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TRAINING FOOTAGE
Tomasz "Goral" Adamek
IS THE NEW
WBC Light Heavyweight Champion
In a fight being hailed as an early candidate for fight of the year, Goral beat former OPBF Light Heavyweight and Australia Light Heavyweight Champion Paul "Hurricane" Briggs in a brawl of epic proportions on the under card of the Brewster vs Golota fight card for the belt vacated by Antonio Tarver who ditched it in-order to fight Glen Johnson.
The fight degenerated into a blood fest when an accidental head butt opened up the face of Paul Briggs who retaliated by punching Adamek's eye shut. The fight was a ding dong battle as both guys unloaded against each trying to knockout each other out, the were unfortunately unable to do so and the judges stepped in scoring it 114-114, 115-113 and 117-113 in favor of a the Goral.
Long Live the New Champ
Brewster Versus Golota Fight Analysis
On May 21 2005, Andrew "The Foul Pole" Golota challenges Lamon "Relentless" Brewster for his WBO Heavyweight Title at the United Center in Chicago on HBO.
Back on July 11 1996, a virtually unknown Andrew Golota was a punch away from scoring a career defining victory over former Undisputed Heavyweight and Ring magazine champion Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe battering him against the ropes for several rounds. He was clearly winning the fight but got disqualified for repeatedly hitting below the belt. A rematch was rescheduled and he once again dominated the fight pummeling and flailing away at Bowe who fought back on instinct firing back with heavy shots of his own. Golota began to crack under the pressure and succumbed to throwing a series of low blows that earned him a second disqualification. Bowe got old during those fights and received such a beating that he retired from the game for eight years before making a comeback in 2004, but by then the Legend of the “Foul Pole” was born.
Riding on the wave of this notoriety Golota squared off against Lennox Lewis for the WBC title; he was promptly knocked out in the very first round. Two years later in his bid to capture the NABF Heavyweight title he knocked down Michael Grant twice and seemed to be on the verge of knocking him out for good but could not close the show fast enough before Grant rebounded back with some uppercuts that discombobulated Golota enough to tell the referee he did not want to continue after rising from a knockdown in the 10th.
And who can forget his disastrous outing against Iron Mike Tyson in 2000; when he again cracked under the pressure of receiving a barrage of punches, he quit the fight shoving his furious trainer out of the way and walked out of the arena under a blistering tirade of curses from enraged fans who pelted and showered a rain of drinks on him. He banished himself from the sport of boxing for three years and it looked like he was finished and out of the game forever, but he made a comeback in 2003 and after just two successful outings against Brian Nix and Terrence Lewis he got unusually rehabilitated by legendary promoter Don King right into a title shot against Chris Byrd for the IBF Heavyweight Belt.
The world of boxing waited in muted excitement expecting to see another explosion, but Golota was different and remarkably calm. This time he traded shots with Byrd down the stretch in a very competitive fight that many ringside experts thought should have earned him the crown. The judges saw it differently and scored the bout a draw and Byrd got to keep his title.
His performance impressed Don King who maneuvered him into another title shot against John "The Quiet man" Ruiz the WBA champion. This fight was very competitive and Golota fought valiantly even scoring a knockdown, but he withered away in the championship rounds and Ruiz kept his title in a controversial decision that Golota cannot stop talking about to this day. Everyone thought he had gotten his very last shot at a title. His record now stands at thirty eight victories, five losses with one draw and Don King has now positioned him to challenge Brewster for the WBO Heavyweight Belt.
Now Brewster is a former WBO NABO and WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion who was virtually unknown until he scored an upset against former china chinned champion Wladimir "Dr Steelhammer" Klitchko for the vacant WBO belt. He persevered against the intial onslaught of the towering Ukrainian and knocked him out in the fifth round scoring an upset that shocked the boxing world, since then he has defended his title once winning a unanimous decision over Kali Meehan in 2004. A review of his resume shows victories over B class fighters like Tommy Martin and Nate Jones in his other title winning efforts, but you wonder about his pedigree when you find out that he also lost to Charles Shufford and the glass jawed Clifford “Black Rhino” Etienne earlier on in his career. To his credit he has so far amassed a record of twenty seven knockouts, and before his split decision victory over Meehan he had knocked out six opponents in a row. On May 21 he will be looking to do the same against Golota to consolidate his position in the division; this fight will be a good test of his abilities at the world class level.
This fight is a tough one to call, as both guys are fighting for their very survival. This is more especially true for The foul Pole who knows this will be his absolute last shot at a title, and if his last fights against Ruiz and Byrd are anything to go by he will come to fight and he may now have acquired the necessary skills, experience and self control to finally pull this one out of the bag, but Brewster will be most unwilling to give up his belt without a fight and he will train relentlessly to ensure that impossibility and he has vowed that "This is an opportunity for me to prove that I am the truth because the truth will set me free”. We shall see and may the best man win
WINKY BEATS TITO!
In a fight that defied all analyst predictions Ronald “Winky” Wright decisively beat three division champion Felix “Tito” Trinidad for the WBC Middleweight title elimination spot in front of a sellout crowd of screaming boxing fans at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Tito paid for violating one of the unwritten code of boxing regarding come backs, the law states that you should get back into the rhythm of the game by first fighting a couple of respectable stiffs before stepping into the ring against the active lions of the division. Tito showed complete disdain for this rule and in his very first assignment after a two and half year hiatus away from the ring he made a comeback against the dangerous slugger and just recently dethroned WBC, WBA and IBF champion Ricardo Mayorga, Tito proved the law wrong that time by inflicting a savage beating on Mayorga proving to himself that he was ready and he threw caution to the winds into accepting the dangerous Middleweight eliminator assignment against reigning unified WBA and WBC Light Middleweight Champion Winky Wright.
