Boxing
‘Put Your Knives Down’ – Denzel Bentley works with Steel Warriors charity to fight knife crime
Published
7 months agoon
By
J. HumzaFORMER middleweight world title challenger Denzel Bentley is urging knife carriers to put down their weapons and try training with Steel Warriors, the charity fighting knife crime.
Steel Warriors uses steel melted from confiscated knives to create outdoor gyms like the one at Langdon Park in Poplar, which Bentley recently visited. The 29-year-old returns to the boxing ring on Saturday night (May 11) against Danny Dignum at York Hall. In between preparations, he spent time with Steel Warriors’ director of marketing and community, Christian d’Ippolito, at the gym, learning calisthenics and showing participants how to operate the Shadowbox.
This week, Bentley talked about his visit and why he’s working with Steel Warriors.
“That’s a good reason. It’s something I’d like to get involved in. When I was growing up, knife crime was a gigantic problem [and] is still a gigantic problem.
“I thought I could show my face and attach myself to this community or reach a wider audience where people wouldn’t see it. I had never heard of it before and there weren’t many people around me. Since the release of this clip and several videos, many people around me have seen it, which is also attracting attention and maybe they will be able to spread the word about what Steel Warriors are doing and working on.
“Fitness is a gigantic thing these days, but gyms aren’t free. Steel Warriors,” he continued.
“It’s a place to exercise, stay busy and have fun or try recent tricks by using the bars and learning about your body. There are no age restrictions, this place is for everyone. Many gyms are open 24 hours a day and you must be over 18 to join. A lot of these kids don’t do that, but they can go to the park, one of those places, and start exercising and taking care of themselves.
Having grown up on the Patmore Estate in Battersea, Bentley knows the devastation knife crime can bring to an area. The former British middleweight champion said that as a teenager he knew he too could easily become a victim.
“I have lost a lot of friends to knife crime,” he said.
“Many of my friends were stabbed and survived. Many of my friends were stabbed and didn’t survive. At one point in my life, when I was a teenager, I felt like I was going to become a victim. When I got to a certain age, I was like… Some people are bad company, but you wouldn’t know it.
“Maybe you were running with a friend who was having problems outside of school that you didn’t know about [about it]. You went to meet him in his neighborhood. People he had problems with come at you and you get caught in the crossfire. It’s that straightforward and it applies to so many people. Not everyone who is stabbed is guilty of any wrongdoing.
“Boxing saved me. I found a boxing gym and spent most of my time there. We didn’t have any of these outdoor gyms. It was tough to find a gym in those days [because] everyone was under the arches. Steel Warriors are in the park. You can walk in the park, see them and think: Before you know it, there are people teaching you how to do things. No one cares, everyone is cordial and everyone wants to bounce off each other. It creates a little community and then you’re there for hours. It’s good for interaction.”
In the year to March 2023, there were 50,500 crimes involving a knife or keen instrument* recorded in England and Wales*. This represents an raise of over 2,000 crimes compared to the previous year and an raise of over 6,000 in the year ending March 2021.
Bentley witnessed the destruction of some of the parks where he played in his youth. Many soccer cages suffer the same fate, and Bentley says kids need a protected place and something positive to do to burn off all their energy.
“The goal is to keep kids busy. Smoke them. They have fun, hang out, and then come home, rest, and get ready for dinner, bed, homework, or whatever. When they’re outside, you don’t want them to get into anything bad.
Bentley also had a message for those who carry knives to protect themselves or with the intention of harming someone.
– You don’t need them. Just put the knives down, because nine times out of ten knives are there to hurt someone.
“No one wants to hurt someone or take a life. The consequences are crazy. Someone loses their life, then whoever did it goes to jail and loses their life. They sit there for years and regret it. Don’t live in regret. Put the knives away.
“It’s tough to find words. I am not indifferent or unaware of all this. I understand, but you need to make better lifestyle choices. If you feel like you have to carry a knife, try to get away from that environment. Ask yourself, ? You are clearly in an environment that is not protected. Try to find a facility like a boxing gym, Steel Warriors, or whatever, or move out of the area if you can, and try to get out of the situation you’re in. Try not to carry knives because it destroys lives. It belongs to you and the person you hurt.”
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Boxing
Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor is looking forward to 2025
Published
48 minutes 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.”
Boxing
AI referee ‘free from bias and human error’ during audit of Usyk vs. Fury 2 match
Published
18 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].
Boxing
Billy Dib wins the final battle after a successful battle with cancer
Published
2 days agoon
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.
Brooklyn heavyweight Pryce Taylor is looking forward to 2025
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