Standing-8

Brook A Shining Light In First Defense Of Title

Showtime Boxing International is a new series on Showtime promising to “Bring you fights’ from around the world, shining the spotlight on international fighters”

The spotlight couldn’t have shined any brighter on IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook (34-0 23 KO) on Saturday from the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England as the hometown hero didn’t disappoint making a successful first defense of his belt by stopping Jo Jo Dan (34-3 18 KO) by TKO at the end of round four.

Dan was the IBF #1 ranked mandatory challenger but from the opening bell, Brook made him look like a lesser opponent.

Brook dominated round one by establishing his straight right hand followed by left hooks. The straight right would bekey throughout the night. Dan, a southpaw, appeared a little off balance with his orthodox counterpart. He moved forward at times but Brook’s speed kept him honest.

Dan began round two by trying to close the distance but Brook landed a straight right which wobbled Dan. Seeing that Dan was visibly shaken by the shot, Brook attacked and dropped Dan with a right uppercut. Dan was up and took a quick count. As the fight continued, Brook attacked again and dropped Dan again with a straight right. Dan is able to beat the count but is wobbly on his feet as he becomes target practice for the rest of the round but shows his mettle and makes it to the bell.

The third was a sloppy round as Dan lunged forward to try and smoother Brook, his legs visibly gone. Brook has another big round landing just about everything he throws.

Dan lands his best punch of the fight in the fourth round, a left hand, it has little effect causing Brook to unload a flurry of punches the last, a glancing blow off the top of Dan’s head which drops him again. Dan is up again and Brook attacks Dan to the bell and lands a huge left hook just as the bell sounds depositing Dan on the canvas.

Dan gets up, takes the mandatory eight count, and returns to his corner. In between rounds, Dan’s corner has seen enough and stops the fight.

A dominant performance for the new champion in his first title defense against a very tough opponent who had never been stopped.

“What a heart, I caught him with some good clean shots, he kept getting back up” said Brook

Continued Brook, “I’ve been out for a while with the leg,…… there’s much more to come from me, that was just to knock cobwebs off, I’m going to be back in June in a massive fight, I’m back.”

When asked who he would want to face next, Brook mentions “(Amir) Khan, (Juan Manuel) Marquez, and Brandon Rios” Promoter Eddie Hearn was then asked about future opponents, “There’s a little venue (Wembley Stadium) available on June 13, if Amir Khan’s watching, give everyone what they want. It’s for the biggest payday; it’s for a world title, who wants to see Brook vs. Khan?

Brook was asked if he had a message for Amir Khan, “If you’re watching, come on, get in here with me, I know you’re delicate around your whiskers, I’ll take you out”

Brook did what a champion is supposed to do to the number one threat to his title, dominate him decisively. Brook looked amazing considering he was lying in a hospital bed six months ago unsure of his future.

“I didn’t think I’d ever walk again, let alone box again, and here I am defending my world title in style, I’ve been given a second chance, the best is yet to come”

Brook’s “Special One” moniker has taken on a whole new meaning over the past seven months.

Russell Jr. Dominates Gonzalez, Takes Title

Gary Russell Jr. (26-1, 15 KOs) is the new WBC featherweight champion after stopping Jhonny Gonzalez (57- 9, 48 KOs) in the fourth round and preventing him from making a third successful title defense.

It was no secret that Russell Jr.’s speed was going to be a big factor in the fight but in the opening round it became evident that it was going to be an almost unfair advantage. Russell Jr. controlled the entire first round with a blistering right jab while landing a few shots to the body. Gonzalez looked very slow and was mostly inactive as he tried his best to land a plodding left hook.

In the second round, Russell Jr. continued to land his jab while looking to land a straight left. Gonzalez actually began to move forward more and began cutting off the ring while having limited success landing the overhand right.

There was more of the same for Russell Jr. in the third as he continued to land the right jab and straight left. With about six seconds left in the round, Russell Jr. landed a perfectly timed left hook followed by a blazing right hook depositing Gonzalez on the canvas. Gonzalez was on his feet at the count of six as referee Tony Weeks’ continued his count to eight and allowed Gonzalez to continue as the bell sounded to end the round.

To start the fourth and sensing that his opponent was not fully recovered, Russell came out at the bell and attacked Gonzalez landing two rights on the top of Gonzalez head followed by a left hook off of Gonzalez’s temple dropping him again. Gonzalez made it to his feet at the count of six as Weeks told Gonzalez, “I’m going to give you a chance”.

Russell Jr. then attacked Gonzalez with a flurry of blistering punches. Russell Jr. landed a left hook and as Gonzalez was stumbling around, finished him with a right uppercut knocking him to his knees and causing Weeks to jump in and stop the fight at thirty-seven seconds of the fourth.

Showtime’s Jim Gray asked Russell Jr. how he would describe making the most of his opportunity in a second try for a world title.

