Connect with us

Boxing

Meet the Class of 2024 entering the International Boxing Hall of Fame

Published

on

The International Boxing Hall of Fame inducts the Class of 2024 this weekend in Canastota, Up-to-date York, and there are some massive names on the list.

The American Boxing Writers Association and an international panel of boxing historians have voted for the latest crop of champions, both in and out of the ring, to join the greatest names in boxing history.

Boxers Ricky Hatton, Michael Moorer, Ana Maria Torres, Jane Couch, Ivan Calderon and the delayed Diego Corrales will be inducted into the Up-to-date Boxers category.

Boxing writer Wallace Matthews and sports commentator Nick Charles will compete in the Observer category. Coach Kenny Adams, publicist Fred Sternburg and publicist and manager Jackie Kallen join the Non-Participant category. Boxer Luis Angel Firpo will compete in the Aged Timer category, while Teresa Kibby will join in the Women Trailblazer category.

Here’s a look at each competitor in the Up-to-date Boxer Briefs category and what makes them so special.


Diego Corrales

“Chico” Corrales will be best remembered for the incredible round 10 of his epic first encounter with Jose Luis Castillo in May 2005. This round featured nonstop action, knockdowns, and a barely believable twist.

Two years after the ESPN Fight of the Year, Corrales died in a motorcycle accident in Las Vegas at the age of 29.

Corrales (40-5, 33 KO), of Sacramento, Calif., was at his most hazardous when injured, and at key points in his career he won fights after visiting the canvas. He had courage and fought instinctively, which made his fights thrilling.

Corrales was knocked down twice in round 10 by Castillo during their lightweight title unification fight. Castillo, a two-time WBC Mexican champion, seemed poised to win. Corrales could barely see Castillo throwing punches in front of him due to his severely swollen eyes, so he intelligently spit out his mouthguard to buy himself a few seconds to recover from the second knockdown. And then Corrales hit a challenging right shot that hurt Castillo and sealed the victory.

There were more than two fights with Castillo in Corrales. In 1999, he defeated Roberto Garcia by seventh-round TKO to win the IBF junior lightweight title. Corrales defended three times before facing Floyd Mayweather and was stopped in round 10 after being knocked to the ground five times during a 2001 fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

After losing to Mayweather, Corrales served 14 months in prison allegation of domestic abuse before resuming his career.

Corrales’ illustrious career earned him revenge for his loss to Joel Casamayor when he climbed into the ring and won the WBO title in 2004. Later that year, Corrales moved up a weight class to stop Acelino Freitas in the 10th round, one of the best wins of his career, ending Freitas’ undefeated record. Corrales won the WBO lightweight belt in that fight and put the title on the line when he faced Castillo for the first time.

The tough fight with Castillo exhausted Corrales greatly and he was never the same fighter again. Castillo knocked out Corrales in four rounds five months after their first fight (but Corrales retained the WBO and WBC belts because Castillo failed to gain weight) before Corrales suffered two more decision losses to Casamayor and Joshua Clottey.


Ana Maria Torres

“La Guerrera” Torres was a two-time WBC junior bantamweight champion who boxed twice in North Korea.

Mexico’s Torres (28-3-3, 16 KOs) dominated the women’s junior bantamweight division from her first bantamweight win in 2007 until her last fight in 2012.

In 2006, she lost a split decision to Kwang Ok Kim for the WBC bantamweight title in North Korea. Later that year, she defeated Mayela Perez to win the interim WBC junior bantamweight title, which she held until she lost a split decision on another trip to North Korea, this time to Myung Ok Ryu in 2007.

However, Torres regained the title in 2008 and defended it 11 times before retiring. In total, Torres made 12 saves over two reigns, engaging in several epic battles with Jackie Nava and Mariana Juarez.


Michael Moorer

What do Moorer, James Toney, Roy Jones Jr., Michael Spinks and Bob Fitzsimmons have in common? They are all part of a tiny club that has won featherlight heavyweight and heavyweight world titles.

