Edwin Rodriguez vs. Kelly Pavlik: Expert trainer analysis

Edwin Rodriguez vs. Kelly Pavlik: Expert trainer analysisBy Joseph Herron: On Saturday night, at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut, Super Middleweight contender Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs) made a major statement to the rest of the talent enriched 168 pound weight class by stopping the previously undefeated Jason Escalera (13-1-1, 12 KOs) in impressive fashion while making his first headlining appearance on HBO Boxing After Dark.

After the sensational performance, Rodriguez was very clear in stating that he wanted to tangle with former universally recognized Middleweight Champion Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik in the near future.

Though it’s clear this bout would be considered a potential fight of the year candidate by most boxing fans and fight scribes before both men ever entered the ring, it’s uncertain which fighter would eventually hold their arm up in victory.

To give fight fans and boxing enthusiasts a closer examination of this fan friendly match-up, master fight strategist James Gogue analyzes the head to head pairing.

continue

Povetkin to have to wait until next summer to fight Wladimir Klitschko

Povetkin to have to wait until next summer to fight Wladimir KlitschkoBy Rob Smith: If WBA World heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (25-0, 17 KO’s) really honestly wants a shot against IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitshko next year, who you can make an argument that might not really want this fight, then he’s going to have to wait until next summer at the earliest for the fight to happen. There’s talk that the 33-year-old Povetkin’s promoters at Sauerland Events want to put Povetkin in with Wladimir in February of next year. However, that’s not going to happen according to Wladimir’s manager Bernd Boente. If the fight does happen it’s going to take place next summer.

This isn’t exactly a bad thing for Povetkin and Sauerland because it’s not as if he’s going to beat Wladimir anyway. Sure, he’d get a nice payday for the Wladimir fight but he’d out-gunned and totally embarrassed by the 6’6″ Wladimir. Sauerland Events is better off by keeping Povetkin busy fighting the older heavyweights he’s been dining on lately. He picked up the WBA title with a win over Ruslan Chagav, and then has defended it against 42-year-old Cedric Boswell, 39-year-old Hasim Rahman and then a cruiserweight in Marco Huck.

The talk now is that Povetkin will make his defense against 41-year-old Serbian Javo Pudar in either late December or early 2013. With these easy fights who needs Wladimir? All he’ll do is mess things up by ending the Povtkin gravy train by whipping him and sending him back into the contender ranks. I don’t know that Povetkin will ever be a champion again if Wladimir beats him because there’s better heavyweight contenders out than Povetkin.

continue

Khan vs. Molina fight to be televised on Showtime

Khan vs. Molina fight to be televised on ShowtimeBy Michael Collins: Showtime reportedly has bought the Amir Khan vs. Carlos Molina fight to televise on their network on December, according to Steve Kim of Maxboxing.com. The Khan-Molina fight could also have unbeaten heavyweight prospect Deontay Wilder fighting on the undercard against an unknown opponent. Molina, 5’6″, is a lightweight contender and would be moving up in weight to face the bigger, faster and stronger Khan. Presumably, the Khan-Molina fight was offered to HBO first but it doesn’t appear there was much interest from them.

A Khan vs. Molina would have been an okay fight for Khan to take earlier in his career but it does seem a tad out of place to be taking place now that he’s a former two-time world champion. There’s also the question about whether a Khan-Molina fight is worthy of being a main event for Showtime. I think it would be an okay ESPN2 level main event but not for Showtime. You’d expect a lot better than this given the size, power and talent differences between Khan and his smaller opponent Molina.

It’s been two years since Molina scored a knockout, which tells you a lot about his power or lack thereof. Molina has been facing little more than B and C level opposition and yet he’s not able to even knock them out.

continue

Javan “Sugar” Hill: “There is no replacement for Emanuel Steward in Wladimir Klitschko’s training camp”

Javan “Sugar” Hill: “There is no replacement for Emanuel Steward in Wladimir Klitschko’s training camp”(Picture credit: Michael Freitag) By Joseph Herron: While camp is just getting underway at Wladimir Klitschko’s customary training facility in Austria, many have pondered the question concerning who will serve as the Heavyweight Champion’s chief second in Hamburg, Germany on November 10th.

Due to an unexpected ailment suffered by Wladimir’s longtime trainer, friend, and mentor, Hall of Fame boxing legend Emanuel Steward, “The Steel Hammer” will find himself in a very unusual situation when he faces undefeated Heavyweight contender Mariusz Wach.

While the usual band of fighters, coaches, and supporters will be on hand to help prepare the popular fighter, the incomparable master strategist and motivator will be unable to reprise his role as head trainer for a title defense that is set to take place in just 41 days.

Emanuel Steward’s nephew and longtime Kronk Gym trainer Javan “Sugar” Hill expounds on the current situation.

continue

WBC prepared to enforce Junior Middleweight mandatory challenger in 2013

WBC prepared to enforce Junior Middleweight mandatory challenger in 2013By Joseph Herron – On November 10th, at the Wynn Las Vegas, Vanes Martirosyan will finally face Erislandy Lara in a highly anticipated WBC Junior Middleweight title eliminator, which should place the eventual winner in a Championship contest opposite current WBC title holder Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in 2013.

