Boxing
Joshua reluctantly praises Dubois
Published
3 months agoon
Anthony Joshua reluctantly praised Daniel Dubois in an interview today, saying he had had further chances after defeats.
A sense of superiority
There’s a sense that Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) believes himself to be better than Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), even though the tables have turned on their careers when Daniel, the IBF heavyweight champion, and AJ, the challenger, square off in the main event on September 21 at Wembley Stadium in London.
Dubois is the underdog for this fight, but many believe that if she makes it that far, she could wear down the 34-year-old Joshua and knock him out in the later rounds.
AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn has brought him back to form by offering him four carefully selected opponents following his second loss to Oleksandr Usyk on August 20, 2022.
Manufactured success
Hearn matched Joshua with these four fighters to rebuild him mentally:
-Francis Ngannou
-Otto Wallin
—Robert Helenius
-Jermaine Franklin
Joshua didn’t look impressive against Franklin and Helenius. However, AJ looked good in his last two fights against Wallin and Ngannou, but those were steps down the competition.
Hearn may have realized that Joshua needed less opposition to impress after struggling with Helenius and Franklin, so he wisely chose newcomer Francis Ngannou and 34-year-old Wallin to make Joshua look fresh.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough night of work. It’s just Daniel Dubois. I said it at the press conference table. It could have been anyone,” Anthony Joshua told DAZN Boxing YouTube channel. “Daniel worked tough to get there, so be it.”
“A tough night’s work” is an understatement for Joshua. There’s a mighty possibility he’ll lose to Dubois, which puts the soon-to-be 35-year-old Joshua in a tough spot where he has to decide whether to take a rematch or move on from his defeat and face Tyson Fury.
The ancient Joshua would try to avenge his defeat, but he may not do so because it’s now or never with Fury, who at 36 is showing signs of being too much. If Joshua doesn’t fight Fury now, it may be too behind schedule if he waits until he gets beaten again after his rematch with Usyk on December 21.
This will likely end badly for Fury unless he wins by controversial decision like we saw in his fight with Ngannou. If we call this a loss, Fury is 0-2 in his last two fights heading into retirement.
“Were you surprised by the speed with which Dubois got there?” Ade Oladipo said of Dubois’ rapid turnaround over the past two years, fighting Oleksandr Usyk, Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic.
“Yeah,” Joshua said. “They believe in him. That’s why they keep giving him these opportunities,” Joshua said of Dubois. “Someone out there believes in him, and he keeps getting opportunity after opportunity. It reminds me of Frank Bruno. He had opportunity after opportunity to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world. Sooner or later, he got it.”
Joshua does not mention that Dubois’s fight with Usyk on August 26, 2023, was controversial. He should have been knocked out in the fifth round after he was floored with a body blow that the referee ruled a low blow. Replays showed the blow was on the belt line of Usyk’s boxers, which were pulled up almost to his chest, almost as high as Fury wears his.
“You were ringside for the Hrgovic fight. So you saw it up close. How impressive was that performance against a guy who was fighting a guy, Hrgovic, who everyone at the time was saying was in the top six or seven heavyweights?” Ade said.
“I went to the fight and watched it, and like you said, Hrgovic was a bogeyman. People respected him. He fought well, but it wasn’t good enough,” Joshua said. “There were times in the fight when the balance was tilted in Daniel’s favor and Hrgovic’s favor. I was like, ‘This is a good fight.’”
“I saw Daniel start to wobble, and that was because of his fitness. He was able to break through wall after wall. After a while, Hrgovic was unable to break through wall after wall.
“If it wasn’t for those wounds, I felt like Daniel would have pulled him out at some point,” Joshua said.
Dubois wore Hrgovic down with his pressure, and after the fourth round, the fight wasn’t as competitive. Hrgovic looked tired and beaten from the fifth round on, and it was obvious that Dubois would knock him out.
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Boxing
The fight between Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel will take place on December 14 at the Toyota Arena
Published
38 minutes agoon
November 23, 2024In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).
The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”
Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.
“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.
Boxing
George Kambosos moves up to 140, adds Eddie Hearn to team
Published
18 hours agoon
November 23, 2024Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
Boxing
Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul
Published
2 days agoon
November 21, 2024One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
The fight between Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel will take place on December 14 at the Toyota Arena
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