It was just last week that Freddie Roach was quoted saying that he would not participate or help in any way if Manny Pacquiao and Ruslan Provodnikov ended up facing each other. Roach suggested that in such an event, he would watch the fight on TV from home.
Caparello Challenges Kovalev for WBO Title 8/2 at Revel in Atlantic City
Atlantic City, NJ: Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (24-0-1, 22 KOs), the undefeated Russian Wrecking Ball, returns to HBO Boxing After Dark and Atlantic City on August 2nd to defend his WBO Light Heavyweight World Title against undefeated Blake “Il Capo” Caparello (19-0-1, 6 KOs) at Revel Casino Hotel.
Kovalev, 31, originally from Chelyabinsk, Russia and now residing in Fort Lauderdale, FL, will defend his WBO title for the third time since taking it by force from Nathan Cleverly in a four round TKO victory in Cleverly’s hometown of Cardiff, Wales on August 17, 2013. Renowned for his ability to knockout anyone who dares to step in the ring with him, Krusher has an astonishing 91% knockout-to-win ratio. This will be his fourth fight on HBO and his second in Atlantic City.
Mike “Yes Indeed” Reed Eyes National Spotlight on Saturday’s Top Rank Card — Glen Tapia, Russell Jr., More!
By Paul “Paparazzi“ Jones & Justin Jones – Capitol Heights, MD – This Saturday, Junior Middleweight Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia(20-1, 12 KOs) headlines a Top Rank card against Keenan Collins (15-8-3, 10 KOs) at Bally’s in Atlantic City (NJ). Tapia is determined to rebound with an impressive showing after being stopped by James Kirkland (32-1, 28 KOs) last December in a fight of the year candidate. While the stakes are high for Tapia, perhaps no one on the fight card has more to gain than unbeaten Junior Welterweight prospect Mike “Yes Indeed” Reed (9-0, 6 KOs).
Reed, 21, who fights out of Waldorf, MD, will be facing the hard-charging Nicaraguan Alberto Morales (11-3-1, 1 NC, 8 KOs) in a 6-round undercard bout. The contest marks one of the rare occasions that Reed will fight outside the confines of the Rosecroft Raceway (Fort Washington, MD).
Provodnikov vs. Algieri: The Siberian Freight Train makes a stop in Brooklyn
2013 was a tremendous year for boxing and rise of Ruslan Provodnikov was well documented in the media with the most notable example being HBO’s 2 days. If scripted, his real life Rocky story would be hard to believe a few years ago when Ruslan was a crude one-dimensional fighter vying to become a contender at 140.
Teaming up with world renowned trainer Freddie Roach, has helped Ruslan sharpen his strengths offensively becoming a force to be reckon with for anybody at the junior welterweight division.
After losing a closely fought dual to Mauricio Herrera, Ruslan managed to string together five straight wins in a row setting up an opportunity of a lifetime. Timothy Bradley was put through hell in his FOTY war with Provodnikov. When the smoke cleared it didn’t really matter to the fans how judges had it scored.
Yuriorkis Gamboa workout quotes
photos by Rey Sanchez — Hosted by his promoter Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, undefeated multiple world champion Yuriorkis “The Cyclone of Guantanamo” Gamboa (23-0, 16 KOs) held an open media workout today at Iron Mike Promotions Gym to promote Gamboa’s June 28 world title fight against World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight championTerence Crawford (23-0, 16 KOs).
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with SMS Promotions, PS4 and Tecate, Crawford vs. Gamboa will be the 12-round main event, airing live on HBO Boxing After Dark, starting at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, from Century Link Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
Boxing & Broken Promises
A great performance is like a promise; a promise from the boxer to the fans stating in … continue
Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara talk ring names ahead of their July 12 Showtime PPV® showdown
LAS VEGAS (June 11, 2014) – It is a tradition as old as the sweet science itself – fighters from minimumweight to heavyweight express themselves with their very own unique ring name. Anything goes as everything from Sugars to Executioners have made their way into the squared circle throughout boxing’s storied history, and Saturday, July 12 is no exception.
The main event of the SHOWTIME PPV showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara will face off not only for junior middleweight supremacy, but honor and glory at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
SAUL “CANELO” ALVAREZ
“My nickname was given to me by my trainer Jose ‘Chepo’ Reynoso when I first started training at Reynoso’s Gym because of my red hair. First called me “Canelito” [Little Cinnamon] because I was still very young, around 12- or 13-years-old. As I grew older, it changed to ‘Canelo.’
Miguel Cotto gifts boxing fans a thrilling future
Sometimes boxing hands its fans surprises, outcomes that open doors to more exhilarating fights, and this is something that every boxing fan can appreciate and treasure. There are too many people out there, claiming that boxing is a lost sport, bringing less entertainment and claiming a miniscule number of new fans. While sometimes even I start believing such rumors, its fights like Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez that change my mind, bringing my thought back to where they belong: appreciating the sport and seeing it flourish.
Weeks leading up to the fight, it was clear that the majority of boxing community expected Sergio Martinez to win the fight. Why? Some claimed that he was simply a fresher fighter, with better footwork and ring generalship. Truth be told, I was one of those people. Rummaging through various forums, I found that loads of boxing fans wholeheartedly believed that Cotto was simply too old and had been through too many wars. Some suggested that he was now devoting too much time to the business aspect of his career, and that maybe it would be wise for Miguel to hang up the gloves and dive into his promotional endeavors.
Sergio Martinez Ought to Hang It Up
It’s not much of a surprise Miquel Cotto was victorious over Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez. After all, the experts openly expressed their concerns over Martinez’ fourteen month absence from the ring. They were concerned about Sergio’s troublesome knee and shoulder injuries, plus a broken hand? His body seemed to be breaking down. Despite Sergio’s assurances, many experts doubted whether he could come back and regain his previously superb condition and superior abilities?
We now know they were right. However, even Cotto and Freddie Roach had to have been surprised by how easy it was for Cotto to get Sergio on queer street. For pete’s sake, Sergio was wobbled with Cotto’s first left hook! It was baffling? What a predicament Sergio was in! The opening bell had barely stopped ringing! This lineal world middleweight champion from Argentina had never been in such a dilemma.
Miguel Cotto: Leverage
Congratulations to Miguel Cotto the Lineal middleweight champion. Not too long ago Cotto turned down a cool $10M guarantee from Canelo Alvarez to instead fight Sergio Martinez then recognized as THE middleweight champion. Why Cotto turned down this offer was a calculated risk on the former 154lb champions part. Having previously lost to Mayweather and then losing again to Austin Trout in an upset, there was no way that Cotto would carry his skills and power up to 160lbs and beat Martinez, or could he?
Why then would Cotto embark on an endeavor that many even the odds makers saw as a ‘fool’s errand’? Cotto always saw himself as the A-side but against some of the elite fighters always came up short. Against Canelo, Cotto would’ve been the B-side, even with $10M in his pocket, and Alvarez would’ve made twice that. So what other’s saw as ‘fools gold’, Miguel Cotto and more importantly Freddie Roach saw as the ‘pot of gold’ and the end of the rainbow. Stepping up and beating the lineal middleweight champion would propel Miguel Cotto to the highest heights of his 14 year career and return him to the A-side status he always believed himself to be.