Interviews
EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Blenda Dos Santos
Published
3 months agoon
By
J. Humza“You can’t leave your cell, you can’t eat whatever you want, you can’t do anything, and when that moment happens in your life, it teaches you a lot, and it taught me that I can do better things than sleep in a cell with murderers.”
On May 15, at the AO Arena in Manchester, an undisclosed number, Daniel Blenda Dos Santos, will enter the ring to face British fan favorite Joshua Buatsi.
Dos Santos is not a familiar name to British boxing fans, but the man’s story is inspiring. When asked to inform the public about his origins, his initial answer was plain:
“I have been a professional player since 2016. I previously served in the French army for three years and was also in prison for three and a half years,” the lightweight heavyweight fighter told proboxing-fans.com.
Just two sentences and so many unanswered questions. Digging further, the Frenchman continued.
“I’ve had a lot of trouble in my life. I’m not a celebrated athlete, many people don’t know me, but I’m developing in this sport. I dedicate myself 100% to my work and I hope that this fight will be a chance for me to be a real professional fighter.”
Throughout our conversation on Matchroom Boxing media Zoom, Dos Santos claimed he wanted to become a “real professional fighter,” by which he meant a full-time athlete.
The Army was the catalyst for “Panthere”‘s boxing career after he served his country.
“I was in the French national team for three years, it was a great experience.
“The army was like a modern life for me because I come from northern France and in this place it’s very hard not to get into trouble, and I’ve had problems since I was a child.
“The military really saved my life.”
However, neither the army nor boxing provided enough discipline to spare the 30-year-old a prison sentence.
“I wasn’t in gigantic trouble, I was in trouble, yes, but I didn’t commit any crime. I was just a guy from the ghetto who did bad things.
“I wasn’t a gangster at that point, so I made the decision to join the army to have a good path. Unfortunately for me, after three years of military service in my ghetto, very gigantic problems arose and they put me in prison.
“After that moment my life changed, I felt really bad, I made gigantic mistakes in my life and thank God boxing changed my life and I retired from the streets.”
After leaving prison, Dos Santos devoted his life to the sport of boxing. I was intrigued by what made me leave the streets and what did Daniel learn from his time in prison?
“First of all, be a nice guy, because prison in France is hard. You can’t leave your cell, you can’t eat what you want, you can’t do nothing, and when that moment happens in your life, it teaches you a lot, and it taught me that I can do better things than sleep in cells with murderers.
“I was also a bad guy because I was in prison with those guys, so I was a bad guy too, and at that moment I realized I didn’t want to be that guy anymore.
“I can do more than just stay in a cell or be a bad guy or go to jail. This is not good for me and my family.”
Daniel feels that he was a product of his environment blaming the “ghetto” and “streets” for his time in prison.
“Because of where I come from, where I come from. Where I come from is a hard city, a really hard city. Lots of drug dealers, people robbing banks, killing people, really tough town.
“When I decided to leave the ghetto and join the army, some people saw me as a traitor and put me in history when I wasn’t in it, and that history put me in prison.
“I went back to my street, did some bad things and then spent three and a half years in prison. But this is life. Many bad choices have put me in this situation, but from the bottom of my heart I would not want to do such things.
Dos Santos described boxing as “strenuous but fun,” while for him the key to success in life is the army. A man who clearly takes pride in serving his country.
“For me it’s the army. The army really changed my life. The army is the best thing that can happen to you in life because you are fighting for your country. You can die for your country. You can kill for your country if war breaks out.
“For me, the army is one of the best things that happened to me in my life.”
On this Saturday night, his chances of victory have already been taken away from the French fighter by the boxing fraternity, but it is a chance that offers more than just victory for Daniel Blenda Dos Santos.
“For me it’s a lot of things… like I said, before I got into trouble, I made a lot of bad choices. I got out of prison and changed my life 100%, I started a family, I have two handsome children, I have a handsome wife, I live near Paris, near my ghetto.
“This fight shows that if you want to change your life, you can do it, because then I can do whatever I want if I win.
“If I have a great performance, it will mean everything. After this fight, I can be a real professional fighter and people will say: “this guy deserves to be in the first place in the hardest fights” – that’s what I’m counting on.
“I’m here and I’m grateful for the promotions at Matchroom, to all my team who put me here and helped me when I was low, and now will support me be a better person in a better place.”
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Interviews
Sandy Ryan vs Mikaela Mayer – results and post-fight report
Published
7 hours agoon
September 28, 2024Mikaela Mayer became the up-to-date WBO welterweight champion at Madison Square Garden in Novel York after winning a majority decision to dethrone Sandy Ryan in the Huge Apple.
