Boxing archive

Two-time Olympic champion Zou Shiming says he is aiming for the top, ahead of his professional debut next month, as he bids to become China’s first boxer to make it big on the world stage.

The nimble Zou, light-flyweight gold medallist at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, begins his quest for world domination in Macau on April 6 against Mexican Eleazar Valenzuela.

Zou, a three-time amateur world champion, is well known in his homeland, where boxing was banned under Mao Zedong. Now he hopes to extend his reputation to a global audience and put China on the map as a force in the sport.

"It’s always been a dream of mine to become a professional boxer, now that I have this opportunity, I want to see if I can become a world champion, that is the goal that I hope to achieve," he told AFP.

Zou has signed up with Bob Arum’s Las Vegas-based Top Rank promotions and has been training under the celebrated Freddie Roach, who has drawn comparisons between Zou and another brilliant Asian, the Filipino Manny Pacquiao.

"Freddie has been incredible, he has made the transition from amateur to professional very easy and I love working with him," Zou said.

"That is a great compliment," he said of the comparisons to Pacquiao, "however, I am just starting my professional career and Manny is a world champion many times over.

"I hope to one day be on that same stage but I need to improve and work as hard as I can."

Zou, who has been training in the US in the build-up to his highly anticipated professional debut, explained the reason for his move to turn pro at the relatively late age of 31.

"I decided to stay another four years and compete in the London Olympic Games as an amateur.

"Now I am looking forward to becoming a professional fighter."

What would he reply to people who say he left it too long?

"It’s never too late to follow your dreams."

Standing 1.65m tall, Zou, who is from Guizhou, southern China, appears to have impressed Roach, who has worked with some of the best in the business.

"He picks things up very quickly and I think he’ll be champion in a short time. I told Bob (Arum) that within a year he will be the world champion," Roach said.

"I know that’s a fast track, but with his amateur experience, I think that we can go that way."

Zou, who is known for his fast hands and fast footwork, said he hoped to inspire a generation of Chinese boxers.

"Boxing is developing (in China) and more and more people are becoming fans of the sport, so that is great to see," he said.

"I hope that more and more people can enjoy the sport of boxing, and if my performance helps to grow the sport, then that makes me happy."



Chinese boxing gold medallist eyes professional career | Other Sport | BDlive

As exclusively revealed in later editions of yesterday's SportTimes, the WBO lightweight champion will defend his title against big-hitting Puerto Rican Jose A Gonzalez, at the Emirates Arena, Glasgow, on Saturday, May 11.

Hearn flew up to Glasgow and fronted a press conference at the Marriott Hotel to break the news and Burns says that kind of personal touch has put him at ease after seeing three previous fights under former promoter Frank Warren fail to materialise.

But with almost nine months elapsing by the time he gets in the ring with his unbeaten mandatory challenger Burns admits he will need to be at his best to prevail.

The champion said: "I have complete faith in Eddie and the fact that he flew up to Glasgow for the press conference only a few hours after he got Gonzalez's name on the contract tells you everything you want to know about him.

"From my point of view it is just great to have a face in my mind when I go into training again. But Eddie wants to put me on in Glasgow where I belong and I am just very excited about the prospect.

"At the same time you look at the Gonzalez record and he is the unbeaten, No.1 challenger and he has 16 knock-outs from 22 fights.

"So there is no way I can or will take him lightly. This is a tough fight against arguably the best guy I will have faced yet and I will need to produce my best. There has been a lot of disappointment for me over the last six months with fights falling through, but I have stayed in shape and come May 11, I will be ready to go."

Hearn's belief in Burns and his hunger to re-launch the champion in Glasgow towards a string of big fights was palpable. The ebullient Matchroom supremo had no qualms in pinpointing victory over Gonzalez as the key to the land of milk and honey.

Hearn said: "Ricky doesn't need easy fights right now. Quite frankly when you are the champion you should be in fights that go with that territory and Gonzalez is certainly that level of opposition. The WBO made him Rick's mandatory and they did so because he is 22 and 0 and has put away 16 of these guys early.

"It was a bit tight to get things done inside the deadline they imposed on us but we did so with a couple of hours to spare and now we have Gonzalez he is the launch-pad to the big fights. Down the line we want Ricky built up to such a level that we can realistically look at bringing the likes of Adrien Broner to Glasgow in a unification fight.

"But first Ricky must take care of Gonzalez. This is the start of an exciting time for Ricky and for Scottish boxing."



Exciting time for Burns and Scottish boxing | Evening Times

Former Puerto Rican world champion boxer Wilfredo Gomez is in critical condition in a hospital following respiratory failure, a family spokesman said Wednesday.

Erick Rodriguez told The Associated Press that the 56-year-old Gomez, widely considered to be the best Puerto Rican fighter in history, is struggling to recover from a lung infection.

"The next 72 hours are going to be crucial," Rodriguez said. "He's in danger of contracting pneumonia."

Gomez's sister-in-law, Nydia Hernandez, said the former boxer is under sedation in an intensive care unit and is breathing with the assistance of a tube.

Rodriguez said Gomez was in the San Juan hospital last weekend before being released after an improvement in his health, but he was hospitalized again Tuesday.

Friends and family stopped by the hospital to visit Gomez on Wednesday, including former boxer Victor "Luvi" Callejas.

Gomez was a three-time world champion with the WBA and WBC at super bantamweight, featherweight and junior lightweight. He retired for good in 1989 with a 44-3-1 record and 42 knockouts.

Nicknamed "Bazooka," Gomez had a reputation for taking out opponents quickly, averaging less than four rounds a fight.

He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995, becoming only the fifth fighter to be elected in his first year of eligibility.

After retiring, Gomez lived mostly in South Florida but frequently visited Puerto Rico, where he had several run-ins with the law, including being charged with cocaine possession and domestic violence. He moved to Puerto Rico last year.

Four months ago, Puerto Rican boxer Hector "Macho" Camacho died after being shot while sitting in a car in the northern city of Bayamon.


