Emmanuel Tagoe stops Robles in round 9 to win IBF International title

Game Boy wins in AmericaGhanaian, Emmanuel Tagoe silenced his critics with a round 9 technical knockout win over Gerardo Robles on Friday night to claim the IBF International Junior Lightweight belt and edge closer to a bid for world championship glory.

Tagoe, now 22-1, 9 KOs, was at his crafty best despite the resistance of the American at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, Cabazon, California in his first fight in the United States before Robles threw in the towel in the 9th of the scheduled 12-rounder.

The impressive display by the Ghanaian showmaster in a foreign land amid fighting for the first time outside the shores of Ghana in a now 23-fight career which began with what also remains his only career loss in June 2004, has now catapulted Tagoe’s world title aspirations unto a higher pedestal.

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Chris Arreola vs Seth Mitchell on September 6th in Indio, California

arreola453INDIO, CALIF. (Aug. 9, 2013) – It’s SHOWTIME® at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 6, as a SHOWTIME Boxing Special Edition will feature a mix of top contenders, rising stars and a legendary former champion on the comeback trail.

In the main event, scheduled for 12-rounds, top heavyweight contenders Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell and Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola will bang it out in an important fight for the WBC Silver Championship.

Plus, Mexican superstar Rafael Marquez continues his quest for yet another world title when he faces California prospect Efrain Esquivias in a 10-round featherweight bout.

Mitchell vs. Arreola, a 12-round fight for the WBC Silver Heavyweight, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions and sponsored by Corona.

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Q & A: Jerry Odom – fighting 6th pro fight September 13 at Newark’s Robert Treat Hotel

jerryodomFast rising prospect Jerry “The King’s Son “Odom took time to give an exclusive interview to Fightnews. The 20 year old from Bowie, Maryland has had five fights since his pro debut in October 2012. In a manner reminiscent of young Mike Tyson’s early rise all five have ended within the first round. Total ring time in five fights being 6 minutes 23 seconds. Odom has risen from a troubled youth in the Paradise projects of Washington D.C. to a Golden Gloves champion. At 14, he stood in a D.C. courtroom in front of a judge he knew was tired of seeing him. It was Jerry’s third time there. . The youngster was looking at serious time. His uncle proposed a last-ditch solution: He would take Jerry. Ken Williams, a home builder, asked the judge to let Jerry live with him and his parents in Bowie. It is in this environment that Jerry received the opportunity to turn his life around. He has fully grasped this opportunity. The super middleweight has drawn a lot of attention from community for his natural knockout punching power. He has recently signed with GH3 Promotions and is scheduled to fight September 13th at Newark’s Robert Treat Hotel in his first bout outside of the D.C. area.

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Keith “One Time” Thurman: Tale of the “Light-Skinned” Dark Horse

thurman4Only a few weeks ago, welterweight Keith Thurman stepped into the ring against a contender who few had heard of, and even fewer had actually seen. Those hardcore fight fans in the game knew that it could be an interesting night, as the scouting report on underdog Diego Gabriel Chaves was that he’s under the radar, but above the rim. Although Chaves entered the night as the relative unknown commodity, to some, Thurman wasn’t exactly popular, himself. Sitting in front of a flat screen TV in a house filled with fight fans ready for some action, I can recall hearing one young lady ask “who’s the light-skinned guy with the long hair”?

A few rounds, several power shots, and a bloody nose later, she made a conscious effort to remember his name, as Thurman gutted his way to an effort she would make a conscious effort to remember. Stepping in the shoes of that young lady for a moment, we ponder the question out loud: “WHO IS KEITH THURMAN”? In the world of Boxing you have pretenders and contenders. In many ways he has shown enough ability to escape the “pretender” tag. But has he truly established himself as a “contender” in one of the sports deeper divisions? What makes the Thurman project such an interesting one is that he appears to have all the tools to do so. 19KO’s in 21 fights is an indelible print left in the minds of both fans and future opponents. Trouble is, practically all of those KO’s came against unproven talents.

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Has HBO’s The Fight Game with Jim Lampley been more hype than fight?

May 12, 2012 was the day HBO Sports debut The Fight Game with Jim Lampley. Many fans, including myself were excited for boxing to have a show with detail that would help exploit issues, and could also keep mainstream fans informed on the world of boxing, a sport that can confuse even the most hardcore follower. Has the fight game live up to its potential or was it just words made to sound good in a press release?

Let’s start with the HBO press release that made the show seem like the perfect medicine for a sport that is in bad health on many levels.

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Emmanuel Tagoe set to rumble against Robles Friday night

Game Boy vrs Robles weigh inThe countdown is over and tonight at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, Cabazon, California, United States, Emmanuel Tagoe puts his world title credentials under the spotlight against American, Gerardo Robles in a fight for the IBF International Junior Lightweight belt.

For Tagoe who will be fighting in the United Stated for the first time, the clash against Robles entails more than the title at stake with victory setting him up for a potential crack at the IBF world title by the end of the year.

It’s also a stage for the Ghanaian showmaster to answer his critics and prove that he can take on the big boys of world boxing even in the US.

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The Story Of The Non-Boxing Fan

In San Antonio two weeks ago a fight that resonated across the boxing landscape took place. Undefeated Omar Figueroa and highly ranked Nihito Arakawa basically beat the tar out of each other for 12 rounds in a lightweight bout with the Japanese fighter taking the brunt of the damage. Now this has all been covered by the boxing media ad nauseum but, what has not been covered, because honestly it is almost impossible to cover, is the impact the fight had on your average sports fan and your standard UFC loving boxing hater.

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