Boxing archive

His name was Mike Farragher and as far as local author Craig Snyder can tell, he was the Mahoning Valley’s first professional boxer.

Snyder, a 1983 graduate of Canfield High School, is a former professional boxer and local Golden Gloves champion who got interested during his fighting days in the history of Valley boxers.

For the past 10 years, Snyder’s interest has left no website untouched nor boxing book unscanned, especially in regards to those with a tie to the tri-county area.

“Out of that research, one thing just led to another and things started to fall into place for me,” said Snyder, who went 22-8 with 13 KOs as a light middleweight from 1986-89. “Ten years later, I am almost done with both my research and biographies on each fighter that I’ve researched and been able to verify. It really has been a labor of love and a project that I am happy I started.”

Snyder said he started the project with plenty of material and it just kept escalating.

“I told myself that with all of the information available, I had better take my time and do this right,” he said. “When I made that commitment, that’s when it all exploded and my research really took off.”

Snyder’s research has yielded 521 fighters, trainers and managers who have called Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties their home.

“You have to remember that back in the day, Warren fighters came through the Youngstown Golden Gloves system,” he said. “Now, everyone goes through Cleveland. When I fought in the Golden Gloves the fights were held at the Struthers Fieldhouse and there would be between 30-50 fights a night, five nights a week.

“The Fieldhouse rocked, was always packed and it truly was a boxing mecca.”

Farrragher was a Youngstown native who made his pro debut on Dec. 28, 1891. He went 14-12-12 before calling it quits on Feb. 26, 1912. Nine other Valley fighters fought professionally prior to the turn of the century.

According to Snyder, the first area native to fight at the turn of the century was Pat Farragher, a lightweight who fought to a draw against Lawrence Lutz of Beaver Falls, Pa., in his only professional pairing. The area has produced six world champions overall, but Snyder said there’s been a myriad of local boxers who have earned regional or lesser known belts.

Jimmy ‘The Fighting Welshman’ Jones was the Valley’s first world champion, earning the New York State Athletic Commission welterweight title when he defeated Dave Shade of Boston on July 27, 1923.

“Back then, the NYSAC was the only body that sanctioned world title fights,” Snyder said. “When you add Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini, Harry Arroyo, Jeff Lampkin, Greg Richardson and Kelly Pavlik to that list, our area is well-represented on the national boxing stage.”

When the boxing world viewed and recognized fighters of color on a separate stage, it was a Youngstown boxer the world couldn’t help but hail.

Lightweight ‘Nubby’ Joe Gans (21-5-3) was nicknamed so because he had no fingers on his left hand. He was tabbed as the “colored lightweight champion of the world” when he defeated Young Lawrence of Charleston, W.Va. on Nov. 7, 1921.

“In my research, it was verified that Gains packed one powerful punch,” Snyder said.

Also catching Snyder’s attention was Ralph Citro (1926-2004), a boxing archivist, historian and Youngstown native who began training boxers and eventually became a cutman who served in the corner for more than 125 world championship fights.

Snyder, whose father-in-law, Bob Whited contributed by writing a history of Youngstown for inclusion in the publication, is still seeking a publisher and has even thought about self-publishing, hoping it can hit bookshelves early next year.

Like most authors, his only worry is that his research might never make it to a bound volume.



Youngstown News, Snyder weighs in on Valley boxing

Don't ask anyone for endorsements during a class at the Title Boxing Club in Woodbury.

"Feels like my arms are falling off."

"It's frustrating."

"Every single time, I am sore."

That's what the sweat-drenched boxers said as they bobbed and weaved during a recent one-hour workout.

The accolades came after the class -- when the pain had subsided.

"I am exhausted and euphoric at the same time," panted Nic Grizzell, 22, of Woodbury. "I have lost one pant-size."

Across the gym, his mom, 56-year-old Janice Grizzell, found enough strength to smile -- and announce she's lost 10 pounds in six weeks. Her goal is to lose 40 pounds by her daughter's wedding in May.

The new club opened in July, bringing the "sweet science" of boxing to the suburbs.

Title Boxing Club has 110 locations, and has opened gyms in Edina and Woodbury as the first of 12 planned for the Twin Cities metro area.

Manager Irie Collins said that the Woodbury club is already the seventh most profitable in the country, with 166 members. "We got way more members than I hoped for," Collins said.

In the club, trainer Clifton Krotz said the age range in his classes is 8 to 70. "It's been busy, busy, busy -- Hey, Nic, turn your hips!" he shouted to Grizzell, demonstrating with a low jab.

The Title Boxing Clubs are thriving, despite competition from gyms featuring workouts based on boxing, kickboxing and martial arts. Krotz said that's because Title focuses on one thing -- boxing.

"People are sick of running. They are sick of lifting weights. They want something different," Krotz said. The club is one of a soaring number of fitness centers. In Woodbury, there are more than 19 -- most of them tightly focused workout boutiques.

"This is a cool new concept," Krotz said. "We burn 1,000 calories an hour."

The Title Clubs have lost the gritty and violent vibe of boxing seen in movies like "Rocky." The clubs bring a sanitized version of boxing out of inner cities and into the suburbs.

For starters, there is no ... real boxing. No one hits anyone. The Title gyms are for people who only want a boxing-inspired workout for weight loss or gaining strength.

"The slogan is 'Get fit, not hit,' " Collins said.

The no-contact approach explains why the club attracts so many women, said customer Anne Reuther, 27, of Hudson. Wis. "We just don't want to get into the ring with people," she said.

The clean, well-lighted facility is minimal. There are small stations for lifting weights and running on a treadmill.

The heart of the gym is a matrix of 54 punching bags hung by chains from the ceiling.

During a workout early this month, Collins acted as ringmaster, comedian and coach, weaving through the bags and bodies to shout out support, advice and laughs.

The workout was broken into eight rounds, displayed by a digital clock. As the rounds flashed by, Collins yelled directions over the music: "Jab! Cross! Jab! Cross!"

Smiles turned to grimaces as the group was told to punch their bags up and down, squatting low and then working up the bag.

Then Collins yelled, "Squeeze!"

Everyone leaped up and bear-hugged the bags, swinging with their feet dangling. Several slid off, drawing laughs from others.

More music, shouting, punches and sweat, and the workout was over. Red-faced customers mopped their brows and rubbed various sore spots. "It's a high-energy motivating workout. The instructors push you," said self-described "workout junkie" Stacy Krech of Cottage Grove.

Janice Grizzell, the woman losing weight for the wedding, explained the balance between pain and progress.

"The first time, I went home and sat in a chair and said, 'What have I done?' " she said.

"But after three times, I felt like I could take on the world."



Woodbury club brings boxing to the 'burbs - TwinCities-com

Orlando Cruz walked amongst his fellow boxers, at once blending in and standing apart.

He chatted politely, a small, stylish man with a very big message. Nearly a year ago, Cruz, a former Puerto Rican Olympian and a top featherweight, announced he was gay, ostensibly becoming the first professional male boxer to come out while he was still fighting.

