Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Mayweather/Pacquiao, Shawn Porter, Andre Ward’s Contract Dispute, & RIgondeaux!!

pac931 Anand G. (San Antonio, TX): Manny Pacquiao is now the mandatory challenger for Floyd Mayweather’s WBC strap. How do you see this set of negotiations going between the two camps now that there’s a governing body both men respect at the center of it?

Vivek W. (ESB): At the core of this drama between the two camps, we’ve seen it all and heard it all, but this new wrinkle marks a first! With Pacquiao being a mandatory challenger, it puts Mayweather in an odd situation. He owns the upper hand at the negotiating table, but does Pacquiao’s mandatory challenger position carry enough weight to force Mayweather into taking a deal that isn’t commensurate to what he rates at this stage of his career? No! Not at all. That said, I do think it serves as a breeding ground for new results. One thing few have considred is the fact that contrary to popular belief, Pacquiao doesn’t have an exclusive deal with HBO.

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Bernard Hopkins: “I’d Rather Have Floyd Than That Other Guy [Shumenov]”

When Bernard Hopkins suggested that he is the only fighter out there that can step inside the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and come out a winner, most boxing fans as well as journalists believed that Hopkins was simply creating waves in front of the microphones and the cameras.

The idea itself seemed not only absurd, but also fictional, like a good story to tell, fantasize about, while being fully aware that it never happened, and never will. The potentiality of this has all the wrong ingredients for Mayweather Jr., with fighters of different ages and different weights, and those that have no similarity in the winding down of their careers.

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The World Series of Boxing

WSB The World Series of Boxing (“WSB”), which is run by the International Boxing Association, is in its fourth season of bringing together some of the best up and coming amateur pugilists in the world who look to gain additional experience and skills while at the same time, earn money and still maintain their Olympic eligibility, before they begin their professional careers. More importantly, the WSB gives boxing an opportunity to develop a well-organized and highly competitive farm system that the sport desperately needs, allowing it to obtain better fighters and more entertaining matchups for its fans at the professional level.

The WSB started on November 19, 2010 and has grown to include more than 283 boxers from 41 countries, including 50 fighters who competed in the London Summer Olympics and 13 medalists from those games. The boxers compete in one of five weight classes: bantamweight, light welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight.

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50 Cent moves James Kirkland to Big Apple Boxing show Dec. 20

Boxing promoter/rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson intends to parlay the tremendous excitement from James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland’s awesome performance this past weekend into a memorable evening of entertaining boxing on Friday night, December 20 as his company, SMS Promotions, presents “Big Apple Boxing” at Resorts World Casino NYC in Jamaica, Queens, New York.

Kirkland (32-1, 28 KOs), who is the most recent boxer signed by 50 Cent’s SMS Promotions, destroyed previously unbeaten and world-rated Glen “Jersey Boy” Tapia (20-1, 12 KOs), live on HBO last Saturday night from Atlantic City (NJ). Fighting for the first time since March 24, 2012, when he defeated current International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior middleweight champion Carlos Molina, Kirkland’s SMS Promotions debut stole the entire show in an thrilling, all-out war that mercifully ended in the sixth round as referee Steve Smoger halted the action with Kirkland unloaded powerful shots on an overmatched Tapia.

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Dereck Chisora in action on February 15th

Heavyweight destroyer Dereck Chisora headlines promoter Frank Warren’s first event of 2014 when he makes the first defence of his European title on another title-packed extravaganza at London’s Copper Box Arena on Saturday 15th February.

The red-hot Finchley star, will be joined by British stars Billy Joe Saunders, who defends his British and Commonwealth Middleweight titles, former WBO World Light-Heavyweight Champion Nathan Cleverly making his cruiserweight debut and challenging for the Commonwealth title, new WBO European Super-Middleweight Champion Frank Buglioni, plus English Welterweight Champion Bradley Skeete.

All the action will be live and exclusive on The Channel of Champions BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546).

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Boxing legend Mike Tyson banned from entering UK – London book signing scrapped

U.K fight fans who were looking forward to meeting heavyweight legend Mike Tyson this week in London will be disappointed by the news that Tyson has been banned from entering the UK due to a change in UK immigration law.

