Thurman says he knows how to beat Mayweather

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.

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Will Floyd Mayweather risk a fight with one of the young guns? Thurman and Porter breaking through at 147

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?

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ESPN Thursday Night Fights: A Preview Of May 1

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.

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Freddy Lawson books June 7 date against ex-champ Randall Bailey

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.

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Keith Thurman Scores Third-Round TKO Over Julio Diaz

In the main event of the Golden Boy Promotions-promoted event at StubHub Center, Thurman (23-0, 21 KOs), of Clearwater, Fla., dropped Diaz in the second round. Diaz (40-10-1, 29 KOs), of Coachella, Calif., rebounded with a strong showing in the third but got hit with a body shot that ended the fight. Diaz, upon the suggestion of his corner between rounds, did not come out for the fourth.

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.

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Matthysse Beats Molina In Fight Of Year

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.

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Omar Figueroa Retains WBC Lightweight Title With Split Decision Over Jerry Belmontes

After losing all five of his amateur fights against Belmontes, Figueroa (23-0-1, 17 KOs), of Weslaco, Texas, got his revenge in his first world title defense, outpointing Belmontes (19-4, 5 KOs), of Corpus Christi, Texas, by the scores of 118-110, 116-112 and 113-115.

“He gave me more than trouble,’’ Figueroa said. “He wouldn’t make a fight out of it. I’m sorry to the fans. It was more of a sparring match than a fight. I prepared so much and this was the outcome.

“He almost made me cry again but of laughter saying he was going to beat me. I prepared well. I came 100 percent. I knew he was going to run. My hands are a little sore but nothing bad, nothing crazy. Now take my time off. I have been training since January. But it is up to Al Haymon.”

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Lucas Browne beats Eric Martel Bahoeli

LUCAS “BIG DADDY” BROWNE became the first Australian to win the Commonwealth heavyweight title in 122 years when he scored a fifth round knockout of Canada’s Eric Martel Bahoeli at the Ponds Forge Arena in Sheffield, England on Saturday night.

After flooring Bahoeli heavily with solid right in the second, Browne sustained a severe cut above this left eye from a head clash in the third, but still battled on to record his 20th pro victory and 18th stoppage.

If anything the laceration seemed to bring out the best in the 35-year-old from Sydney.

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Thurman beats Diaz; Matthysse stops Molina; Figueroa defeats Belmontes

Julio Diaz (40-10-1, 29 KO’s) suffered a rib injury in the 3rd round tonight against interim WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman (23-0, 21 KO’s) that caused the fight to be stopped at the end of the 3rd round a the StubHub Center in Carson, California. We didn’t learn anything from the fight other than the fact Thurman fights a lot better when he’s coming forward than he does when he’s being backed up and pressured.

It was clearly a huge mistake to make Thurman-Diaz the main event, because the fight was one-sided and not nearly as interesting to watch as the Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina bout.

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Before You Complain About Klitschko-Leapai…

Wladimir Klitschko has triumphed again in commanding fashion, an action which typically raises complaints that the long-time champ fights “bums” rather than “real” challenges.

Of course, this raises an interesting question. Who are the bums and who are the real challenges? If Klitschko avoids a challenge, then name the challenge. And be careful with your answer.

I remember little more than a two years ago when Klitcshko easily KO’d Tony Thompson in six. Critics immediately excoriated him for fighting a geriatric, rather than an unstoppable machine like David Price. Yet Thompson’s name is now mysteriously removed from the retrospective list of “bums” that Klitschko fought and – just as mysteriously – David Price is no longer a “real” challenge.

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