Riddick Bowe, Naseem Hamed & Ray Mancini Elected To Boxing Hall Of Fame

Yoko Gushiken, Rafael Mendoza, Steve Smoger, Nigel Collins and Jim Lampley also enter Hall of Fame

The International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum announced today the newest class of inductees to enter the Hall. Living inductees include heavyweight champion Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe, featherweight champion “Prince” Naseem Hamed and lightweight champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini in the Modern category; light flyweight champion Yoko Gushiken in the Old-Timer category; booking agent / manager Rafael Mendoza and referee Steve Smoger in the Non-Participant category; and editor / journalist Nigel Collins and broadcaster Jim Lampley in the Observer category.

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Tyson Fury – Anthony Joshua fight plans inaccurate

FURY ON TARGET FOR KLITSCHKO AND WORLD TITLE — Promoter Frank Warren has said that media reports today of plans to make a fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are both inaccurate and wide of the mark.

Fury defeated Chisora, for the second time, last Saturday night at the ExCeL London to win the British, European and WBO International Heavyweight titles, whilst securing the mandatory challenger position to Wladimir Klitschko’s WBO World title.

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Interview: Joseph Parker Discusses His Upcoming Fight With Costa Junior

This strange life, such is the itinerant and transient schedule of the professional fighter which constitutes Joseph Parker’s life nowadays: He lives and trains in Las Vegas with Coach Kevin Barry, has fought in three different countries over the course of 2014 and now we find him on a Saturday afternoon in a deserted ballroom at Auckland’s Pullman hotel, just he and Barry hitting the mitts and making small talk along way.

Kevin and Joseph have been generous enough to invite us into camp on a couple of occasions now and each time I’ve been struck by how light and humorous the tone is. As an example Kevin mentions Kiwi golfing phenom Lydia Ko who recently collected a $1.5 million dollar payday on the women’s LPGA and Joseph’s eyes light up as he quips to Kevin that ‘maybe it isn’t too late for us to turn to golf!’

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Ruslan Provodnikov back in USA on March 28

This past Saturday night, Ruslan Provodnikov (24-3-0) had successfully defeated Jose Luis Castillo (66-12-1) via a 5 round TKO in Moscow, Russia.

Provodnikov has a very timid personality outside of the ring, paired with an exceptionally crown pleasing style inside the ring. There are always people willing to pay to come see his action packed fights live. That is why his promoter Art Pelullo is having Provodnikov fight in the USA as soon as possible.

“Now Ruslan is coming back to fight on HBO. This will be in the USA in March, possibly March 28th. We are looking at Marcos Maidana, Danny Garcia, and Lucas Matthysse,” stated Pelullo.

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Sergey Kovalev vs. Jean Pascal on March 14

Main Events and InterBox are proud to announce that an agreement has been reached to present a fight between the reigning unified WBO, IBF and WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion, Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs) and former WBC and The Ring Light Heavyweight Champion, Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs). The fight is to take place in Montréal or Québec City on Saturday, March 14, 2015, but it is contingent on Pascal prevailing over Bolonti on December 6 and on the IBF granting Kovalev a special exception to postpone his mandatory title defense against Nadjib Mohammedi.

This mega-bout will be televised live in the United States on HBO. Further details will be announced at a later date. Pascal’s fight at the Bell Centre December 6 was already a very important one for his career, but this possibility brings it to a whole new level. Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events, will be watching the fight with Jean Bédard, as she has accepted the invitation extended by the InterBox president to join him ringside at the gala.

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Chris Eubank Jr: The Real Deal?

Prior to Saturday night, Chris Eubank Jr had never been involved in a boxing match which lasted beyond 8 rounds. Despite having racked up 18 wins, his victories had all come against less than stellar, low level opposition. With a virtually non-existent amateur record, Christopher entered London’s full to capacity ExCel arena, having never come close to experiencing an event of such magnitude.

