Steve Cunningham: “I don’t feel the world has seen the best Steve Cunningham yet, so I’m willing and prepared to show them”

Exclusive Interview by Geoffrey Ciani – I recently had the opportunity to speak with former two-time cruiserweight champion Steve USS Cunningham (24-4, 12 KOs), who will be making his heavyweight debut this Saturday when he takes on Jason Gavern (21-10-4, 10 KOs) at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Cunningham spoke about a variety of topics including: his decision to move to heavyweight, adjusting to his new weight, his upcoming match against Gavern, a potential rematch against Tomasz Adamek, his views on the Klitschko brothers, his heavyweight goals, and more! Here is what Steve had to say.

Audio:

GEOFFREY CIANI: Hello everyone. This is Geoffrey Ciani from East Side Boxing and I am joined here today by former two-time cruiserweight champion, about to make his heavyweight debut this weekend, Steve USS Cunningham. How’s everything going, Steve?

STEVE CUNNINGHAM: Everything is good. Training camp is over, and we’re leaving tomorrow, so it’s fight time.

CIANI: Great! Now Steve, as I mentioned a moment ago, you’re getting ready to make your heavyweight debut here. You said you just closed out camp. How was training and preparations for your first fight at heavyweight?

CUNNINGHAM: It was pretty intense because I was sparring with some big guys. I was sparring with Chazz Witherspoon and a couple of other heavyweights you guys probably don’t know from the gym. But these guys are big, man! 240 and about 6’6”, and Chazz Witherspoon is about 6’3” and 230. So you know I’ve been getting in some good work with some good heavyweights. It’s been grueling on the body taking those shots, but also it’s helping me learn and helping me develop more. The next thing was just me getting this extra weight on. I’ve gained about eight pounds I guess since my last fight, since we’ve been working at being a heavyweight, so eight to ten pounds. But since I was a small cruiserweight, you know I would leave the gym at like 195-196, or 194 and sometimes lower. Putting on this weight has been a little task, you know, just learning how to do it and keep it on.

continue

Perennial contender Ray Austin discusses his career, the heavyweight division, and the Klitschkos

by Pavel Yakovlev: (September 5, 2012) – Anyone following the heavyweight division knows about Ray “The Rainman” Austin. A professional since 1998, he has fought in several elimination bouts to determine mandatory challengers for the heavyweight champions. In 2007 Austin tangled with Vladimir Klitschko for the IBF world heavyweight title. In addition, the towering fighter – he stands over 6’6” and weighs around 240 lbs. – has squared off against top names such as Odlanier Solis, Sultan Ibragimov, Andrew Golota, Lance Whittaker, Larry Donald, Bermane Stiverne, and DaVarryl Williamson, among others. A perennial contender who is still capable of winning world-class bouts at age 41, Austin will most likely figure in more high profile matches before his career winds down.

continue

Prediction: Ward will outclass Dawson

By Emilio Camacho, Esq. First, I offer my apologies to those who requested this prediction sooner. I have been troubled by this competitive fight but have decided to make a bold prediction. If I am wrong, I will definitely
admit it.

Second, I believe both of these fighters are top-notch. Both of them are in their prime, disciplined, proven champions, committed to the sport and are not afraid to face the biggest challenge. As boxing fans, we are lucky because we do not get fights like these very often (did someone say Manny and Floyd?). So, here is how I think the fight will play out.

Round 1 will be slow and both fighters will try to make sense of each other’s rhythm and style. Not much will happen in this round but Ward’s rhythm will simply look better to the judges and he will get this round.

continue

PREVIEW – Bellew versus Miranda – Saturday 8th October

By Matt Amos: This Saturday night (8th September) will see the “Wavetree Bomber” Tony Bellew further enhance his credentials when he meets the tough, powerful former middleweight Contender Edison “Pantera” Miranda at Alexandra Palace in London for the WBC International Light Heavyweight Title.

