Ward: Dawson has a lot to prove against Adonis Stevenson

dawson33By Eric Thomas: WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward feels that the recently beaten WBC light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson (31-2, 17 KO’s) needs to prove that he’s still a world class fighter in his next bout against Adonis Stevenson (20-1, 17 KO’s) next month on June 8th at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

Ward totally dominated Dawson and stopped him in the 10th round last September and the way that Dawson looked in that fight, he appeared to be a shell of what he was years ago.

Ward said to RingTV “I think he [Dawson] has to show that he still has it…that he is who the fans are used to seeing, and that’s the old Chad Dawson…that he can still take a shot, and that he can deal with a strong guy like Stevenson.”

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Khan ready to step up his opposition

khan#26By Scott Bells: Former IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (28-3, 19 KO’s) still has lots to accomplish in the sport, and can become world champion once again.

Yes, Khan still has momentary lapses where he admires his fast combinations as he steps back and leaves himself open to a counter (the fights against Danny Garcia, Carlos Molina and Julio Diaz all show this). However, he IS improving and becoming more patient in the ring.

Having watched the Diaz fight, it made me think that he needs to go back in with a top level pressure puncher and show his improvements now that he is a couple fights in with new trainer Virgil Hunter. I say this because he has fought a number of pressure punchers and looked in control before struggling later on in fights.

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Hughie Fury vs. Moses Matovu tonight in Belfast, Northern Ireland

fury433By Scott Gilfoid: 18-year-old heavyweight prospect Hughie Fury (2-0, 2 KO’s) will be looking for this third straight win tonight against 36-year-old journeyman Moses Matovu (4-26-3) in a scheduled 4 round bout at the City Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Fury’s promoter is taking it really easy on the 6’6” Fury because of the risk involved in putting a green fighter like him against someone that can actually fight.

Matovu has lost his last 12 fights and he fights in the cruiserweight division, not the heavyweight division. He doesn’t have one knockout on his resume despite having fought 33 times in the past.

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The 13th Round

marquez62By Mohummad Humza Elahi: Many great battles are fought inside the ring. Listing off the greatest pugilistic contests is the pastime of all boxing fans; fantasy fights with boxers new and old would be and still are hotly debated. But such bouts end when both fighters are standing either side of a referee and only one hand (in most cases) is raised triumphantly, the glorious reward for lasting longer, fighting harder than the man in the opposite corner.

What connects a man led from his house in Bedfordshire, England is what connects a man who sat in a nursing home in Connecticut, USA until his death. A figure that walked the streets of Philadelphia without shelter for the evening is what connects a figure in a block in Saint Just, Puerto Rico; frail yet still full of fighting spirit. If you can name these four men, then you may take a greater interest in the welfare of fighters after the final bell but if not, it may surprise you somewhat that the names are decorated and beloved in the fight game.

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Mayweather’s road to retirement

floyd#101by Sotoman: For true boxing fans, Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. represents the pure and flawless ability to teach and display the sweet science of boxing.  For the newer fans, Mayweather comes of as a fake, a fraud, and talker.

In spite of that, we must give Mayweather a lot of credit for keeping both sides happy/angry.  Fans who love to see boxing, enjoy watching Mayweather’s Ali-like movement in the ring.  They are reminded of why the greats like Ali, Leonard, Robinson the list can go on, were so important to boxing. 

Younger fans must realize that although Money May is a boxer, he is in the game for money at this stage of his career.  His dedication to his children, roots, and boxing are evident in and out of the ring.  Yes he has had run-ins with the law but we all live our lives based on the decisions we make each day.

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Matthysse-Peterson: Can Lamont take Matthysse’s power shots?

1330By Allan Fox: IBF light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson (31-1-1, 16 KO’s) is known for having a really good chin and the kind of body attack that makes him hard to beat. This Saturday night, Peterson’s chin is going to be severely tested by Lucas Matthysse (33-2, 31 KO’s) in a 12 round bout at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The fight will take place at a catchweight of 141 lbs, although it’s likely that both guys will come in lower than that during the weigh-in.

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Broner’s trainer: Ricky Burns was smart to avoid Broner fight because he’d lose

burns7575By Scott Gilfoid: WBC lightweight champion Adrien Broner’s trainer Mike Stafford thinks WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns made the right decision in turning down a fight against Broner because he feels that Burns would have lost and he knows he would have lost. Stafford thinks Burns understands his limitations and doesn’t want the Broner fight.

Stafford said to Sports Illustrated “I was disappointed we didn’t get the Burns fight because the media and the fans wanted it. I was happy for Ricky because Ricky was smart enough to know that he couldn’t beat Adrien, and his team protected his business. Other than that, we have to move on.”

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Why should Mayweather fight Canelo at 154?

canelo544By Dan Ambrose: There are a lot of fans of WBA/WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez coming out of the woodwork saying that the more popular and much accomplished Floyd Mayweather Jr. should move up in weight to 154 to accommodate Canelo so that he doesn’t have to put in an effort to lose some weight to get down to 147 to fight Mayweather.

They reason that it’s easier for Mayweather to gain weight than it is for Canelo to lose weight. Their argument is centered on the grounds that Mayweather has fought twice at 154 in his 17-year pro career and that’s enough for them to feel he should have no problems coming up in weight.

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Mayweather Jr, Pacquiao and the double standards

pac5By By Babatis Banda: It is disheartening to see the level of double standards in boxing today. Not so many years ago, Floyd Mayweather junior P4P fighter 44-0, challenged Manny Pacquiao 54-5 to take the test for prohibited substances for them to fight. Pacquiao refused. The PEDs issue became the main roadblock to the fight.

Floyd was being blamed for asking for RBT (Random Blood Testing) and the reasons given were illogical. Up to now, some hard-core Manny Pacquiao fans have maintained that Floyd should never have asked for RBT but should have instead fought Pacquiao without conditions.

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Haye suffers hand injury, pulls out of Charr fight

By Scott Gilfoid: Well, I knew it was too good to true. Former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (26-2, 24 KO’s) has reportedly suffered a hand injury while training for his now cancelled June 29th fight against Germany’s Manuel Charr (23-1, 13 KO’s) at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, UK.

The injury was bad enough to where the 32-year-old Haye needed to pull out of the bout completely so that he can rest his hand for 1 month before deciding what he wants to do next.

Haye said nothing about whether he’ll attempt to reschedule the bout, although it does seem unlikely given his silence on the subject.

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