Posts Tagged ‘heavyweight’

Alexander Povetkin Disposes of Wawrzyk Via Third Round TKO

Posted: May 17, 2013 in Fight Reports
Tags: , , , , , ,
1

Povetkin

Alexander Povetkin faced another hopeless opponent in Andrzej Wawrzyk this afternoon and scored a dominating third round knockout. The 6’5, previously undefeated Wawryzk (27-1, 13 KOs) had a thin resume and it showed against Povetkin, who quickly started to walk him down and land massive overhand rights and hooks to the body.

The backpedaling Wawrzyk was dropped via a counter overhand right in the second. A Povetkin leaping left hook notched the second knockdown in the third. Povetkin clubbed Wawrzyk inside with a right for the fourth knockdown that finally prompted the ref stoppage.

*******************************

I’d venture to say Wawrzyk wasn’t much better than the ancient Hasim Rahman that Povetkin bludgeoned back in September. It’s quite shameful that after all these years, Povetkin has yet to truly test himself against a Klitschko. The man is now 33 years old and seems content to defend his paper “WBA World” heavweight title against lame opposition. Well, at least his fight with Marco Huck last year was good.

About these ads

[Video] 70 Seconds: Deontay Wilder Bombs Out Audley Harrison

Posted: April 27, 2013 in Fight Reports
Tags: , , , , , , ,
1

Audley Harrison_KOd

SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom — Deontay Wilder needed just 55 seconds to dispatch Audley Harrison before his countrymen at the Motorpoint Arena earlier this afternoon.

Harrison was put in trouble by the only solid punch of the fight, a Wilder counter right. With Harrison hurt and trapped in a corner, Wilder swung wild haymakers until Harrison crumpled to the canvas. Although Harrison beat the count, the ref quickly waved it off.

Wilder’s perfect KO record remain in tact with all of his 28 wins coming inside the distance.

The first round KO mirrors the result of Harrison’s last significant fight. Last year, David Price also defeated Harrison via first round knockout.

***********************************************

What took you so long, Deontay! Seriously, Harrison is just cannon fodder at this point for any decent fighter. In the above pic, the look on the ref’s face seems to say “get the hell out of the ring with this nonsense.” Check out the full fight below and see what I mean.

[Video] Too Big, Too Strong — Tyson Fury KO7 Steve Cunningham

Posted: April 20, 2013 in Fight Reports
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1

Fury_Cunningham_KO

NEW YORK CITY, NY — Tyson Fury rose from a massive second round knockdown in his American debut to overpower and knock out Steve Cunningham yesterday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

There had been a lot of jawing back and forth between these fighters and Fury continued it during the opening bell by mocking Cunningham’s jab. That disdain was quickly wiped off Fury’s face in the second when Cunningham took full advantage of a low guard and dropped Fury flat on his back with an overhand right  (think the first Marquez knockdown on Pacquiao in their fourth fight). Fury took time to collect himself and while he tied up Cunningham effectively, Fury remained buzzed for the rest of the round.

Realizing the peril with continuing to box with a faster opponent, Fury smartly changed the contest to an inside fight. He utilized his massive 6’9 frame and 40 pound weight advantage to manhandle Cunningham in clinches. In addition, Fury landed short, hard hooks and uppercuts during these inside exchanges that began taking effect within a few rounds.

It would be a right uppercut while Cunningham was trapped on the ropes that badly stunned him in the seventh. Fury kept him on the ropes and used his left forearm to hold Cunningham’s head in place to smash home a crushing right hook. Cunningham toppled backwards onto the canvas and couldn’t beat the ten-count.

The win was an IBF eliminator, putting Fury in line to face champion Wladimir Klitschko.

*******************************************************************

It was really cool to have this fight going on in the Garden at the same time the Knicks were beginning their playoff race in the main building. Fury brought out a good crowd and handled business. That knockdown was strictly due to his arrogance and lack of respect for Cunningham. But to Fury’s credit, he adapted and started using his physical advantages. It was a nasty KO and reminds me of what you’d see someone do in a street fight.

Cunningham was very sour after the defeat. There was disbelief in there as I’m sure he really thought it was over after that second round knockdown. If he had landed that on a cruiserweight, the answer would have been yes. Getting stretched like he was after dealing with the Adamek robbery is a tough reality to swallow.

