Boxing FanHouse http://boxing.fanhouse.com Boxing FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif Boxing FanHouse http://boxing.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Ex-Champ Oleg Maskaev: 'I Stopped Vitali Klitschko in the First Round' http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/qanda-with-former-heavy-champ-oleg-maskaev/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/qanda-with-former-heavy-champ-oleg-maskaev/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/qanda-with-former-heavy-champ-oleg-maskaev/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

For Oleg Maskaev to be in contention for a heavyweight world title is incredible considering the obstacles he has overcome both in and out of the ring.

There was his near-death experience as a 16-year-old coal miner in his native Zhambul, Kazakhstan, and the fact that only his budding, amateur boxing career saved the former Soviet leutenant from being sent into the war in Afganistan.

Knocked out in all of his six losses, Maskaev overcame a suspect chin to earn his biggest career wins -- two knockouts of former world champ, Hasim Rahman, with the second earning him a brief stint as WBC champion.

Maskaev says that he suffered a broken right elbow during the rematch with Rahman, an injury he endured during a subsequent win over Peter Okhello, as well as in a loss to Samuel Peter.

But now, Maskaev (36-6, 27 knockouts), who turns 41 in March, finds himself, yet again, on the verge of title contention.

For with a Dec. 11 victory over Dominican-born, Nagy Aguilera (14-2, nine KOs), Maskaev would earn a matchup with 39-year-old Ray Austin (28-4-4, 18 KOs). The winner of Maskaev-Austin positions himself for a shot at WBC king, Vitali Klitschko (38-2, 37 KOs), whom Maskaev knocked out in the first round as an amateur.

FanHouse caught up recently with Maskaev, who has dual citizenship in America and the United States.


FanHouse: So, you're still at it, trying to win a title?

Oleg Maskaev: You know what happened? I had a couple of injuries when I lost the title. I wasn't at full health or strength when I was trying to defend it against Samuel Peter.

That's why I wasn't able to successfully defend it -- because of the injuries. And now, I'm healthy, and I feel strong. I want to win it back. I feel that the belt belongs to me. That's my goal. That's what I'm going for.


FH: What answer do you have for people who might say that you're a little too old?

Maskaev: I would say that it's not about age, but it's about training. It's about how hard you want to train, and how disciplined you are in training. If you stay in shape, you have a good schedule, and you don't do stupid things, then it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter if you're 40, 41 or, 44 -- like Bernard Hopkins is 44. That's a guy who has served as a good example for me.


FH: How big were the wins over Hasim Rahman at the points in your career when they were accomplished?

Maskaev: I was very happy when I beat Rahman the first time. Rahman was sure that he was going to stop me and knock me out the first time. And that didn't happen.

Even the second time, which was harder than the first time. After that fight, he wasn't the same -- believe me. I believe that I destroyed him. Totally. And everybody has looked at him, and he hasn't had the same stamina or shown the same heart after that.

Because of his training, because of his weight, because of his mental problems -- who knows.

FH: Given your knockout losses, can you blame people for doubting you and counting you out so much?

Maskaev: What I think about people, and what I'm not happy about is that they don't know Oleg. They don't know who is Oleg.

I have to be strong and healthy, mentally strong, with good preparation, no physical problems, and I can do a lot of things. I've proven that before, and I'm going to prove that again.


FH: What do you know about your next opponent, Nagy Aguilera?

Maskaev: I know enough. He has a good background. A solid amateur background. He likes to bring good pressure. He's going to give me a good fight, which is what I'm looking for. And I'm going to be ready for a good, tough fight, and I'm going to whip this guy.


FH: What are you looking forward to after Nagy Aguilera?

Maskaev: I've got to win this fight to get a shot at Ray Austin. That's the title eliminator for another championship fight. The main goal is to fight Vitali Klitschko. He's running away from me, but I know why, and he's given me some problems.

He's been like, 'I don't want to fight you this time.' I've been looking for the fight against this guy for six years, and hopefully, one way or the other, it will happen.


FH: Didn't you fight one of the Klitschkos as an amateur?

Maskaev: Yeah, Vitali. I fought Vitali in the amateurs and I stopped him in the first round, and he doesn't want to admit that. He'll say, 'Oh, hey, I hurt my hand, and I couldn't continue.'

But I remember that I hurt him three times, and when his trainer saw that Vitali couldn't handle it, and didn't have a chance to beat me, he stopped the fight.


FH: Do you believe that a meeting like that, years later, will help you, mentally, and, hurt Vitali, mentally?

Maskaev: I think, yes.


FH: Do you believe that you will eventually get that title shot?

Maskaev: It's boxing, so it's hard to predict what's going to happen. But I'm willing to fight him. I'm strong, confident and ready.


FH: Do you think that there is anything to the fact that five of your six knockout loses came during the first half of the year -- one in February, one in April and three in March around your birthday?

Maskaev: Yeah, who knows? Only God knows why. March, March, March. Somebody mentioned that same thing to me, but I don't believe in that. I don't believe in that, I believe in God, that's all.


FH: Why do you believe that you are more deserving of a title shot than some others?

Maskaev: Because I was a champion once, and, after that second victory over Rahman, I got the bad news that I had broken my elbow.


FH: So which elbow did this happen to?

Maskaev: It happened to the right elbow, and I broke it against Rahman the second time. And then, I was supposed to get a surgery operation, but then, I received an offer to fight Peter Okhello in Moscow.

So I said, 'No, I'm going to wait, I'm going to fight.' Because I thought that I would lose the chance to defend my title for the first time, and I wanted the chance to defend the WBC title in Moscow.

So then, I beat Okhello in Moscow, and I fought against him with a broken elbow. I was able to beat this guy the whole 12 rounds. I knocked him down once with an uppercut because I couldn't straighten out my right hand -- it was so bad.

And after that fight, I came home, and I went to a hospital in Manhattan, New York. And I had a surgery operation. The doctor said that rehabilitation would take about three years.

And then, I was supposed to fight Samuel Peter. I wasn't ready for that. I pulled out once. But then, I had some back injuries, and they ordered me to fight or I would lose the belt, and that's about it.


FH: So that's how you went into the fight with Samuel Peter, when you were knocked out in the sixth round?

Maskaev: Oleg, for that fight with Samuel Peter, wasn't the same Oleg.


FH: So over the course of the Rahman fight in August, 2006, the Peter Okhello fight in December of 2006, and the Samuel Peter fight in March of 2008, has your general health improved?

Maskaev: The right elbow is totally healed. And it's like it used to be. I can punch. I've shown that against my sparring partners. It's back. Mentally, I'm strong, and I want to do it. I've missed it. I'm going to bring it back.


FH: Were you feeling 100 percent for the 10-round decision over Robert Hawkins in December of 2008?

Maskaev: That was a good fight. Robert was a very smart guy, a slick guy. But I beat him all of the way. I wasn't 100 percent, but I'd say, 65-, 70-percent. That was a year or so after the surgery.


FH: How were you feeling for your last fight -- the first-round knockout of Rich Boruff -- when you weighed a career-high 252 pounds?

Maskaev: I felt great. Finally, my elbow was good. I was able to work out in a fitness club, lift weights, do a lot of pullups and pushups. I felt strong. I didn't leave the guy a chance.


FH: What do you need to do againts Nagy Aguilera to feel good about your performance?

Maskaev: What I need to do in this fight is to just get into the ring, relax, and do my job. Nice and relaxed. I don't need to overdo anything, I just need to push myself and not try to create something unbelievable.

I have everything. I just need to relax and do my job. The first time I get to hurt this guy, though, I'm going to do it. I want to see how well I can perform, and this fight is going to show exactly who Oleg is.


FH: Wasn't your present trainer, Chuck McGregor, in Rahman's corner when Rahman fought you the first time?

Maskaev: Yes, Yes. We talk about that, yeah. This, coming up, against Nagy Aguilera, is going to be the first fight working with Chuck. It's been a couple of months we've been together.

We just talked about the Rahman fight. He said, 'Oleg, do you remember that I was in the corner against you?' I said, 'Yes, I remember.' That was a great fight. We were killing each other. And he said the same thing.


FH: How do you want your career to come to a close?

Maskaev: I think differently. Boxing is my health. It's what I do. If I stop boxing, I'm going to gain weight and lose my health. Some people think boxing is dangerous for health. I don't think the same way.

I'm trying to work on my fitness, which is a lot of work. I expend energy and burn calories -- that's the way I am, that's who I am, that's my life, that's my character. Oleg wants to fight.

I have a trainer, a manager and a promoter. If they say to me, 'Oleg, you're old, and you're going to get beat up every time,' then, of course, I have to stop. I can do nothing.

But when you start thinking about your limitations, then exactly what you're thinking is going to happen. You're going to be afraid, and this and that. But there's no reason for me to think like that right now.

Why? I can run like I used to run. I spar with the guys. I can punch, I can fight, I can box the same way. I'm trying to learn, and I have a great trainer, Chuck McGregor, who is teaching me right now. I'm willing to learn, and that's great.

Ex-Champ Oleg Maskaev: 'I Stopped Vitali Klitschko in the First Round' originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>hasim rahmanoleg maskaevsamuel petervitali klitschkoLem SatterfieldSun, 22 Nov 2009 13:10:00 EST Fourth Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez Bout Nearly 'Done'http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/israel-vazquez-rafael-marquez-iv-nearly-done/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/israel-vazquez-rafael-marquez-iv-nearly-done/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/israel-vazquez-rafael-marquez-iv-nearly-done/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Israel VazquezA fourth bout between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez "is 70 percent done," according to an e-mail received by FanHouse early Sunday morning from Gary Shaw, the promoter of Marquez.

The 34-year-old Marquez (38-5) ended a 14-month layoff in May when he scored a third-round knockout -- the 34th of his career -- over 37-year-old Jose Francisco Mendoza.

Last month, the 31-year-old Vazquez overcame a 19-month layoff for a ninth-round knockout over Colombia's Angel Antonio Priolo, whom he floored three times.

Vazquez, who rose to 44-4 with his 32nd career knockout, dropped Priolo to 30-8 with 20 knockouts.

Both Marquez and Vazquez fought their last bouts at the 126-pound featherweight limit -- this after having previously clashed at super bantamweight (122 pounds).
Vazquez was initially dethroned by Marquez as WBC champ via a seventh-round knockout in March 2007, before earning successive victories by sixth-round stoppage and decision, respectively, in August 2007 and March 2008.

In their last fight, Vazquez suffered a detached retina that required three operations to repair. He appears to have successfully returned from the injury.

Born in Mexico City, Vazquez, who has won three straight, now lives in California. Marquez is also from Mexico City.

ESPN.com's Dan Rafael quoted Golden Boy Promotions' Richard Schaefer as saying that the fight will likely land at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 27.

"We got an offer from Showtime and the Vazquez side has agreed to it. Our side is OK," said Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Vazquez. "Gary Shaw said he can deliver Marquez."

Fourth Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez Bout Nearly 'Done' originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Israel VazquezRafael MarquezLem SatterfieldSun, 22 Nov 2009 01:50:00 EST 'It's My Time,' Andre Ward Says After Dethroning Mikkel Kessler http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/its-my-time-says-andre-ward-who-dethrones-wbas-mikkel-kess/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/its-my-time-says-andre-ward-who-dethrones-wbas-mikkel-kess/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/22/its-my-time-says-andre-ward-who-dethrones-wbas-mikkel-kess/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Andre WardMost believed that Andre Ward faced a disadvantage in overall experience against Denmark's WBA champion, Mikkel Kessler, on Saturday night.

Not only did Kessler enter their matchup with more than twice as many victories as Ward, but he also had almost three times as many knockouts, and had held the super middleweight (168 pounds) crown for nearly five years -- longer than Ward has been a professional.

But youth trumped experience as did ring generalship in their clash at Oracle Arena, where Ward dethroned Kessler with an 11th-round technical decision before an enthusiastic, partisan crowd of 10, 277 in the 2004 American Olympic gold medalist's hometown of Oakland, Calif.

With Kessler cut and bleeding badly above and below his right eye, and also cut over his left eye starting at the bridge of his nose, referee Jack Reiss of California -- on the advice of a ringside doctor -- called a halt to the bout at 1:42 of the second-to-last round.

Since the cuts were ruled to have been caused by accidental head-butts, the decision was left up to the scorecards.

Judges Steve Morrow of California and Stanley Christodoulou of South Africa both had it 98-92 for Ward, and Swedish judge Mikael Hook scored it, 97-93 -- all for the new champion.

FanHouse scored it a shutout over 10 rounds, 100-90, for the 25-year-old Ward, who improved to 21-0 with 13 knockouts, as the 30-year-old Kessler slipped to 42-2, with 32 KOs.


Ending for Kessler was a string of three straight stoppages since his November 2007 unanimous decision loss to Joe Calzaghe of Wales, who retired unbeaten following wins over ring legends Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones, respectively.

"I have to thank God for this because he constantly puts me up against giants. He puts me in situations where, naturally, I'm not supposed to be able to overcome. But I'm telling you, there's nothing impossible with Jesus Christ in your life. Nothing," said Ward, a winner of Oakland's first fight in 42 years.

"I just felt like it was my time. I wasn't intimidated by Kessler's record," said Ward. "Because, again, if God is with you, can accomplish anything."

Ward's early, tactical aggression baffled Kessler, and it lasted throughout the fight.

Ward alternated from his natural, orthodox, right-handed position -- from which he constantly beat Kessler to the punch with his left jab, lead-left and follow-up rights -- to the southpaw stance, where he did exactly the same thing, but in reverse.