What made Cruz’s admission so different from, say, NBA player Jason Collins’ disclosure earlier this year that he is gay, was that Cruz dwells in a sport steeped in brutal aggression, where men (and women) carefully guard reputations for toughness. But boxers are also amongst the most courageous and chummy of athletes and Cruz’s acknowledgment on Oct. 3 was met with widespread support.

“I am free,” Cruz told the Daily News on Tuesday at the Mendez Boxing Gym in Manhattan, where he took part in a media workout ahead of his first world title fight next month in Las Vegas. “I am very free, very comfortable. I am very happy. Before I was scared, sometimes I would cry. I was waiting, but now I am different and I am happy.”

The next couple of months could be even more eventful for Cruz, if all goes well. He is in the final weeks of preparation for his title shot on Oct. 12 for the vacant WBO featherweight belt against Orlando Salido on the undercard of Timothy Bradley-Juan Manuel Marquez on HBO Pay-Per-View.

Then in December, Cruz told the Daily News, he intends to wed his longtime boyfriend, Jose Manuel, in a ceremony likely to be held in Manhattan. Same sex marriages are barred in both Puerto Rico and Florida, where Cruz also lives. Cruz, a 32-year-old southpaw, is aware of what it would mean to become the first openly gay boxer to win a world championship.

“Wow, amazing,” he said. “It’s my big opportunity. It’s my time, my moment. It’s my first dream when I started fighting, as a young boy. My first dream was going to the Olympics and I went to the Olympics in 2000. And then my second dream was to win the belt and become the champion so this is another dream.”

Despite his public declaration, Cruz (20-2-1, 10 knockouts) is still somewhat tight-lipped about his personal life, even after he proposed to Manuel in a video posted on Facebook last month.

“I don’t like talking about my relationships,” Cruz said on Tuesday. “But Jose Manuel is a good guy, a good friend, a good boyfriend and after the fight I will get married, maybe in December, here in New York.”

Cruz, who wore black and pink gloves during his workout on Tuesday, is dedicating the title fight to the memory of Emile Griffith, the Hall of Fame boxer who died July 22 and admitted in retirement that he had sexual relations with both men and women.

Cruz clammed up when he was asked if he knows other boxers who are gay.

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” Cruz said. “I have no comment. Maybe. Never have other fighters talked with me (about being gay). But I think there are other boxers who are gay but they are scared. Maybe with my decision it’s motivation for other boxers and for other athletes to come and say, ‘I’m gay, I am free.’”

Though he views himself as a role model for others struggling with their sexuality, Cruz said he wants to be known as a boxer above everything else.

“I am a boxer, a professional,” Cruz said. “I am the boxer. When people talk, I want them to say that I’m a professional boxer and that I’m a world champion.”

Read more: Orlando Cruz relishes chance to become boxing's first openly gay champion - NY Daily News

The delightful master of the spin was on his game again Wednesday.

Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions, who could make a head-on car wreck sound like a good thing, presided at a news gathering to hype the fight Saturday night at Carson's Stub Hub Arena between Julio Chavez Jr. and Bryan Vera.

The only real issue in this fight, staged mostly because the son of Julio Chavez Sr. remains a big draw to Mexican fight fans, is the weight at which it will be contested. It has loosely been listed as a 168-pound fight, but Julio Jr., not great at training and dieting, likely won't make that when he and Vera get on the scales Friday afternoon. Not making weight is a bad thing in boxing.

But Arum found a way, as he always does.

"We will have a first for you," he announced, grinning widely.

Then he told the audience that, while the norm is to have a weight listed well before the fight -- actually, at contract signing -- this time they will weigh the fighters first "and then announce the fight weight."

The translation is easy.

They signed a contract at 168. Julio Jr. most likely won't make that. For every pound over the 168, he will have to pay Vera. Sources say that they will call the fight off if Julio goes over 173 (which actually wouldn't matter all that much, either, because Julio Jr. could gain enough between the weigh-in and the match to fight at cruiserweight). Everything else is a negotiation, which is taking place now and will continue to take place at the weigh-in.

Why would Vera put up with this sort of nonsense?

Because he is by far the lesser-known fighter, probably knows he has a decent chance to beat an out-of-shape Julio Jr., and is looking for a large payday.

Besides, wouldn't every fighter want to be involved in a "first," as Arum put it?



Boxing promoter Bob Arum asks: Who needs a weigh-in? - latimes-com

The timer is set. The music is up. The voice of Nick Cowell begins to command, "Get those high knees up." Collectively, the 20-plus pairs of knees begin to pump. Class has begun at Title Boxing of Milford.

Cowell, a trainer at Title Boxing, who teaches eight to 10 classes per week, said members experience a different type of workout than they might be used to at the gym.

"They go to the gym, but they don't push themselves because maybe they don't really know what they're doing," he said. "Here, all you have to do is get yourself through those two doors and we'll do the rest. We'll push you to your limits to get that workout."

The club's owner, Jennifer Fallot, of Fairfield, said the classes, which boast 1,000-calorie burning power, are high energy and high intensity, leaving members wanting to come back for more.

"It's an addicting workout," she said. "You get an intense burn, and it's never the same thing twice. You feel it the next day, but you want more."

Fallot said after spending nine years at a marketing company, she needed a change of pace.

"With two small children, I needed more time. I needed a change of lifestyle," she said. Settling on the Title Boxing franchise, Fallot opened Connecticut's second location after Norwalk in July.

Title Boxing opened its first location in Kansas in 2008. With 500 franchises sold across 27 states, there are currently 110 operating clubs.

The 4,000-square-foot facility in Milford includes 48 hanging 110-pound bags used in the club's hour-long classes.

"There's an energy here, a vibe, and a sense of community," Fallot said.

Offering 25 classes weekly, members have unlimited access to all of the club's boxing, kickboxing, and technique sessions.

For members like Robin Ungaro, of West Haven, who has been going three to four times a week since the facility opened its doors, the workout experience is different than the routines she was used to.

"The trainers push me to my limit, where I know I'm getting the best workout that I've ever got in my life," she said. "It's a rush."

Fallot said with 160 members, Title Boxing distinguishes itself as a club rather than a gym because clubs breed a sense of community.

"There's a camaraderie here," Ungaro said. "It's fun to know that there are people going right along with you as you're sweating bullets."



Title Boxing in Milford promises the ultimate 'burn' - Connecticut Post

We are only two weeks removed from one of boxing’s biggest fiascos ever — the pathetic scorecard of C.J. Ross for the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fight — and we have another.

This one is not as bad as “Rossgate,” but waiting until the week of the fight to decide you can’t come close to making weight, thus forcing your much-less famous foe to give in to your demands, is just a sorry move on the parts of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and his promoter, Bob Arum.

When talks began for Saturday night’s fight between former middleweight champion Chavez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) and contender Bryan Vera at StubHub Center (on HBO), the weight was 163 pounds - three over the middleweight limit. It went to 165 and the fight was slated for Sept. 7 at Staples Center.

Chavez was cut during sparring, and it was re-scheduled for tonight at StubHub Center — at 168 pounds — the super middleweight limit. At a news conference in late August, Chavez indicated he was 22 pounds over with a month to go, but said, “I’m not worried.”

