Boxing
LARRY HOLMES AT THE MAY 11 PERFORMANCE IN TROPICANA
Published
7 months agoon
By
J. HumzaBoxing Insider Promotions brings the former heavyweight champion back to the Boardwalk
Watch our live broadcast here >>> movies.BoxingInsider.com
Very few champions in boxing history have been able to take control of a fight so well Larry Holmes. And it earned him fame, fortune and a place among the all-time heavyweight champions.
Boxing Promotions Insider he cares deeply about the history of this sport and brings professional boxing to the arena Tropicana Hotel and Casino for the first time in seven years. It also brings Holmes back, as the “Easton Assassin” makes a special appearance in the Trop living room Saturday evening (MAY 11).
The champion will be watching some of the best talent on the East Coast, including someone who will certainly be a part of the future of the heavyweight division, as undefeated (3-0) Pryce Taylor will fight Lawrence King Jr. in a four-round fight. with Rochester (2-1) in one of the more anticipated fights.
Holmes’ story is a classic depiction of a player rising from the ground up.
A native of Cuthbert, Georgia, Holmes grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania. He spent part of his early years working to assist his family and part of it in the amateur boxing ranks.
Holmes was a good amateur, but suffered an embarrassing fate at the 1972 Olympic trials: first, he was stopped by Nick Wells in the first round and then disqualified for hanging too demanding on Duane Bobick. Apparently he had to redeem himself in the professional ranks. And apparently he did.
Holmes stepped out of the spotlight professionally and struggled quite a bit in Don King’s appearances. He was also a sparring partner of many eminent heavyweight fighters, most notably Muhammad Ali. He continued to fight and continued to win. Larry posted a 26-0 record against Earnie Shavers in March 1978 in what would be the biggest test of his career to that point. He dominated Shavers, establishing himself as the top contender for heavyweight honors.
In 1978, there were changes in the heavyweight division. Leon Spinks upset Ali to win the title and a rematch was scheduled for September (which Ali won). During all this, Spinks defied the WBC, which demanded that he fight top contender Ken Norton.
So the WBC stripped Spinks of the title and retroactively awarded the title to Norton, who had previously defeated Jimmy Youthful in a title eliminator. Norton faced Holmes in a title defense and it turned out to be a thriller. The 15th round will go down in history as one of the best rounds in heavyweight history. Norton won by one point on one scorecard, while Holmes won by one point on the other two cards and took the title with him. There was still a long way to go before Bobick’s disqualification.
Holmes went on to win twenty more fights, defending both the WBC and (after a dispute with that sanctioning body) the IBF. In two of those fights – against Shavers and Renaldo Snipes – he had to get off the floor to win.
Then, of course, there was the intense megafight with Gerry Cooney, which looked like it might have ended early with Cooney being eliminated in the second round, but then became more dramatic when Cooney landed more than his fair share of punches. On the 13th, Cooney, who was tired and hit by Holmes’s sharper punches, went down and was saved by cornerman Victor Valle, ending it.
Another of these fights was painful in a different way, as Holmes punched his former sparring buddy Ali for ten rounds before the fight was stopped. In post-fight interviews, Holmes expressed how tough it was to go through the process.
With a record of 48-0, Holmes came close to breaking Rocky Marciano’s record of 49 wins without a defeat for the heavyweight champion. But Michael Spinks, who had bulked up after moving up from the delicate heavyweight division, shocked him and the boxing world with a 15-round decision. In the rematch, in the eyes of many, Holmes defeated Spinks, but he was eliminated after 15 rounds of an inconclusive verdict.
Then came other title opportunities – against Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Oliver McCall. Holmes fought well into his 40s, and in his 50s, he defeated Mike Weaver and Eric “Butterbean” Esch.
Most people don’t remember all this. What they remember is his great jab – one of the most powerful the heavyweight division has ever seen – and his willingness to fight any challenger put in front of him.
Fans attending Saturday’s fight card at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino will be treated to history as Holmes will be on hand to meet and greet patrons. And they get to see a local favorite Justin Figueroa (8-0, 6 KO) returns to Atlantic City, where he will face Antonio Armas (13-7, 8 KO) in a six-round junior middleweight fight.
