in New York on Saturday night.

The pair collide in what is one of the most eagerly anticipated fights of the year when Northern Irishman Frampton moves up to featherweight to challenge WBA Super world champion Santa Cruz in a clash that will see one of their undefeated records tarnished.

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Dillian Whyte-David Allen: Allen says he’s “boxed Joshua’s head off on several occasions”

It’s a stacked card in Leeds, UK on Saturday, and the fight of the night might just be the heavyweight clash between two men who appear to have a genuine dislike for another, or at least a healthy difference in opinion. Dillian Whyte will face unbeaten but far less known David Allen in a fight that although not a big fight, could propel the winner into something big. Whyte, beaten only by reigning IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua in a great action fight, is a big favorite to win at the sold-out show, but Allen has been calling for this fight for some time.

Now that he has what he today called his big opportunity, Allen is confident he will win the fight and prove that he belongs “at the top.” Allen, 9-0-1(6) may not have faced any big names in a pro fight, but as he said today at the final press conference before the fight, he has sparred plenty of elite heavyweights – and he says he more than held his own.

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Stevenson v Williams Jr. quotes for Friday’s fight

Adonis ”Superman” Stevenson – WBC and lineal light heavyweight world champion:
”Welcome to Québec City Thomas. I saw your fight against Edwin Rodriguez. It was a nice performance with a beautiful KO. When I saw that bout, I told myself I wanted that fight with you. I knew I was going to be motivated.”

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Santa Cruz, Frampton, Garcia, Malignaggi quotes

(Photo credit: Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME) BROOKLYN (July 27, 2016) – Undefeated featherweight world champion Leo Santa Cruz and undefeated former unified 122-pound world champion, Irish star Carl Frampton, were joined by undercard fighters in Manhattan at Church Street Boxing Wednesday for the final media workout before Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING tripleheader live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME following fights on SHOWTIME EXTREME that begin at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

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Amir Khan says he’ll be back in January

Amir Khan, last seen being KO’d by Canelo Alvarez in his brave 155-pound challenge of a fight back in May, says he hopes to be back in action in a big fight in January. Speaking with Sport360, the former 140-pound champion says he has “two options,” in a fight with either Danny Garcia or Manny Pacquiao. Khan also revealed how he has undergone hand surgery so as to fix an old problem with his right hand.

“I’ve had this hand problem since my second (pro) fight when I broke my hand,” Khan told Sport360’s Alex Rea in Dubai. “Since then it has never been the same. The doctor told me that the ligaments were destroyed so, after seven years, I finally got it operated on. I was told I have only been fighting with 30 percent power so I’m glad that it is fixed as I need to be able to throw my right hand with full power. I will be ready to fight in January. I’m mandatory for [Danny] Garcia’s belt so that is a big fight for me right there.”

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Kell Brook happy to be tested by Vada ahead of Golovkin fight

Kell Brook has already said he doesn’t want any excuses after he’s shocked the world against middleweight king Gennady Golovkin, as he insists he can do and will do. And “The Special One,” does not in any way want to risk anybody claiming after his upset victory that it came with the assistance of anything illegal. Brook, the IBF welterweight king who rose through the ranks the hard way, from British level to European and then to world level, has always been a clean athlete.

Making the welterweight limit was proving tough for Brook, which was one of the reasons he agreed to take the massive gamble of a fight with the feared puncher known as Triple-G, but Brook continued to put in the honest, hard work so as to make 147. Never has Brook’s name ever been anywhere close to linked to PEDs, not as much as a whisper – and Brook is making sure it stays that way. Happy to be going through a series of tests conducted by VADA, earlier this week Brook underwent his first test. Brook took to his Twitter page to indicate how pleased he is to be proving – not that he needed to – how he is one of the sport’s clean practitioners.

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Yuriorkis Gamboa says Top Rank are keeping Vasyl Lomachenko away from him

It would be a superb match-up between two of the finest boxers currently doing their thing in the lower weight classes, and Yuriorkis Gamboa wants it: a fight with the man promoter Bob Arum has gone as far as to say is the best he has ever seen – Vasyl Lomachenko. Gamboa, back training with Ismael Salas, ha snot fought since December of last year, but he is currently training and a fight will hopefully be announced soon.

Gamboa, a former champion at featherweight as well as an interim champ at 130-pounds, has been defeated just once in his pro career – in that thriller with new pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford – and he said on Twitter shortly after watching Crawford’s master class of a win over Viktor Postol how he gave Crawford a much tougher fight and this is why Top Rank are “keeping Vasyl Lomachenko away from me.”

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