Wilder getting tips in how to beat Stiverne

Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs) has been using sparring partner Demetrice King (15-20, 13 KOs) as a source of information to get him ready for his fight in two weeks from now against World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. King, 29, stopped Stiverne in the 4th round of their fight in 2007.

There was a little bit of controversy involved with the stoppage, however, because Stiverne was still standing and fighting back. He’d been hurt moments before by a big left-right from King, who then proceeded to land a flurry of head shots while Stiverne attempted to cover up on the ropes.

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Does Mayweather deserve an 80-20 purse split for Pacquiao fight?

As a long time Floyd Mayweahter fan and supporter I like the rest of the boxing public am on the edge of my seat awaiting the announcement that the fight is on! As of yesterday I’m concerned that this fight may once again not be made.

It’s true that Mayweather’s (the Canelo fight excluded) numbers have dropped off, and Pacquiao has verbally acquiesced to Mayweather’s drug testing terms. What is also a fact is, Mayweather’s out of court settlement of Pacquiao’s defamation suit a few years back. Both fighters in my humble opinion have seen better days in the ring especially Pacquiao who’s KO loss to 4-time opponent Juan Manuel Marquez has an exclamation point on it.

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2014/2015 Previews & Reviews: Wladimir Klitschko, Deontay Wilder, Bermane Stiverne, Demetrius Andrade, Mikey Garcia, Abner Mares, Jermell Charlo, & Felix Verdejo

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO

2014 was simply a continuation of the pattern Klitschko has seen for quite some time now. Two unknown opponents, two more victories, and two more defenses of a title that he’s rarely been tested for. While critics will jump at the chance to tear down this ‘great wall’ of talent, the truth is that no talent can choose the era in which they dominate.

Wladimir unfortunately came along at a point where the talent pool in the heavyweight division is about as tough as that last ply of toilet paper on the roll. No fault of his own, which has to mean something when scanning over his lifeless resume. 2015 could offer a few interesting twist, as suddenly, the heavyweight division has received a shot in the arm that few saw coming.

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Canelo: The fans of the world want me to face Cotto

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KOs) isn’t shy about letting people know how badly he wants a fight against WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (39-4, 32 KOs) on Cinco de Mayo on May 2nd. Canelo believes that a fight against the 34-year-old Cotto is something that all of boxing wants to see. He may be correct to a certain extent.

There are a lot of fans who want to see that fight take place. However, there are still major question marks about Canelo’s talent level after his three step up fights against Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Even if Canelo beats Cotto, he’s still going to have a lot to prove against other fighters like Gennady Golovkin.

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Froch ordered by IBF to start negotiations with DeGale

The International Boxing Federation (IBF) sent out a letter to IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) on December 31st, ordering him to start the negotiation process with his IBF mandatory challenger James DeGale (20-1, 14 KOs). If Froch fails to do this then the IBF will strip the 37-year-old Froch of his IBF title and then order #7 IBF Andre Dirrell to face DeGale for the vacant IBF strap.

Froch has been holding out for a fight against former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, because Froch believes that he’s a fighter popular enough for him to fight on pay-per-view in the United States. Chavez Jr has promotional issues with Top Rank, and it doesn’t look as if Froch will be able to get that fight with him anytime soon.

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Mayweather-Pacquiao back and forth negotiations

Manny Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz says he’s still in negotiations with Floyd Mayweather Jr’s management for a fight between the two fighters. Mayweather has made an offer, and Konz, with the help of Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum, has made a counter offer to Mayweather. Unfortunately for the fans, we don’t know what Mayweather’s starting offer was and what the counter offer is from Arum and Konz.

It’s hard to imagine that Mayweather’s offer was a substantial one though because he doesn’t see Pacquiao as being in his class, and he’s well aware that Pacquiao’s pay-per-view numbers have been dropping in the last two years. Pacquiao losses to Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez don’t help matters either.

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2014/2015 Reviews & Previews: Nicholas Walters, Guilliermo Rigondeaux, Leo Santa Cruz, Vasyl Lomachenko, Sergey Kovalev, Adonis Stevenson, & Jean Pascal

(Note: In the fourth installment of a week long breakdown, boxing scribe Vivek “Vito” Wallace analyzes where today’s top fighters stand, and whether or not 2015 could be the year many of them fall. This week long analysis will cover over 30 top fighters from around the world)

GUILLERMO RIGONDEAUX

For the best boxer of this era to rise from the Cuban ranks, 2014 was far from eventful. After a stunning 2013 that saw him defeat both Donaire and Agbeko, 2014 saw him destroy an unknown fighter in China, and forcibly scrape himself off the canvas twice against an unknown fighter in Japan. Definitely not the level of competition you’d like to see from a fighter none as “boring”.

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Boxing robot overcomes two knockdowns to systematically destroy mere Japanese human

Anyone who stayed awake through the encounter between boxing’s most avoided robot, Guillermo Rigondeaux, and mere human, Hisashi Amagasa, would have been delighted to see Rigondeaux get knocked down twice and visibly hurt in round 7.

The start of the fight was typical Rigondeaux, an incredible display of balance, poise and posturing that would be heralded by the Royal Ballet School, but had everyone else nodding off more then a room full of junkies. There’s only so much “sweet science” I could marvel at before my mind wondered and started thinking about why the Japanese decided to count up to 3 minutes instead of down, and why so many in the crowd were wearing respiratory face masks.

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2014’s Fight of The Year? Juanma Lopez and Daniel Ponce de Leon gave us a mini-classic back in March

Maybe the short and sweet, not to mention terrifically entertaining battle 130-pounders Juan Manuel Lopez and Daniel Ponce de Leon gave us this year should win the slugfest of the year distinction. Both men, their careers quite literally on the line, swapped leather, and traded knockdowns, in a manner befitting two prizefighters with everything on the line.

You may have other fights in mind as your choice or choices for 2014’s FOTY, but lovers of a dramatic, hi-octane rumble with swiftly shifting momentums and a ton of fierce leather exchanged in just a handful of minutes will show as much affection and appreciation to this one as I do.

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Boxing’s Best of 2014

In what turned out to be a somewhat lackluster year for the sport, there were some bright spots for boxing fans in 2014. The validation of stars like Sergey Kovalev, Terence Crawford and Nicholas Walters. The rejuvenation of Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao. The continued rise of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. This writer decided to share some of his favorites from the past twelve months below (check out the videos to see more). Let’s take a look at the pugilistic best of the year that was.

Montero’s “Rising Star”: Nicholas Walters

The “Axe Man” is one boxer who truly lives up to this nickname. He kicked off his year by chopping down former titlist Vic Darchinyan in Macau, then chopped down former pound for pound star Nonito Donaire in Los Angeles. The bilingual bomber can also box, as he showed a top-notch jab in his dismantling of Donaire. Fighting in a loaded featherweight division, the Jamaican native built most of his career in Panama and is fluent in Spanish. A consummate professional with a humble attitude and plenty of charisma, the sky is the limit for Nicholas Walters.

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