Here is the current lineup of the Boxing Insider Promotions program that will take place on May 11:
8 rounds – Featherweights
JAN LEONARD (10-1-1, 4 KO), Manalapan Township, Novel Jersey vs. FRANK GONZALEZ (12-5, 6 KO), Tampa, Florida
8 rounds – welterweights
GREAT GRIFFIN (13-0, 12 KO), Chattanooga, TN vs. LESTHER ESPINO (8-5, 6 KO), Nicaragua
6 rounds – junior middleweight
JUSTIN FIGUEROA (8-0, 6 KO), Atlantic City, Novel Jersey vs. ANTONIO ARMAS (13-7, 8 KO), Venezuela
6 rounds – Jr. medium weight
DWYKE FLEMINGS (6-0, 6 KO), Paterson, Novel Jersey vs. JONATHAN HAMPTON (3-4, 1 KO), Gary, IN
4 rounds – heavyweight
PRYCE TAYLOR (3-0, 2 KO), Brooklyn, NY vs. LAWRENCE KING JR. (2-1.1 KO), Rochester, Novel York
4 rounds – middleweight
JACOB SOLIS (3-0, 3 KO), Novel York, NY vs. BRANDOON MARTINEZ (1-3, 1 KO), Tucson, Arizona
4 rounds – lightweights
KOBY WILLIAMS (professional debut), Brooklyn, NY vs. KEVIN HICKS (1-2, 1 KO), Taswell, West Virginia
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Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor is looking forward to 2025
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6 hours agoon
December 18, 2024Fighting for the first time with the full support of his promoter, Salita Promotions, undefeated Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor later said he was confident and confident he could do well in boxing.
Taylor (5-0, 3 KO), 28, defeated KeShawn Jackson last Thursday night in Flint, Michigan, fighting in an exhibition put on by his promoter in which he recorded an impressive third-round stoppage to finish his 2024 campaign on a high. year note.
“It was good to fight on a bigger stage, in a compact arena, in a nice atmosphere,” Taylor said about his first fight with a promotional contract. “My manager, Keith Sullivan, supported me by agreeing to sign with Salita Promotions. He talked to several promoters, but we felt that Dimitri Salita would be the right candidate for me.
“I felt like I had succeeded; I felt essential, but that was just the beginning. It was the same on fight night, I felt respect and appreciation from the entire Salita promotional company. My goal is to be a more recognizable player and be recognized by the fans. I’m hungry to perform in the coming year.”
“Four knockdowns were counted. I really hurt him with a body shot and when he felt my power he was done. I threw a barrage of punches into the corner (ss photo below) and he tried to hit me with a windmill punch. Then I hit him with a check hook, which ended the fight. He (Jackson) didn’t want to get knocked out, so he tried to show he was still fighting.”
“Of course,” Sullivan commented, “I’m joyful with the victory. This was another developmental fight and Pryce is learning and developing as a fighter. We had a busy year with 8 fights scheduled and 5 that actually crossed the line, so it was a very good first year for him as a pro. Right after that, I talked to Dimitri to arrange the next fight. We hope to have it scheduled in the coming weeks.”
Looking ahead to 2025, Taylor wants his next fight to be a six-rounder scheduled for his next outing, then move up to eight to fight for the junior title.
“I will now train to play 10 rounds,” Taylor concluded, “so that I will be ready when it comes time to play 12 rounds.”
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AI referee ‘free from bias and human error’ during audit of Usyk vs. Fury 2 match
Published
23 hours agoon
December 17, 2024Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury on Saturday night will go down in history for several reasons, but now there are more of them than any other.
Turki Alalshikh has confirmed that the Usyk vs. Fury 2 fight will be supervised by an AI referee in a first-of-its-kind boxing event. Artificial intelligence statistics are nothing recent in sports and have been developed for years by companies such as JABBR, which claim that “technological progress eliminates elements of human error from sports.”
AI referee overseeing the Usyk vs Fury 2 fight
Riyad’s season leader, Alalshikh, has taken the first step to ensure the future of the sport where all boxers who deserve to win receive their reward. The fourth scorer will only be present this time to check the score, but if he proves successful, he may become a indefinite player in the sport.
Explaining his intentions, Alalshikh said: “For the first time in history, the fight will be monitored by an artificial intelligence referee. [The judge will be] Free from bias and human error, which The Ring offers you [his recently purchased magazine].
“This groundbreaking experiment, which will have no impact on official results, will debut during the biggest fight of the century, Usyk vs. Fury 2, on December 21. Don’t miss the history in the making,” he added.
The news came during the Grand Arrivals event, which featured a monumental clash that will see Usyk and Fury fight for a unified heavyweight crown at the Kingdom Arena. Usyk [20-0, 13 KOs] puts his WBC, WBA and WBO belts on the line against former two-time heavyweight champion Fury [33-1-1, 24 KOs]. The highly anticipated rematch will take place on Saturday, December 21, worldwide on DAZN PPV at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Usyk vs Fury card information updated
Former interim WBC 154-pound titleholder Serhii Bohachuk [24-2, 23 KOs] Now he will face British boxer Ishmael Davis [13-1, 6 KOs] in a 12-round super welterweight fight after Israil Madrimov was forced to withdraw due to illness.
Rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma [22-0, 10 KOs] and his opponent, Australian Demsey McKean (22-1, 14 KO), are ready to fight. Undefeated Johnny Fisher [12-0, 11 KOs[ squares off against former Commonwealth title challenger Dave Allen [23-6, 18 KOs].
Meanwhile, former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Peter McGrail [10-1, 6 KOs] takes over from Rhys Edwards at the last minute [16-0, 4 KOs] in a super featherweight fight. Isaac Lowe is also on the bill [25-2-3, 8 KOs[ will face Lee McGregor [14-1-1, 11 KOs] in a featherweight fight.
Daniel Lapin completes the card [10-0, 4 KOs]in which he will face another undefeated lightweight champion prospect, Dylan Colin [14-0, 4 KOs]and heavyweight knockout artist Andrii Novytskyi [14-0, 10 KOs] will face Edgar Ramirez [10-1-1, 4 KOs].
As is the tradition of the season, Riyad will feature local talent as Mohammed Alakel looks for a 2-0 win over Joshua Ocampo [8-33-5, 6 KOs].
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Billy Dib wins the final battle after a successful battle with cancer
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December 16, 2024Former two-time world champion and cancer survivor Billy Dib won an eight-round super lightweight farewell bout against Game, the brave but outclassed Atilla Kayabasi.
The Z’s, aka all-time greats Carlos Zarate and Alfonso Zamora, brought “Billy The Kid” to the ring accompanied by the sweet tones of Frank Sinatra singing My…what else? Adolescent Bridger Walker performed Round Card duties between rounds.
Billy gave us a virtuoso performance, making Atilla’s face turn red with every strike on the book. The gulf of experience and a cascade of blows would have defeated a weaker man, Atilla survived it. Billy raised his hand moments before the bell rang to end the eighth and final round.
By winning his last fight, the WBC Champion of Hope achieved the impossible. He and Atilla embraced, and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman entered the ring to say: “This is an extraordinary dream come true. Now we welcome Billy outside the ring.”
Dib said, “Alhamdulillah, I won and left on my own terms. There’s no better way to close this chapter. Thank you to Mauricio Sulaiman, my wife, my son Laith, my family and my amazing fans for all the love. I dedicate this victory to Israel Vázquez, every cancer warrior, and to my brother Vames.”
Billy brave. Billy the fearless one who fought against the darkest and most pressing adversities. Our tears of joy and admiration for the Hero who always smiles, even in the darkest hour, before the dawn.
The results of the glorious fight night organized at the 62nd World Boxing Council Convention at the Grand Elysee Hotel saw several hard-fought fights for the WBC championship from nuclear to heavyweight.
In the main fight of the evening, WBC super flyweight champion Asley González successfully defended her title against Mary Romero.
The more compact and harder-hitting Asley pursued a longer-armed, short-haired opponent who was constantly spinning in retreat.
There was some heated exchanges when they came together, but the lasting combinations came from Asley, who actually got caught with some tough, but single, solitary rights. Her level of work, more precise, concise beam punches and high-pressure fighting forcing Mary to constantly retreat won UD over.
Tough-hitting southpaw striker Mourad Aliev defended his WBC International Silver heavyweight title with a sixth-round KO victory over Davide Brito. Physically more imposing, Mourad made contact and often.
In the third round, David suffered a nosebleed and his mouthguard was broken, causing him to fall from one side of the ring to the other. He tried to fight back sporadically, but in round six he was trapped on the ropes and dropped by a massive right hand. Everything is over.
Serkay Comert won the WBC International silver title by defeating Yassin Hermi via UD. In the third round, it turned into an all-out war, which continued into the next round.
Serkay often struggled against the ropes and landed frequently. Yassin’s face swelled and in the sixth round a series of punches landed on him, and before the eighth round the ring doctor looked at him for a long time. He fought tough but got hit, especially down the stretch.
Ermal Hadribeaj won the MD title by defeating Eddy Colnenares to win the WBC International super welterweight belt. The lanky, much taller Eddy, who has the reach of an albatross, was shaky for the first three rounds. He then came to life and there was a lively exchange of words.
Southpaw Ermal was constantly jumping and weaving to avoid those long ramrod arms. He was more concerned with getting the win.
Benjamin Gavazi defeated Branimir Malencia in the tenth and final round to win the WBC international silver featherlight heavyweight title. Ben was catching Bran with right hands and various uppercuts. While Bran tried to crowd him and deal damage from head to toe. Two left-right headshot combinations in round ten convinced Bran to throw in the red towel at 1.41. So… TKO.
Esneidy Rodriguez defeated Sana Hazuki via UD for the WBC Silver Atomweight belt. The taller Suri tried to keep him at bay, but was relentlessly pursued by the more compact and powerful and grimly determined Esneidy, who landed several piercing combos and uppercuts. Suri had some success with long straight rights, but paid the price when Esneidy negated the range.
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