Ward established the tone, from the outset, with a momentum-halting, piston-like jab that effectively disrupted the forward-moving Kessler's agression and prevented him from applying pressure.

As the fight progressed, Ward moved in and out.

On the inside, Ward dug to the body and used his free hands during clinches to pound home shots to the body, face and ears of the man nicknamed "The Viking Warrior."

From the outside, Ward fired freely, and, at times, unwisely. But Kessler rarely made the younger man pay for any indiscretions.

"I was kind of surprised being in there that he didn't make the adjustments. He kind of kept doing the same things, over and over. But I'm taking nothing away from him. He's a super champion, and I know why he's been a champion for so long," said Ward.

"But again, I felt like I was here for a reason. I was getting tons of text messages, tons of messages," said Ward. "And they were all saying the same thing, that 'It's your time.' You'll get what's rightfully yours. You've been training for a long time."

Ward, whose father died in 2002 of a heart ailment, also credited his trainer and father figure, Virgil Hunter, who helped to guide Ward to Olympic glory.

"Virgil, man, this is as much for him as it is for me. He has a gold medalist, and now, he has a world champion," said Ward. "He knows how to keep me focused in a fight from round to round."



Kessler complained of Ward's holding, as well as what he considered to be at least five intentional head-butts.

"I'm not used to the referee not stopping the fight when you're holding. And [Ward] was using his head-butt all of the time. Every time we got into a clinch, he head-butted me," said Kessler, briefly touching a cut on the area beneath his right eye with his left hand.

"Every time I tried to break a clinch, [the referee] let him punch me. I'm not used to that. It causes you to get out of rhythm. I think that it was unfair -- with the head-butting, and the holding, and a hometown referee," said Kessler, noting that Reiss is from California.

"[Ward] was coming in with the head-butt all of the time, and on purpose. He knew that I wasn't moving, so he was coming in with his head. And then, when we were holding, he was punching," said Kessler. "I couldn't see from my eyes. When I was head-butted, I'd be [dizzy] a little bit."

Ward was fighting at Oracle Arena for only the second time, having decisioned knockout artist Edison Miranda over 12 rounds in what was considered to be the biggest win of his career.

Ward denied that his head-butts were on purpose.

"My assessment is that I think that I felt two accidental head-butts. I'm not a dirty fighter. If you check any of my previous 20 fights, I've never done that intentionally," said Ward.

"He has three cuts -- two of them were punches for sure. One of them was a head-butt. But you can't say anything about the other moments in the other 10 rounds," said Ward. "Again, I take nothing away from him. He was a great champion."

Ward-Kessler was the third bout of Showtime's Super Six Super Middleweight World Boxing Classic's initial Group Stage One, and sets up a bout between Ward and former undisputed middleweight (160 pounds) champion Jermain Taylor (28-4, 17 KOs).

Also, Kessler must now regroup to face England's WBC titlist, Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KOs), who stopped Taylor in the 12th round prior to the tournament.

The tournament began on Oct. 17 with Germany's Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) stopping Taylor in the 12th round, and Froch defending his crown with a decision over Michigan's former Olympic bronze medalist, Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs). Ward-Taylor and Froch-Kessler will take place at a site and on a date to be determined.

"Of course, I have to look at how this fight went, and try to see what I can do better. I have to see if I still have it," said Kessler. "If I have to fight Ward again someday, I can't go straight forward or stay in the middle. I have to go side-to-side."

There was speculation that Taylor would not continue in the tournament, having lost four of his past five fights, and having been stopped three times during that stretch.

"That's up to him. But I read on his Twitter where he answered his fans and said that he was training and preparing, so that's who we'll get ready for. But whoever it is, we fought the best in the world tonight," said Ward.

"People thought that I got a bad draw against Kessler. But we told everybody, 'No, this is the right draw.' We beat the top guy; we're going to rest a little bit," said Ward. "It was a hard training camp, it's been a long 15 years, and I'm going to regroup and get ready for the next stage -- whoever it is."

Next-round matchups also have Dirrell facing Abraham on Jan. 23. After that, Froch is to take on Abraham, Kessler is slated to meet Taylor, and Ward is to face Dirrell -- results that will determine a four-man semifinal, followed by a final to crown the tournament's winner.
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'It's My Time,' Andre Ward Says After Dethroning Mikkel Kessler originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Andre WardJack ReissMikkel KesslerLem SatterfieldSun, 22 Nov 2009 00:27:00 EST Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward: Live Round-by-Round Updateshttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/mikkel-kessler-vs-andre-ward-live-round-by-round-updates/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/mikkel-kessler-vs-andre-ward-live-round-by-round-updates/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/mikkel-kessler-vs-andre-ward-live-round-by-round-updates/#commentsFiled under: , ,

FanHouse has a Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward live blog for round-by-round updates for one of the Showtime Super Six Super Middleweight World Boxing Classic bouts.

The 168-pound main event will start a little after 10PM ET. The live blog begins below.

Kessler (42-1, 32 knockouts) vs. Ward (20-0, 13 KOs) live blog: Refresh this page often for minute-by-minute updates.

Pre-fight: Ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. introduced Ward, who entered the ring waving a small American flag, and wearing a mostly-white robe with two red stripes down the middle, two blue ones starting from the shoulder and going down, and with JESUS CHRIST on the back. He also wore red, white and blue trunks.

Kessler entered the arena wearing a white and red T-shirt, and was booed. Behind him, a member of his entourage carried his WBA belt overhead. His trunks were the color of the Danish flag -- red and white.

Among the fight's rules: No standing eight, no three knockdowns, only the referee can stop the fight, and a fighter can't be saved by the bell.

Round 1: The fighters met at ring center, and Ward threw the first three jabs. Ward circled, jabbed to the body. Neither fighter has broken a sweat. Kessler has thrown two left hooks. Ward has thrown and landed two hooks as well. Ward has switched to southpaw, but is pawing with the right jab. Cornered, Ward twice escaped harm, the second time, by tying up the champion. Ward jabs to the chest and body as well as the head. Ward -- the crowd chanting, "USA, USA" -- appears to be encouraged. Kessler fails to take advantage of Ward's back being against the ropes a third time. Ward closes by landing a lead left hand. Ward's round, 10-9.

Round 2: The busier fighter, Ward counters with a left hook. He appears to have found a home for it. Kessler follows Ward to the corner and digs to the body, but as Ward circles off, misses with two right hands. Ward continues to circle and jab -- going left and right. Kessler misses again with a right. Ward is in and out and clinching. Kessler's rhythm is off, but he regains it long enough to jab twice to the body in a corner. Ward switches back to southpaw, and, during a clinch, is the busier fighter. When the clinch breaks, Ward closes with a double-jab, a lead left and a fourth punch. Ward's round, 10-9.

Round 3: The combinations and the hand-speed of Ward have been the difference so far, as the usually fluid Kessler appears stiff and surprisingly flat-footed. Ward, back to his orthodox style, wins the early battle of jabs in the round. Kessler has problems getting set for the big punch. Ward is following his jabs with straight rights. And then, he clinches. Kessler's jab is absent. His right hand misses. Ward drives home a left-, right-, left combination and clinches. After the break, Ward nails Kessler with a right hand. Ward closes with a right and two more lead lefts. Ward's round, 10-9.

Round 4: A tell-tale mouse has developed under Kessler's right eye, as Ward continues to out-box him. Ward stands before Kessler and digs a three-punch combination to the midsection, starting with his left, and then dances away. Kessler continues to allow Ward to get in and out and beat him to the punch, without making him pay. Kessler manages to nail a ducking Ward with a left hook, but during the break of a clinch, Ward digs lefts and rights to the head and body of a covering-up Kessler. Kessler is bleeding under his right eye, and takes a huge right hand. Encouraged, Ward follows with seven unanswered blows. Kessler -- bleeding from beneath his right eye -- backs off the entire time. Ward's round, 10-9.

Round 5: It appears that a right hand opened the cut under Kessler's eye, but that the mouse was started by a head-butt. Nevertheless, Ward siezes the early part of the round, jabbing and firing overhand rights. Kessler appears to be bleeding from his mouth, and takes a hard right. Kessler's left hook has landed twice, but he is blocked by Ward on the third attempt. Kessler lands a jab, but takes a right and a subsequent jab from Ward. Kessler lands a jab, but takes a straight left out of Ward's southpaw stance. Kessler, who did not spar with left-handers, appears confused when Ward fights as a leftie. Kessler returns to his corner with blood streaming from beneath his right eye. Ward's round, 10-9.

Round 6: The challenger's circling continues, but Ward badly misses with a left and a right. Ward attacks with long lefts and rights, landing about three of them. Another overhand right is delivered on a holding Kessler, who then takes an uppercut. Ward is a step too quick, and is simply faster than the champion. Ward throws a lead-right, and a left jab from his orthodox stance -- the latter jolting back the champion's head. Kessler lands an overhand right, and then a left, but takes a punch in between. Ward pursues behind his jab and misses with a right. A straight right hand nails Kessler on the chin with about 10 seconds left. Ward's round, 10-9

Round 7: Ward continues forward and Kessler backs up. Kessler drives a left hook to the body. The crowd gets behind Ward, who jabs and follows up with a left to the body. Kessler, who looks flat, "is tired," Ward's corner told him between the sixth and seventh round. Kessler lands two of three jabs, but Ward, his hands dropping, counters well. Kessler misses with a wild left hook, but catches Ward with a right uppercut. Three straight jabs, and then a right all pop Kessler's head back. Ward jabs to the body and then to the head and body to close the round. Ward's round, 10-9.

Round 8: Kessler tells his corner "I can't see," between rounds. Kessler lands a short right early, and lands a left to the body. But Ward nails him with a counter right hand. Kessler appears to be fading. Ward comes on as Kessler clinches. Ward drives a right to the body and jabs to the head. Kessler's hands are dropping, and his defense appears to be weakening. Ward lands two long punches -- a right and a left. Ward takes a short left hook as he jumps forward into a clinch, but he takes it well. Ward lands two left jabs, a right, and then a left. Kessler landa a left and a right, but Ward closes with a three-punch combination that appears to have Kessler cowering. Ward's round, 10-9.

Round 9: There was desparation in Kessler's corner after the eighth round. Severely cut over his left eye -- from an apparent head-butt -- and below the right, Kessler repeatedly complained of not being able to see. He was told by his cornerman, Richard Olson, that he needs a knockout. Kessler simply backs off as Ward steps up the pressure behind his left jab, lead-left and followup right hands. Kessler holds, and when not in a clinch, appears unable to defend himself. Ward drives a left to the body that causes Kessler to wince. Ward takes a left uppercut during a late surge by Kessler, but his early activity won him the round. Ward's round, 10-9.

Round 10: Ward starts by jabbing twice to the head and once to the body. And then, Ward fires a fourth, and then, a fifth, very stiff, piston-like jab into Kessler's face. Another head-butt causes another cut to Kessler -- this time, above the right eye. Ward drives in a right and a left and then a double-lead-right, followed by a left. Kessler lands a right against the on-rusing Ward, but Ward pops back Kessler's head with a shot of his own. Ward lands a right, a left, and then, later, repeats that sequence -- all to the head of Kessler. Ward, as he has all night, works the free hands during clinches. Ward's versatility has Kessler completely untracked as it has all night, and Kessler's corner appears to be in disarray. Ward's round, 10-9.

Round 11: Asked if he can contiinue by his corner between rounds, Kessler answers to the affirmative. Yet he continues to be victimized by Ward's general activity -- the jab, the right hand, and the busier blows during clinches. Finally, referee Jack Reiss calls time to have Kessler's facial injuries examined. And on the advice of a ringside doctor, Reiss stops the fight.

Although they will go to the cards, due to the injuries caused by head-butt, it is apparent that Andre Ward will be the new WBA super middleweight champion.

Sweden's Mikael Hook had it 97-93, and both South Africa's Stanley Christodoulou and California's Steve Morrow had it, 98-92, all for Ward.

FanHouse scored it, 100-90, for Ward.

Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward: Live Round-by-Round Updates originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andre wardmikkel kesslerLem SatterfieldSat, 21 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST Erdei Dethrones WBC's Fragomenihttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/erdei-dethrones-wbcs-fragomeni/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/erdei-dethrones-wbcs-fragomeni/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/erdei-dethrones-wbcs-fragomeni/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

KIEL, Germany (AP) -- Zsolt Erdei of Hungary won the WBC cruiserweight title with a majority decision over Giacobbe Fragomeni on Saturday night.

Erdei vacated the WBO light-heavyweight title to fight at cruiserweight for the first time, and managed to do just enough against the 40-year-old Italian. Two judges had it 115-113 for Erdei, while the third scored it 114-114.

Erdei (31-0) controlled the first three rounds with his speed, landing several powerful rights to Fragomeni's head. The tide turned in the middle rounds when Fragomeni (26-2-1) stepped up the pace, and he began to wear down his younger opponent.

"After the first three rounds I thought I could do it easy," Erdei said. "But he kept on coming on, pressing and pressing and I began to worry about my health."

Fragomeni, whose only previous loss was to heavyweight titleholder David Haye, began connecting to the body and was gaining the upper hand when the Hungarian landed a blow to his chin at the end of the eighth round.

The last two rounds were a free-for-all, with both fighters connecting with their guards down. Although Fragomeni threw a flurry in the final round, the judges ruled the fight in the counterpunching Erdei's favor.