We get here to fight week, and rumors spread that Chavez can’t make 168 even though his most recent fight was at 160, when he lost his middleweight title to Sergio Martinez on Sept. 15, 2012.

During a conference call Tuesday, Arum said he would meet Wednesday with Vera’s promoter, Artie Pelullo, to discuss a new weight. At Wednesday’s final news conference, Arum told reporters they would have to “wait for the weight” at Friday’s weigh-in. What absurdity.

Meanwhile, an angry Ronnie Shields — Vera’s trainer — told BoxingScene.com late Wednesday night that an agreement for the fight to be contested at 173 had been reached, and that Vera was going to be financially compensated for putting up with this garbage.

That’s fine. But to jerk Vera around like this just because you are Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and you can get away with it because there is no way Vera is going to back out of a fight with the mighty “Son of the Legend,” is just rotten.

What’s worse, fans hadn’t even gotten the sour taste out of their mouths from “Rossgate,” and now that sourness has had a kick added to it with “Weightgate.”

During Tuesday’s call, when it was already known Chavez would not make 168, we asked him about his reputation for not liking to train hard. Keep in mind that during an episode of HBO’s “24/7: Chavez-Martinez,” the camera was on trainer Freddie Roach, who was perturbed that Chavez had not shown up for training.

“People have to realize how hard I trained for this fight,” said Chavez, who tonight will be trained by Vladimir Baldenebro and his father, Julio Sr. “It wasn’t easy making 160, but yet I became a champion at 160. I had four title defenses at 160, came within a couple seconds of knocking out the best 160-punder (Martinez) in the world. So you can’t say I wasn’t ready to fight in those fights.

“I made the weight and I showed everyone what I am capable of doing. I don’t think people realized how hard it was to make 160 and how much I had to sacrifice to make 160.”

Chavez, who made the especially-designed-for-him weight Friday by coming in at 172.4 pounds, said he would never again fight at 160 unless it was a rematch with Martinez, who defeated Chavez via wide decision after surviving a 12th-round knockdown.

If Chavez believes he can sacrifice enough to make 160 again, why was he not professional enough to make 168 for this fight? Doesn’t he have that obligation? Darn right he does, but this 27-year-old has never been confused with being the ultimate pro. Rather, the jacket on him is one of being spoiled and privileged.

Arum has ripped Chavez in the past, but he had his back Tuesday.

“It is very difficult when a young man starts at the age that he did,” Arum said, referring to Chavez not having an amateur background. “He had a completely different body than the body that he has now. Now he has matured and he is a big, big kid. There are light heavyweights that look smaller than he does.

“We have to question ourselves whether he stayed at 160 too long even though he was able to make the weight, because I really believe that if you struggle to make weight that you deplete yourself and you can’t give as good a performance than if you fight at a more natural weight.”

If that’s the case, let Chavez fight at light heavyweight. Yeah, right. That’s not going to happen because all the money, all the great opponents, are at middleweight and super middleweight.

With all this, one has to wonder how many fans tonight are going to be rooting for Vera just so they can root against Chavez, who must think that because of his name, he can get away with anything.

As for Vera (23-6, 14 KOs), this is his chance. A win over Chavez would be his biggest, and he told us long before this weight issue cropped up that he doesn’t care how big Chavez might be tonight.

“You leave it to me and I’ll fight him if he’s 190,” said Vera, of Austin, Texas; he weighed 171.2 pounds Friday, but was at 167 on Wednesday. “But that’s just me.”

You have to love that, and hate what Chavez is doing.

Top Rank signs Nicholas Walters

Bob Arum knows a thing or two about good fighters, so even though featherweight world champion Nicholas Walters of Jamaica hasn’t fought a wealth of terrific opponents, Arum signing him to a multi-year promotional contract would seem to say a lot.

Arum, chairman of Top Rank Inc., announced the deal this week.

“We are delighted Nicholas Walters ... has become a Top Rank fighter,” Arum said. “We really envision greatness for Walters and his future.”

Walters, 27, won a vacant title with a seventh-round stoppage of Daulis Prescott of Colombia in December in Jamaica. Prescott came in 26-1 and was definitely Walters’ top opponent.

Walters, nicknamed “The Axe Man,” has a record of 22-0 with 18 knockouts. That’s an outstanding knockout ratio of 81.8 percent. He’s stoked to join the Top Rank stable.

“It’s a dream and a prvilege come true fo

First, let’s focus on the positive. Adonis “Superman” Stevenson notched a solid if not superheroic TKO victory over Tavoris Cloud in front of his delighted hometown fans in Montreal.

It wasn’t a repeat of the first round knockout that thrilled fans in June, but Stevenson showed good boxing skills and did his late mentor Emanuel Steward proud. He had fun in the ring and brought his fans along for the ride.

Stevenson (22-1-0, 18 KOs), 36, took command over Cloud, 31 (24-2-0, 19 KOs) who wasn’t able to answer Stevenson’s attack. The cumulative damage done over seven rounds with resulting cuts over both of Cloud’s eyes was significant enough that his corner would not let Cloud come out for the eighth round.

Fans are now thirsting to see Stevenson fight hard-punching Russian Sergey Kovalev. Stevenson didn’t seem too eager about the idea in the post-fight interview with HBO’s Max Kellerman, suggesting he would rather fight the winner of a Jean Pascal/Lucien Bute bout first while Kovalev has a few more bouts before they meet. We’d rather see it sooner than later. It’s a fight worth looking forward to.

On the judges’ scorecards, Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. (47-1-1, 32 KO) won a unanimous decision in 10 rounds over Brian Vera (23-7, 14 KO Saturday in Carson, California. But Chavez Jr. lost in every other way it counts. It’s hard to have a shred of respect left for him.

Members of the boxing media, fellow professional boxers and fans were exasperated with Chavez Jr.’s lack of serious preparation for the bout, his inability to make weight, and his whining at referee Lou Moret about a variety of issues both during and after the fight.

Vera agreed to take on the much bigger Chavez Jr., and while he couldn’t have been happy about it, he didn’t whine about it. Vera got down to business and was by far the busier fighter. Vera landed more punches overall and more power punches than Chavez Jr., although his connect percentage was lower than Chavez Jr. Chavez Jr. landed the harder punches, but what do you expect? He must have outweighed Vera by 20 pounds at fight time. HBO showed Chavez Jr.’s photo during a discussion of lineup of light heavyweight contenders.

By the end of the fight, observers crossed their fingers the judges would give the victory to Vera, who outworked and outclassed Chavez Jr. But it was not to be. Judges Carla Caiz, Gwen Adair, and Marty Denkin rewarded the heavier puncher and the guy with the bigger, uh, reputation.

Vera said after the fight to HBO’s Max Kellerman that he did enough to win the fight, “I came in this fight, I never fought over 170 in my life. I backed his a** up the whole time. I worked him. He had me dazed a couple of times, he never really hurt me.“

Vera said he would bounce back, and he’d like to fight Chavez Jr. again at the super middleweight limit of 168 pounds.

