Archive for December, 2008

By William Mackay: Wladimir Klitschko (52-3, 46 KOs) sits a top of the heavyweight division, currently holding both the IBF and WBO heavyweight titles and with a reputation until recently as being the top heavyweight in all of boxing. Yet there’s one problem. Very few fans really care about him enough to want to watch [...]

By Dave Lahr: Having been a big fan of middleweight Kelly Pavlik (34-1, 30 KOs) for a couple of years, it’s caused me great concern to see him taking ever increasing beatings in many of his fights since 2005, each appearing to get worse as he increases his level of competition. Now some people would [...]

Cruiserweight Enzo Maccarinelli (29-2, 22 KOs) will be facing number #1 ranked World Boxing Organization cruiserweight contender Johnathon Banks (20-0, 14 KOs) in February for the vacant WBO title. Banks, 26, severely sprained his ankle while training for his previously scheduled bout with Maccarinelli in December. The injury prevented Banks from taking the bout, making [...]

By Matt Stein: Seeking the path of least resistance, former World Boxing Association welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (32-1, 26 KOs) will be facing Michael Jennings (34-1, 16 KOs) for the vacant WBO welterweight title on February 21st at the Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. For Cotto, 28, who was stopped in the 11th [...]

By Eric Thomas: According to an interview on Boxing talk, Kelly Pavlik (34-1, 30 KOs) is interested in fighting the winner of the Paul Williams (36-1, 27 KOs) vs. Winky Wright (51-4-1, 25 KOs) bout which is for the interim WBO light middleweight title on March 14th. However, Pavlik, 26, remains focused on defending his [...]

By Dan Ambrose: It’s been over three years since former IBF/WBA/WBC heavyweight champion Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) has last fought, but yet there’s been no heavyweight that has come close to matching Tyson’s huge appeal and domination since that time. In his prime, Tyson was unbeatable, stopping excellent fighters like Razor Ruddock, Michael Spinks, [...]

By Jim Dower: After two consecutive losses to Kelly Pavlik, former WBC/WBO middleweight champion Jermain Taylor (28-2-1, 17 KOs) appears to be once again fighting well having moved up to the super middleweight division where he recently defeated Jeff Lacy by a 12-round unanimous decision in a WBC Super Middleweight Title Eliminator in November. At [...]

By Eric Thomas: In an interview with Roy Jones Jr. (52-5, 38 KOs) at BoxingTalk’s website, Jones, 39, said that if he can’t land a rematch with Joe Calzaghe, then Roy will be moving up to the heavyweight division. Jones also said that “Calzaghe’s people” are interested in a rematch with him, and that he’s [...]

By Chris Williams: If you had asked me this question a day before Oscar De La Hoya’s (39-6, 30 KOs)8th round beating at the hands of Manny Pacquiao on December 6th, I would have said that it was Fernando Vargas (26-5, 22 KOs), who has lost his last three fights. However, in comparing how [...]

By Michael Lieberman: Maybe the best British fighter ever, Ricky Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) is held in high esteem on that tiny island and has dominated much of the news from that area for the past four or so years. He’s done his job admirably, beating some decent fighters during his 11 year professional career. [...]

Former Kazakhstan Olympian Beibut Shumenov (7-0, 5 KOs), fresh off of his impressive 10-round decision victory against Columbian knockout artist Epifanio “Diamente” Mendoza (28-6-1, 24 KOs), arguably is the most ambitious, fastest-rising prospect in boxing.

By Matte Stein: Undefeated light middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (38-0-1, 29 KOs) is apparently interested in a fight with Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs), though there still isn’t any word from Oscar whether or not he’s serious about a fight with the 22-year-old Chavez Jr. De La Hoya, 35, Was thought [...]

By Jim Dower: Unbeaten light middleweight contender Alfredo Angulo (14-0, 11 KOs) will face two-time welterweight and former light middleweight champion Ricardo Mayorga (28-7-1, 2 KOs) on February 14th, a fight that will likely be a war from the opening bell. Angulo, 26, a former 2004 Olympian for the Mexican amateur team, is one of [...]

By Eric Thomas: In news that will probably get some hope up for some boxing fans, the WBA is reportedly looking into the 12-round majority decision victory of WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev (50-1, 34 KOs) over Evander Holyfield (42-10-2, 27 KOs) that occurred on December 20th in Switzerland. The final judge’s scores were 115-114, [...]

By Dave Lahr: With his 44th birthday about to take place on January 15th, Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KOs) has almost unlimited opportunities in front of him for 2009, beginning with a great opportunity, should he be interested, in a fight against WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler some time in 2009. That’s a fight [...]