Bellew, 17(11) – 1(0), is an exciting, slick 29 year old boxer who has already captured the British and Commonwealth titles. An articulate, likable family man with an accomplished domestic amateur career having won three National ABA Heavyweight Titles, he will look to increase his worldwide exposure when battling the well known rugged Colombian.

31 year old Miranda, 35(30) – 7(3) is a proven operator at top 10 level in the middle and super middleweight ranks and like Bellew attained considerable success at amateur level winning four national titles and reputedly 128 of 132 fights. He achieved his greatest professional triumphs in 2006/7 when stopping the granite chinned Howard Eastman and then defeating the previously unbeaten Allan Green. A controversial world title fight with Arthur Abraham followed in which after breaking the Armenian German’s jaw and having point deductions for headbutting he was subsequently outclassed by Abraham.

continue

Chavez Jr: Sergio Martinez is just a big clown

By Marcus Richardson: WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) doesn’t think too highly of his opponent for September 15th, former WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KO’s) and he plans on shutting his mouth when they face each other in a televised fight on HBO pay per view. The asking price for the fight is $49.99 for boxing fans that have deep enough pockets to shell out that kind of cash in this sorry economy.

Chavez Jr. said this about Martinez today as quoted by Fightnews.com “He’s got a big mouth. On September 15th I’m going to shut him up once and for all. He’s just a big clown.”

Chavez Jr. in fact will be the bigger fighter in the ring on that fight. In looking at recent training video of the 26-year-old Chavez Jr., he appears to be still over 180 pounds and it’s unlikely that he’s going to get down below 180. Chavez Jr. sees his weight as being a significant factor for him in this fight, although he plans on showing some other wrinkles to try keep Martinez guessing. Chavez Jr. can move a little at times, but he’s never shown the ability or the inclination to move for more than a short period.

continue

Ajose Olusegun: “I don’t want to worry about anything with Danny Garcia or Erik Morales, I’ve got a better fight with this guy in front of me”

Exclusive Interview by Geoffrey Ciani – I was recently afforded an opportunity to speak with undefeated junior welterweight contender Ajose Olusegun (30-0, 14 KOs) who is scheduled to face Lucas Matthysse (31-2, 29 KOs) on Saturday night for the interim WBC championship. The 32 year old Olusegun has been the WBC mandatory for a number of years now, but has been consistently overlooked when it came to getting his opportunity—until now. Olusegun spoke about his upcoming fight, and also shared his opinion on the October 20 rematch between Erik Morales and Danny Garcia. Here is what Olusegun had to say.

Audio:

GEOFFREY CIANI: Hello everyone. This is Geoffrey Ciani from East Side Boxing and I am joined here today by junior welterweight contender, Ajose Olusegun. How is everything going today, Ajose?

AJOSE OLUSEGUN: Yeah everything is alright. Thank you. I’m doing well.

CIANI: Good, good to hear. Now you have a big fight coming up this Saturday against Lucas Matthysse. How has training and preparations gone for this fight?

OLUSEGUN: Training and preparations have gone well. It’s gone the way I wanted it to go. I did some preparation in New York, I did some in Nigeria, and I did some in Vegas. So training has been okay and the preparation has been perfect.

CIANI: Great. Now Ajose, you’ve been the WBC mandatory for over three years, and during that time seven other guys have gotten to fight for the title. This is for the WBC interim title. How do you feel about all of the circumstances and the long wait you’ve had to go through?

continue

Golovkin will be watching Chavez Jr-Martinez fight with great interest, hoping to get the winner

By Marcus Richardson: WBA World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21 KO’s) will be watching the September 15th fight between WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) and Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KO’s) with great interest, as Golovkin wants to fight the winner of that bout. Golovkin, 30, fought for the first time in the United States last Saturday night in destroying #3 WBA Grzegorz Proksa in five rounds in a three knockdown performance from Golovkin. The win has suddenly made Golovkin one of the top fighters in the division in the minds of boxing fans, although the hardcore fans already knew how good Golovkin was going into this fight.