Chavez Jr. said he didn’t think Vera won the fight. Chavez said he won even though he claimed he fractured his right hand midway through the fight, which accounting for his lack of punching. He complained that Vera was “fighting dirty” with head butts and low blows, but that referee Moret didn’t do anything about it.

When you walk away with a gift victory like Chavez Jr. did, you don’t complain about anything after the fight. You shut your mouth, go home and straighten up your act. You remember the sound of the fans booing your victory and read some of the media reports expressing disgust with your lack of respect for your father’s name and for the sport of boxing and you get busy.

Chavez Jr. barely put 5,200 people in the seats at the Stub Hub Center. He’ll sell even fewer tickets if he doesn’t heed this wake-up call and get serious about boxing.

Gayle Lynn Falkenthal, APR, is President/Owner of the Falcon Valley Group in San Diego, California. She is also a serious boxing fan covering the Sweet Science for Communities. Read more Ringside Seat in the Communities at The Washington Times. Follow Gayle on Facebook and on Twitter @PRProSanDiego.

Read more: Boxing results: Stevenson gets TKO, Chavez Jr. wins and loses Saturday | Washington Times Communities
Follow us: @wtcommunities on Twitter

Miguel Cotto, already popular in his native Puerto Rico and New York, will try to establish a third home-ring advantage Saturday night in Orlando. The three-division world champion and one of boxing’s most marketable fighters will make his first Florida appearance at the Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic.

Cotto will face the Dominican Republic’s Delvin Rodriguez in a scheduled 12-round junior-middleweight bout. The fight will be televised by HBO.

“Fighting in front of that whole Puerto Rican community is going to be amazing,” Cotto said in a recent conference call.

A testament to Cotto’s popularity among his fellow Puerto Ricans are his fights in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Once considered the epicenter of marquee fights, Madison Square Garden only has had a boxing pulse in recent years when Cotto headlines a card.

Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, which co-promotes Cotto, anticipates similar energy Saturday at the 20,000-seat Amway Center.

“We have seen unprecedented support from the city of Orlando, which hasn’t really had a fight in many, many years, especially of this caliber,” duBoef said.

“We keep having to open up sections and adding seats, and we look for an electric night. His popularity is way beyond regional.”

But Cotto (37-4, 30 KOs) will have more concerns than filling an arena. In his previous two bouts, Cotto lost unanimous decisions against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Austin Trout. For Cotto, snapping the two-fight losing streak against Rodriguez (28-6-3, 16 KOs) could help him again enter the pay-per-view landscape.

“There are no possibilities beyond this fight to think about,” Cotto said. “The only possibility I have right now is to fight Delvin Rodriguez [Saturday night] in Orlando. Then, after Delvin, we can talk about what is next in my career.”

Cotto, 32, also will have new guidance when he faces Rodriguez. Pedro Diaz, who trained Cotto for his bouts against Mayweather and Trout, has been replaced by Freddie Roach, highly regarded as the sport’s top trainer.

“I’m not really bringing things back, I am just trying to remind him of what worked best and to use it more,” said Roach, lauded for training Manny Pacquiao into one of boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighters. “He knows how to do it. He had just gotten away from it a little bit so it is really just a reminder of what works best.

“There is a good future and that’s why we are working so hard to win this fight. I want Miguel to win a world title again, and I look forward to being a part of that.”

This and that

• Late Saturday, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. won a controversial unanimous decision over Bryan Vera in Carson, Calif.

Although Chavez (47-1-1) landed solid rights and left hooks, Vera pressed the action throughout the 10-round light-heavyweight bout. Vera (23-7) was effective with rights to the head.

All three judges scored the fight for Chavez, 96-94, 97-93 and 98-92.

• Haiti’s Adonis Stevenson retained his World Boxing Council light-heavyweight title with a technical knockout win over Tallahassee resident Tavoris Cloud Saturday night Montreal.

Stevenson (22-1, 19 KOs) controlled the pace with solid lead lefts to the head that eventually caused swelling and bleeding above Cloud’s eyes.

The punch buildup forced Cloud’s trainer, Al Bonanni, to inform referee Michael Griffin to stop the bout before eighth round.

A former light-heavyweight titleholder Cloud is now 24-2.

Read more here: Miguel Cotto hopes looks forward to bout in Orlando - Boxing - MiamiHerald-com

Wladimir Klitschko faces Alexander Povetkin in the marquee fight of the weekend, while Miguel Cotto returns to action on HBO against Delvin Rodriguez, plus much more.


Monday, September 30

FOX Sports 1, 9:00 pm EDT, Sadam Ali vs Jay Krupp, Michael Perez vs Miguel Zuniga, Marcus Browne vs Lamont Williams. Golden Boy is back with the standard Monday night card, featuring Ali in his GBP debut in the eight-round main event. Perez-Zuniga might be the best fight here. Browne, of course, is a 2012 Olympian who is thus far 6-0 with all wins by stoppage as a pro.

Friday, October 4

TyC Sports (ARG), 11:00 pm EDT, Erica Annabella Farias vs Mary McGee.

FOX Sports 1, 11:35 pm EDT, Matthew Villanueva vs Daniel Lozano, Ernest Amuzu vs Milton Nunez, Laatekwei Hammond vs Jose Berrio.

Saturday, October 5

BoxNation (UK) / TV1 (RUS) Main Event PPV (AUS) / Sport1 (HUN) / RTL (DEU) / PolSat Sport (POL), 3:00 pm EDT, Wladimir Klitschko vs Alexander Povetkin, Mateusz Masternak vs Grigory Drozd, Ruslan Chagaev vs Jovo Pudar, Rakhim Chakhkiev vs Giulian Ilie, Fedor Chudinov vs Marco Antonio Avendano. This fight will be available in the United States, but HBO is showing it on tape delay with the live fights from Florida. Klitschko-Povetkin will be covered live here at BLH, as you would expect. It's the most significant fight we're going to see in the division this year, and really could be the most significant we see for a long while. Povetkin has bided his time before finally taking this fight, and Wladimir has not declined like his handlers may have hoped he might by the time they got to him. BLH will have live coverage. Sky Sports 2, 3:30 pm EDT, Anthony Joshua vs Emanuele Leo, Scott Quigg vs Yoandras Salinas, Lee Selby vs Ryan Walsh, Kevin Mitchell vs Marco Lopez. The 2012 super heavyweight gold medalist in London makes his pro debut on this card, which will also feature bantamweight gold medalist Luke Campbell back in action. Quigg-Salinas is the most significant fight on this card, with a vacant world title on the line, while Selby-Walsh is a domestic title clash. BLH will have live coverage (focus will be on this card during the Klitschko-Povetkin undercard).