Either due to his one dimensional forward fighting style or Wrights southpaw stance, Trinidad was simply unable to get past Winky accurate jab, or his ear tight ear muff defense. When Tito managed to get on the inside, he was unable to connect with his vaunted left hook or with any of the wild power shots we have come to expect from him. The world of boxing waited in vain see him put together a combination of shots to end the fight as dramatically as the Corrales versus Castillo fight of about a week ago, but it never came.
Winky on the other hand followed his game plan and landed 262 punches, connecting virtually at will with his jab snapping back Tito head and drawing blood from his nose as early as the second round. He dominated every single round showing true ring generalship with an impenetrable defense that had Tito landing only 58 punches throughout the fight. The three judges concurred with his performance and awarded final scores of 120-107, 119-108 and 119-108 all in favor of Winky Wright. With this performance you have to wonder about Trinidad’s future because he did worse than Sugar Shane against Winky, for now the coast looks temporarily bleak as he considers his possibilities.
On the other hand, Winky has now gone undefeated in ten straight fights and he has finally earned our respect and will never be underestimated ever again. But he still has his work cut out for him as he is now the mandatory and universally recognized challenger to the winner of the Bernard Hopkins versus Jermain Taylor unified Middleweight Title clash - True greatness lies in destroying that winner.
Stay Tuned.
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ZZab Zaps Cosme
Rivera
By Jim Amato
Zab Judah may have been looking ahead to a possible match with Oscar De La Hoya in September but he sure took care of business last night. In one of his best career performances Zab destroyed Cosme Rivera in the third round.
Although Rivera came in with a high ranking, it was not the consensus that he would dethrone Zab. It was the way Judah won that was impressive. Zab had Cosme down twice in the first and when he dropped Cosme again in third, referee Joe Cortez had seen enough. The time was 2:11.
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By Michael Amakor
Away from the spotlight in far away Germany,
"The Beast from the East"
Nicolay Valuev
Defended his WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight crown against former NABF Heavyweight Champion Clifford "The Black Rhino" Etienne by knocking him out in the third round.
The beast from the East is a grizzly haired seven foot giant who has already knocked out Attila Levin, and Gerald Nobles. He is now scheduled to fight former WBO Heavyweight Champion "Henry Akinwande in July. If he gets through that fight it would be great to see a battle between giants against any of the Klitchko brothers in a bout labeled
"The Russians to invade the Ukraine"
Watch Out
*************************************************************************
Byrd To Defend I.B.F Title ; Lyakhovich Will Challenge
By Jim Amato
I.B.F. heavyweight champion Chris Byrd will put his portion of the title on the line against once beaten Serguei Lyakhovich. The bout will be on the July 23rd Madison Square Garden card also featuring a W.B.C heavyweight eliminator between former champion Hassim Rahman and the talented Monte Barrett.
There was speculation that Byrd was going to face James Toney after James was judged the winner over W.B.A. titleholder John Ruiz. Now in light of charges that Toney had illegal drugs in his system the W.B.A. has ruled the bout as a No Contest. In all likelihood the title will revert back to Ruiz and Toney will draw a stiff suspension. With Byrd now tied up Ruiz may face the winner of the upcoming W.B.O. title clash between Lamon Brewster and challenger Andrew Golota.
Another option may be for Ruiz to meet the winner of Byrd and Lyakhovich. Also undefeated Calvin Brock, fresh off his win over Jameel McCline has to be considered a viable contender.
As far as Lyakhovich challenging Byrd...Serguei is 22-1 with 14 knockouts. He's a big strong guy that can take a good shot. He was hit hard on more then one occasion in his victory over Dominick Guinn and stood up well. Guinn's got some power. Ask Michael Grant who was creamed by Dominick. Serguei also packs a pretty good wallop as he hurt Guinn several times during their bruising battle.
I recently talked with re-known trainer Kenny Weldon who is associated with Lyakhovich. Ken is real high on this kid. That tells me a lot.
Byrd is a hard guy to fight with that style of his and he's tough too. He stands up under punishment a lot better then he is given credit for. To beat Byrd you have to pressure him. You have to walk him down, cut off the ring and force him in to exchanges. You can not let him dance and pick his spots. If you do he'll make a fool out of you.
I'm sure Lyakhovich will come in with a plan of attack designed to take Byrd out of his game plan. If Serguei can enforce his will on Chris, this could be a very interesting fight.
TITO VERSUS WINKY FIGHT ANALYSIS
By Michael Amakor
On May 14, NABC Middleweight champion Felix "Tito" Trinidad challenges Ronald “Winky” Wright at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nevada for Winky's WBC and WBA Light Middleweight Titles.
Tito is a boxing legend who seized the IBF Welterweight title back in 1993 by stopping Maurice Blocker in just two rounds, He defended that belt thirteen times before annexing the WBC title from Oscar De la Hoya. He stepped up in weight after that victory and seized the WBA Light Middleweight title from defending champion David Reid, and once again annexed the IBF version from another defending champion "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas. And in a move that had the boxing world whopping in absolute delight he again stepped up in weight and destroyed William Joppy in four furious rounds for the WBA Middleweight title.
Unfortunately his undefeated run was cut short when he suffered an eleventh round technical knockout stoppage at the hands of ring legend and long time defending champion Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins in the final Middleweight Unification bout in 2002. He fought one more after that loss stopping Hassine Cheriffe in four rounds before retiring from boxing in disgust, over his in-ability to get a rematch with the Executioner or any of the other pugilists out there, who may have been ducking him. By then he had amassed a record of fourty one wins including thirty five knockouts with only one defeat.