While many fighters and boxing scribes alike have characterized the WBC’s involvement with Canelo’s championship run as unscrupulous, the president of the WBC has assured boxing fans and all three fighters involved with the 154 pound mini tournament that the eventual mandatory challenger for the WBC Junior Middleweight crown will indeed receive their deserved title opportunity immediately following the conclusion of the big November 10th event.

“Saul Alvarez must defend his title against the winner of the November 10th contest between Vanes Martirosyan and Erislandy Lara,” asserts Don Jose Sulaiman. “If he does not want to face the winner immediately after the conclusion of the contest, then he will have to forfeit the title.”

continue

Khan: I could have chosen an easy opponent for December 15th

Khan: I could have chosen an easy opponent for December 15thBy Michael Collins: Amir Khan considers his next opponent the light hitting #10 WBO lightweight contender Carlos Molina (17-0, 7 KO’s) a tough opponent rather than just a soft touch which is what the 26-year-old Molina surely appears to be. No one would blame Khan for taking a light touch at this point in his career because he’s beaten in his last two fights against Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia, although Khan feels he deserved the win in the Peterson fight. The judges obviously felt different after watching Khan shove Peterson around the ring for 12 rounds.

Khan said to the Dailystar.co.uk “I could have picked an easy fight but I’m going to have a tough one next because I want to bring the world titles back to Britain.”

A tough one? As far as I can tell, Molina has never fought contender before and is woefully inexperienced against high caliber opposition. Besides that, he’s a lightweight, not a light welterweight. Khan is really a big light welterweight, more of a welterweight fighting against light welterweights. So in choosing a lightweight to fight, Khan is facing a guy is much smaller than him in weigh, height, reach and body frame.

continue

Broner vs DeMarco on November 17th

Broner vs DeMarco on November 17thBy Michael Collins: Former WBO super featherweight champion Adrien Broner (24-0, 20 KO’s) and WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco (28-2-1, 21 KO’s) will be mixing it up on November 17th on HBO at the Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey,. The fight is now official, according to Dan Rafael. This should be a really good fight and perhaps the best lightweight fight of this year.

Broner is moving up from the super featherweight division where he previously held the WBO belt. He could have stayed at that weight, but he wanted to have more strength and didn’t have to have to melt down quite so much. He had been fighting in the mid-140s and draining down to make the 130 pound super featherweight limit. Broner gets a lot of criticism from fans for fighting so high over his old weight, but compared to former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Broner isn’t all that bad. But now that he’s fighting at 135, it won’t be nearly as big a deal because it’s only 10 pounds that Broner will be putting on after he rehydrates.

Demarco is fighting a very high level right now and he could be the best at this weight right now, at least until we see what Broner can do with him. DeMarco has victories over notable fighters like John Molina and Jorge Linares. He’s proven with those wins that he’s a legit champion and not one of the many paper belt holders that exist nowadays.

continue

Wladimir Klitschko doubts that Povetkin will fight him

Wladimir Klitschko doubts that Povetkin will fight himBy Rob Smith: WBA World heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (25-0, 17 KO’s) easily took care of Hasim Rahman (50-8-2, 41 KO’s) earlier tonight in a 2nd round TKO win in Hamburg, Germany. It was impressive stuff from Povetkin in beating an over-matched and badly past his prime 39-year-old Rahman. The question that boxing fans now want to know is when if ever will the 33-year-old Povetkin step it up and take on IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko or his brother WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko.

Povetkin said this after the fight as quoted by espn “When [my promoters] say it’s time to fight Klitschko, I will be ready. He’s the best heavyweight in the world and I will be ready to fight him.”

Wladiimr doesn’t think Povetkin wants the fight, saying to Sports Illustrated “Right. Where was he before? Please.”

continue

Rahman blames his loss to Povetkin on being dehydratred

Rahman blames his loss to Povetkin on being dehydratredBy Dwight Chittenden: Nothing went right for 39-year-old Hasim Rahman (50-8-2, 41 KO’s) tonight in him losing to WBA World heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (25-0, 17 KO’s) by a 2nd round TKO at the Sporthalle, Alsterdorf, Hamburg, Germany. Rahman waited four years for this title shot and when it came he looked weak, lethargic and incisive in getting demolished by the Russian Povetkin.

Later after the fight, Rahman blamed the defeat in part on being dehydrated, saying as quoted by ESPN “I was weak and dehydrated. I was in the hospital last night for fluids. I couldn’t move. He’s not a terribly big puncher but I couldn’t establish my jab. I was flat.”

Even if Rahman was on the level about this, it was on him for being dehydrated the night before the fight. What was he doing that dehydrated this close to a fight? It’s not as if Rahman was having to boil down to make weight or something. This is heavyweight and Rahman could come into the fight weighing a fat 300 pounds and the fight would have still taken place. If he was working out hard a day before the fight then he shouldn’t have been because that’s when you take it easy.

continue