“I’d like to thank my mother but more importantly, my father who has been riding this wave with me all the way through, everything you see as a fighter, he’s the painter, I’m only the canvas” said Russell Jr.

On the disappointment of the Olympics, the Lomachenko loss, but finally being able to have a belt around his waist,

“We’re definitely trying to get at Lomachenko once again. Being a world champion was never one of my goals, not until after me not being able to compete in the Olympics, I had a lot of people supporting me, I felt the only way to make it up to my fans and the people that work with me, that was there for so long is to come home with this work title, we did it today”

Yes, “Mister” Gary Russell Jr. is a world champion and now has a dominating win over a quality opponent. He silenced his critics for the moment while showing that he is a force to be reckoned with.

This article contributed to BTG.

Charlo UD Over Martirosyan

Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo (26-0, 11 KOs) defeated Vanes “Nightmare” Martirosyan (35-2-1, 21 KOs) by unanimous decision with scores of 97-93, and 96-94 X2. This was a very close fight with the swing rounds going Charlo’s way. The matching cards by two of the judges were a better indicator of what occurred in the ring than their colleagues’ absurd four point difference.

Both fighters came out looking to establish their jab. Martirosyan controlled the pace early as Charlo looked to counter. Martirosyan was working the body well and seemed to surprise Charlo with his speed. Charlo looked to counter but was hesitant early and was not moving as much as he usually does which opened up opportunities for Martirosyan to work to the body. Charlo had an almost three inch reach advantage but it was mostly a non factor throughout the fight.

In the third round, Charlo began to move more and began landing one-two combinations and straight rights down the middle. This formula was effective for Charlo as he continued this approach over the next few rounds and controlled most of those rounds by using movement, an active jab, and timely straight rights.

Martirosyan also had plenty of moments as he stalked Charlo and landed counter rights but he didn’t sustain his attack to the body through the middle rounds. Charlo’s movement contributed to Martirosyan’s inability to continue his work to the body. Martirosyan was the more accurate puncher in some of the closer rounds but his activity level may have impacted the judge’s scores in those rounds.

In the post fight interview, Showtime’s Jim Gray asked Martirosyan why he didn’t stay consistent with the plan of attacking the body,

“It’s a ten round fight, the whole week I’ve been pushing for a twelve round fight, they told me it’s a title fight then it’s not a title fight, we were ready for twelve rounds, we were hoping it was twelve rounds, I found out yesterday it was ten rounds, we wanted twelve rounds, we thought that it would be better for us, we went to the body early so later on we could bring his legs down so we could attack up top and that’s what we did; I honestly thought I won the fight”

In the eighth round, an accidental headbutt caused a small cut over Martirosyan’s left eye. The fight was stopped as the ringside physician examined the injury. The doctor asked Martirosyan to open his eye but Martirosyan was having difficulty doing so. The doctor asked Martirosyan if he could see, Martirosyan replied that his vision was blurry and he was having a hard time opening his eye. The doctor implied that he would stop the fight if Martirosyan could not continue. Martirosyan stated that he was ok to continue.

When the fight resumed, Martirosyan attacked Charlo in a sense of urgency. Both fighters landed aggressively to the bell.

In the post fight interview, Gray asked Martirosyan how the head butt affected him through the rest of the fight and if his vision was blurry,

“It was blurry but the doctor told me they are either going to stop the fight or the fight would continue, I could barely see but I was ok to fight, we’re warriors, we fight, I can’t just quit like that, I have to go all the way”

The last two rounds were close but neither combatant fully controlled either round. After the fight both fighters spoke about the decision,

Said Charlo of his victory, “I knew I had a game plan, Vanes wanted to attack with the right hand and he also can move a little bit. I was smart in the ring, I did what I had to do, I got the victory and we’re on to the next”

“I got a son at home, Eli, I knew what time it was, I heard him in the sixth round, get on it, get on it, I ended the sixth round well, I came back in the seventh round, Ronnie (Shields) told me to step it up a little more, I did that, every round I elevated my game”

Countered Martirosyan on if he thought he won the fight,

“A hundred percent, I mean he ran the whole fight, I mean he did land a couple of punches, but I was pushing the action, I pushed the action, I won the last round, I thought it was close, you know whoever won the last round won the fight, I thought I clearly did that, I mean one judge had it ninety-seven, the other judges had it by one point. I honestly think I won the fight, I mean he ran the whole fight, it’s not the Olympics, its professional boxing”

The bout was billed as a super welterweight eliminator. After the win, Charlo commented on if he is ready to fight for a title,

“Absolutely, I feel like I’m ready, my brother’s ready, we’re steady climbing, if they don’t give us a title, they’ll give us something”

This article contributed to BTG.