He bid his time quietly for two and a half years before deciding on making a bold and courageous comeback against the loud mouthed, trash talking former WBA and WBC Welterweight Champion Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga in his very first fight from retirement,
Fighters on the comeback trail usually take a couple of tune up fights before stepping into the ring against the lions of the division. Taking that fight was a blatant display of arrogance and a gross disregard for the silent unwritten rules of the sweat science. Trinidad thought differently about those rules and inflicted a most savage beating on El Matador stopping him in the eight round of a scheduled twelve round fight. He annexed the NABC Middleweight Title in the process signaling to the world that he was back and on the war path. His immediate focus was to obtain a rematch against old nemesis Bernard Hopkins to settle the score, but before that he needed a respectable win to gain some credibility and to prepare him for that daunting task.
Now his scheduled opponent Winky Wright is a solid Light Middleweight Champion, who has stayed active in the game battling in near obscurity before gaining some publicity by twice holding back the challenge to his supremacy of the light middleweight division by decisioning Sugar Shane Mosley for twenty four furious rounds. He also has a respectable resume which has included annexing the NABF, WBO, USBA, IBF, WBC and WBA titles along the way. The three losses on his record were against ring savvy veterans: Julio Cesar Vasquez, Harry Simon and Fernando Vargas whom he each battled for twelve rounds losing controversial decisions. He is no joke and while he does not possess knockout power he squares up right in front of you taking all you can give as he pressures you into eventual submission. He has remained a recognized belt holder champ since 2000 pilling an impressive list of defenses against Bronco Mckart, Keith Mullings, Robert Frazier and Juan Carlos Candelo.
Analyzing this fight will be extremely difficult as the share no common opponent in distant memory. You may be inclined to give Winky the edge due to his longevity and tenure in the Light Middleweight Division, but then you cannot discount Tito’s confidence, his two fisted power punching ability or the ferocity he displayed against Mayorga, and when you take into account that he has rested and healed his body while Wright absorbed bone wearying punishment in numerous twelve round decisions you may go for Tito instead.
Expect fireworks as no man will back down, each man is fighting for greatness and boxing immortality; Winky craves the adolation and super star status that he feels has eluded him for so long while an incensed Trinidad is on a mission to reclaim his former titles, the honor and the glory that once belonged to him and now scattered amongst a gang rogue usurpers.
May the best man Win
See Trinidad vs Mayorga Analysis Tale of the Tape
************************************
TONEY CAMP RELEASES A STATEMENT
Issued on May 11, 2005
James Toney has fought many fights in his career, but the one apparently facing him now is one that disturbs and revolts him like no other opponent could ever do. "Being accused of taking performance enchancing substances is an insult to me. I don't do drugs period," Toney stated. "I've never used any illegal substances to prepare myself for a fight." Toney's body doesn't reflect a fighter taking mass muscle substances, nor would anyone in their right mind be taking any banned substances, while knowingly and willingly giving urine samples. Toney's weight loss was substantial from the day the fight was announced to the event, totally inconsistent with the signs of an athlete using substances to add muscle mass. "Toney received medical treatment for recovery from his biceps and triceps surgery last year. His doctor has stated that the combination of medications used to control the inflammation and tissue growth caused the positive test result," stated Dan Goossen, Toney's promoter. "This is further supported, since the body, in combination with the medications, naturally create the form of substance ("Nandrolone") reflected in the test results." Goossen further stated, "It would be unjust for the sport to reprimand a fighter who was under a doctor's care and direction many months before in healing a career threatening injury."
***************************************************************
By Jim Amato
This to me is utterly unbelievable. James Toney who gave the limited John Ruiz a boxing lesson and lifted the W.B.A. title off of Ruiz has already lost a title he never really won. There is a strong indication that James Toney used an illegal performance enhancer. With this being the case the W.B.A ruled the bout a no contest.
What that means folks is that the whipping Toney gave Ruiz NEVER happened. That's BULLS---, but that's the rules. Rules are rules and if Toney can not beat these charges then in all fairness the title should go back Ruiz.
This to me is utterly unbelievable. James Toney who gave the limited John Ruiz a boxing lesson and lifted the W.B.A. title off of Ruiz has already lost a title he never really won. There is a strong indication that James Toney used an illegal performance enhancer. With this being the case the W.B.A ruled the bout a no contest.
What that means folks is that the whipping Toney gave Ruiz NEVER happened. That's BULLS---, but that's the rules. Rules are rules and if Toney can not beat these charges then in all fairness the title should go back Ruiz.
**********************************************************************
Ruiz To Return...What's Next ?
By Jim Amato
After James Toney defeated John Ruiz the dethroned Ruiz announced his retirement from boxing. My feelings were that is was a good time for John. He was the classic overachiever and it's a good guess that he has a pretty size able bank account. Why continue ?
Well evidently John had a change of heart and he has now un-retired. I can not say that I am surprised. His decision was hasty and it was made after losing his title. It was basically his frustration that led him to make a rash decision.
The question now is, where does John go from here ? I don't think the public will buy Toney-Ruiz II. My guess is he'll be matched with the winner of the W.B.O title bout between Lamon Brewster and Andrew Golota. Ruiz has some past history with Golota. If Brewster beats Golota to retain his title then that will add to his credibility. So would a victory over Ruiz.
What I would like to see is John take on David Tua. That one round blowout loss to Tua has been a thorn in John's side for years. Tua is on the comeback trail now and his reviews have not been pretty. Now would be a good time to tackle Tua and try to erase the stigma of that horrid setback. If Tua wins, that would be a huge boost to David's comeback hopes.
If not Ruiz-Tua II how about Ruiz-Tyson ? I always felt that Ruiz was made for Tyson. The last thing you lose is your punch. His legs and his reflexes have slowed but he still packs a wallop. He won't have to chase John because Ruiz would be right there in front of him. If Tyson gets by Kevin McBride, I think Tyson-Ruiz would actually sell some tickets. Could be interesting but I doubt if we'll ever see it.