Boxing great Gomez hospitalized with breathing issues

Six-time champion boxer Robert (The Ghost) Guerrero was busted for carrying an illegal handgun at Kennedy Airport Thursday morning, law enforcement sources told the Daily News.

Guerrero, who turned 30 on Wednesday, showed up for an 8:10 a.m. flight to Las Vegas toting an unloaded .40-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol, sources said.

The southpaw prize fighter was pinched after he told a Delta ticketing agent he was packing heat, sources said.

Guerrero had three unloaded 15-bullet clips, and his semi-automatic weapon, which is legal in California, was in a lock-box. But he did not have a license to carry the piece in New York and was immediately held at the Port Authority police station at the Queens airport.

“He was trying to do the right thing, the poor guy,” a law enforcement source told the Daily News. “The cop had to arrest him. He had no choice. Now it’s up to the DA.”

Read more: Boxing champ Robert (The Ghost) Guerrero is busted for gun possession at JFK Airport in N.Y.  - NY Daily News

Talks are under way about staging top professional boxing in the Copper Box Arena at London's Olympic Park.

The £55m multi-sport venue is currently operated by Greenwich Leisure Limited.

And Peter Bundey of GLL told BBC London: "We are very close to an announcement and we are talking about the potential of world title fights.

"There will certainly be lots of national and European title fights. We are soon to announce a deal with a major promoter. It is exciting times."

The 7,500-capacity arena hosted handball during last summer's Olympics and goalball at the Paralympics and will soon re-open.

British Basketball League side London Lions are set to play their home matches there from August, becoming the first professional sports team to move to the Olympic Park, while badminton's London Grand Prix will also be held at the Copper Box in October. Eddie Hearn, the managing director of Matchroom Sport, confirmed he was interested in the possibility of staging boxing in the arena.

"We have had a few minor discussions. I think the legacy department are probably keen to speak to a lot of promoters and event organisers to make sure it has a positive uses," Hearn told BBC London 94.9.

"The Olympics were a huge success and there is an amount of attraction to us and the public in re-visiting that area and working in a quality building.

"There is a distinct lack of quality, seated arenas in London at the moment, especially for holding huge boxing events.

"We have already stressed we could potentially bring some boxing to the capital at the Copper Box.

"Certainly from a boxing perspective, it would have potential and it is something we will keep our eye on in the future.

"We are making a commitment in boxing from top to bottom and we look forward to delivering many more big nights.

"We'll see what progresses but we do plan some big fights in London in the future."

The Olympic Park is currently being redeveloped by the London Legacy Development Corporation, with the Copper Box part of the North Park area which is soon to re-open to the general public.

"It will be the first venue to open and it is an iconic venue. It is the flexible venue of the Park; you can run any community event in there and it is suitable for sporting events," Bundey added.

"One of the important things is it faces the community and will rely on participation that is part of the legacy commitment to get more people involved in sport."



BBC Sport - Copper Box Arena close to announcing boxing deal

Japan's Nobuhiro Ishida was knocked out in the third round of his WBA middleweight title fight against Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan on Saturday.

Ishida, 37, suffered his ninth career defeat while defending champion Golovkin, seven years the Osaka fighter's junior, celebrated his 26th win and 23rd by knockout.

The damage was done courtesy of a huge right hand in the third round of the scheduled 12 as Ishida suffered a third straight loss.

Indian Olympic bronze-medallist boxer Vijender Singh took heroin 12 times, according to police who are investigating his links to an alleged dealer and a $24-million drug haul last month.

Police in northwestern Punjab said investigations showed both Vijender, who won a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and fellow boxer Ram Singh procured the drug from the alleged dealer between December and February.

“Vijender Singh consumed the drug about 12 times and Ram Singh about five times,” Punjab police said in a statement Sunday which did not specify how they had reached this conclusion.

“However, they did not actively connive with the smugglers in their activities and nothing was recovered from them – as such both of them are not being arrested in the case at this stage.”

The police said Vijender, himself a police officer in the neighbouring state of Haryana, had declined to provide hair and blood samples for testing last month.

Vijender, 27, who became a household name in India after winning the Olympic medal, has strongly denied any link to the drug dealer and has slammed as “ridiculous” the allegations against him.

The high-profile sportsman has not been seen in public for the past few weeks and has not issued any statement on the latest police allegations.

Police seized 26 kilograms (57 pounds) of heroin with a street value of 1.3 billion rupees ($24 million) in March in the northern state of Punjab. The alleged dealer was arrested along with five others.

Vijender was linked to the haul after a car belonging to his wife was found outside the residence of the alleged dealer near Chandigarh.

Officials from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) said Vijender was unlikely to be penalised since any drug use was done out of competition.

“Heroin is a banned drug, but an athlete can be punished only if he tests positive in ‘in-competition’ testing,” NADA director-general Mukul Chatterjee told reporters.

“Vijender is not training for any competition these days, so he cannot be penalised.”

Vijender failed to win a medal at the London Olympics last year after he was defeated in the quarter-finals.

There have been a number of major drug seizures in Punjab in recent years. A Punjab university study in 2011 suggested that up to 70 percent of the state’s youth were addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Read more: Boxing: Indian star took heroin 12 times
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Hope Frantom was, she said, “an uncoordinated mess” when she started boxing. Now, she’s not just coordinated but has gained a level of confidence she says permeates every aspect of her life.

“I feel like whatever you throw at me, I could probably do,” said the Aurora resident, who works as a trainer at Lone Tree Athletic Club. “I have more confidence about trying new things. I am more confident approaching men in a social situation. I’m also a more confident teacher.

“It’s also a great workout.”

Frantom is among a wave of women choosing boxing and kickboxing for fitness. A trend for several years, the sport got a boost with the debut of women’s boxing at the 2012 Olympics. Cardio kickboxing classes have grown 37 percent in the past three years, according to Women’s Health magazine.

