RT @TodoCorazon17: So this is a good thing bc Delvin got the decision & should have got the TKO. But what if Hernandez would have got the n… 15 hours ago
Did the never-ending P90X yoga session earlier. Feeling very relaxed #oooooooohm! 15 hours ago
The boxing world is in mourning with the news of Omar Henry’s passing this morning from gall bladder cancer.
The 25-year-old junior middleweight fighter was diagnosed with the disease in November when he was forced to pull out of a scheduled national TV appearance on Showtime. The diagnosis was Stage 4 cancer.
Henry chose to deal with his illness publicly, making regular updates to fans and well-wishers via his Twitter and Facebook accounts.
On Thursday, Henry would make his final post vowing to continue fighting.
To all my friends and loyal fans I want to inform you all that I am fighting the fight of my life against a disease known as gallbladder cancer. While lm in this current state I am fighting with my family by my side and I will not go down for the count. I am a champion who has chosen to fight not just for myself but for those who’s faith is believing in what u cant see, and i will continue tofight!!!!!and fight!!!!!and fight!!!!!till I knock this sickness out. Your love and support mean the most to me, your prayers are prayers not only to me but to others like me. Please be advised l am grateful for any and all support in any kind of way please inbox me. My family has continued to be by my side, and its hard for them as well. I want to thank God for unconditional love and unconditional fans. Thanks again Omar Henry
Henry’s final ring record is 12-0-1 (9 KOs).
Those seeking to make donations for Henry’s final arrangements and family can do so at OmarDHenry87@gmail.com.
At press time, funeral arrangements have not been announced.
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I can’t even imagine the mental devastation of having your life completely changed in just a matter of months. From being a robust, healthy athlete to losing massive amounts of weight and being told by a doctor that your death is imminent.
Through it all, Henry never lost his will to live.
When someone passes from cancer, we routinely say they “lost” their fight with the disease. In Henry’s case, the inspiration he provided people with his poise in the face of his final fight ensures his spirit remains unconquered.
Former featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa has been named as a client of a Miami-based clinic that has prescribed performance enhancing drugs to a group of high-profile professional athletes for the past several years.
According to the Miami New Times, the anti-aging clinic Biogenesis dealt human growth hormones (HGH), anabolic steroids and testosterone before it closed last month. Gamboa allegedly became a client based on the handwritten notebook of Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch, who prescribed a regimen for the boxer that included HGH and a testosterone cream.
In addition, the Bosch’s notes recommended that Gamboa cycle off performance enhancing drugs preceding his canceled April 2012 fight with Brandon Rios, advising Gamboa to “start clean-up Dec.1.”
Gamboa is the only boxer named in the investigation along with a list that inclues prominent baseball stars such as Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera and Nelson Cruz.
The developing story has already been dubbed the “East Coast Balco” in memory of the West Coast clinic that exposed the steroid use of athletes such as Marion Jones and Shane Mosley nearly a decade ago.
At press time, Gamboa nor his representatives could be reached for comment.
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“Innocent until proven guilty” is still the motto we should all adhere to, but I’m positive no one is surprised no matter when you stand on this issue. When you consider that the steroid tests for boxing really didn’t become a serious topic until early 2010 when the first Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations collapsed, the idea that Gamboa, who scored devastating KOs in all his 2009 fights, has a monster physique and a freakish combination of speed and power, might have been on something is not that big of a stretch.
We’ll see where this goes in the coming weeks. Unless Gamboa is forced to testify in front of a grand jury, I doubt he’ll divulge many details.
For most, beating able to survive a bout with cancer is enough. After that, whatever lifestyle changes recommended by a doctor are followed meticulously. Former middleweight prospect Danny Jacobs was faced with the same scenario in May 2011, when he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma that latched onto his spine. Unable to walk, the 25-year-old Jacobs had emergency surgery on his back and was told in no uncertain terms that his boxing career was over.
Within a month of that medical declaration, Jacobs was back in the ring sparring.
Over a year later, Jacobs finds himself back in the ring professionally tomorrow night on Showtime when he faces Josh Luteran to kick off his official comeback. The story is inspiring; many have rightfully proclaimed Jacobs an inspiration no matter what the outcome of his comeback. But unlike other sports, boxing is brutal vocation that shows no mercy in exposing any sign of weakness. The cancer may have increased Jacobs’ mental fortitude, but has that happened at the expense of his in-ring ability?
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: On you’re journey back to the ring, did you have any mental fear or blocks when it came to taking punches and sparring?
Jacobs: When I went back into sparring it was at a time when doctors told me I shouldn’t spar. A month after, if not a few weeks. after I got out of the hospital I was in there sparring. That first time I got a really good shot, it kind of shook me up a little bit. I didn’t get hurt, but it was a reminder that “this is what you have to look forward to.” If I am going to do it, I have to go hard and give it my all because boxing is a rough sport. It definitely was a good reminder that allowed me to work hard because I didn’t want to take those shots like a did before [laughs].
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Any time you’ve had major surgery you’re going to notice differences in your body. Hopefully, those differences will be improvements but that varies. What changes did you notice afterward?
Jacobs: The surgery on my back was the longest to heal. I remember my back was numb for a very long time and in pain for months. I definitely see a difference in my weight and my structure. I’ve never been this ripped, cut up and in shape. I don’t know what happened, but you can distinctively see the difference from when I fought [Dmitry] Pirog. I had one of the longest and best training camps for that fight. Training for this fight, I definitely see the changes in physique.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Being that it took so long for Josh Luteran to be named as your opponent, how has that changed your preparation?
