Mijares vs Munoz - streamed live by LIVEFIGHT.COM May 17th
WBA champion Alexander “El Explosivio” Munoz is fighting in WBC title-holder Cristian Mijares’ hometown Saturday night (May 17) in the first super flyweight unification title bout in nearly a decade, headlining the “Noche de Campeones” pay-per-view event live from the Auditorio Centenario in Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico.
This fight will be streamed from LiveFight.com in our streaming section plus the full undercard.
Streaming section HERE
Froch and Rybacki make the weight, Froch to fight Pascal after ?
09.05.08
Carl Froch and Polands Albert Rybacki both made the weight ahead of their scheduled fight tomorrow night as chief support to Junior Witter's defence of his WBC title against American Timothy Bradley.
Rumours are already circulating that if Canada's Jean Pascal beats his next opponent, Fulgencio Zuniga, then there will be a possibly a match up between Froch and Pascal for the WBC title which is anticipated to be vacated by Joe Calzaghe soon.
Unbeaten Pascal who has a record of 21-0 (14ko's) has been excellent against the journeyman at the beginning of his career, but has only managed to secure mainly points wins in his last (5 points wins from his last 7 outings) wheras the unbeaten Froch has stopped 6 of his last 7 opponents, including former World Champion Robin Reid (5th round)
The slick boxing Pascal has a notable win against 6'4 Kingsley Ikeke, a man whom was meant to face Froch before passing up on the trip.
However, victory of Zuniga (20-2, 17ko's ) is no certainty. The big punching Columbian had Kelly Pavlik down in the first round of their recent fight, before Kelly rallied to stop Zuniga in the 9th round of their 2005 fight.
Zuniga vs Pavlik knockdown:-
(courtesy of YouTube)
discuss in FORUM HERE
Froch talks to local news (VIDEO)
Carl 'the Cobra' Froch today met the local media in the new Liberty Boxing Gym in Nottingham to put on an open workout and to talk about his impending fight on May 10th.
Rubin Williams has also made clear his ambition to beat Froch known :-
"I am definitely not coming here to make up the numbers. I am coming here to knock out Carl Froch and take my place where I belong back at the top of the rankings.
"I respect what Carl has achieved but he hasn't fought anybody like me. I was delighted when I was given the opportunity because I was fit and in shape and I am ready to make the most of it."
discuss in FORUM HERE
Oscar's Jab Scores Unanimous Decision
04.05.08
Oscar beats Forbes via unanimous decision 120-108, 119-109 and 119-109 in what many predict as a warm up fight to the Floyd Mayweather rematch, which is expected at the close of the year.
Oscar De La Hoya utilised a weapon that many didn't see often enough in the Mayweather fight - the jab - to secure victory over the game Steve '2 pound' Forbes last night in L.A.
"It was really sharp,'' Said Forbes
"He was really using his left hand quite a bit. It was difficult. He was doubling and tripling it. That kind of jab can knock people out. It was like a piston."
"He has a lot of power,'' Forbes (33-6, 9 KO) said
"He hurt me twice. He's a smart fighter. It was an honor to fight Oscar. It was great to be in there and not go down. I hope I proved I'm a top-level fighter.''
"He definitely boxed a lot more,'' Forbes said. "He was able to keep jabbing all night long. That helped him.''
Oscar De La Hoya :-
"Obviously the key was the jab,'' De La Hoya (39-5) said. "I felt really good. People expected me to fade in the fifth or sixth round but all the rust went away around the 11th round. I'll tell you one thing. I can't wait for September.
"I wanted to prove one thing - that I could stay on my toes and pop my jab. I could have done it a lot more but I hurt my hand in the fifth or sixth round on the top of his head. After that I was biting down and throwing my hard jab.''
"If you saw my left hand now you'd see it was swollen,'' De La Hoya said. "I had to bite down and keep throwing it because Stevie Forbes was going to come on.
