Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Steward: “Chisora is the most dangerous opponent Wladimir will have fought in many ye

By Sean McDaniel: IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko’s trainer Emanuel Steward is very wary of Wladimir’s April 30th opponent, the unbeaten Dereck Chisora (14-0, 9 KO’s), who Wladimir will be facing in Mannheim, Germany in his next fight. In an interview at Sky Sports Ringside, Steward said this about Chisora:


“Chisora is the most dangerous opponent Wladimir will have fought in many years, because Dereck brings energy and confidence and youthfulness that’s different from what we’ve been fighting in recent fights. I think Dereck Chisora is a very tough fight. If it was up to me, I would not fight Dereck. I would prefer to fight with David Haye. But Wladimir has to make the decision. And Wladimir is an honorable man, and he felt that he should fight Dereck, because the way the fight was canceled because of his injury. It’s not Dereck’s fault, so he felt that he had the obligation to fight Dereck because it’s going to be a long time between he and David Haye.”

This is really interesting, because Steward is basically saying here that he feels that Chisora is the more dangerous opponent for Wladimir than Haye is. This runs counter to the belief that most boxing fans feel about seeing Haye as a better fighter than Chisora. There’s few people who feel that Chisora is better than Haye, but here Steward is saying that he would prefer Wladimir to fight Haye than Chisora. Haye definitely has a weak chin and is vulnerable if he gets hit hard. We don’t know how good Chisora’s chin is because the best heavyweights he’s fought were Danny Williams, who Chisora blitzed in a quick 2nd round TKO in May 2010, and Sam Sexton, not a big puncher by any means. We may be finding out how good Chisora’s chin is on April 30th when he’s tested by Wladimir’s left hook and right hand. Steward is likely going to be pushing Wladimir to get Chisora out of there as quick as possible to prevent him from wearing Wladimir down with his relentless pressure and power shots on the inside.

 

[heyzel]

Foreman-Wolak: Yuri in his first real test since his leg injury against Cotto

By Michael Lieberman: Former WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman (28-1, 8 KO’s) will be fighting for the first time since losing his World Boxing Association title and injuring his right leg in a 9th round TKO loss last year in June against fellow Top Rank fighter Miguel Cotto. Foreman, 30, has had his right leg surgically repaired and he’s ready to test it on high pressure fighter Pawel Wolak (28-1, 18 KO’s) on March 12th on the undercard of Cotto’s fight against Ricardo Mayorga at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada.


Foreman has to hope that his right knee has been properly fixed and can hold up to the stress that he’s putting on it, because Wolak is going to be pressuring Foreman from the first start of the fight and is going to be forcing Foreman to shift around a lot to avoid getting hit. Wolak may not punch as hard as Cotto, but he brings a lot of the same kinds of problems to the table as Cotto did with his excellent pressure.

Foreman doesn’t have the kind of power nor the stamina that Wolak possess. As such, Foreman is going to have to use his legs more and try and move around, look tie up Wolak and limit some of his fire power. Foreman isn’t a high volume guy like Wolak and can’t hope to beat him at his own game. Nor can Foreman look to beat Wolak on the inside, because that’s where Wolak is at his best. Foreman wins and loses this fight based on his legs. If his wheels give out on him, he’ll be easy prey for Wolak to take him apart with his nonstop punching.

 

[heyzel]

HBO to offer Maidana the Alexander-Bradley loser

By Dan Ambrose: If Marcos Maidana (29-2, 27 KO’s) is interested in getting a fight on the HBO network, Maidana will get a shot against the loser of Saturday’s bout between WBC light welterweight champion Devon Alexander vs. WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley. Maidana, 28, may not be pleased at having to fight the loser of that fight instead of the winner, but he might be wise to take the fight if HBO offers it to him because they reportedly are looking to have Maidana fight the loser if this bout in way of having a tournament-like elimination process.


Maidana will get the benefit of fighting in front of a lot of boxing fans and will likely be getting a partially depleted Bradley or Alexander for the fight. It’s a match-up that will be a tough one for Maidana, because he’s not blessed with a lot of foot and hand speed, and he’ll have problems trying to catch up to these quicker fighters.

