The Middleweight Landscape

The Middleweight Landscape By Anthony Loy: Forget arguing about the p4p rankings, the middleweight division is currently the home of fierce debate regarding who will sit atop the mountain in the very near future.

The heir to the throne appears to be one Gennady Golovkin, a punch perfect destruction of hard-hitting but limited Grzegorz Proksa on Saturday night has put the hype train into full speed but whilst he undoubtedly has the tools and an extensive amateur background (in which he holds wins over Andre Dirrell and Lucian Bute) I can’t help but feel people are getting carried away with his exciting but totally expected win over the one-dimensional Proksa, a man who was outpointed not long ago by the unheralded Kerry Hope.

The man currently reigning supreme in what is fast turning into the most fascinating division in Boxing Sergio Martinez takes on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr for the WBC belt on September 15th in what promises to be one of the fights of the year, Chavez who has a very impressive 46-0-1 record will provide Martinez with a stern test and will hope to impose his size advantage when the two meet, whatever the outcome of this fight and I believe it will be a close points win for Chavez I think its likely it will be Chavez’s last in the 160lb division.

Daniel Geale and Felix Sturm provided and excellent fight and a nightmare for the judges on Saturday night with Geale earning a split-decision win away from home in Germany, a place not known for giving visiting fighters a fair shake (just ask Matthew Macklin).

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Sergio Martinez: My fight with Chavez Jr. will end early, he’ll be on his knees in front of me

By Rob Smith: Former WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KO’s) says he can already seen the outcome of his September 15th fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) and he doesn’t see the fight ending well for the 26-year-old son of boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Martinez plans on getting the hulking 180 pound Chavez Jr. out of there early to make a nice clean win without any controversy.

Martinez said “I go over it in my mind and can see it. I can see him [Chavez Jr] on his knees right in front of me…I know the fight will end early. I know I’m going to knock him out.”

With his power and speed, Martinez is going to make it difficult for Chavez Jr. to do the same kinds of things he’s been doing in his recent bouts against more stationary fighters. Chavez Jr. has really had his way against guys with little ability to move like Andy Lee, Peter Manfredo Jr and Marco Antonio Rubio. Lee isn’t that bad when it comes to getting around the ring, but in his case he was fighting Chavez Jr. in a small ring in El Paso, and he compounded it by choosing to slug with him instead of trying staying on the outside.

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Pacquiao expected to fight Marquez on December 8th

By Rob Smith: 33-year-old Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KO’s) is expected to sign to fight 39-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s) on December 8th now that Marquez’s only real competitor for the fight, Miguel Cotto, has decided on taking on Austin Trout on December 1st. Technically, WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley is still in the running for Pacquiao’s next fight on December 8th, but he’s not a serious option because of the controversy that surrounded his win over Pacquiao last June. But importantly, Bradley isn’t an option because the Pacquiao-Bradley fight brought in low pay per view totals last time out.

Money is the name of the game, and Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum is trying to maximize the income he can get for his fighter with what little time he’s got left in the sport. Judging by how Pacquiao has looked in his last two fights, I don’t think he’s got too much time left at the top of the game unless Arum starts spoon-feeding him weaker opposition at some point. A lot of boxing fans think that’s already been going on with Arum putting Pacquiao in with Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley and Bradley instead of Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Andre Berto.

Marquez brings in a lot of Hispanic fans to a fourth fight with Pacquiao, and Arum realizes that. It’s a fight that could make a lot of money due to the casual boxing fans that will be excited about seeing this. However, it’s a fight that the hardcore boxing fans have seen one too many times it’s utterly predictable how the fight will take place and end.

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Klitschko vs Charr: Manuel Charr Interview

Questions & answers with Manuel Charr (21-0, 11 KO), a challenger for the WBC heavyweight title. The Lebanon-born Charr, nicknamed “Diamond Boy” will face Vitali Klitschko (44-2, 40 KO) on Saturday in Moscow, Russia.

Q: Hello Manuel, please tell us something about you history, your family and origin. How did you get to Germany?

A: My father was a Syrian citizen but I was born and raised in Lebanon. Sadly my father died in 1986 during the war. We have lived in Beirut till we came over as fugitives to Germany in 1989. We, that have been my mother, my 5 sisters, my 2 brothers and I. I was just 6 years old. First we stayed for a couple of weeks in Berlin Wedding and then we moved to Katernberg (a district of Essen) next to Gelsenkirchen, in the center of Germany. There I grow up, went to school and learned German.

Q: Do you visit Syria sometimes?
A: I do have some family there, but me close family is in Germany, so I hardly go over there.

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What Must Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. Do To Beat Sergio Martinez?

By Sean Ocampo – Undefeated WBC Middleweight Champion Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) will put everything on the line against pound for pound great and former Middleweight title holder Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (49-2-2, 29 KO’s) at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chavez is going into this fight as underdog because of Martinez’s undeniable skills and his reputation as one of the very best in boxing. Chavez will have the toughest test of his career this coming September 15, 2012. Will he pass the test or will he flunk it?

These are the keys on how Chavez will succeed against Sergio Martinez.

PRESSURE

Chavez has to take away Martinez’s footwork and footspeed. That’s easier said than done, but it’s pretty much doable in the fight game. Martinez is most dangerous when he’s outside. We’ve seen him knockout or knockdown opponents when he’s fighting outside, just like when he knocked out Paul Williams. With constant pressure from Chavez, he should be able to cut the ring and take away the breathing space of Martinez. Once he cuts the ring, he’ll be able to land his hard combinations to the head and body. Perfect example for this would be Chavez’s last fight with Andy Lee, who is coincidentally a southpaw.