Jacobs: I’m not one of those fighters that doesn’t look at opponents. If I do know who I’m fighting I try my best to do a little bit of research. What I did come up with was a couple of Youtube clips that he had. It was enough for me to know how he fights, his flaws and to get a gist of his style. I showed my trainers and with the little bit of time we do have we focus on using all his flaws to our advantage.
On Saturday night, not that I’m overlooking him, that’s a special night and I’m looking to perform. Whatever he brings to the table, I’ll be willing to adjust and stay in control.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Depending on the fighter’s temperament, some have to focus on restraining rather than embracing their emotions on fight night. For you, will you have to keep the flood of emotions with this comeback in check until after the final bell?
Jacobs: To be honest, I really want to be able to map out how everything is going to turn out that night with my emotions and how I’ll react. But honestly, I really don’t know how I’ll react. I know I’m in tip-top shape and I’ll be able to perform, but emotionally I might be on a natural high and perform like Ali. Or God forbid I’m nervous and it takes over me. [laughs] In all reality, I think I’ll just enjoy myself and let my hands go because I have a job to do and it’s nothing I haven’t done before. I just have to go in there and get the job done.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: With the changes you’ve experienced with your body, can you remain at middleweight for the near future?
Jacobs: Being that I made weight 3-4 weeks before this fight, I’m going to campaign at middleweight for a very long time. Surprisingly, I shot up to 225 pounds post-surgery. It’s been very hard to deal with that fact because as an athlete and especially as a boxer gaining so much weight, it’s not good at all. We’re so used to being very healthy and weight conscious.
To bounce back and be in shape and ripped, it’s motivation for me. I know I have what it takes. Whatever the surgery did to me to make get this way, I’m thankful for it. At the end of the day, I’m going in the ring October 20 and just having fun.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: This is your comeback from cancer, but people forget you had “quiet comebacks” in your last two fights to rebound from the Pirog loss. How were those?
Jacobs: I was a little nervous. I was more so nervous about being gunshy and not letting my hands go. With the loss [to Pirog] I know I didn’t lose my skill, but I know I had my butterflys. My mindframe is different now because with everything I went through, I’m able to take control of how I think and feel. With the determination I have, there’s no stopping me when I get in the ring. There will be a couple butterflys, that’s normal, but it won’t affect how I perform.
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Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: What was prognosis on the possibility of your type of cancer coming back?
Jacobs: The cancer I had was a very rare cancer of the bone called osteosarcoma. The chances of it coming back are totally up to me. I have to continue to eat right and stay away from certain foods and sugars. That isn’t too hard because I’ve been an athlete for 11 plus years [and] especially with my life on the line. I might cheat here and there but I’m doing pretty good. I don’t know if there’s a big chance of it coming back, but being that there is a chance I want to do the right thing to prevent it coming back at all.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Middleweight has really evolved while you were away. How do you view the division?
Jacobs: I’ve done a bunch of evaluations on the middleweight division. When I left, it wasn’t a lot of top-notch guys. They were on the cusp. While I was recovering, that whole two years is when guys started to really bubble and rise to the top and become champions. I’m just excited to be in an exciting weight class. Whoever we fight, it doesn’t matter because the middleweight division has so much attention on it. Before it was just 1-2 guys at the top. Now it’s a handful of talented guys when I get back to that level.
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World championship boxing returns to Brooklyn with an inaugural night of fights at the new Barclays Center on October 20 headlined by Unified Super Lightweight World Champion Danny “Swift” Garcia against future Hall of Famer Erik “El Terrible” Morales presented by Golden Boy Promotions and supported by Golden Boy Promotions sponsors Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. In the co-featured attractions, Brooklyn’s own Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi puts his WBA Welterweight World Championship on the line against hard-hitting Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano, undefeated number one rated WBO middleweight contender Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin of Manhattan takes on unbeaten Hassan N’Dam for N’Dam’s WBO Middleweight World Championship and Devon Alexander “The Great” faces Randall Bailey for Bailey’s IBF Welterweight World Championship in a bout presented in association with DiBella Entertainment. The SHOWTIME® CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Preliminary fights will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).
The undercard is loaded with many of New York’s top fighters, including Brooklyn’s hot middleweight prospect Daniel “The Golden Child” Jacobs, former World Champion Luis Collazo, the Bronx’s rising star Eddie Gomez, former world title contender Dmitriy Salita and Brooklyn prospect Boyd Melson.
Tickets pricedat $300, $200, $100 and $50 are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling 800-745-3000.
Many critics say Hip-Hop would be much better off if artists rapped about what they knew. Philadelphia native Vas is doing just that in his debut video “Food (Glorious Phood).” From his physical appearance and descriptive lyrics, it’s quite evident this man knows all the eatery spots in his city. This humorous track is supplied with a head-nodding beat that’ll remind you of MF Doom’s work. And peep the Allen Iverson practice speech parody in the middle of the clip.
Vas’ debut album Raging Bullshit is available HERE.
Rick Ross is recovering st a Fort Lauderdale hospital after falling unconscious during a seizure on a flight to Memphis.
Ross suffered the seizure immediately after the flight took off, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing. A doctor on the plane administered CPR before Ross was taken to an area hospital.
Maybach Music Group artist Wale took to Twitter to advise fans Ross was “100 pct sic] ok.”
At press time, Rick Ross has only released a quick Twitter response affirming his health.