HBO, 9:45 pm EDT, Miguel Cotto vs Delvin Rodriguez, Terence Crawford vs Andrey Klimov, Wladimir Klitschko vs Alexander Povetkin (tape delay). Cotto is back on HBO and back with Top Rank following a pair of fights where he fought with Golden Boy on HBO PPV and then on Showtime, losing last year to Floyd Mayweather and then Austin Trout. Cotto's got Freddie Roach in his corner as he looks to wrap up a Hall of Fame-bound career with three more fights. Rodriguez is meant to be a credible opponent that Cotto will handle without much trouble, after which they might look at a bigger fight. Or not. I don't know. Crawford is a rising HBO product with the in-ring skills, it appears, to match the steady but reserved push. Klimov is a solid scrapper with a win over John Molina. BLH will have live coverage.

TyC Sports (ARG), 11:00 pm EDT, Ramon de la Cruz Sena vs Cesar Miguel Barrionuevo.

Televisa (MEX), 11:00 pm EDT, Marcos Reyes vs Rogelio Medina, Miguel Roman vs Carlos Urias.

Televisa (MEX) / FOX Deportes, 9:00 pm EDT, Ibeth Zamora Silva vs Neisi Torres, Yazmin Rivas vs TBA.



Klitschko vs Povetkin, Cotto vs Rodriguez, more: Boxing TV schedule for Sept. 30-Oct. 5 - Bad Left Hook

The signing of a top Olympic boxing prospect Tuesday by Mike Tyson's promotional company prompted USA Boxing to write an open letter to Tyson asking the former heavyweight champion to stop interfering with the Olympic process and allow young athletes to follow their "Olympic dreams."

Tyson's fledgling Iron Mike Promotions signed Erickson Lubin, who turned 18 Tuesday, to a professional contract. Lubin, a two-time junior Olympic champion from Kissimmee, Fla., was described in the letter written by Charles Butler, the president of USA Boxing, as the USA's "best hope."

In a tweet Tuesday, Lubin said, "Officially signed to Iron Mike Promotions. My pro career starts now."

Tyson wasn't talking, but his publicist said Tuesday there was no arm-twisting involved.

"IMP (Iron Mike Promotions) and Rivalta Management signed him today on his 18th birthday," said JoAnn Mignano. "That was his choice, nobody forced him to sign a pro contract."

Mignano and IMP publicist Bob Trieger also said that nobody complained when New York-based promoter Lou DiBella signed highly regarded 17-year-old amateur prospect Junior "Sugar Boy" Younan last month. Younan is expected to make his professional debut later this month or in early November.

USA Boxing said it will pursue legislation to stop "professional promoters from attempting to sign athletes in the Olympic pipeline."

"You are offering these athletes pennies on the dollar of what they could be worth with an Olympic medal, or even potentially just being an Olympian," Butler wrote in his letter to Tyson. "You are also undermining the next United States Olympic Boxing Team in the process."

The USA boxing program has suffered in recent years. There were no male Olympic medalists in London last year, and only one, bronze medalist Deontay Wilder, in Beijing in 2008. The last U.S. Olympic gold medalist was Andre Ward in 2004 in Athens. Ward is now the undefeated super middleweight world champion.

Scott Blackmun, the CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee, noted the rich tradition the U.S. has had in the sport, but said athletes have the right to decide their future.

"I think the reorganization that USA Boxing recently completed is going to be very, very beneficial because it brings independent thinkers to their board," Blackmun said. "At the end of the day, I don't think you can take away the choices that our athletes have. They have to weigh the importance of an Olympic medal, the impact an Olympic medal would have on their lifetime Olympic goals and weigh that against the short-term opportunity of turning professional."

USA Boxing said it had offered Lubin a spot in its residency program at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, where young fighters "have the ability to train full time and pursue further educational programs. The athletes in the resident program not only have all of their room and board covered but also enjoy access to world-class training facilities, medical care, and a wide array of athlete services. They receive all of these services at no cost and would not owe anyone a percentage of future earnings."


USA Boxing criticizes Tyson signing of Olympic prospect

It didn't take Mike Tyson long to find controversy in his new role as a boxing promoter.

The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U.S. Olympic team in 2016.


Dr. Charles Butler said in the letter that recently formed Iron Mike Productions has been offering money to the best amateur fighters to turn pro, in particular an 18-year-old who some in amateur boxing believe to be the country's best hope for a gold medal at the Rio Games. He says the money being offered is "pennies on the dollar" of what the prospects could be worth with an Olympic medal.

"Mike, USA Boxing does not have the funds to compete with your offers," the letter said. "If you have money and would like to assist these young athletes and the sport, you should donate for athlete stipends to support the training of these boxers and help your country regain its prominence on the medal stand. Please do not take them from us. If they win a medal for their country, you can always sign them to professional contracts at that time."

Tyson did not immediately return a phone call, and publicist Joann Mignano said he would not be commenting. Mignano confirmed, though, that Iron Mike Promotions signed Florida fighter Erickson Lubin on Tuesday, his 18th birthday.

Lubin is a two-time Junior Olympic national champion and won the 152-pound division at the National Golden Gloves this year. In his USA Boxing bio, he said his goals were to win a gold medal at the Olympics, turn pro and win every title possible.

"We want to be competitive and we want to increase our overall performance in the Olympic Games," said USA Boxing executive director Anthony Bartkowski. "This is a new strategy of trying to make sure our Olympic-aged athletes are not poached by promoters. In the past, USA Boxing was passive and just accepted it."

Tyson isn't the only promoter trying to lure amateurs to the pros. Last month, DiBella Entertainment said it signed highly touted 17-year-old Junior "Sugar Boy" Younan of New York to a contract and said he would make his pro debut in late October or early November, after he turned 18.

Boxing promoters have long trolled the amateur ranks looking for talent, especially in recent years as the lure of Olympic gold has faded for many fighters. Winning in the Olympics was once a guaranteed way to make millions, but as U.S. Olympic boxing teams have faded so have the prospects for Olympic fighters.

The last American man to win an Olympic gold in boxing was Andre Ward in 2004, and last year's team in London didn't even medal. USA Boxing, meanwhile, has undergone a series of shake-ups and its funding has been cut by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The executive director of the USOC said Tuesday that boxing, a sport once dominated by Americans, is still trying to find a way to replicate earlier successes.

"Boxing is one of those sports that I think we have a very rich tradition in, but not a lot of current performance," Scott Blackmun said. "I think the recent reorganization of USA Boxing ... is going to be very, very beneficial because it brings some very independent thinkers to the board.

"But I don't think you can take away the choices our athletes have. They have to weigh the importance of an Olympic medal and the impact an Olympic medal could have on their lifetime earning capabilities, and weigh that versus the short-term benefits of turning professional."

Tyson is somewhat of an unlikely target of an amateur program he used to compete in, making it to within one fight of the Olympics in 1984. He began working as a promoter only recently, joining up with a promotion company called Acquinity Sports to host his first card last month in Verona, N.Y.


USA Boxing claims Mike Tyson poaching fighters - ESPN

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson responded Thursday, two days after USA Boxing accused him of "undermining" the Olympic team because he signed a top boxing prospect to a professional contract.

The New York Post obtained a copy of Tyson's letter to USA Boxing, which it said was faxed to USA Boxing President Charles Butler late Thursday night.