Moorer, 56, is also one of three fighters (along with Muhammad Ali and Lennox Lewis) to win the heavyweight title three times.

Moorer (52-4-1, 40 KO) was just 21 years ancient when he won the inaugural WBO featherlight heavyweight title in his 12th professional fight, stopping Ramzi Hassan in December 1988. He made nine defenses, all won by KO, before making two jumps in the heavyweight class to heavyweight.

After last defending his WBO featherlight heavyweight title in 1990, the American returned as heavyweight. Seven fights later, Moorer recovered from two early knockdowns to defeat Bert Cooper in Round 5 to win the 1992 WBO heavyweight title. The victory was significant as Moorer became the first southern midfielder to win the world heavyweight title.

Moorer then defeated Evander Holyfield for the IBF and WBA titles at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 1994, when he recovered from a second-round knockout to win by majority decision. However, Moorer lost the titles six months later to George Foreman, who was trailing on points when he knocked out Moorer with a right hand in round 10, becoming the oldest-ever world heavyweight champion at the age of 45.

Moorer traveled to Germany in 1996 and defeated Axel Schulz by split decision to become a four-time world heavyweight champion. He made two defenses before Holyfield defeated him in a title unification rematch at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas in 1997. Moorer visited the canvas five times before his corner stopped the fight in round 8.

Moorer, born in Brooklyn, Up-to-date York and raised in Monessen, Pennsylvania, ended his 20-year boxing career in 2008.


Ricky Hatton

Hatton, a two-division world champion, is one of the most popular British boxers of the last 30 years.

Hatton (45-3, 32 KO), of Manchester, England, won the junior welterweight and welterweight world titles, unified the junior welterweight world titles and fought (and lost) against the best of his era in Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

However, his greatest achievement is perhaps the popularity and support he has generated. It was reported that Hatton attracted 20,000 spectators from UK shores to Las Vegas following his 10th round KO loss to Mayweather in 2007, and his fan base extended beyond just the UK hardcore boxing scene

Hatton’s career was transformed when he won the IBF junior welterweight title from Kostya Tszyu in Manchester in June 2005, after his pressure prompted the Australian Russian to withdraw from Tszyu at the end of the 11th round. Tszyu was ranked 3rd in the pound weight. -for-pound and No. 1 in the division at the time, and Hatton’s victory (the best of his career) confirmed his status as a truly elite boxer.

After this breakthrough victory, Hatton campaigned mainly in the US. After a stunning victory over Jose Luis Castillo in Las Vegas in June 2007, Hatton faced the sport’s biggest star in Mayweather in December 2007. It was a huge event, but it ended in a knockout in the 10th round.

Pacquiao knocked out Hatton in two rounds in May 2009, and Hatton did not return to the ring until three years later against Vyacheslav Senchenko, amid depression and drug and alcohol addiction. At the age of 34, Hatton announced he was retiring following his loss to Senchenko and has not fought since.


Jane Couch

Perhaps Couch’s greatest achievement was the fight she won outside the ring. The Englishwoman sued the British boxing authorities for the right to fight professionally. She won by forcing the British Boxing Board of Control to grant her a boxing license in 1998, ending the ban on women fighting professionally in the UK

Couch (55), of Fleetwood, England, was a pioneer of the sport and opened the door to current champions Savannah Marshall, Natasha Jonas, Terri Harper and many other U.K. fighters Couch (28-11, 9 KOs), whose last fight was in 2007 after winning the junior welterweight and lightweight world titles.


Ivan Calderon

“Iron Boy” Calderon was the strawweight (2003-2007) and junior flyweight (2007-2010) world champion, making a total of a staggering 17 world title defenses. The Puerto Rican had a great fight against Giovani Segura in 2010, which he lost by KO in the eighth round, ending his undefeated record.