“Better than 60 percent of our class is made up of women,” said Stephen Stafford, general manager at Lone Tree’s LA Boxing. “I have a lot of teachers, medical professionals, lawyers, business executives — all high-stress jobs. It’s that release they get (from boxing), in an environment that’s not intimidating.”

In addition to providing an emotional outlet, boxing offers “every aspect of fitness,” Stafford said, adding that most people burn between 800 and 1,000 calories per class.

“Aside from heavyweights, have you ever seen a fat boxer?” he asked.

The Lone Tree Athletic Club recently opened a boxing room in early 2013, with the urging of personal training manager Pat Jiner, who’s also a professional fighter.

“The response has been overwhelming,” he said.

As at LA Boxing, most of Jiner’s students are women. He, too, praises the calorie-burning benefits of the sport, describing boxing as “one of the better total cardio exercises you can do.” But his first priority is form.

“My boxing classes are very technical,” he said. “Your first class, you might not even break a sweat. Before you can start amping up, I need to make sure your feet are underneath you and you’re punching properly. You take one of my classes and have to remember combinations.

“It’s a thinking sport. It’s a holistic sport. There’s a lot of spirituality involved in it as well. I like the physicality, the discipline, the mental focus of the sport.”

Frantom agrees, and said boxing isn’t what she’d expected.

Jiner “kept telling me boxing is like dancing,” she said. “I’ve never been able to dance. I was very intimidated. You have to think about 500 different things at the same time.”

She also had to first overcome an aversion to the idea of punching.

“I remember telling him, ‘I’m from the South, I don’t hit people’,” Frantom said. “Now that I can do it, I think it makes a woman more attractive because she has the confidence that comes with knowing, ‘I can take care of myself.’”

He gave up the sport to secure his family, but Akhil Kumar is not done yet with the gloves, says Rajesh Pansare secure his family, but Akhil Kumar is not done yet with the gloves, says Rajesh Pansare. This is a story of a boxer who was on a sabbatical to secure his future. This is a story of Akhil Kumar — remember him? — whose style mesmerised us not too long ago. This is a story of a once-rising star who sank into oblivion, but could return to where he belongs — the ring.

“Giving up something which you have lived for all your life is not easy. It was the hardest decision I had to make,” he said.

Boxing took a back seat after he failed to qualify for the London Games. Who could fault him for pursuing his DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) training at the Haryana Police Academy?

“I was down in the dumps. It was like my life had been shattered. My wife helped me get out of that terrible phase. I had a baby girl and the finances weren’t great. I had to complete my (police) training.”

He draws around Rs33,000 as DSP, good enough to “meet my family needs”.
We wonder how his career would have taken off without the spate of injuries. Despite hurting his wrist, he exceeded expectations at the Beijing Games. His unique open-guard technique was a rage. He was the first ‘alpha male’ in Indian boxing before Vijender Singh burst on to the scene with his bronze feat at the Beijing Games.

Meanwhile, injuries continued to dog Akhil and he hit an all-time low in 2008. But the worst wasn’t behind him. While his ability to turn adversity into triumph was the stuff of legends, he wasn’t prepared for another catastrophe in 2009 — the worst he may have endured.

During a training session with physio Heath Mathews in South Africa, Akhil strained a calf muscle, and never recovered from the injury. Around the same time, Mathews parted ways with Mittal Champions Trust (MCT).

It deepened Akhil’s woes, for Mathews was his Man Friday. “When he left the MCT, it was a body blow for me. I was so much dependent on him. The national team didn’t have good doctors or physios. I’ve been very vocal about it. I never got a physio who could understand my body and who could help me recover,” said Akhil.

Akhil’s last achievement was a bronze medal at the 2009 Champions of Champion in China. Thereafter the medals dried up. He lost in the quarters of the 2010 Commonwealth Games and was subsequently dropped from the Asian Games squad.

Yet he channelled energies towards qualifying for the London Games. The calf was hurting but did he have a choice? He had to train and lose weight quickly.
“I use to maintain my weight by running and controlling my diet. But the calf injury did hamper me. My training also suffered as my game was based on quick feet movement,” he said.

It meant he put on lot of weight. It got to the point where he “stopped eating”.
“When I was thirsty, I would gargle and spit the water out. I couldn’t drink any liquid fearing I would gain weight. My family was tense.”

When the D-day arrived, he weighed 1.7kg more than the permissible limit. Every boxer was given 500 grams grace but he was still 1.2kg over limit. “How I wish they had given me a one-week grace time to control my weight,” he rued.

At the end last month, he completed his one-year training at the police force. He doesn’t regret giving up the gloves. “I wasn’t a big boxer. And I wasn’t earning through endorsements.”

Thankfully for him and Indian boxing, he’s not lost in hibernation. AIBA’s decision to increase pugilists’ age limit from 34 to 40 has opened a window of opportunity for Akhil. “Once I’m training and completely free of injuries, I can regain fitness within four to five months. I’m in constant touch with our national coaches and they have urged me to make a comeback.”

The World C’ship will be held in October this year. Trust Akhil to give his best shot.


Akhil Kumar: Indian boxing's alpha male back:: DNA

Indian Olympic bronze-medallist boxer Vijender Singh has undergone dope tests as ordered by the government after police accused him of taking heroin, officials said.

Vijender, who won a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, gave his blood and urine samples to the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on Wednesday, sports minister Jitender Singh said.

The boxer had earlier refused to be tested by Punjab Police, who while investigating his links to an alleged dealer in a $24 million drug haul last month said Vijender had taken heroin 12 times.

The minister, who had on Monday requested NADA to carry out immediate tests on Vijender, said that the tests were carried out successfully on blood and urine samples.

"I will wait for the results before deciding on any action. I don't want to speculate. But... if Vijender has made a mistake, he should of course be punished or penalised," the minister was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.

NADA officials declined to comment or say when the test results will be declared.

Police seized 26 kilograms (57 pounds) of heroin with a street value of 1.3 billion rupees ($24 million) in March in Punjab. The alleged dealer was arrested along with five others.