On the undercard, the Kazakhstan-born Dimitri Sartison won the vacant WBA super middleweight belt when the referee stopped the fight in the sixth round because of an eye injury to Stjepan Bozic of Croatia.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Erdei Dethrones WBC's Fragomeni originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>David HayeGiacobbe FragomeniZsolt ErdediFanHouse NewswireSat, 21 Nov 2009 22:27:00 EST Maskaev Eyes Vitali Klitschko Rematchhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/oleg-maskaev-eyes-vitali-klitschko-rematch/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/oleg-maskaev-eyes-vitali-klitschko-rematch/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/oleg-maskaev-eyes-vitali-klitschko-rematch/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Oleg Maskaev had won two of five fights and been stopped three times when promoter, Dennis Rappaport, met him in 2002 -- not long after the 33-year-old Russian-American had suffered an eighth-round knockout loss to journeyman, Corey Sanders.

Since then, however, Maskaev is 14-1 with 10 knockouts -- a run that began with six straight KOs. The first stoppage was a one-rounder against Erroll Sadikovski in February of 2003.

"Oleg, in the ring, is now doing something that he's never done before -- and that's being relaxed," Rappaport said of Maskaev, who is coming off of a first-round knockout of Rich Boruff in March -- his second straight win since being dethroned as WBC champ a year earlier by Samuel Peter in six rounds.

"A relaxed fighter is the most dangerous fighter in the world. Oleg's boxing beautifully, he's devastating to the body," said Rappaport. "Even at his age, he's learning new things, and, more importantly, he's got the desire to continue learning."

On Dec. 11 at Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium, the 40-year-old Maskaev (36-6, 27 KOs) takes on Dominican-born, Nagy Aguilera (14-2, nine KOs). A win earns a berth against 39-year-old Ray Austin (28-4-4, 18 KOs), with the winner of that matchup earning the chance to face WBC champ, Vitali Klitschko (38-2, 37 KOs).

"The main goal is to fight Vitali Klitschko. He's running away from me, and I don't know why," said Maskaev, who lives in Sacramento with his wife, Svetlana, and four daughters.

"I've been looking to fight this guy for six years, and, hopefully, one way or the other, it will happen. Maybe he's running because I beat him once."

Maskaev said that he fought Klitschko as an amateur in 1992, and contends that a left hook led to Klitschko's corner throwing in the towel.

"Vitali has never admitted that. It's always, 'Oh, I hurt my hand, and then, I couldn't continue,'" said Maskaev, who decisioned Peter Okhello in February 2006 for his lone title defense. "But I remember I hurt him, three times, and when his trainer saw that he couldn't handle it, they stopped the fight."

As a professional, Maskaev is most known for his two victories over former WBC champ, Hasim Rahman, whom he stopped in eight rounds, in November of 1999, before dethroning him in the 12th round of their August, 2006 rematch.



I was very happy when I beat him the first time, because Rahman was sure that he was going to knock me out," said Maskaev, named Ring Magazine's "Comeback Fighter Of The Year" in 2006.

"The second time against Rahman, it was much harder. But after that fight, Rahman wasn't the same -- believe me," said Maskaev. "I believe that I destroyed him. Totally."



Ironically, Maskaev is also defined by his losses -- all by knockout -- including those against Sanders and journeymen, Lance Whitaker and Kirk Johnson, respectively, in two and four rounds.

The loss to Johnson, in October of 2000, ended Maskaev's run of 10 consecutive wins, nine of them by knockout. It also began the skid of three losses over his next five fights.

Maskaev was stopped, back-to-back, by Johnson and Whitaker, the latter, in March of 2001.

"Oleg looks better right now, training for [Aguilera,] then I think he's looked since we've been together," said Rappaport. "No one has a crystal ball, but as long as he's got the speed, he's sharp, and he's successful, we'll continue."

Born in Zhambul, Kazakhstan, Maskaev grew up farming cows and sheep and escaped a near-death experience as a 16-year-old coal miner - the age at which he also became a father.

While "hauling wagons full of coal weighing as much as 6,000 pounds," Maskaev was nearly crushed.

"Sometimes, the supporting ropes would break," said Maskaev, whose father was his foreman. "I once noticed a breaking rope. I jumped out of the way as it hit a wall. I was lucky. My father found out and said, 'That's it for you.'"

Still 16 when he left home with Svetlana, Maskaev enrolled in a Russian sports academy to learn to box. At 18, Maskaev joined the army, and remained until he was 25.

While enlisted, Maskaev fathered two more girls before marrying Svetlana at age 22. He nearly went to war in Afghanistan, "but being a boxer for my country, my trainer arranged for me to be pulled out," Maskaev said.

Maskaev turned pro in his hometown of Zhambul in April of 1993, against 6-foot-4 Alexander Miroshnichenko, who was 21-0 with 15 knockouts.

Maskaev stopped him in three rounds.

Just 23 months later, Maskaev's second pro fight was against journeyman Jimmy Harrison, a veteran of 44 bouts, even though he was only 6-33-5.

Maskeav ended that one in four rounds.

Maskaev was then matched against Joe Thomas, who entered the ring with a record of 23-1-1, and who was coming off of his 19th knockout victory.

Maskaev went the distance for only the second time in his career, earning a decision over six rounds.

Neither Miroshnichenko, nor Thomas, has been in the ring since losing to Maskaev, whose early accomplishments were as admirable as Rappaport found the matchmaking to be deplorable.

"Here was a kid, who, in his first professional fight, they put him in with somebody who had beaten Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe in the amateurs. And he goes ahead and knocks the guy out," said Rappaport. "In Oleg's fourth fight, they put him in with Joe Thomas, whom people thought was going to be a heavyweight champion. Good thing Oleg won that one also."

Maskaev had earned three of his first six victories by knockout in February of 1996, when he was stopped in one round by Oliver McCall.

Not only had McCall just been dethroned as WBC champ by Frank Bruno, but he already had decisioned former world champ, Larry Holmes, and had knocked out Lewis, Bruce Seldon and Francesco Damiani -- all three of whom were former world champs at the time.

Maskaev was 10-1, with six knockouts when he was matched against David Tua, whose 22 stops among 26 victories without a loss had included a 19-second win over future world champion, John Ruiz.

"It seemed like Oleg was going in against some of the toughest veterans they could find," said Rappaport. "To me, that's inconceivable."

Still, Maskaev persevered, reeling off four straight knockouts, and six stoppages among seven consecutive wins.

At 17-2, with 12 KOs, Maskaev was matched against Rahman for the first time.

Trailing by three points on two judges' cards, and, by seven, on the third, Maskaev literally knocked Rahman out of the ring, into the lap of HBO's ringside analyst, Jim Lampley, and, eventually, onto the arena floor.

"People don't know the real Oleg," said Maskaev. "When I'm mentally strong, physically strong, healthy, with no problems -- I can do a lot of things. I've proven that before, and I'm going to prove it again."

Maskaev Eyes Vitali Klitschko Rematch originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>david tuaHasim Rahmanjim lampleyjohn ruizlarry holmeslennox lewisOleg Maskaevriddick bowesamuel peterVitali KlitschkoLem SatterfieldSat, 21 Nov 2009 01:05:00 EST Kessler Has Edge in Experience vs. Wardhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/kessler-has-edge-in-experience-vs-ward/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/kessler-has-edge-in-experience-vs-ward/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/kessler-has-edge-in-experience-vs-ward/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Denmark's WBA champion, Mikkel Kessler, is considered boxing's premier 168-pounder -- and for good reason.

And it is among those same reasons why the 30-year-old "Viking Warrior" is favored to take down 25-year-old former Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward in defense of his title on Saturday night at Oracle Arena.

"Mikkel Kessler's just been in with a higher quality of opponent. And Kessler's been involved with more big fights, fighting, more or less, for 12 rounds since Andre Ward has been a professional boxer," said Doug Fischer, co-editor of RingTV.com. "And now he's fighting in Andre Ward's hometown of Oakland, Calif., which is going to be nothing new to him."

Not only does Kessler (42-1, 32 knockouts) have more than twice as many victories as Ward (20-0, 13 KOs) and almost three times as many knockouts, but Kessler has held a super middleweight crown for nearly five years, while Ward has been a professional for less than that amount of time.



"Andre Ward is a great, young fighter. He reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age. I won my first world title at 24," said Kessler, who he earned the WBA title with a seventh-round knockout of Manny Siaca on Dec. 12, 2004 -- six days before Ward made his professional debut by stopping Chris Molina in two rounds.

"I can see that [Ward] is hungry, has good speed and good technique. He's a good fighter," said Kessler. "But I have double the fights he has, and I'm more experienced in a lot of different ways."

In June of 2005, Kessler made the first defense of his crown against future world champion, Anthony Mundine, scoring a lopsided, unanimous decision in the challenger's hometown of Sydney, Austrailia.

Kessler is also the owner of impressive wins over former world titlist Marcus Beyer, as well as top-notch contender, Librado Andrade, with his third-round knockout of Beyer earning the WBC crown in October of 2006.

Kessler's next fight was the March, 2007, one-sided rout of Andrade (28-2, 21 KOs) by the scores of 120-108 on all three cards.

That victory came against a fighter who was 24-0 with 18 knockouts. In addition, Andrade will face IBF champ Lucian Bute (24-0, 19 KOs) in a Nov. 28 rematch of their clash in October of 2008, when an out-on-his-feet Bute benefitted from a long count in the 12th round.

Kessler later traveled to Germany in October of 2008 for a third-round knockout of Danilo Haussler, yet again, in front of the loser's hometown fans.

"Mikkel Kessler's just a seasoned veteran. He's been in with Anthony Mundine and Librado Andrade," said Fischer. "He's fought on the road against Joe Calzaghe in Wales and again against Mundine in Austrailia."

Kessler even has an excuse -- if one buys it -- for his lone defeat to Calzaghe in June of 2007, arguing that an injury to one of his hands contributed to a fading effort down the stretch of a unanimous decision setback before Calzaghe's partisan fans in Wales.

"Kessler won at least four rounds against Calzaghe and looked pretty good doing it," said Fischer. "Andre Ward's fakes and his footwork should make it competitive for the first half of the fight, but I think Kessler's straight right hand should buzz him a couple of times."



Kessler-Ward is the third bout of Showtime's Super Six Super Middleweight World Boxing Classic, a round-robin tournament comprised of six of the world's best 168-pounders whose completion isn't expected until early 2011.

On Oct. 17, Germany's Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) stopped Arkansas' Jermain Taylor (28-4, 17 KOs) in the 12th round and England's Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KOs) defended his WBC crown with a decision over Michigan's former Olympic bronze medalist Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs). The tournament is not scheduled to end until sometime in 2011.

"Andre Ward is not to be underestimated. He is very good. He is technically very sound and can also punch hard as he has shown in previous fights. But I hope that my new stablemate, Mikkel Kessler, wins," said Abraham, who, like Kessler, is promoted by Kalle Sauerland.

"[Kessler] is versatile, very experienced and he has a great vision-anticipation in the ring. And most importantly, the 'Viking Warrior' is a true fighter," said Abraham, who, like Froch, believes the American will be staring at their third loss after Saturday night.

"If you ask me for a prediction, I would go with a points victory for Mikkel," said Abraham. "The boxing fans can certainly be thrilled about this fight because it puts together two of the best technicians in the division."

Ward last fought at the Oracle in May, when he decisioned knockout artist Edison Miranda over 12 rounds in what, until now, was considered the biggest win of his career.

"Obviously, the stakes are much higher this time. I've prepared for a fight like this since I was nine years old," said Ward. "It's about time. I approach all of my fights the same. Every fight, as an amateur, I took seriously."

Froch, however, isn't sure that Ward is quite yet ready for Kessler.

"Andre Ward has that terrific amateur pedigree, winning the Gold medal at the Athens Olympics. He's had some good wins in the pros, but we will only find out how good he really is when he steps in there with Kessler," said Froch.

"Ward will have the benefit of home advantage, which I'm sure will play its part," said Froch. "But Kessler is very experienced and has won on the road before so I'm sure he won't see it as an issue."

Next-round matchups have Dirrell facing Abraham on Jan. 23, Froch facing Kessler and Ward against Taylor.

After that, Froch is to take on Abraham, Kessler is slated to meet Taylor and Ward will face Dirrell -- results that will determine a four-man semifinal followed by a final to crown the tournament's winner.

"I'm hoping for my own selfish reasons that Kessler wins because then he'll still have the WBA belt," said Froch. "I'm fighting him next, so if he beats Ward, then it means that our fight becomes a massive WBC and WBA unification clash and I can get my hands on his belt."

FanHouse gives Kessler the edge based on experience, which he will use to close strongly for a decision over the second half of the fight.

Kessler Has Edge in Experience vs. Ward originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andre dirrellandre wardAndreDirrellAndreWardarthur abrahamArthurAbrahamcarl frochCarlFrochjermain taylorJermainTaylorjoe calzagheJoeCalzaghelibrado andradeLibradoAndrademikkel kesslerMikkelKesslerLem SatterfieldFri, 20 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST Kessler-Ward Officials' Conflict Resolvedhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/kessler-ward-officials-conflict-resolved/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/kessler-ward-officials-conflict-resolved/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/kessler-ward-officials-conflict-resolved/#commentsFiled under: ,


One of the two California judges initially chosen to work Saturday night's 168-pound bout between Denmark's WBA king Mikkel Kessler and challenger Andre Ward has been replaced with a Swedish official, quelling a controversy that had threatened the fight's championship status.

Kessler's promoter, Wilfried Sauerland, said on Wednesday that the WBA had threatened not to sanction Kessler-Ward as a super middleweight title matchup because the referee, Jack Riesse, and at least two of the three judges assigned were from California.