At the same time, Maidana is going to have to fight better in the early rounds of the bout and not wait until the 2nd half of the fight to start finding success. Maidana struggled in his last fight against WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khanin the first part of the bout, having a hard time landing shots against the constantly moving Khan. However, in the 2nd half of the fight, his pressure and power began to take over the fight. The judges still continue to count Khan’s flurries in scoring the rounds, but the more telling shots were landed by Maidana in the 2nd half of the bout. Maidana will have to put a lot more pressure on Bradley or Alexander if he wants to avoid losing again.

Maidana can always say no to fighting the loser of the bout and hope that he can get a better fight against perhaps the winner of the Zab Judah vs. Kaizer Mabuza fight. That might be a better option for Maidana because at least he would be fighting for a title instead of taking on a diminished loser

 

[heyzel]

Clottey-Green: Joshua sees action on Cotto-Mayorga undercard on March 12th

By Eric Thomas: Former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey (35-4, 20 KO’s) will finally be getting back in the ring on March 12th when he takes on 33-year-old Calvin Green (21-5-1, 13 KO’s) in a 10 round bout on the undercard of the WBA clash between junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto vs. Ricardo Mayorga at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Clottey, 33, should be well rested after taking it easy since being defeated by Manny Pacquiao in a one-sided 12 round decision loss in March 2010.


A lot of boxing fans were angered by Clottey’s lack of effort in the fight, as he seemed to treat the Pacquiao bout like one long sparring session and mostly just covered up and threw occasional jabs and power shots. By fighting defensively, Clottey ensured that he would survive until the end, but he ruined a good opportunity to make a name for himself by fighting hard and showing courage in defeat. It’s better to give it all you have and lose than to just cover up and look to survive the way that Clottey did in the Pacquiao bout.

Never the less, Clottey is promoted by Bob Arum, who is loyal to his fighters, and will stick by Clottey by giving him another chance. Clottey should easily beat Green, because he’s on a higher level than Green by far. This is more of a confidence builder for Clottey and chance for him to look good in front of boxing fans who were turned off by his last performance. It’s going to take awhile for Clottey to get another title shot, but he probably will sooner or later because of Arum’s tendency to keep his fights in house.

 

[heyzel]

Timothy Bradley: "I Have To Take Amir Khan Out Next!"

By Chris LaBate

WBO/WBC junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley has laid out his target list for 2011. On Saturday night at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, he won a ten round technical decision over Devon Alexander to unify their 140-pound titles. Now he wants the WBA title owned by Amir Khan. Golden Boy Promotions wants to make Bradley-Khan on July 30. Khan already has a fight set for April 16 in Manchester. There is no opponent yet for Khan.

"Khan is probably number one on the list," Bradley said. "I would love a chance with Floyd Mayweather. I think I've got to take Amir Khan out next, then there will be no doubt who the best 140-pounder is in the world. The key name on the list down the road is Manny Pacquiao

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather vs Bradley is Our Target, Says Gary Shaw

By Ryan Burton

Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan - BoxingScene.com caught up with promoter Gary Shaw to get his thoughts on who he would like to see his fighter, WBO/WBC junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, fight next. Bradley won a technical ten round decision over division rival Devon Alexander to unify their respective titles.

"Without question we want Floyd Mayweather next," Shaw revealed to BoxingScene.com.

When asked about a match-up between Bradley and WBO welterweight king Manny Pacquiao - Shaw said, "[Top Rank CEO Bob] Arum only makes in-house fights so that fight won't happen. All of Manny's fights are in-house."

Shaw doesn't have a time table for Bradley's return to the ring but he said he planned on meeting with HBO's bigwigs Ross Greenburg and Kery Davis next week.

 

[heyzel]

Holt: I'll Fight Amir Khan in England, Snatch His Belt

By Ryan Burton

BoxingScene.com caught up with former 140-pound champion Kendall "Rated R" after his first round destruction of Lenin Arroyo at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. The fight took place on the Devon Alexander-Timothy Bradley unification undercard.

I asked Holt if he wanted a Tim Bradley rematch next and he told BoxingScene, "Maybe in two or 3 fights down the road. Right now I have my sights set on King Khan!"

WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan has been looking for an opponent for his next fight which takes place in his hometown of Manchester, England on April 16th.

When asked if he was willing to go overseas for the fight, Holt told BoxingScene - "I'm willing! I'm willing! We can easily make that fight happen. I would be more than happy to go to England and snatch his belt. Amir Khan has nothing on me!"

 

[heyzel]

Khan wants to fight Bradley in England, possibly in September – Boxing News

By William Mackay: WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KO’s) saw WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley’s win over WBC light welterweight champion Devon Alexander (21-1, 13 KO’s) on Saturday night, and said that he wants to fight Bradley in England, before September 10th. Khan said he needs to get his April 16th tune-up fight out of the way and then, depending on the rematch clause that Alexander had, would like to fight Bradley later on in the year. Bradley defeated Alexander by a 10 round technical decision on Saturday night when Alexander was in too much pain to continue following a headbutt.


Speaking with Sky Sports News, Khan said “I’d like to get the April 16 fight out of the way then definitely I’ll fight Timothy Bradley, who is the number one in the division. I’m number two and I think that will be a brilliant fight. It will be a lot easier to make. Bradley’s with Gary Shaw and I think that fight could be made. Also Bradley did say he would love to come to England and fight me, what a great fight that would be for the English fans. I want to do it before Ramadan starts, so I can fight to have the whole of Ramadan off and then fight again at the end of the year.”

It’s not likely that Bradley would want to travel all the way to England to accommodate Khan, when he’s considered the number #2 fighter. Why would Bradley do that? Also, Khan did say he was moving his fights to the U.S. to try and become a star over there. He plans on fighting his April 16th fight in the UK. If he also fights the Bradley fight in the UK as well, this would mean that he’s fought two consecutive fights there. If his goal is to try and become a star in the United States, Khan is using a backwards way of trying to accomplish that. Frankly, it seems kind of self-defeating if you ask me. Khan might as well move his fights back to the UK and end his career fighting there because fighting half of the time in the U.S isn’t going to get the job done if he wants to become a star in the U.S.

Khan said this about fighting Bradley: “I am sure when I fight him, I’ll be watching his head. If that was me, I’d have taken a little step back as he came in, then a little right uppercut, and it wouldn’t have been good night….I think with my skills and if I go with the right game plan into the fight, it could be a win for us.”

The problem for Khan is that he slaps too much with his punches and he runs all the time. He wouldn’t be able to hurt Bradley with his uppercuts and it’s doubtful he would land very many because of all the running, holding of Bradley’s arm and the constant shoving that Khan likes to do. I can’t see him beating Bradley unless the judges score points for Khan’s misses

 

[heyzel]

Khan: When I Fight Tim Bradley, I'll Be Watching His Head

Timothy Bradley is targeting a showdown with Britain's Amir Khan after adding the WBC light-welterweight title to his WBO crown with a technical decision victory over Devon Alexander in Detroit on Saturday night.

The much-anticipated unification contest came to an unsatisfactory close after one minute of round 10 when the American duo clashed heads - something that continually marred a scrappy contest - and Alexander recoiled in pain before being told by the ringside doctor that he was unfit to continue.

Bradley, who moved to 27-0 following the win, feels he has now proved himself to be the best in the world at his weight class, but admits victory over WBA 140-pound king Khan might be the only way to solidify that reputation.

"I think I proved that I'm a force to be reckoned with," said 27-year-old Bradley. "I proved I'm the best at 140 in the world. I think I've got to take out Amir Khan next and then there's no doubt that I'm the best 140-pound fighter in the world."

Bradley's promoter Gary Shaw added: "One thing Tim has said is that he won't duck anyone. We've proved we're the best at 140 pounds and we'll fight Khan."

Khan is currently without an opponent for his next proposed title defence in the UK on April 16 after negotiations with Northern Ireland's European champion Paul McCloskey fell through this week.

Speaking as part of Sky Sports' coverage of the Bradley-Alexander bout, Khan insisted a showdown with the Palm Springs fighter was on his agenda for the summer.

Khan said: "Get the April fight out of the way then in the summer we can fight with Bradley.