Kell Brook-Jo Jo Dan Preview

Kicking things off on Showtime on Saturday at 6:15 p.m. ET from the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England will be hometown hero and IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook (33-0 22) making the first defense of his strap against Romanian born Canadian Jo Jo Dan (34-2 18 KO). This bout will be shown live in the US and is part of Showtime Boxing International.

Last August, Kell Brook was on top of the world after a masterful performance in defeating Shawn Porter by majority decision and taking his IBF welterweight title. Less than a month later the new titlist would be fighting again, albeit this time in a hospital, not in a ring.

Brook was involved in an unprovoked attack while on vacation in Tenerife, Spain and was slashed over his left thigh with a machete. Brook lost blood at an alarming rate as the fear of death hit his subconscious. The rest is a blur as he woke up in a hospital bed recovering from hours of surgery that required a blood transfusion and the closing of the wound with over fifty stitches and staples.

“I don’t know how much blood I lost but I was told it was a lot,” Brook said. “I couldn’t understand much but I heard ‘critical’, it was so scary. I was panicking, “Will I fight again? Will I walk again?” The doctors couldn’t say, but they were so calm”

A traumatic event such as that would delay most from continuing on their journey but not “Special K”, a champion is built of a different cloth. After months of rehabilitation with no lingering effects, the champion is ready to fulfill his role.

“After everything that’s happened over the last six months, it feels incredible knowing I will be defending my world title in Sheffield. I’m not looking past Jo Jo. I know he will bring the heat, but I want to get this mandatory defense done and then target those mega fights that are out there in the division.”

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn spoke about Brook’s return,

“March 28 will be an emotional night for Kell and the team; I remember being by his bedside in September in a Spanish hospital after that horrific knife attack, it looked like his career was over. He has shown incredible physical and mental strength and looks better than ever in camp. Fans on Showtime will get to see, in my opinion, the best 147-pounder in the world light up a 10,000 sell-out arena on March 28.”

Born Ionut Dan Ion, but using the ring name and alias Jo Jo Dan, is a southpaw who comes into this shot at the title on the strength of five straight wins which included two wins over Kevin Bizier, one of which was his last fight a split decision last December. His only two losses have been to the Turkish Warrior, Selcuk Aydin, one by split decision and one by unanimous decision although that fight was also very close on the cards.

Dan is confident in his chances against Brook,

“Kell has not fought anyone like me, I believe in myself and I don’t think he can bring anything I can’t deal with on fight night. I saw his last fight where he won the world title and it was a great performance, but I just let my team study him in depth and come up with a winning strategy.

“I have waited a long time to get a world title shot, so I am determined to take advantage of this opportunity. My prediction for the fight is simple — Jo Jo Dan becomes the new IBF welterweight world champion.”

This fight should be a chess match early as both fighters adapt to the other’s speed and style. Dan will move forward aggressively as he has shown in the past but can also box and mixes up his punches nicely when needed. Dan tends to reach with some of his shots and his defense in not always tight so he will have to be wary of Brook’s speed.

This will be Brook’s first test in an actual fight after the leg injury. His sparring and training have gone extremely well but the true test will come here in this “real world” scenario. Dan is an active fighter who will pressure Brook but his aggressiveness may be his undoing. Brook is an excellent counter puncher and his movement and feints should provide openings for those counters. Brook’s ring IQ is solid and he will look to execute all of the best practices for success when an orthodox fighter faces a southpaw. He hasn’t faced one in several years but has beaten multiple southpaws in his career all by stoppage.

This fight is billed as “UnbreaKable” a reference to Brook’s resolve after what could have had a fatal outcome. Brook understands that he was given a second chance and has a great desire to not only defend his title here but to move forward and possibly face the winner of another “high profile” welterweight matchup occurring on May 2.

Wherever his journey takes him, one thing’s for sure, he’s already won no matter what life throws at him.

Portions of this article contributed to BTG.

Jhonny Gonzalez vs. Gary Russell Jr. Preview

Showtime Championship Boxing will come to us from the The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday as Jhonny Gonzalez (57- 8, 48 KOs) attempts to make the third title defense of his WBC World featherweight title against once beaten Gary Russell Jr. (25-1, 14 KOs).

Russell Jr. of Capital Heights, Maryland is on a quest to prove that he still is who we thought he was prior to the Vasyl Lomachenko loss, one of the best up and coming fighters in the game. An undefeated fighter prior to June of 2014 when he faced Lomachenko, Russell was the guy who exhibited all the skills but did not yet have a career defining win or one over a top flight opponent.

Lomachenko’s majority decision could and probably should have been scored a unanimous decision. It’s not like Russell fought badly, he has some of the fastest hands in the business and his power shots were coming at Lomachenko with blistering speed but the Ukrainian was always a step faster causing Russell to land very few clean shots.

Russell was attacked to the body early with damaging blows, the effects of which were evident in the championship rounds. Russell was never able to cut the ring off and force Lomachenko into a slugfest and lost out on a chance to capture the vacant WBO World featherweight title.