That was in violation of the rules regarding the matchup -- part of Showtime's Super Six Super Middleweight World Boxing Classic -- wherein, at least two judges and the referee were to be from neutral territories, in accordance with contracts signed by each of the tournament's six fighters regarding the nationalities of the officials.

But Ward's promoter, Dan Goossen, said the commission has removed one California judge in favor of Sweden's Mikael Hook, who will work the fight along with South Africa's Stanley Christodoulou and California's Steve Morrow.
Riesse remains in place for Kessler-Ward, which will take place at Oracle Arena in Ward's hometown of Oakland.

"The key is that all that I care about is that, whoever wins the fight, if it goes to a decision, that man gets the decision. I'm willing to accept it. I'm not going to do what Sauerland did and threaten any pullouts or anything like that," said Goossen.

"If Ward is winning and deserves the decision, I expect him to get the decision," said Goossen. "If Ward doesn't do enough to win, and Kessler should be the winner, I expect Kessler to get the decision. It's not right for the fighters to have judges affect the outcome of the fights."

Goossen said that Hook and Christodoulou were assigned to Kessler's last victory, a fourth-round knockout of Gusmyr Perdomo on Sept. 12 in Herning, Denmark. Both officials had Kessler ahead, 29-27, at the time of the stoppage.

"If anyone could complain, it would be me, because Christodoulou and Hook worked Kessler's last fight. But I'm willing to live with it," said Goossen. "It's not a matter of being happy or unhappy, it's a matter of me being willing to let it go as it is with the officials."

Kessler is 42-1 with 30 knockouts coming into the bout with Ward (20-0, 13 KOs), a 2004 Olympic gold medalist.

"Ward is unbeaten and very strong, but his previous accomplishments, including the Olympic gold medal, will not help him against Mikkel Kessler," said Sauerland.

"I have promoted five Olympic gold medal winners, but that does not mean that you become a world champion," said Sauerland. "So Andre can try ... to leave the ring as the winner. He is a strong fighter but he has never been in the ring with someone of Mikkel´s class."

Kessler-Ward Officials' Conflict Resolved originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andre warddan goossenmikkel kesslerLem SatterfieldThu, 19 Nov 2009 16:55:00 EST Kessler-Ward Officials' Controversy http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/kessler-ward-officials-controversy-arises/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/kessler-ward-officials-controversy-arises/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/19/kessler-ward-officials-controversy-arises/#commentsFiled under: , ,

A problem has developed concerning Saturday's 168-pound WBA title fight between champion Mikkel Kessler of Denmark and Andre Ward, the third bout of Showtime's Super Six Super Middleweight World Boxing Classic that is being fought at the Oracle Arena in the challenger's hometown of Oakland, Calif.

At least two judges and the referee for each matchup are to be from neutral territories, in accordance with contracts signed by each of the tournament's six fighters regarding the nationalities of the officials.

But during a press conference yesterday at Oakland's City Hall, Kessler's promoter, Wilfried Sauerland, said that the referee, Jack Riesse, and at least two of the three judges selected for the fight are from California, along with South African judge, Stanley Christodoulou, according to a report by the Associated Press.


"One thing I want to point out. We will not accept [promoter Dan Goossen's] choice of judges. He has done a great job to get his fighter three fights at home, but now he has appointed three judges from California," said Sauerland, in a statement released by tournament publicists.

"Needless to say, we will not accept his friends and colleagues judging this fight," said Sauerland. "So he better start moving because it takes a while to bring in new judges."

Sauerland told the Associated Press that he believed the WBA might refuse to sanction the bout as a title fight unless the California State Athletic Commission finds judges and a referee who aren't from Ward's home state.

"The WBA has written a strong letter to the Californian commission that the choice of judges is unacceptable, but the Californian commission has been somewhat hard to reach," said Sauerland in a statement. "The WBA has been trying to contact them, sending faxes and everything. If this issue is not sorted, we can have a Super Six fight, but Mikkel´s world title will not be on the line."

Goossen denied being involved with choosing the officials for the fight.

"Our company [Goossen Tutor Promotions] has nothing to do with picking officials. Whoever the WBA and the commission appoint is what we go with. The only man I want to see walking out of the ring is the real champion without any sort of interference," said Goossen.

"I didn't think there was any problem. I didn't know if this was done in unison with the WBA. From my understanding of it, the commission has tried to reach the WBA for the last month and a half, on numerous occasions, to work with them on the officials," Goossen told FanHouse.

"But there was no response back. And then, I understand that about a week and a half ago, the commission announced who the officials were," said Goossen. "First time I heard there was a problem was [Tuesday.] Obviously, this is something that the WBA was not in contact with the commission, and the commission, obviously has the responsibility to appoint the officials."

California Commission, spokesman, Russ Heimerich, told the Associated Press that he expected "come to an understanding" with Sauerland and to resolve the issue by as early as Thursday.

"We are aware of the concerns of the promoter, and so we have been working with both the promoter and the sanctioning body to address those concerns," said Heimerich. "The process is ongoing."

The 30-year-old Kessler brings a record of 42-1, with 32 knockouts into his matchup with Ward (20-0, 13 KOs), a 2004 Olympic gold medalist.

"I've been here before, so I am loving it in California. I have thoroughly enjoyed my entire stay here, living in a nice house and training in Sacramento," said Kessler. "But now I am ready to fight. I didn't come all the way from Denmark to lose. I am fully prepared and 150 percent ready. I'm in better shape now than I've ever been."

Kessler's only loss was a decision to Joe Calzaghe in the latter's hometown of Wales, one he partially attributes to being hampered by an injury to his hand.

"I have had only one defeat, and that was to Joe Calzaghe and it still eats at me today. Even thinking about that fight makes me even more motivated. That's why I am looking at this fight as a second chance to prove that I am the best," said Kessler.

"I hurt my hand and had only two weeks to spar for Calzaghe, but there will be no mistakes or excuses after this one," said Kessler. "I may be [30 years old,] but I have a lot of fight left. Saturday night can't come soon enough."

Ward is returning to the site of his biggest victory to date, which was a decision over highly-touted Edison Miranda May.

"Saturday will be a special night for me and the city of Oakland. There was a lot of buzz before my last fight here, but there is a lot more excitement going around for this one," said Ward.

"No one expected me to win the Olympics. No one expected to me to get this far as a pro," said Ward. "But, now, if I win, it is because I'm supposed to, and if I ever lose, it's a huge thing. I'm thrilled for everybody Saturday night and really anxious for the fight to be here."

Kessler-Ward Officials' Controversy originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andre warddan goosensDan Goossensedison mirandajoe calzaghemikkel kesslerLem SatterfieldThu, 19 Nov 2009 00:58:00 EST Mikkel Kessler or Andre Ward? Boxing Experts Weigh Inhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/mikkel-kessler-or-andre-ward-boxings-experts-weigh-in/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/mikkel-kessler-or-andre-ward-boxings-experts-weigh-in/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/mikkel-kessler-or-andre-ward-boxings-experts-weigh-in/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Denmark's WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler will meet former Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward on Saturday night in what shapes up as a clash of similar styles, even as it is a battle of Ward's youth against Kessler's experience.

Both the 30-year-old Kessler (42-1, 32 knockouts) and the 25-year-old Ward (20-0, 13 KOs) are considered excellent athletes whose arsenals include comparable speed as well as solid chins, stamina and general boxing skills.

FanHouse sought the opinions of 10 boxing experts for their predictions on the 168-pound matchup. See the results after the jump.



Steve Farhood, Showtime boxing analyst
Andre Ward by decision: I'm picking Andre Ward in an upset. I believe that the tiger will come out in him. Being aggressive and making it an inside fight will be his ticket to victory. I'm going with Ward, to win in 12.


Doug Fischer, co-editor of RingTV.com
Mikkel Kessler by decision: Based on experience, Mikkel Kessler's just been in with a higher quality of opponent. And Kessler's been involved with more big fights, fighting, more or less, for 12 rounds since Andre Ward has been a professional boxer.

Kessler's been in with Anthony Mundine and Librado Andrade. He's fought on the road against Joe Calzaghe in Wales, and, Mundine in Austrailia. And now, he's fighting in Andre Ward's hometown of Oakland, Calif.

Kessler won at least four rounds against Calzaghe, and looked pretty good doing it. Andre Ward's fakes and his footwork should make it competitive for the first half of the fight, but I think Kessler's straight right hand should buzz him a couple of times.

I don't think Kessler will get Andre Ward out of there, but I see him winning a 116-112, or a 115-113 type of decision.


Nancy Gay, FanHouse.com
Andre Ward by decision: Andre Ward's skillset as a complete boxer has improved steadily since his Olympic gold medal days as a amateur. After too many sub-par opponents, the 25-year-old Ward is facing a true test against super middleweight Mikkel Kessler, who is 30.

Kessler hasn't lost since dropping a 12-round decision to Joe Calzaghe in 2007. This fight could look a lot like that one. Ward's speed is now as impressive as any fighter in his division.

Ward's footwork is superb, and he's shown he can take punishment and still deliver power punches that do damage. This is a tough call. I could see a Kessler knockout in the third round or a 12-round decision. If this fight goes 12 rounds, it will belong to Ward.


Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports Boxing
Andre Ward by decision: Ward is my pick to win the Super Six. He's a star in waiting, and this is going to be his stage to show the world his talent. Ward's quickness, defensive savvy and work rate will lead him to a tough win.


Robert Morales, Los Angeles Daily News
Andre Ward by decision: No. 1, I think that this is certainly going to be Andre Ward's best opponent. And I just believe that Andre Ward is one of those guys, who, with an opponent like Kessler, that is going to bring out the best in Andre Ward.

I don't think that we've seen Andre's best yet because he hasn't fought a lot of top-10 guys. But this guy is so talented, and he is so confident, and he is so focused and hungry.

If you've talked to this guy for any amount of time at all -- and I have -- you will know how hungry Andre Ward is and how focused he is. That determination that he has is even more than I've seen with most fighters.

Andre Ward seems to have that Manny Pacquiao-like determination, and that means a lot. I see why a lot of people are picking Mikkel Kessler to win the tournament, because he's an outstanding fighter.

But I don't think that Mikkel Kessler is going to land a whole lot of clean punches on Andre Ward, and I think Andre hits hard enough to keep Kessler at bay. Andre is not a killer, but he won't have to be to win.


Kieran Mulvaney, ESPN.boxing and Reuters
Andre Ward by decision: I think that if Mikkel Kessler still is Mikkel Kessler, then he's got a pretty good shot at winning this whole thing. But in his only loss, Joe Calzaghe whipped him pretty bad in the second half of that fight -- and Mikkel Kessler's hardly been seen since.

I just have this kind of sneaking suspicion that, faced with another fast-handed, slightly unorthodox fighter, Kessler might just come unglued a little bit. And so, I'm kind of leaning toward Andre Ward to pull of the upset.

It will go the distance, because Kessler's a tough guy. But I just have a feeling that Andre Ward can do it. I wouldn't be surprised if Ward comes out pretty strong, and maybe Kessler pulls himself together and comes back into it.

Maybe Kessler's a little stronger down the stretch, but I just have this sneaky feeling that Ward's going to pull this one out.


Joe Santoliquito, Managing Editor, Ring Magazine
Mikkel Kessler, ninth-round knockout: Kessler has too much experience for Ward, at this stage in Ward's career. Kessler has been in with Joe Calzaghe, Librado Andrade and Anthony Mundine.

Ward's been in with what? A faded, and easy-to-hit Edison Miranda? Kessler wears down Ward and finishes him in the ninth. It's too soon for Ward to be facing someone like Kessler.


Michael David Smith, FanHouse.com
Mikkel Kessler by unanimous decision: Kessler has looked focused and motivated in his three fights since losing to Joe Calzaghe, and I think he's going to look even better against Ward.

Ward is an undeniable talent, but he hasn't faced opponents of Kessler's caliber. And I think Kessler will give Ward his first loss. So I pick Kessler by unanimous decision.


Tim Smith, New York Daily News
Andre Ward by decision: Andre Ward discovered just how good he can be when he fought Edison Miranda. He didn't push as hard as he should have to get Miranda out of there.

But I think Andre Ward now knows what it takes to get the job done. I think he'll take the next step against Kessler, though I think Kessler is a tougher guy. So I'm picking Ward by decision.


Bert Sugar, noted boxing historian
Mikkel Kessler by decision: My pick is Kessler. I think that Mikkel Kessler is a complete fighter, and that Andre Ward is still learning and still improving. Mikkel is a complete fighter already.

I thought against Calzaghe, Mikkel Kessler looked good, but that Calzaghe was faster. Kessler can hit, and I think that he's technically better than Ward. I think Ward, who is excellent, is not there yet.

The boxing experts give the younger Ward an edge, 6-4. I'll make my analysis and prediction on Friday.

Mikkel Kessler or Andre Ward? Boxing Experts Weigh In originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andre wardjoe calzaghemikkel kesslerLem SatterfieldWed, 18 Nov 2009 18:10:00 EST Ward vs. Kessler Is Youth vs. Experiencehttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/ward-vs-kessler-is-youth-vs-experience/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/ward-vs-kessler-is-youth-vs-experience/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/ward-vs-kessler-is-youth-vs-experience/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Denmark's Mikkel Kessler has more than twice as many fights -- and wins -- as Andre Ward.

The champion has more than three times as many knockouts, and could be stronger than the challenger, if not equally as fast and athletic.