Vijender, himself a police officer in the neighbouring state of Haryana, was linked to the haul after a car belonging to his wife was found outside the residence of the alleged dealer near Chandigarh.

The 27-year-old boxer, who became a household name in India after winning the Olympic medal, has strongly denied any link to the drug dealer and has slammed as "ridiculous" the allegations against him.

The high-profile sportsman has not been seen in public for the past few weeks, but his close friend and sparring partner Ram Singh was arrested by the Punjab Police on Wednesday for what they said was "custodial interrogation".

The Punjab Police had on Monday announced that Vijender had taken heroin 12 times and Ram Singh five times, but did not specify how they had reached this conclusion.

Coachella boxer Julio Diaz might be the underdog for his April 27 fight against former light welterweight champion Amir Khan, but he got a Golden endorsement from one of boxing’s all-time greats.

Oscar de la Hoya, whose Golden Boy Promotions is putting on the fight, likes Diaz’s chances in the fight against Khan. And de la Hoya said he doesn’t see Diaz as an underdog.

“I feel Diaz has a tremendous shot,” said de la Hoya after completing his round of golf at the Kraft Nabisco Championship’s pro-am on Wednesday. “I wouldn’t even call (a Diaz victory) a surprise. To me, it’s a 50-50 fight.”

In England, Khan was a huge sensation. When Khan started to fight in America, he faced the toughest fighters available and developed a reputation for taking on all comers. Khan went on to win the WBC and WBA light welterweight crowns.

Making the fight even more difficult for Diaz is the fact the fight will be in Khan’s home of Sheffield. But de la Hoya doesn’t think the home ring advantage will be a factor.

“To me, when you travel overseas to someone’s backyard, the crowd isn’t going into the ring and fight for you. It’s one-on-one,” de la Hoya said. “Diaz is such a professional when it comes to focusing and disconnecting from the crowd. I think he’s going to do very well.

“I’m a fan of his. I’m behind him 100 percent. Obviously, Amir Khan is also with Golden Boy Promotions, but it’s a fight. It’s a real fight.”

In addition to playing the pro-am this week, de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotion has become a fixture in the Coachella Valley, regularly putting on fight cards at Fantasy Springs Casino.

“It’s a wonderful, long-lasting relationship,” de la Hoya said. “We’re excited to bring back more boxing to Fantasy Springs Casino. The attendance has been unbelievable and the support from the local people has been amazing. ”

One of the stars to emerge from Fantasy Springs is Coachella boxer Randy Caballero, who is 18-0 with 12 of his victories at Fantasy Springs. Caballero is now ranked No. 2 in the world in the WBO bantamweight division.

“Randy is a fighter who I have a lot of expectations for,” de la Hoya said. “He’s a fighter we’re building up and we want to get him toward that world title.”

Ideally, de la Hoya would like to have Caballero fight for the title at home. While de la Hoya said he wouldn’t do anything without working with Fantasy Springs, he is intrigued by the new 8,000-seat tennis stadium being built at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Construction is expected to be completed in time for the 2014 BNP Paribas Open in March.



www-mydesert-com/article/20130403/SPORTS0505/304030025/Boxing-great-Oscar-de-la-Hoya-says-don-t-count-out-Coachella-s-Julio-Diaz

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time world amateur boxing champion Shiming Zou of China works out on the speed bag at Wild Card Boxing Club while preparing for his upcoming professional boxing debut, in Los Angeles on March 20, 2013. Zou Shiming, 31, is arguably the most popular boxer in the world that no one has heard of in the Western hemisphere. Just a couple weeks ago the Chinese fighter was working out in the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, preparing, in anonymity, for his fight, this coming Saturday in Macao. Yet, while an estimated 18 million United States sports fans will watch the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, it’s a good bet that more people in the world will be talking about Zou.

Even in the tight-knit boxing world, no oneseemed to know much about the 5’5″ athlete who will make his professional fighting debut in the non-title fight this weekend. He has quick feet, excellent defensive skills, has won three world amateur championships, and two consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012. But the dominating fact is that he is from the People’s Republic of China, where he is tremendously popular. And that popularity is what gives Zou the potential to change the economics of professional boxing—in a big way. All that, however, doesn’t matter much in Wild Card, the legendary strip mall gym that prides itself on training professional world title holders. In his first week training the fighter, Freddie Roach, his American trainer, had to teach the newly-minted pro how to punchproperly (Zou kept curling his wrists) and how to hit a speed bag, basic skills that any American fighter masters as a pre-teen. Roach started tightly wrapping Zou’s hands to prevent injury and to force him to straighten his wrists. China has very little history in western style boxing, and its trainers are not always as sophisticated as their Western counterparts. He will be facing Mexican flyweight Eleazar Valenzuela, who has a five fight record, winning two by knockout, losing one by knockout and drawing twice.

Mao Zedong’s government banned boxing for decades because it was too Western, but in the mid-1980s Chinese authorities realized that the sport’s 11 weight classes would give China a chance to win more Olympic gold. Zou is the star of the program, and his Olympic success made him into one of the most recognizable faces in China.
“I don’t think I’m a superstar in China, I just want to make my dream come true,” says Zou who says he wants to win a professional world title, and eventually headline a big fight in the United States.

But first he wants to establish his foothold in China (population: 1.35 billion). Estimates vary widely but theevent’s promoters (they have dubbed the fight “Fists of Gold”) promise that 200 million to 300 million households could watch Saturday’s fight, and many will, which will be their introduction to the professional game—one without the head gear of the amateur versio; and one where knockouts are encouraged. That’s a lot of potential consumers. There will also be the people watching live at the Sands China Venetian Theatre, and the audience—probably minuscule–in the United States (HBO2 will broadcast the fight at 2 p.m., EST). They are almost an afterthought in the grander strategy at play. The real battle is the effort by foreign sports leagues and promoters to establish themselves in China, which apart from its huge population is the world’s pre-imminent gambling center. Macao, which is a Chinese special territory, has already dwarfed Las Vegas as the globalgambling capital. The money flowing through Macao exceeds that of Vegas eight times over. On the most recent Chinese New Year, 250,000 people passed through the doors of the various casinos run by Sands China, which owns the Sands Macao, The Venetian Macao-Resort Hotel, The Plaza Macao, and Sands Cotai Central. “It’s a phenomenal place to be doing business,” says Ed Tracy, CEO of Sands China. The properties in Macao generate 60% of Las Vegas Sands revenue.