Derby-born Ryan (7-2-1, KO3) won the vacant belt after scoring a massive points win over Marie Pier Houle in Cardiff last April, with the latter being eliminated in March, forcing Terri Harper to withdraw after four rounds in Sheffield . Mayer (20-2, KO5) entered this fight as a former unified super featherweight world champion, but was coming off a setback that unfortunately left her on the wrong side of a razor-thin split loss to IBF champion Natasha Jonas in January.
There was drama earlier when Ryan was covered in the paint by an unknown assailant, but the fight continued nonetheless and Mayer started well, rocking Ryan momentarily with a solid right hand in the opening throw. She also enjoyed a powerful second half, and although Ryan came alive in the third round with body shots, the American was generally the better of the first half thanks to her combinations and movement.
Throwing caution to the wind 👊#RyanMayer | JOIN @ESPN pic.twitter.com/dtqBiPmK97
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) September 28, 2024
The champion began to climb into the fight in the second half, in the sixth half she knocked Mayer’s head back with a brilliant left hook, and after Mayer burned energy fending her off in round seven, Ryan took full advantage, landing massive hooks to further drain the American’s energy in the eighth round, and both men discharge at the end of the round. The final two rounds were high octane, but both refused to move, with Mayer landing a solid combination in the final round that Ryan took well as the fight went in favor.
The 95-95 card was overturned by scores of 97-93 and 96-94 in Mayer’s favor and she was declared the up-to-date champion.
Xander Zayas (20-0, KO12) dominated the defense of his NABF and WBO NABO super welterweight titles, winning every round ten on all three scorecards against Damian Sosa (25-3, KO12).
LATIN CO-MAIN DID NOT DISAPPOINT 🫡@TwistedTea | #RyanMayer pic.twitter.com/6Ht89rzuLt
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) September 28, 2024
Featherweight prospect Bruce Carrington (13-0, KO8) had his fight extended by Sulaiman Segawa (17-5-1, KO6) and went home with the WBC Silver, WBO Intercontinental and NABF featherweight belts after a majority decision victory. Carrington issued two verdicts of 97-93, and the third card resulted in a draw of 95-95.
In the super lightweight division, Elvis Rodriguez (17-1-1, KO13) dominated in a ten-round victory over Kendo Castaneda (21-7, KO9). Rodriguez won all ten rounds on two scorecards, with the third giving him a 99-91 victory.
In the only fight that ended earlier, Rohan Polanco (14-0, KO9) defeated Marcelino Nicolas Lopez (37-5-1, KO22) in the sixth round of their super lightweight fight.
🥊 Marcelino Nino López 🇦🇷 peleó at Madison Square Garden, lamentamentamente cayó KOT6 in front of Rohan Polanco 🇩🇴. pic.twitter.com/JAuwe5i7YT
— Cristian Brossy 🎙️ (@CristianHB77) September 28, 2024
Super welterweight hope Vito Mielnicki Jr (20-1, KO12) was the next winner on the cards, but had to settle for a majority nod over Khalil El Harraz (16-6-1, KO2). One of the judges somehow ended the fight with a draw 95:95, while the others scored 100:90 and 98:92 in favor of Mielnicki.
In eight rounds, Delante Johnson (14-0, KO6) won the lightweight fight against Yomar Alamo (22-3-1, KO13). Johnson had two judges give it 78-74, with a third scoring it 77-75. Bantamweight hopeful Floyd Diaz (13-0, KO3) also won on the cards against Mario Hernandez (12-5-1, KO4).
With just six rounds on the card, Ali Feliz (3-0, KO2) could inflict his first defeat against Orlando Rashad Coulter (5-4, KO3) in the heavyweight division.
Former world champion David Benavidez shed airy on who he will fight next.
Benavidez has become one of the sport’s biggest stars over the past few years, with fans clamoring for a fight between him and Canelo Alvarez.
Unfortunately for the boxing world, the unified super middleweight champion, Alvarez, is reluctant to step into the ring with the “Mexican Monster,” who has decided to move up to airy heavyweight in pursuit of gigantic fights.
The most tempting fights include the fight with the talented Cuban David Morrell, who made his debut at 175 pounds in July.
There was excitement Wednesday after Benavidez announced on social media that a fight with Morrell could be next.
“I’m preparing something gigantic for you guys for my next fight. Wait for further information. If everything goes well and he agrees, I fight Morrell next.”
