RSSRay Austin
Friday, March 09, 2007
Klitschko-Austin in Jeopardy Over Glove Dispute
A glove dispute placed Saturday’s International Boxing Federation heavyweight championship at the SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany, in jeopardy late Friday afternoon. IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko is slated to defend his title against No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger Ray “The Rainman” Austin.
“This whole fight was conceived under the auspices there would be fair play and complete impartiality,” Austin’s promoter Don King said. “When the negotiations for this fight began, I made it clear that there should be no officials from the United States or Europe and that the officials should be appointed by the IBF to ensure neutrality and remove even the perception of any impropriety.
“What happened today shows I have not been dealt with in good faith.”
When the contract for the match was being finalized in January, defending champion Klitschko said he preferred Grant gloves and the challenger Austin said his preference was to use Reyes gloves.
Continue reading "Klitschko-Austin in Jeopardy Over Glove Dispute"
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EEC - March 9, 2007
Not much today, just an overview of this weekend’s major bouts…
Weekend Fights:
Friday -
Paul Spadafora vs Oisin Fagan - Mount Pleasant, MI - Junior Welterweight (Telefutura)
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr vs Louis Brown - Hidalgo, TX - Welterweight (Telefutura)
Fernando Beltran Jr vs Baudel Cardenas - Hidalgo, TX - Junior Featherweight
Saturday -
Wladimir Klitschko vs Ray Austin - Mannheim, Germany - IBF Heavyweight Title (HBO)
Souleymane M’Baye vs Andreas Kotelnik - Liverpool, England - WBA Junior Welterweight Title
Derry Matthews vs John Simpson - Liverpool, England - Featherweight
Omar Narvaez vs Brahim Asloum - Le Cannet, France - WBO Flyweight Title
Some Good Reads:
FOX Sports: Life is interesting being Wladimir Klitschko
Boxing Scene: Spotlight on Margarito: Running To Stand Still?
Eastside Boxing: The Case for Steve Collins in the Hall
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Monday, March 05, 2007
Trainer Says Austin is ‘New Man’
International Boxing Federation heavyweight mandatory challenger Ray “The Rainman” Austin arrived in Mannheim, Germany, on Thursday to make final preparations before meeting IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko at the SAP Arena in a match televised live in America on HBO Saturday at 4:45 p.m. ET/1:45 p.m. PT and replayed at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Austin (23-3-4, 16 KOs) has been training for the first time under the guidance of Stacey McKinley, the man responsible for the remarkable transformation of Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter prior to his second fight with James “Lights Out” Toney on Jan. 6. Peter, literally, did not look like the same man that barely got past Toney just four months earlier and called the training camp where he showed such great improvement, “the best of my life.”
Continue reading "Trainer Says Austin is ‘New Man’"
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Will We Really See an Austin Upset Over Klitschko?
Next Saturday (March 10, 2007) in Germany, Ray Austin will challenge Wladimir Klitschko who many feel is the best heavyweight in the world today. The fight will be for Klitschko’s International Boxing Federation heavyweight title.
First of all, I like Ray Austin. He is from my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio and he has done enough to earn a shot at the heavyweight championship. He has met anyone willing to face him. He has ducked no one. Ray has only three career losses. The last loss came in 2001 when he was stopped in nine by Attila Levin. That means it has been nearly six years since he has lost a fight!
Continue reading "Will We Really See an Austin Upset Over Klitschko?"
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
EEC - February 14, 2007
Happy Valentine’s Day bitches…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Just because he is sick, doesn’t mean that Shannon Briggs can’t still talk smack on Sultan Ibragimov:
“We contemplated fighting. I wanted to fight,” said Briggs. “To me this fight was a joke. How did he even become my mandatory? Off a draw with Ray Austin? OK, but it was an easy payday. But we came to the realization that it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. Me losing to Ibragimov because of illness, people don’t want to hear about that.”
- Despite being heavily rumored to be taking on Koki Kameda this spring, WBC Flyweight Champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam will now be heading to Japan to defend his title against Yo Sam Choi.
- Cruiserweight contender Matt Godfrey will take on his fellow 2000 US Olympic Trials teammate, Felix Cora Jr, on April 6th.
- Look for it to be announced later this week that Jason Litzau will be returning to the ring in April…
Some Good Reads:
ESPN: Johnson earned respect, drew anger
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Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Briggs Contracts Pneumonia; March 10th Bout with Ibragimov Cancelled
WBO Heavyweight Champion Shannon Briggs has contracted a form of pneumonia and was forced to withdraw from his mandatory title defense against Sultan Ibragimov yesterday.
Briggs is very upset about the fact that he had to postpone the bout and hopes that it can be rescheduled for the spring:
“I’m not doing too good,” a tired-sounding Briggs said. “To me, this was almost $2 million. I’m sick about it. I’m destroyed over this. It was an easy payday for me. Hopefully, we can push it back to May or June and I will be better.”
Briggs’ doctor, Dr. Islon Woolf, has stated that Briggs will be out of action from up to three to four months. Woolf said he diagnosed Briggs with aspiration pneumonia after administring a CAT scan last week.
For those who aren’t familar with the medical term, aspiration pneumonia is the inflammation of the lungs and bronchial tubes due to the inhalation of food particles or fluids into the lungs.
“It’s very serious,” said Woolf, who said he also referred Briggs to a lung specialist. “Plus, he has chronic asthma. That hasn’t helped. He couldn’t make it though one round if he had to box today. He will need to rest for a few weeks and probably can’t fight for three or four months.”
