Boxing Headlines

UFC 146: Dos Santos Retains Heavyweight Title

avilad60@hotmail.com (David A. Avila) — Sun, 27 May 2012 12:39:10 GMT

LAS VEGAS-Brazil's Junior Dos Santos and four of his fellow heavyweights headlined the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts fight card and more than 12,000 saw the Brazilian successfully retain the title on Saturday.

UFC 146 featured Dos Santos (15-1) making his first world title defense on the MMA card. He was cautious but explosive. All of the heavyweight bouts were explosive.

In the main event Mir (17-6) established early that he was going for a take down and nearly accomplished it in the first round. That kept Dos Santos from attacking too eagerly and most of the action took place from a distance. A right hand seemed to damage Mir and it dropped the American MMA fighter, but Dos Santos was taking no chances and allowed him to stand up.

“That surprised me, this guy can take a punch,” said Dos Santos about Mir's recuperative powers.

Mir kept looking for an opportunity to take down the champion but none came.

“The champ is fast. I couldn't get out of the way. I was taking too many punches. He’s a very dangerous guy,” said Mir. “I knew he would be a very difficult guy to take down. I didn't want to stand and box with him.”

Dos Santos kept his distance early in the second round and saw an opening for a counter right cross through Mir's guard. Down went the Las Vegas fighter but Dos Santos wasn't sure that Mir was truly hurt and backed off. When Mir attempted to

24/7 Heats Up: Roach Says He Might Recommend Manny Fire Ariza

mjwoods99@aol.com (Michael Woods) — Sun, 27 May 2012 03:48:38 GMT

photo by Chris Farina-Top Rank

In the second installment of HBO’s Pacquiao-Bradley 24/7, viewers are presented with the possibility that Timothy Bradley is a man at peace, not in recent flux, as Manny Pacquiao is, or was. Bradley is grounded, and has been for some time, in family, while Pacquiao has recently comes to grips with an emptiness inside which plagued him, and has now apparently been filled with a fuller embrace of religion.

In the opening scene, we saw Timothy Bradley at the gym he uses in Indio, CA, the Boys and Girls Club. Bradley said he doesn’t need a posse; the unspoken comparison is to Manny Pacquaio, who surrounds himself with a bunch of folks who have no clear job description. Bradley says trainer Joel Diaz is like a big brother to him, and he says he believes when the trainer tells him he will beat Manny.

Diaz recounts an occasion when Bradley ran 23 miles a week before a bout. It was just an eight rounder, the boxer says. Sometimes he works too hard for his own good, Diaz says.

Then, we see Manny’s Ferrari, which has been sitting idle in LA for six months. Pacman heads to the Wild Card, where he does mitts with Freddie. He says LA is like his second home. We hear that as before he trained in Baguio, for three weeks, first conditioning, then sparring, before coming to LA. We hear that Roach and Ariza have

EXPOSED! Froch Beats Up And Stops Bute

mjwoods99@aol.com (Michael Woods) — Sat, 26 May 2012 23:40:08 GMT

Froch admitted that if he lost, he would have retired. Many are saying it was one of the best showings from a British fighter ever.

Most anyone who’s laid eyes on Lucian Bute has liked what they’ve seen. But if there has been a persistent knock on the Romanian born hitter, it’s that he hasn’t been one to seek out the best and brightest foes to test his mettle. He’s been content to invite sub-stellar foes to his adopted home in Canada, critics have said. When word came that Bute would be tangling with Carl Froch, the rugged and skilled hitter from England, on Froch’s home turf, no less, critics had to acknowledge that come the night of May 26, questions about Lucian Bute would be answered.

That they were at the Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England on Saturday night, but not in the manner in which many experts surmised. Froch mugged Bute, whupped him from post to post, and took him out in round five. At 1:05 of the fifth, after two right crossed which snapped back the head of an overmatched Bute, his corner waved a white flag, and pulled the plug on the favorite. Froch got in his face, rushed him, flurried and then backed Bute up, never giving him room to do any long-range sniping.

Critics will now by and large denounce Bute as protected product, and note that it was no grand plan that his promoters invited oldsters, and journeymen to take on

Check Out Pacquiao on Kimmel!

info@thesweetscience.com (Administrator) — Sat, 26 May 2012 22:50:21 GMT

MANNY PACQUIAO’S SIXTH APPEARANCE ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!