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By Frank Maloney
In England a couple of weekends ago we had two fight cards which I believe will serve to demonstrate why the sport of boxing will never go away despite any rough spots we are currently experiencing.
On that weekend in London, there were two British Southern Area title fights on separate shows. The first was televised on Sky Sports and was full of promising young fighters. There weren't any real headliners on the show, only the son of former world middleweight champion Alan Minter. Young Ross Minter stepped up and topped a bill for his first time in his career, challenging Chas Symonds, who held the Southern Area Welterweight belt. What a fight it turned out to be with the kind of fantastic atmosphere one doesn't find all too often these days. For me, it was a reminder of what we used to see at Shoreditch Town Hall, which is no longer standing, sadly.
Back to the fight, the venue was standing room only and the fans were on their feet from the first contest to the last, an electrifying experience. If Americans had the opportunity to have seen this fight, they would have been reminded of the legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia.
The fight itself was a very emotional one with Alan Minter sitting ringside to see his son contend for his first professional title and Ross didn't disappoint, pulling off a truly mature performance.
The contest had some personal significance for me, as I'm actually the co-manager of Ross Minter and I was in his corner while my brother Eugene Maloney was in the opposite corner with his fighter Chas Symonds.
The reigning champion made a flashy showman's entrance into the arena but Symonds looked to me to be focused more on delivering entertainment with his ring walk than he did on getting down to business of boxing. At the end of the day, we all know that both audiences in attendance and television viewers like to be entertained with such but to pull it off, you must also be able to fight.
We kept Ross cool and calm, with his back turned to the antics of Chas Symond's ring entrance. When the bell rang, however, Minter's class came through. Symonds made him look like Sugar Ray Leonard, as Ross could do no wrong.
I know Chas Symonds because he works out of the Maloney Fight Factory and I do believe that he's a much better fighter than his performance showed. I think that he got caught up in his own publicity and made the mistake of believing that he only had to turn up at the venue in order to win the fight.
But, we will see what sort of fighter he is because all good fighters come back from a loss. I'm hoping that my brother and the Symonds Team can come back because boxing needs characters like Chas.
Ross Minter is still a long way off from what his father achieved but he's certainly improved and is learning as a professional. Don't be surprised if his promoter Sports Network announces that Ross' night fight will be another step up and maybe even for another title.
The second good card that weekend in London took place on a Saturday night and it was another British Southern Area title fight. This time the action took place on the East Side of the city and it was between Peter McDonaugh and Rob Jefferies. Rob, who is in my brother's stable, was the challenger and stepping up to championship level after only nine bouts.
Once again the fight was first class and fought with a great competitive spirit with both men wanting to win very badly. Thankfully, Jefferies put on a great performance and won the bout convincingly on the referee's card. Some ringside viewers disagreed with the decision but I must go along with the referee. I had Jefferies two rounds ahead as he was the aggressor and took the fight to McDonaugh at all times. McDonaugh had tried to box off the back foot and was flicking left jabs, which missed more than they scored. Jefferies worked well to the body before switching his attack to the head.
Rob went ten rounds for the first time and proved he had what it took to take a title away from a determined foe. From here he'll l go on to bigger things and I know that he has his eye on my English champion, Danny Hunt.
I'm still trying to work out if my brother has ever scored a win over me. Well, he did handle Matthew Barney when the Plymouth man took my fighter Tony Oakey's WBU Light Heavyweight title away.I have to say that was one of the worst fights ever staged in a British ring and honestly, I would love to forget all about it. Incidentally, Barney isn't with Eugene anymore because he didn't like some of the realities of what my brother had to say to him after that fight and they parted company.
Something else the weekend in question shows is the crazy world of boxing. Early that Friday night Eugene was on a high with a champion in Chas Symonds but by midnight he was depressed as Minter took that title away. On Saturday night Eugene was back on a high because Rob Jefferies had won a Southern Area title at a different weight. This sort of up and down roller coaster can only happen in professional boxing.
For all of these reasons that I've outlined, the people who say that this sport is in trouble should get off of their armchairs and go see these small hall shows that often don't make television because every fight is like an English Cup final.
This is why I believe that boxing will never die. It's because there are young fighters who believe that they will get to the top and give their all on these types of shows.
This weekend I went across the Atlantic and America to Las Vegas to see what turned out to be perhaps one of the greatest fights ever, Diego Corrales against Jose Luis Castillo. Soon, I'll give the view of an English fight fan in the boxing capital of the world, Las Vegas, as I went there purely as a spectator, not working as I did many times when managing Lennox Lewis.
Speaking of America, it seemed that the last big fight weekend there turned out to be disappointing, with the Toney - Ruiz fiasco in Madison Square Garden. Once again the heavyweight division is in turmoil with no one knowing just who is the real successor to Lennox Lewis. and the belts continue to be divided. This is not good for boxing, as it is always better to have a single dominant heavyweight champion.
Concerning James Toney, I remember being ringside in Rio de Janeiro one night when Montell Griffin beat him. I scratch my head now wondering how the same man can now win a heavyweight title. If Vitali Klitschko gets the chance to meet Toney in the ring, I believe he would be too big and too strong for the man who first won a world title at middleweight.
By Michael Amakor
In an early candidate for fight of the year, WBO Lightweight Champion Diego Corrales scored a technical kayo over two time champion Jose Luis Castillo in the 10th round seizing his WBC Lightweight belt to become the unified Champion of the Lightweight Division.
In front of a packed arena at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, both guys went to action immediately, each refusing to back down as the tested their wills and skills escalating the fight into a slugfest of monumental proportions. What made the fight exciting was that both champions got stronger as the rounds ticked by even after absorbing tremendous punishment. The forced you to give up trying to score each round, and compelled you, to instead, focus on enjoying their spectacular display of Boxing skills.
