Sturm-Stieglitz winner faces Abraham

Next month’s clash between former two time World Boxing Organization super middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz (47-4, 27 KOs) and former IBF/WBA middleweight title holder Felix Sturm (39-4-2, 18 KOs) on November 8th will determine which of these two fighters will be getting a world title shot against WBO super middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (41-4, 28 KOs) in 2015.

Abraham will likely be fighting a needless rematch against British fighter Paul Smith next to clear up the controversy surrounding their fight last September in Germany. Abraham won that fight by a 12 round unanimous decision, but Smith and many of his boxing fans felt that he’d done enough to deserve a win or a draw. Having seen the same fight, I don’t think Smith did nearly enough to get a win in that fight.

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Pacquiao’s sparring partner doesn’t expect Algieri to be a tough fight

Sparring partner Stan Martyniouk doesn’t think World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) will have too many problems in his fight next month against unbeaten Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) on November 22nd at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort, Macao, in Macao S.A.R., China.

Martyniouk, one of four sparring partners that Pacquiao will be using to get ready for the 5’10” Algieri, thinks that Algieri will have a tough time with the speed and power of Pacquiao next month. Martyniouk says that he learned a lot from the sparring session with Pacquiao.

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David Price: I’ll be looking to take Anthony Joshua’s head off from the shoulders

Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn is interested in matching former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion David Price (18-2, 15 KOs) against his unbeaten heavyweight Anthony Joshua (9-0, 9 KOs) next year in a fight that he believes the British boxing public will be interested in seeing. Judging by the boos from the British fans last Saturday night when Hearn floated that idea to them, it might not be a fight that the fans want to see.

Price was at ringside for Joshua’s 2nd round demolition of 34-year-old Russian journeyman Denis Bakhtov (38-10, 25 KOs) last night at the O2 Arena in London, UK. Price said that if he’s the guy that ends up facing the 6’6” Joshua next year, he’ll be looking to take his head off.

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Rubio will beat Golovkin by fighting smart, says Robert Garcia

WBC interim middleweight champion Marco Antonio Rubio (59-6-1, 51 KOs) is a big boxing underdog for his fight next Saturday night against WBA Super World Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (30-0, 27 KOs) on HBO from the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Rubio’s trainer Robert Garcia says he’s watched enough of the 32-year-old Golovkin’s past fights to know that he’s got flaws that Rubio can exploit on Saturday night.

Garcia says Golovkin can be hit due to his come forward style of fighting, and that’s something that the hard hitting Rubio can take advantage of with his power.

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Mayweather: If Canelo-Cotto think they can compete [for my dates], then let’s see

WBA/WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr (47-0, 26 KOs) is welcoming World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion Miguel Cotto and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to try and fight on the same dates as him in 2015 in May and September.

Mayweather feels that his pay-per-view numbers are better than those two fighters, and he believes he’s the guy that boxing fans will want to see if they have a choice to pick between which pay-per-view event to see if they’re competing on different networks.

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Bradley-Chaves undercard on 12/13: Andy Lee vs. Matt Korobov & Mauricio Herrera vs. Jose Benavidez Jr.

Top Rank is packaging the December 13th HBO Tim Bradley (31-1, 12 KOs) vs. Diego Chaves (23-2, 19 KOs) with some really interesting boxing action on the undercard as part of this triple-header card. The word is unbeaten #1 WBO Matt Korobov (24-0, 14 KOs) will be facing #3 WBO Andy Lee (33-2, 23 KOs).

Also, interim WBA World light welterweight champion Mauricio Herrera (21-4, 7 KOs) will be facing unbeaten Top Rank promoted Jose Benavidez Jr. (21-0, 15 KOs). This will be a big step up in class for the 22-year-old Benavidez Jr, because he’s still facing weak opposition at this point in his career.

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Joshua obliterates Bakhtov; Selby defeats Brunker

2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist Anthony Joshua (9-0, 9 KOs) took care of business on Saturday night in dismantling a shorter, older and far slower Denis Bakhtov (38-10, 25 KOs) in scoring a 2nd round stoppage to win the World Boxing Council International heavyweight title at the O2 Arena in London, UK. The win sets the soon to be 25-year-old Joshua up with a fight against Michael Sprott on November 22nd on the Bellew-Cleverly 2 card in Liverpool, UK.

Joshua, 6’6”, hurt the 5’11” Bakhtov with a right hand in the 2nd round. Bakhtov was against the ropes at the time and pretty much helpless with nowhere to go. Joshua then opened up with a storm of shots to the head resulting in the referee Ian John-Lewis separating the two fighters for some reason.

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Boxing Goes High-Tech with GoPro

Paul “Paparazzi” Jones & Justin Jones | Photo © Paul “Paparazzi” Jones — Top Rank’s October 4th fight card at the Bally’s Event Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey featured Glen Tapia’s (22-1, 14 KOs) demolition of Donatas Bondorovas (18-6-1, 6 KOs). However, a small gadget featured on the undercard could change the way we experience the sport. Indeed, it appears that professional boxing is flirting with GoPro technology.

GoPro, Inc., the electronics corporation based in San Mateo, California, is among the vanguard in producing high-quality photo and video capture devices. The brainchild of billionaire, Nick Woodman, the GoPro has recorded everything from hiking to extreme sports and it has become a permanent fixture in ESPN’s X Games.

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Interview with Trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards

Eastside recently caught up with boxing aficionado and trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards. “Breadman,” as he is known throughout boxing circles, gave Eastside Boxing an exclusive on his moniker, how he got into the fight scene, and shares information about his current pupil, hot rising prospect Julian “JRock” Williams.

ESB: Stephen Edwards aka “Breadman,” you’ve been in the fight scene for quite some time now. Tell the fans what got you into the fight game and what it is you do.

Bread: I have always been just a boxing guy. I boxed recreationally after suffering a knee injury while attending high school. In high school, I was primarily a basketball player.

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Berry vs. Palmer this Saturday in Maine

Boxing is making a comeback in Maine as undefeated Brandon “The Cannon” Berry, (7-0, 5KOs) takes on tough challenger, Eric Palmer (4-3-3, 1KO), in the main event at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine this Saturday, October 11th. This will be the first bout in Lewiston in over ten years and the first fight in this venue in over twenty years, which was made famous when Muhammad Ali beat Sonny Liston in their rematch bout for the World Heavyweight Belt in May 1965.

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