Maidana rudely shoves Mayweather during stare down

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Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs) lost his cool on Tuesday during a stare down with WBA/WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr (46-0, 26 KOs) by twice shoving him hard when the two of them came face to face during their press event for Mayhem on PPV at six flags Fiesta Texas.

Mayweather seemed genuinely shocked at being shoved by Maidana, and then gave him an even bigger shove that drove Maidana clear across the stage. Maidana came back and shoved Mayweather a final time as if to even the score. While some people will no doubt this this was a staged event, it didn’t look that way to me.

Mayweather looked angry that Maidana chose to bully him on stage by shoving him hard when he was just trying to do a simple stare down with the Argentinian fighter. For whatever reason Maidana didn’t look like he wanted any part of Mayweather crowding him.

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Pacquiao vs Algieri on HBO PPV on November 22nd

Pacquiao vs Algieri on HBO PPV on November 22nd

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is rolling the dice by matching Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KO’s) against little known college-educated Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) on November 22nd on HBO pay-per-view from the Venetian Casino & Resort, Macao, Macao S.A.R., China. Arum ironed out the deal on Tuesday with Algieri’s promoters Joe DeGuardia and Artie Pellulo, and he says it was an easy fight for him to make in terms of negotiations.

Arum sees the storyline for this fight being an interesting one given that Algieri has a Master’s degree and plans on attending medical school in the near future once his boxing career is over.

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Algieri beating Provodnikov, provides Pacquiao with a phenomenal deal!

Algieri beating Provodnikov, provides Pacquiao with a phenomenal deal!

For weeks before Ruslan Provodnikov and Chris Algieri stepped inside the ring to face each other, the boxing community was already handing Ruslan the victory, promoting the possibility of him fighting Manny Pacquiao next.

Aside from Freddie Roach being a minor yet easily ignored roadblock, this fight was building momentum. Pacquiao needed a good performance against a top name, which at the time, Provodnikov was. Losing to Bradley did not harm Ruslan’s career, while beating Alvarado advanced it. Boxing fans were excited to see just how far Provodnikov would go in 2014, and many voiced their approval for Pacquiao vs. Provodnikov.

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The “MAYHEM” Rolls On: Mayweather vs. Maidana 2 Chicago Press Conference Quotes

The "MAYHEM" Rolls On: Mayweather vs. Maidana 2 Chicago Press Conference Quotes

(Photo credit: Amanda Kwok/SHOWTIME®) CHICAGO (July 15, 2014) – The “MAYHEM” that is the Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana cross-country promotional press tour took center stage in Chicago on Tuesday as both fighters resorted to creative tactics to get under their opponent’s skin as they announce their Sept. 13 rematch taking place at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME PPV®.

Eleven-time world champion Mayweather refused to sit down as Maidana and his trainer, Robert Garcia, took their turn at the podium. Instead, he signed autographs for fans, taunted Garcia and chanted his signature line: “Hard work, dedication.”

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Deontay Wilder not a threat to Stiverne; Champ plans to teach ‘little kid’ a lesson

Deontay Wilder not a threat to Stiverne; Champ plans to teach 'little kid' a lesson

LAS VEGAS (July 15, 2014) – Long before World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champion Bermane “B. Ware” Stiverne (24-1, 21 KOs) knocked out Chris Arreola (35-4) this past May to claim the coveted title belt vacated by retired Vitali Klitschko, Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (31-0, 31 KOs) started talking smack about Stiverne and he hasn’t let up as the impending showdown approaches later this year.

Wilder is the mandatory, No. 1 challenger for Stiverne’s first defense. If the relatively untested fighter from Alabama believes his incessant trash talk, juvenile antics and bizarre behavior is getting to Stiverne, he has another thing coming when they step intoi the ring. In fact, Stiverne admits he’s been amused.

“He’s not going to get under my skin,” Stiverne said. “I think he’s funny. Maybe he should think about doing a comedy act after I beat him? Friends have sent me stuff he’s said and done. It’s funny. He’s like a little kid who needs attention, so he keeps opening his mouth. His trash talking doesn’t bother me at all. I saw some people who brought up what he’s said. What am I supposed to do, hand my title to him? I guess he wants to entertain his fans. If he thinks his tricks are going to bother me, he’s going to be in big trouble.”

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Mayweather v Maidana NYC Press Conference Quotes

Mayweather v Maidana NYC Press Conference Quotes

NEW YORK (July 14, 2014) – Eleven-time world champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather and former welterweight titlist Marcos “El Chino” Maidana held an announcement press conference in Times Square on Monday to formally announce their highly anticipated rematch taking place Saturday, Sept. 13 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME PPV®.

Monday’s press conference kicked off a five-city, open-to-the-public promotional tour that will see the fighters visit the boxing hotbeds of Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Antonio and Los Angeles.

“I don’t need to change my style. The guy who got the loss needs to change his style,” said Mayweather.

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Erislandy Lara: “There is no way I lost to Canelo”

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After landing more punches and connecting with a higher percentage, Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (19-2-2, 12 KOs) feels he was robbed in his fight with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KOs) that took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this past weekend.

Fact, Lara landed 107 total punches to Alvarez’s 97 and had a higher connect percentage (28% Lara – 23% Alvarez). The body shots that Alvarez landed were grazing shots that Lara blocked with his elbows, and most of them came in the round he got cut.

Erislandy sounds off on why he feels he won the fight and deserves an immediate rematch.

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Saul Alvarez vs Erislandy Lara – a politically correct split decision could be a fancy phrase for “plunder”

Saul Alvarez vs Erislandy Lara - a politically correct split decision could be a fancy phrase for "plunder”

A figure like Saul Alvarez is good for boxing because it unifies the most loyal and numerous fan base in boxing today. Mexican fans are a dream; they are faithful to their dear, hostile to the opposition and willing to spend their hard earned money on their favorite boxer. The industry depends on them as the greatest marketing force and the „macho” element in their culture makes them the perfect target group for boxing entertainment.

There has been no shortage of Mexican talent in the lighter divisions but boxing has seen better days. Canelo is what the fans depend on today and he could only hope he lives up to their expectations. Some day he might but he didn’t against Erislandy Lara. Alvarez was thoroughly outclassed by the Cuban ex-amateur standout and he should have lost that fight by at least a 6 point margin.

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Canelo vs Lara: Post Fight Press Conference

Only minutes after thrilling a sellout crowd of 14.239 raucous fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Erislandy Lara and Saul Alvarez came to the media room to answer questions from the press and reflect on their highly competitive bout. Team Canelo showed up first, as Lara was getting his eye stitched up in the dressing room. Alvarez donned dark sunglasses to conceal the swelling around his own eyes, courtesy of the straight lefts Lara connected with throughout their fight.

“We knew it was going to be that type of fight (chasing Lara around the ring), I was going to be pressing him”, said Canelo. “But I didn’t think it was going to be that long of a marathon”. When asked about whether his corner ever told him he was behind at any point in the fight, he replied, “No they never told me that. They kept telling me to keep the pressure. I felt that I won, I pressured, I made the fight, I ran to him, I landed the combinations.”

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Canelo vs Lara – The Fight, The Score Cards, The Aftermath!!!

Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Canelo vs Lara - The Fight, The Score Cards, The Aftermath!!!

Casey H. (Los Angeles, CA): I saw your Facebook post about the score cards and don’t necessarily agree, but I can respect that there’s a lot of depth to your points. Can you elaborate on how you scored the fight the way you did and why?

Vivek W. (ESB): I think the easiest way to address this question is to point out the fact that fans must realize one simple truth: The way we judge fights as fans is NOT the criteria in which judges are asked to judge fights professionally. If it were that easy, there would be no basic and/or extended requirements to do so. When we judge fights on a fan level, we look for guys landing, giving and taking, and basically the typical stuff. A judges job is far more in-depth and it requires a totally different mental approach, as there are three major things they have to account for, wherein the typical everyday fan is only looking for one (who’s getting hit the most).

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