He did say he'll come to England so what a great fight that would be for the British fans.

"Bradley does tend to lunge in with his head, so when I fight him I'll be watching his head."

Accusations of rough-house tactics from Bradley were at the centre of the post-fight analysis.

A key moment came in round three when a short left hook on the break from Bradley, followed by a head clash, opened up a troublesome cut above Alexander's right eye.

The heads of both fighters frequently came together for the rest of the contest and as they each wound up big right hands in the 10th, a final heavy collision ended Alexander's participation.

"He was coming in at the same time I was coming in and these things happen," Bradley explained. "I'm in the ring to win. I'm ruthless, I'm reckless. It's a street fight.

"Devon Alexander is a great warrior and I didn't want the fight to end that way. I wanted to finish the fight

 

[heyzel]

Froch to start training for Johnson bout this week

By Scott Gilfoid: WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (27-1, 20 KO’s) has decided to start his training camp this week for his May 21st bout against 42-year-old Glen Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KO’s) for their semifinals Super Six tournament bout. As of now, there isn’t a designated venue, but Froch is holding out hope that the fight will take place in the UK. It’s going to be up to Showtime whether they’ll agree to that.


In an article at thisisnottingham.co.uk, Froch said “David is an old mate from my amateur days and we have been talking about a double header with Sky. I think it would be really good. But Showtime have said from day one that the semi-finals and finals would be in America.”

Froch might end up hurting himself by starting his training camp so early, because his fight with Johnson is still months away and it’s far too early to be starting training for the fight. Froch could end up leaving the fight in the gym if he doesn’t pace himself while getting ready for Johnson. Froch is coming off of an impressive 12 round decision over Arthur Abraham last November. That was Froch’s best performance in the tournament. Abraham had already been dominated by Andre Dirrell in the fight before that and he seemed to take a lot out of Abraham.

Froch won his first fight in the Super Six tournament with a questionable decision over Andre Dirrell, and in his second fight in the tourney, Froch was dominated by Mikkel Kessler in a 12 round decision loss last year in April. Froch turned things around with a win over Abraham, however.

Speaking about his training, Froch said “It’s a long way off, but the hard work starts now. I’ve had a good break with the family.”

 

[heyzel]

Arum thinks the Alexander-Bradley fight came too soon

By Chris Williams: Bob Arum thinks the bout between WBC light welterweight champion Devon Alexander and WBO light welterweight title holder Timothy Bradley came too soon, and that it needed more time to build up before it happened.


Arum, speaking with Michael Marley at examiner.com, said that the fight needed at least a year before it should have taken place because there needed more time to occur before Bradley and Alexander were popular enough for the fight to happen. Arum makes a lot of sense in this point.

However, it may be better for boxing fans to have learned about Alexander now rather than later on. Alexander lost by a 10 round technical decision against Bradley after being hurt by a headbutt in the 10th. It looked like Alexander quit on the fight.

I don’t think that boxing fans would be better off waiting for this fight to happen a year later if Alexander and Bradley failed to prove anything. It would be like putting off a stinker a year. Depending on how lightly Alexander and Bradley were matched in that year, boxing fans could end up fooled into thinking they were better than really are and would get the bad news a year later instead of now.

I prefer to get the news now instead of wasting time on fighters that don’t have the talent to be worth watching. As such, I don’t agree with Arum

 

[heyzel]

HBO vs Showtime: Bert Sugar on The Programming Battle

By Chris Robinson

The boxing world is still kind of buzzing about the recent announcement that Showtime-CBS will be airing the May 7th Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley pay-per-view event from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. For the past ten years Pacquiao had been a staple on HBO's airwaves but some shocking developments have insiders discussing the impact of this move as well as to how much of a blow this is to HBO's programming.

One man who isn't as taken back by others, showing his steadfast belief that the world's premier network is still at the top of the food chain, is boxing legend Bert Sugar. I called the astute historian and author over the weekend to discuss a few key aspects to the latest HBO/Showtime/Pacquiao saga and, as always, he was candid and on point with his delivery.

Read below for a few sound bytes from Bert on Arum's mindset in making the move, how well the fight will do finanically, and why HBO shouldn't be completely worried...

Arum's deal...