ANOTHER ROUSING SUCCESS!

Kimmel Offers to Play Henry Kissinger and Mediate Pacquiao-Mayweather Negotiations!

HBO’s 24/7 PACQUIAO/BRADLEY Debuts Tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. (May 26, 2012) Fighter of the Decade, eight-division world champion, and boxing's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and box office attraction Congressman MANNY "PacMan" PACQUIAO took time from training for his upcoming defense of his WBO welterweight title against undefeated world champion and Top 10 pound-for-pound fighter Timothy Bradley, Jr. to make another boffo appearance on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday night. This was Manny’s sixth consecutive appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in as many world championship promotions, dating back to November 3, 2009 when he knocked out Miguel Cotto to claim the welterweight title. That 2009 appearance also marked Manny’s U.S. network TV debut, which has since led to a multitude of network television, radio and magazine features, including, CBS’ 60 Minutes, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight, ABC’s Nightline, FOX News Channel’s On The Record With Greta Van Susteren, CNN’s America Morning, NPR’s Morning Edition and Weekend Edition, Playboy, Sports Illustrated and cover stories in TIME and Newsweek.

After catching up with Manny on his life and training for his upcoming world title defense, Kimmel proposed mediating negotiations between Pacman and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. with the stipulation that each fighter could bring only one representative.

Below please find the links to Manny’s recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!,

Cleotis “Mookie” Pendarvis Wins Regional Titles in L.A.

avilad60@hotmail.com (David A. Avila) — Sat, 26 May 2012 22:28:24 GMT

WOODLAND HILLS, CALIF-Cleotis “Mookie” Pendarvis scrapped his way to winning the USBA and USNBC junior welterweight regional titles against Denver’s Rob “Red Hot” Frankel in a competitive match on Friday.

Pendarvis used his eye-popping speed to counter and attack in front of a mostly hometown crowd at the Warner Center Marriott. The Bash Boxing and Art of Boxing Promotion card proved to be unpredictable and that’s a good thing.

Denver’s Frankel was not there to be a punching dummy. If you’ve ever had a chance to see the lanky junior welterweight in action, he’s a true professional. When I say that I mean he comes to win every single time.

After Pendarvis jumped to a lead with his speed southpaw style, Frankel was able to pin him against the ropes and turn the fight into an inside rumble. That’s when it got interesting. The Denver boxer has fought numerous world champions and contenders in his career and showed that experience against Pendarvis.

Aside from the speed advantage, Pendarvis has always been a little known secret outside of the Los Angeles area except to the fighters themselves. He’s sparred with many of the elite fighters in the world and it shows when he’s in the ring. It showed Friday night or else Frankel would have hung a defeat on him.

“I had to take the fight inside,” said Pendarvis. “He came to fight hard and I expected that.”

For most of the latter half of the 12-round fight, both boxers took turns

UFC 146: Junior Dos Santos Leads the Big Guys

avilad60@hotmail.com (David A. Avila) — Sat, 26 May 2012 17:22:20 GMT

The last time Junior Dos Santos was in the Octagon he pounded his way to the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight belt…and many expect the same today.

Dos Santos (14-1) makes his first title defense on UFC 146 against former UFC champion Frank Mir (17-5) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The heavyweight themed fight card will also be televised on pay-per-view.

It’s the first time all five main televised fights will be comprised of heavyweights, the big guys.

Though Dos Santos may not be the biggest fighter size-wise, he definitely ranks at the top when it comes to pure punching power. Back in November he wrested the heavyweight crown from then champion Cain Velasquez with a number of clubbing punches that stunned the fight world with their ferocity and swiftness.

“Against Cain Velasquez I was ready to go all five rounds. You don’t walk in thinking you’re going to end a fight right away and yes I threw a really hard shot against Cain and it took him down. Even I was surprised that the shot landed as hard as it did and that he went down,” said Dos Santos during a conference call. “Ending the fight quickly – and the speed – it was really perfect, but it was the result of just paying 100 percent attention, seeing a moment and being able to capitalize on that moment. It wasn’t the strategy I walked in there with.”