By Jim Dower: The more I think about Ricky Hatton’s chances against Manny Pacquiao on May 2nd, I see him as having a lot of problems to try and overcome, starting with his lack of hand speed in comparison to Pacquiao’s. Hatton, 30, has the power to keep Pacquiao alert and on his toes in [...]

By William Mackay: In the past eight fights spanning three years time, heavyweight James Toney (71-6-3, 43 KOs) has won three fights, lost two with another two ending as no decisions and one a draw. If that’s not an indication of a fighter that has seen better days than I don’t what is. Toney, 40, [...]

By Manuel Perez: Okay, I’ve seen what Manny Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) can do against a 35-year-old, obviously shot, Oscar De La Hoya, but what can Manny do against a quality welterweight that isn’t shot, someone like Antonio Margarito, Paul Williams or Miguel Cotto? To me, that’s the real question. It’s hard to claim much [...]

By Jason Kim: After two long years, former heavyweight contender Kirk Johnson (36-2-1, 26 KOs) will be making a comeback on February 7th against journeyman Dan Sheehan (11-36, 5 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round bout at the Masonic Temple, in Norfolk, Virginia. Johnson, 36, hasn’t seen action since March 2006, a bout in which Johnson [...]

By Chris Williams: With Floyd Mayweather Jr. (39-0, 25 KOs) rumored to be soon coming out of his year-long retirement for potential fights against Ricky Hatton, Manny Pacquiao and who knows else, I think Mayweather has a good opportunity here to straighten out the welterweight division by beating the top fighters and showing who the [...]

By Matt Stein: If the rumor of Wladimir Klitschko (52-3, 46 KOs) potentially facing contender Chris Arreola (26-0, 23 KOs) in May turns out to be true, I wonder if this is a fight that Arreola is in fact ready for at this early stage in his career? Though he’s had 26 fights and beaten [...]

By Eric Thomas: In a bit of odd news around the boxing world, Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) is reportedly not going to be retiring after his embarrassing 8th round stoppage loss to Manny Pacquiao on December 6th, and will possibly be fighting undefeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (38-0-1, 29 KOs) in May, [...]

2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada, arguably one of the most decorated amateur boxers of the 21st century, is in many ways the United States’ top heavyweight hope to bring home a world title belt.

By Erik Schmidt: Undefeated cruiserweight contender Alexander Alekseev (16-0, 15 KOs) be facing Argentinean Victor Emilio Ramirez (13-1, 11 KOs) for the interim WBO cruiserweight title on January 17th at the Burg-Waechter Castello, in Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Alekseev, 27, a former 2004 Olympian from Russia, currently ranked #2 in the WBO, #4 in the WBC, [...]

By Dave Lahr: Two-time former light flyweight champion and current interim WBA super flyweight champion Jorge Arce (51-4-1, 39 KOs) will be facing IBF/WBC super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan (31-1-1, 25 KOs) in a title match on February 7th at The Pond, in Anaheim, California. This figures to be a tough fight for Arce, [...]

By Scott Gilfoid: With appealing, crowd-pleasing fights in front of him against fighters like Chad Dawson, Carl Froch and Bernard Hopkins, you can probably expect for Joe Calzaghe to hang up the gloves in 2009 and retire from boxing rather than continuing on against dangerous fighters. It seems as if the victories over Mikkel Kessler [...]

By Jim Dower: It was a sad, pitiful sight to see former boxing great Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) getting pummeled by the small Manny Pacquiao on December 6th, and what was even worse than that, was watching De La Hoya pull a “no mas” by quitting on his stool after the 8th [...]

By Eric Thomas: According to Fight News, IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (52-3, 46 KOs) may be fighting American Chris Arreola (26-0, 23 KOs), the number #4 ranked heavyweight in the IBF, in April or possibly May 2008, with the fight likely to take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Wladimir, 32, recently [...]

By Manuel Perez: In one of the worst decisions in recent memory, WBA super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (44-2-1, 33 KOs) ventured to Indonesia and fought undefeated Chris John (36-0-1, 22 KOs), losing by a 12-round unanimous decision in John’s backyard. The final judges’ scores 116-110, 117-111 and 116-112, appeared to have no relevance [...]

By Jim Slattengren: With the potential fight with Vitali Klitschko (36-2, 35 KOs) and (22-1, 21 KOs) looming ahead in 2009, as of now possibly to take place in June, in London, I thought I would chime in on this fight. Both Vitali and Haye have knocked out the vast majority of their opponents with [...]