As for Fury-Klitschko, I hope we see that by the end of the year. Wlad is the massive favorite of course, but I’d like to see if Fury can get any work done inside and be the boss with the clinches. It’s his only chance and he’s sure big enough to do it.

FULL FIGHT

[Video] Upset of the Year Contender: Tony Thompson TKO2 David Price

Posted: February 23, 2013 in Fight Reports
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
2

Price_Thompson_KO

 

LIVERPOOL, England —  David Price’s undefeated record evaporated in the second round earlier today via a shocking upset knockout at the hands of Tony Thompson.

The end came off a seemingly light, clubbing overhand right. The shot landed behind Price’s ear and sent the 6’9 heavyweight toppling backwards to the canvas. Referee Steve Gray deemed Price in no condition to continue.

The upset is the 41- year-old Thompson’s most significant victory since winning a title eliminator against Luan Krasniqi in 2007.

**************************************************************

Can’t even imagine how Price is feeling being dropped like that in front of his hometown fans. Thompson is ancient even by heavyweight standards and can into the fight at a career-high of 262 pounds. No one gave him any shot. And as expected, fans are having a field day at Price’s expense with the glass chin jokes being that the KO shot didn’t look particularly devastating. Like Seth Mitchell in America, we’ll see if Price has the fortitude to rebound over the rest of the year.

In the meantime, guys like Tyson Fury and Bryant Jennings currently stand alone as the sports unblemished “young” heavyweights.

David Haye on 2013 Vitali Fight: “The contract’s already agreed to.”

Posted: January 10, 2013 in Fight News
Tags: , , , , ,
0

haye_chisora_knockdown

David Haye has claimed that he’s signed a preliminary contract to challenge WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko.

Haye confirmed the news recently at fan meet and greet at his London gym. While no date has been finalized, Haye explained that he’s agreed to a rematch clause and expects the contest to be held in Germany.

Should the fight fall through, Haye will opt for retirement rather than consider fights against Tyson Fury and David Price.

Haye’s last bout was a fifth round TKO of Dereck Chisora in July. Vitali Klitschko’s last bout was a September fourth round TKO over Manuel Charr.

Christmas Comes Early: Adamaek Gets Undeserved Decision Over Devastated Cunningham

Posted: December 23, 2012 in Fight Reports
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Cunningham_Adamek_rematch

Looks like we just couldn’t end the 2012 year of boxing on a high note. Yesterday afternoon, Tomasz Adamek and Steve Cunningham met in a rematch four years in the making. The bout had everything you’d want in a network TV bout to attract more fans — a contrast in styles, some late round drama and two highly skilled fighters. All of that was unfortunately mired by a decision that managed to slap Cunningham in the face twice.

 

AFTERNOON ROBBERIES SUCK JUST AS MUCH AS LATE NIGHT ROBBERIES: Let me clear from the jump — this fight was not close. Some people have tried to say this fight “could’ve gone either way” and that even the draw was acceptable. NO. Unless your definition of “effective aggression” is coming forward, eating jabs and missing or having the majority of your power punches blocked when trying to steal rounds in the last 10 seconds, then Adamek was not winning that many rounds. Sure, there wasn’t a lot in the way of clean punching or exchanges early on, but that’s when a trained judge is supposed to look at other things like ring generalship and defense, two criteria Cunningham far and away exceeded at. My final scorecard had Cunningham winning by a score of 116-112. The official judge scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 113-115 for Adamek. To make matters worse, one card was initially announced as 115-115 for a draw, leaving Cunningham visibly shocked. Then the real hammer came down about a minute later with the “correction” giving Cunningham a majority decision loss. Completely absurd.

 

Tor Hamer’s First and Final Chance: I wasn’t too familiar with heavyweight Tor Hamer, who got a chance to showcase himself in the opener. Funny thing is when he was trying to stare down his opponent Vyascheslav Glozkov, I put a comment on Twitter that he needed to work on it as I was not scared. Well, neither was Glazkov, who after feeling out Hamer’s power in the first completely humiliated Hamer and made him fold. Glazkov is a former Olympic bronze medalist and had a clear advantage in skill over Hamer, who repeatedly ran into left hook potshots and short right crosses. Glazkov dominated Hamer in the fourth, but was still outboxing Hamer over really putting a beating on him. However, the mental aspect of getting hit and knowing what was coming was too much for Hamer, who promptly quit on his stool. On the replay, you could hear him saying “I can’t  do it anymore.”

