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Category Archives: boxing
Hogan Outworks Brunson on CBS Sports Network Night of Boxing
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MATTHYSSE DEFEATS PROVODNIKOV BY MAJORITY DECISION IN A THRILLER BATTLE AT TURNING STONE RESORT CASINO IN VERONA NEW YORK
‘FIGHT OF THE YEAR’
Will Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Live up to the Hype?
Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. (47-0, 26 KOs) and Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) are set to clash on May 2nd, 2015 in one of the most hyped fights in boxing history. This fight is so huge they are even planning to sell tickets to the weigh-in due to crowd control issues. The proceeds will not be going to the promoters or the boxers, though. It all goes to charity. Still, this is a first for the state of Nevada, which traditionally requires that all weigh-ins be free of charge for fans to attend.
The level of anticipation surrounding this fight had a long time to build up. For the better part of the last decade, these two pound-for-pound juggernauts could not make this fight happen for one ridiculous reason after another. As someone who personally attended some of Mayweather’s public workouts in Vegas, I can attest to the fact that the undefeated welterweight champion repeatedly and relentlessly cited Pacquiao’s refusal to undergo Olympic style blood testing when asked about the attempts being made to get this fight signed over five years ago.
Mayweather even came up with a little rap lyric to express the issue in simple terms:
“If you wanna fight the best, you gotta take the test,” he belted out during a sit-up session at one of those open workouts.
Pacquiao changed his tune on the testing and overcame the biggest hurdle of all when he met personally with Mayweather and agreed that he would be the “B” side and should therefore get a smaller split of the purse. As the video above outlines, Mayweather was then able to dominate the negotiation process.
Although pundits still say this fight will be the biggest in the history of the sport, the question must be asked if this pairing is happening too late in the careers of both fighters for it to be as exciting as some experts predict it will be.
It was always clear to me this fight would happen, but it became obvious that the longer it took to sign the contracts, the better Floyd’s chances of winning would be. Still, Floyd did admit in 2012 that the real reason he didn’t want to fight Pacquiao was due to health concerns. He denied being scared, calling himself “smart” for thinking about his family and his health first. Still, he insisted that the main reason his health would be at risk in that fight was if Pacquiao was really doing steroids, as Mayweather alleged and ended up being sued over. The two settled out of court and the fight is now imminent, so some fans think it’s all water under the bridge. Others are just plain aggravated that we had to wait this long for this bout to come to fruition.
Boxing Legend Marvin Hagler even commented recently that Mayweather waited until Pacquiao aged a little more before signing to fight him. Hagler compared Mayweather’s tactics to Sugar Ray Leonard waiting until Hagler became a little “soft” himself before they signed their fight contract. That bout turned out to be hugely controversial and left Hagler extremely bitter about the sport that made him famous.
So, the May-Pac fight will happen, and Mayweather is the obvious favorite. To learn more about the gambling side of this story, check out Boxing betting at William Hill site. The biggest payoff for any lucky bettor will be a successful bet on Pacquiao, but it’s easy to wonder if Pacquiao really is too old to win this time out. After all, there are tons of concerns with Manny’s calf muscles seizing up, and he reportedly uses a healing cream that costs thousands of dollars per bottle to address the problem.
Mayweather (38) is actually the older fighter, but the 36-year-old Manny’s fought 17 more bouts in the pro ranks and will likely be the most active puncher “Money” ever faced. Mayweather’s normally spectacular and overwhelming defensive prowess just might be tested.
This fight may not be worth every penny you spend on tickets or the Pay-Per-View feed, but the fact that it is finally happening is still special. It will still be a fight boxing fans everywhere around the world can enjoy and appreciate. It’s ultimately up to the fighters to prove they are both up to the task of making sure this fight lives up to expectations. Chances are, Floyd will do his best to leave the MGM Grand with an uneventful decision win. Let’s just hope Pacquiao has enough left in the tank to make sure this is the most competitive fight Mayweather’s ever been in. It may not be the most opportune time for this fight to happen, but it’s a lot better to get it late than never.
