IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 50 KO’s) has decided to squeeze in what should be an easy stay busy fight against unbeaten challenger Francesco Pianeta (28-0-1, 15 KO’s) on May 4th at the SAP-Arena in Mannheim, Germany.
This is a tune-up of sorts for the 37-year-old Wladimir to get ready for his fight against WBA heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin for who Wladimir must face by the end of August according to the World Boxing Association rules.
WBC interim welterweight champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (31-1-1, 18 KO’s) was recently able to WBC welterweight champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. (43-0, 26 KO’s) to agree to go toe-to-toe with him in their fight on May 4th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mayweather Jr. asked Guerrero how he wanted the fight to take place and Guerrero responded with “Toe-to-toe.” Mayweather immediately agreed to fight him that way, but it looks like Mayweather Jr. is having second thoughts about it due to his father, who will be training him for this fight, preferring that Mayweather Jr. fight in a more defensive manner.
Top heavyweight prospect 6’7” Deontay Wilder (27-0, 27 KO’s) says he’s ready to put British heavyweight Audley Harrison (31-6, 23 KO’s) out of his misery this month in ending the 41-year-old’s career by knocking him out in front of his own British fans on April 27th on the Amir Khan – Julio Diaz card at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, UK.
Deontay wants to KO Audley in such a way that it will convince him that it’s pointless for him to continue on with yet another comeback and comeback slogan.
WBA World junior middleweight champion Austin Trout (26-0, 14 KO’s) thinks his opponent WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) won’t be able to make the right adjustments when things don’t go his way this month in their fight on April 20th at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Trout sees Canelo as being someone that has only gear and can’t adapt to different situations, especially when all of a sudden he is getting out-boxed for the first time in his career. Canelo badly wants to beat Trout because he defeated his brother Rigoberto Alvarez two years ago in winning an easy 12 round unanimous decision to capture the vacant WBA junior middleweight title in 2011.
This past week Newark’s Alex “The Bullet” Perez took time from his preparations for his April 13th comeback bout against Kenny Abril for a Q & A interview. The fight is scheduled for 8 rounds as the semi-main event at Schuetzen Park, North Bergen, NJ. Alex is a tall rangy southpaw welterweight with a 16 (9) -1 -0 record. He has sparred with world class fighters such as Miguel Cotto, Sergio Martinez, and Felix Strum. Alex made his pro debut in December 2004 with a first round knockout at the 2:53 mark. He seemed to be off to a great start and a promising career. But shortly after his first professional fight he was the victim of two gunshot wounds in a street altercation not of his making.
The World Boxing Council updated their rankings this week and installed Amir Khan (27-3, 19 KO’s) as their number #2 contender at 147. This is a clear move to put Khan in line for a title shot against WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. because there’s no other way of looking at it. The WBC has positioned Khan for Mayweather and it seems like that’s a fight that the WBC wants because why else would they rank a fighter whose career is sinking at the moment.
Khan has never fought at 147 before during his career and he’s lost two out of his last three fights since 2011. The WBC giving Khan – or any fighter – a #2 ranking after having lost two out of their last three fights is incredibly disappointing because it seems so transparent what the WBC is trying to do. I won’t be surprised if Khan is moved to the #1 position if he gets beaten by Julio Diaz this month on April 27th in Sheffield.
Light flyweight Zou Shiming (1-0) got his career off to a good start with a four round unanimous decision on Saturday night in beating Valenzuela (2-2-1, 1 KO’s) by a four unanimous decision in a fight that was pretty much one-sided from start to finish at the Cotai Arena, Macao, Macao S.A.R., China. Shiming used his jab and fast hands to land at will against the more limited Valenzuela. Zou had Valenzuela hurt from a left hand in the 2nd, but he didn’t have the power to add to it. The judges scored the fight 40-36, 40-36 and 40-36.
Valenzuela was getting to Shiming in the 3rd round and it wasn’t impressive stuff by Shiming despite the fact that he was still landing more. Valenzuela wasn’t bothered by his shots for the most part other than that one left hand he was clipped with in the 2nd.
On Friday night at the Grand Star Receptions, Altona North, Victoria, Australia, in the six fight card hosted by Adam Wilcock’s Fight Card Promotions, WBA #5 middleweight Jarrod ‘Left Jab’ Fletcher took on former world title challenger, Filipino, Randy Suico in a defence of his PABA middleweight title.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is going with WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (31-1, 20 KO’s) to get past WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (11-0, 8 KO’s) next week in their fight on April 13th at the Radio City Music Hall in New York, New York. Mayweather is picking the 30-year-old Donaire to defeat by knockout.
Mayweather said on his twitter: “People won’t like this but I’ll put it out there @filipinoflash (Donaire) will win VIA KO (knockout).”
HBO broadcaster Harold Lederman doesn’t see WBA light middleweight champion Austin Trout (26-0, 14 KO’s) having much of any chance this month in his fight with WBC light middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 32 KO’s) on April 20th at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Lederman thinks the 22-year-old Canelo will overpower Trout and get an easy knockout win. I imagine Lederman is putting Trout in the same class as light welterweight Josesito Lopez, who Canelo just annihilated in five rounds last September.
Lederman said to Hustleboss.com “I hate to say this but I think Canelo’s going to destroy him…Canelo’s something special…Canelo is a star. He can box, he can move, he can punch…he fights like a veteran that’s 35.”