Still, at any moment

Tarver Wants To Beat Kayode, Win Heavyweight Crown

info@thesweetscience.com (Administrator) — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:38:08 GMT

All eight fighters participating in “Four Warned,” the upcoming June 2 Quadrupleheader live on SHOWTIME^®(9 p.m. ET/PT) from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., participated in media conference calls on Wednesday and Thursday as they prepare for next week’s bouts.

Wednesday’s call featured Antonio “Magic Man” Tarver, Lateef “Power” Kayode, Vusi “Marvelous” Malinga, Leo “Terremoto” Santa Cruz, Kayode’s Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach and Tarver’s trainer Jimmy Williams.

Thursday’s call featured Winky Wright, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin, Austin “No Doubt” Trout and Delvin “El Peligro” Rodriguez.

“Four Warned,” a rare four-fight SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast, features former Light Heavyweight World Champion Antonio “Magic Man” Tarver (29-6, 20 KO’s) facing unbeaten Lateef Kayode (18-0, 14 KO’s) in a 12-round cruiserweight fight, former undisputed junior middleweight kingpin Winky Wright (51-5-1, 25 KO’s) returning to the ring to meet undefeated Peter Quillin (26-0, 20 KO’s) in a middleweight bout, Austin Trout (24-0, 14 KO’s) risking his perfect record and WBA Super Welterweight belt against Delvin Rodriguez (26-5-3, 14 KO’s) and IBF number one rated bantamweight contender Vusi Malinga (20-3, 12 KO’s) facing IBF number five rated bantamweight contender Leo Santa Cruz (19-0-1, 11 KO’s) for the vacant IBF bantamweight title.All four bouts are set for Saturday, June 2, airing live on SHOWTIME (9:00 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. “Four Warned” is presented by A.T. Entertainment, Golden Boy Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions with Trout vs. Rodriguez being presented

Hunter OK With Froch Rematch, Likes A Ward-Bute Fight More

none (Raymond Markarian) — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:44:48 GMT

Last December,Andre Ward capped a stellar year of 2011 by beating Carl Froch and capturing the Super Six World Boxing Classic championship trophy. It became even more remarkable after the Froch fight when Ward revealed a broken left hand that he used to blister the Englishman at will. The injury sidelined the undefeated Oakland native and he has since recovered.

Ward’s trainer Virgil Hunter took time to respond to Froch’s assertion.Hunter says Ward fought through injury to outclass Froch, and feels Froch is diminishing Ward’s accomplishment.

The 2011 BWAA Trainer of the Year tells TSS no one has been the same after fighting the undefeated Ward. And, after winning the Super Six World, Ward cleaned out the 168-pound division.

Now all signs point to a Ward/Dawson clash on September 8. Dawson is moving down from to 175 to 168 for the challenge. Hunter claims that Dawson is not the only one cutting weight to get to the 168 pound super middleweight limit because Ward considered a move to light heavyweight before Dawson called his name after the Hopkins fight in April.

I asked Hunter on Thursday morning to give us his take on the Dawson fight. The trainer also discusses the apparent delusion of Carl Froch,and tells us about why Dawson's flaws don't matter.

RM:

Pacquiao Does The Kimmel Thing

info@thesweetscience.com (Administrator) — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:14:11 GMT

May 24, 2012, Hollywood,Ca. --- "LIGHTS, CAMERA, KIMMEL" --- Superstar Manny Pacquiao arrives backstage at the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" ABC television show for his appearance Thursday night from Hollywood,Ca. Pacquiao prepares for his upcoming World Welterweight title mega-fight against undefeated Jr. Welterweight champion Timothy "The Desert Storm" Bradley Jr.. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions, Tecate, AT&T and MGM Grand, Pacquiao vs Bradley will take place, Saturday, June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, live on HBO Pay Per View. --- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank

Biosse Beats Spina Via UD

info@thesweetscience.com (Administrator) — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:10:00 GMT

LINCOLN, R.I. (May 24, 2012) – Something about the bright lights and the big stage seems to bring out the best in Vladine Biosse.

Facing the toughest test of his career, Biosse (13-1-1) fought what might’ve been his best fight, out-slugging and out-working veteran Joey Spina (26-3-2) in a 78-74, 78-74, 79-73 unanimous decision win Thursday night in front of a sold-out crowd at Twin River Casino to retain his New England super middleweight title.