"It's Bob Arum who obviously got a deal that he wanted. He wanted CBS, which is Showtime's hand-in-hand partner. He wanted the exposure. He's a promoter. He goes for the best deal possible. It will show up in the pay-per-view buys. If he does better it was a good deal. If it doesn't he should have stuck with HBO."

How successful Showtime's venture will be...

"I don't know. It will go to how it turns out for the fight. Remember, HBO had 700,000 buys for Pacquiao-Clottey which was not an exciting fight nor was it expected to be. Can Showtime do better or won't they do better? You are sure to hear all kinds of comments as we begin to build up the fight. Is Sugar Shane Mosley the right opponent? I don't know if he will do as well."

The power that be...

"HBO has always been resourceful. HBO has always given us the best fighters. Showtime has been out of it for a while although they did have Mike Tyson and part of Julio Cesar Chavez. But HBO is resilient and if anybody writes them off, I still think they are the power that be in boxing. I think Showtime has done a good job I just think that HBO had done a much better job."

Power shift...

"As a final comment, I still think HBO is the power in boxing and has rightfully earned that and has done well. It's up to Showtime basically to show that they can compete. One fight does not a network make. But you have to remember that Showtime has half the number of subscribers that HBO has. But HBO is the power that be and they still remain so. If they lost one fight it doesn't shift that power."

 

[heyzel]

Erik Morales Signs Contract To Close Marquez Deal

By Jose Antonio Soriano, notifight.com

According to the father of Tijuana's Erik "El Terrible" Morales, both his son and fellow three-time world champion Juan Manuel Marquez, have signed contracts for an all-Mexican clash on April 9 in Las Vegas. The fight between Erik Morales and Marquez will be at junior welterweight (140 pounds) and the Diamond Belt of the World Boxing Council (WBC) will be on the line. The fight between both Mexican fighters was made by Golden Boy Promotions.

"I'm glad that we came to a successful conclusion in our negotiations to carry out this fight," said Jose "Olive Grove" Morales, father and coach of Erik Morales. "Hopefully, both fighters give it a good show and a great fight for the fans. I know that both Erik and Juan Manuel will arrive in perfect condition on the day of the fight. I will do my best for my child to win.

It is expected that Morales will begin training this week at the Otomi Ceremonial Center

 

[heyzel]

Pavlik could fight on Pacquiao-Mosley undercard on 5/7

By Dan Ambrose: Promoter Bob Arum says that former WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KO’s) could be fighting on the undercard of the May 7th bout between Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pavlik, 28, hasn’t fought since losing his titles to Sergio Martinez last year in April.


Pavlik was supposed to fight on Pacquiao’s last undercard last year, but backed out of the card to enter alcohol rehab. Pavlik was recently released from the rehab center and is currently training and looking to get back in the ring. May 7th would be the ideal time and spot for Pavlik to make his appearance. He’s still ranked high in the middleweight division and would almost immediately be a threat to any of the champions.

Martinez is no longer the WBC champion after having been put into the emeritus position by the WBC. This should make things easier for Pavlik when he starts looking to take on one of the champions. But first things first. Pavlik needs one, perhaps two, tune-up fights to get back his timing and get ready to take on some of the better fighters. He was previously going to fight Bryan Vera on the undercard of Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito. You can bet that Pavlik will be taking on someone along the same lines in terms of quality if he winds up on the Pacquiao-Mosley undercard.

Pavlik has the better to give anyone in the division problems. The issue for Pavlik is to get his weight down to where he’s not having to take off massive amounts of weight before the weigh-in through the loss of water weight

 

[heyzel]

Alexander-Bradley draws only 6247 fans, King calls it a great success

By Eric Thomas: Last Saturday night’s light welterweight unification bout between WBC light welterweight champion Devon Alexander and WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley drew only 6247 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome, in Michigan. They were expecting a crowd of 15,000 and ended up with only half of that number. You have to think it’s a disappointment to the promoters of the event. However, Don King, the promoter for Alexander, put a positive spin on the low turnout, saying this to the Detroit News: “It’s a resurrection. Jesus rolled away the stones. Lazarus, come forth. You got a lot going here. It was a great success. The mere fact that it happened made it a tremendous success.”


