Boxing
Ukrainian Oleksandr Khyzhniak wins gold in boxing at the Olympic Games in Paris
Published
6 months agoon
PARIS — Oleksandr Khyzhniak was a minute away from winning an Olympic gold medal three years ago when he was rocked by a single miraculous punch. Khyzhniak went down, the fight was stopped and Tokyo’s most feared boxer had to settle for silver.
The Ukrainian middleweight decided to wait three years to get it right. Khyzhniak got his epic redemption Wednesday night at the Paris Games, finally wearing a gold medal around his neck, but only after paying for it with time, sweat and pain.
Khyzhniak defeated Nurbek Oralbay of Kazakhstan 3-2 in a thrilling final at Roland Garros to secure the championship that eluded him in heartbreaking fashion in Tokyo. The fighters vented their anger on each other throughout three action-packed rounds, but Khyzhniak secured victory by dominating the final three minutes, which were filled with a dizzying array of hooks, combinations and power punches in an Olympic bout.
When Khyzhniak’s hand rose, the 29-year-old fell to his knees in catharsis. Despite being an obvious candidate to become a blue-chip professional, Khyzhniak put aside all other chapters of his life as he was determined to do what he couldn’t do in Tokyo.
Khyzhniak had spent the last three years brooding over his loss to Brazil’s Hebert Sousa, a fighter who clearly wasn’t the best middleweight in the substantial division in Tokyo. Khyzhniak led 20-18 on all five cards after two rounds in the gold-medal fight, meaning he only had to avoid a stoppage or a points deduction to win.
But Khyzhniak simply could not stop himself from relentlessly attacking. He knows no other way to fight than to throw as many blows as his arms can muster during nine minutes of bruising, bleeding pressure.
Khyzhniak continued to fight, and Sousa knocked him down with a punch that could only have been a lightning-fast knockdown in competition, but it was enough to convince the Olympic referee to stop the fight.
After the loss, Khyzhniak dedicated himself to returning to the Olympics, winning every amateur fight he had competed in since Tokyo. When the Olympics eliminated the 75-kilogram division that Khyzhniak had fought in in Tokyo, he moved up to 80 kilograms, now called middleweight.
Although he was arguably the most exhilarating competitor in his second Olympics, Khyzhniak was not over his head after four fights in Paris. He was tested in his first fights before reaching the semifinals against Arlen López, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Cuba.
The veteran amateurs put on a memorable performance worthy of their combined star power, but Khyzhniak won another phenomenal third round. He simply kept putting pressure on López, who eventually ran out of strategy to keep the Ukrainian star at bay.
In the final, Khyzhniak faced a animated contender in the form of 24-year-old Oralbay, whose twin brother also fought in Paris. Oralbay had enough skill and punching power to challenge Khyzhniak, and the fighters were essentially even on the scorecards going into the third round.
And what a round it was.
Oralbay was bleeding from a gash near his right eye early in the third round, but the fighters continued to attack each other for three minutes, with all five judges favoring Khzyhniak, who repeatedly snapped Oralbay’s head back with precise hooks.
Khyzhniak became the second gold medalist at Roland Garros on Wednesday, joining Cuba’s Erislandy Álvarez. Álvarez beat Frenchman Sofiane Oumiha 3-2 in a thrilling lightweight bout, but failed to match the excitement and ferocity of Khyzhniak’s fight with Oralbay, who fights in a weight class smaller than his twin brother.
Earlier in the evening, Tokyo gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan defeated Nelvie Tiafack of Germany to move within one win of becoming the first two-time super heavyweight gold medalist in Olympic history. The 30-year-old Jalolov, a 14-0 professional, will fight for gold against Ayoub Ghadfa of Spain.
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Boxing
BrianNorman Jr. prepares his father for a shocking comeback after 14 years
Published
16 hours agoon
January 23, 2025Undefeated twenty-four-year-old welterweight world champion Brian Norman Jr. he has been coached by his father, Brian Norman Sr., since he was seven years elderly. They changed course and Junior is now training Senior for his February 15 boxing match against Greg Hackett in Atlanta, Georgia.
