This coming Saturday is set to be a hectic day for American boxing fans who get treat to 3 separate shows, split across 3 channels.
For us the most exciting bout of the day, at least on paper, comes from Canada and is aired on USA Fox where we get Puncher Vs Boxer for the IBF Middleweight title. The puncher, is Canada's very own David Lemieux (33-2, 31), who is a very popular and heavy handed puncher with a pretty boy face. The boxer is former WBO champion Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam (31-1, 18), a Cameroonian based in France, a very talented boxer-mover with shaky chin. This bout really does have the hall marks of a must watch and looks like to be thoroughly entertaining. The chief under-card bout here is also an interesting looking contest, as former world title challengers collide. The bout will see the exciting Dierry Jean (28-1, 20) take on the under-rated Jerry Belmontes (19-6, 5) in what is really a must win bout for both men if they are looking to get themselves another world title fight in the foreseeable future. In Oakland we'll see a show featuring one of the sports most talented, but least exciting, fighters. The bout in question is the return to the ring of unbeaten American Andre Ward (27-0, 14) who takes on former world title challenger Paul Smith (35-5, 20) of the UK. It's hard to be too excited about this one considering Smith has lost his last two bouts to Arthur Abraham and Ward has been in active for more than 18 months, in fact Ward has only fought twice in the last 3 years. Despite that it's good to see Ward back in action and the sport has missed someone of his his ability. Notably this show will be aired on BET in America. The third show is in Las Vegas with a bout that has really excited some American fans. The contest that stands out here will see former world champions colliding as the enigmatic Adrien Broner (30-1, 22) takes on the strong and rough Shawn Porter (25-1, 16) in a catchweight bout. The catchweight, and subsequent rehydration limit, are expected to favour Broner, however the 3-weight former world champion hasn't looked great recently and Porter will know that his career really depends on a good performance here. We suspect Broner will win but we don't expect this to be a thriller as many fans seem to be hoping for.
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This Friday promises a lot in terms of boxing on the international scene. It sees Al Haymon's PBC series continue with it's first show on Spike, as well as other bouts through the US and a female title fight in Mexico. The PBC show is the second successive double header from Al Haymon and again it features big names in match ups made for the casual fans but bouts that have the potential to fall very flat if the fighters refuse to put on a show. On paper the more exciting of the two bout will see former Welterweight title holder Andre Berto (29-3, 22) battle against the exciting and gutsy Josesito Lopez (22-6, 19). Around 3 years ago this would have been a must watch match up between two flawed but exciting fighters. Now however we have our doubts about the contest with Berto having looked "on the slide" in recent bouts and lacking a notable win in more than 3 years, in fact he is 2-3 in his last 5 bouts and has been dropped in all 3 loses whilst none of his recent wins were that impressive in terms of his performance. Lopez, who is a real gutsy fighter, has lost 3 of his last 7 including really nasty beatings against Saul Alvarez and Marco Maidana whilst subsequent wins have been less than stellar performances. This could be exciting or it could be the shell of two men collecting one final pay day. The other part of the double header will see another former Welterweight champion look to get back to winning ways as Antoine Douglas (24-1-1, 15) battles for the first time since losing his IBF belt to Kell Brook. Porter takes on the heavy handed and tough, but ultra-slow Roberto Garcia (36-3, 23). On paper this looks exciting but the reality is that Porter should be too quick for Garcia. This could be messy, it could have exciting moments but it's clear that the bout has been set up for Porter to get back to winning and even to build up fights with himself against either Berto or the unbeaten Keith Thurman. Also on the PBC card fans will get the chance to see a pair of Heavyweight bouts. One will see former world title challenger Chris Arreola (35-4-0-1, 31) take on the over-matched Curtis Harper (12-3, 8) whilst the other features the unbeaten Gerald Washington (15-0, 11) taking on journeyman Jason Gavern (26-18-4, 11). Sadly both of these appear to be massive mismatches. On another US televised card fans will get a clash of unbeaten fighters as Antoine Douglas (16-0-1, 10) faces off against Thomas Lamanna (16-0, 7). This unbeaten showdown, for a WBA regional title, will see the winner being moved quickly however it shouldn't be the end of the line for the loser. On paper Douglas has faced much better competition, including Michel Soro, however Lamanna may feel this is his chance to shine. With both having unbeaten records and the bout being televised we're hoping for something a little bit special from two prospects who each need a notable win at this point in their career. On a third US card we see a Russian in a really big step up, but the Russian in question is viewed as a "super fighter" That aforementioned Russian is Sergey Lipinets (5-0, 4) who will be hoping to claim the WBC Latino title at 140lbs as he battles former world title challenger Cosme Rivera (37-19-3-1, 25). Lipinets is said to be a very special fighter who has transitioned from kick-boxing to boxing and is thought to be on the fast track to the top. Although Lipinets lacks a big win this would move towards big fights and we suspect this bout will be able to prove whether he is as good as the hype suggests. As for Rivera he is looking a bit "shot" but still has the tools to ask questions of prospects en route to picking up losses. In Mexico we have a female world title fight as IBF female Super Bantamweight champion Yulihan Alejandra Luna Avila (12-2, 1) defends her belt for the first time. Avila will be up against the unbeaten Sabrina Maribel Perez (12-0-1, 2). Perez has previously held a WBA interim and a WBC Silver title but never a full world title, which she'll be hoping to claim here. (Image courtesy of Premier Boxing Champions) Boxing is, at it's heart, a fighting sport. Fights of course aren't always pretty and not very fight is a fun to watch war like the recent Minimumweight unification bout between Katsunari Takayama and Francisco Rodriguez Jr. This weekend we saw the ugly side of boxing with 2 very ugly world title fights that saw the title change hands though left no one wanting to see the former champion given a chance at redemption. The first of the ugly fights was fought at Super Middleweight and saw the teak tough Sakio Bika (32-6-3, 21) lose the WBC Super Middleweight title to the unbeaten Anthony Dirrell (27-0-1, 22). The fight was a second meeting between the two men and no one wants to see fight #3 after this was filled with hugging, holding, head butts and spoiling. The clean shots, from both men, were at a premium and it was the perfect example of the issue that arise from having too many world titles out there. Neither Bika nor Dirrell are in amongst the top 3 or 4 fighters in their division and neither really should be able to call themselves a world champion. The second of the ugly fights was down at Welterweight as Kell Brook (33-0, 22) claimed the IBF title with a messy majority decision over Shawn Porter (24-1-1, 15). The bout was plagued by holding, mauling, head clashes and rabbit punches with the styles failing to gel at any point. At the end of the bout Brook did deserve the win and now deserves big money fights, including a much talked about British super fight with Amir Khan, but the fight really wasn't much better than the Bika/Dirrell contest. We know British fans will be thinking it was a great contest, and in fact Sky commentator Nick Halling said "It's one you'd want to see again", we need to be honest and say no one wants to see it again. Had it not been for the fact that Brook finally got his chance we doubt anyone would have a nice word to say about the bout. It really was a stinker. Thankfully not all the big fights were hard to watch and in fact prior to the bouts we've already mentioned there was 2 great contests, one on the same card and one in Germany. The one on the same card saw WBC Lightweight champion Omar Figueroa (24-0-1, 18) prove his championship heart as he stopped Daniel Estrada (32-3-1, 24) in a thoroughly entertaining contest that had it all. At the start the bout was a war with both men trading shots at will. After a few rounds Estrada began to back off and we got a bit of boxing from both. Then, in round 8, we got real drama as Figueroa suffered an horrendous cut over his left eye. The cut looked like it could possibly have been a fight ender though thankfully it wasn't, at least not directly. The cut seemed to give Figueroa a sense of urgency in the following round and he went to town on Estrada dropping the Mexican before following up with a vicious assault that forced the referee to end the bout. For many Figueroa is best known for his war with Nihito Arakawa and just like that fight the contest with Estrada again proved what an offensive machine Figueroa is though it's also likely to be his final bout at Lightweight with the fighter himself making it clear he struggles to make 135lbs. That leaves a huge opportunity for Teiken promoted Jorge Linares who will now be the top contender. We wouldn't like Linares's chances against Figueroa but against another top contender, for example Hank Lundy (WBC #3) or Javier Prieto (WBC #5), we'd imagine Linares would easily become a 3-weight world champion. The other memorable bout of the night came, as mentioned above, in Germany as Yoan Pablo Hernandez (29-1, 14) narrowly held on to his IBF Cruiserweight title with a split decision victory over Firat Arslan (34-8-2, 21). The bout was genuinely a thriller with Arslan starting slowing, giving away the first 2 or 3 rounds, then coming on strong in the middle rounds before Hernandez fought back late on. It was one where the close rounds really did decide the winner and 116-112 either way wouldn't have garnered any sort of complaints. A genuinely well matched bout that had styles that gelled and again proved how thrilling the often over-looked Cruiserweight division is. We'll be honest we wouldn't mind a rematch of this one. Back in the US, though not at the world level, fans also saw unbeaten Heavyweight Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32) record his 32nd stoppage with a 4th round retirement of the popular but limited Jason Gavern (25-17-4, 11). Gavern had taken the fight on late notice and it showed as he came in at one of the highest weights of his career and looked exhausted after just 4 rounds. We know some American fans are really high on Wilder but with fights like this he is leaving himself very open