That’s nice that King sees it that way, but the fight could have been much more successful had it taken place in Saint Louis, where Alexander lives and routinely draws huge crowds of over 10,000 fans. It was insane to have the Alexander vs. Bradley fight take place in Michigan where neither of the two fighters have a fan base. As for the fight itself, it was boring to watch, filled with headbutts and a lot of grabbing and holding. Fittingly, the fight ended with Alexander pretty much quitting after getting headbutted for the up-tenth time. It a match-up from the very start of the fight and steadily got worse as the fight progressed. Hopefully there won’t be rematch anytime soon.

Alexander says “I didn’t see after the head butt. My eyes are burning.” Some boxing fans think that Alexander was faking, hoping to maybe get a decision win early rather than trying his luck in the last two rounds.

 

[heyzel]

Khan says he was over-trained for the Maidana fight

By William Mackay: It took awhile to come up with a good excuse for why he took a lot of punishment and was almost knocked out in his last fight against Marcos Maidana (29-2, 27 KO’s) last December, but WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KO’s) has finally opened up his lips and revealed the secret that boxing fans have been waiting breathlessly to hear. According to Khan, he was over-trained for the Maidana fight, and it caused him to be weak.


Khan said this about the Maidana fight on his twitter page: “I don’t know if you know I over-trained for the Maidana fight. I did well but I know I could have done better. 13 weeks training was too long. Previous fights I felt sharp, but I remember I was on pads in changing room. I didn’t have the snap in shots but was hitting hard. I felt heavy. [Freddie] Roach agreed.”

I wonder if Khan has ever considered that his power wasn’t there for the Maidana fight was because Khan spent too much time running like a gazelle. That might be the biggest reason why Khan’s power wasn’t there. Khan was literally running for his life after knocking Maidana down early in the 1st round. Had Khan stood his ground and continued to fire power shots, who knows? He might have been able to stop Maidana if he went back to the body. Instead, Khan took off like a scalded dog after the knockdown and seemed as if he were afraid of Maidana looking to retaliate with his own power shots. In hindsight, it was the wrong thing for Khan do. He had Maidana where he wanted him and instead of putting the coupe de grace on him, Khan ran and ran and ran. That’s why his power wasn’t there. When Khan finally did try to trade with Maidana after getting hurt in the 10th, Khan’s legs weren’t there. They were like rubber from all the running he had done and because he was hurt.

 

[heyzel]

Dmitry Pirog: Dark horse of the middleweights

By Francisco Hernandez: One of the best boxers in the world today is WBO middleweight champion Dmitry Pirog; he has excellent boxing skills and can beat anyone in the division. Most of his fights have been in Russia; he came to Las Vegas on July 31st 2010 to school highly touted Daniel Jacobs, made him look like an amateur, and then knocked Jacobs out in the fifth round. After that great performance by Pirog, boxing aficionados are ready to see him in action again. Pirog has a polished style of boxing, he knows his fundamentals, and can be considered a technical boxer. He knocks out his opponents by setting them up carefully.


At one time there was talk of a fight between Pirog and Pavlik which never came through; Ishe Smith supposedly wants to be Pirog’s next opponent for Pirog’s first title defense on March 26, 2011 but nothing is confirmed yet. Pirog has also called out Sergio Martinez. Pirog can defeat Kelly Pavlik easily. Pavlik is a Frankenstein when it comes to foot work and Pirog can exploit this weakness to stop Pavlik in the early rounds. Sergio Martinez will give Pirog a good fight. Martinez is intelligent and unorthodox, this makes Martinez a puzzle to most of his opponents, but he has no fundamental boxing skills, a good solid boxer like Pirog can figure Martinez out and beat him.

A good matchup for Pirog is against Paul Williams. Despite losing by a devastating kayo to Martinez, Paul Williams is still an exciting fighter to watch, because he isn’t afraid to put it all on the line, he enters the ring to fight. Paul Williams still has several good fights in him, win or lose. Paul Williams can give Pirog a lot of problems because of Williams aggressiveness, but eventually Pirog would knock him out in the late rounds.

