Boxing
Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams look back on the years after their fights in Atlantic City
Published
1 month agoon
Former rivals Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez met for the first time since their two fights at the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame last weekend.
The event, which is becoming one of boxing’s annual must-see attractions, saw the fighters reunite and embrace 15 years after Martinez defeated Williams by majority decision in his first fight, before the Argentine champion scored one of the best knockouts of the 2010s – if not always – to stop Williams in two rounds upon his 2010 return. Both fights took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Williams had only two more competitions before he was confined to a wheelchair after a motorcycle accident.
The event was attended by fight fan Donovan Kasp. Kasp, a regular every year at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, said one of the highlights was meeting Marvin Hagler’s son, James Hagler, and then taking a photo of Wonderful’s son hugging Hagler’s former rival Roberto Duran and his daughter.
“There were so many memorable things,” Kasp said of the weekend. “Spending time with Nate Campbell who broke my heart when he destroyed Kid Diamond, hanging out with Roberto Duran and stopping him from tasting one of the hottest sauces in the world during our group challenge! I joke with James Toney, but I also talk personally about both of our fathers dying at the same age of 65. I play the slot machine with Vito Antufermo, I drive Michael Spinks and his wife Flo in my car. I’m sharing lots of laughs with my boxing crew, making recent friends and making memories.”
This year, Mario Maldonado, Martinez, Sharmaba Mitchell, Mark Breland, Buster Douglas, Eva Jones-Juvenile, Gerry Cooney, Tyrone Frazier and Williams were drafted.
Special authors honored included Randy Gordan, Sampson Lewkowicz, Buddy McGirt, Bruce Blair, Eric Bottjer and Guy Gargan, posthumous members included Howard Davis Jnr, Judge Eddie Cotton and Jay Larkin, and pioneers included Eric Seelig, George Godfrey and Joey Giardello.
It was the eighth annual Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame, held at the Difficult Rock Hotel & Casino.
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Boxing
Deontay Wilder has only one option left or his career is over
Published
3 days agoon
November 1, 2024Deontay Wilder continues to deny that he has the only real chance to win another world title.
Wilder has a sedate chance of becoming a two-weight world champion after losing for the fourth time in his career.
The American was dominated by Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia before being knocked out by Zhilei Zhang.
Wilder remains adamant that he can still become a two-time ruler of the weight class, despite the obvious possibility of being relegated to the bridge division.
“I need to get my killer instinct back. I’m too composed; I’m too joyful. When I had this dog inside me, no one had a chance. I will be a two-time heavyweight champion of the world,” Wilder told 78SPORTSTV.
At just Parker’s 213 pounds, Wilder was eleven pounds under the bridge weight benchmark. He could enter the rankings right away at 224 pounds and finish high in the rankings.
Due to his standing in the World Boxing Council, which means he is ranked in the top 15 despite one victory in five years, World Boxing News understands that Wilder could even be rated number one if he ever decides to cut weight.
He had previously ruled out fighting at super cruiserweight, but that was before he lost three times in his last four fights.
The “Brown Bomber” can’t cope with bigger heavyweights who operate the right tactics. Therefore, his fixation on the world champion may finally cause Wilder to swallow his pride and go down.
If he ever did, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman would undoubtedly rate the huge boxer as capable of immediately fighting for the belt.
For now, Wilder still believes he can compete in the top flight.
“I want to give the fans what they want to see,” Wilder added, before delving into Joshua’s career. “There is a difference between being born a champion and becoming one.
“Once you become one, you are very selective about who you choose. You move carefully through the jungle.
“When you are born a King, you don’t give because you are a King. I am a born king. He is [Joshua] became king, and if not, then [the fight] would happen.”
The current bridgeweight champion is Łukasz Różański. The undefeated Pole in his current form would still be a complex proposition for Wilder.
But Wilder will never lose his punching power. This means he will always have a chance to continue his legacy as the ruler of the two-weight boxing world.
It all comes down to pride.
Boxing
Canelo vs Chris Eubank Jr fight falls apart after ‘completely false’ claims
Published
4 days agoon
October 31, 2024Canelo Alvarez fighting Chris Eubank Jr. is out of the question as coach Eddy Reynoso claims the Briton missed his chance.
Reynoso was reacting to claims by Eubank and his team that the fight could take place at Wembley Stadium in England next May. According to Reynoso, who told former World Boxing News chief writer Dan Rafael, Canelo is looking in a different direction.
Eubank said before rejecting Reynoso Heavenly sports“This fight could happen within the next year. There is no available fighter pool and no more names that fight fans want to see.
“After [David] Benavidez, there are no other boys. Maybe [Artur] Beterbieva and [Dmitry] Bivol, but they’re not in his weight class and he probably wouldn’t defend these guys.
“Me and Canelo would be a damn good combination. Two very different personalities and very different backgrounds. That would be great fun. This will be great fun.”