In an interview with Behind The Gloves, Gary Russell Sr. spoke about his son’s loss,

“Like they say, you’re only as good as your last fight. No one wants to talk about the 24 wins my son had. Media just wants to talk about the loss. I understand, it hypes the story, it sells. Hey, look, Lomachenko was a real tough fight but what people don’t know is my son was in a sauna three days in a row before the fight, each after a long training session.”

“He had a strength and conditioning coach for the first time in his career. And without my knowledge, he was taking my son to the sauna for hours after training. You could tell by the first round with Lomachenko, something was off. Gary wasn’t himself. He was dehydrated. The sauna is a vampire. Sucks the life out of you.”

Russell followed the Lomachenko loss with a unanimous decision victory in his last fight against Christopher Martin in December.

Mexico’s Gonzalez has been riding high since he stopped then undefeated WBC World featherweight champion Abner Mares in one round back in 2013. Since then he has made two title defenses, both in 2014, a technical decision win over Clive Atwell and in his last fight in October, an 11^th round stoppage win over tough as nails Jorge Arce.

“I’m very excited to be coming back to the United States. Every time I have fought on American soil, it has been career changing for me,” said Gonzalez. “In 2012, [Daniel] Ponce De Leon stopped me in Las Vegas and made me reconsider my whole strategy. I came back to the U.S. in 2013 and I stopped an undefeated champion, Abner Mares. Now I’m back and once again I’m facing a tough opponent. Russell is not an easy test, but I’m confident I’m going to surprise everybody once more. Nobody thought I had a chance in 2013 and I stripped Mares of his title, food for thought.”

“Ever since beating Mares, I feel like I am finally getting the respect and support from the fans and media that I deserve. I get recognized all of the time now. The recognition motivates me to work harder than ever before and not let my fans down”

“I feel like I am in my boxing prime. There is still so much to prove and show to the world that I am still at the top of my game and capable of fighting with the best, in my fight on Saturday I am going to bring the same energy and intensity that I brought in my fight against Mares.”

As the adage goes, styles make fights and the contrast here is a recipe for an explosive fight. Gonzalez is a heavy handed brawler who comes forward with a seek and destroy mentality while the southpaw Russell’s speed is the great equalizer. Gonzalez will have a reach advantage but Russell is the best opponent that Gonzalez has fought in some time, something that is not lost on Gonzalez.

“I know that Gary Russell Jr. has fast and powerful hands. He is a quick and strong southpaw. I know he’s an excellent boxer, I am going to attack him with my power and speed. Once he feels my power in the ring, he’s not going to be able to think in there. He’s going to run, but if he decides to brawl with us, then we will have something for him.”

“At this point in my career, he [Russell] is the fastest opponent I have ever faced. He has very fast hands and puts together good combinations, to prepare for Russell, I am constantly keeping my hands up at all times during my training. I am training that if he throws punches at me, I know how to immediately react and throw shots back at him.”

“A lot of people are doubting me going into this fight because of the speed of Russell. It’s a great challenge for me and I can’t wait to get in the ring. “I am absolutely looking for the knockout and I believe I will get it. I don’t expect this fight to go the distance. I am going to pressure him from the opening bell, my conditioning and confidence is at an all-time high. I am very anxious for this title fight”

Countered Russell,

“Loma (Lomachenko) is fast while Gonzalez is a puncher. Gonzalez is more dangerous, more seasoned. We take every fight seriously, it’s a dangerous fight but we fill we’ll be successful.”

“He won’t be able to handle my speed. He has to set his feet and he lacks ring generalship. His punches are wide and I’ll be able to catch him between shots.”

Russell Jr. again has a shot at a world title and has vowed that the outcome will be different this time. He can quiet his critics with a convincing performance, a loss and the doubts and criticisms increase to a deafening tone.

Portions of this article contributed to BTG.

Jermell Charlo vs. Vanes Martirosyan Preview

Jermell Charlo vs. Vanes Martirosyan

The co-feature on Saturday’s Showtime card headlined by Gary Russell Jr. and Jhonny Gonzalez pits undefeated Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo (25-0, 11 KOs) against Vanes “Nightmare” Martirosyan (35-1-1, 21 KOs) in a bout that’s sure to catapult the winner to contender status in the super welterweight division.

Armenian born Californian Martirosyan and Texas’ Charlo have a mutual respect for each other that stems from their early years growing up in the sport together which included some training and sparring sessions. During this week’s conference call they each recalled those experiences.

“I grew up with him, at least two or three years with Vanes, you know, and his family, his people, you know? So, I know — we know each other well.” Said Charlo

“We’ve sparred with each other several times. I can’t really say how often. I know it was back when we were a little bit younger. I was younger, still a little boy growing up into a man. So, right now, I don’t even think about how it was, what it was about, or how training was when we were training together. I wasn’t even 19 — I was 17, 16, 17, 18, I mean, those ages. Here, we face each other because we’re both at the top, and that’s what happens when you’re in the same division. Never had anything personal or different to say about him, it’s just work.”