In the letter, Tyson, whose fledgling promotional company is called Iron Mike Productions, wrote that he was "most disappointed that you and USA Boxing could not afford me the courtesy and respect, not only as a former heavyweight champion, but a former amateur champion, to contact me first instead of taking advantage of my name and company for publicity.

"Your organization never attempted to contact me directly to discuss this matter. Had you done so, perhaps you would have a better understanding of my love for amateur boxing and my commitment to protect fighters by giving them the best possible opportunities this business can offer."

Butler, in his letter addressed to Tyson that was released to the media, said, "These young boxers are foregoing their Olympic hopes and the hopes of our nation in exchange for a professional boxing contract now. You are offering these athletes pennies on the dollar of what they could be worth with an Olympic medal, or even potentially just being an Olympian."

Tyson, a former amateur heavyweight champion who just missed making the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, defended his signing of 152-pound prospect Erickson Lubin on Tuesday, the day he turned 18.

"No one knows better than I the pitfalls of amateur and professional boxing," Tyson wrote. "This is precisely why I am compelled to make Iron Mike Productions a transparent company. Our priority is the well-being of our fighters and to produce the most exciting fights we can and in the process uplift the sport of boxing."

According to The Post, Tyson added, "I love my country and I love the liberties living in a democracy affords. These young fighters have worked diligently and deserve the right to pursue the best path they deem fit for themselves. Unfortunately, many of them can't wait around for a very slim shot at Olympic glory."

Tyson said USA Boxing's poor record of producing medalists in the last several Olympics might have something to do with young boxers deciding to forgo Olympic training for a pro career.

"Our country hasn't had a male boxing gold medalist since 2004 (Andre Ward) , which could be why many young hopefuls decide to turn professional sooner," he wrote.

He also wrote, "Many of these boxers are like me in that they are from poverty-stricken communities and boxing is their only way to a better life. They have obligations beyond your personal vision for them. No one has the right to question the path a fighter chooses in pursuit of their American dream."

The sentiment was echoed by USOC CEO Scott Blackmun, who said that "I don't think you can take away the choices that our athletes have. They have to weigh the importance of an Olympic medal . . . and weigh that against the short-term opportunity of turning professional."

Tyson said his company's signing of Lubin, from Kissimmee, Fla., "was solely (Lubin's) decision and based on consultation and input from his advisors." He added that he turned pro at 18 "and had a very successful professional boxing career."

Tyson finished his letter with an offer of help to USA Boxing, according to The Post. "I will always be supportive of amateur boxing and will continue helping in any way possible. My door is always open to assist the USA Boxing team reach its goals. Hopefully, in the future, you will be more comfortable reaching out to me directly."

USA Boxing spokesperson Julie Goldsticker said Thursday night she had read the Post story, but had not yet seen the letter.



Mike Tyson responds to USA Boxing's open-letter attack

It seems so wrong, doesn't it? For a respected organization to go after -- and find fault -- with a man who is just trying to find his way in an unforgiving institution that is as morally corrupt as the man who is trying to get in was once criminally immoral.

In the form of an open letter, USA Boxing took issue with none other than Mike Tyson for trying to "buy" fighters before the organization felt it was the fighter's time to get paid.

"USA Boxing does not have the funds to compete with your offers," Dr. Charles Butler, USA boxing president, said. "If you have money and would like to assist these young athletes and the sport, you should donate for athletes' stipends to support the training of these boxers and help your country regain its prominence on the medal stand."

Now, no one in their right (or left) hemisphere would say Mike Tyson is walking around with a halo hovering over his head as he tries to get his post-Broadway career off the ground by getting into boxing promotions.

But if Tyson wants to move past pigeon-racing reality shows on Animal Plant or another academy award-winning guest appearance in "The Hangover IV: A New Hope" and make his move to be the next Don King, who are we -- or USA Boxing -- to complain?

Tyson has done so well with his life since he left the sport (as long as he does not revert to the misbehavior he exhibited after longtime trainer Cus D'Amato died, then all is good).

But this isn't about Tyson or his response to Butler's letter in the New York Post claiming the organization never reached out to him directly and is "taking advantage of my name and company for publicity." This is about USA Boxing.

When did USA Boxing become so sanctimonious? So righteous and indignant?

Boxing promoters have perpetually gone after amateur boxers in an attempt to get them to skip the Olympic route. For years, promoters have used everything from Muhammad Ali throwing his gold medal into the Ohio River to the image of Roy Jones Jr. standing next to a ref as he lifted the arm of Park Si-Hun in the Seoul Olympics (considered by many as one of the most corrupt moments in Olympic history) as examples of the unimportance of the Olympics in the arc of one's career.

More recently, promoters simply need to run off the names of top boxers who didn't need an Olympic medal to succeed as a pro -- Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez, Adrien Broner, Timothy Bradley -- to prove that participating in the Olympics is as useful as an iPhone 3GS.

After Athens 2004, USA Boxing had been able to say to every American who has thought about joining them: "Look at Andre Ward's career, and we'll show you how Ward benefited from being in the Olympics."

But when a country goes through an entire Olympics as the United States did at London 2012 and returns without a single medal, the sell gets difficult.

Tyson is doing nothing different from any other promoter in the game since boxing became a free enterprise for promotion and hype. Boxing promoters from Butch Lewis to Bob Arum have always "poached" boxers they feel can make them money sooner rather than later. It's their way of building a relationship with a boxer before anyone else has the chance. That's kinda always been part of the (shady) business side of boxing. For USA Boxing to start bitching now is laughable. It reeks of an organization that is panicking. It's so not a good look for them.

It's called prizefighting. And the prize these days is dollars not medals. USA Boxing should be used to this by now.



USA Boxing takes absurd punch at Mike Tyson - ESPN

World heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko retained his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO titles with a unanimous points win over Russia's Alexander Povetkin on Saturday in Moscow.

The Ukrainian champion enjoyed an emphatic victory in his 24th world title fight having put Povetkin on the canvas five times, three times in the seventh round alone.

This was Klitschko's 61st victory in his 64th professional bout, in front of a 14,000-strong crowd, having earned his first world title back in 2006.

"That was a tough bit of work, he's a real fighter," said Klitschko.

"I kept landing the punches, but he stayed in there.

"I believe it was a deserved win, but I think I can improve still."

With both fighters having come into the fight with a World Boxing Association heavyweight belt, 'super' champion Klitschko made it clear who is the best in the world.

"Things didn't quite go as well as I wanted, but I never give up," said Povetkin.

"Of course, he was the better fighter. He's the best in the world, that's clear."

After a bright start, Povetkin hit the canvas in the second round after a sharp left hook from Klitschko, who weighed in at his lightest weight for four years, but the Russian was soon back on his feet.

Klitschko slowly took the initiative in the third and fourth, as he started to use his jab to effect with Povetkin's right eye starting to bruise.

The champion seized control in the seventh round when Povetkin went down three times.

A left-right combination put Povetkin back on the canvas and although he survived the count, a fierce follow-up from the Ukrainian had the challenger down twice more.

Povetkin went down for the fifth time in the ninth, although referee Luis Pabon ruled it was a push from Klitschko.