to criticism. We know it was a stay busy fight and we know he's getting close to a world title fight but those are no excuses to continually fight out of shape journeymen. At the end of the day we want to be fans of boxing around the world but we can't pretend we enjoyed much of the action tonight. There was highlights but there was also a lot of unmemorable rounds which appeared to feature more holding and mauling than punching. A bit of shame really considering that the bouts looked very good on paper. (Image courtesy of http://www.proboxing-fans.com) If you've been a boxing fan in Britain over the last 4 or 5 years you will have been told, repeatedly, about Kell Brook (32-0, 22), a man many believed would rise quickly to the top and become the next great British fighter. Those 4 or 5 years have sadly been wasted with little substance to actually go with the promise that "Special K" has. In fact if anything numerous British fighters have managed to climb over Brook who went from the hottest thing in British boxing to being seen as a man unwilling to take the step up. It was partially unfair considering that Kell and his supposed opponent both had issues but that sort of reputation does stick. This coming Saturday sees the Sheffield man finally getting his long awaited shot at a title though, unfortunately for him, he will be facing the fast improving Shawn Porter (24-0-1, 15). Porter, the current IBF Welterweight champion, has been sensational recently and did real jobs on Devon Alexander and Paul Malignaggi who were both frozen by Porter's aggressiveness, strength and power. For many the Porter/Brook fight the fight of the weekend, for others it's a chance to see one man exposed as a fraud. We tend to feel that Porter will over-come Brook though the fight should certainly be exciting for as long as it lasts. On the same card we will have 2 other world title fights. One of those will be a rematch as WBC Super Middleweight champion Sakio Bika (32-5-3, 21) tries to settle the score with the talented but frustrating Anthony Dirrell (26-0-1, 22). The two men fought last December and Dirrell, at times, looked like he was going to be the first man to stop Bika. Unfortunately at other times he looked lazy and like he couldn't be bothered. That laziness was most clearly seen in the final round when he ran away from Bika and effectively cost himself the title with the bout resulting in a split decision draw. The other world title fight on the same card will see WBC Lightweight champion Omar Figueroa (23-0-1, 17), a fan friendly puncher best known for his war with Nihito Arakawa, battling against tough Mexican Daniel Estrada (32-2-1, 24), also a fighter well known for fighting Arakawa. Figueroa looked very fortunate to retain his title last time out, taking a much debated decision over Jerry Belmontes, though should find himself in with a more willing dance partner here and we should end up with a very fun brawl between two free swinging fighters with similar mentalities. This could be very fun. The only other world title bout takes place in Germany as IBF Cruiserweight champion Yoan Pablo Hernandez (28-1, 14) attempts to defend his belt against veteran Firat Arslan (34-7-2, 21). This will be the 4th defence from Hernandez who, despite his record, blows hot and cold and could come undone against Arslan. On the undercard of this Germany show will be the professional debut of the much touted Stefan Haertel (0-0) who will be taking on the experienced but very limited Olegs Fedotovs (18-14, 12). For Japanese fans Haertel maybe memorable as one of Ryota Murata's foes at the 2011 World Amateur Championships. (Image courtesy of www.proboxing-fans.com) Porter emerges as a monster, Quillin fails to set the world alight and Quigg makes a statement4/20/2014 This past Saturday was a busy one in the boxing world with numerous major fights happening in the Western world and they old told their own, very different story. Of course the highlight of the night was the one bout we actually covered in detail as Kazakhstan's Beibut Shumenov (14-2, 9) lost in his unification bout with American legend Bernard Hopkins (55-6-2-2, 32). It was poor from Shumenov who, like many of Hopkins's opponents throughout the years, fought the wrong fight and instead of using his own strengths he fought to Hopkins's game plan of a slow paced bout in a contest that had little real excitement barring the knockdown against Shumenov in round 11. Prior top Hopkin's bout with Shumenov US fans got the chance to see two other world title bouts. The first of those saw WBO Middleweight champion Peter Quillin (31-0, 22) easily out point the game but under-sized Czech Lukas Konecny (50-5, 23). We'll admit we like Konecny, a lot, but he's no Middleweight and it showed here as he could never hurt Quillin despite landing some clean and hard looking shots. Although Konecny couldn't hurt Quillin this bout did suggest that many other Middleweights could and in fact it hinted at the idea that Quillin is lucky that his management team will help him avoid Gennady Golovkin. On this performance Golvokin would steam roll Quillin with genuine ease and in fact we'd give fighters like Matthew Macklin, Martin Murray, Felix Sturm, Daniel Geale, Marco Antonio Rubio and Matt Korobov a better than evens shot at dethroning Quillin. Whilst Quillin is talented he's not as good as he thinks he is, he doesn't hit as hard as he thinks and more importantly he's not very fun to watch. He was backed up by Konecny and made to look awful and boring in a bout that he really