As Martirosyan recalled,

“I remember when we used to train. It was good training. We were always in competition — me, him and his brother. We used to go running at Memorial Park every day, and we’d try to see who’d finish the lap first. It was always competition between us — running and training or what-not. But it was nothing but love and I respect him, his father, and his trainer, Ronnie Shields. They’ve been good people to me. But Saturday night, he’s going to be my enemy in the ring. For now, outside the ring, I respect everybody. Once we step in the ring, it’s a totally different story.”

In his career, if Charlo is not stopping his opponents he is out boxing them pretty handily. He had three fights in 2014; all unanimous decision wins including one over very tough out Gabriel Rosado. His last fight in December was a common opponent that he shares with Martirosyan, Mario Alberto Lozano. Both fighters beat Lozano by wide unanimous decision margins, the only difference being Martirosyan had a knock down of Lozano in their bout.

Charlo feels he is ready to increase his completion with Martirosyan,

“Training’s been great. Every time I step in the ring, every time I get ready for a fight, I feel like just there’s never been a time where I repeat myself or do something the same. I’ve been learning from all my past mistakes. Every win I’m still learning from so training camp has been good, trainer’s Ronnie Shields, Danny Arnold.

“I opened my own gym, so I get a little late night extra hours in when I want to. And, I want to fight with my twin brother. We’re pushing to fight. I can’t wait to fight. Just like Vanes, he’s hungry, he’s ready. I’m I’m ready.”

Martirosyan has a stronger resume than Charlo having fought the better competition. In 2012, a technical draw with Erislandy Lara, in 2013 a close split decision loss to Demetrius Andrade, (a fight that many thought Martirosyan had won and he also had Andrade down in the first round), and he closed out last year with a win a unanimous win over Willie Nelson.

“Jermell is a good boxer, but he’s a basic boxer. He’s done well with guys that he’s supposed to look good against. There are some guys that he should’ve knocked out that he didn’t. If he hits me I will hit him right back and we’ll see how he handles that. “If I stick to my game plan and everything goes as planned, I will say that it will be an easy fight. We have a B and a C plan if the fight doesn’t go exactly as planned. “All I can do is prepare and go out there and win the fight. After I lost my fight to Demetrius Andrade I felt like a loser. I can’t lose this fight; I’d rather die than go out there and lose again.” Said Martirosyan.

In some aspects, Martirosyan and Charlo mirror each other as they both utilize slick movement, active jabs, and work high and low. Martirosyan likely owns slight edges in power and speed but is a slower starter. This should be a boxing purist’s delight as it should be one of the better technical boxing matches seen in a while.

During this week’s conference call, both fighters were asked what a win would mean for them going forward catapulting them into title contention.

“You know, winning this fight to me — a world title would be ideal. A world title is important. I want to fight for a world title. I want the world title. That’s every boxer’s dream and envision whenever they’re young. Fighting for the world title matters and all this extra stuff, but if I’m here building my name and building my brand, that’s just as important. Being a household name throughout the World Boxing Council, everything. That matters to me.” Said Charlo

Martirosyan agreed,

“The fight, this fight — I’d say like a lot of the champions that are champions right now in our weight class, most of them just run their mouth, starting with Andrade. A fight like this for me and Jermell, it’s such a big fight for me, you know, but it’s not only for us. I mean, it’s for the fans. The fans are in, and it’s great.”

I mean, you rarely get to see contenders like me and Jermell wanting to step up and fight each other. You know, usually, people will get up to the rankings like we are, they just want to just talk a lot of bad stuff about the champions to get the world title fight. But, you know, you rarely get to see contenders like that, you know, No. 1 and No. 2 fighting each other when, you know they really want to fight each other and they both said yes to the fight. So, it’s a big fight, but I feel like, you know, we’re all gonna be — we’re gonna do our best, and I feel like the fans are gonna be the winners for this fight.”

Portions of this article contributed to BTG.

Mayweather v. Pacquiao Fight Poster

Snippets On Arguably The Hottest Topics In The Sweet Science This Week

Road Warrior

IBF/WBO/WBA “Super” Light Heavyweight Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (27-0-1 24 KO) is an oddity. While most champions dictate every move to make their journey more comfortable, Kovalev will travel to your backyard to fight you.

On Saturday night, Kovalev traveled to the Bell Centre in Montreal to face former WBC Light Heavyweight Champion, Canadian Jean Pascal (29-2-1 17 KO) and found himself in a dogfight.

From the opening round, it was a chess match and clash of styles. The precise calculated attack of Kovalev against the speed , movement, and counters of Pascal. Kovalev was working behind the jab following it with the right hand. Kovalev was jabbing Pascal in the chest to keep him off balance and keep him guessing where the jab would land .