"This is how I plan to fight Mayweather. Straight up. On the balls of my feet. Using my jab. This is the way I wanted this fight to go. This is the same style I'm going to use to beat Mayweather because I know I can "
"Now that I've been in there with Floyd this is personal. I'm going to beat him. You watch. It's about having the perfect game plan. Have to take your time, be on your topes, pop, pop, pop. We'll get it down. This is very personal. You watch. I'm going to beat the best.''
"Now I feel sharper,'' De La Hoya said. "I'll take a week off and keep icing my (left) hand. It won't affect me whatsoever. I know it's not broken. I can work on my right hand and my conditioning. I'll be ready for Mayweather.''
Mayweather Snr added :-
"I thought Oscar would have more power than he had,'' Mayweather, Sr. said. "Now we know we have to work on that more but I thought it went well. He didn't do as much as I wanted but he did a good job.
"This basically was preparing for my son. Floyd is a better fighter than Stevie but he doesn't throw as many punches as Steve so if Oscar feints well, uses his jab a lot and counter punches he'll have a great fight.''
Highlight of fight (courtesy of youtube)
discuss in FORUM HERE
Carl Froch to fight Rubin Williams
04.05.08
Rumours circulating indicate that disappointed Carl Froch has seemingly scared away any decent competition in and around his weight class.
Following the second withdrawal of Denis Inkin, the WBC rightfully installed Froch as the mandatory #1 to the title, currently held by Joe Calzaghe.
Inkin was originally scheduled to fight on March 29th but withdrew to a 'virus' and then his second excuse has been 'a bad back'.
Offers were put out to Edison Miranda and Mikkel Kessler to name but a few, but none seemed willing to accept. Stating other planned fights as their reasons for not accepting the invitation to get a shot at the WBC title.
However,Inkin's withdrawal still left the promoter with an ITV and a Showtime date to fulfill. Mick Hennessy set about quickly filling in the void left by Inkin, by contacting the Columbian Alejandro Berrio, a boxer who originally wanted to come over and replace Inkin in March.
Big punching Berrio who has 26 wins of which 25 were KO's, has recently held the IBF world title and has stopped notable Super Middleweight contenders such as Yusaf Mack, Syd Vanderpool and Robert Stieglitz.
However despite agreeing and accepting terms which were very lucrative to the Columbian, Berrio has gone missing in action. The Columbian was looking at a reported possible career high purse for his visit and was reportedly in perfect shape and at the weight so the reluctance to sign was baffling.
Names such as unbeaten Jean Paul Mendy, Kingsley Ikeke and some heavier fighters have showed interest at first, before deciding against the opportunity.
Now it would seem the experienced Ruben Williams has stepped up to the plate.
The 6'1 American from Detroit, Michigan is has a record of 29-4 (16 KO's) and has recently taken Allan Green the distance.
In his last fight, the game Williams was stopped on a cut by the doctor whilst boxing hot prospect and former Olympian Andre Ward.
He fought a prime Jeff Lacy for the IBF Super Middleweight title in 2005 at the Mandalay bay hotel in Las Vegas and was stopped in the 7th round by TKO.
However, negotiations are still ongoing with several 'in shape, at the weight' fighters and things still need to be officially finalised.
Froch, who is now fully recovered from his extensive cruciate knee ligament operation is looking for someone to take out his frustrations on which spells a painful evening ahead for Williams should he be the chosen one.
The big punching 'Cobra' with 18KO's from 22 wins, will no doubt as usual look for the stoppage.
The show will be shown on ITV on May the 10th, starting at around 9pm. Also the show will be on Canadian and American television.
discuss in FORUM HERE
Manchester's John Murray - Ready to take over the Lightweights
03.05.08
JOHN MURRAY: DOING THINGS THE HARD, OLD FASHIONED WAY
by Matthew Sanderson
In boxing, there are plenty of shortcuts. Especially for a young fighter tipped to go to the top. Manchester’s John Murray is a very bright prospect. But he’ll never be accused of taking the easy route – as so many of his peers are – not after his next fight. The 23-0 (12 KOs) pressure fighter has a tough assignment when he tackles fellow unbeaten John Fewkes on Saturday 10 May.
