Boxing
LARRY HOLMES AT THE MAY 11 PERFORMANCE IN TROPICANA
Published
8 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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Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
5 days agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
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Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
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January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
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January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
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Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
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