Pascal was quick and surprisingly was able to move forward at times and force Kovalev backwards. Pascal was outstanding in countering Kovalev and had a great round in the third but also got rocked by a big right hand for his troubles.

Pascal actually did some solid work over the next few rounds. Kovalev was on the attack but Pascal was landing more huge counter left hooks and overhand rights. The speed of Pascal was the difference in allowing him to sustain a counter attack. The champion was stalking but was more cautious than we have seen him in the past as he was respecting the speed of which the counter shots were coming.

In the seventh, Kovalev landed a big left at the end of the round that hurt Pascal badly as he wobbled to his corner.

In the eighth, Kovalev had Pascal reeling after a five punch combination culminating with a left hook that sent Pascal flying into the ropes which saved him from going down. As Pascal recoiled off the ropes Kovalev attacked and their feet got tangled causing Kovalev to fall.

As Kovalev was getting to his feet and the referee was ruling it a slip/trip, Pascal was drunk on his feet wobbling as he moved to the neutral corner. Pascal was so visibly hurt as he stumbled that Kovalev took the opportunity to point at him with a smirk as if to say, “look how bad he’s hurt”. When the fight ensued, Kovalev landed two right hands on a defenseless Pascal causing the referee to jump in and stop the fight.

Good stoppage. The shot at the end of the previous round had already started the damage. All three judges had it 68-64 Kovalev at the time of the stoppage which was officially at 1:03 of the eighth.

This was a great fight and was highly entertaining. We saw the champ pushed like he had not been pushed before and he responded like a true champion. Pascal showed his mettle and fought gallantly till the end.

A few soundbites from the champ after the fight-

On why Pascal was successful early- “I didn’t like how I started, after four rounds, I got it under control.”

If he ever got hurt during the fight- “I got from him good right hand, I had harder fights than this in amatuer career” “He got me with a couple good punches, I never lost control, it’s boxing”

“Bring it on!” when asked about a fight with WBC champ Adonis Stevenson to unify the titles.

On a rematch with Pascal, “If my promoter says I will fight pascal again I’m ready”

Kovalev is now the WBC mandatory and that strap belongs to Stevenson.

Gas up the plane he’s on the move again.

PSST……Hey Guys, Uh, This Is For A Shot At The Title……………

You would think that a fight between two athletic heavyweights fighting in an IBF eliminator for the right to be the mandatory challenger for undisputed heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko would make for a great fight but….

Ukrainian Vyacheslav Glazkov (20-0-1 12 KO) defeated Philadelphia’s Steve “USS” Cunningham (28-7 13 KO) by unanimous decision, 116-112, 115-113, 116-112 in a less than stellar affair and somewhat controversial decision.

Standing-8 had the fight a draw, 114-114. The HBO broadcast crew were in agreement with ringside scorer Harold Lederman that Cunningham had won the fight.

There were a lot of close rounds in this fight. Cunningham controlled the first half of the fight by being the more active fighter. Cunningham used an active jab to set up overhand rights and a good body attack. Cunningham’s movement was also key here as anytime that Glazkov started to mount an attack, Cunningham would use his feet to get out of harms way and begin to stick the jab again. Cunningham can credit his activity level for being the difference in the first half of the fight.

In the seventh, Glazkov began to find his range a bit more and over the second half of the fight controlled most of the rounds by landing the harder shots and was just better for the majority of the round. Again, there were a lot of close rounds and you could probably go one way or the other so if the judges gave Glazkov the swing rounds, you would end up with the scores you did.

In the end, neither pugilist fought like they were battling for a title shot.

I’D Like To Thank AL Haymon

For the second week in a row, we were treated to an installment of the Premier Boxing Champions series, this time on Spike TV. The series is off to a decent start. Two solid entertaining cards that gave us some of the best fights of the year so far. A full recap of Friday’s card is below.

Red Carpet Treatment

The press conference for the May 2nd fight between pound for pound champ Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao was a spectacle that received star treatment. Complete with a red carpet and sectioned off paparazzi with camera’s flashing, the scene was reminiscent of the Academy Awards. Some highlights-

“May 2nd. The Fight of the Century. It’s all about the best fighting the best.” – Mayweather

“This fight could’ve happened a long time ago, but it’s the right time now. It’s an unbelievable matchup and I know the fans can’t wait for this. The timing is right and the timing is now.

