Ahead of the proposed “Fight Of The Century” on May 2nd at the MGM Grand, Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach has told respected British fight journalist Gareth A. Davies of The Telegraph, that were it not for his dedication to the sport as a whole, and in particular to training Filipino wizard Pacquiao, he could be a dead man already.
Roach, who has suffered with Parkinson’s for 23 years, explained the medication he takes daily to combat it often induces suicidal thought.
WBC super bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (29-0,17ko) has spoken to FightHype.com ahead of his scheduled “Golden Ticket” appearance on May 2nd’s “Fight Of The Century” under-card, where he is to square off against unremarkable Hungarian fighter Zsolt Bedak (24-1, 8ko)
Santa Cruz, who is looked after by manager Al Haymon, is gushing in his praise of the PBC mastermind, who himself is credited with rejuvenating the career of Floyd Mayweather, at least financially, by helping him out of his prior contract disputes with Top Rank and Bob Arum some years previously.
Last night in Verona, the watching world saw Lucas Matthysse (37-3, 34ko) and Ruslan Provodnikov (24-4, 17ko) deliver twelve brutal rounds that in my opinion adequately delivered on the promise of war. Yet because the much mooted knockout between the punchers failed to transpire, reports by sites like Sky Sports in the UK are saying;
“The predicted slug-fest between the two heavy hitters never really took off”
I guess some folk are never truly happy because in my mind the fight played out much as I thought it would, with the hittable Provodnikov getting banged up by a Matthysse who used more of the boxing skill we knew he had going in. He boxed a sensible fight fight for me and didn’t get caught trading TOO often!!
Essex’s “Rockin” Robin Deakin (1-51, 0kos) often gets referred to as Britain’s “worst” boxer, a label he himself happily revels in. The focus last year of some rather cruel and mocking press in the national newspapers, Deakin, who at the time had his licence suspended by the British board, has taken everything in his stride, even when his right to earn a living was perhaps unfairly taken from him.
Usyk won the WBO Inter-Continental cruiser weight title and his 3rd place in the WBO rankings suggests a showdown with cruiser weight king Marco Huck (Muamer Hukić) in the near future. Tony Bellew and Krzytof Glowacki occupy the top two spots but getting past them should be a formality for Usyk.
Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York was treated to a historic sold out match-up between two of the most exciting gladiators in boxing as Lucas “La Maqina”” Matthysse (37-3, 34 KO’s) took a majority decision victory over “The Siberian Rocky” Ruslan Provodnikov (24-4, 17 KO’s) in a 12-round junior welterweight bout on the split-site doubleheader on HBO Boxing After Dark ®.
Presented by Banner Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions, the action packed night showcased two athletes fighting in the prime of their careers, with a title shot in the 140-pound division likely hanging in the horizon.
Confident and determined, Andrzej “The Polish Prince” Fonfara (27-3, 16 KOs) spoiled the ring return of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (48-2-1, 32 KOs) in resounding fashion Saturday night, flooring the former middleweight champion one time en route to a one-sided ninth-round TKO in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING live on SHOWTIME.
Fonfara, of Chicago by way of Radon, Poland, dropped Chavez, of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, with a wide left hook 50 seconds into the ninth round before a boisterous crowd of 8,636 predominately-Chavez fans at StubHub Center. It was the first time in 52 professional fights that Chavez had hit the canvas from a punch.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr’s career took a major hit tonight with him getting stopped at the end of the 9th round by the big punching light heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara (27-3, 16 KOs) in their fight at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Fighting at a catch-weight of 172 pounds, Chavez Jr. was shockingly dropped the 9th round by Fonfara. Chavez Jr. was really hurt to the extent that he wasn’t going to be able to recover after the round ended. In between rounds, Chavez Jr. quit on his stool instead of coming out for the 10th and taking more punishment.
Fonfara was deducted a point in the 7th for the use of his shoulder. It was kind of a petty foul to be called by the referee Jerry Cantu, but thankfully the point deduction didn’t have any effect on the result of the fight.
On Saturday, April 25, Madison Square Garden in New York will host a significant event that hasn’t been a part of the venue’s calendar for a few years now: a heavyweight world boxing championship fight.
Wladimir Klitschko (63-3-0) will defend his titles against undefeated Bryant Jennings (19-0-0).
For some boxing fans, an undefeated fighter has a higher stock value so to say. After all, when a fighter has never lost, they are a winner. That is until the competition gets harder, and their 0 becomes threatened.
After originally being scheduled to box Cuban Richar Abril in place of original challenger Anthony Crolla, Mathews and promoter Frank Warren have had a nightmare week getting a fight on after Abril pulled out of the contest for a SECOND time a week ago (the first in March) and late replacement Ismael Barroso of Venezuela suffered visa problems that meant he too had to withdraw.