OS ANGELES (July 1, 2016) – Sparks flew at this special edition of LA FIGHT CLUB in front of a sold-out crowd this Friday night at downtown Los Angeles’ historic Belasco Theater. This event marked the beginning of the summer season for LA FIGHT CLUB with LA’s finest officers taking on the NYPD boxing team all to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Tonight’s can’t-miss event was attended by the likes of boxing legends old and new: Oscar de la Hoya, Ronny Rios, Carlos “The Solution” Morales, Ivan “Striker” Gonzalez, Christian “Chimpa” Gonzalez, Alexis Rocha, Nick Arce, Jason “El Animal” Quigley, Gilberto “El Flaco” Gonzalez, and Pablo “The Shark” Rubio Jr were all witness to the action ringside.
Antonio Margarito’s comeback to continue…..against Ramon Alvarez
Though he didn’t look good, not a bit like he did in his prime, against Jorge Paez Junior in his comeback fight in March of this year, former welterweight king Antonio Margarito will continue his comeback with a reported fight against Ramon Alvarez in Baja, California on August 13th. Margarito, 39-8(27) and fighting for the first time since December of 2011, got up from a knockdown to out-point Paez Jr, but he put his decidedly dodgy showing down to ring-rust.
Hearn says Anthony Joshua is likely to box in November or December – Parker, Stiverne, Jennings, Pulev all possibilities
Who will IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua fight next? His promoter Eddie Hearn, in speaking with the Daily Mail, said we can “expect an AJ return in November or December,” and that there are four names currently in the mix as far as possible challengers. Hearn said Joseph Parker, Joshua’s mandatory challenger, will be accommodated, possibly on the November or December date, or if not then, early next year.
Eddie Hearn: “After the Kell Brook-Jessie Vargas fight we’ll look to make a fight with Thurman or Garcia”
Promoter Eddie Hearn has admitted to frustrations in getting all the I’s dotted and all the T’s crossed with the upcoming IBF/WBO welterweight unification clash between Kell Brook and Jessie Vargas. The fight has still not been officially announced, even though Vargas has signed the contract. Speaking with the Daily Mail, Hearn said the fight “will happen,” and that when it does, unbeaten Brook “will underline that he is the best welterweight in the world.”
Wilder vs. Arreola to be tested by VADA for July 16 fight
Heavyweight world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder and two-time title challenger Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola have both enrolled with the world-renowned Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (“VADA”) to conduct the anti-doping program leading up to their Saturday, July 16 showdown that headlines Premier Boxing Champions on FOX & FOX Deportes from Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Happy Birthday, Mike Tyson – The youngest heavyweight champ in history turns 50 today
By his own admission, Mike Tyson, who today celebrates reaching his half century, never thought he’d live to the age of thirty, let alone 50. The former street hoodlum who was saved by boxing and then went off the rails as he made too much money, was manipulated by the wrong people he became involved with and eventually fell into pretty much all the traps his mentor and father figure Cus D’Amato so wanted him to avoid, was convinced he’d be dead not too long after his 21st birthday.
But Tyson endured, went through many changes and, by the age of 30, had done it all – he had: made history as the youngest heavyweight champion ever at age 20, become the undisputed king by the age of 21, lost the crown at age 23, served time in jail more than once, taken all manner of drugs and had sex with too many women to possibly count, bitten off a substantial chunk of an opponent’s ear, come close to total bankruptcy, fought on when way past his best, and finally retired from the ring at the age of 39.
Team-Wilder not looking past Chris Arreola, “100-percent focused” on July 16 clash
Some fans have complained about Deontay Wilder’s next defence, a voluntary that was allowed him by the WBC in light of what happened with the Alexander Povetkin fight that was set for May. Unbeaten 36-0(35) puncher Wilder will, as fans know, face veteran, former two-time world heavyweight title challenger Chris Arreola in Alabama on July 16. Though the fight is, at the very least, a good match-up; especially given the relatively short amount of time all concerned had to put Wilder’s next fight together, some fans have moaned.
Liam Smith trainer Joe Gallagher fears judges will not reward his fighter in super-fight chance against Canelo
Britain’s Joe Gallagher has proven his credentials as a world class trainer many times and he has trained, or is training, a number of world champions. A genuinely huge achievement in the Manchester trainer’s career will come on September 17th, though – if his fighter Liam Smith can score the big upset over Mexican superstar Saul Canelo Alvarez. And Gallagher – a man who has shown time and again how he is a mastermind when it comes to planning the downfall of his fighters’ rivals – is hugely confident going into the Las Vegas bout.
Arum wants to make Gilberto Ramirez a pay-per-view fighter, says a win over Golovkin would do it
Latest Mexican star in the making, Gilberto Ramirez, the WBO super-middleweight champion, has what it takes to become a pay-per-view star – so says his promoter Bob Arum. Arum, speaking with Yahoo! Sports, said he believes the unbeaten 25 year-old can defeat feared middleweight king Gennady Golovkin, if GGG moves up from 160 to 168 to tackle Ramirez, and that such a win would make “Zurdo,” as Ramirez is known, a genuine box-office attraction.
Parker’s manager: “How is AJ going to go when he’s eating Joseph’s jab all night?”
Unbeaten Joseph Parker, the mandatory challenger for Anthony Joshua and his IBF heavyweight title, was confident before this past Saturday’s defence by Joshua against Dominic Breazeale, but the New Zealander and his team are even more confident of taking the title when the fight happens; so says Parker’s manager, Dean Lonergan. Speaking with Sky Sports, Lonergan said he wants the fight to happen this year, ideally in November or December, and that he has no doubt his man will win when the big night comes.