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Month: March 2017
ANDRZEJ FONFARA BACK IN THE GYM TRAINING WITH VIRGIL HUNTER, WAITING FOR NEXT CHALLENGE
Photo by Stephanie Trapp
BAY AREA, CA (March 29, 2017) – WBC #7
light-heavyweight contender, Andrzej Fonfara (29-4, 17 KOs), is back in the Bay Area, CA, training with Virgil Hunter.
After scoring a technical knockout in his last fight against former world champion,
Chad Dawson (34-5, 19 KOs), Fonfara is ready for the next challenge as he looks to get back into a world title fight.
“I took a few weeks off to rest my body, but now I’m ready to get back in the gym training with Virgil Hunter,” said Fonfara. “I’m making the proper sacrifices, coming to California with no
fight date, because I know in this sport your name can be called at any time.”
With a possible date looming, Fonfara feels he’s back on track to fight all top contenders in the light-heavyweight division.
“I’m in a great position being ranked in number seven by the WBC.” Fonfara continued. “I just want to stay sharp and be ready for any fight that might come my way. Training with Virgil now
is only going to make me a better fighter. I’ll be ready for anyone that my team puts in front of me.”
Unbeaten Prospect Leduan Barthelemy Drops & Stops Reynaldo Blanco
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Karlos Balderas, Misael Rodriguez, Eimantas Stanionis & Lindolfo Delgado Ringstar Sports Media Workout Quotes &Photos
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Million Dollar Ladies- The Resurgence Of Women’s Boxing
“Unless women get more recognition, we will be fighting just as a novelty for the rest of our lives. There will be no future.”
The words of former lightweight fighter Marian “Lady Tiger” Trimiar, back in 1987, while enduring a month-long hunger strike aimed at bringing better conditions, pay and recognition to women’s boxing.
Over the years, the glass ceiling in boxing has been cracked a few times, but sadly, has always been repaired. That said, we are in a time that may see the damn thing shattered. To know where we are going, we need to take a brief look back at where we’ve been.
Although women’s boxing was introduced and on display in the Olympics all the way back in 1904, it didn’t make the cut. It wasn’t until 2012 that women first stepped into the ring for the right to earn a medal. Let me say that year again…2012! That was just five years ago. It was the last “male only” sport in the Games to find gender equality. Ceiling cracks…..
There are traces of women’s boxing dating back to the 17 and 1800’s; however, it wasn’t until the 1950’s until there was significant movement. Barbara Buttrick, considered by most as the pioneer of women’s boxing, fought the first nationally televised female fight in 1954. As the legend goes, “The Mighty Atom of The Ring” also won the first women’s world championship. It wasn’t all roses for the woman from Yorkshire, England. Through her career, she had to ignore critics who said her involvement in the sport was “degrading” and an “insult to womanhood”. Many would have crumbled under the pressure she endured but not the 4’11 Buttrick, a true pioneer with a warrior’s heart. A champion cut from every bit the same cloth of any male counterpart.
By the 1970’s and through the struggle of it all in this decade, there were positive signs of progress. Bans on women’s boxing were being removed with licences being issued and bouts being sanctioned. Names like Cathy “Cat” Davis, the first female boxer to be featured on the cover of The Ring magazine, the aforementioned Trimiar, and “The Female Ali” Jackie Tonawanda were all instrumental in fighting for a women’s right to be licensed to fight. Ceiling is cracking…..
One could argue that women’s boxing had its biggest rise in popularity or its golden age thus far in the mid 90’s. It was a “Coalminer’s Daughter” from West Virgina donning the cover of Sports Illustrated with the title “The Lady Is A Champ- Boxing’s New Sensation” that disrupted the status quo of the male dominated profession for what seems like now for only a brief moment.
Martin fought on the undercard of the baddest man on the planet, which by default put women’s boxing in millions of homes world-wide. Martin fought arguably the most memorable women’s fight ever against Deirdre Gogarty on the undercard of Mike Tyson v. Frank Bruno in 1996. The bloody affair against Gogarty is widely considered the beginning of modern-day women’s boxing.
In the years during that period of awakening, many quality fighters emerged. Pugilists such as Lucia Rijker, the first women inducted in the World Boxing Hall of Fame who retired undefeated without ever having a career defining fight. If you had a discussion on all-time greats in women’s boxing thus far they would have come from this time period, “The Dutch Destroyer” would no doubt start the conversation along with Ann Wolfe, Holly Holm, Laila Ali, Mia St. John, Mary Jo Sanders and Regina Halmich who was instrumental in the rise of women’s boxing in Europe.
Laila with the appropriate (sur)nickname of “She Bee Stingin” garnered huge attention as the daughter of “The Greatest” when she began to began to pursue the sweet science. The spotlight brightened even more when she entered the ring against Jackie Frazier-Lyde, yes the daughter of “Smokin Joe”, June 2001, Ali v. Frazier, IV as you will. The first ever pay-per-view card headlined by women.