The clash at Moscow's Olimpiyski Arena was a battle of the former Olympic super-heavyweight champions.

Povetkin won the Olympic gold at the 2004 Athens Games, eight years after Klitschko's victory at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Povetkin suffered his first defeat, having come into the fight with an undefeated record with 18 knock-outs in 26 wins.

Klitschko has 51 knock-outs in 61 wins with the last of his three defeats having come nearly a decade ago.

Both fighters walked away with a small fortune, with Klitschko making a career-high €13.13 million ($A19.2 million) and Povetkin €4.4 million ($A6.4 million).

Read more: Klitschko retains boxing world titles

When the 25-year-old Liam Smith defeated Erick Ochieng to claim the vacant British light-middleweight title last week it completed a unique hat-trick of British championships for the Smith family – the first time in the 104-year history of the Lord Lonsdale Belt that three brothers have held the prized gold-and-porcelain trophy simultaneously.

His 28-year-old brother Stephen, the former featherweight champion, now has the super-featherweight belt, while the eldest sibling, Paul, 31, is the current super-middleweight champion.

The Boxing Board of Control secretary, Robert Smith – no relation – confirmed to The Independent on Sunday: "It is certainly unique in British boxing history. Not only is it a wonderful achievement but they are really nice lads, a credit to the sport and their family."

Remarkably, that family also happens to have another potential British champion back home in Liverpool. Unbeaten Callum Smith, at 23 the youngest of the scrapping Scousers, is already the English super-middleweight champion and hopes to fight for the full-blown British title, which Paul says he will vacate should he make a successful defence against Luke Blackledge in Liverpool on 7 December.

On what is billed as a historic night, boxing's band of brothers Paul (aka Smigga), Stephen (Swifty) and Liam (Beefy) are all due to defend their respective titles on the same bill at the Echo Arena, though there was a shock twist last week when Stephen claimed he is now in a contractual dispute with promoter Frank Warren, who manages all three. He announced that he had terminated their agreement, which came as a surprise to his brothers, and to Warren.

"Once again this seems to be a case of someone trying to tortuously interfere with existing agreements with my fighters," said Warren, who has lost several of his stable to other promoters (notably Eddie Hearn, who manages Callum Smith), including the WBO lightweight champion Ricky Burns. "Stephen Smith is still under contract to me, as the Board of Control will confirm. A letter has been sent to his solicitors to this effect and the Liverpool show will go ahead as scheduled."

Should it do so, it will be trebles all round, with a packed house of family and friends – but one Smith who won't be there is their mother, Margaret. She resolutely refuses to watch any of her sons fight.

"She hates boxing," says Paul. "She came to see me fight once when I was 15, boxing for England as an amateur. I knocked out a Canadian kid in about 80 seconds and she ran to the toilet vomiting. People told her, 'It wasn't Paul who got knocked out.' But she said, 'I know, but there's a mother back in Canada waiting for a phone call and I know how she must feel.' " Since then Mrs Smith won't even watch them box on television. Instead she usually goes to bingo to take her mind off it, and has told them: "The happiest day of my life will be when you all retire."

Both Stephen and Liam were drawn into boxing by the success of Paul, the senior pro who is now making a name for himself as a sagacious ringside analyst with BoxNation and is very much the mentor for his younger brothers, regularly working in their corners.

Between them they boxed more than 150 times for England as amateurs. Stephen, Liam and Callum were the first siblings to win a trio of ABA titles, and Stephen (gold), Paul and Callum (both silver) were Commonwealth Games medallists too. Joe Gallagher, who trains all four in Manchester, says: "With Callum now winning the English title, there is simply no one to touch them as Britain's number one boxing family."

The triple crown is an achievement that has eluded other great boxing family threesomes, including the Turpins (Randolph, Dick and Jackie), the McKenzies (Duke, Clinton and Winston) and the Eubanks (Chris, Peter and Simon). Callum also made history of his own, becoming the first British boxer to win six successive fights by a first-round KO with his defeat of Patrick Mendy last month. Says Paul: "Potentially he is the best of all of us".

Despite their mum's disaffection with the sport, the family is steeped in boxing. "Our dad [Paul Snr] had some amateur bouts and we've always been brought up around boxing, as dad's brother and mum's granddad also boxed," says Paul, who is having a rewarding renaissance in his own 10-year pro career, regaining the vacant British title in June that he lost to James DeGale three years ago on a last-round stoppage.

"I was in a bad place when I lost to DeGale, both in my boxing and personal life," he admits. "But since I moved to Joe Gallagher I've never looked back."

There is also a poignant aspect to their ring appearances. Twelve-year-old Holly, the younger of their two sisters ,is autistic. The brothers have the word "autism" displayed on their shorts to raise awareness of the condition. "People don't really understand autism," says Paul. "Holly is a lovely girl but she can't speak or communicate. So in our own way we are fighting for her."

Sibling success

Paul Smith Super-middleweight. 31 today. 5ft 11in. 33 wins (19 KOs), three losses. Turned pro in 2003. Regained British title in June. Known as 'Smigga'.

Stephen Smith Super-featherweight. 28. 5ft 6in. 17 wins (10 KOs), one loss. Turned pro in 2008. Won British super-featherweight title in August. Known as 'Swifty'.

Liam Smith Light-middlewweight. 25. 5ft 9in. 15 wins (5 KOs), one draw. Turned pro 2008. Won title last week. Known as 'Beefy'.

Callum Smith Super-middleweight. 23. 6ft 3in. Turned pro in 2012. Undefeated in eight fights, last six by KO. Won English title last month.



Boxing: Smiths keep British titles in the family - Others - More Sports - The Independent

One of five boxers from Cameroon who disappeared from London’s Olympic village after refusing to go back to their home country has re-appeared...starting a new life in Sheffield.

Serge Ambomo, 27, competed in the Games at light welterweight on July 31, losing to a Turkish opponent, Yakup Sener. Soon after, he and his team-mates vanished from the capital, sparking an international incident.

Now Ambomo has been awarded political asylum and is living in Wybourn.

Ambomo told The Star he had initially left London to be granted asylum accommodation in Wakefield and then Rotherham. He eventually persuaded the authorities he would be in danger if he returned to Africa, following a dispute there over finances connected to his amateur career.

Ambomo told his Sheffield-based interpreter that boxing was his passion - so he was taken to the English Institute of Sport, where Olympic hopefuls train. From there, he was directed to Glyn Rhodes’ Sheffield Boxing Centre in Hillsborough.

Five businessmen at that gym were touched by Ambomo’s plight and pledged to pay £100 each to secure him the medical checks necessary to become a pro.

Now the runaway boxer says he is touched that the UK was prepared to protect him from harm and that he wants to fight for “England’s colours.”

Ambomo will appear before the British Boxing Board of Control in Huddersfield on October 13, hoping to be allowed to fight professionally.

Rhodes said: “Serge has sparred with Jez Wilson, who was very impressed with him. The kid can fight. Over three rounds he was very competitive.