HBO will still televise Wladimir Klitschko-Ray Austin on that same day…
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Saturday, January 20, 2007
EEC - January 20, 2007
Vlad Klitschko and Ray Austin are going to clash on March 10th. Is this fight the beginning of the next wave of heavyweight bout signings? We will find out next week…
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- Is Junior Witter going to stop talking? Honestly, he hasn’t stopped once this week. I normally would go ahead and post away with the gossip but it’s different with Witter. See it’s just like he’s come out of nowhere, trying to steal the spotlight from the other three big fights this weekend.
He’s not even on the same level as the names he is throwing out there and the best thing about this - He has a fight tomorrow night. With his mind elsewhere I hope Witter loses and then cries like a little girl, serves him right for going Hollywood and not focusing on his opponent…
- Joe Frazier’s left hook is still just as fast, I promise…
Smokin’ Joe is still quick with a counterpunch.
Asked if he had any birthday wishes for Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier came right back.
“Whose birthday?” he said.
Never mind that Frazier was appearing at Madison Square Garden to help promote a documentary about the 50 greatest moments in Madison Square Garden history and that his first fight with Ali on March 8, 1971, was listed among the top five.
After good-naturedly pointing out that he also deserved birthday greetings for having turned 63 last Friday, Frazier wished Ali, “Happy birthday.”
- It’s offical: Manny Pacquiao will face Injin Chi of South Korea on April 28…
- Reports are saying that the price for the De La Hoya-Mayweather PPV on May 5th may be as much as $54.95.
- Anyone wondering what Hasim Rahman is up to? Here’s the latest…
Former two-time heavyweight champ Hasim Rahman (41-6-2, 33 KOs) will fight once-formidable contender Ray Mercer (34-6-1, 25 KOs) on Feb. 22 (Versus) at Mountaineer Race Track in West Virginia in his first fight since losing his belt via 12th-round knockout to Oleg Maskaev in August. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said Rahman was going to fight Mercer rather than go to Germany in March for a proposed bout with former title challenger Luan Krasniqi. Arum said the fight in Germany might be made for late spring if Rahman beats Mercer, who hasn’t fought since Shannon Briggs knocked him out in the seventh round in August 2005.
Some Good Reads:
TSS: Is Boxing More Dangerous Than Football?
FOX Sports: Hatton’s Vegas tango with Urango
MaxBoxing: Compubox Analysis - Hatton vs Urango
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Friday, January 19, 2007
Klitschko Defends Titles Against Austin in March
It was announced earlier today that Vladimir Klitschko will defend his IBF and IBO Heavyweight Titles against Ray Austin in Mannheim, Germany on March 10th.
Guess what? The shit talking has already begun...
“I will knock him out and return his world title belts to the United States. Klitschko has no heart,” Austin said.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Ray Austin Ready for Wladimir Klitschko
CLEVELAND — International Boxing Federation mandatory heavyweight challenger Ray “The Rainman” Austin watched with great anticipation as IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko scored a seventh-round knockout at Madison Square Garden last Saturday in an optional defense over Calvin Brock.
According to the IBF rules, Klitschko must now face his mandatory challenger, Austin.
In contrast to Brock, who at 6 feet 2 inches tall and 225 pounds did not match up well against Klitschko, Austin stands at 6 feet 6 inches and weighed 245 pounds before his last bout. This means Austin will see eye to eye with Klitschko and will probably weigh more than the Ukrainian when they step into the ring.
“Klitschko has a soft heart and a weak chin and I’m going to knock him out,” Austin said. “I’m not one of these inexperienced, undersized heavyweight contenders.”
In his last appearance, the higher-ranked Austin (23-3-4, 16 KOs) battled up-and-coming heavyweight contender Sultan Ibragimov to a draw in an IBF heavyweight title elimination bout to determine their mandatory challenger on July 28 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla. Austin challenged the decision because the referee missed the knockdown he scored in round seven. The IBF agreed with Austin and ruled in his favor on Oct. 26.
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Friday, November 17, 2006
Who’s da Champ?
Here we go again. Sergei Liakhovich’s loss to Shannon Briggs set the division back about five years. Wladimir Klitschko’s win over Calvin Brock may have solidified his claim as today’s best heavyweight. Wlad has a great jab and is fairly mobile for a man his size. If he can keep you at the end of that jab, he has a very effective overhand right. Just ask Mr. Brock. My question is…Was Wlad that good or was Brock that bad? Three things I don’t like about Wlad. If a fighter does get inside on him, he becomes very ordinary. In his prime Riddick Bowe who was a big man could beat you on the outside or the inside. Bowe was a very good in fighter. Klitschko lacks this trait. Wladimir rarely goes to the body. This is something that Liakhovich does very well. Last but not least, his chin. Corrie Sanders and Brewster parked him and Williamson and Peter had him down. To be a great one, you’ve got to have the whiskers. I’ve always said that if Wlad had Vitali’s chin and heart, he would be something.
Briggs? I have statues at my church that move better then him. Sergei has got a lot of work ahead of him but I think he beats Briggs if there is a rematch. Sergei can improve. I think we saw the best Briggs had to offer. I admire Maskaev’s heart and he can hit but…I’ve seen too many of his fights where he got clocked. It just seems like he has Rahman’s number. Valuev? Granted he’s huge but for a man his size he doesn’t seem to generate a lot of steam on his punches. He’s very predictable too. Jab, jab, chopping right…He doesn’t deviate too much. I think Wladimir would box him silly.
The best of the rest: