“Ole…ole…ole…oleeeeee!!!!! Ole…….Ole!!!!!”
Such were the chants echoed through the MGM Grand’s lobby that were heard as Marcos Maidana took the stage for his grand arrival.
Was this a soccer match or a boxing event’s fight week kickoff?
Las Vegas, NV is once again the boxing spotlight. Two and a half weeks after headlining a Welterweight showdown between the anticipated rematch of Pacquiao and Bradley, the boxing world’s attention turns to The Moment: Mayweather Vs. Maidana.
AUSSIE puncher Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne says he’d be prepared to step in against the winner of the upcoming WBC heavyweight title fight between Chris Arreola and Bermane Stiverne.
Browne enhanced his standing with the Mexico City-based sanctioning body in Sheffield, England on Saturday night by blasting out Stiverne’s countryman Eric Martel Bahoeli in five rounds and he’s eager for sterner tests.
Fights with both Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury have been mentioned for the hard-hitting Sydney man, but he’d happily push them to one side if a world title opportunity became available.
“Like every heavyweight my ultimate goal is Klitschko, but I know I’ve got a few little things I need to work on before I’ll be ready for that fight,” he said.
There is certainly more than one heavyweight title and there are enough titles to go around for all aspiring champions. There is a shortage of credible champions however and the only one who is widely perceived as ‘the champ” is Wladimir Klitschko. The heavyweight division has turned into the “Klitschko” division and the older brother Vitali has earned even higher esteem and respect than his athletically superior but mentally “younger’ brother. Klitschko’s subscription to the championship is still a long term commitment as the 36 years old champ shows steady improvement and no signs of decline.
“Doctor Steel Hammer” is a formidable physical specimen who also maintains a strict regimen and has been in great condition even when he lost. He has 3 KO losses and his detractors have a point in bringing up his downsides. He has found a way (and proper coaching) to build a style that veils his vulnerability and uses his physical advantages to build a “firewall”of frontal power that has stupefied all opposition in the last decade.
By Kevin Gleason, recordonline.com – Ron Lipton asked about the photo of the guy up on a wall at the famed Mooksie’s Gym in Newark, N.J. “That’s Hurricane Carter,” said Lipton’s trainer, who had also trained Carter.
“Why don’t you get him to come to the gym?” Lipton asked.
“Because he doesn’t like white guys,” the trainer said.
The trainer set up a meeting anyway. Lipton, a talented boxer with 145 amateur bouts, was young and fearless and crazy, apparently the perfect combination for middleweight title contender Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. “I hear you need to beat up another white guy,” Lipton said when Carter showed up, “and I’m here for the job.”
WBA interim welterweight champion Keith Thurman (23-0, 21 KO’s) may be inexperienced but he feels that he knows already how to beat WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., who he hopes to fight in 2015 if he gets his way. Thurman feels that it’s pretty simple in how to beat Mayweather. He feels his power, counter punching, and boxing ability will be the key to him getting a victory over Mayweather next year.
Like in all of his fights, Thurman says he’ll use in an out movement to get the better of Floyd. Thurman didn’t say anything about what he’d do about his slow hand speed or the fact that he can’t fight going backwards.
Today’s welterweight division is almost ridiculously talented, with the 147-pound weight class being stacked with excellent fighters. Floyd Mayweather Junior is of course the king of the hill, and any fighter from 140 to 147 (and 154-pounds also) is gunning for that life changing payday. But 154 aside, Mayweather has more than enough potential challengers at welterweight.
Over the past few months, two welterweight young guns have really broken through and impressed: Shawn Porter and Keith Thurman. Both guys are talented, fast (Thurman especially) and powerful (Porter especially). Helping make an already exciting weight class that much more exciting – with top class operators Tim Bradley, Manny Pacquiao and (expected to move up from 140 any time now) Danny Garcia also fighting at 147 – Thurman and Porter have some people thinking they are capable of testing Floyd and testing him hard. But will Mayweather, who next faces the powerful yet slow-footed Marcos Maidana, an 11-1 underdog, risk a fight with one of the young guns who are hungry for the ultimate challenge?
ESPN will broadcast a special Thursday night edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights, appropriately billed “ESPN Thursday Night Fights,” on ESPN2 May 1, 2014 from Hialeah Park Casino in Hialeah, FL.
ABOUT THE FIGHTS
In the main event of an ESPN co-feature, Texan Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia (34-3, 22 KOs) is scheduled to fight Dominican Victor “Mermelada” Cayo (32-4, 23 KOs) in a 10-round Jr. Middleweight bout.
Ghana’s Freddy Lawson has been celebrating breaking into the IBF ratings last week and has now been confirmed for his next challenge against ex-world champ Randall Bailey.
Having already won his maiden bout in the United States in dominant fashion, undefeated Ghanaian welterweight Fredrick Lawson next faces the challenge of former IBF Welterweight champion, Randall Bailey (44-8, 37 KOs) nicknamed The Knockout King.
Tickets went on sale on Friday for the fight scheduled for June 7th at the Myth in Minnesota, the same place Lawson (22-0, 20 KOs) so authoritatively defeated US based Ugandan, Mohammed Kanyogo back on March 22.
Said Thurman, “I felt the body shot (to Diaz). I felt he was going to go down. I wondered if I hadn’t landed it clean enough. He’s a tough guy. He showed up to fight. You saw what he was doing in the ring. His rib… he had eight more rounds to go so he did what he had to do.
On an exciting night when unbeaten WBA Interim Welterweight Champion Keith “One Time” Thurman retained his title with a third-round TKO over former world champion Julio “The Kidd” Diaz and undefeated Omar “Panterita” Figueroa successfully defended his WBC lightweight crown with a 12-round split decision over Jerry Belmontes, Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse stole the show with a spectacular, brutal 11th-round knockout over John Molina in the leading Fight of the Year candidate Saturday on SHOWTIME®.
The Argentine, ranked No. 1 in the world at 140 pounds, was hurt in the first and dropped in the second and fifth rounds. But the former interim WBC 140-pound world champion came back with knockdowns in the eighth, 10th and 11th to turn back a determined bid by Molina and capture the WBC Continental Americas Super Lightweight Championship.