“He is very fit but iuntried at any real level over here. However, he is hungry - he wants this. He has been accepted for asylum and we will do what we can to help him.” Ambomo used to be a shop worker in Cameroon. He said he had parents in that country, but that he was living his own life and wanted to be a ‘champion sportsman.’

Crosspool’s Wilson will fight in Birmingham, on November 23, against Leicester middleweight Martin Concepcion.


Missing Serge starts new life in boxing gym - The Star

The respect between Joseph Parker and Afa Tatupu ahead of their title fight tomorrow was plain to see at today's weigh-in, but that didn't extend to the protagonists of one of the undercard bouts.

Julius Long, the 2.16m American who is in Auckland sparring with David Tua, began a shoving match with his opponent Jason Williams, a former NRL player, which brought a jarring note to what had been a light-hearted affair hosted by veteran boxing commentator Colonel Bob Sheridan.

Long, nicknamed the "Towering Inferno'', posed for pictures with Williams before shoving him across the stage, shouting: "That's what it is.''

A visibly upset Williams went to confront Long before the pair were restrained by several others on the stage, including Parker's trainer Kevin Barry.

Afterwards Long said it was a tactic designed to unsettle his opponent.

"I just wanted to let him know what he was getting himself into - be ready, bring your A game because I'm ready to take your head off. This is real,'' he said.

"I've got the edge because I know he wants me. Anger is a person's weakness.''

Williams said afterwards: "I think a few Americans are like that - showboating and stuff.

"We're going to fight in the end anyway so there's no use doing something like that.''

Williams said he had lived in Australia for 10 years while he played for the Bulldogs and Sharks but was now living back in Auckland and was boxing as a "hobby''.

A fit looking Parker, who is challenging Tatupu for his New Zealand National Boxing Federation heavyweight title at Auckland's Trusts Stadium, tipped the scales at 104kg, with Tatupu weighing 99.75kg.

Long is preparing Tua for his postponed fight against Alexander Ustinov, who stands 2.02m.



Boxing: Long provides drama at Parker weigh-in - Sport - NZ Herald News

Lennox Lewis has offered to get back in the ring and fight one of the Klitschkos brothers – for a world record £63million.

The 48-year-old Brit met Russian promoters last weekend at Wladimir Klitschko’s successful defence of his world titles against Alexander Povetikin.

Former undisputed world heavyweight champion Lewis was offered £31.5million for the comeback – but told the Russians they will have to double that bid.

Lewis said: “That is my price tag and it is under discussion.

“I have told them I can be ready in six months and I am in provisional training.”

Lewis has been running in Hyde Park every morning and has got his weight down to under 300lb.

If he gets the cash he wants, it would eclipse the £41.2m pocketed by Floyd Mayweather for last month’s fight with Canelo Alvarez.

The promoters’ preference is thought to be a rematch of Lewis’ 2003 battle against Vitali Klitschko in Los Angeles, which Lewis won on cuts.

Vitali is now 42 and it would be his last hurrah before retiring to run for president of Ukraine.

Lewis, though, would prefer to take on Wladimir, 37.

He said: “I beat Vitali so I would like to fight the other brother but we’ll see how it works out. I want to bring back the Sweet Science to heavyweight boxing.”

Here's Lewis' (gruesome) fight with Klitschko:

Check out all the latest News, Sport & Celeb gossip at Mirror.co.uk Lennox Lewis boxing comeback is on at age 48 - provided he gets £63million fee - Mirror Online
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Orlando Cruz won the fight of his life when he came out last year as the first openly gay fighter in boxing.

Now he's in a fight of another kind, a championship battle on Saturday that is the biggest bout of his professional career.

"It's my dream and it's my time," Cruz said. "I've been waiting a long time to fight for the championship and I plan to make history."

Cruz takes on fellow veteran Orlando Salido in a fight for a piece of the featherweight title on the undercard of Timothy Bradley's fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. He'll do it wearing rainbow colours on his boxing trunks, his way of showing support for others in the gay and lesbian community.

When Juan Manuel Márquez challenges undefeated Timothy Bradley for the WBO welterweight championship Saturday in Las Vegas, the reverberations will be felt in Mexico, where the love of the bruising art is deep and being a champion means something more than making millions.

Boxing is the second-most popular sport in Mexico, after soccer. This was evident on Sept. 14, when Mexican Saul "Canelo" Alvarez lost a majority decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr.—and nearly eight of 10 households in Mexico with televisions tuned into the fight, according to Golden Boy Promotions, which promoted the bout.

But the importance of the gloved game in Mexico cannot be measured in terms of ratings. In December, Márquez—a 20-year boxing veteran and a distinguished personage in the rich lineage of the Mexican boxing tradition—was in a pitched battle with Manny Pacquiao, a fighter known as the Mexicutioner for his numerous triumphs over Mexican legends. It was their fourth encounter. Pacquiao was in kamikaze mode, pushing for a knockout, when the busted-up "El Dinamita" unleashed a perfectly timed right that plastered Pacquiao to the canvas and turned the boxing world on its ear.

After the bout, an ebullient Márquez said, "The strength for this punch came from my family…from my Mexican fans."

Boxing evokes something close to existential significance south of the border, with great Mexican fighters glimmering as beacons of hope, strength and resilience to countrymen in both Mexico and the U.S.

Americans often complain that their athletes lack a sense of history. Not so with Mexican boxers. "My father was a professional boxer and we [my brother Rafael and I] followed in his footsteps, and that led to the Romanza Gym," Márquez said in a recent interview, referring to the Mexico City gym where he was reared as a fighter. "There we got to see great fighters like Ricardo Lopez, Daniel Zaragoza and Humberto 'Chiquita' Gonzalez. All had something to offer to us. They were great teachers."

Some 200 world champions have either hailed from Mexico or have been of Mexican descent. Figures in the pugilistic pantheon include Ruben Olivares, Salvador Sanchez, Ricardo Lopez and Carlos Zarate.

These gladiators and a small cadre of others are revered in their home country, none more than Julio César Chávez, who fought from 1980 to 2005, was undefeated in his first 87 bouts and retired with a record of 107-6-2.

"When I beat Julio César Chávez," said Oscar De La Hoya, the retired Mexican-American champion, "there were even people in my own family who wouldn't talk to me. That tells you what a god he was."

Carlos Gallego, an expert in Hispanic studies and a professor at St. Olaf (Minn.) College, said, "A macho willingness to fight to the end, even against impossible odds, has always been an integral part of the Mexican psyche."

Indeed, one will rarely see a Mexican pugilist who is ahead on points gliding around the ring, eating up the clock. "Mexican fans know their boxing and can appreciate good skills," De La Hoya said, "but more than anything, they expect their champions to be fighters who take risks, who go for the knockout, who create drama."

During a recent break from his preparation for Bradley (30-0, 12 knockouts), the 40-year-old Márquez (55-6-1, 40 KOs) echoed De La Hoya's sentiments. "The fans in Mexico expect us to give it our all inside the ring," he said. "There is no such thing as surrender in this sport for Mexican fighters."




The Mexican Boxing Tradition - WSJ-com