By the nights end, the fight is lost only by a narrow split decision (one judge had him winning) in a closely fought battle. Considering Eubank was challenging an undefeated Olympian and holder of British, Commonwealth and European titles, many would perceive his efforts as brave and valiant considering the vast gulf in experience between the competitors. However, when you’re the son of an enigmatic figure considered amongst the most exciting middleweight champions Britain has ever seen and when your dad is making proclamations about you being the most talented pugilist seen since Sugar Ray Leonard who will go on to eclipse the achievements of the world’s highest paid athlete Floyd ‘money’ Mayweather, the judging barometer begins to differ from other fighters.

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David Lemieux Interview Transcript

David Lemieux – Camp has been going great. I’m in the best shape right now I have ever been. I’ve trained very well against Fernando Guerrero, but nothing like I’ve been training now and I’ve reached some highpoints that I never thought I could reach and become so strong. My punches are coming off very, very well. And I’ve been doing some 10-rounds, 12-rounds sparring. We’re ready for anything. The shape is there, the endurance is there, and the power is more there than ever.

So, this is going to be an exciting fight for the fans and for everybody, and it’s going to be brutal. I’m very excited to be back in the ring. It’s the first time in the US as a pro so it’s going to be very interesting fighting at the Barclays Center on HBO for a main event. I’m very confident that I did everything I had to do. I’m not fighting for the fans; me, I’m fighting for my family. I want to feed my children. So I know that whatever I do is going to reward the fans and make sure that the fans are always satisfied because, as a pro, I’m there to do the best I can do. So let’s get down to business on December 6th.

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Gabriel Rosado Interview Transcript

Gabriel Rosado – I’m having a great camp, I’m excited about this fight. This is the last week of sparring and I’m just ready to roll.

Q – Can you talk about the difficulty and maybe the hesitance in parting ways with a trainer you’ve worked with so long?

G. Rosado – Yes, Billy Briscoe, he was my trainer for about 10 years. But it just kind of got to the point where I just felt that it wasn’t anything personal, it’s just business and I thought that in order for me to take it to that next level, I had to make a move. And Jesse Reid is one of the best trainers in the world. He’s trained 25 World Champions and it’s funny how it just worked out.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag – Mayweather vs Pacquiao, Terrance Crawford, Garcia, Thurman, GGG, and more!

Freddy C. (Raleigh, NC): Terrance Crawford is a guy that I never really cared for initially, but after watching him again, this kid is solid. Give us your thoughts on where you place him as a talent and who you would like to see him face going forward?

Vivek W. (ESB): I’ve watched Crawford develop over the past few years and I can say unequivocally, this is the most polished “fighter on the rise” in the sport, today. When I look at young talents out there that seem to grab headlines at will…..guys such as Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, Adrien Broner, Golovkin, etc.; each of those young studs are great in their own way, but Crawford is without question the most complete talent of them all. What I love most about him is the hybrid type effect he exudes. You get the cerebral, fundamental type execution; yet when he gets touched, you see the ‘dog’ in him surface and take over, as well! Literally, the best of both worlds!

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Terence Crawford Shows Mastery in Win Over Beltran

Terence Crawford thrilled the standing room only crowd at the Century Link Center Omaha, Nebraska with his skill and finesse. Once again he managed to display a touch of artistry in the most violent of sports. He always remains calm and poker-faced while he carves and sculpts his subject. Saturday night, after twelve one-sided rounds, the skillful practitioner named Terence “Hunter/Bud” Crawford 25-0-0 (17KO) presented his finished work in the form of a swollen and bruised Raymundo “Sugar” Beltran 29-7-1 (17KO). Everyone was impressed. They liked what they saw.

What’s not to like about this young man. First of all, he seems to have his priorities straight. The first thing he did after winning his fight against Ray Beltran was to give thanks to God. He obviously understands and his grateful for the gifts with which he has been blessed. He also acknowledged he fought his last fight as a lightweight and will be moving up to the 140lb division.

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