Golovkin said to RingTV “For the fight on September 15 between Chavez Jr. and Martinez, I think it’s a 50-50 fight. Sergio has better skills, but Chavez Jr. is younger and seems to be getting stronger with each fight. I look forward to viewing the Chavez Jr-Martinez fight.”

Golovkin would be a serious threat to either Chavez Jr. or Martinez due to his huge power, excellent inside fighting skills and pinpoint accuracy with his punches. Unlike most of the 180 pound Chavez Jr’s opponents, Golovkin would be able to compete with Chavez Jr. on the inside despite giving away 15+ pounds in weight. Chavez Jr. is a dangerous to the body, but he doesn’t have the power that Golovkin has when punching on the inside to the head and body. Chavez Jr. would have to deal with a lot of powerful head and body shots, and it would very tough for him to be able to take those kinds of shots for 12 rounds.

continue

Amir Khan: Has The King Lost His Crown?

By Mark Klimaszewski – Olympic-silver medallist. Former two-time world champion. Former unified world champion. Arguably a top 15 / top 20 pound-for-pounder (depending on who you ask, of course).

Several “fight-of-the-year” type battles (and some solid names) on his resume. A consistent desire to fight the best. A warrior’s heart. A glaring vulnerability (the much derided ‘punch resistance’, or lack of, that arm chair critics are always so quick to point to) which makes him exciting to watch. Seldom in a dull fight.

On paper, Amir “King” Khan sounds like the type of fighter who should receive unprecedented adulation from fight fans. Yet he attracts more hate than almost any other active fighter today. It is a surprising fact; but a true one. Many people who I speak with about the sweet science all share a desire to see Khan get knocked out again. Many fans on internet message boards and what have you, wish nothing more than to see Amir taste bitter defeat once again and leave the sport for good!

continue

Khan combing NY looking for a new trainer; rules out Joan Guzman as opponent for December 15th

By Michael Collins: Former IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan says he’s going to be checking New York to try and find a trainer and possibly a mentor to get his sagging career back on track following consecutive losses to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia. Khan wants a trainer that can fix his defensive flaws to try and turn things around for him before he gets whipped again.

Khan said to the Manchester Evening News “I’ll be going to New York to speak to a few coaches.”

Khan then oddly compared himself to Manny Pacquiao, saying “If we had the defense we should have had we would be the best fighter in the world. That’s the downfall of me and Manny Pacquiao. We’re both offensively the best fighters in the world, but defensively we’re not the best.”

That’s a bit too much coming from Khan. The best in the world? I think Khan is dreaming here. I think he would be a lot better fighter if his defense was tighter, but that wouldn’t save him from getting knocked out by the likes of Danny Garcia and Breidis Prescott. The shots that Khan got hit with in those fights were punches that even the best defensive fighter would get hit with.

continue

Vitali defends his WBC title on Saturday against Charr

By Rob Smith: 41-year-old WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (44-2, 40 KO’s) will be defending his World Boxing Council title on Saturday night against the unbeaten and highly ambitious #7 WBC Manuel Charr (21-0, 11 KO’s) at the Olimpiyskiy, in Moscow, Russia. Vitali has picked out an opponent with an unbeaten record but with little real substance to it. Charr is unbeaten but he’s not fought anyone in the top 15, and he struggled badly against a past his best Danny Williams and also against journeyman Zack Page.

With this possibly being Vitali’s last fight of his career it’s disappointing to see him pick out the 27-year-old Charr to fight instead of someone a little more talented like Denis Boytsov or Kubrat Pulev. Never the less, Vitali’s German fans watching the fight on television, as well as the Russian fans in Moscow, likely won’t care that Vitali is taking a soft touch in the incredibly slow Charr to beat up instead of someone that can give him a decent fight.

There’s a possibility that if Vitali gets past Charr in one piece without struggling he could end up facing former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye in late December or early 2013. The chance is there but it’s still more likely that Vitali hangs up his gloves and goes into politics in Ukraine.

continue