These fighters were boxers and brawlers and had skill-sets that rivaled their male counterparts. It is a shame that these highly skilled fighters were not showcased more than they were and matched up for some epic bouts. No takers for serious promotions or regular airtime. Additionally, it was suggested that they were more about themselves and less about the game. Crack repaired….
The spark was lit, women’s boxing should have taken off with the strongest group of fighters ever but there were still those skeptics that saw it as a side-show, the chauvinist views that women should be wearing makeup for beauty, not to cover the battle scars of last night’s fight.
Maybe back then, as Ms. Trimiar stated, it was a novelty; however, 2017 looks to be the year when recognition paves the road to the future. There is a current surge of female fighters with extraordinary skills and the timing appears to be right this go round. With the power of social media, something not available in past times, champions and contenders can be publicized to stimulate public interest and build a following. In addition, we have already seen progress through marketing and the showcasing of fighters through mainstream media.
We’ll take a look here at a few fighters that can sustain the sport going forward. Some were outstanding amateurs, some already champions, but both will impact the future. The list is most definitely not complete. No disrespect to the fighters not listed, while most of the below have Olympic pedigrees, this is not to suggest that these women are saving the day. There are many, many fighters never fortunate enough to have competed in the games or had an amateur background; however, their blood, sweat, and tears fighting in bars, halls, and the smallest venues around has not gone unnoticed. They are the ones that kept the dream alive for women fighters of today and tomorrow.
No better place to start than with the lady considered the top P4P fighter in the game, undefeated and unified welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus (30-0 8 KO). “The First Lady” has made eighteen consecutive title defenses since capturing her first title in 2009. Braekhus longs for a defining fight in the US, as most of her fights have been in Germany. Kind of Mayweather like in her approach, she uses her jab extremely well to set up straight rights and her movement is some of the best I’ve seen.
The fighting pride of Ireland, Katie Taylor, utilizes fast hands, works the body, has a great left hook, and a solid right. A skill set so good that even Claressa Shields sings her praise saying Taylor is the only fighter that comes close to her in skill set. Quite an endorsement. Taylor is set to fight on the undercard of the Wladimir Klitschko v. Anthony Joshua bout and according to promoter Eddie Hearn, a world title fight in Dublin in November is a possibility.
Featherweight Heather Hardy (19-0 4 KO), holder of two titles in different weight classes has an outstanding skill set. While reviewing her fights, I see the strong jab, the movement, the timely uppercuts, the left hook, the overhand rights. Great stuff, a skillset as strong as anyone mentioned. Hardy, with a background in kickboxing and Muay Thai, has dabbled in a brief cross over into MMA motivated by the financial opportunities that come within the cage. No faulting her there, a fighter has to eat. That said, please don’t leave Heather, the sport needs you!
Claressa Shields put a crack in the ceiling this month headlining the first women’s card on a premium network. The two-time Olympic Gold medalist, Shields is a throw-back fighter. Great jab, straight right, left hook and very strong. She grew up in an old boxing gym, nothing fancy just serious training. Arguably, she is the current face of women’s boxing out of the group. While the others may be more popular in their specific country or area, Shields is most likely more well-known across the board.
Nicola Adams– Another two-time gold medalist and the first women to win an Olympic Gold Medal. This flyweight fighter, who just turned pro, signed with Frank Warren and will have her professional debut in April. What movement. Adams is adept at moving in and out with effortless motion while scoring. Her style looks well suited for the pro game.
Shelly Vincent, a highly talented featherweight out of Rhode Island, her only loss out of twenty bouts a MD to Hardy televised on the PBC network. A fight she campaigned for by showing up unannounced and calling Hardy out. A brawling type compact fighter who will be a handful for any opponent.
With a nickname like one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, you’d better be able to bring it. Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (31-1 23 KO) a southpaw junior featherweight titlist who does just that. An excellent boxer who is disciplined and can get you out of there with power. There is beauty in her brutality. Serrano is very accurate and hits with thudding power. Serrano last fought on the undercard of the Badou Jack-James DeGale bout in January. While the main and co-main aired on Showtime, Serrano’s bout aired on Showtime Extreme. Progress nonetheless. Serrano earned $17,500 for her trouble. A paltry sum for a world champion fighting on a premium network.
This new generation of fighters appears to be working towards a common goal of bringing the women’s game to the forefront and that is the stuff of champions that will make it a success this time around.
Matchups will be the key, as well as promotional companies willing to step up and take a chance. Credit to Showtime for bringing women’s boxing out of the dark ages and begin to regularly showcase these amazing athletes. The UFC has shown that there is a market and big purses for women in combat sports, they just need a chance in the sweet science. But boxing beware, if you lose these pugilists this time around, they may navigate to MMA for good. There needs to be an extreme marketing campaign to get this going in the right direction. The talent is there, it just needs the backing.
As I wrote this article, it became more and more difficult to keep referring to “women’s boxing”. These women are boxers first and foremost, gender be damned. I just love great boxing and boxing skills and these athletes provide just that.
It’s ok ladies, no more hunger strikes are needed, we see your dream…smash the damn ceiling, it is your time.
“It’s the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you”
-Million Dollar Baby
The Women Boxing Archive Network WBAN http://www.womenboxing.com/historic.htm provided great insight and perspective into the subject matter.
Linares Technically Brilliant In Dominance Of Crolla
Back in September, in a very close fight, Jorge Linares (42-3 27 KO) beat Anthony Crolla (31-6-3 13 KO) by unanimous decision 115-113, 115-114, and the “What in the hell fight were you watching?” score of 117-111. Standing-8 had it 115-113 Linares.
The stage was set for a rematch. Just like the first fight, they knuckled up (today/tonight depending on where you were watching from) at the Manchester Arena. Crolla would again have a chance to be special in front of his hometown fans, but this time would be worse than the last.
From the opening bell, Linares was masterful in his execution. His movement and ring generalship was just about perfect relevant to his opponent. It was obvious he learned from their first encounter and tightened up the areas that needed it. Linares moved effortlessly while landing a piston like jab, damaging left hooks to the body, quick accurate combination punching, and mixing in a sneaky right uppercut from time to time. Throughout the fight, Crolla was able to move forward backing Linares up but the champions ability to fight off his back foot negated any advantage that Crolla could possibly have.
The begining of the fight was almost a carbon copy of their first. Linares the more active fighter banking rounds. Crolla went to the body in the third and even though Linares won the round it was closer. Body work was key for Crolla which would make sense when facing a moving target. The problem is Crolla did not continue the body work in an effort to slow his adversary. In the fifth, Linares landed some nice left hooks to the body and was getting closer to landing a big right uppercut. It was painfully obvious in the sixth that Linares was begining to break Crolla down pysically which would be telling in the next round.
In the seventh, Linares dropped Crolla with a textbook left uppercut from distance.
Crolla beat the count and actually landed some effective punches to close out the round. If there is one thing that Crolla did in this one it was show the heart of a champion. Case in point, after being dropped in the seventh, he arguably came back to win the eighth, one of only two rounds that Standing-8 gave him.
A few close rounds to the final bell but edge to Linares in most with the exception of the twelfth on the card here. Interesting to note is that in the eleventh, it appeared that Crolla’s corner wanted to stop the fight but Crolla’s warrior heart would have none of it as he finished the fight.
Standing-8 had it the same as all three judges, 118-109.
A unification fight with Mikey Garcia could be up next for Linares.
Undefeated Super Welterweight World Champion Jermell Charlo Defends Against Top Contender Charles Hatley Saturday, April 22
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Marcos Hernandez Training Camp Quotes & Photos
Undefeated Prospect Meets Once-Beaten Kyrone Davis in Showdown Featured on Premier Boxing Champions
TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 &
BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes Tuesday, March 28 From Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino in Nice, California
Click HERE for
Photos from Peter Lopes/Team Hernandez
NICE, CALIF.
(March 23, 2017) – Unbeaten prospect Marcos Hernandez will look to keep his perfect record intact when he battles once-beaten Kyrone Davis in action featured on Premier Boxing Champions TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes, Tuesday, March 28 from Robinson Rancheria Resort and Casino in Nice, California.
Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and is headlined by undefeated prospect
Leduan Barthelemy battling the Dominican Republic’s Reynaldo Blanco in a 10-round super featherweight contest.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, start at $20 and are on sale now. To purchase tickets, call the players club at (707) 262-4000.
Here is what Hernandez had to say about his training camp, his showdown with Davis and more:
On his current training camp:
“Like always, training camp has been tough. My team and I put in a lot of hard work. I have some great sparring in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, with some top-level guys. I know all
the hard work will pay off on fight night. There are a couple of more days left before we wrap camp up. All in all, it’s been a great camp.”
On facing Kyrone Davis:
“Kyrone Davis is a very good fighter with a lot of skill. He’s never been knocked out so I know he has a good chin. This is a fight where the winner will get another opportunity to take his career to another level. We have a nice game plan that we will impose on Davis. I must take control from the first round and make my adjustments from there.”
On making his third appearance on FS1:
“I’m very happy to be back fighting on FS1. This will be my third consecutive time fighting on TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS and I can’t wait. I know a lot of my fans back home in Fresno will be tuning in. I just want to bring another exciting fight to the fans.”
On fighting at the Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino:
“I like fighting up at the Robinson Rancheria Casino. Being that this will be my third fight up there, I’ve developed a bit of a fan base with the local fans. The venue is nice and
the fans are up close so it can get loud in there. I enjoy putting on a great show for everyone in attendance.”
On making his 2017 debut:
“I’ve eagerly been waiting to get back in the ring since I last fought in September. I want to make a statement being that this is my first fight in 2017. I know if I keep winning I’ll
be back in the ring with the stakes much higher
Ringstar Sports Rising Stars Make Their Professional Debuts
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Former Title Challenger Edner Cherry Takes On Once-Beaten Omar Douglas
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Standing-8 