Referee Tony Weeks, allowed the
action to go on uninterrupted, as both fighters exchanged devastating left
hooks, uppercuts, and body shots aiming to
wear down his opponent. By the end of the sixth round Corrales left eye
was almost swollen shut from the barrage of head shots, but he fought on
courageously. Corrales tried to take advantage of his his one eyed
opponent and walked into a flurry of shots that wobbled him at the end of
the seventh round.
A mouth piece was sent flying from Corrales mouth in the eight round as the ding dong battle continued unabated. The fight got unbelievably intense as both fighters became extremely heavy handed digging into each other in a war of attrition that accelerated to flurries near the end of each round.
All of a sudden the slugfest came to a head in the tenth round as Castillo, exploded with a left hook that landed right on the kisser, sending both Corrales and his mouth piece landing to the canvas. Corrales beat the count but walked into a flurry of punches that put him on the seat of his pants once again along with his mouth piece. Tony Weeks immediatly called a time out and deducted a point from Castillo for not keeping in his mouthpiece, and you could hear Corrales trainer Goosen tell him he now needed a knockout as he replaced the mouthpiece.
The
knockdowns and point deduction must have impressed on Corrales the
possibility that he could lose the fight, and he resorted to desperate
measures. He unleashed a flurry of punches that suddenly had Castillo
dazed, out on his feet and in a world of hurt unable to collect his
scattered wits as Corrales positioned him against the ropes to begin the
final flurry that would finish him off. By this time Tony Weeks; a veteran
of several championship fights had seen enough and stopped the fight in
the 2.06 minute of the tenth round.
There will always be some controversy about the stoppage which may have been premature, although after examining the tape you may agree with Weeks judgement call. However, it is now a mute point as both guys will have the chance to correct first impressions because the world of boxing has already starting beating the drums for Corrales Castillo II.
Long Live the Lightweights
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Calzaghe Marches Towards Unification
By Robin York
After an impressive 6th stoppage of old foe Mario Veit on away turf, Joe Calzaghe has moved one step closer to a unification showdown with IBF champion Jeff ‘Left Hook’ Lacy. All that remains now is for Lacy to defeat Britain’s Robin Reid in St Petersburg Florida on August 6th and the fight with the Welshman will be a done deal. But that defense against Reid could prove to be a lot harder than Lacy imagines.
Calzaghe knows first hand how good a fighter Reid is, when he was pushed all the way by the former WBC champion back in 1999. The Welshman retained his WBO title by a split decision. Lacy, despite having made 2 defenses of his title is relatively inexperienced in comparison to Reid. The American has a perfect record of 19 wins and is a big puncher with 15 KO’s. Reid has had 43 fights, 38 wins 4 losses and 1 draw. If you include the WBF, IBO and WBU world titles then Reid has been involved in, it's 15 world title bouts all told.
He has fought away from home and won before; most notably when dethroning WBC champion Vincenzo Nardiello in Italy back in 1996. He also went to Brian Magee’s backyard in Belfast and floored him 4 times on way to a unanimous points win so travelling to the US, where Reid has fought once already very early in his career, is unlikely to bother him.
Other key things to point out about the Brit is that many people felt he was robbed when he traveled to Germany to take on the then WBA/IBF champion Sven Ottke. Its always difficult to win on the road but Reid had it particularly difficult courtesy of possibly the worst referring ever seen. Ottke spent the first half of the fight looking at referee Roger Tilleman every time the challenger attacked in close and Reid was constantly warned for rule breaking despite to have done seemingly nothing wrong.
At one point Reid was even warned for punching the champion! Also Reid, it must be said, has a granite chin and has never tasted the canvas. But Reid has fallen short in some of the most important fights in his career. He lost his WBC title when he was out-boxed in a negative showing against the South African Sugarboy Malinga and the same scenario happened when he challenged Silvio Branco for the WBU strap. He cannot afford to fight like that against Lacy but despite Lacy being a big puncher, it's arguable that his bombs will have little effect on the challenger.
Lacy, the younger man at 28, will have to swarm all over Reid and try to beat him the way he out-pointed Omar Sheika in December last year, but he will likely find a much tougher fight on his hands against Reid. The IBF champion has looked ordinary during his career, especially against Donnell Wiggins before knocking him out in the 8th round in Manchester. But the general feeling is that Lacy is the hungrier fighter and one who is improving with every outing whereas Reid’s best performances seem to be behind him.
It’s a fascinating bout, but one that may have the British fight fans split on what outcome they would prefer. Many would want Reid to pull off the upset but then that destroys the appeal of a Lacy-Calzaghe showdown. A Calzaghe - Reid rematch may not have the same appeal as the latter contest and would not be considered a defining fight for the Welshman. We will have to wait patiently over the summer to see how the event will unfold but for now Joe can relax knowing his part in making the fight happen was accomplished successfully.
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Calzaghe
Stops Veit in Six
By Jim Amato
Undefeated W.B.O. Super Middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe raised his impressive record to 39-0 by halting Mario Veit at 2:18 of the sixth round. It was Calzaghe's 31st KO won.
Talk is that Jeff Lacy is up next. If not Jeff then possibly the winner of Glen Johnson-Antonio Tarver II.
At one time there was serious talk of Calzaghe moving up to 175 and challenging the then "King Of The Hill", Roy Jones Jr. That fight never materialized. I hear it's a struggle for Joe to make 168 but he might be willing to sacrifice one more time for a nice payday against Lacy. I feel this would be a mistake. Jeff is too strong and he hits too hard for Joe. Calzaghe would steal some rounds on hustle but in the end I think he would be overwhelmed by Lacy.