It was mentioned on the broadcast that Hamer holds a degree in Urban Planning. Now would be the time for the 29 year old to put that degree to good use and find a new line of work. If he couldn’t handle the difficulties that Glazkov was starting to put on him, there’s no feasible way he can have a successful career as a boxer. The ring is the ultimate cold truth, and Hamer found out the Sweet Science is definitely not his calling.

 

There Was Some Good: The main event robbery was a bitter end, but overall NBC Sports did a good job with the show. The production wasn’t HBO or Showtime slick, but the presentation was very clear and the storylines cogently established for anyone who just happened to flip there. In addition, I liked how they put the fighter themselves in the ring to review their fight strategies Teddy Atlas style. There were complaints about there being no post-fight interviews and commentary, but the early evening news will always take precedent much like it does with other sports (ie. football) end.

 

What are your thoughts? Am I going overboard with the robbery claims against Steve Cunningham?

Bryant Jennings Says Deontay Wilder Is “Beneath Him,” Claims He Was Avoided

Posted: December 20, 2012 in Fight News
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

Jennings

Count Bryant Jennings as one man who was not impressed with Deontay Wilder’s one-punch knockout of Kelvin Price last Saturday on Showtime. In fact, Jennings is calling Wilder’s bluff, claiming that a previous offer for both to square off was turned down by the Wilder camp.

In an interview with BadCulture.net, Jennings responded in detail to Wilder’s call for them to fight next in early 2013.

“It’s about who has the best title and benefits my career progression,” said Jennings. “I have no interest in going near Deontay Wilder – he’s actually beneath me. He actually needs me and I don’t need him. I don’t even look forward to that fight. I’m focused on my goal of being the heavyweight champion of the world.”

Both Jennings and Wilder remain undefeated and are currently the two most visible and active American heavyweights.  According to Jennings, his dismissal of a potential matchup is due to Wilder previously turning down an offer.

“We sent him a contract before and he denied it first, and I don’t go back around twice. He had his chance before and didn’t want it,” explained Jennings. ”He went to camp with Klitschko  and got a little courage. So now all of a sudden he’s believing himself. Nobody’s speaking for him, he’s speaking for himself and he doesn’t speak well. He’s talks a lot of bullshit. He’s kind of a little bit too cocky right now and he hasn’t done enough.”

Wilder fights under Golden Boy Promotions while Jennings is signed to Main Events.

*****************************************************************

If you haven’t already, make sure you check out BadCulture.net. It’s ran by Je’andra LeBeauf, who I had the pleasure of meeting in May while covering the Mayweather-Cotto card. She is very knowledgable of the sport and has started making noise in the boxing community over the last few months. Be on the lookout for more exclusive interviews and content on her site. And if you like hilarious (and insightful) commentary with your boxing coverage, make sure to follow her on Twitter @jethang.

With Seth Mitchell trying to rebuild, Bryant Jennings and Deontay Wilder have stepped to the forefront as our best heavyweight prospects. I have no doubt that Wilder turned down a previous Jennings offer — even now Wilder is still very raw while from a technical standpoint, Jennings is much further along. However, that is no excuse for these two not to fight in early 2013.

Neither man has a host of Top 10 heavyweight scalps on their resumes. So the argument that Jennings gave regarding Wilder being “beneath him,” at least from a visibility standpoint, is full of hyperbole. Jennings may have a point when it comes to in-ring capability, so why not prove it? A win for either guy is a prominent one and would do a lot for their careers.

What are your thoughts? Would you like to see this fight in 2013?

Seth Mitchell to Rematch Johnathon Banks on Feb. 16

Posted: December 12, 2012 in Fight News
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Mitchell_Banks_weighin

Seth Mitchell will waste no time with tuneups and head right back in the ring with the man who gave him his first defeat, Johnathon Banks, on a HBO card scheduled for February 16.

In a statement to boxingscene.com, Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez said Mitchell was intent on making the rematch in early 2013.

Mitchell suffered a devastating defeat on HBO to Banks on November 17 when he was knocked down three times in second round in route to a TKO stoppage. Mitchell had been showcased prominently on HBO over the last several months and was being mentioned as a possible opponent for the Klitschkos in 2013. Banks, who was mentored by the late Emanuel Steward, took over training duties for Steward fighter Wladimir Klitschko last month.

The rematch will be shown at the undercard of Adrien Broner’s first lightweight title defense since lifting the WBC title off Antonio DeMarco.