According to a news story in today’s Independent newspaper, Tyson has had to scrap his planned book signing at Waterstones book store and will instead appear in Paris, France to fulfill his UK media obligations.

Tyson was to have appeared in London this week to meet with the press and then with the public for the book signing. But now plans to promote his book “Undisputed Truth” have had to be changed.

“There was a change in the UK immigration law in December of 2012 of which we were unaware,” a spokesman for HarperCollins told The Independent. “For this reason Mike has had to change location to Paris to salvage his press obligations for the UK.”

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Huge break for Joey Abell – will face undefeated Kubrat Pulev

Joey “Minnesota Ice” Abell 29(KO 28)-6(KO 4)-0 couldn’t turn it down, even if it is short notice. Joey’s break came when veteran Sherman Williams suffered an injury in training camp. Williams had to back out of his December 14th bout with Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev 18 (KO 9)-0-0. The winner has a shot to fight Wladimir Klitschko. Somebody wake Joey, this is a terrific chance.

It’s safe to say Minnesotans believe in Joey. Who knows, in this crazy sport, Joey (a southpaw) might carry off his best imitation of the late hard punching Corey Sanders. Back in 3-08-2003 the man from South Africa, who also was a big underdog, uncorked a big left on his way to stopping the then undefeated Wladimir. There’s no doubt Joey can punch, but will he move his head enough to keep from catching one himself?

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Thrill-a-minute slugger James Kirkland is BACK!

After having endured 21-months of frustration and inactivity (both at least partly brought on by himself), always-exciting southpaw slugger James Kirkland returned to doing what he does best last night in Atlantic City: giving fans of a slugfest just what they want. In brutalizing a brave and previously unbeaten Glen Tapia, Kirkland came back in a quite roaring fashion.

All over Tapia from the opening bell like the proverbial cheap suit, Kirkland gave fans a sizzling value for money performance. Kirkland threw everything at Tapia and expended a ton of energy in doing so. Tapia? he showed a ton of heart in taking all that came his way. In the end though, Kirkland, as he did in that other thriller with Alfredo Angulo, broke Tapia’s heart. Pounding his man in a corner in the 6th-round of a fight of the year candidate, Kirkland would not be denied and referee Steve Smoger had no choice but to dive in.

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Dazzling Darren Barker fails to weather the Sturm; Post Fight Video Interviews

Felix Sturm claims the IBF middleweight title with second round stoppage of Darren Barker

The UK’s Darren Barker, now (won 26 (KO 16) lost 2 [KO 2] drawn 0), was stopped by Germany’s Felix Sturm, (won 39 [KO 18], lost 3 KO 1 drawn 2), in two rounds of fast paced action that surprised both camps in Stuggart, Germany last night. The lead up for both fighters going into this fight could not have been more different, Sturm coming off two low key fights after losing to Daniel Geale, late in 2012, and Barker coming off a career best performance defeating Geale for the IBF Middleweight belt in August 2013. Both fighters surprised commentators by electing to trade from the off, Sturm getting the better of these and starting with a high tempo from the word go. In what was an entertaining first round, with both Barker and Sturm having success, it was ultimately the wrong strategy for Barker to employ against a revitalised and physically strong Sturm. Sure Barker was having success, but after two relatively heavy knockdowns, Sturm was landing the more telling blows. Barker, for some reason, neglected to utilise his upright boxing skills, dipping unusually low coming in and inviting Sturm to tee off clubbing shots – catching Barker on the top of his head.

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Sakio Bika Draws With Anthony Dirrell: Retains WBC 168 lb Strap

Super middleweight warhorse Sakio “The Scorpio” Bika, from Sydney, NSW, Australia, retained his WBC strap with a split draw against Flint, Michigan’s Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell in Brooklyn, New York, Saturday night.

In the opening televised bout from the Barclays Center, Douala, Cameroon born Bika was the much more aggressive fighter throughout the twelve rounds.

In his first defense, thirty four year old Bika, rated 8 at 168 pounds by The Ring, began the fight looking intent on a knockout, recklessly throwing wild over hand rights and was picked off by the five years younger Dirrell, who had a three and a half inch reach advantage.

But Bika never stopped pressuring and from the start did good work to the body which told late in a gruelling match up but the big moments early came from the challenger.

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