Oleksandr Usyk, an Olympic gold medalist, will make a pro debut on Nov.9

IMG_9561A recent press release about the pro debut of Oleksandr Usyk (not Alexander) on Nov. 9 finally alerted some journalists that the cruiserweight Olympic champion had actually turned pro. He did that right after Vasyl Lomachenko singed with Top Rank. The two are team mates and close friends and they traveled to the US together to seek a deal with a premiere promotional company. Both are Olympic champions from the Ukraine and very competent boxers whose styles would need only minor tactical adjustments for them to cross over to the paid ranks. Conditioning should not be a problem for people who run the marathon distance as a part of their road work.

Lomachenko was in high demand and he put up an auction of sorts demanding a championship fight in his debut along with the financial terms. Apparently Top Rank beat the rest to the chase and attracted the diamond in the rough to their stable. A debut for a title was a pipe dream but the rest of the requirements may have been met.

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Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. : “The Way Things Are Going….”

chavez766According to promotional giants Top Rank, ticket sales for the ring return of the son of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico’s favorite son have been highly successful and a raucous crowd is to be expected on Saturday night. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. is now back from his one year hiatus, only now the former WBC middleweight champion is no longer a middleweight. As is such, Chavez’s opponent, Austin, Texas native Brian Vera is now in the middle of a wait himself. Weight, poundage and mass are among the choicest words to accurately describe the grappling of the girth that Chavez, Jr. has so famously as well as publically battled.

To be fair, many of us aren’t as slim and trim as we’d prefer, yet even more of us are not handsomely paid professional athletes. The contracted weight for this Saturday’s bout in Carson, California was originally contracted at 168 pounds, yet rumblings emerged that the mark had been raised up another five pounds to 173.

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Julio César Chávez Jr. Conf Call Transcript

Former World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion and Son of the Legend JULIO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ JR., (46-1-1, 32 KOs), of Culiacán, México, makes his 2013 debut in his first fight in the Los Angeles area in over two years. He will go mano a mano against No. 1 contender BRYAN VERA 23-6, 14 KOs), of Austin, TX, who is riding a 16-month, four-bout winning streak, This Saturday! September 28, under the stars, at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. Chávez vs. Vera will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.

BOB ARUM: It’s nice to be on this call and it will be good to see Julio César Chávez Jr. get back into the ring after an absence of a little over a year. Julio has a great fan base and everyone is anxious to see him perform at the StubHub Center on Saturday. We have a full card o nine bouts with some great prospects including Óscar Valdez, Jose Ramírez and Diego Magdaleno. It should be a really fun night. Now we can hear from Fernando Beltran on his feelings about the event.

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Undefeated Cruiserweight Quantis Graves Speaks Out On Career, Deontay Wilder, and More

How are you doing today Quantis?

I’m doing just fine. How are you?

Good, thanks. Let’s start at the beginning. How did you get involved in boxing?

I started in the streets at the age of 15, fighting in the streets. This guy suggested that I start boxing at the local gym. With that being said, I started and I didn’t like it. I stopped after 5 or 6 months. I started back when my brother was killed in the streets of New Orleans. I told my mom that I’d rather pick up some gloves than pick up a gun. That was in 2002.

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Haye-Fury has new date of February 8th – but Team-Fury not convinced, say Haye might “cry off again”

fury54David Haye and Tyson Fury will now meet on February 8th of next year, various media reports have confirmed. The fight, postponed due to Haye suffering a cut eye in sparring, will still take place at The Phones 4U Arena in Manchester.

Haye is delighted with the news:

“I was absolutely devastated this weekend, and felt as though I’d let a lot of people down. But now, with this new date, I couldn’t be happier,” Haye said. “My fans will still get the chance to see what they all wanted to see this weekend – they’ll get to see Tyson Fury sparked out in spectacular fashion. Fury might start to get brave now that he’s received a stay of execution – and he might call me names and accuse me of ducking him – but that will all be short-lived, I can promise you.

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In The Changing Room

If the ring is where a boxer comes face to face with his opponent, the changing room is where he struggles with his emotions.

Prior to the fight, usually between one and two hours before, he arrives with his entourage, consisting of his trainer, trainer’s assistant, cut man, and perhaps a friend or two. Unless he’s the main event, he’ll be sharing the changing room with three or four other fighters appearing on the same bill.

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Brian Vera – “Chavez, Jr. Has Never Faced Anyone Like Me”

chavez565Many hearts across Mexico were left broken on September 14. When Saul “Canelo” Alvarez suffered a lopsided unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr., the same had happened to Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. almost one year to the day. Chavez, Jr. lost a one-sided yet almost unforgettable twelve round decision to middleweight king Sergio Martinez on September 15, 2012. The two respective losses for what many saw as Mexico’s future torchbearers behind Juan Manuel Marquez left many questions answered, yet perhaps many more to be asked of each.

In regard to Chavez, Jr., (46(32)-1-1) the son of Mexico’s greatest fighter ever, his day back in the sun (literally) will come this Saturday evening at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Standing in the way of the Culiacan, MX native is the ring hardened Brian “The Warrior” Vera of Austin, TX. Vera (23(14)-6(2) has had an interesting career in the sport. He’s experienced a stint on the reality series “The Contender” and has victories over such names as Andy Lee, Sergio Mora and Serhiy Dzinziruk.

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Rigondeaux to fight on HBO on December 7th or 14th

WBA/WBO super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (12-0, 8 KO’s) will have his next fight televised on HBO on either December 7th or December14th, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN. Rigondeaux recently beat Nonito Donaire by a 12 round unanimous decision, but instead of HBO choosing to televise Rigondeaux’s fights, they chose to televise the lower of the fight Donaire.

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Left-Hook Lounge: Does Mayweather’s Legacy Hold Up in History? Will Chavez Jr./Canelo Happen? What next for Floyd?

IMG_1517Javier R. (Ontario, CA): Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. recently had some critical comments about Canelo. I know the problem between Goldenboy Promotions and Top Rank will prevent us from seeing this fight, but if it were to happen, who do you see winning?

Vivek W. (ESB): Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez currently fights at 154lbs and Chavez has struggled to make weight at 160. I wouldn’t rule out a move to 160lbs at some point for Canelo, but will that move come before Chavez Jr. is forced to move up in weight? I think it’s really tough to say. Focusing on the question itself, if the stars do align and these two men somehow square off, personally, I don’t think it’s a very easy night for Canelo. I know that all the Mayweather detractors will suddenly try to take away from his ability and say that he’s “young” and “untested”, or “not as good as the media made him out to be”. But the reality is that the kid simply loss to not only the best in this era, but arguably the best in any era.

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Adonis Stevenson vs. Tavoris Cloud this Saturday in Montreal

Former IBF light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud (24-1, 19 KO’s) is going to test whether WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (21-, 18 KO’s) is for real or not this Saturday in their fight in their fight at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. Stevenson, 36, has proven to be a devastating puncher in last 9 fights in which he’s scored 9 consecutive knockouts.

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