Frampton not interested in Rigondeaux fight, prefers Santa Cruz

Following Carl Frampton’s 2nd round TKO win over Hugo Cazares (40-8-2, 27 KO’s) last Friday night in their WBC 122lb eliminator bout, Gary Hyde, the manager for WBA/WBO super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, took the opportunity to give unbeaten contender Frampton (18-0, 13 KO’s) an offer to fight for Rigondeaux’s two titles next. He even offered to bring the Cuban star over to Belfast, Northern Ireland to face Frampton in his own neck of the woods in front of his own Irish fans.

As good as that fight would be, Frampton said he’s not interested in it at the present time. He wants to fight WBC super bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz next, and he wants that fight to take place in Belfast.

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Braehmer beats Maccarinelli; Pulev defeats Perkovic

Former WBO cruiserweight champion Enzo Maccarinelli (38-7, 30 KO’s) put in a game performance in losing to WBA World light heavyweight champion Juergen Braehmer (43-2, 32 KO’s) by a 6th round TKO tonight at the Stadthalle, Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The fight was stopped due to swelling to Maccarinelli’s right eye after the 5th round. Maccarinelli’e eye had swelled up completely to where he couldn’t see out of it after the 1st round.

Maccarinelli complained that he couldn’t see out of it following the 2nd. But surprisingly, Maccarinelly fought well in the 4th and 5th rounds, and he landed some really nice shots to control both of those rounds. Braehmer was doing a lot of holding in between landing his punches, and just waiting until the fight was halted. Braehmer didn’t have the power to stand in and trade with Maccarinelli once he started swinging for the fences in the 4th, so he played it safe with constant clinching.

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Maccarinelli: I got the punch to KO Braehmer

Former WBO cruiserweight champion Enzo Maccarinelli (38-6, 30 KO’s) is counting on his power advantage to bail him out tonight in his title challenge against new WBA World light heavyweight champion Juergen Braehmer (42-2, 31 KO’s) at the Stadthalle, Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

Maccarinelli, 33, has certainly picked out the perfect champion for him to beat, as Braehmer is considered a paper champion by a lot of fans, and someone who has got through an entire career without really facing anyone good. It’s been a career of careful match-making that has gotten Braehmer to this point, and it’s quite possible he could lose if Maccarinelli can land his big power shots.

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Roach thinks a Khan vs. Pacquiao fight is possible

Trainer Freddie Roach doesn’t see a Top Rank – Golden Boy Promotions issue as getting in the way of a potential huge money matchup between Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan in the near future. Roach, who previously trained Khan, says he makes his own decisions about his career, and he thinks that a fight between him and Pacquiao is a definite possibility. Of course, none of this will mean anything if Pacquiao doesn’t win his next fight against WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley on April 12th, and if Khan doesn’t beat Luis Collazo in their fight on May 3rd.

“Khan’s responsible for his own actions,” Roach said to the Telegraph. “Never say never. I’m not so sure it would be in England, even though Manny loves the place. He would want a truck load of money to fight there. It would most likely be in the U.S, if it ever happened.”

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Results from Cunningham-Mansour at Liacouras Center

Photos by Rich Graessle and Larry Levanti/Main Events — hiladelphia, PA: Steve “USS” Cunningham (27-6, 12 KOs)* took down the undefeated powerhouse Amir “Hardcore” Mansour (20-1, 15 KOs) via unanimous decision at the Liacouras Center. In the all-Philly main event, Philadelphia-raised Cunningham and Philadelphia-trained Mansour brawled for ten rounds of heart-stopping action that had the entire crowd at the Liacouras Center on their feet and screaming for more. These two warriors just kept coming at each other for ten straight rounds. By the end they were both bleeding and and battle-worn.

Mansour was relentless from the first bell. He kept coming at Steve with huge looping hooks. Cunningham began bleeding in the second round. Then Cunningham cut Mansour over the same eye in the third.

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Shaw: Tureano Johnson robbed in Curtis Stevens bout – Shaw demands immediate rematch

photo by Tom Casino – Tonight at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA, Gary Shaw Productions middleweight contender Tureano Johnson (14-1, 10 KOs), was robbed of his opportunity to continue fighting with Curtis Stevens (27-4, 20 KOs) when referee Gary Rosato prematurely stopped the bout at the 2:09 mark of the tenth and final round.

Johnson, who controlled the action early on, got off to a great start and mounted a considerable lead against Stevens’s midway through the bout. As the fight entered the final rounds, Johnson continued to stand his ground and win rounds as both fighters were going toe to toe. Entering the tenth and final round, Stevens, who was clearly down on the scorecards, landed a nice left hook that slowed Johnson down, and the referee halted the bout prematurely. Tureano Johnson was clearly ahead on the scorecards and had plenty of life left to finish the bout before the referee stopped the action. When the bout was stopped, boos from the crowed were heard throughout the arena, validating a premature stoppage.

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Cunningham decisions Mansour; Stevens stops Johnson

Photo: Rich Graessle/Main Events — The more experienced Steve Cunningham (27-6, 12 KO’s) survived two fifth round knockdowns to go on and beat USBA heavyweight champion Amir Mansour (20-1, 15 KO’s) by a 10 round unanimous decision tonight to win by the scores 97-90, 95-92, 95-92 at the Liacouras Center, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Cunningham put Mansour down on the canvas in the 10th and final round with a right hand after getting him off balance from a series of rights to the head. Mansour’s left eye was almost closed at the time from the heavy shots he’d absorbed from Cunningham.

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Frampton stops Cazares in 2nd

An unusually timid-looking 35-year-old Hugo Fidel Cazares (40-8-2, 27 KO’s) was blasted out in just two round tonight by a much younger 27-year-old Carl Frampton (18-0, 13 KO’s) in a World Boxing Council 122lb title eliminator at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The fight ended suddenly when Frampton hit Cazares with a solid left hook that sent him staggering to one knee.

Cazares then lost track of the count and failed to get up after the referee counted him out. Instead of watching the referee while he was counting, Cazares took his eyes off of him and was grinning at his corner like he was okay. Immediately after the referee Victor Loughlin stopped the fight at 1:38 of the 2nd round, Cazares rose to his feet in disbelief and began to protest, as if he wanted to continue.

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Porter, Malignaggi, Quillin and Konecny interview transcript

Kelly Swanson

Today we have a great conference call to discuss an unbelievable undercard that will be on the “Hopkins vs. Shumenov” fight card at the D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, April 19. I’m looking forward to seeing all of these fights. We’re going to start with Lukas and Pete, and then we will move into Shawn and Paulie immediately upon the completion of these two fighters. So, to make the introductions is Bruce Binkow, the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of Golden Boy Promotions. He is joining us to introduce the fighters and talk a little bit more about the fights.

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Monte Barrett hangs ’em up – wishing “Two Gunz” a happy retirement

Heavyweight warrior Monte Barrett was stopped in the 4th-round by unbeaten Cuban Luis Ortiz last night, and after having once again taken a fight knowing he had with him the disadvantages that come when entering the ring having had precious little time to get ready, Barrett announced his retirement after the bout.

Now 42, “Two Gunz,” as Barrett was known throughout his up and down but always exciting career, took to social media to make his exit official.

A genuine warrior and also a genuine good guy in a sport that is often short of fighters possessing the Queen’s man’s sheer class, Barrett always fought the best while attempting to give the same.

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