Calderon (35-3-1, 6 KO), whose last fight was in 2012, was so good that he faced bigger fighters like Oscar De La Hoya and “Sugar” Shane Mosley due to his technique and elusiveness . He dominated the lightest divisions with outstanding wins over Alex Sanchez, Edgar Cardenas, Roberto Leyva, Daniel Reyes and Isaac Bustos.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Boxing

Gvozdyk’s advice for Bivol to defeat Artur Beterbiev: “Run”

Published

on

Image: Gvozdyk's Advice for Bivol to Defeat Artur Beterbiev: "Run Away"

Oleksandr Gvozdyk recommends that Dmitry Bivol “run away” from Artur Beterbiev, not let him punch and stay away from the ropes next Saturday in the undisputed featherlight heavyweight championship fight in Riyad.

Former WBC 175-pound champion Gvozdyk was the favorite going into his fight against Beterbiev five years ago on October 18, 2019, but was knocked out in the tenth round.

Gwozdyk was leading 87–83 and 86–85 on two judges’ scorecards, and the third one was 87–83 by the break in the tenth period. Gvozdyk showed that Beterbiev can be attacked for a long time, but his strength does not require much to turn the tide of the fight.

Bivol (23-0, 12 KO) is more mobile and has a better combination punch than Gvozdyk did back then, but he’s not as mighty and mighty in the uppercut. For this fight, Bivol must give up striking combinations because it would expose him to Beterbiev’s counterattack. It is like a shark that hunts its prey for food to reach it and wants to land.

“He is very shrewd, has good footwork and has a very good and precise jab,” said Oleksandr Gvozdyk Round eight of boxingspeaking about Dmitry Bivol. “They are two different styles of fighters. Beterbiev is a brawler; it is coming and it is inexorable. He is very mighty and also very shrewd. People underestimate his boxing skills.

“Yes, because of his style, he just comes in and blows everyone away,” Gvozdyk said when asked if people underestimate Beterbiev’s technical skills. People think that’s all he can do, but he can also box.

Beterbiev is mainly engaged in boxing, but his strength is so great that it results in knocking out opponents. He has massive hands and even his thrusts have power. Bivol will, of course, box and try to stay away from Beterbiev throughout the fight. It won’t be uncomplicated.

“He was an amateur world champion where you can’t really operate your power for everyone. There are a lot of technical guys there. You are narrow to three rounds,” Gwozdyk said.

“Of course you prepare to avoid his punches. You must not block near the ropes, because it becomes really risky there,” Gwozdyk said about Beterbiev. “When he starts throwing punches at you [guard]you still feel them, and it’s not uncomplicated to fight this guy.”

Bivol won’t let Beterbiev grab him by the ropes, but that doesn’t mean he won’t get hit strenuous in the middle of the ring. Beterbiev doesn’t need to trap his opponents to hit substantial shots. Many of his knockouts take place inside the ring.

“He knows how to fight guys like that,” Gvozdyk said about Beterbiev knowing how to deal with mobile fighters who operate footwork. So I think it will be a really challenging task for Bivol.

“It’s challenging [to prevent Beterbiev from trapping you against the ropes]. When you’re fighting this type of guy, you’re constantly revving your engine and it really burns you out. In addition to the technical and tactical part, to be able to fight Beterbiev, you need to take care of your fitness very well,” said Gvozdyk.

It will be challenging for Bivol to move the entire fight to escape Beterbiev, because he will catch him with compact punches. Even when Bivol turns to run away, he will be hit by arrows. Unlike other power-hitting players, Beterbiev doesn’t weigh himself down with his shots. Throws compact, powerful shots that deal high damage.

“Don’t let him hit you and take advantage of you [backside] challenging,” said Gvozdyk on what advice he has for Bivol in defeating Beterbiev. “Run away, because it’s not worth resisting the ropes against him,” Gwozdyk said.

This will require Bivol to emphasize landing single punches and jabs to prevent Beterbiev from constantly hitting him with his punches. Movement is vital to Bivol, but he won’t win a fight if he doesn’t stand and fight at times.