“We finally made it happen. Everything is about timing.-Mayweather

“May 2 we have a tough task ahead of me. Manny Pacquaio is a good fighter, but last time I checked I faced eight southpaws and won eight times, so I am not worried” -Mayweather

“I believe this is what [fans] have been waiting five years for…We will do our best on 5/2 to make you happy.” -Pacquiao

“In Miami we talked about the fight and I understood that I was the B side and he was the A side”- Pacquiao

“I like being the underdog going into a fight. It has been a while since I’ve been one. This time around it gives me much more motivation and I am determined to prove that I can win”-Pacquiao

“We’re fighting the best fighter in the world, and we’re gonna kick his ass. I’m sorry, but, good luck, Floyd.”-Freddie Roach

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Middleweight destroyer and title holder Gennady Golovkin (32-0 29 KO) will make the 14th defense of his strap on May 16 against southpaw Willie Monroe Jr. ( 19-1 6 KO)from The Forum in Inglewood, California. Golovkin was trying to knuckle up with Miguel Cotto but was unable to get a willing dance partner.

PBC on Spike TV Friday Night Lights Recap

Host Dana Jacobson opened the inaugural Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Spike TV’s Friday Night Lights Out saying “Nobody does combat sports better than Spike”. While that is yet to be seen as far as the sweet science is concerned, they did deliver a solid opening show this evening from the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.

Berto-Lopez

In the main event, Winter Haven Florida’s Andre “The Beast” Berto (30-3 23 KO) knocked out the local favorite from Riverside, California, Josesito “Riverside Rocky” Lopez (33-6 19 KO) at 1:03 of the sixth round.

On paper, this bout was all war and while we didn’t get a fight of the year candidate it was entertaining while it lasted.

To open the fight, both men were coiled up like rattlesnakes ready to spring. Berto worked early to establish his jab and it was evident that his speed was going to be factor. Lopez countered by working the body extremely well while strategically landing right hands.

Berto was the aggressor moving forward forcing Lopez to fight off of his back foot and causing him to be trapped on the ropes from time to time while Berto landed combinations. The fight was also rough in spots as Lopez continuously landed blows to the back of Berto’s head.

Lopez had the height and reach advantage but did not use either fully to his advantage as much he should have to counter Berto’s speed. There were many moments of toe to toe action in this fight with both men landing.

In the fifth round, Berto began to double up his jab which was opening up opportunities for him to land his right hand. Lopez also continued to have his own moments landing solid body shots followed up by left hooks and right hands.

It was a close fight through five rounds but in the sixth, that all changed. Early in the round, Berto landed a flurry of punches that culminated with a big right hand that wobbled Lopez. Sensing Lopez was hurt Berto swarmed him and landed a big right off of Lopez’s jaw which dropped him at 2:18 of the round.

Lopez made it to his feet at the count of eight but Berto immediately landed another overhand right, this time off of Lopez’s temple and crumbled Lopez to his knees. The referee immediately jumped in and stopped the fight.

In the post fight interview, Berto was asked by Spike TV’s Jimmy Smith what turned the fight around-

“You know I came to his back yard, I had to bring the heat to him. But everybody knows that Josesito is a tough competitor. I felt his punches a little bit, he couldn’t hurt me so I started walking to him and try and break him down a little bit”

Berto on what set up the fight ending right hand- “You know, my jab, I have a pretty good jab, pretty quick these days so I just threw the jab and came over the top with the right hand”

I feel like I am right back on top in contention and my first fight coming back from my shoulder injury and I think I proved tonight that I’m right there in the mix”

Porter-Bone

The co-feature was originally scheduled to match Shawn Porter against Roberto Garcia; however, Garcia did not show for the weigh-in and it was reported that he had been hospitalized for an illness. It was then rumoured that Erick Bone would get the opportunity only to see Karim Mayfield’s name enter the picture. On Friday, it was announced that Bone would be Porter’s adversary for the evening.

Porter (25-1-1 16 KO) of Akron, Ohio did what he was supposed to do against a late replacement as he knocked the Ecuadorian fighter out at 2:30 of the fifth round but it didn’t come without some difficulty.

Bone (16-2 8 KO), who took the fight on about a day’s notice, was in Porter’s face for the first four and three quarter rounds before being stopped.

Porter controlled most of the first round with his movement and quick jab but Bone was finding success with the overhand right and landed a solid left hook towards the end of the round.

Porter again controlled the second round landing good quick combinations but Bone was there again landing the left hook solidly several times. Porter’s defense was a bit porous and his hands were low which contributed to Bone’s success.

Porter was the quicker more active fighter in the third but Bone has his share of moments again landing the left hook and giving as good as he was getting. There was some toe to toe action in a very close fourth round.

In the fifth, Bone started the round nicely landing several right hands on Porter. At 1:44 Porter swung with a big right hand causing Bone to move backwards. Although the punch missed, Bone twisted his knee while retreating and went down. It was ruled a slip but it gave Porter the momentum that he needed. He jumped on Bone and landed three vicious body shots causing Bone to reel backwards and drop to a knee. Bleeding from his nose, Bone was up at the count of eight.

Porter pinned Bone on the ropes and landed hard combinations to the body. Bone was game and landed a right hand but Porter was simply too much as he landed another body shot that hurt Bone and had him falling into the ropes.

