
Talking to Crystina Poncher for Top Rank at the media workouts earlier this week, the Jamaican champion said of the opportunity to box at the Garden;
Talking to Crystina Poncher for Top Rank at the media workouts earlier this week, the Jamaican champion said of the opportunity to box at the Garden;
It’s already being billed as a huge domestic clash that will serve as an official eliminator for WBC champion Jorge Linares’ 135 lb title – and after leaking online earlier in the week, promoter Eddie Hearn this morning dropped the news that London 2012 gold medalist Luke Campbell and hometown rival Tommy Coyle, will indeed headline Matchroom’s “Rumble On The Humber” card from Hull’s Craven Park – with ample support coming in the form of Scotland’s Ricky Burns – (who put in a heroic shift vs Omar Figueroa Jr in Texas recently, when he fights a TBA opponent.)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (June 10, 2015) – Unbeaten Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder, heavyweight challenger Eric Molina, along with co-headliners Puerto Rican junior lightweight Jose Pedraza and Russian amateur standout Andrey Klimov, kicked off fight week working out for the press at Round 1 Gym in Birmingham, Ala. in advance of their SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® bouts this Saturday, June 13, live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala.
Also in attendance Wednesday were, undefeated world-ranked contenders Ivan “El Terrible” Redkach and Dejan “El Dinamita” Zlaticanin, who will square off in a 12-round eliminator earlier that night in the main event of SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME® (7 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).
The inception of narrowed weight classes, stemming from the 1960’s, has long since occupied the list of accusations that in some peoples eyes have diluted big time boxing and the achievements of its best fighters.
The list is long and arduous, with some of its entries more valid than others and a discussion for another time. However, when it comes to weight classes, the debate is best kept to the era in which it belongs.
LOS ANGELES (June 10, 2015) – With just over a week until the Premier Boxing Champions on NBC showdown between Adrien “The Problem” Broner (30-1, 22 KOs) and “Showtime” Shawn Porter (25-1-1, 16 KOs), takes place on Saturday, June 20 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, both fighters met with the media in Los Angeles Wednesday to discuss the matchup.
Coverage on NBC begins at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT with a welterweight clash between undefeated rising star Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. (16-0, 13 KOs) and bruising veteran Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia (37-3, 20 KOs).
Jamaica’s “Axe-Man” Nicholas Walters puts his unbeaten record and WBA 126lb strap on the line on Saturday night when he takes on Colombian Miguel Marriaga at Madison Square Garden.
With 18 early finishes from 20 fights, Marriaga presents a significant danger to the dominant Walters – and holds a notable amateur victory of the Jamaican champion – something he will be looking to repeat at the weekend.
Liverpool’s super middleweight contender and former world title challenger Paul Smith goes into the lion’s den on June 20th when he travels to California and attempts to upset the returning Andre Ward in a fight many are viewing as an uphill struggle for the Brit – who is coming off back-to-back losses against Germany’s Arthur Abraham.
Speaking to fighthype.com, Smith was honest in his appraisal of his chances in the fight and clearly recognises he is a big underdog. However, he believes he can upset the odds if he boxes a smart fight – and is buoyed by the American’s inactivity – Ward last stepped through the ropes back in November of 2013.
Joseph Parker’s stable mate and chief sparring partner has had a busy couple of months. Having fought in New Zealand in March he accompanied Parker to Wladimir Klitschko’s Florida training camp where he sparred numerous sessions with the champion giving him some of his best work. He is now once again down under to fight in his first 8 rounder against familiar veteran Julius Long.
Being part of a Joseph Parker fight in New Zealand means the inevitable press tour, which in the middle of winter may not necessarily be an ideal preparation for a fight. Still I assume it is nowhere as cold as Poland his country of birth.
ESB: Doing a press tour throughout the country you must have had an opportunity to see a bit of New Zealand. It’s cold right now but I assume you are used to that being born in Poland. Where were you born in Poland and how could did it get down there?
The hype surrounding big punching British heavyweight Anthony Joshua shows no signs of abating, with the debate and speculation surrounding his next potential opponent thriving across social media.
One name repeatedly linked to the knockout artist is Brixton heavyweight Dillian Whyte, who floored Joshua 6 years ago in their amateur days, en route to earning a scrappy points decision over four undisciplined rounds.
It was “The Villain’s” first amateur contest – and since that evening in 2009, the two men’s careers have gone in contrasting directions, yet now look set to come full circle later this year, possibly in September on Eddie Hearn’s O2 Arena show.
If trainer Robert Garcia is to be believed, then the proposed Kell Brook v Brandon Rios dust-up could have hit the skids already. The proposed fight for the Brit’s IBF 147 lb title is ostensibly on course for August 29th in Sheffield – and all the noises from Rios himself and both Matchroom Sport and Top Rank have been positive thus far as negotiating the fight goes.
So it’s probably a good job that Brandon’s trainer Robert Garcia isn’t in charge of making it happen, as following his disappointing trip to England 10 days ago, in which his fighter Evgeny Gradovich dropped his IBF 126 lb strap to Lee Selby , the Oxnard based trainer has spoken to fighthubtv to accuse Brook’s handlers – Eddie Hearn & Matchroom Sport – of diva-ish behavior saying that from his experience of dealing with them things weren’t positive.