The judges will not automatically award rounds to Bivol based on three minutes of movement and zero punch scoring against Beterbiev. This works for some fighters when they play for the A team and compete in their hometowns, but Saturday’s competition in Riyad is neutral for both sides.

Continue Reading

Boxing

Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios is not dead and buried yet

Published

on

Manny Pacquiao vs Barrios PBC

LAS VEGAS — Team Barrios is still eager to fight Manny Pacquiao when they “take care of things” on November 15 when they face Abel Ramos.

Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos fight for the WBC welterweight world title in one of the biggest combat sports events of the year – Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Bob Santos, Barrios’ trainer, recently told World Boxing News that they are in camp and focusing on Ramos.

“There’s nothing better than Netflix,” Santos told us.

With approximately 275 million subscribers worldwide, the possible reach of the Tyson vs Paul event on Netflix could make it one of the most watched boxing events of all time.

Ramos has been in the ring with Maurice Hooker, Regis Prograis, Ivan Baranchyk, Jamal James and Yordenis Ugas, but since losing to the Cuban boxer in 2020, he has only two wins in four fights.

Barrios and Ramos are one fight out of four so far, alongside the highly anticipated rematch of Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.

Ramos is quite a surprise opponent for Barrios, as both Santos and Manny Pacquiao’s representative, Sean Gibbons, have been talking to World Boxing News all summer about a substantial fight between them later in the year, possibly even at a Premier Boxing Champions event.

“[The Pacquiao fight] for some reason it couldn’t come to fruition,” Santos told us. “We were in the middle of negotiations. I know Pacquiao wanted to fight. We wanted to fight. This would have been a great world title fight, but they just couldn’t get it together in time.

“This opportunity came up with Netflix and Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson,” Santos added. “And this is not just a boxing event, but one of the biggest events. The numbers will be crazy. Everyone loves Mike Tyson and everyone wants to support him in many ways. Of course there is publicity, especially with Jake Paul. This event – ​​it is huge.”

Even though Barrios will fight in the middle of next month, his team would still be content with a fight against Pacquiao. So they know they have to “take care of business” and maintain the championship.

It was this WBC world title that Pacquiao reportedly motivated the Filipino legend to return to the ring and attempt to break his own record as the division’s oldest champion.

“The only reason why Pacquiao [would] Of course, to come back at this stage is to make history and it would have to be a world title,” Santos told us.

“So if we don’t take care of business and keep the world championship, obviously this fight will fail.

“So first we have to focus 100% on Abel Ramos,” concluded Santos.

Continue Reading

Boxing

“I was an enforcer in a gang,” admits Chris Eubank Jr

Published

on

CHRIS Eubank Jr currently mixes on the fringes of the world boxing scene, but he used to mix things up in a different arena. The boxer from Brighton, who will face Kamil Szeremeta on October 12, revealed video showing he was an enforcer in a gang.

“You just have to deal with it. You’re a child, you don’t know better. That’s one of the reasons I moved to Las Vegas, to get away from this scene, this lifestyle,” Eubank Jr. said.

Although Chris has now managed to escape his father’s shadow and gang life to pursue a career on his own, as quickly as things change, some things remain the same. The location, venue and pay packages may be different for the 33-3 (24 KO) pro, but the competitive spirit and desire for the scrap are still there.

“I liked the competition. I love challenges. I’ve got a guy in front of me trying to eliminate me, and I’m trying to eliminate him. And who will get there first? Who will strike the first blow? It’s always been just sexy to me. And that just turned me on. I don’t know why.

When it comes to street laws, the only way to prepare is to be ready, alert and trained for a fight. Born fighters often grow up in extreme poverty, where violence is the only universal language, and in the case of boxing, it is also a way out of the hood. Grainy footage of Chris taking part in an illegal war circulated years ago and now shows what his life has evolved from.

I don’t know how it happened, but I was a street kid. I was a man of the road who went home every evening to a million-pound mansion. It doesn’t make sense,” Eubank Jr. mused.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending