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.
To kickoff fight week events, below are 10 fast facts you should know about Deontay Wilder (with his comments):
1. He has spent more than 1,000 hours getting tattoos covering his body, including one of the WBC heavyweight championship belt on his left thigh …
It’s a fight we are going to see sooner rather than later – and with Wladimir Klitschko’s trainer James Ali Bashir expressing concerns earlier this week regarding the danger Tyson Fury presents the giant Ukrainian champion in the Autumn of his career, a tweet from Fury’s trainer and Uncle Peter Fury, last night summed up the belief that evidently exists in camp ahead of the fight – writing the following;
“You will see the best @Tyson_Fury ever. The world will awake to a new era in boxing & the new undisputed champion of the world!”
Now 42 years old, American heavyweight contender and Islamic convert Amir Mansour (22-1, 16ko) hasn’t had the easiest of careers, though it would be fair to say he has been the architect of his own destruction – sentenced to 8 1/2 years for drug offences back in 2001 and then after a fleeting comeback in 2010, he was sent back to jail for a further 14 months for violating his parole the following year.
Nice guy I’m sure – but many boxers have troubled personal lives – look at Jermain Taylor lately – and it’s what gets achieved in the ring that truly matters, with the New Jersey born heavy on a seven fight comeback streak since January 2013 – the sole loss coming to former cruiserweight boss Steve Cunningham in a fight where both men tasted canvas a little over a year ago.
Brandon Rios is looking increasingly likely to be Kell Brook’s next defence of his IBF 147lb title – on August 29th, possibly in Sheffield – and he has spoken out to fighthype.com to insist he sees nothing about the Brit that worries him, insisting the Wincobank fighter isn’t impressive and that he also has no concerns about coming to box in Brook’s backyard.
After his trainer Robert Garcia recently questioned the neutrality of British officials, it would appear Rios is relaxed about the idea and expressed no issues. Asked if the journey across the pond bothers him, he said;
Boxing is often referred to as ‘the hurt business’ and over time the sport has been littered with many casualties, oftentimes angry young men whose star burned brightly but then faded just as fast, the dark energy that propels them to the top inevitably proving unsustainable over the long term. Sitting down with Joseph Parker you sense none of that. Instead you find a young man at ease with himself and the environment around him.
Talk which starts with boxing soon moves on to family and friends, a subject that is never far from Joseph’s mind. But it is a deceptive energy because make no mistake; once the opening bell rings, as he has proven in recent fights, he is all business.
ESB: You must be excited to be back on home soil fighting in front of your family and friends. I understand that your parents have been able to watch you fight overseas as well?