RSSCruiserweight
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Abraham Ready for Return Against Demers
IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham is thrilled to finally return to action on Saturday night when he takes on Sebastien Demers in his hometown of Bamberg, Germany. The unbeaten 27-year-old has been out of the ring ever since his legendary battle with Edison Miranda who dropped a unanimous points verdict even though Abraham had his jaw broken twice.
King Arthur (22-0, 17 KOs) is confident that neither the injury nor the two titanium plates inside his jaw will hinder him in the ring. “I am back in great shape,” he said. “I´ve been training for five months now and can´t wait to fight again. Demers probably hopes that the jaw will bother me. First of all, I have already forgotten that it was broken, and secondly, he won´t even hit me.”
It will be a special homecoming for the IBF champion who grew up in Bamberg. “The support of my hometown fans will give me another boost,” he stated. “I want to show them my talent. I won´t disappoint them.”
Abraham´s coach Ulli Wegner has been full of praise for his fighter. “He is in the best shape of his life,” said the 65-year-old. “I have never seen him box so well in practice. But he has to be on alert because Demers is a strong opponent.”
The Canadian (20-0, 9 KOs) hopes to make the most out of his title shot. “I haven´t come all the long way from Canada to lose,” he stated. “I know Abraham is a good champion. But I have worked hard and prepared well. It will be a tough and difficult fight.”
On the undercard, Marco “Captain” Huck and Vadim Tokarev will battle out an IBF cruiserweight eliminator. “This is my ticket to a world title fight,” unbeaten Huck (18-0, 14 KOs) vowed. “I have been dreaming about being a world champion all my life. That´s why I will beat him. No matter how strong he is on Saturday night, I will defeat him.”
35-year-old Tokarev, unbeaten in 24 fights, remained tight-lipped during the press conference. “My only thought is to win,” he stated.
Also in action will be 2004 Olympic gold medal winner Alexander Povetkin (11-0, 9 KOs), who takes on Canada´s Patrice L´Heureux (20-3, 12 KOs).
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Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Shawn Hawk Looks for 14th Victory on May 11
Sycuan Ringside Promotions’ undefeated cruiserweight prospect Shawn “The Sioux Warrior” Hawk appears in an eight-round bout May 11 in Lewiston, Idaho.
Hawk, who has a record of 13-0-1 with 11 knockouts, is scheduled to meet Dennis McKinney, a veteran of more than 70 bouts and his most experienced opponent to date.
The 22-year-old Hawk scored six straight knockouts before being handed an unpopular and widely disputed draw against Ed Perry March 16 in Hollywood, Fla. Hawk, originally from Thompson, S.D., and now living in Los Angeles, had an amateur record of 108-12.
The 34-year-old McKinney has a record of 27-43-1 with 13 knockouts. His opponents include current World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev and former WBC heavyweight champ Oliver McCall.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
EEC - April 24, 2007
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Philippine broadcasting network ABS-CBN is reporting that one of Manny Pacquiao’s bodyguards shot and wounded a 10 year old boy yesterday. The boy was rushed to St. Elizabeth Hospital in General Santos City and is currently in stable condition. Doctors stated that the boy was shot in both of his hands.
There is a nationwide gun ban in the Philippines. So why did Pacquiao’s bodyguard have a gun? He was given approval to carry firearms after alleged kidnapping threats to Pacquiao and other members of his family.
- The WBC has ordered two mandatory title bouts: Edgar Sosa will defend his WBC Light Flyweight Title against Luis Lazarte and Jean-Marc Mormeck will make his first defense of his WBC Cruiserweight Championship against David Haye. The winner of the Mormeck-Haye bout will be forced to fight former WBC Cruiserweight title holder O’Neil Bell later this year.
- Corrie Sanders will face Kevin Monity on May 12…
- Amir Khan will take on Willie Limond at London’s O2 Arena on July 14. Steven Luevano and Nicky Cook will decide who gets the vacant WBO Featherweight Title that same night in the main event…
- Here are some quotes from the Litzau - Valtierra press conference that was held yesterday…
Bob Van Syckle (Litzau’s trainer): “This is a very important fight for Jason. A win in this fight will get him back in the top ten rankings and back on HBO in a revenge match with Jose Hernandez. Jason had his best training camp ever. At first I was a little apprehensive about training in his hometown of St. Paul with all the temptations nearby, but, Jason showed his professionalism by maintaining a strict training discipline. He trained 3 times a day, starting with a run around Phalen Lake at 6:00 am, sparring at Rice Street Gym in the afternoon and finishing up with strength and conditioning at Lifetime Fitness in the evening. You will see a new and improved Jason Litzau with an emphasis on Defense and smart, aggressive offense.”
