Paquiao vs Bradley II – Who Learned More from the 1st Bout?

Rematches can be momentous or insignificant. The Zale vs Graziano II, Raging Bull vs Sugar Ray (all), or on the other hand the Brown Bomber vs. Conn II, or Marciano vs Jersey Joe II. You just never know. When it comes to Pacquiao vs Bradley II, it would seem fans will be treated to an exciting bout. Bradley is young, and Pacquiao recently demonstrated he can still box pretty well, and both have desire and determination to reach new heights, so it should be a good one.

Andre Ward, who is friends with Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley offered his opinion that Bradley will win because he wants it more. The only thing wrong with that is Andre doesn’t know how badly Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao wants it.

continue

Dereck Chisora faces Kevin Johnson at the Copper Box Arena on Feb. 15th

When British heavyweight titans Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury clash this summer in a blockbuster rematch it could be an eliminator for the WBO World title promoter Frank Warren said today.

The public will get to see both big men in action on Saturday 15th February when they both feature at the Copper Box Arena, Chisora headlines with a WBO and WBA International title defence against tough American Kevin Johnson – who replaces injured Andriy Rudenko – while Fury is chief support in a ten-rounder against experienced Argentine Gonzalo Omar Basile, live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546).

Chisora has a score to settle with Fury who beat him back in July 2011 taking the Londoner’s British and Commonwealth belts plus his unbeaten record.

continue

Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Peterson vs Danny Garcia, Bradley, Broner, Mikey Garcia, and Charlo!

Karen B. (Baltimore, MD): As a huge Lamont Peterson fan, I was very happy to see him win last Saturday night. What were your thoughts on his performance, and how do you see a proposed bout between he and Danny Garcia going if they do face off next?

Vivek W. (ESB): Coming into the night, I wanted to really get a feel for where Peterson was mentally, at this stage in his life. We’ve seen Peterson at the top of the ranks, and we’ve seen him look far less threatening. The past has taught us that Peterson can be whatever Peterson wants to be when his mind is right. Some would raise the failed steroid test. My response would be that it’s a non-factor. The lead official for the medical staff produced proof that he was being treated for a condition and the traces found were low enough to pass any other drug test in the sport except the overly stringent “zero policy” VADA based testing. Couple that with the fact that he was cleared by the IBF, and certainly you have to view it as a non-issue. What we saw Saturday was a man with a clean system, and after that performance, one could argue a clean slate and a bright future.

continue

Mikey Garcia Lacks Charisma

Miguel Angel “Mikey” Garcia 34-0-0 (KO 28) once again displayed excellent skills Saturday at MSG Theater when he dominated Juan Carlos Burgos 30-1-2 (KO 20) over twelve rounds to capture the WBO super featherweight. Burgos shook up Mikey once with a short left hook, causing Mikey’s legs to buckle, but he quickly regained control. Mikey was surprised more than he was hurt. Later he returned the favor by nailing Burgos with a hard shot. It affected Burgos enough to cause him take a more defensively minded mode, making it difficult for Mikey to catch up to him. As a result, the fight became much less exciting, causing fans to boo here and there.

Burgos wanted to use his height and reach advantage by staying out of Mikey’s range. Mikey tried to close in, but couldn’t land the clean combinations he needed to put Burgos away.

continue

Adrien Broner interview

Below are excerpts from Adrien Broner’s interview with Brian Kenny:

Regarding his first loss last December to Marcos Maidana…

“That’s not the first time I took defeat. It might not be the last time. But God has got something in store for me. I am set for a major comeback.

“Maidana did what he was supposed to do. He threw big shots. I was in a hell of a fight. It comes with the territory. That’s boxing. Sometimes you don’t get hit, but sometimes you do. It’s not about that. It’s about how you get up. And I got up and fought to the last.”

continue

Lamont Peterson defeats Dierry Jean in Front of Home Crowd

(Photo credit: Tom Casino/Showtime) By Justin Jones & Paul “Paparazzi” Jones: Washington, DC — There was no better way to describe Lamont Peterson’s performance last night at the DC Armory against challenger Dierry Jean other than “locked in.”