For years, Las Vegas gambling proprietors used boxing to bring in customers to their casinos, and Macao is taking a page from the same book. Many of Macao’s casino owners learned their trade in Vegas and Atlantic City. And they are bringing sporting events, including off-season NBA events (Kobe Bryant has run a basketball clinic) and UFC fights to its arenas to attract more high stakes gamblers. “Macao is Las Vegas on steroids,” says veteran boxing promoter Bob Arum, excited by the prospects of Asian riches. He says many of the gamblers coming to Saturday’s fight have casino credit lines starting at $10 million.

Much of professional boxing’s future in China rests on the not-so-broad shoulders of Zou. It is difficult for most amateur boxers to transition to professional status. They were trained to go for volume punching but not knockouts, so fighters are not used to delivering and receiving power punches. Trainer Freddie Roach is optimistic about his fighter’s chances. Zou has been sparring, and holding his own, against Brian Viloria, the reigning flyweight champion, who is on the undercard in Macao. “Zou had a lot of amateur habits, but talented guys learn fast,” says Roach. “He has very, very good defense, and he has power but he doesn’t have the confidence to use it yet. But he is getting better every day. At first I thought he was a little soft, but he has shown to be a tough kid. He’s definitely not soft. Within a year he will be fighting for a world title and at the pace he is going he’ll be ready.”



The Great Chinese Hope: Is Zou the Next Boxing Phenom? | TIME-com

The emotions flowed as freely as the punches Friday afternoon at the USA Boxing National Championships.

Light flyweight Leroy Davila pounded out a win over Melik Elliston, then thought about his 1-year-old daughter back in New Jersey. Two bouts later at Northern Quest Resort and Casino, flyweight Shawn Simpson tried to take something positive out of taking down best friend Cristian Williams.

But nothing in this poster-sized card of 20 Elite bouts at Northern Quest Resort and Casino could match the lightweight bout between Chicagoan Kenneth Sims, and tireless Luis Sedano.

With his legs tiring and his mother, Tina, imploring him to hold on, Sims did just that, taking a unanimous but controversial decision – the scores were 28-26, 28-27, 28-27 – before heading to his hotel room for a hot bath.

“I try to tune it out, but she’s extremely loud,” said Sims of his mother, a boxing official herself, who could see that the third and final round wasn’t going well. When it was all over, mother and son shared a poignant hug with trainer and father, Kenneth Sims, Sr.

Sims, an Olympic Trials participant last year, had worked hard to get here – perhaps a little too hard. His father “told me I probably need a little more rest,” said Sims, who said that mental toughness is just as important in the late rounds, especially when the bouts fall on consecutive days.

“My legs just weren’t there,” said Sims, who will fight tonight for the national title against Cresencio Ramos of San Antonio.

All things considered, it was a good day for Chicago boxers.

Flyweight Simpson advanced to the finals after winning a 3-0 decision over Williams. The win advanced Simpson to a title match against Malik Jackson of Washington, D.C., an upset winner over top-ranked Eros Correa.

“He’s my best friend, and that’s our third fight,” Simpson said of Williams, shaking his head. “So I hope I brought out the best in him.”

Daughter Kharma always brings out the best in Davila, even if she’s 2,500 miles away. “She just started walking, and she says my name every time I come home,” said Davila, after a 3-0 decision over Elliston.

Davila, a runner-up at the Olympic Trials last year, will take on Leopoldo Martinez of Laredo, Texas, in tonight’s finals.

Dealing with change

As if the bouts aren’t tough enough, many boxers are making a double adjustment this week in the wake of rules changes enacted last year by the International Boxing Association. Olympic boxers are fighting without head guards in a pro-style scoring system starting this year, both of which could make the sport once known as amateur boxing more appealing to young boxers seeking professional careers.

The head-guard ban affects only male boxers at the top levels of AIBA competition, meaning women boxers and younger fighters will still wear the gear.

The amateur sport also is moving to a pro-style, 10-point scoring system.

Each fight is scored by ringside judges with the traditional 10-9 or 10-8 rounds familiar to fans of professional boxing.

Friday’s bout was Simpson’s first under the new rules, but he shrugged it off like an errant punch.

“I fight like a pro anyway, I’m not into throwing a lot if punches,” Simpson said. “And even with headgear, my trainer tells me to keep my hands up.”





Boxing championships enter final round - Spokesman-com - April 6, 2013

Robert Smith, the general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, has defended the strictness of medical testing in the sport following the death of Michael Norgrove.

Norgrove died on Saturday at the age of 31, nine days after a bout against Sedgley's Tom Bowen at The Ring in Blackfriars, south London.

Norgrove is the first boxer to die after a fight in the UK for 18 years.

"We are one of the strictest authorities in the world," said Smith.

"This is an acute injury, this can happen any time. He had his medicals done, he had his brain scans done, there was nothing there of any concern whatsoever, else he wouldn't have been in the ring. "He was a fit young man but we can't guarantee an acute injury can't happen - no doctor in the world can't guarantee an acute injury can't happen."

Norgrove, who was born in Zambia but lived in Wood Green, north London, was taking part in the first bill at The Ring for 73 years and his sixth professional bout.

Norgrove knocked Bowen down in the first round but was pulled out of the bout after 29 seconds of the fifth when referee Jeff Hinds noticed he was acting strangely.

"I've had reports over the last week and it wasn't a particularly hard contest," Smith told BBC Radio 5 live.

