Tag: Sakio Bika

Former Champion Sakio Bika meets Lionell Thompson in Super Middleweight Showdown

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Former Champion Sakio Bika meets Lionell Thompson in Super Middleweight Showdown on PBC Prelims on FS1 Sunday, March 24 from MGM National Harbor in Maryland – 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT

Bika vs. Thompson Replaces Previously Announced Jose Miguel Borrego vs. Jerry Thomas Fight After Thomas Withdraws

NATIONAL HARBOR (March 20, 2019) – Former world champion Sakio Bika will face Lionell Thompson in an eight or 10 round super middleweight showdown that will be featured in PBC Prelims on FS1 action this Sunday, March 24 from MGM National Harbor in Maryland.

Bika vs. Thompson replaces the previously announced Jose Miguel Borrego vs. Jerry Brown fight, after Brown withdrew from the fight.

The FS1 prelims broadcast will begin at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT and also feature Brandon Quarles (21-4-1, 10 KOs) battling Kansas-native Aaron Coley (15-2-1, 7 KOs) in an eight-round super welterweight bout, plus Baltimore’s Lorenzo Simpson (2-0, 2 KOs) taking on Earl Henry (0-1-1) in a four-round super welterweight attraction.

The event is headlined by two-division world champion Lamont Peterson taking on former junior welterweight world champion Sergey Lipinets in a 12-round welterweight match that headlines PBC on FS1 and FOX Deportes beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and HeadBangers Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting http://www.mgmnationalharbor.com/.

Additional action will see unbeaten Cobia Breedy (12-0, 4 KOs) in an eight-round super featherweight fight against California’s Fernando Fuentes (14-7-1, 4 KOs), San Antonio’s Ramon Cardenas (16-1, 9 KOs) facing Michigan’s Ryan Lee Allen (8-2-1, 4 KOs) for eight-rounds of featherweight action and unbeaten Maryland-native Mark Duncan (3-0, 3 KOs) battling Arturo Izquierdo (5-2, 2 KOs) in a six-round middleweight attraction.

Rounding out the non-televised undercard action will feature a trio of Washington, D.C.-natives as unbeaten Keeshawn Williams faces Evincil Dixon in a six-round welterweight fight, undefeated Patrick Harris steps in for an eight-round super lightweight fight against Costa Rica’s Bergman Aguilar andwelterweight Kareem Martin squares off against Joaquin Chavez for six-rounds of action. The night will also see Cincinnati’s Adrian Jerome Benton making his pro debut in a four-round super lightweight duel against Archie Weah.

The 39-year-old Bika (34-7-3, 22 KOs) is a former WBC super-middleweight champion from Sydney, Australia by way of Cameroon, Africa. He won the title with a majority decision over Marco Antonio Periban in 2013 before losing the belt to Anthony Dirrell by unanimous decision in 2014. He moved up to light heavyweight to challenge Adonis Stevens for his and lost a unanimous decision. Since then Bika has won twice, most recently defeating Geard Ajetovic by unanimous decision in October.

Thompson (20-5, 11 KOs) has been campaigning at light heavyweight and is moving down in weight to take on Bika at super middleweight. The 33-year-old, who is from Buffalo, N.Y. and now lives in Las Vegas, defeated Derrick Findley by unanimous decision in his last fight in September. Thompson won his first 11 fights after turning pro in 2009.

Stevenson Defends Title, Beterbiev Impresses Again

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WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (26-1, 21 knockouts) beat Sakio Bika on Saturday at Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada by unanimous decision with scores of 116-110, 115-110 and 115-111.

 
The cards were a bit generous for the challenger’s effort as the man known as “Superman” won more rounds than he was given credit for. In addition, Stevenson also had two knockdowns, dropping the “Scorpion” in Rounds 6 and 9; although the one in the sixth was more of a slip.

 
Stevenson, a southpaw, dictated the fight with his jab while repeatedly landing the straight left and did a good job of working both high and low. Bika is as tough and game an opponent as there is in the sport but is unorthodox and always seems to be on unsteady feet even when he is not hurt.