However, fans were disappointed today when the 27-year-old announced that talks had broken down and he would fight Jesse Hart next, not Morrell.
“I’ll fight Jesse Hart next, not Morrell. But Morrell is a future opponent.”
Although Hart is a two-time world title challenger, he has been most effective as a super middleweight, and at age 35, his best days are likely far behind him.
“Challenging Work” has five wins following a split decision loss to Joe Smith Jr in 2020, although their level is low and Benavidez represents giant improvement.
David Benavidez said reports about his potential next fight with David Morrell are not true, and he will face Jesse Hart in December.
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBenson) September 26, 2024
The Phoenix-born pressure fighter will be the clear favorite against Hart and will want to emulate him wide decision victory over former light heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in April.
However, he will likely share fans’ frustration that he will have to wait until at least 2025 to secure the mega fight that has long eluded him.
There has been no official announcement regarding the Benavidez vs. Hart fight, but it is expected to happen in December.
On Friday night at York Hall, in a bizarre family celebration, former world champion Charlie Edwards attempts to win the European bantamweight title from champion Thomas Essomby, whose manager is Charlie’s younger brother Clear.
Wasserman promotes the Edwards vs Essomba fight as Channel 5 broadcasts it live in the UK.
Edwards’ (19-1, 7 KO) stock has been in decline in recent years, despite the Croydon fighter continuing his unbeaten streak, which has stretched to 11 fights since making a belated shot at a world title in 2016, when he was stopped by IBF flyweight champion John Riel Casimero in a thrilling display at the O2 Arena. Edwards has reset and learnt his craft, and in December 2018 he won the WBC flyweight title with a stunning points victory over Cristofer Rosales.
Edwards defended himself once, against a controversial no contest with Julio Cesar Martinez forced a change in weight.
Since then, “The Eagle” has boxed just four times in four years, all against lowly opposition, and was last seen in April when he scored a wide points victory over Georges Ory to win the vacant WBC International silver bantamweight title.
He will face a tough and experienced champion in Essomba (13-8-1, 4 KOs), a former Olympian who has never been afraid to travel and take risky opportunities. Born in Cameroon and now based in Sheffield, Essomba has an impressive list of opponents and despite eight defeats to his name, he has performed well each time, not being stopped by Lee McGregor until the 12th, final round in 2018.
He also worked with Clear Edwards, who lost on points in 2020. In May last year he travelled to Italy and won the European title by defeating Alessio Lorusso, then defended in his adopted Sheffield in February, taking a split decision against Elie Konki.
Prediction: Edwards starts out as the clear favorite in this one, and understandably so. Essomba will test him, but once Edwards gets through a tough first few rounds, he could take control and secure a wide enough victory to become the recent champion.
Wasserman’s prospects and tantalizing domestic clashes fill the bill
The undercard is only up in the eighth round as Germaine Brown (13-3, 4 KOs) takes on Grant Dennis (18-7, 3 KOs). Brown has lost twice in the English title fight, after decent performances against Zak Chellie and Mark Jeffers, while Dennis has lost four of his last five matches, including two on the schedule. Brown could do so on the break.
In six rounds, super lightweight newcomer Jesse Brandon (4-0, 1 KO) could go the distance for the first time with a unanimous decision over Miguel Angel Nunez (4-10, 1 KO). In the middleweight division, Joel Bartell (6-1, 3 KO) could rebound from his loss to Jordan Reynolds with a unanimous decision over Nikolas Dzurnak (7-7-2, 6 KO).
Lightweight prospect Brandon Olbrechts (6-0, 2 KOs) could also go the distance against Brayan Mairena (15-46-1, 9 KOs), while super lightweight Hannah Robinson (1-0, 0 KOs) should also triumph on the judge’s scorecard against Laura Reoyo (2-1, 0 KOs).
Atomic @Tomwelland04 can let go of hands 🧨
He hopes to break his professional record of 6-0 at York Hall on September 27th 👀@Ladbrokes | @SauerlandBros | #EssombaEdwards pic.twitter.com/cE6O9HEo5U
— Wasserman Boxing (@WassermanBoxing) August 15, 2024
The four-round fight will be headlined by the popular Tom Welland (5-0, 2 KOs), and the featherweight should emerge victorious on points against Darwing Martinez (8-23-2, 6 KOs), while Danny Boardman (1-0, 0 KOs) should do the same, also in the featherweight division against Yin Caicedo (10-21-4, 4 KOs).
Ryan claims a member of Mayer’s camp was responsible for the paint attack
“Ryan Garcia destroyed Devin Haney’s image,” says Teofimo Lopez Sr
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