And although Kessler is six years older than Ward, the WBA super middleweight titlist seems to be in his prime.

Ward (pictured far right) appears to be the underdog in most phases of the matchup. But if you ask his promoter, Dan Goossen, that's just the way Ward likes it.

"This is just like Andre Ward's run to the gold medal, but in the pro ranks. On his path to gold, no one gave him a shot. Everyone else was the favorite, and this is the same situation. Andre's very smart in the ring. He knows when to jab, he knows when to move and he does it with speed," said Goossen.

Mikkel Kessler"But they are all picking Kessler (right) and for good reason -- he's a great, experienced champion," said Goossen. "Experience is great against someone who hasn't experienced everything Andre learned at the Olympics. And we have all the confidence in the world that, on Saturday night, Andre will make history."

Ward (20-0, 13 knockouts) will face Kessler (42-1, 32 KOs) on Saturday night at Oracle Arena in Ward's hometown of Oakland, Calif., as part of Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic super middleweight tournament.

"It's incredible to have this fight at home, and the support here has been outstanding. A lot of people say that boxing is dead in Oakland because there used to be two or three gyms full of boxers here. Boxing was a huge thing," said Ward, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist.

"To see the excitement for this fight here in Oakland and in the Bay Area and to give them something positive to support, I'm excited about that," said Ward. "This is what it's all about, I've been at the highest level as an amateur and now I'm preparing for my first world title fight as a professional. I'm ready."

Kessler-Ward is actually the third bout of a round-robin tournament, whose eventual completion isn't expected until early 2011.

The event began on On Oct. 17, when Germany's Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) and England's Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KOs), respectively, knocked out Arkansas' Jermain Taylor (28-4, 17 KOs) and Michigan's Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs).

Ward last fought at the Oracle in May, when he decisioned knockout artist, Edison Miranda, over 12 rounds in what is considered to be the biggest win of his career.

In that matchup, Ward overcame a bloody gash over his left eye that was the result of an accidental head-butt less than 30 seconds into the fight.

Ward also did not back down from a slugfest, holding his own while wrestling with the muscular Miranda during clinches, engaging in mini-brawls and infighting exchanges, and firing a blistering left hand from an occasional, southpaw stance while generally displaying his versatility.

"People are often surprised when they fight me. You see one thing, and then, you get into the ring, and you see something different. Miranda told me in the locker room after the fight that he thought I would be a lot easier than I was. I've heard that a lot during my career -- even going back to the amateurs," said Ward.

"I have no idea what it is about my style, but they would hear I was the No. 1 guy and see me fight and say 'That's Ward?' " said Ward. "We do it in such a way that it looks easy until they get in the ring with me. We go back and look at every fight. We saw mistakes in the Miranda fight and we've even corrected those."

Kessler's lone defeat was in November of 2007 against Joe Calzaghe, who later scored back-to-back victories over Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones before retiring at 46-0 with 32 knockouts in November of 2008.

"Obviously for Mikkel, Saturday´s fight will be as important as the clash against Calzaghe, and I am sure he will make a great fight. In my opinion, the difference between the two fighters is Mikkel´s huge experience, and, also, his well-known punching power," said Wilfried Sauerland, Kessler's promoter.

"Ward has a tremendous unbeaten run. His Olympic gold medal as well as his professional record speak volumes about his class," said Sauerland. "But Ward has never been tested, and he has never fought someone like Mikkel. So Saturday will be Ward´s first big test."

Kessler earned the WBA crown in November of 2004 with a seventh-round knockout of Manny Siaca.

Kessler defended the crown four times, capped by a lopsided, unanimous decision over Librado Andrade, from whom he lifted the WBC belt.

Kessler won, 120-108, on all three cards against Andrade, who entered their bout with a record of 24-0 and 18 knockouts.

Kessler knocked out Dmitri Sartison in the 12th round of their June, 2008 bout to regain the WBA crown, and subsequently defended it by stopping Danilo Haussler and Gusmyr Perdomo in the third, and, fourth rounds, respectively.

"I have had a lot of big fights," said Kessler. "I think my strengths are also speed and my experience."

Kessler said that in many ways, Ward, the youngest tournament member at 25 years old, provides a mirror image of himself.

"Andre Ward is a great, young fighter. He reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age. I won my first world title at 24," said Kessler. "I can see that he is hungry, has good speed and good technique. He's a good fighter. But I have double the fights he has, and I'm more experienced in a lot of different ways."


Ten most successful super middle title defenses

1. Joe Calzaghe - 21 (1997-2007)
2. Sven Ottke - 21 (1998-2004)
3. Chris Eubank - 14 (1992-94)
4. Chong-Pal Park - 9 (1985-88)
5. Nigel Benn - 9 (1992-95)
6. Markus Beyer - 7 (1993-96)
7. Frankie Liles - 7 (1994-98)
8. Steve Collins -- 7 (1995-97)
9. Mikkel Kessler - 6 (2005-present)
10. Roy Jones - 5 (1995-96)

(Source: Mike Rosenthal, Co-Editor of RingTV.com)

Ward vs. Kessler Is Youth vs. Experience originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andre dirrellandre wardarthur abrahambernard hopkinscarl frochdan goossenjermain taylorjoe calzaghelibrado andrademikkel kesslerroy jonesLem SatterfieldTue, 17 Nov 2009 20:54:00 EST Dmitriy Salita Inspired by Foreman to Become Next Jewish Champion http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/salita-inspired-by-foreman-to-be-jewish-champ/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/salita-inspired-by-foreman-to-be-jewish-champ/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/salita-inspired-by-foreman-to-be-jewish-champ/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Dmitriy SalitaDmitriy Salita had spent weeks training like a madman at the Poconos resort in Pennsylvania, but the boxer hadn't worked as feverishly as he had while running around in search for a working television on Saturday night.

"I tried to go to different places, but I couldn't find anywhere with good reception," said Salita, "because, you know, this place is out in the middle of nowhere."

By the time Salita was able to achieve his goal, the news already was out: One of his best friends, Yuri Foreman, had become the first Israeli citizen to earn a professional world title.


Foreman dethroned Puerto Rico's WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion, Daniel Santos, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena before a packed house in Las Vegas, improving his record to 28-0 with eight knockouts.

"I did watch it, but I had to watch it on Sunday. I thought that Yuri fought a great fight, and he fought very smart," said Salita, a 27-year-old Jewish immigrant of Russian decent.

"Yuri took chances when he had to take chances, and he boxed when he had to box," said Salita. "Yuri's a very determined guy, and I'm very happy for him and proud of what he accomplished."

Foreman's victory was motivational for Salita, who, like Foreman, lives in Brooklyn. Foreman was born in Gomel, Belarus, and Salita, in Odessa, Ukraine.

And just as they won Golden Gloves titles over the course of consecutive days as team members in April of 2001 at Madison Square Garden, Salita is hoping to join Foreman by earning a world title at junior welterweight (140 pounds).

"I feel inspired. I want to join the club of world champions. I look forward to Dec. 5," said Salita. "I know that I have a tough task ahead of me, but I feel good, here in camp. I'm getting my work done, and I can't wait to get into there with Amir Khan. I can't wait to join the club."

Salita (30-0-1, 16 KOs) will get his chance on Dec. 5, when he travels to England for a shot at 22-year-old Amir Khan (21-1, 15 KOs), the WBA champion. Khan earned the crown with July's unanimous decision victory over the Ukraine's Andreas Kotelnik.

A winner of three straight since being knocked out in the first round by Breidis Prescott in a battle of unbeatens in September of 2008, Khan is a hard-hitting, 2004 Olympic silver medalist.

"I know it's going to be a tough fight, but I definitely felt inspired while I was watching Yuri. It kind of brings back the good old days for both of us," said Salita. "It definitely gives me some momentum. Hopefully, Yuri and I can fight on the same show one day, and both of us could be world champions. That would be very good."

Dmitriy Salita Inspired by Foreman to Become Next Jewish Champion originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>amir khandaniel santosdmitriy salitayuri foremanLem SatterfieldTue, 17 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST Jermain Taylor Stands Out in 'FIGHT CAMP 360'http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/jermain-taylor-stands-out-in-fight-camp-360/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/jermain-taylor-stands-out-in-fight-camp-360/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/jermain-taylor-stands-out-in-fight-camp-360/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

A scene involving former middleweight world champion, Jermain Taylor, represents one of the more compelling moments in FIGHT CAMP 360: Inside The Super Six World Boxing Classic.

Asked if he feels blessed to be in the tournament, pitting six of the world's premiere super middleweights (168 pounds) in a round-robin affair, Taylor responds to the affirmative.

"When I first heard about this tournament, I was on my boat. Then I get a call saying something about the Super Six [Tournament,]" said Taylor, a soft-spoken native of Little Rock, Ark., who speaks with a slight stutter.

"They said there are going to be six guys in the super middleweight division, and they're going to put us all in the ring, and 'May the best man win,' " said Taylor. "I was just like, 'This is a blessing.' After this tournament -- after I win it -- I'll be right back on top, no matter what happens."

By now, everyone knows what has happened, and it wasn't good for Taylor.

For not only was Taylor's 12th-round stoppage loss at the hands of Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) his second straight setback by knockout, but it was his fourth defeat in his past five bouts, and the third time the 31-year-old has been knocked unconscious during that time.

Taylor (28-4-1, ,17 KOs) was hospitalized for a short time during the fight's aftermath. It is unclear whether he will remain in the tournament, whose next bout features WBA champ Mikkel Kessler (42-1, 32 KOs) of Denmark defending his crown against former Olympic Gold medalist Andre Ward (20-0, 13 KOs) on Saturday night at Oracle Arena in Ward's hometown of Oakland, Calif.

The preparation of Kessler and Ward are also examined in Episode 2 of FIGHT CAMP 360, which debuted last Saturday night and will be replayed on Monday at 10 PM on Showtime2.

The rebroadcast also deals with the acrimony between England's WBC champ, Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KOs) and Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs) leading up to and following Froch's unanimous decision victory over Dirrell on Oct. 17.

Below are the air dates and times for FIGHT CAMP 360°: Inside The Super Six World Boxing
Classic--Episode2:

Tuesday, Nov. 17 - 10 p.m. SHO2

Tuesday, Nov. 17 - 12 a.m. SHO

Wednesday, Nov. 18 - 11 p.m. SHO2

Thursday, Nov. 19 - 10 p.m. SHO2

Thursday, Nov. 19 - 1:05 a.m. SHO

Friday, Nov. 20 - 10 p.m. SHO2

Saturday, Nov. 21 - 4:35 p.m. SHO

Note: all times ET/PT

Jermain Taylor Stands Out in 'FIGHT CAMP 360' originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andre dirrellandre wardarthur abrahamcarl frochjermain taylormikkel kesslerLem SatterfieldMon, 16 Nov 2009 16:45:00 EST Winky Wright Returns to Ring Against Grady Brewerhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/winky-wright-returns-to-ring-against-grady-brewer/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/winky-wright-returns-to-ring-against-grady-brewer/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/winky-wright-returns-to-ring-against-grady-brewer/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

LAS VEGAS -- When former world champion Winky Wright enters the ring in San Juan's Coliseo de Puerto Rico on Dec. 11, it will be with the short-range goals of acheiving past glory.

Wright (51-5-1, 25 knockouts), a southpaw who turns 38 on Nov. 26, will end an eight-month layoff when he meets Brewer, who will turn 39 on Dec. 22. Brewer (26-11, 15 KOs) has won eight consecutive fights, inlcluding first- and, second-round knockouts of his past two opponents in May and August.

Wright twice defeated current world champion, Shane Mosley, as a junior middleweight (154 pounds) in 2004, and then followed that up with a rise to middleweight (160) for a one-sided, May, 2005, unanimous decision over former world champion and Puerto Rican great, Felix Trinidad.

But since vanquishing Sam Soliman in December of 2005, Wright is 1-1-2.

In succession, Wright battled Jermain Taylor to a disputed draw, dominated former titlist, Ike Quartey, and then suffered consecutive unanimous decision losses to Bernard Hopkins and Paul Williams.

FanHouse caught up to Wright for this Q&A on the eve of Saturday night's Miguel Cotto-Manny Pacquiao megafight to discuss his bout, which is available on traditional pay per view channels for $29.95.


FanHouse: Can you talk about your last fight -- your performance against Paul Williams?

Winky Wright: First of all, I don't want to take anything away from Paul Williams. I think that Paul Williams fought a helluva fight. It was just the right time. There was a two-year layoff for me, and, plus, there's his style and his size.

Paul is, what, 6-foot-2, and has arms like a giant? And he throws a billion punches a round. A lot of people just don't want to fight him. But I came off of two years to do it, and I'd do it again.

But that's not the point. It was just different fighting that style, and his awkwardness because I wasn't as sharp as I wanted to be. The punches that I wanted to throw, I would get set, and my timing -- it was just a second or two off.

I would throw my punches, and I was just missing a lot of them. If I could have just thrown them at the right time, it might have changed the fight. But it is what it is, and you win some and you lose some.

If you're going into every fight, knowing that you're going to win, thinking that you're going to win, that's the way that it's supposed to be. But if you do that and you lose, and you gave it your all, well then, you have to look at that and then you can come back from it.

That's what great fighters do. You take a loss, and then, it's 'O.K., well I'm going to come back and show you that I'm still here.' And I'm still here.


FH: Was there a point in the fight where you said that, 'Well, this young guy is on, and it just might not be my night?'

Wright: No, not really. For me, I never give up. I knew he couldn't hurt me, but the point was, 'Could I catch him?' That's was my whole thing. I just wanted to catch him. From the early rounds, I said, 'Let me just work him, try to make him get tired.'