 
Although Bika landed a few power shots he was mostly awkward and outclassed by the champion and as is usually the case in a Bika fight, you had a few headbuts and rough tactics.

 
In the post fight interview, Stevenson was not asked about a possible future showdown with WBA, WBO, and IBF light heavy champion Sergey Kovalev…WHAT??????  I won’t name names here or comment on the faux pas because that dude took a beating on Twitter; however, his  comment calling the fight “epic” was just as bad.

 
Stevenson did what he had to do in defending his title for a fifth time and was facing a very tough out but a like effort against Kovalev would be kryptonite.



On the undercard, rising light heavyweight prospect Artur Beterbiev (8-0 8 KO) stopped Gabriel Campillo (25-7-1) by 4th round TKO.

 
Beterbiev didn’t take long to let us know it would be a short night. Beterbiev dropped Campillo in the first round with a solid right hand but Campillo was able to use his wobbly legs to stay out of harms way to the bell.

 
Beterbiev would work the body and continue to land big power shots over the next two rounds which softened Campillo up for the kill in round four. Beterbiev walked down Campillo in the fourth and landed a huge right cross sending Campillo into the ropes, his head recoiling back and then forward as Campillo finished him with a left hook.

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Beterbiev looks to have the goods, eight fights into his career, he’s already stopped two former title holders in convincing fashion. It wasn’t just this brutal stoppage against a former WBA titleholder but also against Tavoris Cloud another former titleholder.

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

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Making The Most Of Your Opportunities

As the old adage goes, “Good things come to those who wait”; that could not have been truer for Kell Brook last night when he defeated Shawn Porter by majority decision and captured Porter’s IBF welterweight belt. Brook “almost” had opportunities in the past when he was scheduled to face then champion Devon Alexander a few times, but injuries cancelled the bouts. Porter ultimately was provided the title shot and defeated Alexander to capture the title thus eventually setting up the fight with Brook. Brook showed just how “Special” he is by boxing beautifully and countering Porter throughout the fight. Porter rushed Brook consistently throughout the fight and although he landed clean scoring punches from time to time, he missed more than he connected. Brook’s game plan was executed exceptionally well as he looked to use Porter’s aggressiveness against him by looking for openings in Porter’s guard. I hope Brook gives his team a bonus; they earned it with the game plan. Brook landed several solid shots during the course of the fight that seemed to surprise Porter. Although Porter stayed aggressive until the final bell, you could see the frustration on his face get more evident as each round passed. Brook did hold in an attempt to slow Porter and much has been said about that affecting the outcome of the fight. Yes, he did strategically hold when needed and it probably warranted at least a warning but that shouldn’t take away from the victory or Brook’s performance.

Keep Calm And Box On

Most impressive about Brook’s victory over Porter was his composure. Porter was rushing him with Tyson like aggression only to see Brook simply counter him, induce a clinch, or use excellent lateral movement to escape. He finally got his chance for a shot at the title and he did not let his nerves get the better of him.

Do We Have To Complain About Every Decision Now?

Ok, I know that there have been bad decisions in boxing and when the injustice occurs it’s appropriate to question the thought process of the adjudicator but the Brook vs. Porter decision was not one of those times. The decision and victory to Brook seemed to be blasted on social media and in some boxing circles. Sorry to disagree folks, they got it right.

Effective aggressiveness- Edge Brook (Before you argue this one, look up the definition of effective)
Ring Generalship- Edge Brook
Clean Effective Punching- Edge Brook
Defense- Edge Brook
Bottom line is Brook won this fight and was awarded the victory. It’s ok for the rightful winner to leave with belt, that’s how it’s supposed to work.