**********************************************

I really like this move from Team Mitchell. Why waste time with useless tuneups? He got the biggest lesson he could ever have with the Banks, which exploited Mitchell’s tendencies to lean in while punching and dropping his hands. Both guys have shown they can hurt each other (Mitchell’s right had Banks holding in the first and he landed a hard body shot before walking into that Banks counter). It’s a dangerous fight, but at 30 years old Mitchell needs to go for it and find out where his ceiling is in the heavyweight division. Like the first, the likelihood of this one seeing the final bell is minimal.

And will 50 Cent pull trigger early and have Yuriorkis Gamboa face Broner in the main event? Gamboa has already declined considering a fight against former rival Juan Manuel Lopez. I doubt it comes off this soon, but what a nice card this would be if both these fights were to come off.

[VIDEO] From Trainer to Center Stage: Johnathon Banks Blows Away Seth Mitchell in 2

Posted: November 18, 2012 in Fight Reports
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
1

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — The fact that Johnathon Banks, an Emanuel Steward trainer protege who’s been boxing since the age of 15, defeated a relative newcomer to the sport in Seth Mitchell is technically not that big of an upset. However, the manner in which Banks scored the victory is. Banks needed only two rounds to exploit Mitchell’s tendency to lunge with punches to drop him three times for a second round TKO at the Boardwalk Hall.

Seen as the best American heavyweight prospect by HBO, Mitchell had promised to correct the defensive flaws that got him in trouble in April when he faced Chazz Witherspoon. In the first round, Mitchell appeared to have done that. He worked the jab from the outside and had Banks holding after every landed right hand. Banks remained composed and landed one counter corkscrew right off a Mitchell miss. That punch started Mitchell’s downfall in the second, as Mitchell lunged in with an errant right that was countered with a short right hook and clubbing left that destroyed Mitchell’s equilibrium.

Mitchell tried to hold on at the waist but Banks quickly pushed him off and sent him crashing into the ropes with a series of power shots. Mitchell rose and couldn’t hold effectively under Banks’ barrage. Mitchell attempt to fight out of the danger resulted in further left and right hooks for a second knockdown. Rising again, Mitchell was badly staggered by another left hook and quickly sent careening back to the canvas to prompt the referee stoppage.

Banks, coming off an emotional week in having to attend Emanuel Steward’s funeral just a few days ago, dedicated the fight to his former mentor. Mitchell, who has suffered his first defeat, vowed to continue his dream to become heavyweight champion.

“He caught me,” Mitchell admitted. “I threw a looping shot and reached. He did what he was supposed to do.”

FULL FIGHT LINK

***************************************************************

Huge win for Johnathon Banks. It would be surreal for him to face Wladimir Klitschko, the man he currently trains. But hey, business is business, and Banks made it clear he’s up for it. As for Mitchell, he made some of the same mistakes he made against Witherspoon, except this time he was in with a better fighter that could exploit it. Now comes the real test. Does Mitchell have the intestinal fortitude to bounce back from a crushing defeat? The road back to convincing fans and some writers, who’ve already begun on message boards and articles stating Mitchell was an overhyped HBO creation, is a long, tough climb. The work begins now.

What are your thoughts? Can Mitchell come back and be a force, or have we seen his ceiling as a fighter?

[Video, Photos] Broner vs. DeMarco, Mitchell vs. Banks: Weigh-In Results and Prediction

Posted: November 17, 2012 in Fight News
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Broner: 134.5 lbs

DeMarco: 134.5 lbs

Prediction: Broner UD12. With DeMarco’s power, I expect Broner to be on the move and using his speed to potshot. DeMarco can take a pretty good punch and at times Broner will sit down on his shots and land some jarring counters. DeMarco should be able to outwork Broner in a round or two, but I don’t see Broner being reckless enough to give him the openings he found late to take out Jorge Linares.

 

Mitchell: 242 lbs.

Banks: 218.5 lbs

Prediction: Mitchell TKO7. Johnathon Banks’ weight equals his lowest amount since he began his heavyweight run back in 2009. He’s definitely better from a technical standpoint and should find success with his jab and movement. Banks’ right hand is solid too and it’s conceivable that a well-placed counter-shot can put Seth Mitchell in trouble. However, I think the combination of Mitchell’s size and strength will wear Banks down. But if we do see an “upset” tonight, this is the fight where it’ll happen.

Older Entries