The long-running feud between Brian Sr. and Hackett came to a head in November when the two participated on Coach Malachi’s Tru Media podcast. Things got heated when Norman told Hackett, “As an opponent, you were getting $400 to basically lose. You lose for a living.
Shortly thereafter, it was decided that they would lace them up and settle them in the ring. The event will be broadcast live on BLK Prime PPV.
Norman (17-11, 5 KO) from Atlanta and Greg Hackett (3-23) from Philadelphia will decide the result in a six-round lightweight heavyweight fight.
“I’m trained by a world champion who I trained to become that world champion,” Brian Sr. said. “He has the knowledge that I gave him. Now he can see this vision of what he is telling me, which is the same thing I was telling him. At the same time, he can visualize himself through me, observing how I respond to instructions. Ultimately, he helps himself as much, if not more, than he helps me.”
So, Junior, you’re getting him back after everything Dad’s been through all these years?
“Has it been a wonderful journey so far,” Brian Norman Jr. said. “I see a lot of similarities between me and him, mainly the drive for self-determination and the desire. It was a wonderful experience to witness. There were a few times when Dad got tired and wanted to stop and I shouted “no, two more rounds.” I have to push him, you know? We don’t like to lose – we’re both very competitive and I see that in him all day long.
“I like the way this fight turned out and it’s good for boxing,” Hackett said. “There’s no animosity here, but I’m going to hate him for eighteen minutes of our fight. There are many people who say they don’t want to go there, but we will go there. I’ve been training since the day it happened. It’s going to be a good fight. I think he’ll push it because he’s a bigger guy, but skill-wise I’m the better player. I just have to be prepared for whatever he brings to the table and make him pay for his mistakes. I will win this fight, whether by knockout or decision. I will win this fight.”
Boxing
Deontay Wilder: Warning against throwing in the towel on the fat suit myth
Published
1 day agoon
January 22, 2025Deontay Wilder is preparing to return to boxing this year and will face an opponent who has lost eleven times in Curtis Harper.
Wilder is on a losing streak, winning just once in his last five fights. The first of these four defeats remains a huge bone of contention. Wilder exploded with emotion after a one-sided rematch in February 2020 at the MGM Grand.
The “Brown Bomber” blamed everyone but himself for what happened when Fury beat him and put him through seven painful rounds. WBN witnessed the fight in the smoke-filled Garden Arena. Despite the sight, it was clear that Fury was the much better fighter that night.
Fury brought Steward SugarHill into his corner to make him more aggressive. The tactic paid off brilliantly as he regained the world heavyweight title. However, this was not what became the story of the event. Unfortunately, Deontay Wilder took that away from the “Gypsy King” with his post-fight accusations.
Wilder’s main target under his deal was Mark Breland. His longtime coach threw in the towel when the Tuscaloosa player came under massive fire and stared at his feet. But that’s not where Breland went wrong. Wilder’s problem was that the 1984 Olympic gold medalist ignored his previous instructions and never used a towel to end one of his fights.
That’s why Wilder was so irate, as he later told Brian Custer in “The Last Stand.”
“I have been preaching for five years. Never give up on Deontay Wilder,” said the former WBC champion.
The 36-year-old believed he could detonate on Fury at any time due to his one-punch KO skills.
“Deontay Wilder is never out until this is all over, because of my heart, my will and the strength I have. And yes, I really feel like he was part of it and it’s not my place to explain that to anyone. I said my peace and let out my emotions. I said it. People can believe what they want.”
Another story that got out of hand was the massive suit excuse. Wilder pointed out that he only mentioned something behind the scenes and someone in the media blew it up.
“They actually overheard something in the locker room,” Wilder explained. “I’m not justifying the costume. The costume was a bit massive. But it wasn’t enough to make me feel the way I felt in the ring. It wasn’t enough that I had no legs.
Strangely, however, Wilder blamed this part on someone who potentially gave him a demanding time. He will strive to ensure that the decision never falls on Malik Scott, who replaced Breland as coach.
Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
1 week 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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