Peterson (32-2-1, 16 KOs), the reigning IBF Jr. Welterweight Champ, looked like a starved beast ready to attack as he stalked Jean (25-1, 17 KOs) from the second round on. The DC native landed thudding shots to the body, head turning left hooks, and stinging right hands en route to a unanimous decision victory in Showtime Championship Boxing’s main event (official scores were: 118-111, 116-112, and 115-113).

Although Peterson bested Jean in most of their exchanges and was the clear aggressor, Jean didn’t back down or go away easily. Indeed, Jean landed a good number of power shots of his own, and showed a sturdy chin. It was apparent, however, that Jean is not among the elite at 140 pounds.

continue

Bryant Jennings Victorious in HBO Debut with TKO Victory Over Artur Szpilka

(Photo by Rob Epstein – Gary Shaw Productions) NEW YORK (January 25, 2014) – Tonight Gary Shaw Productions and Antonio Leonard Promotions Bryant “By-By” Jennings (18-0, 10 KOs) remained undefeated in his HBO debut with a 10-round TKO victory over Poland’s Artur Szpilka (16-1, 12 KOs).

From the opening round Jennings controlled the action with his superior boxing skills and eventually landed a body shot in round six to take a convincing lead in the fight. As the fight moved on, Jennings kept the pressure on Szpilka and ultimately closed the show with a combination that sent the Polish fighter to the canvas in the final round. The referee seen enough and the bout was halted at the 2:20 mark of round ten.

continue

Lamont Peterson Dazzles in Front of Hometown Crowd

(Photo credit: Tom Casin/Showtime) WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 26, 2014) – Lamont Peterson dazzled in front of his hometown crowd on Saturday night scoring a unanimous decision victory over Dierry Jean to retain his IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship from the DC Armory in Washington, D.C., live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.

In the co-main event, 23-year-old top junior middleweight prospect Jermell Charlo remained undefeated in a unanimous decision victory over gutsy veteran Gabriel Rosado. The telecast will replay Sunday, Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME and Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME.

continue

Garcia decisions Burgos; Jennings defeats Szpilka

WBO super featherweight champion Mikey Garcia (34-0, 28 KO’s) failed to impress on Saturday night in defeating Juan Carlos Burgos (30-2-2, 20 KO’s) by a 12 round unanimous decision at the Madison Square Garden Theater, in New York, New York, USA. The judges had the fight scored at 118-110, 118-110, 119-109. Burgos hurt Mikey in the 2nd round with a left, and if he had a little more power and time left in the round, he might have finished Mikey off.

Burgos failed to go after Mikey when he had him hurt, and in the 3rd round he ended up getting hurt himself after taking a hard shot.

Mikey looked really uncomfortable with the size, and power of Burgos. When Mikey would come after Burgos, he’d get hit with a left hook and that would cause Mikey to freeze and then back up, as if he were being reeled in on a fishing line. It was not impressive stuff to see Mikey unable to walk though Burgos’ shots.

continue

Huck stops Arslan; Price With KO

Marco Huck successfully defended his WBO Cruiserweight championship for the twelfth time Stuttgart, Germany in front of a raucous crowd. The fight was a rematch of their November 2012 fight which ended in a very controversial unanimous decision that went Huck’s way despite Firat Arslan dominating the fight and beating Huck clearly. Arslan drove Huck to the ropes and attacked constantly in every round and Huck could not keep him away and his heavy hands could not hurt Arslan. Going into the rematch Huck was forced to make the adjustments in there as Arslan was going to and did storm forward the whole fight. For Arslan the questions surrounded his age and if he could do it again and if he did would the judges give him a decision. Early on it was clear that Arslan had the crowd on its side and it was also clear that this was going to be a good fight.

continue