Nicknamed “Mr. Providence,” Biosse won the highly-anticipated intrastate showdown by landing the cleaner, harder punches and beating the “K.O. Kid” at his own game. Spina’s power – he entered the fight with 18 knockouts in 26 victories – was supposed to be the decided factor, but it was Biosse, arguably the more athletic of the two, who looked every bit like the knockout artist.

Biosse had gone 1-1-1 in his previous three bouts, including a knockout loss to Denis Grachev last May and a draw against John Mackey in October, but he looked as sharp as ever Thursday with a performance reminiscent of his unanimous-decision win over Joey McCreedy on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” in July of 2010.

The former University of Rhode Island football star has quietly carved a niche as an elite, primetime performer; he’s 2-0 in nationally-televised bouts – both on ESPN – and now owns an impressive win over one of Providence’s most heralded fighters. For Spina, Thursday was his second consecutive loss, beginning with his split-decision loss to Jerson

Read more...

Tim “Desert Storm” Bradley Brewing Up Another

avilad60@hotmail.com (David A. Avila) — Fri, 25 May 2012 02:06:48 GMT

photo by Chris Farina-Top Rank

INDIO-Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley walked into the gym with a scrunched tightness of his mouth and narrow looking eyes as he glided through a throng of photographers, reporters and well-wishers on Thursday.

If you had seen Bradley two months ago it was a Jekyll and Hyde difference. The junior welterweight from Palm Springs was amiable, smiling and chatting without a care in the world back in March.

That’s all changed now.

A steely-eyed Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs) sat on a bench with dozens of reporters anxious to talk about his coming encounter with Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) on Saturday June 9, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. HBO pay-per-view will televise the Top Rank event.

Bradley has that angry hungry look.

Both Top Rank’s Bob Arum and Bradley were present at the Indio Boys and Girls Club where the popular local fighter trains regularly. On their agenda was the cause and effects of the super showdown with Pacquiao and both talked briefly about the current drug testing that has derailed three fights in the past month including mixed martial arts heavyweight Alistair Overeem, boxing junior welterweight Lamont Peterson and welterweight Andre Berto.

“I’m just like wow, you got to be more careful to know what you’re taking,” said Bradley about the rash of canceled high profile bouts. “I think fighters need to research, do their homework.”

Bradley believes both boxers suffered from lack of education regarding Performance Enhancement Drugs or PEDs.

“Lamont’s
Read more...

Winky Wright: Better Late Than Never?

fernanb@phillynews.com (Bernard Fernandez) — Fri, 25 May 2012 01:48:16 GMT

“There are no second acts in American lives,” author F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote, which, of course, is so much bullspit. In boxing, there always seems to be some aging fighter raising the curtain on the second act of his ring career, and sometimes even on the third and fourth acts.

Sugar Ray Leonard’s devoted fan base dared to believe he could reinvent himself when he challenged WBC middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler in the spring of 1987, Leonard’s first fight in nearly three years and only his second in five years. The faithful were rewarded when their hero, whom so many others did not think stood a chance against the fearsome Hagler, was awarded a split decision and thus pulled off the biggest upset, or at least the most memorable one, since Muhammad Ali went to Zaire and shocked the world by taking down George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle” on Oct. 30, 1974.

Those same diehards probably convinced himself that Leonard, only 2½ months shy of his 41^st birthday and inactive for six years, could again dip into his trick bag and pull out another semi-miracle in his March 1, 1997, comeback against Hector Camacho in Atlantic City. But that old Sugary magic had all been used up, and Camacho – never known as one of boxing’s bigger blasters – sent Leonard into what proved to be his final retirement via fifth-round technical knockout.

“There comes a point in everyone’s life where
Read more...