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Khan will make a mistake if he dumps Freddie; Danny Garcia’s strategy wrong for Morales rematch too

By Paul Strauss: Amir Khan apparently is looking for another trainer, because he doesn’t want to continue sharing Freddie Roach’s time with Manny Pacquiao. On the surface that seems reasonable; although, it presents obvious problems finding a suitable replacement. It’s a safe bet he’s going to find similar circumstances exist with all of the big name trainers.

Some boxing fans, not necessarily Khan’s, claim Freddie can’t teach the defensive skills Amir needs to protect what some fans believe to be his suspect chin. There’s some truth to that, but it isn’t because Freddie doesn’t have the know-how. Rather, it’s because Freddie’s fighters are generally aggressive fighters, and everyone knows a fighter is most vulnerable when he’s punching.

Of course there’s the old adage that a good offense is a good defense. In football, it can simply mean out scoring your opponent, but it can also mean keeping the ball out of the hands of the opposition. They can’t score without the ball. For it to work, the team better have a good line and a punishing running back, or maybe a good short passing game, because if they just throw it down field, hoping to score fast and big, it’s not likely they will keep the ball long enough to accomplish what they want. In fact, the reverse might be true.

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Golovkin says he’s ready for anyone from Mayweather to Ward?

By Paul Strauss: Gennady G.G.G. Golovkin did a pretty good job Saturday night at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y. trying to establish his worthiness for all comers. Quite often when a fighter boasts he’s ready for the best (in several divisions), his words are dismissed as just so much talk. Fans realize that often a fighter is trying hard to convince himself as much as anyone else.

In Golovkin’s case, Fans might dismiss the apparent bragging as a problem in translation. Maybe English translated to his native Kazakh (or possibly Russian) language back to English got mixed up with the effort. One thing for sure, Golovkin did a number on the previously once defeated Polish southpaw fighter named Grzegorz “Super G” Proksa, who sported twenty-one knockouts of his own to surpass Golovkin’s twenty. Going into Saturday night’s bout, he was viewed as no slouch, but despite that fact, Golovkin managed to knock him stiff.

Just cruising along in the first round, Golovkin still managed to drop Proksa. There was thought by some he might have slipped or stumbled over Golovkin’s feet. Doubt diminished In the second round, when G.G.G. fired off several particularly nice left hooks to the body, which changed the expression on the Polish fighter’s face to something resembling a silent scream.

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Martinez vs. Chavez Jr: “Nature versus Nurture”

by Marc Livitz: Provided the Mayan prophecy doesn’t turn us all inside out and upside down, we may find anywhere from a glimmer to a thermal radiation flash’s worth of excitement in the time left for boxing in 2012. There’s always hope for a sport which although is somewhat in the periphery of many continues to refresh itself in so many different ways.

The gym ghosts of years past are not exactly smiling, but they are at least maintaining a healthy smirk. Outside of the consistent barrage of “the big one”, various promoters have managed to see the light and throw together some interesting contests for the fall. As most of us know by now, the middleweight title (most of it) will be on the line in two weeks’ time.

A matchup between Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. and Sergio Martinez should satiate even the most discriminating pugilistic palate. So many in and around the fight game swore to the gills that little Julio was struck with terror in regards to a night in the ring with “Maravilla”.

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Austin Trout: “Cotto is a future Hall of Famer, but this is my time now”

By Joseph Herron: It’s Official! On December 1st, three division world champion and future Hall of Famer Miguel Angel Cotto (37-3, 30 KOs) will take on current WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout (25-0, 14 KOs) at the world renowned Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY.

When most boxing insiders didn’t believe Austin would ever get the opportunity to showcase his skills on the biggest stage of boxing, the Las Cruces, New Mexico resident always had faith that his time would eventually come.

“I’ve definitely paid my dues,” claims the 26 year old southpaw fighter. “But I really have to thank Al Haymon for this big fight. He told me that he was working on something big, and he really delivered.”

The big 154 pound title fight will easily be Austin’s toughest test to date. Not only will the young chameleon be facing a three division warrior who can box and punch proficiently, but the reigning title holder will also be fighting in the hostile confines of Cotto’s venue of choice; Madison Square Garden.

Austin believes the pro-Cotto crowd won’t be a problem.

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Golovkin with a lot of options for big fights after blasting out Proksa in five

By Rob Smith: WBA World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21 KO’s) is now in a great position to get some big fights whether it be at junior middleweight, middleweight or super middleweight, after Golovkin made easy work in beating #3 WBA Grzegorz Proksa (28-2, 21 KO’s) by a beautiful 5th round knockout on Saturday night at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York. Before the fight, which was televised on HBO, a lot of casual boxing fans in the U.S didn’t have a clue who Golovkin was, but they can’t say that now after witnessing his impressive three knockdown performance in stopping Proksa.

Golovkin says he’s willing to fight the top names at 154, 160 and 168. This means that Golovkin isn’t limited to just waiting on guys like Sergio Martinez or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to finally face him. He can go after the top guys at 154 like Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez, or go after the big names at super middleweight such as Carl Froch, Lucian Bute, Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler.

It definitely helps that Golovkin has the ability to fight in three divisions at any given time to get the biggest fights available because in this boxing climate today with promoters protecting their fighters from dangerous opposition, it could prove near impossible for Golovkin to get any really important fights if he stays strictly in one division. Golovkin needs to be able to chase down fights in at least three divisions at a time if he wants to become a star in a short period of time.

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