“That’s not important…what I do with sparring partners, that’s not important…I could have a good day in the gym, you know, sparring partners can have a good day on me. That don’t count.
” It counts under the lights when it’s for all the marbles,” stated undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, who commented on reports that he’s been knocking out sparring partners during training camp for his upcoming clash with Manny Pacquiao.
BOB ARUM: We are very excited to bring this event to Arlington, Texas, We are familiar with the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and have put on shows at Cowboys Stadium and this facility at the University of Texas Arlington is beautiful which is fitting for Fighter of the Year Terence Crawford, who was the world champion of the lightweight division and is now moving up for a crack at a junior welterweight world title. He fights a difficult contender in Thomas Dulorme. But we at Top Rank are confident in the ability of Terrence Crawford.
TERRENCE CRAWFORD: Camp has been going great. You know it’s been a blessing to be where I’m at and at this point I am ready to just go in there and do what I’ve got to do on Saturday night.
Undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight champion and the Boxing Writers Association of America’s (BWAA) Fighter of the Year TERENCE “Bud” CRAWFORD (25-0, 17 KOs), from Omaha, NE, Puerto Rican buzz saw THOMAS “Thunder” DULORME (22-1, 14 KOs), the No. 2 world-rated contender and Hall of Fame promoter BOB Arum hosted a media conference call on Monday to discuss their upcoming rumble for the vacant WBO junior welterweight title. The Crawford-Dulorme world title fight will take place This Saturday! April 18, at College Park Center, located on the campus of the University of Texas Arlington in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The world championship fight will be televised as part of a split site doubleheader live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.
In one of my favourite movies, The Crow, just before his character throws one of the men who murdered him and his girlfriend out of a window (just watch it, it’s a great film), Brandon Lee says;
“I guess it’s not a good day to be a bad guy, huh Skank?”
Well in Britain, I guess it’s not a good day to be Bury’s WBA (reg) super-bantamweight champion Scott Quigg, as like the fabled movie and comic book hero, WBA (sup) and WBO champion, undefeated Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux (15-0,10ko) is on something of a hunting mission, publicly stating that he intends to come to the UK and call out Quigg in person.
Britain’s best 168lb fighter of the last few years, Carl Froch (34-2,24ko), has been at it again, ahead of a new ITV documentary that he is the focus of.
In a teaser for the soon to be released film, the famous ego of “The Cobra” lands with a bang once more, with both Froch and trainer Rob McCracken re-asserting their long held belief that should the two rivals have ever got in the ring, the undefeated Welshman would have emerged the loser.
The Froch v Calzaghe (46-0,32ko) hypothetical is a much debated topic on social media, particularly in the UK, with the consensus belief being that the hand speed, ring IQ and intense work rate of Calzaghe would have proved to much for Carl to deal with. It’s a belief I am inclined, along with Barry McGuigan, to agree with.
Khan expects to win the Mayweather lottery or to get the congressional consolation prize, he believes he is entitled to fight the winner (or loser) of the May 2 mega fight. If it ends in a draw or develops into a sequel, he may watch both veterans retire before he gets his turn in the money shower. Khan recently neglected a lucrative offer to fight Kell Brook which fueled criticism and raised additional doubts. He will need a stay busy fight even if he acts like a boxing prima donna who can afford to get up from bed only for multi million contracts. Biding your time with a minimum threat opponent and saving face at the same time may not be so simple especially when 3 glaringly unavenged losses are pending further action.
WBO 160lb mandatory challenger Saunders was always due to face the winner of Lee-Quillin yet after the somewhat unique situation of the belt staying with Lee (W or L) as soon as Quillin failed to make weight, the fans knew before the fight that win or lose Andy Lee vs Saunders would be a world title fight in Britain or Ireland at some stage in the summer. The fact that the entertaining fight between Lee and Quillin ended up a draw became something of a moot point.
Unified super bantamweight world champion Guillermo “The Jackal” Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KOs), arguably the most avoided reigning world title holder in modern boxing history, will travel to London next month in order to publicly confront his mandatory challenger, Scott Quigg (30-0-2, 22 KOs), the World Boxing Association (WBA) “regular” 122-pound division titlist.
A month ago in an unusual move, Rigondeaux’ manager Gary Hyde formally petitioned the WBA to enforce a mandatory title fight between his WBA Super champion and Quigg. Hyde is awaiting the WBA’s decision. Rigondeaux is also the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and The Ring magazine’s super bantamweight champion.
It feels like a long time now that the names Danny Garcia and Adrien Broner have been mentioned alongside each other.
The latest installment in the will they?/Won’t they drama came at the weekend, when Broner was ringside for Garcia’s hotly disputed “gift” decision against Lamont Peterson. The Ohio born motor-mouth, coincidentally alongside Garcia’s father Angel, is one of the most disliked and divisive figures in all of boxing, so the prospect of those two personalities clashing in the build up would be entertaining from a fan perspective to say the least. Neither Garcia Snr, nor Broner are ever short of something to say.
Amir Khan (30-3, 19ko) is once again the focus in sections of the British media this morning, namely The Guardian, although the attention of that focus is once more on the circus surrounding his fight on May 30th, for which, no OFFICIAL opponent has yet been announced.
After the video on his wife’s YouTube channel suggesting it would be American Chris Algieri (20-1, 8ko), who was decked seven times by Manny Paqcuiao the last time he boxed, the ridicule and condemnation from British fans in particular was as such that Khan went into back track mode whilst he waits for the furor to die down.