If Joe bypasses Lacy and calls out the winner of Johnson-Tarver, I see him having more success against Johnson. Tarver would be too big and strong plus Tarver seems to pack a better wallop then Glen. Against Johnson he would be in with a strong, rugged and determined individual who could match Joe's work rate.
Calzaghe's a good fighter. You don't get to 39-0 without some serious talent. Still Joe is on the downside of a fine career. He deserves a nice, big payday. He can get that against Lacy, Tarver or Glen Johnson. I just don't think he'll win
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The
Calzaghe UltimatumBy Michael Amakor
Showing that his first victory over Mario Veit was no fluke, Walshman Joe Calzaghe stopped Mario Veit in the sixth round, right in Germany; lesser mortals would have thought twice about fighting there, for fear of getting robbed of a decision. Roy Jones Jr may have had that fear as he refused to go to Germany to fight Darius Michalzewski. This daring is a great example of Calzaghe's courage.
Calzaghe has now amassed an undefeated record of thirty nine straight victories including thirteen defenses of his WBO Supper Middleweight Crown. He has been ranked number one in the world in that division for a few years now especially since he has blasted through former champs Chris Eubank, Charles Brewer and Byron Mitchell to name a few; an impressive record no doubt.
While his record is great it is time for him to stop amassing meaningless defenses that do little for his credibility among boxing fans. Former champs Virgil Hill and Michalzewski treaded down that path and were maligned and tossed into the dustbin after their inglorious reigns came to an even more inglorious end.
In order to seal his legacy and attain boxing immortality, he should be compelled to initiate a campaign to unify all the belts. This is even more urgent now that a full blown mutiny has gathered support personified by IBF Super Middleweight Champion Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy.
Left Hook has a mandatory fight against an unheard of opponent and hopefully after he gets through that fight, Calzaghe will have no more excuses and will be forced to decide about the gauntlet already laid down by Jeff Lacy. We will really know his championship heart then, and his promoter Frank Warren knows that too as he is claims the fight is a done deal.
Watch Out
Calzaghe Launches One Man British Invasion
By Curtis McCormick
In what may be the most dangerous chapter of his eleven year career, WBO Super Middleweight Champion Joe Calzaghe travels to Germany in order to defend his title this Saturday against mandatory challenger Mario Veit in Braunschweig. It's only the second time that Calzaghe has ever fought away from Britain and the "Pride of Wales" must contend with a tradition of dubious decisions as well as a motivated opponent bent on revenge.
Despite the fact that he's already met and disposed of this weekend's adversary a full four years ago, the longtime WBO Champion isn't taking this continental excursion lightly. "Obviously my going to Germany takes away the comfort factor for me," said Calzaghe. "Knowing how the judges can be there, I have to make sure that I win decisively. It could be tough but I'm really looking forward to it. I don't think I'll be as lucky again to knock Veit out as early as I did the first time we fought but I do think that I'll have the chance to knock him out all the same."
On April 28th 2001, Calzaghe and Veit met for the first time and the result was nothing less than spectacular. At Cardiff International Arena, the reigning champion crushed his German foe halfway into the first round and although Veit came into the contest with a spotless record of thirty wins and no losses, the man from Cottbus proved completely unable to take the fast handed southpaw's power.
Much is riding on the outcome of this spring tour of Braunschweig, as the lucrative unification matches that Calzaghe has long sought appear to be finally on the horizon. There's no shortage of possibilities for the undefeated southpaw, who has his sights pinned on three very specific scenarios. "Jeff Lacy says he fancies a fight with me and since he holds the IBF belt that would be the type of unification fight that I want," explained Calzaghe. "But I'd prefer to fight Glen Johnson or Antonio Tarver ahead of Lacy. I'd also like to fight for a title at light heavy to fulfill my goal of becoming a two-weight world champion. Even though Johnson and Tarver don't hold titles right now, I think that I'd get a lot more recognition from beating one of them, for instance, than beating Clinton Woods who holds the IBF belt at light heavy."
As much as those prospective pairings could result in the career defining victories Joe Calzaghe has long sought, that future as well as a seven year title reign will all come crashing down if he doesn't take care of business on Saturday night. "I think going to Germany will give me a bit more incentive, a bit more fire in me to put on the kind of performance that I have to," stated Calzaghe. "Because obviously my last fight was one of my worst performances and at the end of the day, I can't afford to fight like that again. If I do, then I expect to get beaten. I know that I have to be on the ball on the night and make sure I perform like I can."
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Lightweight Bragging Rights: A Smashing Worldwide British Pay Per View!
In a groundbreaking move Maloney Promotions announces for the first time ever, a British and Commonwealth double championship title clash will be televised during prime time hours in the UK and Ireland through Setanta Sports and webcasted live across the world on a pay per view basis through www.fightnight.com on participating websites.
The hotly anticipated lightweight unification matchup between British Champion Graham Earl and Commonwealth King Kevin "Bulldog" Bennett will take place on Thursday, May 12th in England's capital city of London. In all, seven bouts are on the bill and all will be shown in their entirety live on both the televised broadcast and the webcast during the action packed three-hour event.
Due to the unprecedented viewing opportunity afforded by the combination of television and global webcast, more fans than ever will watch a British or Commonwealth Championship fight as it occurs. The fight card, which takes places at the famed Elephant & Castle venue located on the mean streets of South London, boasts the pro debut of the sensational lightweight Craig Watson, who in his last amateur bout dropped Olympic Silver Medallist Amir Khan to the canvas, a British Masters Welterweight title bout between Nathan Ward and James Paisley, lightweight hot prospects Rob Jeffries and Dean Phillips along with undefeated up and comers Gary Walker and Junior MacDonald.