should have taken the initiative in. Thankfully some of the other champions in action during the night did take the initiative. One of those was IBF Welterweight champion Shawn Porter (24-0-1, 15) who dismantled the tough and skilled Paul Malignaggi (33-6, 7) in very impressive fashion. Malignaggi, who is known for his toughness and bravery was completely destroyed by Porter who looked a real monster in scoring a 4th round TKO. Despite the loss Malignaggi showed his class in his post fight comments before being taken to hospital. Although it wasn't confirmed it does seem very likely that Malignaggi will retire over the next few days and move into the commentary booth full time at US network Showtime. It seems that commentating is Malignaggi's calling and it's something he is genuinely exceptional at. Whatever "Paulie" chooses to do in the future we wish him the best. As for Porter this win should set up a clash with unbeaten Brit Kell Brook though we have a feeling that Brook may have changed his plans. Talking about British fighters brings us perfect to the other world title fight which saw WBA Super Bantamweight title holder Scott Quigg (28-0-2, 21) stop South African challenger Tshifhiwa Munyai (24-3-1, 12) in just 2 rounds. Munyai, who had never previously been stopped, was dropped twice in both rounds before being stopped less than 2 minutes in to the second round as Quigg made a statement. Although Quigg's promoter spoke about looking at unification fights with both WBC champion Leo Santa Cruz and IBF champion Kiko Martinez it seems more likely that Quigg will be pitted against WBA ranked opponents, such as Japan's Shingo Wake. Interestingly Hozumi Hasegawa has a chance to scupper a possible Quigg-Martinez fight when he fights for the IBF title this coming Wednesday. Quigg's clear rival is Carl Frampton, another fighter with a big British fan base, and on this performance Quigg may well have seen some fans favouring him over the Northern Irishman. One thing's for sure, this result wouldn't have impressed WBA "super" champion Guillermo Rigondeaux who would likely love a chance to fight Quigg, Frampton or anyone else willing to get in the ring with him. On the same British card their was a fantastic fight between former world title challenger John Murray (33-3, 20) and the fast improving Anthony Crolla (28-4-1, 11). Murray, who was stopped by Brandon Rios a few fights back, started fast against Crolla though was ground down in round 10 and it seems likely Crolla is only going to be a few fights away from getting a world title fight of some variety. (Photo, of Porter, courtesy of boxrec.com) Although Friday was disappointing in terms of scheduled action around the world the same cannot not be said about Saturday which genuinely looks like a brilliant day in the boxing world. The first dollop of major action is in the UK with an Matchroom show that is headlined by a WBA Super Bantamweight title fight between defending champion Scott Quigg (27-2, 20) and South Africa's talented, but under-rated, Tshifhiwa Munyai (24-2-1, 12). Munyai did take this fight on a week's notice after the original opponent Nehomar Cermeno had visa issues. Unfortunately the banner was never changed by Matchroom so still features Cermeno's name on it. Although Munyai is a late call opponent he has all the tools to give Quigg a nightmare and is 5-1 in the UK having beaten Lee Haskins and Martin Power in the past. This could very well be the hardest test of Quigg's career so far. With Shingo Wake ranked #4 by the WBA he'll certainly be keeping a close eye on the Quigg/Munyai result and could well see himself fighting against the winner sometime later this year. On the same British card fans will get the chance to see a potentially explosive domestic encounter as Anthony Crolla (27-4-1, 10) takes on former world title challenger John Murray (33-2, 20). The one is expected to be a gruelling and hard fought affair and we'd expect nothing less than a thriller. This card will also feature former Toshiaki Nishioka opponent Rendall Munroe (28-4-1, 11) who will be hoping to take home the Commonwealth title as he battles the unbeaten Josh Warrington (16-0, 1). In the US the stand out bout, at least for us, is the WBA/IBF Light Heavyweight unification bout between Beibut Shumenov and American legend Bernard Hopkins. That bout however is just 1 of 3 world title bouts on the show. At Middleweight we see prospective Gennady Golovkin rival Peter Quillin (30-0, 22) defending his WBO title against the Czech Republic's Lukas Konecny (50-4, 23). Whilst we are big fans of Konecny and what he brings in his fights he's likely too small to really give Quillin a real tests though will be game for as long as he lasts. The other title bout on this show sees IBF Welterweight champion Shawn Porter (23-0-1, 14) defending his world title for the first time. Porter, a sloppy looking but aggressively minded fighter, will be hoping to score his second notable victory as he takes on the criminally under-rated Paul Malignaggi (33-5, 7). It's arguably the most competitive bout of the day and we have also been told that the winner is set to face Kell Brook in their next fight. Finally we'll get to find out if Brook is as good as British fans have been telling us! |
InternationalWe know that not every fight involves an Asian fighter but a lot of fights do affect Asian fighter. As a result we've decided to add this new section to Asian boxing where we look at selected International bouts. Archives
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