"He hadn't taken any particularly hard punches but the referee dispensed with the count, the medics were in there straightaway and he was in the hospital within 25-30 minutes.

"Procedure-wise, everything worked extremely well but this is the nature of the sport we're in."

Norgrove was diagnosed with bleeding on the brain but medical staff were unable to save him.

"We all know the dangers that boxing has, every boxer that participates knows the dangers," Smith added.

"As a governing body we put in place all the medical provisions we possibly can but of course these things still happen.

"When asked [whether boxing is a legitimate sport], I say: 'What are you going to replace it with?'

"Michael did this because he wanted to do it - every boxer that steps into a ring does it because they love it.

"They love the competition, the work in the gym and the friends they meet. It's something they want to do. Nobody is forced to get into a boxing ring."

Norgrove's close friend and fellow boxer Monica Harris was at the fight and spoke to 5 live about what she saw.

"He knocked his opponent down in the first round and his opponent didn't actually land any clean shots," she said. "But in the fifth round he just went down."

"I saw him just before his fight and he had the biggest smile on his face, he looked so happy. That will stick with me forever."

The last boxer to die after a fight in a British ring was Scottish bantamweight James Murray, who died of brain injuries following a British title fight in Glasgow in 1995.



BBC Sport - Michael Norgrove death: British Boxing Board defends tests

Michael Norgrove was unbeaten, winning his latest fight, not struggling with weight and had taken all required medicals, including an MRI scan, but still he died on Saturday morning after collapsing in a professional boxing contest on 28 March.

Norgrove, who was 31, is the fourth boxer to die in 27 years and the 21st fighter in that same period to require emergency surgery after either a professional fight or an amateur contest in Britain. In the same period two boxers, one of whom did not hold a professional boxing licence, have also been operated on after suffering injuries during sparring sessions.

I prefer to be inclusive with my figures and not an apologist looking for statistics to justify a sport. I don’t need to know that mountain climbing is more dangerous; I don’t write about mountain climbing.

The end of Norgrove’s six-round contest with Tom Bowen was disturbing to watch and both Bowen and Jeff Hinds, the referee, have received justifiable praise for the way they acted.

Norgrove had dropped Bowen, who had won just three of his eight fights, in the opening round and was cruising to his sixth win. However, at the start of the fifth round Norgrove started to move about the ring in an odd way, jerking slightly and looking like he was about to lose his balance. Bowen stood off, never threw a punch and after just 29 seconds Hinds stopped the contest, took Norgrove into his arms and lowered him to the canvas.

The ring at the Ring, a venue in south London previously used for white-collar boxing promotions, is very low to the ground, allowing immediate access. Hinds was instantly joined by the British Boxing Board of Control’s doctor and the emergency paramedics, a legal requirement at all professional boxing events, entered the ring seconds later to begin their awful duty. The rest of the boxing was cancelled.

Norgrove was operated on late on the 28th and had a tricky weekend in the intensive care unit, but was doing well enough last Monday to have some of his sedation reduced. I have been in waiting areas at ICUs about a dozen times in the last 25 years with mums, girlfriends, managers, trainers and promoters; it is a grim and relentless scene. Every single word by the attending neurosurgeon is digested in the desperate hope there is something positive hidden beneath the restraint. It’s horrible.

Last Monday, as reports from Norgrove’s bedside sounded promising, I had Spencer Oliver and Kieran Farrell on my weekly BoxNation show. Oliver collapsed during a European title fight at the Royal Albert Hall in 1998, survived massive surgery to make a stunning recovery. Farrell was rushed to hospital last December after losing an English title fight and was narrowly spared surgery when his blood clot started to disperse.

Oliver is on the phone to Farrell every day, talking the younger man through his new life and listening for signs of the darkness that gripped him during his own recovery. Farrell will never fight again, which is clearly causing him some problems, and has plans to develop his own boxing gym and stay in the business, which is what many of the injured have done. Oliver has trained professional fighters and continues to work with white-collar warriors to supplement the income he gets as an occasional pundit on Sky. “It’s not been easy and it never will be,” he told Farrell. He’s not joking.

Norgrove was not, unlike 17 boxers to have suffered serious head injuries in British rings in the last 27 years, in a fight where making championship weight was a factor. He was also winning at the time it ended and the final fight of his career has been recorded as a “No Contest” in the record books. He had also undergone and recently breezed an MRI scan, which all active professional boxers in Britain are required to take each year. Last week as he tried to recover there were suggestions Norgrove’s final sparring sessions had been particularly hard, but that was not the case and the trio of fighters that helped him prepare for his last fight did nothing wrong.

In nearly 30 years I have never been as confused by a boxer’s death or injury as I am by Norgrove’s. I have a notepad from 1995 splattered in the blood of wee Jimmy Murray, the last boxer to die in a British ring, and I also have a memory of Michael Watson’s boots at the end of a hospital bed as he waited for attention one sickening night in 1991. They are vivid, disturbing memories from a life at the fights and both were in grim struggles that I’m not afraid to say were great championship fights to watch. Norgrove did nothing wrong, the sport did nothing wrong and there is nothing that could have been done to prevent this death. There is no hidden story attached to this tragedy.


Steve Bunce: Michael Norgrove's death is not on boxing's conscience - Others - More Sports - The Independent

Zou Shiming won a unanimous decision in his professional boxing debut Saturday, dominating all four rounds against Mexico's Eleazar Valenzuela at Macau. Zou's high-profile flyweight debut was the centerpiece of a show at the Cotai Arena at the Venetian Macau casino. The two-time Olympic gold medalist didn't disappoint the crowd, which waved flags and cheered for the most successful amateur boxer in Chinese history.

"I know I am a rookie, but I am confident I will improve," Zou said through a translator. "I hope I delivered a good show, because that is what I wanted. Thank you to China for supporting me as an amateur and as an Olympian. No matter where I go or where I fight, I will always be Chinese."