The highly competitive pairing of Earl and Bennett has captured the imagination of the public more than any other contest to take place on British soil so far this year and is the perfect segue leading into the mouth watering weekend of June 3rd - 4th which sees Ricky Hatton in the fight of his life versus the dangerous Kostya Tszyu and Scott Harrison square off against Michael Brodie in the biggest all British featherweight bout in years.
Frank Maloney staged the last webcast venture in Britain five years ago in conjunction with fightnight.com and drew 650,000 viewers. This time Maloney Promotions is counting on an improvement upon those numbers given the existence of over 150 million broadband users worldwide, of which 6 million of those consumers reside in Britain, a figure which is growing by 35,000 a week.
Televised coverage of Lightweight Bragging Rights is available in Britain and Ireland through Setanta pay per view on the Sky platform for 8 pounds 99 sterling. Log onto to www.setanta.com to learn more.
Webcasting will be provided through www.fightnight.com and can be seen on participating websites throughout the world for 4 pounds 99 sterling, roughly the equivalent of $9.99 in US dollars. Contact your favorite boxing website to learn more.
Maloney promotions will be planning additional pay per view events in the future in conjunction with partners Setanta and www.fightnight.com, the scope of which will be determined by the success of this initial venture.
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IS THE NEW
WBA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
By Michael Amakor
Becoming the third man to step up from the Middleweight Division and the seventh man to win a recognized title in four Weight divisions, Lights Out Toney beat John "the Quietman" Ruiz by unanimous decision with scores of 116-111 twice and 115-111 according to the three judges at ringside.
The fight was memorable for a few things, there were very few clinches by John Ruiz who dispensed with his characteristic wrestling style opting, instead, for a more crowd pleasing style as he threw a record number of punches which failed to connect against the mangoose posturing body of James Toney. He may also have been discouraged from forcing clinches due to James Toney reputation as an excellent inside fighter.
Ruiz seemed to be formidable in the first few rounds as he delivered some hard body shots against James rib cage, but Toney eventually wore him down with body shots and clean counter punches leaving the former champion exhausted in the final rounds. James scored a knockdown in the seventh round and had John hurtling into the ropes from a slippery canvas latter on in the eight round.
A distraught Ruiz who is the only Heavyweight Champion to have twice lost a belt to a blown up middleweights announced his retirement from the locker room after the fight, and even though the boxing world wanted him out you you still had to acknowledge that he did what he could but was simply outclassed by a superior boxer.
Repeatedly punctuated by remarks "I told you so" Lights Out Toney continued his well deserved trash talking claiming Ruiz was stupid and he did not know what trash can Don King found him from and he immediatly began issuing threats to the other Heavyweight Champions; Vitali Klitchko, Chris Byrd and Lamont Brewster in that order vowing to clean out the division and become the next undisputed Heavyweight Champion.
Let the Games Begin
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By Michael Amakor
Away from the spotlight on the Toney Ruiz under card, DaVarryl "Touch of Sleep" Williamson knocked out Derrick Jefferson in the second round to become the new WBO NABO and WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion.
This win elevates his stature, and he is now the 16th overall ranked Heavyweight Contender in the world according to Boxrec.Com. Williamson has forced opponents like Elicier Castillo, Dale Crowe, and former WBC Heavyweight Champion Oliver Mccall to go to sleep fighting him. He also knocked down highly touted Wladimir Klitchko and was on the verge of knocking him out for good, but in his haste he opened up a bloody gash on the flat footed giant forcing the fight to go to the score cards losing the decision.
Hopefully a few more colorful knockouts, like the one against Derrick, should position him for a title challenge down the Road.
Watch Out
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RUIZ VERSUS TONEY FIGHT ANALYSIS
By Michael Amakor
On April 30, John "The Quiet Man" Ruiz the current two time WBA Champion and former NABA, NABF and IBO Heavyweight Champion defends his title against the current WBC Continental Americas and IBA Heavyweight Heavyweight champion James "Lights Out" Toney at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Lights Out is on a mission to become the seventh man in history to step up all the way from the Middleweight Division to capture a recognized heavyweight title. His resume is as impressive as his temper tantrums, over the course of seventeen years he has amassed a record of 68 victories, 43 of them by way of Kayo suffering only 4 losses with two 2 draws. Along the way he has seized the IBF, IBO, IBC and WBU belts in the Middleweight, Super Middleweight, Cruiserweight and the Heavyweight division. He has given us some great fights with one of the most memorable being a free for all war against Vasilly Jirov in one of the best fights of 2004. A Simply Amazing Guy - and now he is trash talking about all the horrible things he is going to do to the Quietman and the world of boxing waits in terror at the havoc he could wreck.
Ruiz on the other hand has a lot to be quiet about especially after a loss in the first round to David Tua and the humiliating loss of his WBA belt to blown up Light Heavyweight Roy Jones who out jabbed him exposing his limited boxing Skills.
To his credit he has re-grouped after every disaster to surprise us with his dogged tenacity and perseverance. A closer look at his resume shows respectable victories over Nate Tubbs, Jimmy Thunder and Julius Francis, enroute to capturing the NABA, the NABF and WBA titles along the way. He has also defended his title in ugly highly unappreciated Roman greeco boxing style affairs against Kirk Johnson, Boxing legend Evander Holyfield, Hasim “The Rock”Rahman, Fres Oquendo and “The Foul Pole” “Andrew Golota.
You might not like his style but he is a rugged champion who always finds a way to win, wrestling and frustrating his opponents into submission.
This fight could be a classic war or a shadow boxing stinker because Toney likes to keep his action against the ropes accurately counter punching incomers while Ruiz on the other hand moves awkwardly and is inclined to clinch when the going gets hectic, he then smothers his opponent wearing them down as he coasts to a comfortable decision.