RESULTS FROM MOHEGAN SUN
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INSIDE MAYWEATHER VS. PACQUIAO | Episode 1
Enjoy this free preview of Inside Mayweather vs. Pacquiao:
Weights from Valley Forge, PA
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JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. vs. ANDRZEJ FONFARA AMIR IMAM vs. WALTER CASTILLO OFFICIAL WEIGHTS & PHOTOS
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® Live On SHOWTIME® Saturday, April 18, (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT)
From StubHub Center In Carson, Calif.
SHOWTIME BOXING ON SHO EXTREME Airs Live at 8 p.m. ET/PT
Click HERE To Download Photos From Friday’s Weigh-In
Photo Credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR.: 171 ½ Pounds
ANDRZEJ FONFARA: 171 ½ Pounds
AMIR IMAM: 140 Pounds
WALTER CASTILLO: 138 Pounds
SHOWTIME BOXING ON SHO EXTREME:
OSCAR ESCANDON: 121 ¾ Pounds
MOISES FLORES: 121 ¼ Pounds
OMAR CHAVEZ: 159 Pounds
RICHARD GUTIERREZ: 158 ½ Pounds
(SHOWTIME EXTREME Swing Bout)
FABIAN MAIDANA: 146 ¼ Pounds
CORY VOM BAUR: 145 ½ pounds
# # #
“Chavez Jr. vs. Fonfara”, a 12-round light heavyweight bout co-promoted by Goossen Promotions and Chavez Promotions that takes place at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. and will air on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT). In the co-main event, Amir Imam faces Walter Castillo in a 10-round jr. welterweight showdown. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP).
Tickets for the event are priced at $200, $150, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and service charges, are available for purchase online at AXS.com.
For more information visit www.sports.sho.com, follow on Twitter at @SHOSports, @jcchavezjr1, @andrzej_fonfara, @StubHubCenter and @Swanson_Comm, follow the conversation using #ChavezFonfara, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing or visit the SHOWTIME Boxing Blog athttp://theboxingblog.sho.com.
Matthysse v. Provodnikov Fight Card WEIGHTS FROM VERONA, NEW YORK
Vitor Jones De Oliveira 135 – Guillermo Sanchez 133
Patrick Teixeira 160 – Patrick Allotey 157
Paulo Souza 150.5 – Sidney McCow 146
Lamont Roach Jr. 132.5 – Jose Miguel Castro 133
Eddie Gomez 149 – Jonathan Batista 149.5
Venue: Turning Stone Resort Casino
Promoters: Banner Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions and Arano Box Promotions
Television: HBO Boxing After Dark at 9:45 PM ET/PT
1st Bout: 6:50
ISHE SMITH TO HEADLINE “SIN CITY SHOWDOWN” WHEN HE BATTLES CECIL MCCALLA AT THE PEARL AT PALMS CASINO RESORT ON APRIL 30 LIVE ON A SPECIAL THURSDAY NIGHT EDITION OF ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
Tickets Are On Sale Now!
LAS VEGAS (April 17, 2015) – Just two days before the historic showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather Promotions will give boxing fans a special treat on Cinco De Mayo weekend when they present the “Sin City Showdown” on Thursday, April 30 headlined by former world champion Ishe “Sugar Shay” Smith (26-7, 12 KOs) taking on the hard-fighting Cecil McCalla (20-1, 7 KOs) live on a special Thursday edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights from the Pearl at Palms Casino Resort.
In the evening’s co-main event welterweight contender Ashley “The Treasure” Theophane (37-6-1, 11 KOs) will battle Mahonri Montes (29-4-1, 20 KOs). Also featured in televised action is exciting knockout artist Ronald “The Thrill” Gavril (11-1, 9 KOs) duking it out with Eddie Hunter (10-12-2, 3 KOs).
Live coverage will begin at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and will also be available through WatchESPN on computers, smartphones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One via an affiliated video provider. In addition, ESPN Deportes’ Noche de Combates will carry the fights live.