Jason Litzau: “Since I was a little kid, I dreamed of fighting in the main event at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in my hometown of St. Paul. Now, on April 25, my dream will become a reality. I hope we can sell out the arena because nothing motivates me more than 6,000 screaming fans. I know that this will be my toughest fight. My opponent has never been stopped, and he is coming here to stop me. I guarantee that I will give everyone in the stands and everyone watching on ESPN2 their money’s worth. My ultimate goal is to win a World Championship for Minnesota and to do it in the big arena, the EXCEL Energy Center.”
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Monday, April 23, 2007
CES Signs Unbeaten Aaron Williams
PROVIDENCE - Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc. (CES) has signed undefeated cruiserweight phenom Aaron Williams (12-0-1, 8 KOs) to an exclusive promotional contract, CES president Jimmy Burchfield announced.
Williams, 21, is a nine-time U.S. amateur champion, highlighted by gold medals in the 2003 U.S. National PAL Championships as a heavyweight and International Junior Olympics. Williams, trained by former world light heavyweight champion Eddie Mustapha Muhammad, is co-managed by Pat Doljanin and Albert Falcon.
“All reports from members of Team CES - Matt Godfrey, Jason Estrada and Peter Manfredo, Sr. - were that Aaron Williams is a very talented fighter, based on a lot of their experiences in the amateurs. Everyone on Team CES welcomes Aaron. With his age and talent, he is championship material, the kind of fighter we want on our team. We always look for a fighter with championship potential, of course, but we also want marketable fighters who handle themselves well in and out of the ring. Aaron Williams is that kind of fighter and I’m delighted we’ve signed him.”
Cleveland-native Williams, now fighting out of Las Vegas, is scheduled to make his CES debut in the co-feature on the May 11th “The Pride Is Back” card at Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island.
Continue reading "CES Signs Unbeaten Aaron Williams"
Friday, April 20, 2007
Abraham-Demers Set for May 26
IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham will celebrate his long-awaited ring return on May 26 when he takes on Canada’s Sebastien Demers in Bamberg, Germany.
The undefeated 27-year-old (22-0, 17 KOs) has been out of action since his impressive points victory over Edison Miranda in September 2006. Back then, King Arthur saw off the Colombian challenger despite fighting with a broken jaw for the last eight rounds.
Next up for Abraham is a meeting with unbeaten Demers (20-0, 9 KOs), who is ranked 15th by the IBF and 14th by the WBA. “As a world champion I am used to fighting strong opponents,” King Arthur said. “He is taller than me and throws a good right hand. I have to be in top shape to beat him.”
Abraham said he was happy to see the back of a long break. “I have been waiting for a long time to make my fourth title defense,” he stated. “I have been in practice ever since January. Despite the two titanium plates in my jaw I can´t wait to get back into action.”
On the same card, unbeaten cruiserweight Marco Huck (18-0, 14 KOs) will battle out an IBF title eliminator with Russia´s Vadim Tokarev (23-0, 16 KOs).
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Thursday, April 19, 2007
Godfrey Looking For World Title Shot
PROVIDENCE - World cruiserweight contender Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey made a major statement on April 6, loud and clear to be precise, when he stopped Felix Cora, Jr. in the second round of their ESPN2 Friday Night Fights main event fight at Mohegan Sun Arena.
“I am the best cruiserweight in the world,” Godfrey looked back at his scintillating performance to describe the statement he made. “I’m ready to take on anybody in the world who’s ranked ahead of me. An opportunity to fight (Jean Marc) Mormeck for his titles would be a gift from heaven for me.”
Godfrey (15-0, 9 KOs), 26, recently moved up to No. 3 in the World Boxing Council ratings. He’s also ranked No. 7 in the World Boxing Association and No. 9 in the International Boxing Federation.
“There’s nobody out there who is as talented as Matt,” Godfrey’s manager Bret Hallenbeck added. “We believed Cora was a top 5 talent. We’re coming after all of the top cruiserweights.”
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Sunday, April 01, 2007
Maske Decisions Hill in Rematch
Henry Maske defeated Virgil Hill by unanimous decision on Saturday in Munich, Germany and avenged the loss that Hill gave Maske in his very last fight ten years ago.
The judges scored it 117-110, 116-113 and 117-110 for Maske who overcame a slow start to go on and win the bout. The pace of the fight changed in the fourth round after the two exchanged a flurry of punches. From that moment forward it was Maske who was the stronger and better fighter, landed multiple combinations and established a jab that was certainly a big help to him winning the later rounds.
“In the middle of the fight, I knew I had turned things around,” Maske said. “I made him come to me, my punches began landing. I told myself I want this—pull it together.”
The two collided heads during the eighth round and Hill was sent falling to the canvas. When he returned to his feet he sported a gash over his left eye that he would be forced to deal with for the remainder of the match.
After the fight Hill talked about settling the rivalry with a third fight. Maske gave a comical response:
“Let’s talk about it in 10 years, Virgil,” Maske said.
Maske retired Hill beat him by split decision in November of 1996. Maske went on to purchase and manage a chain of McDonald’s franchises in his home country of Germany. Maske said his comeback was inspired by watching Hill gain his a fifth championship belt at age 42 when he defeated Valery Brudov last winter. It was shortly after that when Maske began training for his return to the ring.
“I have to thank him. That’s when it began to itch—I thought if he could do it, then I could, too,” Maske said.
Monday, March 26, 2007
EEC - March 26, 2007
After a little break we are back…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Look for the KO Corner World Rankings to be updated at some point this week…
- Mikkel Kessler wants Joe Calzaghe, we’ve known that for a long time now. It’s been assumed that Calzaghe wants a crack at Kessler as well, the problem is that talks to try and get the two together have always fallen apart in the past. Kessler refuses to fight him in England just as Calzaghe won’t go to Denmark.
In today’s USA Today, Kessler mentions that he hopes his nationally televised bout this past weekend on HBO will get him the exposure he needs to have Calzaghe’s representatives setting up this fight as a priority.
“I want Joe Calzaghe, if he dares,” said Kessler. “I want to show the United States that I’m the best fighter.”
- David Haye has received a letter from the WBC stating that he will be getting a mandatory title shot against newly crowned WBC Cruiserweight Champ Jean-Marc Mormeck this summer.
“I’m really looking forward to fighting Mormeck,” said Haye. “I think our styles will make for a great tear up but I’m convinced that I have the ability to beat him.”
Before that happens, Haye has to defeat Tomasz Bonin on April 27th in London. If he’s successful, it seems that O’Neil Bell is going to have to wait a while...
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Wednesday, March 14, 2007
MSG Acquires Rights to Rematch Between Bell and Mormeck
New York, NY – MSG, a world class sports and entertainment network, has acquired the television rights to air the highly anticipated cruiserweight world championship rematch fight between World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council cruiserweight champion O’Neil “Supernova” Bell and former unified world cruiserweight champion Jean-Marc Mormeck. The fight will be telecast live on MSG from Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan in Levallois-Perret, France, on Saturday, March 17 at 4:00 pm ET. The fight will be re-telecast on MSG later that evening at 12:30 am, on March 19 at 8:00 pm and additional airings will begin in April. Legendary international boxing commentator Bob Sheridan will call the action. (MSG will also provide the fight to Fox Sports Net for distribution to its regional services in other parts of the country.)
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Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Godfrey and Cora on Collision Course
Young cruiserweight contenders Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey and Felix “Bad News” Cora, Jr. are on a “Collision Course” to position the winner for a possible major world title fight later this year, headlining the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights show April 6 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Godfrey and Cora, roommates at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, will fight in the 12-round main event for Godfrey’s NABA title and the vacant NABF cruiserweight belt.
Former world lightweight title challenger Israel “Pito” Cardona takes on light welterweight Juan Maniel Buendia in an intriguing 8-round co-feature.
Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc. is promoting “Collision Course” in association with Mohegan Sun and ESPN2.
“This is like having two main events,” promoter Jimmy Burchfield said. “Godfrey and Cora are two of the top young cruiserweight contenders in the world. They are not only fighting for the NABF and WBC Continental Americas titles, but the No. 2 rating in the World Boxing Council. This is what boxing fans want - two young contenders fighting now instead of taking easier fights to improve their records. Matt’s No. 6 in the world but he’s stepping up to the plate to fight Cora, who’s rated No. 12. Cora’s a tough fighter who is a lefthander with power and is slick. They both wanted this fight.