Pacquiao-Bradley 24/7 Episode 2 Debuts Saturday (9:30 PM)

info@thesweetscience.com (Administrator) — Fri, 25 May 2012 01:38:42 GMT

24/7 PACQUIAO/BRADLEY

MAY 26 EPISODE

Week Two:

Debut: SATURDAY, MAY 26 (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Other HBO playdates: May 26 (12:25 a.m.), 27 (9:00 a.m.), 28 (6:30 p.m., 2:40 a.m.), 29 (10:00 p.m.), 30 (9:00 a.m.) and 31 (5:00 p.m., 2:45 a.m.), and June 1 (12:30 a.m.), 2 (10:30 a.m.), 8 (7:00 p.m.) and 9 (10:00 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: May 27 (11:45 p.m.) and 30 (10:30 p.m.), and June 8 (12:35 a.m.), 9 (5:30 p.m.) and 10 (9:50 a.m.)

HBO On Demand^® availability begins: May 29

The special will also be available on HBO GO^®.

International boxing icon Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) leaves his home in the Philippines for his second home at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, while undefeated challenger Timothy Bradley Jr. (28-0, 12 KOs) hits his hometown gym in Palm Springs, Cal. as the two train for their welterweight title showdown in Las Vegas.

“Pacquiao vs. Bradley” takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Saturday, June 9 at 9:00 p.m. (ET)/6:00 p.m. PT, and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View^®.

The executive producer of 24/7 PACQUIAO/BRADLEY is Rick Bernstein; senior producer, Dave Harmon; coordinating producer, Bentley Weiner; producers, George Jakovic, Harley Glantz and Gabe Spitzer; writer, Aaron Cohen. Liev Schreiber narrates.

It's Awards Season For Al Bernstein

info@thesweetscience.com (Administrator) — Fri, 25 May 2012 01:30:14 GMT

SHOWTIME^® BOXING ANALYST AL BERNSTEIN ENTERS AWARD SEASON

PRIMED FOR THE SPORT’S HIGHEST HONOR AND MORE Bernstein to be Inducted into International Boxing Hall Of Fame, Honored with “Good Guy’’ Award by Boxing Writers Association of America, Release New Book, “30 Years, 30 Undeniable Truths About Boxing, Sports and TV”

NEW YORK (May 24, 2012) – Al Bernstein has always been a man that likes to stay busy, but the coming weeks may be a tad hectic – even for him.

As SHOWTIME Sports^® gears up for what will be a sizzling summer of fistic action, Bernstein will be preparing himself for his impending induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the honor of being named the winner of the Marvin Kohn “Good Guy” Award by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and the launch of a new book, “30 Years, 30 Undeniable Truths About Boxing, Sports and TV.” All the while, he’ll continue to prepare for the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts on June 2 and June 23.

Just days after the respected, longtime broadcaster calls the June 2 quadrupleheader in Los Angeles on SHOWTIME featuring boxing legends Antonio Tarver and “Winky” Wright in separate bouts, Bernstein will be at The Copacabana in New York City to receive the “Good Guy” Award at the Copacabana on Wednesday, June 6 before heading to Canastota, N.Y., for the 23^rd annual Hall of Fame induction weekend ceremonies which takes place June 7-10.

Bernstein will join an elite group
Read more...

Delvin Rodriguez Aims At Austin Trout

info@thesweetscience.com (Administrator) — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:38:16 GMT

BRONX, NY (May 24, 2012) Delvin Rodriguez's life as a 32-year-old world ranked prizefighter, father and son looks to add another title on Saturday, June 2nd, as he gets a second chance to a lifetime goal, being called a 'world champion'.

Although known as one of boxing's true warriors with a recent five-year span facing only the toughest fights in the welterweight and now junior middleweight divisions, Rodriguez gets a second opportunity to become a world champion, a title he's worked towards since he was 10 years old when he had his first amateur bout.

With a huge crowd expected at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California and a SHOWTIME televised audience, Rodriguez will challenge WBA Junior Middleweight World Champion Austin Trout over twelve rounds.

Rodriguez first fought for the world title on August 1, 2009, against Isaac Hlatshwayo at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. The bout for the IBF Welterweight Title, seemingly was won by Rodriguez over the twelve rounds as he controlled the action throughout only to be disappointed by the split decision loss.

Promoted by Star Boxing for most of his career, Rodriguez typifies fighters from a different era; with no tune-ups or "stay busy" fights on his ledger.

"Delvin has been terrific to promote. He's always challenged himself with each bout to face the highest ranked guy available, a fight that could lead to a world title bout. For him it's all about getting that world title belt and the fans and TV
Read more...