Further undercard action features a slew of Mayweather Promotions rising stars including Lanell “KO” Bellows (11-1-1 7 KOs) taking on Tyrell Hendrix (11-6-2, 4 KOs), plus Juan Heraldez (6-0, 5 KOs), Ladarius “Memphis” Miller (6-0, 1 KO) and Kevin “The Second Coming” Newman (1-0-1) competing in separate bouts against opponents to be determined.
Tickets for the live event are priced at $104.50, $79.50, $54.50, $29.50 and $19.50, plus applicable fees, are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling the Pearl Box Office at 702-944-3200.
“Headlining in my hometown of Las Vegas is always a great thrill and I will not disappoint all the people who come out to watch me fight,” said Smith. “I have aspirations of getting another world title belt and this fight is my first step towards getting another opportunity.”
“I’m thrilled to get back in the ring and show the world what ‘The Treasure’ is all about,” said Theophane. “This is a tremendous opportunity for me and I am going to make the most of it.”
“While the fight the whole world is waiting for takes place Saturday, Mayweather Promotions is extremely pleased to put on a great night of fights at Palms Casino Resort just days before,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “Ishe Smith is an accomplished former world champion and Ashley Theophane is an exciting welterweight who always comes to fight.”
“We’re thrilled to host another great match with Mayweather Promotions,” said Billy Conn, Vice President of Entertainment and Special Events for The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort. “There’s a lot of excitement in the air for boxing fans and this is a great opportunity to see some amazing fighters leading up to the big fight.”
After a long career that saw him go from the world of reality television as a star on “The Contender” to competing at the top level at 154 and 160 pounds, Smith, 36, finally put it all together in 2010, beginning a four-fight winning streak that culminated in a decision win over Cornelius Bundrage for the IBF super welterweight world title in Feb. 2013, becoming the first native Las Vegan to ever win a world title. He subsequently lost his title on September 14, 2013 by a close split decision to the always-tough Carlos Molina. A knockout victory Ryan Davis gave Smith another title shot as he challenged Erislandy Lara in Dec. 2014. Smith fought well but was beaten by Lara via unanimous decision.
After an extended amateur career in which he competed in nearly 100 fights, McCalla is looking to bounce back from his first career defeat when he battles Smith. He dropped a narrow split-decision in Jan. 2015 to Chris van Heerden but had won his previous 20 bouts to start his pro career. The 30-year-old fights out of Baltimore and will make his Las Vegas boxing debut on April 30.
An experienced contender from London but fighting out of Las Vegas, Theophane is looking to build on his current four fight win streak when he enters the ring on April 30. The 34-year-old has been in the ring with many 140 and 147-pound contenders including Danny Garcia and Pablo Cesar Cano, losing by narrow split-decision to both. Most recently he dominated Miguel Zuniga on his way to a unanimous decision in Dec. 2014.
Sporting a 55-5 record as an amateur, the heavy-fisted Montes looks to make it back-to-back wins when he takes on Theophane. The 25-year-old is experienced beyond his years as he has fought frequently since turning pro in 2006. He earned a shot at former world champion Humberto Soto in 2013 but dropped the bout by unanimous decision. Most recently the fighter out of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico defeated previously undefeated Diego Cruz in Oct. 2014.
A threat to deliver a big knockout every time he enters the ring, Gavril hopes to bounce back from his first professional loss when he battles Hunter. The 28-year-old dropped a close decision to longtime contender Elvin Ayala on March 28 but had previously won nine of his first 11 pro fights by knockout. Born in Romania, but fighting out of Las Vegas, Gavril looks to get back on the right track on April 30.
The 28-year-old Hunter has lost his last three fights but has certainly faced tough competition having battled undefeated fighters in 13 of his pro fights. Fighting out of Seattle, Hunter will look to pull off an upset on April 30 in Las Vegas.
For more information follow on Twitter @MayweatherPromo, @PearlAtPalms and @ESPN and follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/