Porter then closed the show in “Tyson” like fashion landing a right hook/left hook combination with bad intentions dropping Bone who couldn’t beat the count.

After the fight Porter was asked by Spike TV’s Jimmy Smith if he got what he expected from Bone, a last minute replacement.

“That is what I expected, I watched a little bit of him on tape last night thinking he was going to be the guy for us. I saw he was tough, had some quick hands, and he likes to throw with some power so I knew it was going to be a good fight, I didn’t know how long it would take but we’ve been working on these body punches and they showed up tonight” said Porter

On how he felt to get a win after coming off of a loss- “ I feel great, I feel blessed, God has blessed Team Porter and like you say, I know what level I’m on, no need to take any steps back just because we took a loss”

Arreola-Harper

In a swing bout, Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola (36-4 31 KO) defeated Curtis Harper (12-4 8 KO) by unanimous decision with scores of 78-73, 77-74, 76-75. A throwback heavyweight fight that was a good old fashioned donnybrook. The only thing that would have made it better is if it had been in black and white.

This fight was explosive from the opening bell. Harper jumped on Arreola in the first few seconds landing big punches but at 2:30 of the first round, Arreola landed a crushing right hand that dropped Harper and he looked to be out as he hit the canvas.

Harper was up at the count of four. Arreola took his time and continued to land big overhand rights set up by his jab. Harper was wobbled several times in the round but somehow he survived to the bell.

In the next round, Harper came out a little more composed and started to establish his jab landing solid rights and a few lefts and also did some work to the body. Arreola was able to land a few big shots again but Harper was impressive coming back strongly after being hurt in the first and most likely won the round.

In the third, Harper landed combinations while Arreola went to the body. Both landed big shots towards the end of a close round.

Harper landed multiple combinations to start round four and wobbled Arreola for a moment. Harper was controlling the round with this jab and there was good toe to toe action with both men landing big shots. Harper landed a huge left uppercut towards the end of the round and had Arreola reeling. Arreola controlled the next two rounds by landing the harder shots and backing Harper up.

In the seventh, Arreola had Harper hurt badly but he somehow stayed on his feet. Arreola walked Harper down in the final round and landed the better shots ending strong on his way to the victory.

Tonight’s card gave us three examples of why we love this game. A last minute replacement fighting his heart out and giving the favorite all he could handle before being stopped. Two heavyweights giving their all in battle for the greater good, both being hurt multiple times but showing heart and fighting on. Finally, an ex champion coming back from the hardships of the past showing that when life knocks you down, you get up and fight again.

This article contributed to BTG.

Motown Destroyer, Super Bad Dominates In Vegas

Tony “Super Bad” Harrison (20-0 17 KO) stopped Antwone Smith (23-6-1 12 KO) in the second round on ESPN Friday Night Fights from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Wearing Spartan green, the Motor City slugger displayed a quick piston like left jab while mixing in left hooks and sneaky rights from the opening bell.

Late in the first round, Harrison landed a stiff jab that he followed with a crushing right hand dropping Smith. Smith was hurt badly but able to beat the count and wobbled to his corner at the bell.

At the start of the second, Referee Robert Byrd watched closely as Harrison quickly attacked Smith. Seeing that Smith was going to take severe damage, Byrd jumped in and stopped the fight about nineteen seconds in.

After the fight was stopped, Harrison got a little cardio session in, taking a victory lap around the ring.

In his post fight interview with ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna, Harrison shared his thoughts on a few topics,

On being TV ready- “I feel like we still have work to do, that was just a small step to where we’re trying to get, to replace and reform Detroit how it used to be”

On why he was able to walk through Smith who many figured would be his toughest opponent to date- “I don’t know how to swim, if I go to the beach, I just want to put my feet in, that’s like my one and two rounds”

“Why would I want to go to the deep end where the sharks and stuff are at, when I can just put my feet in get paid quick and give the fans what they want to see and that’s knockouts?”

On what he needs to work on going forward- “I just have to work on, just keep me being me, you know, me and my team keep getting stronger, you know we’re looking for stronger opposition and we’re just going to continue to grind hard, humbling saying that, we came from the mud we’re trying to make it out, I want to be in Floyd Mayweather’s shoes one day and I’m going to keep working until that day comes”

On what it would mean to become a world champion for Detroit and for Emanuel Steward- “It means everything, I fight for Detroit, it means everything, Emanuel gave me the opportunity to platform myself to be with Al Haymon, my mom and my dad took real good care of me my family, my cousin, my brothers, you know we’ve been grinding since we were kids for this moment”

“It means everything for me to be able to reform Detroit and give the other kids in Detroit the opportunities that we didn’t have to make their ride a little bit easier”

That is now nine straight stoppages for Harrison, he is ready for the next step in his career. As the level of Harrison’s competition increases, we will no doubt see even more of what this rising star has to offer, he’s only just begun.

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