The two common opponents the have faced may give you an indication of how this fight might go as both guys lost their titles to Roy Jones Jr. But Toney promptly dispatched Evander Holyfield in round nine while Ruiz was unable to impose his will on Evander over 36 rounds.
In the end it may all boil down to who
wants it the most, Ruiz has remained unheralded for years as his critics
tear him apart with every performance. He will try to prove them wrong
against the smaller Toney who may be more inclined to win if only to back
up all the trash talking he has done in promoting this bout and his entire
career.
May the best man Win
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RUIZ VERSUS TONEY FIGHT PREDICTION
By Jim Amato
The Reign Of
John Ruiz Will End, It has to happen. The time has finally come. The long
and boring title tenure of John Ruiz is about to end.
On April 30th in New York's Madison Square Garden, Ruiz will take on James
Toney. The W.B.A. heavyweight title that Ruiz has held for several
unexciting years will be on the line. Except for a short period of time
after Roy Jones Jr. slapped him silly and "borrowed" the title, Ruiz has
claimed to be king. Roy decided to give up the "title" to return to the
light heavyweight division. Ruiz was able to again "reclaim" the
championship. During the time that Ruiz has claimed a piece of the
heavyweight pie has anyone really taken him seriously ? Was John ever
really acclaimed to be the best heavyweight in the world ? It is very,
very doubtful. Does anyone really think that Ruiz could have defeated
Lennox Lewis ? Vitali Klitschko ? Hell even speedy but light hitting Chris
Byrd is probably held in higher regard then Ruiz.
John Ruiz has a chance to change all the conceptions and opinions of him
come April 30th. James Toney is a former middleweight and super
middleweight champion and a long time light heavyweight contender. He also
held the cruiserweight title after defeating Vassily Jirov in a highly
entertaining bout. James cracked the heavyweight ranks by giving the great
Evander Holyfield a thrashing that "Iron" Mike Tyson could only dream of
inflicting upon Evander. Ruiz refers to Toney as a middleweight. Hey John
I got a news flash for you, Toney is a legit threat to your title.
Why do I not see Ruiz winning this fight ? Simple...He will be in with a
master boxer. A true artist of his trade. I took me years to really
appreciate the style and talent of James Toney. All I see is an awkwardly
aggressive Ruiz coming forward trying to intimidate Toney and force the
action. All he will really connect with are arms and shoulders. Meanwhile
a patient and observing Toney will see openings for his vaunted
counterpunches. In the time it takes to say "ouch", Toney will have set
the tempo for the fight. I can not see him relinquishing it.
There will be times when Ruiz will trap Toney on ropes and flail away.
James will take a few but avoid the majority of the onslaught. Toney will
then proceed to put on a counterpunching clinic. If John Ruiz is nothing
else he is courageous. He will take his punishment like a man and as the
bout continues he will be taking it in large doses. I see Toney battering
Ruiz around the ring in a later round and finally a merciful referee will
jump in to save John from further punishment and us fans from a further
Ruiz reign.
IKEKE WINS!!! By Michael Amakor
Nigeria's Kingsley "Sharp Knuckles" Ikeke is now the IBF number two ranked contender in the Middleweight Division. He achieved this feat by stopping "Kid Dynamite" Antwun Echols by TKO after the 10th round in a fight scheduled for twelve rounds
The fight was pretty much even in the first four rounds as each fighter seemed to live up to his respective moniker, but three time world recognized title challenger Echols was seemingly drained of the power that had once stopped Charles Brewer and tested Anthony Mundine in the Super Middleweight Division. It appeared that having to come down in weight for this fight seemed to much, but he managed a lively pace and showed some offensive power by taking the 5th round.
Ikeke's punches on the other had were sharp and right on target as he jabbed Echols right eye shut and went ahead to dismantle his one eyed opponent confidently assuming control of the fight in the ninth round. He pressured and harassed Echols into losing his focus and being forced to take a knee from the accumulated punishment and pain to his swollen eye in the final round.
Team Kid Dynamite was forced throw in the towel to preserve the Kid for another day and as he sat wearily in his corner he must have known that the future looked bleak as he now has six losses on his record along with the memory of failed title shots.
For Sharp Knuckles he is on the march to greatness as his record climbed to 23 wins and he could potentially be matched up against the winner of the Hopkins versus Taylor fight.
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ECHOLS VERSUS IKEKE
By Michael Amakor
On April 15th, number 17th ranked Middleweight Contender Kingsley “Sharp Knuckles” Ikeke the current NABF,NABA and WBO NABO Middleweight Champion takes on former NABF and NABA Super Middleweight Champion "Kid Dynamite" Antwun Echols at the Northern Quest Casino in Spokane Washington.
Kingsley has been a rising star in the division for the last two years albeit with victories over nondescript opposition and now he appears ready for big time competition. His choice of Kid Dynamite is a very risky gambit because not only is Echols a gifted high pressure veteran, he has only fallen short twice against Bernard Hopkins for the IBF belt and a decision loss to Anthony Mundine for the WBA Super Middleweight Belt in competitive fights
Is Sharp Knuckles ready to take on tough but perhaps battle weary Kid Dynamite, this remains to be seen and the fight is ever more important because a win for Ikeke positions him for a title shot against unified Middleweight Champion Bernard Hopkins down the road, He is already talking tough about what this fight means to him, but the kid could let loose dynamite knowing that a loss could turn him into a journey man or retire him permanently with the cows in sunny side Iowa. Besides that he does not have that much to look forward too and a third rubber match against old foe Hopkins leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
But you never know, Hopkins may get dethroned by Jermaine Taylor and the new King may decide to set an example against the number two contender to his supremacy. We shall see
This fight will be televised on ESPN2 at 8pm est/6pm pt
May the Best Man Win
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