A ten-rounder for Murray’s English lightweight crown, it promises to be a hard, competitive battle. It could well be the fight of the night, on a show headlined by Carl Froch vs TBA (after Denis Inkin withdrew for a second time) and Junior Witter’s WBC light welterweight title defence against Timothy Bradley.
Fewkes, 22, is no pushover, despite earning only two knockouts from 17 wins. Among those 17 victims are current Commonwealth welterweight champion Craig Watson and the once-beaten (at the time) Scott Haywood, as well as tough cookies Gary Reid and Tontcho Tontchev.
It’s an excellent matchup, perhaps too good for the title that’s on the line. Though there are bigger names and better titles out there, 23-year-old Murray is up for this bout knowing that victory will put him on the map in a weight class rich in talent.
“Lightweight is wide open,” observed Murray when I talked to him last month. “(WBO, WBA and IBF champion) Nate Campbell is coming to the end of his career. We’re only a few years away from the young contenders moving up. Domestically lightweight is a great division. With big super featherweights like Kevin Mitchell likely to move up, it can only get better.
“When you look back (six or seven years) at the light middleweights the good British fighters never ended up fighting each other. Takaloo, Anthony Farnell. Their careers sort of fizzled out,” with the big fights not happening when the public wanted them. “But there’s a great chance at lightweight for us all to get together and make our mark (in big fights).”
But a lot is being asked of Murray, who had been keen to get his hands on his respected but ageing Hennessy Sports stablemate Jonathon Thaxton. It’s a missed opportunity – following Thaxton’s one-sided defeat to EBU champion Yuri Romanov on 4 April – that has irked both trainer and fighter. Admitted John’s coach Joe Gallagher, “Yuri Romanov was exceptional. He has dynamite in his right hand. He knows the British circuit as well. What annoys John more than anything is that we had the style to do it (beat Thaxton), and Romanov ended up doing the job.”
Consider that Murray is facing a fleet-footed slickster in Fewkes, in what is expected to be a big ring, and the size of the task is apparent. An even bigger task, in lieu of Murray’s inactivity, which will total five months by the time he steps into the Nottingham Arena ring (the whole card was postponed from the original 29 March date after Denis Inkin withdrew for the first time against Froch). Fewkes has since fought a tune up. Murray hasn’t been able to.
“It’s a massive hindrance. The more active I’ve been, the better I’ve been in the ring. To keep my tools nice and sharp I need to be kept active. But I’ve had great sparring. The lack of ring fitness has been made up for in sparring,” admitted Murray.
And he’s had plenty of time to prepare for the bout – something he’s not often had – increased by the bout's rescheduling. Several months ago Gallagher informed me, “The only time John has received proper notice – more than a week – he looked great against Dean Hickman and Ignacio Mendoza.” The thorough preparation this time could lead to one of Murray’s best showings yet, provided he isn’t too rusty or stale.
Though Murray and Gallagher have adapted well to situations – taking short notice jobs against men whose bouts aren’t readily available to watch – there were some awkward moments in their last bout, against Miguel Angel Munguia in Las Vegas on 7 December (the night before Hatton-Mayweather).
Munguia’s jerky style took Murray a few rounds to get used to, and the Mexican’s rough tactics went unpunished (a common complaint for British fighters abroad, ala Hatton-Mayweather and the recent Calzaghe-Hopkins), the referee’s lack of control of the action allowing the bout to drag an ugly spectacle.
It wasn’t Murray’s sharpest performance by a long shot. But he dug in and pulled out an awkward victory. It was a win akin to Romanov’s off-form decision win over old spoiler Steffano Zoff. Romanov dismantled Thaxton in his very next contest, shattering the myth that ‘You’re only as good as your last fight.’ Murray is keen to do the same.