Zou won China's first Olympic boxing medal in 2004 and its first gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, adding a second gold last year in London. The 31-year-old flyweight then signed with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who teamed him with veteran trainer Freddie Roach.

Zou's pro debut was broadcast to nearly every home in China. While other Chinese fighters have turned pro in recent years, none has Zou's amateur success or fame.

Zou had little trouble catching Valenzuela with big shots, but didn't manage to stop his 18-year-old opponent. Zou's defense was intermittently successful, part of his transition from the amateur game to a pro style.

"At times Shiming reverted back to his amateur style, but that's to be expected, and I'm not too concerned," Roach said. "It's a process to learn the professional style of fighting, but he is a very quick study."

Arum plans to put Zou in a world title fight within a year, and Top Rank is in discussions about another show at the Venetian Macau in August with Zou headlining in a six-round bout.

Earlier in the show, Juan Francisco Estrada beat longtime flyweight champion Brian Viloria by split decision to claim the popular former U.S. Olympian's WBA and WBO belts. Rocky Martinez also retained his WBO super featherweight title with a split decision over Diego Magdaleno.


China's Zou Shiming wins decision in pro boxing debut - ESPN

As a boxer he was used to taking centre stage at Madison Square Garden, but these days a Broadway curtain call is more familiar.

Londonderry middleweight John Duddy was once a world title contender but hung up his gloves two years ago, and since then has pursued an alternative career as an actor.

He's now back home in Derry for the Irish premiere of For Love, a play set in contemporary Dublin and featuring three hard-working women and a Northern Irish man recently returned from America and looking for love.

Billed as a "romp" through their "urban sexual experiences", it garnered rave reviews from the critics during a recent off-Broadway run.

"When the New York Times is giving you the thumbs up you're not doing a bad job," said John.

"From the highs that I had during my boxing days to all of a sudden feeling just as nervous again and being on stage and wanting to do a good job, it's just fantastic.

"All the nostalgia came back, I walked the peace bridge and I could see a few people looking and saying 'Alright, John?', and even today one of my friends said 'John, we're all booked, we're coming to the show and can't wait but you'll be in for some abuse after it' - it's just great to be home."

'Rollercoaster ride'

John, who will be at the Playhouse in Derry until Saturday, said it was all about embracing the nerves.

"It I wasn't nervous there'd be something wrong!

"It's the same feeling I had when I was boxing - it's adrenaline.

"I want to get started and I want to get on that stage.

"While I was fighting I wanted to get in that ring. People would ask me if I was glad to get it over, but I was glad to get started.

"It's a great thrill and a great challenge - I love walking that tightrope."

John suffered only two defeats in a 31-fight career - but says he has no regrets about leaving boxing behind.

"Would you miss getting punched in the face for a living? I don't.

"I'm proud of what I achieved, in fact I did more than I think I ever dreamed I could, but once fighting in Madison Square Garden wasn't making me happy any more what was the point?

"The only one who was going to suffer was myself, and for me the easy option was just to walk away from it.

"I'm glad about what I achieved but that chapter's closed and hopefully now another chapter's opening up in terms of pursuing acting and the stage.

"With boxing, it's all about one night, you have one night to get it right.

"You spend all that time training but you've that one moment and once it's over it's done, but now when we do the show and wake up the next morning you now you're back on again that night and the adrenalin starts again.

It's an amazing rollercoaster ride, and I'm just so lucky to be a part of it."


BBC News - John Duddy: From boxing ring to Broadway stage

Former World Super Middleweight champion Steve Collins has been granted a boxing licence, bringing his comeback bout with Roy Jones Junior a step closer.

The 48-year-old has stated that the American has agreed to the fight, but that it is now a question of financial backing with TV rights and a venue being sought.

Collins has indicated that venues in the middle east and former Soviet bloc are being looked at for the fight.

The Dubliner was world super middleweight champion in the mid-1990s and defended his WBO title seven times. Collins always wanted a shot at Jones Jr back in the 1990s when the former Olympic silver medallist was considered by most to be the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer, but the fight never materialised.

“I was very happy with my career, but the one fight I wanted was Roy Jones, and when that didn’t happen I retired. To me he was afraid of me. I don’t think he’s a coward, but at the time he was!

"This is still a match. We’re the same generation. I wouldn’t even consider fighting as guy 15 or 20 years younger than me, because that’s not a match.

"But we’re the same age and this is a fair match. It won’t be any different to how it would have been 15 years ago."


Steve Collins granted boxing licence - RTÉ Sport

After 17 years of throwing and evading punches, Saskatoon boxer Michelle Nelson is pondering retirement.

Complicating the process is her natural inability to turn down a good fight.

The 35-year-old Nelson, who won the Canadian Professional Boxing Council bantam-weight title a few days ago in Calgary with a decision over Peggy Maerz of Salmon Arm, B.C., says she's leaning towards retiring on top. But then again, trading blows in the ring still has a hold on her heart.

"It's really hard to say no to a fight," Nelson said Wednesday. "I've always said I'll never turn down a fight as an amateur or pro, so it'd be tough to turn it down."

Nelson's resume includes a couple of Canadian amateur boxing titles and two stints on the national team. Her dream was to compete at the Olympics, but women's boxing didn't debut there until this past summer - a few years after she'd already turned pro.

"I stayed amateur a long time hoping to make the Olympic team," Nelson says now. "We were fighting to get into the Olympics, but we were still a ways away from that, and I was getting older. I would have loved to go to the Olympics; I would have definitely stayed amateur if I could have had that opportunity.

"It's a bit frustrating I didn't get a chance to go, but I'm glad to see that they finally decided to let the women in. There was 11 of us on the national team, and that was our main struggle, trying to get into the Olympics. A lot of people were working on it, and it took a long time."

The women's boxing world in Canada remains a small one, but Nelson's been part of it for a long time. She stepped aside from the fighting end of the sport while taking care of her son, who's now two, but when the chance came to compete for last week's Canadian professional title, she revved up her workouts in the months leading up to the bout.