But he stayed fresh. Shorty just kept throwing punches, kept throwing punches, kept throwing punches. So I'm like, 'Let me pick off some of his shots, and then, maybe I can catch him and hurt him.' But he really wouldn't let me get in that one, good shot.

He was rolling with a lot of punches, and, once again, my timing was off. My punches weren't as solid or as crisp as I wanted them to be. It was just mainly, 'Well just keep digging, and you can catch him, you can catch him, and if you can catch him, you can hurt him.'

But I just couldn't catch him. So he fought a great fight, and now, it's all good. I would have liked to see Paul Williams fight Kelly Pavlik, somebody his size with good, long arms and who is tall.

Pavlik is tall, and even though he has shorter arms, he has the size. But Paul Williams, with that long reach, he's going to be hard to beat.


FH: You sound as if you have sort of an affinity with Paul Williams?

Wright: I know how he feels. By not having people who want to fight him. That was almost my whole career. For him to step up and fight me -- and like I said, he got me at the right time -- that took a lot.

But it was especially tough for me with a person like him who throws a lot of punches and who stays busy. But give me about a year, and like I said, I'll fight a couple of times, taking out all of the bums, and then, I'm coming back and whipping on everybody.


FH: What is your gameplan?

Wright: I'm willing to get right back into a big fight right after Grady Brewer. I want to fight Grady, do what I have to do to beat Grady. And then, if no fight presents itself, then I'm going to take another fight to stay busy and stay sharp.

And then, if no fight presents itself then, I'll take another fight to stay busy and stay sharp. I'll get somebody that's tough, and beat them, and, then, maybe a fight will present itself then.

But when you wait on fights, and you don't get them, and you're just laying around, you're not going to be as sharp. If you take Michael Jordan out of the game for two years, and then try to throw him into an NBA championship game, he's not going to look good.

He's not going to be slamming and shooting three-pointers on everybody. He's going to be a little bit rusty. And that's all that it was for me. Paul came out and executed his gameplan, and I give him all of the praise for fighting a great fight.


FH: How much do you weigh right now, and what weight do you wish to compete at?

Wright: Right now, I'm probably at about 169. I want to fight at 160. I'll want to fight people my size -- not the super middleweights or light heavyweights. I'm a small guy. I fought 154 my whole career.

The only reason I moved up to 160 is because there was nobody at 154. I fought Jermain Taylor at 160 pounds for the undisputed middleweight title, which I feel that I won. Then I fought once at against Bernard Hopkins because there was still nobody to fight.

But that's just showing you that I'll fight anybody. Now, it's time to get back to fighting in my weight class. I'm a 154-to-160-pounder. Really, I'm trying to fight at 160, maybe once or twice.

If I can't get Kelly Pavlik, then I may go down to 154 and do what I've got to do -- fight people my size.


FH: If you could pick your next three fights, and those guys would agree, who would your opponents be?

Wright: Straight up, Pavlik would be No. 1. But that's the problem, 'Who else is at junior middleweight?' There are welterweights I would fight, but then I would be taking advantage of them.

I've always wanted to fight Oscar De La Hoya. I really don't want to call out people. I just want to fight the best. But if Pavlik wants a name, and, being a champion, and since he didn't fight Williams, then I know that he's looking for somebody else.

I mean, maybe he could be thinking, 'Well, if Williams beat Winky, then I can come back and I can beat Winky, and then, maybe I'll do Williams.'

But Williams caught me two years off from boxing, and he ain't going to catch me with a two-year layoff. When I get back into the ring against Grady Brewer, I'm going to look so sharp that you all are going to say, 'Somebody revived that man, because he's kicking a**'


FH: Chad Dawson?

Wright: That's not really a fight for me. I like Chad. We used to train together. He was training with my trainer, Dan Birmingham. We've sparred together, had fun, and all of that.

But, Chad is a light heavyweight who said that he would come down to 168. But I'm a 154-, 160-pounder. And Chad is 6-1, 6-2, and I'm 5-10. I need to be fighting people my weight.

That's like saying, 'After this fight, why don't Manny Pacquaio come up to and fight Winky Wrigt.' There's a size difference. Chad is a big, tall dude.


FH: So, why Grady Brewer in Puerto Rico?

Wright: I don't have to do this, I want to do this. I want to move around, get around, expand my horizons on the boxing scene. I used to travel the world and fight, and it can bring you a lot of fans from all over.

I've been doing a lot of fights in Vegas. After fighting 'Tito,' I told him that I would come down there and do a promotion with him and we'd do something together, and so I did it.


FH: Does your victory over Felix Trinidad give you respect and leverage with his fans?

Wright: Tito, if you go to Puerto Rico with Tito, he's God. He's a good do, people stuck by him, and he carried Puerto Rico on his back every time he stepped into that ring, and he fought like a warrior, and gave his best, and the fans appreciated that.


FH: How do you have to look against an awkward Grady Brewer to boost your stock at this point in your career?

Wright: Right now, for me, I'm just focusing on winning the fight. If I go out and do what I plan on doing, then I feel like I'm going to look good. It's just that sometimes, people are going to expect you to do so much because it's a Grady Brewer.

But they've got to realize, Grady Brewer is going to come out with his best game, because he's fighting a Winky wright. So that's going to make it a little tough and it will put some pressure on me.

Grady's style is going to be a little awkward, but if you want to be the best, you've got to come down and fight the best. Right now, I can't really get the best into the ring, so I've got to stay busy.

That's the problem. When I stay out of the ring for almost two years, you're not going to be as sharp as you were when you were in the ring. So I'm not going to let that happen to me again.

I'm going to go out and fight, fight and fight and beat everybody until I get the best.


FH: So how much longer are you going to do this?

Wright: I really don't know. There are really no marquee names in boxing. So when people say, 'How long are you going to continue boxing?'

If there's no reasonable fight but there that can make me a great amount of money or present a great challenge, then there's no reason to do it.

Winky Wright Returns to Ring Against Grady Brewer originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>bernard hopkinsfelix trinidadike quarteyJermain Taylojermain taylorkelly pavlikmanny pacquiaomiguel cottopaul williamsshane mosleywinky wrightLem SatterfieldMon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST Tomasz Adamek Returns to Heavyweight, Calls Out David Hayehttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/tomasz-adamek-returns-to-heavyweight-calls-out-david-haye/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/tomasz-adamek-returns-to-heavyweight-calls-out-david-haye/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/tomasz-adamek-returns-to-heavyweight-calls-out-david-haye/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Former IBF cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek, a winner of eight straight bouts -- six of them by knockout -- will continue his pursuit of heavyweight glory and recognition when he enters the ring on Feb. 6 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., his promoter, Kathy Duva, said on Friday.

Adamek (39-1, 27 knockouts) will go after his second straight heavyweight opponent at the Prudential Center, where the resident of nearby Jersey City routinely packs the stands with his local support.

"It's been a very long time since the boxing public has seen the kind of action in a heavyweight fight that they enjoyed before the super heavyweights who dominate the division these days. When a heavyweight title fight is exciting, it is always the smaller guy in the ring pressing the action," said Duva.

"Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Jack Dempsey, and of course, Evander Holyfield, to name a few -- they all fought in their primes under 215 pounds," said Duva. "The next great heavyweight will come from the cruiserweight division and we believe that he will be Tomasz Adamek."

Duva said Adamek's long-range goals are to perhaps land a shot against Bernard Hopkins or Roy Jones at the cruiserweight limit of 200 pounds, or perhaps one opposite newly-crowned WBA heavyweight titlist David Haye of London (23-1, 21 KOs), who recently dethroned 7-foot, 318-pound Nikolay Valuev.

Haye became only the second cruiserweight to win a heavyweight title, joining Evander Holyfield, who dethroned Buster Douglass.

"David Haye, if you want to fight somebody who punches back at your face, and not at the empty air, then you know where to find me. You call yourself the best heavyweight fighter in the world after running scared for the whole fight against Nikolay Valuev? That's not even funny," said Adamek.

"But talking is cheap. People don't care how big you are during the press conferences," said Adamek. "The want to see a man in the ring."

Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KOs) and Jones (54-5, 40 KOs) are slated to meet in early 2010, assuming each wins matchups they both have scheduled for Dec. 2.

Hopkins will fight Enrique Ornelas (29-5, 19 KOs) at light heavyweight (175 pounds) in his hometown of Philadelphia, and Jones will take on Danny Green (27-3, 24 KOs) at cruiserweight (200) in Sydney, Austrailia.

The Polish-born Adamek has been on a roll since February 2007, when was routed by 10, eight and six points, respectively, over the three judges' cards by current unbeaten light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson (28-0, 17 KOs).

It was the first career loss for Adamek, who lost his WBC 175-pound title to Dawson, in 32 bouts.

Since then, however, Adamek has soared in popularity, earning the IBF cruiserweight (200) title and defending it three times, part of a stretch where he's won all eight races since the loss to Dawson, with six of those wins being by knockout.

On Oct. 24, Adamek rose into the heavyweight ranks, where he flattened three-time heavyweight title contender Andrew Golota in five rounds.

"I never say too much before my fights, and my opponents are not saying a lot because they are knocked down," said Adamek, addressing a potential matchup with Haye. "You say that you want to be a people's champion, well if so, then fight me. That's what people want."

Adamek, who weighed nearly 215 pounds to Golota's nearly 257, gave up his IBF title in order to face Golota, with the result being more lucrative paydays down the road.

"We've talked to David Haye, and we feel like that would be a great matchup -- two, smaller heavyweights who actually throw punches and who would be fun to watch in the ring," Duva said of Haye, who must first defend his title against mandatory challenger and former world champion John Ruiz, perhaps in the spring.

"We had been speaking with Hopkins for a possible fight at cruiserweight before he signed to fight Jones," said Duva. "[Adamek] felt comfortable at heavyweight, and would like to continue fighting at that weight, but he would certainly come back down to cruiserweight to fight [either Hopkins or Jones.]"

Tomasz Adamek Returns to Heavyweight, Calls Out David Haye originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andrew golotabernard hopkinsbuster douglasschad dawsondavid hayeevander holyfieldjack dempseyjoe frazierjohn ruizmuammad alinikolay valuevrocky marcianoroy jonestomasz adamekLem SatterfieldFri, 13 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST Hometown Hero Andre Ward Looks to Dethrone WBA's Mikkel Kesslerhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/ward-looks-to-dethrone-wba-king-kessler-before-familiar-fans/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/ward-looks-to-dethrone-wba-king-kessler-before-familiar-fans/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/ward-looks-to-dethrone-wba-king-kessler-before-familiar-fans/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Former Olympic gold medalist, Andre Ward, calls upcoming rival, Mikkel Kessler, of Denmark, "absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt the most skilled" fighter that he will have faced over the course of his nearly five-year professional career.

"He's the champion. He's very tough. I take nothing away from Mikkel Kessler," said Ward, who will put his 20-0 record with 13 knockouts on the line in pursing Kessler's WBA 168-pound title on Nov. 21 before a partisan crowd at Oracle Arena in Oakland. "At the same time, this is what it's all about -- taking the challenge and rising to it. And I plan on doing that 11 days from now."

Their first-round clash is part of Showtime's Super Six Middleweight World Boxing Classic.

Armed with a record of 42-1, with 32 knockouts, Kessler's only loss is to former world champion Joe Calzaghe of Wales, who retired undefeated after whipping both Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones in successive bouts.

Ward began his professional career on Sept. 18, 2004, with a second-round knockout of Chris Molina. Since then, Ward has been carefully brought along by his promoter, Dan Goossen, business manager, James Prince, and trainer, Virgil Hunter, who became a male role model when Ward's father died in 2002.

"[Hunter] stepped in and became a father to me. He's given me a lot of wisdom. A lot of people say that I have wisdom beyond my years, and the reason why is because he's a wise man," said Ward, a 2004 Olympian. "He's taught me so much about manhood, about life. He's just helped me to rise up and be the man I am today."

And Hunter has trained Ward to win a world title.

"This is something you envision, and something that you dream about for years. I'm just very impatient for this and I'm ready to fight. I haven't been training for five weeks, I haven't been training for six weeks. I've been training for this for most of my life since I was nine years old," said Ward, 25.

"It's time to go and get this world championship. It's against a dynamite fighter. I don't think our roll up to this point has been slow. Some of the former gold medalists, like Sugar Ray Leonard, he did it in three years," said Ward. "But I don't think that our road to this point has been slow, I don't think it's been stagnant. I think that it's been right on time."

The tournament's initial first-round fight was held on Oct. 17, starting with Germany's Athur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) scoring a 12th-round knockout of Arkansas' Jermain Taylor (28-4, 17 KOs) in a matchup of former middleweight (160 pounds) champions.

On the same night, England's Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KOs) earned a split-decision over former Olympic bronze medalist Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs) of Flint, Mich., in defense of Froch's WBC title.

In the next group stage, Taylor, 31, is scheduled to fight Ward, Abraham is slated to meet Dirrell, and Froch, to face Kessler. In the third and final group stage, it's Abraham-Froch, Dirrell-Ward, and, Kessler-Taylor.

"It was very unfortunate that both of the Americans lost their fights, and it's just added more motivation to be victorious on Nov. 21, because that's how everybody expected it to be. I think Carl Froch summed it up in his comments when he said, 'Everything is going as scheduled,'" said Ward.

"I take that personal, because I'm a proud American. I want to show that it's time in the super middleweight division for an American to be champion," said Ward. "It's been dominated in Europe, and there are some great fighters over there, but I want to do my part to bring the belt back to American soil."

Showtime and NFL Films, meanwhile, are embedded into the respective camps of Kessler and Ward as they prepare for the second episode of the reality show FIGHT CAMP 360: Inside The Super Six World Boxing Classic.

The second episode will air on Saturday night on Showtime at 10:40 p.m., and will offer a look back at the start of the tournament.

Kessler is considered the tournament favorite, and, ostensibly, Ward, among its underdogs.

"When you have the it-factor, when you have the drive, when you have the determination, when you have the skill, when you have the hunger, records don't mean anything. When you look at Floyd Mayweather Jr. when he fought Genaro Hernandez, he wasn't supposed to win that fight," said Ward.

"Muhammad Ali, when he beat Sonny Liston, he wasn't supposed to win that fight. Sugar Ray Leonard over Wilfrend Benitez, Benitez was a decorated figher and Leonard really wasn't supposed to win that fight," said Ward. "That's how I look at it. When you know that you have the heart of a champion, and you've worked years for an opportunity, a guy having more fights than you is not going to stop you from fulfilling your goal."

When the three group stages are completed, the top four point-earners will be seeded to comprise the semifinals, from which the two finalists will be determined. The tournament is not expected to be completed until 2011.

Goossen believes Ward will be the last man standing.

"Andre Ward's an exciting, offensive-minded, very intelligent fighter inside of that ring, and Mikkel Kessler's a proud champ, which we obviously saw from the first round to the 12th round in his only losing effort [against former world champion Joe Calzaghe.] He was certainly still trying to get that fight turned around in the closing seconds," said Goossen.

"We know that it's going to be a great fight. But if you're going to have a prize fighter, one who is destined for greatness, have him have the mentality of Andre Ward. He's a great family man outside of those ropes," said Goossen of Ward, who is married with two sons and a daughter.

"But during preparation and inside of the ring, he's one of the meanest fighters I've ever been associated with -- and we've been associated with some great ones throughout the years," said Goossen. "I believe that the world stage that Andre conquered in [in the Olympics in Athens] Greece, he's going to do the same thing at Oracle Arena in his home down on Nov. 21."

On that night against Kessler, Ward, the youngest competitor in the Super Six, will return to the site of his biggest victory to date. In May, Ward thrilled Oracle Arena fans by scoring a unanimous decision over tough, perennial contender, Edison Miranda, of Puerto Rico.

Ward said that he "answered all of the questions that were asked about me" against Miranda, including a head butt that caused blood to stream down his face just under a minute into their bout, being punched by a knockout artist squarely on the jaw, and whether he could go 12, hard rounds while also dealing with the distractions of a hometown crowd.

"Everything was pretty much the way that I thought it was going to be. There were people who are going to be screaming and yelling and trying to get your attentionthe week of the fight and two weeks before. Even the night of the fight, people screaming your name, saying good things, bad things, but I just try to stay focused," said Ward.

"I just try to stay in the middle and keep my eye focused on the prize at hand. This is a long time coming. This is over a decade of preparation," said Ward. "Fighting at home, I won't allow it to be a distraction. If anything, just like the Miranda fight, I'll use the crowd as motivation."

Ward is coming off of September's third-round knockout over North Dakota's 34-year-old Shelby Pudwill (22-4, nine KOs) at the Pechange Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA.

"It's about bringing the total package. I don't know how Mikkel perceives me as a fighter, but I plan on bring the total package on Nov. 21," said Ward. "It will be a little bit of everything. Not just speed, not just footwork, but the total package."

And there is nothing like the intensity of performing before fans who are familiar with you, said Ward.

"I'll allow the crowd to fuel me. They were very excited for this last fight, and they're extremely excited for this fight. I went to the [Goden State] Warriors' game last night, and I could just sense the excitement that people have about this fight," said Ward.

"So I'm definitely going to use it to my advnage where needed, but at the end of the day, it boils down to two men fighting, and who comes out on top. And who is going to focus and execute the gameplan," said Ward. "If you go in there just depending on the hometown advantage, you're in for a long time. It's just focus, whether I'm fighting at home or fighting abroad."

The role of underdog is one that Ward relishes.

"I expect a very, very, very tough fight. I expect to face the best Mikkel Kessler...I expect a better Mikkel Kessler than I saw against Calzaghe. But why do I feel I can beat Mikkel Kessler? I have to feel that way at this point in my career. If I didn't feel like I can be in this tournament, I shouldn't be in this tournament," said Ward.

"For me, personally, when you're fighting a fight like this, this is it. This is all that you think about. This is what you eat, this is what you sleep, this is what you drink," said Ward. "The other details, you just approach them as they come. This is not something that you sit up and you calculate. It's all about this fight right here."


Below are the air dates and times for FIGHT CAMP 360°: Inside The Super Six World Boxing Classic--Episode2:

Saturday, Nov. 14 - 10:40 p.m. SHO (premiere)

Monday, Nov. 16 - 10 p.m. SHO2

Tuesday, Nov. 17 - 10 p.m. SHO2

Tuesday, Nov. 17 - 12 a.m. SHO

Wednesday, Nov. 18 - 11 p.m. SHO2

Thursday, Nov. 19 - 10 p.m. SHO2

Thursday, Nov. 19 - 1:05 a.m. SHO

Friday, Nov. 20 - 10 p.m. SHO2

Saturday, Nov. 21 - 4:35 p.m. SHO

Note: all times ET/PT

Hometown Hero Andre Ward Looks to Dethrone WBA's Mikkel Kessler originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Andre DirrellAndre WArdAndreDirrellAndreWardArthur AbrahamArthurAbrahamAthur AbrahamBernard HopkinsBernardHopkinsCarl FrochCarlFrochJermain TaylorJermainTaylorJoe CalzagheJoeCalzagheMikkel KesslerMikkelKesslerRoy JonesRoyJonesLem SatterfieldTue, 10 Nov 2009 23:44:00 EST WBA King Mikkel Kessler Invades Challenger Andre Ward's Hometown http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/wba-champ-kessler-coming-to-challenger-wards-hometown/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/wba-champ-kessler-coming-to-challenger-wards-hometown/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/wba-champ-kessler-coming-to-challenger-wards-hometown/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Although Denmark's Mikkel Kessler is nicknamed "The Viking Warrior," he could easily borrow the monicker of another fighter, "The Road Warrior," given how he has embraced the prospect of defending his WBA crown against American Andre Ward on Nov. 21 in the latter's hometown of Oakland, Calif.

"I've been here for three weeks now in California. The climate and the time change are very good. You have to be there at least three weeks beforehand to adapt," said Kessler, 30, who will face Ward (20-0, 13 knockouts) in a 168-pound, first-round clash of Showtime's Super Six Middleweight World Boxing Classic at Oracle Arena.

"It took me about three or four days to get used to it, but I'm in a very good rhythm now, and my conditioning hasn't been better. I just fought eight rounds today, and it's been one of the best eight rounds of my life. I'm looking forward to Ward, and I'm so ready for Ward," said Kessler (42-1, 32 knockouts), who has fought only once in the U.S.

"I think after this fight, people are going to recognize me better. I'm going to show them how my boxing style is," said Kessler. "I'm ready to show the American boxing fans how I fight, because it's difficult for me, as a Danish guy, to get known in the U.S., so here's my big chance for it."


The tournament's initial first-round fight was held on Oct. 17, starting with Germany's Athur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) scoring a 12th-round knockout of Arkansas' Jermain Taylor (28-4, 17 KOs) in a matchup of former middleweight (160 pounds) champions.

On the same night, England's Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KOs) earned a split-decision over former Olympic bronze medalist Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs) of Flint, Mich., in defense of Froch's WBC title.

In the next group stage, Taylor, 31, is scheduled to fight Ward, Abraham is slated to meet Dirrell, and Froch, to face Kessler. In the third and final group stage, it's Abraham-Froch, Dirrell-Ward, and, Kessler-Taylor.

When the three group stages are completed, the top four point-earners will be seeded to comprise the semifinals, from which the two finalists will be determined. The tournament is not expected to be completed until 2011.

Showtime and NFL Films, meanwhile, are embedded into the respective camps of Kessler and Ward as they prepare for the second episode of the reality show FIGHT CAMP 360: Inside The Super Six World Boxing Classic.

The second episode will air on Saturday night on Showtime at 10:40 p.m., and will offer a look back at the start of the tournament.

While Abraham and Froch fought their American rivals before their respective home crowds, Kessler is the first of the three Europeans to come to the U.S.

"It's going to be a massive event next weekend. Andre Ward, unbeaten professional gold medalist in the Olympics for the USA. It's going to be a massive challenge for Mikkel here. But Mikkel is a man who has been there before, having boxed against people like Joe Calzaghe in front of 55,000 Welsh fans," said Kessler's promoter, Kalle Sauerland.

"So we're going into the lion's den, which speaks a lot about Mikkel's mentality as a champion who is prepared, as part of the tournament, to go away from home in his first fight and box in front of 19,000 fans in Oakland," said Sauerland.

"It's obviously a massive stadium, and a massive setting for this great, Super Six event. We have no doubt that the preparations have gone excellent," said Sauerland. "Everyone will see the Viking warrior come into the states and making a statement about what he wants to do in this tournament."

The lone defeat for Kessler, the tournament's favorite, was by a unanimous decision to Joe Calzaghe, in Calzaghe's hometown of Wales in November of 2007. Calzaghe retired undefeated.

"As a fighter, you always want to be the underdog that no one believes in, but it has been such for me a long time. So now, I'm very happy that people can see my skills as a fighter, and I'm going to show them that I am the champ," said Kessler, who said that he is not feeling pressure to score a knockout, worth two tournament points.

"If the knockout is there, it's there, and I'm going to take the chance. But I don't think that I have to score a knockout. I only think about winning. I'm expecting Ward's best performance. He's 25 years old, an upcoming fighter, and this is his chance.

"I'm expecting a very hard fight. But every fight I have fought, I see it as my last one," said Kessler. "That's how I see it. I'm going outside of my home country, and I'm very excited to fight Ward in his hometown."

Kessler was dethroned by Calzaghe as WBC and WBA super middleweight champion, but regained the WBA crown in his next fight by stopping Dimitri Sartison in two rounds. Kessler has twice defended his title.

"I know how to perform in a fight. The routine that I have with me now, as a result of losing, is much better," said Kessler, stating that he fought Calzaghe with a broken right wrist. "I fought my heart out. I gained a lot of experience in my first loss. But all of that's over now, and it's only made me stronger."

In September, Kessler thrilled his countryman at the MCH Messecenter in Herning, Denmark, by scoring his third straight knockout over mandatory challenger, Gusmyr Perdomo (16-3, 10 KOs), of Venezuela, 56 seconds into the fourth round.

Kessler was returning to the ring for the first time since his third-round knockout of Germany's Danilo Haussler in October.

"Of course, when I signed up for the tournament, I said to my promoter that I don't care where I fight. You always want to be on your home turf, and I want to fight in Denmark, but hopefully, next time, maybe," said Kessler, whose only American appearance was for a March, 2000, second-round knockout over Israel Ponce in Las Vegas.

"But a fight is a fight, and a win is a win, and I don't care where it is," said Kessler. "Of course, if it's a decision, you always seem to have [an advantage with the judges] when you're fighting on your own home turf. But I'm the kind of fighter that scores a lot of points through the rounds, and I'm very confident in myself."



Below are the air dates and times for FIGHT CAMP 360°: Inside The Super Six World Boxing Classic--Episode2:

Saturday, Nov. 14 - 10:40 p.m. SHO (premiere)

Monday, Nov. 16 - 10 p.m. SHO2

Tuesday, Nov. 17 - 10 p.m. SHO2

Tuesday, Nov. 17 - 12 a.m. SHO

Wednesday, Nov. 18 - 11 p.m. SHO2

Thursday, Nov. 19 - 10 p.m. SHO2

Thursday, Nov. 19 - 1:05 a.m. SHO

Friday, Nov. 20 - 10 p.m. SHO2

Saturday, Nov. 21 - 4:35 p.m. SHO

Note: all times ET/PT

WBA King Mikkel Kessler Invades Challenger Andre Ward's Hometown originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>andre dirrellandre wardAndreDirrellAndreWardarthur abrahamArthurAbrahamAthur Abraham jermain taylorJermainTaylorjoe calzagheJoeCalzaghemikkel kesslerMikkelKesslerLem SatterfieldTue, 10 Nov 2009 23:26:00 EST Promoter Seeks Froch-Dirrell Rematchhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/promoter-to-seeking-froch-dirrell-rematch/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/promoter-to-seeking-froch-dirrell-rematch/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/promoter-to-seeking-froch-dirrell-rematch/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Promoter Gary Shaw, right, said that he is "pushing for a rematch with the WBC" between his 168-pound fighter, Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs), and the organization's super middleweight champion, Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KOs), who won a split-decision over Dirrell on Oct. 17 as part of Showtime's Super Six super middleweight tournament.

"I'm looking to try to get it done for December. I'm talking to Showtime about it, and I have a meeting with them this week," said Shaw, whose talented southpaw, Dirrell, is scheduled to face hard-hitting, former middleweight world titlist, Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs), in the second stage of the tournament on Jan. 23.

Abraham is coming off of an Oct. 17, 12th-round knockout of former middleweight world champion, Jermain Taylor.

Dirrell lost what was considered by many to be a controversial decision in Froch's hometown of Nottingham, England.

European judges Massimo Barrovecchio and Daniel Van De Wiele both scored the fight 115-112 for Froch, while Mexican judge Alejandro Rochin awarded Dirrell a decision, 114-113.

FanHouse scored the 168-pound clash 115-113 for Dirrell, who complained, throughout, that he was being hit behind the head and on the break several times by Froch, and who expressed shock that referee Hector Afu deducted a point from him for excessive holding during the 10th round, when he had Froch hurt.

"He was holding me and hitting me in the back of the head the whole time," said Dirrell, who was slammed to the ground by Froch (pictured) in the fifth round. "He was rough the whole fight. And he takes a point from me without warning. But we know where we're at."

Froch's next matchup, against Denmark's WBA king, Mikkel Kessler (42-1, 32 KOs), has not yet been scheduled, since Kessler still has to face Andre Ward (20-0, 13 KOs) in their first-round matchup on Nov. 21.

"The rule is that if it doesn't break up the Showtime tournament, then Froch can be the guy," said Shaw, adding that he is "absolutely" trying to make Froch-Dirrell for December.

There is little reason to believe that Shaw won't get his way, because, for the past few weeks, the promoter has been on a roll and luck has been largely on his side.

"We've had a lot of fighters winning championships," said Shaw. "We've been very, very blessed."

On Saturday, Shaw's top performer, 175-pound Chad Dawson (29-0, 17 KOs) defended his IBO light heavyweight title and earned the WBC's interim crown against Glen Johnson, defeating the 40-year-old challenger for the second time.

On the Dawson-Johnson undercard, Shaw's junior middleweight, Alfredo Angulo put previously undefeated, Harry Joe Yorgey (22-1-1, 10 KOs), on the canvas three times on the way to a third-round stoppage.

A 27-year-old native of Mexicali, Mexico, Angulo, who lives in Coachella, Calif., improved his record to 16-1 with his 13th knockout and his 12th stoppage in his past 13 fights.

In victory, Angulo bounced back from a loss to Kermit Cintron and earned the WBO's interim title in the process.

"I'm going to bring Angulo back to the West Coast and fight him in the Los Angeles area," said Shaw. "I haven't honed in yet on the opponent for him, but that will happen probably in April."

A weekend earlier on Halloween night at the Treasure Island Hotel in Las Vegas, Shaw watched Colombian-born bantamweight Yonnhy Perez, and Mexican southpaw lightweight Antonio Demarco score two impressive, if not improbable, victories on the way to earning crowns.

Perez, 30, improved his record to 20-0, with 14 knockouts when he dethroned the IBF 118-pound champion, Joseph Agbeko, of Ghana, handing him only his second loss in 29 bouts.

Perez stood toe-to-toe, and won many of those exchanges. Perez also floored Agbeko for the first time in his career in the 10th round on the way to winning, 117-110, on two judges' cards, and, 116-111, on that of the third.

"Yonnhy Perez was in the fight of the year, in my mind. He showed everybody what he's made of by beating down Agbeko," said Shaw, who has ruled out a rematch with Agbeko.

"That [Agbeko] won't happen. That's done. He's finished," said Shaw. "Yonnhy will be in a mandatory position, but I'm not sure who we'll fight at 118."

The 23-year-old Demarco (23-1-1) had been even more dominant during his 135-pound clash with Jose Alfaro, against whom he won every round before scoring three knockdowns that forced referee Joe Cortez to call a halt to their bout at 2:07 of that 10th round.

For Demarco, the win marked his 17th by knockout as he earned a right to face WBC champ, Edwin Valero (25-0, 25 KOs), of Venezuela.

Valero, 27, has a defense scheduled for Dec. 19 in Caracas, Venezuela, against Mexico's Hector Velazquez (51-13-2, 35 KOs).

Since losing a six-round, majority decision to Anthony Vasquez in February of 2006, Demarco is 15-0-1, with 10 knockouts.

"If Demarco fights Valero, I believe that he'll knock Valero out," said Shaw. "That would be to just about everybody's shock and surprise, but Demarco is for real."

Over the next few weeks, Shaw has South African Ali Funeka (30-2-2, 25) fighting Brooklyn's Joan Guzman (29-0, 17) for the vacant IBF lightweight title on Nov. 28, and Ola Afolabi (14-1-3, six) of West Hills, Calif., taking on Germany's Marcus Huck (26-1, 20) for the WBO cruiserweight (200 pounds) championship on Dec. 5.

Also next month, Tim Bradley (24-0, 11) of Palm Springs will defend his WBO junior welterweight (140) crown against Lamont Peterson (27-0, 13) of Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12, and Armenian-born Vic Darchinyan (32-2-1, 26) will put his WBC and WBA super flyweight (115 pounds) titles on the line against Mexico's Tomas Rojas (32-11-1, 22).

Promoter Seeks Froch-Dirrell Rematch originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Lem SatterfieldMon, 09 Nov 2009 01:12:00 EST Dawson to Face Pascal-Diaconu Winnerhttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/dawson-to-face-pascal-diaconu-winner/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/dawson-to-face-pascal-diaconu-winner/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/dawson-to-face-pascal-diaconu-winner/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Chad Dawson, the undefeated light heavyweight champion, will pursue a bout with the winner of next month's Jean Pascal-Adrian Diaconu matchup, his promoter, Gary Shaw, told FanHouse on Sunday.

"I really believe that in time, all roads will lead to Chad Dawson -- just like it did for Pernell Whitaker, and just like it did for Bernard Hopkins," said Shaw, making sure not to rule out possible bouts against Hopkins or Roy Jones, who will likely face each other early in 2010.

"They won't be able to avoid him, because people will eventually say, 'You can't say that you're the best, and you can't say that you're the champion until you've fought Chad Dawson and beat him,' " said Shaw. "I believe that Chad is, right now, officially the gatekeeper at 175 pounds."

The 27-year-old Pascal (24-1, 16 KOs) is the WBC's champion. Pascal and the 31-year-old Diaconu (26-1, 15 KOs) will meet in a Dec. 11 rematch of Pascal's unanimous decision victory in June. It's also a clash between fighters who both reside in Quebec, Canada.

"After Pascal-Diaconu, I'll start negotiations with the winner of that fight, because, right now, Pascal is the champion, and Dawson is the [WBC's] interim champion," said Shaw. "The WBC said that those two have to fight next, and it will be a great fight."

Dawson is coming off of Saturday night's IBO light heavyweight title defense against Glen Johnson, whom he dominated on the way to a 12-round, unanimous decision.

It was the second time that the 27-year-old Dawson (29-0, 17 knockouts) had won on all three cards against the 40-year-old Johnson, the 2004 Fighter Of The Year.

Against Dawson, Johnson looked like a man who should ponder retirement from the game. "I think that Chad put on a masterful performance. I'm not sure that the fans appreciate what a good boxer he is, and what a great athlete he is. He did things in the ring that I've never seen a 175-pound fighter do before," said Shaw.

"Defensively, he moved like Pernell Whitaker. There were two, or three, or four times, where he would roll and duck, and he was right in front of Glen. Glen actually couldn't even punch him," said Shaw.

"Glen just looked at him. Chad was making the angles and rolling right in front of him. I had the fight at 118-110 in my mind. He's a smart fighter, and I believe that there's no one around who can beat him."

Dawson to Face Pascal-Diaconu Winner originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Adrian DiaconuChad DawsonJean PascalLem SatterfieldMon, 09 Nov 2009 00:09:00 EST Valuev's Size an Advantage Against Hayehttp://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/valuevs-size-an-advantage-against-haye/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/valuevs-size-an-advantage-against-haye/http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/valuevs-size-an-advantage-against-haye/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

David Haye has fists that have earned him the nickname, "The Hayemaker," since only one opponent in 22 victories has gone the distance with him.

But the London resident is known by opponents as much for his verbal taunts and jabs outside of the ring as he is for the actual bombs he throws inside of it.

Haye, for example, once wore T-shirts sporting the decapitated likenesses of the siblings, heavyweight champions Wladimir Klitschko (IBF and WBO) and Vitali Klitschko (WBC), during promotions of scheduled bouts with each that never materialized.

And during the buildup to Saturday's matchup with WBA titlist, Nikolay Valuev, of Russia, Haye's vocal assault on the largest heavyweight champion in history have been equally relentless.

Called by Haye, "a circus freak, a zombie and a robot," the seven-foot Valuev literally steps over the ropes instead of through them because he says "it's easier."

In the meantime, Haye, who pulled out of the fight with Wladimir due to an injury, and then backed out of negotiations with Vitali to face Valuev, has been a hit while lampooning his rival in the British media.

"I want to make him so angry that he doesn't just want to beat me, but to kill me," Haye has said of Valuev, who weighed 310 pounds for his last fight in December compared to the 6-3 challenger's 215.

"[Valuev] is the biggest heavyweight champion in boxing history, and boxing's been around a long time. But I think that I'm making him angry, and that he really wants to do a number on me," said Haye, 29.

"I feel that will work to my advantage. He's big, he's strong, but he's not got the best skills in the world," said Haye. "I need him to give me openings because his arms are so long. I need him to bring the arms out and to try and get at me so that I can get inside and go to work."

On Saturday night Valuev will have a nearly 100-pound advantage in weight over Haye, having tipped the scales at 316 compared to 218 for his nemesis on Friday.

But the man nicknamed "The Russian Giant" claims he is unaffected by Haye's comments.

"He can say what he wants. I don't care about it. I will give my answer in the ring," said Valuev, 36, who is 50-1 with 34 knockouts.

"A lot of opponents have tried to provoke me, but nobody has ever succeeded," said Valuev. "I don't care about his statements. Needless to say, I am very confident of success."

Haye (22-1, 21 KOs) is facing Valuev in Nuremberg, Germany, after having risen from the cruiserweight (200 pounds) division. Evander Holyfield is the only former cruiserweight to win a heavyweight crown, having dethroned Buster Douglass in October of 1990 in three rounds.

Haye won the WBA cruiserweight crown with a seventh-round knockout of Jean Marc Mormeck in November of 2007, but then dropped it to dethrone WBC and WBO king Enzo Maccarinelli in two rounds in March of 2008, handing him only his second loss in 30 bouts and stopping him for the first time in his career.

"The cruiserweight division is solid, but it's not like it's a talented division top to bottom," said Doug Fisher, Managing Editor of RingTV.com. "Haye could get away with his flaws fighting those guys. He was able to find the tip of their chins and put them down."

By the time he enters the ring against Valuev, Haye will have been out of the ring for nearly 12 months, having scored a fifth-round knockout of faded, former heavyweight contender Monte Barrett on November 15.



Valuev will not have seen action since December, when he decisioned former four-time champion Holyfield 116-112, 115-114, and 114-114 -- a loss the 47-year-old ex-world titlist disputes even today.

"Unlike a lot of people, I didn't think Evander Holyfield was robbed when he fought Valuev. I scored it a draw, as I recall. Holyfield simply faded too badly down the stretch, but the lateral movement he showed that day is the key that Haye will surely use," said Kieran Mulvaney, of ESPN.com and Reuters.

"Haye is the faster man and better boxer, and has far more than Holyfield does right now," said Mulvaney. "Assuming Haye's stamina lasts --which is an issue -- I think he'll wind up a points winner in a fight that probably will not be too aesthetically pleasing."

Although Haye has a nine-fight winning streak that includes eight knockouts, he has gone 12 rounds only once during a lopsided decision over Ismail Abdoul in July of 2006.

Haye has been eight rounds and nine rounds (once each) in stoppages of previously unbeaten fighters, Lasse Johansen and Giacobbe Fragomeni, respectively, in March and July of 2006.

Valuev, meanwhile, has won four straight, grounding out route-going victories over previously unbeaten Jean Francois Bergeron as well as former world champs Sergey Lyakhovich, John Ruiz and Holyfield, all in succession.

And while Valuev's lone defeat was by majority decision to then-unbeaten, Ruslan Chagaev in April of 2007, Haye's only setback raises far more questions.

For in September of 2004, Haye was stopped in five rounds by a then-40-year-old, Carl Thompson, who entered their matchup with a record of 32-6 that included being knocked out five times.

Fischer points to Haye's last victory over Barrett as an example of why he believes the former cruiserweight titlist "is unproven as a heavyweight."

"David Haye put Barrett down five times, and Barrett got up. The first four knockdowns, Barrett got up with a clear enough head to swing back and to give David Haye something to worry about," said Fischer.

"I don't question Haye's power at cruiserweight, but I do question it a little bit at heavyweight," said Fischer. "I also question chin, as most people do, since he's been knocked out and he's been dropped more than a few times."

The difference between Valuev and Haye has as much do to with relative technique as it does with size, Fischer said.

"One thing that I'm impressed with in Valuev is his balance for a man that big. He does get hit, and you can throw punches around his guard and land punches. But Valuev's got good balance and decent technique, throws a nice jab, his right hand is not bad, and he can block and counter semi-effectively," said Fischer.

"If somebody gets into a clinch with him, Valuev has the size and the mass to walk them backward or to tire them out," said Fischer. "Haye willingly falls into clinches, and I believe that his stamina will catch up to him on the way to being stopped late."

FanHouse agrees with Fischer, and, so, the pick here is Valuev, but by decision.

Valuev's Size an Advantage Against Haye originally appeared on Boxing FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>david hayeDavidHayeevander holyfieldEvanderHolyfieldjohn ruizJohnRuizmonte barrettMonteBarrettnikolay valuevNikolayValuevvitali klitschkoVitaliKlitschkowladimir klitschkoWladimirKlitschkoLem SatterfieldFri, 06 Nov 2009 13:57:00 EST