Indeed, John sees the Munguia bout as more of a motivator than a hindrance, “It (having off-nights) motivates you more to come back and to prove you’re as good as you are. I’ve shown I can grind out the win when things aren’t all going my way.”
John & Joe Murray on regional news :-
(courtesy of youtube)
discuss in FORUM HERE
01.05.08 Limmond vs Earl collide on the 14th June...
Former Amir Khan opponent Willie Limmond will be making the first defence of his newly aquired IBO 'intercontinental' Lightweight 135lb title on June the 14th. Limmond won the belt in a tough 12 round points win over Martin Watson.
His opponent will be another Amir victim in Graham Earl. The fight will be staged at the Glasgow's SEC.
The Former British and Commonwealth champion Earl has seemingly been written-off prior to his fight with Amir Khan, with many of his loyal coaching team leaving him out in the cold, fearful that is Earl continues to box he could end up getting seriously hurt.
This fear was only underlined when Earl took plenty of flush shots in the opening round, forcing the referee to stop the fight there and then.
Always the consumate professional, Limmond will prepare for the very Earl.
Earl vs Khan :-
(video courtesy of youtube)
29.04.08 Exclusive Jamie Moore - Discusses Spice Boy Rhodes and Homecoming
By Andrew Wake
The past twelve months have been filled with disappointment for Salford’s crowd pleasing southpaw Jamie Moore..
He’s had trouble with a serious shoulder injury and has seen chances to move to the level that his evident skills deserve fall by the wayside, but the set backs have done little to dampen his ambitions and, after successful surgery to fix the troublesome shoulder, he’s promising his ever growing army of fans a whole new animal when he returns to the ring against tough Mexican Esau Herrera at the City of Manchester Stadium next month.
“I’ve gone back to training and the difference has been unbelievable.” The 29 year old said. “In the past couple of years I’ve been limited to the types of shots I can throw but it’s all coming back to me now and I think someone might be in a bit of trouble when they get on the end my left hand.”
At the Robin Park Centre in Wigan last December, Moore was due to take on undefeated puncher Zaubek Baysangurov for the European light-middleweight crown, but the bout was scrapped after the Russian champion pulled out at the eleventh hour.
Moore, who is still the mandatory challenger, is determined to get the fight resurrected and feels that he can’t wait around for long.
“I need to get a move on with my career because I ain’t getting any younger.” He admitted. “It’s been frustrating so the sooner I get it done the better.
“I think the fight should happen either in late July or early next season (August or September) but I need to get some rounds under my belt first and make sure that I’m 100% first and that’s why I need the warm up fight with Herrera.”
If you don’t already know, Jamie is a massive Manchester United fan and his comeback appearance at the home of arch rivals City has already caused some banter with his good friend and Sky Blue fanatic Ricky Hatton.
“I text Ricky and told him that I’ll be wearing my United shorts for the fight and he text back ‘You better make sure you knock him out quick because you lot get no points at our ground.’” (Laughs)
On a more serious note, he added: “It’s fantastic exposure for me and hopefully I can get a good performance out because they will be some important people there from America, you know, people from Goldenboy. If I impress it might be sooner rather than later when I get a shot.”
One man who has been very vocal about his desire to face Moore is fellow southpaw and newly crowned British champion Ryan Rhodes but, while Moore respects the fighter formally known as ‘The Spice Boy’, he says he’s not someone who is on his radar at present.
“He’s come back and won the British title when everyone was writing him off at one point and saying he was finished years ago, but I’ve got big ambitions and when I win the European title I won’t be looking backwards to Ryan Rhodes, no disrespect to him but I’ll looking forwards to a world title.
“I’m number one in Europe and I’m highly regarded in America so, from his point of view, a win over me would shoot him straight up the rankings, but as far as I’m concerned I’m not interested.”
He added: “If I was to win a world title and Rhodes came on and won the European title then it could be a natural fight for the British public but until then there’s no reward in it for me.”
Jamie in action against Mathew Macklin :-
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