She runs Nelson Boxing in the city and spends much of her time coaching others, so she wasn't estranged from the sport during her competitive absence. Her corner includes long-time coach John Devison, as well as husband Chad Selkirk, who handles much of her training.

"A lot of people ask me how you do it - how you sit there in the corner and watch your wife fight," Selkirk said. "But I've got a lot of confidence in her, and I know with her background in boxing that she can look after herself."

Nelson showed that gumption during the fight with Maerz last Thursday night for the vacant Canadian title. The women had split their previous two meetings.

Nelson has a year to defend her title, or she'll vacate it.

The question now is whether she re-enters the ring, or follows her other impulse and pulls away from a long-time career as a fighter.

There is, she says, always the risk of wearing out her welcome - something that's happened to countless other boxers who found it hard to give up the sport.

"I have so many connections through boxing, and a lot of them do have a hard time stepping back," Nelson says. "They continue past their prime and end up losing before they go out. And you're kind of remembered by your last fight."

Which leads to some of the uncertainty - though she notes that if the right offer comes along, it would be hard to say no.

"My plan was to win the title, retire and make some champions (at the club)," Nelson said.

"You always want to retire on top, but it's hard to quit the fighting game. You get offers, and you want to keep doing it. But to me, the coaching aspect is really gratifying, and we have some really talented kids. That inspires me to want to do the coaching, too."


Boxing champ may go out on top

Charles Pierce may not have poured everything he had into the fight game when he first started exchanging jabs with a formidable opponent, but he's certainly working diligently and enthusiastically at perfecting his craft.

Every blow he strikes carries plenty of meaning.

So does each piece of pugilistic advice the promising 22-year-old receives from his trusted trainer Ricky Clark – whether significant or trivial -- whenever he checks his chiseled 5-11, 165-pound frame into the Capital Punishment Harrisburg Boxing Club for yet another lather-inducing training session flush with mitt work and rounds in the ring.

These days – unlike before – that means often.

And when the driven Pierce squeezes between the ropes Friday night at Marian Catholic High School outside Tamaqua – Pierce (6-3) will be chasing the novice class title in the Capital Region portion of the Pennsylvania Golden Gloves -- he'll have the chance to bring home what he hopes is the first of many championships. Amateur.

Professional.

Whatever.

"I want to be a pro," Pierce said. "I want to be the greatest I can be at this sport. I want it all, actually. I want to do this for my family, my community and, more important, God. I thank Him for all my talents.

"I was always gifted in a lot of things, but I never put that work in that I needed to be successful and be where I needed to be."

Until now.

Although Pierce first began boxing in 2007 as a 17-year-old with next-to-no boxing knowledge and competed in his first Golden Gloves a short time later – he actually bagged the newly formed Harrisburg Boxing Club's first victory – he never really committed himself to the sport. Some two years later, he walked away.

Then, after watching intently as Harrisburg's Josh Bowles fought on an ESPN2 television broadcast in early January, Pierce decided to dust off his gloves, reconnect with Clark and give the game another chance. Only this time was different.

During his lengthy respite, Pierce welcomed a son and landed a post working as an orderly at Harrisburg Hospital. He also gathered plenty of perspective.

"Every time I'd walk around my community, everyone was always reminding me of my talents," said Pierce, who has won all three of his bouts since returning to the sport. "But I was never doing anything about it.

"I think it was me just being immature or not mature enough to just be dedicated to something," Pierce continued. "I've done that in every sport I played, I wasn't all the way dedicated. So when I saw [Bowles] make it to the big lights, it stirred something in me.

"I need to be there. I know I'm capable of getting to that point in my life. I've just got to go put the work in and, ever since then, I've just been in here working hard."

Working hard alongside Clark.

"He knew he was on the same level with those guys," said Clark, who calls Pierce a banger with skill. "He used to spar with Josh back in the day when he was just 17. So he was on that level, but a lot of things happened.

"Just keeping him in the gym [was a struggle]. He would go in and out of the gym, but he's on a three-fight winning streak and that's pretty good in amateur boxing," Clark added. "He grew up. He basically grew up."

Pierce also figured out a few things.

"It's just focus and knowing what I want now -- and actually putting in the effort to go get it," Pierce said. "For so many years, I was just talented enough to get in there and do it without putting in the work and it looked good.

"But now I'm working hard and I'm putting in the work and I want something out of it and I'm hungry for it," Pierce continued. "That's what just motivates me and drives me to get here every day."

Which brings us to Friday night, when he'll step into the ring hoping to claim a Central Region championship. Then, perhaps later this year or maybe sometime next year, Pierce hopes to make the sizable step into the professional fight game.

Not because he's trying to make up for lost time.

Not because he's on some kind of fast track.

Mostly because Clark believes his promising protégé can get more fights at 165 pounds as a pro than he can as an amateur.

"He's something special, something special," Clark said.

"And he's got the heart of a lion."

"Friday night to me, it's big actually," Pierce said. "It's the Central championship. It's an opportunity for me to go out and represent my state, my community, my family, so it's big. This is a point where I always wanted to be.

"And, again, I just never really focused and I never put that time in, but it's big for me and it means so much to me because this is my first step to where I want to get," Pierce added. "So this is my first step toward making it to the pros and getting a name in the amateur game. That means a lot to me."

OTHER CPHB COMPETITORS INVOLVED IN CENTRAL REGION CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS FRIDAY NIGHT AT MARIAN CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

Joel Rodriguez (1-1, 123 pounds, novice class)

Luis Morales (6-1, 141 pounds, novice class)

Dalton Jones (2-0, 152 pounds, novice class)

Roy McGill (1-2, 152 pounds, novice class)

Angel Rivera (9-2, 201 pounds, novice class)

Da'Sha Ragland (8-4, 132 pounds, open class)

Juan "Mikey" Maymi (7-3, 201-plus pounds, open class)




Golden Gloves boxing: Harrisburg's Charles Pierce is back in the gym and chasing a championship | PennLive-com