The Dog Bites The Scorpion

Anthony Dirrell defeated Sakio Bika to win the WBC super middleweight title in a highly anticipated rematch. Dirrell tried to take Bika’s title last December when the combatants fought to a draw in a foul filled affair. On Saturday night, a lot of the rough housing continued but mostly by Bika. Dirrell stayed composed and landed more punches, power shots, and jabs in route to a unanimous decision win. Both men had about eight months to watch the film and adjust their game plans. It was obvious that Dirrell was the better student and did his homework. Maybe the Dog ate Bika’s homework??

Moving On Up

140 will be getting a new resident. Omar Figueroa is on his way. Figueroa retained his WBC lightweight title with a ninth round TKO over Daniel Estrada but is now ready to move up to 140. We will be learning a lot about Figueroa at 140, it’s an awfully competitive division.

Roll Tide

Another Deontay Wilder fight, another knockout. Jason Gavern was the recipient this time around. This fight was exactly what it was supposed to be, a chance for The Bronze Bomber to get some work in while he awaits a chance to fight Bermane Stiverne for Stiverne’s WBC title. I think I preferred his beat down of the internet troll over this one.

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

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A Swift Return And Exit
Danny Garcia returned to the ring on Saturday night from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York and did what he was supposed to do, make quick work of opponent Rod Salka. Garcia knocked Salka silly by second round knockout by way of his money maker, the left hook. Not a whole lot can be made of the victory. “The Lighting Rod” was rated so poorly by the alphabet soup that the fight was not sanctioned, thus not putting Garcia’s WBC and WBA belts on the line. Even though Garcia wasn’t fighting a serious threat, he looked sharp and extremely quick. Prior to this fight, his last eight opponents were or had been former title holders. That is quite a run of top level competition so it’s not inexcusable to cut “Swift” a break here for choice of opponent. That said, his next defense better be against a legitimate threat (insert Lamont Peterson here) or his strong run will be for naught. Even with the victory, he moves down one on the Standing 8 P4P List.

Doctor’s Orders
Like Garcia, Lamont Peterson also did what was expected of him by thoroughly defeating 35 year old Edgar Santana by tenth round TKO. Peterson looked in top form using all phases of the sweet science in out landing Santana 281-94 in total punches. He worked the body like a madman recalling memories of Mike McCallum. Peterson dominated so thoroughly that the ringside doctor stopped the fight in the tenth, he had seen enough. A Peterson Garcia matchup would be a purist’s dream. This would be a matchup on the highest of levels. A boxing match that would see each fighter look to land their power shots. Let’s hope it’s made next.

Live Strong
Danny Jacobs kicked cancer in its ass. “The Miracle Man” has been an inspiration to many during his journey, but Saturday night he took it to another level when he defeated Jarrod Fletcher by fifth round TKO and captured the vacant WBA middleweight title. He is absolutely one of the nicest guys in the sport and a champion for a cause that is bigger than the sport.

Game On!
The bout between Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora is back on and scheduled for November 22 in London. Previously, they were set to meet on July 26 in Manchester, England but Chisora injured his left hand and had to pull out of the fight. This fight is a rematch of their July 2011 bout which saw Fury decision Chisora and give him his first loss. These two have had an entertaining war of words going on for a few years, so let’s just hope that it carries over into the ring.

Follow Me Into The Thunder(Dome)
The StubHub Center, or as I like to affectionately refer to as The Thunderdome, is known for classic slugfests and fights of the year candidates, most recently the Robert Guerrero vs. Yoshihiro Kamegai battle and April’s Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina Jr. respectively. It should be no different this Saturday when the venue form Carson, California will be rocking once again with excellent matchups and intriguing story lines.
This card is ABSOLUTELY STACKED!!! Shawn Porter will be facing Kell Brook for Porter’s IBF welterweight title, an intriguing matchup that will not disappoint. The co-feature is a rematch between Sakio Bika and Anthony Dirrell who fought to a draw last December. If those two fights don’t get pumped, then add in Omar Figueroa vs. Daniel Estrada for Figueroa’s belt. WOW. Oh, and just for good measure, Deontay Wilder will be on the card to face an opponent not yet named but rumored to be Jason Gavern.