Fight fans need a Dmitry Pirog because he is one of a few fighters today who know the art of boxing. Most fighters nowadays are retired from the ring before they really get to learn how to box. It would be a shame if he disappeared in mother Russia and was never heard from again.

 

[heyzel]

Alexander's Trainer Fires Back at Maidana: Bring it On!

By Ryan Burton

BoxingScene.com caught up with former WBC/IBF junior welterweight champion Devon Alexander's trainer and manager, Kevin Cunningham, to talk about his pupil's ten round technical decision loss to Timothy Bradley on Saturday night. Cunningham also wanted to respond to a story that appeared on BoxingScene that was written by Chris LaBate. Junior welterweight contender Marcos Maidana was quoted in the article as stating that he thought Alexander would be too scared to step in the ring with him. The quotes from Maidana came from his Twitter account.

Maidana was last seen in the ring in December when he lost to Amir Khan in a fight that many publications considered to be the "Fight of The Year." Cunningham read Maidana's comments and wanted to give a response. He told BoxingScene that his fighter would have no problem facing Maidana.

"I see Maidana is talking sh*t. We have no problem fighting him next since he thinks that we are scared. Bring it on," Cunningham told BoxingScene.com.

Cunningham would prefer that Alexander face Bradley in a rematch next, but if that fight doesn't come to fruition then Maidana would suit Team Alexander just fine. Cunningham feels the fight with Bradley isn't completely settled.

"We have unfinished business with Bradley. It was a close fight in which neither fighter was able to take total control."

Headbutts were a big part of the fight and Cunningham feels that they played a big role in the fight's outcome. The fighters clashed heads on numerous occasions.

"There were a lot of headbutts man. The first headbutt and then the last one were big. You could literally hear their heads collide."

Alexander was noticeably dazed after the last headbutt.

Team Alexander's worst fears came true with the numerous headbutts. Cunningham was quoted on BoxingScene on more than one occasion warning that Bradley tends to lead with his head.

"I told the ref (Frank Garza) in the locker room that Bradley leads with his head and that his last 5 opponents all suffered cuts from headbutts. He told me that headbutts can happen to anybody. At that point I knew what side the ref was on. What I don't get is with all those headbutts he never even issued a warning. Not to Devon or to Tim. He should have at least gave a warning."

The former policeman turned trainer revealed to BoxingScene that his fighter should be ready to return to the ring this summer.

"Devon should be ready to fight again in June or July. Devon had 6 stitches over one eye and 4 over the other. His nose was also swollen and bruised from a heabutt."

Cunningham wanted to make it clear that all of the damage was caused by Bradley's head and not his fists. He also suggested a new career for Bradley.

"All of the damage that Devon suffered came from Bradley's head and not his hands. In boxing you are supposed to inflict damage with your hands and not your head. Bradley would be better off going to M M A where anything goes unlike in boxing where you are supposed to use your hands.

There has been a lot of talk that Alexander could have continued despite the cuts that were caused by the headbutts. Cunningham wanted to clear the air on the severity of the cuts.

"The doctor explained it all in the press conference. This wasn't just a cut. You heard him say it. He had to put two nerves back together before he could sew up the cut. Devon's eye lid wouldn't stay up. That was a deep cut."

Cunningham finished up our conversation by saying that he was holding Alexander accountable for not taking advantage of his opportunities in the ring.

"I hold my fighter accountable for not pulling the trigger. Bradley was coming at him all night and Devon wasn't pulling the trigger. He threw one uppercut and he hit Bradley right on the button. He should have used more uppercuts. Bradley was there to be hit."

 

[2-0-Sixx]

man, naner have seen this vitali-solis stare down? solis looks terrified lol not good

 

[naner12]

man, naner have seen this vitali-solis stare down? solis looks terrified lol not good

Nah I hadn't seen that before now. I don't put too much stock in that .. I can't recall other Solis staredowns but some guys just aren't into the staredown. Mayweather for example usually turns his entire body sideways during the referee instructions to avoid the staredown.

Maybe I'm being biased but we'll wait and see. I'm more worried about Solis and his big dumbass spongebob medallion like he's cashing in early on his paycheck. Hopefully this isn't JUST a paycheck for him.