. @Canelo he doesn’t talk @ChrisEubankJr According to Canelo’s manager, there are no plans to meet with him @CANELOTEAMwho spoke to Fight Freaks Unite and dismissed the comments made by @boxxerBen Shalom. Read my story and sign up for mine #box bulletin: https://t.co/5pBHOLKluW pic.twitter.com/7robTlh0y1
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) October 30, 2024
In an interview with Rafael for his daily newsletter, Reynoso firmly stated that the fight would never happen and that Eubank would no longer be considered.
“It’s completely false. Eubank had his chance to fight Canelo in September. All he did was complicate the negotiations. We will not contact him again before a future fight.”
When asked if they had a successor in line, Reynoso replied, “Anyone but Eubank,” to make sure the son of a legend knew his place in line.
Eubank may turn to Conor Benn again after his recent clash with his nemesis in Saudi Arabia. Promoter Ben Shalom also spoke to Sky Sports about Canelo before Reynoso ended the fight.
“The two fights for me are Canelo and Conor Benn. We have already started brief talks about fighting Canelo,” Shalom told Sky Sports.
“Of course [Canelo] last time it was close. I believe this is a fight that interests Canelo. You can imagine a press conference in the UK and the US. It would be absolutely huge.
“I think Canelo needs dance partners, but he also needs stars. I don’t think his last few opponents were the biggest stars. Chris Eubank Jr. he is definitely a large star.
“If he ever fights in the UK it will be a sell-out fight at Wembley Stadium. For me, that’s number one on the list.”
Judging by Reynoso’s comments, Benn is taking the reins again as Eubank’s next opponent.
Boxing
Manny Flores scores a 110-second KO at Golden Boy Fight Night
Published
1 week agoon
October 26, 2024The final installment of Golden Boy Fight Night on DAZN in 2024 ended with absolute fireworks, with Coachella Valley hometown hero Manuel “Gucci Manny” Flores (19-1, 15 KO) ending the fight at 1:50 of the first round when he faced from Sonora, Mexican Victor Olivo (21-5-1, 9 KO).
The 10-round super bantamweight fight ended with a massive punch to the body from which Olivo was unable to recover. The event took place live at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino and was broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“I feel good,” said Manuel Flores. “It was only one round, so I feel good, I can start again. Today I give myself a B. I should have stopped it sooner.
During the co-main gala organized in cooperation with Miguel Cotto Promotions, Tito Sanchez (14-0, 8 KO) from Cathedral City electrified the audience with a stunning knockout victory over the tough Edwin “Pupo” Palomares (18-5-3, 9 KO). The 10-round featherweight fight began with fierce action, with Palomares’ right eye being cut in the second round and Sanchez’s left eye being cut by an accidental headbutt in the third. It was at the end of the eighth round that Sanchez landed a series of punches with his right hand, ending the fight at 0:53, securing the victory by KO.
“I feel really great,” said Tito Sanchez. “My performance wasn’t great in the earlier rounds because I wasn’t letting go yet, but when I threw with my right hand it worked and that’s what we were waiting for, that moment. Palomares kept throwing; he wouldn’t let me put my foot down so I could catch him with my right. His condition was excellent. Today he was in the right place.”
Maintaining his undefeated record, Coachella Valley’s Grant Flores (7-0, 5 KO) defeated Karolina and Luis Ramos (7-5-1, 7 KO) in a six-round middleweight fight. The back and forth action kept fans on their feet; Flores received a warning in the third round for a low punch, and Ramos went to a knee in the fifth round. The judges scored the fight unanimously in Flores’ favor with scores of 60-53, 59-54 and 60-53. Also at the DAZN gala, in a super-lightweight fight scheduled for six rounds, Daniel “Junebug” Garcia (10-0, 8 KO) from Denver defeated Jorge Villegas from California (14-3, 13 KO) from Oxnard by knockout in the second round. Villegas succumbed twice to Garcia’s power and did not survive the 10-count.
Also representing Coachella Valley, Cayden Griffiths (2-0, 2 KO) dazzled the audience by knocking out Markus Bowes (3-7, 2 KO) of Roxboro, North Carolina, in the third round in a welterweight fight scheduled for four rounds. Opening the DAZN broadcast, Johnny “Sugarcane” Cañas (6-0, 2 KO) from Santa Ana defeated Pedro “Zurdo de Oro” Cruz (3-6, 2 KO) from San Jose. The six-round lightweight fight was controlled largely by Cañas, with Cruz suffering a cut to his right eye from an accidental headbutt and a cut to his left eye from a tough blow to the head. All three judges scored the fight 60-54 for Cañas.
In the preliminary fights, Daniel “Ikaika” Luna (5-1, 5 KO) of Victorville added another knockout to his resume, defeating Caracas, Giovanna Gonzalez (2-6, 2 KO) of Venezuela in the second round. Scheduled as a four-round lightweight match, Luna sent Gonzalez to the mat twice in the second round and the referee waved off the fight at 2:44. Kicking off the fight night with a four-round super bantamweight bout, Kevin Gudiño (1-0, 1 KO) of West Covina made a successful professional debut, defeating Bryan Cox (0-2) of Cedar Hill, Texas, by technical knockout. Cox was knocked to the mat in the first round, and his corner kick stopped the fight after the first round.
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