Barrett Wants Haye Fight

Coming off Saturday's 1st round KO over Tye “Big Sky” Fields (41-2, 37 KO’s), Monte “Two Gunz” Barrett (34-6, 20 KO’s) has expressed his desire to face former cruiserweight champ turned heavyweight David "Hayemaker" Haye (21-1, 20 KO’s).

“I want David Haye next. I just sleighed one giant in Tye Fields and now I’m ready to go across the pond and beat that big Brit. I know I am better than him and will knock him flat on his back. Haye is a David Telesco look-alike and we’re ready to Roy Jones him.”

If Haye wants a test, this might be a good opportunity for him. Let's see how this one turns out...

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Barrett Destroys Fields

On Saturday night(7/28/08), Monte Barrett Knocked Out up-and-coming heavyweight Tye Fields in 1 round. Tye started the fight very aggressively, but looked pretty plodding, with pawing jabs. He did get Barrett with a couple solid shots to the body, but eventually left himself wide open after throwing an awkward left and Barrett took advantage and landed a clean right to Tye's jaw. Barrett followed up with a couple more heavy shots to the head and it was goodnight for Fields. Barret improves to 34 Wins(2 KO's), 6 losses(3 KO), and 0 draws while Tye Fields drops to 41 Wins(37 KO's), 2 losses(2 KO), and 0 draws. Here's the video of the fight:



Here's the same video that contains the fighter introductions as well in case you want to see that...

Vitali Klitschko vs Frantisek Sumina

This is Vitali "Ironfist" Klitschko's 2nd fight as a professional heavyweight boxer against Frantisek Sumina. It took place only 2 weeks after his 1st pro fight. Vitali's record was 1 win (1 KO), 0 losses, 0 draws against Sumina's 2 wins, 17 losses, 0 draws. As expected he took out his opponent pretty easily.

Thompson On Training For Klitschko

Tony Thompson has been keeping a journal about his experiences leading up to his WBO/IBF/IBO Heavyweight championship fight with heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko on July 12th. This is the 3rd installment. The fight will be shown live and for free on HBO on July 12 at 4:30 p.m. ET/ 1:30 p.m. PT with replay that night at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

My Funny Bone is slowing going, and thinking more on Breaking Bones!!! But first lets talk about what's going on in camp.

Last installment we left off with me taking an iniquitous ass whooping from my fellow fighters (I don't do sparring partners because you can't get better that way). They really came too work, which was not all that fun for me but great for what we are trying to accomplish. So this past week I had to respond, and lets just say my team felt a lot better about my performance as did I. Now don't get me wrong, in no way were we pushing the panic button, but they were happy to see some of the great work that I'm capable of producing.

As a result, I was pleased to see that I was really at the point I should be preparing for Klitschko. Sometimes this sport plays games with your mind and you have to be mentally tough to deal with not looking your best every day. I'm somewhat vain about getting my ass kicked, as is most fighters, especially the good ones. Anyway, so I was not happy with myself a few weeks ago. But as I have said, on many of occasions, that I have a great team and they do a great job of keeping me sane and composed. By the way, my team consists of Tom Browner, Barry Hunter, and BB Hudson, not Buddy McGirt. Not to say anything bad about Buddy (we will get into that next week) but we are just using his gym. Sometimes your trainers have to pull you back so they can build you up and that can be frustrating for the fighter sort of what happened to Big Brown in his last race (I'm talking about the horse. Get your minds out the gutter.lol). However, to my credit, I do a great job of listening and executing a plan and sometimes that plan includes rest.

So after taking a day off in the middle of the week I came back on Thursday and looked spry for a man of my advanced age. Now don't think a day off for me is like a day off for you. I still had to get my ass up and go to work it just didn't consist of sparring or all that damn running. I don't like to run unless the police are coming, I need to catch a plane, or of course, there's only one pack of Oreos left on the shelf at the store. Naw, I'm just kidding…about the plane. Therefore, I will holla back next week and I will try my best DMVERS to fight the crab grabbers that plagues our lovely city. How about throwing crab grabbers in there, I haven't heard that since the 80's. Goodbye.

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Wladimir Klitschko vs Exum Speight

This is Wladimir Klitschko's 2nd fight as a professional heavyweight. Wladimir Klitschko had a record of 1 win(1 by KO), 0 losses, and 0 draws while Exum Speight had a record of 8 wins(4 by KO), 32 losses, and 0 draws. Obviously the guy wasn't a big threat, but it was only Wladimir's 2nd fight and he took care of Exum easily.

Chagaev Valuev Rematch Is Off!

WBA Heavyweight Champion has suffered a complete tear of his Achilles tendon in his left ankle, and will not fight his scheduled July 5th rematch with Nicolai Valuev whom he got the championship from. He got the injury during a sparring session. More information will come on who may fight Valuev instead & etc......

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Steward Predicts Klitschko Stopping Thompson In 6

IBF/IBO/WBO Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko's trainer Emanuel Steward has predicted that the fight will end in Klitschko's favor in 6 rounds.

This is a quote from Steward recently:

"Wlaimdir is just too strong for Tony. He hits much harder and right now he's in excellent shape. But we still must not underestimate him. Tony's win over Luan (Krasniqi) gave him a lot of self confidence. Now he's back in Hamburg against another great name."

I also think Wladimir will be too strong for him. If Wladimir showcases his offense I don't see this one lasting more than 4. Thompson is not a bad all around fighter, but the only threat to Wladimir Klitschko isn't someone who is fairly good all around, but someone who can really punch and has that knockout power in either hand. Thompson doesn't have that kind of punching power in my opinion. However, Wladimir does, and Thompson's chin is going to get hit! Prediction: Wladimir KO by 4.

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Jason Estrada Interview

“I got more satisfaction drinking a glass of fruit flavored water, than watching Arreola beat Chazz by such a controversial decision. Arreola proved nothing!", said up and coming heavyweight Jason “Big Six" Estrada after watching the Chazz Witherspoon/Chris Arreola fight last Saturday night.

Eastsideboxing had a recent interview with Estrada, who talks about the fight and where he fits in the division.

EastSideBoxing: Jason, who watched the HBO Saturday Fights with you, when Chris Arreola beat Chazz Witherspoon by a DQ in the third round, and what was your reaction to the judge’s decision?

Estrada: I was sitting there with my Dad and two uncles watching the fights on a high definition 50 inch screen. It was a shame about the decision, I mean the way it ended, since I believe Chazz should have been given a minute to clear his head. If he didn't show anything after that minute, then it could've been stopped. If you look at Chris after the fight, he actually talked the referee into stopping the fight.

EastSideBoxing: During the first three rounds of the Arreola-Witherspoon fight, what did you see in Arreola?

Estrada: Honestly, I wasn't impressed. They say he's been boxing since he was nine years old. I just don't see it. His form needs a lot of work. He's wide with his punches. His head is in the middle, a foot in front of his hands. His feet are wide and not under him. They say he can punch and I can't. Put us in the ring together and watch what happens. I'll expose him. He thinks Chazz has the "Oh Shit".....ok. Wait til he see's my jab.

EastSideBoxing: Who do you see in America as heavyweight contenders, and are you ready for the challenge?

Estrada: Me ... That’s who I see. I'll fight anybody. No exceptions. Sign the contract. I don't duck or turn down anybody. Me and Povetkin still gotta get it on too. It was supposed to happen in 2003 and then again in 2004 but due to certain situations, it never happened. He was brought along sweet in the pro's, and is in line for a title shot, so I'm off his radar. But let him get that title, if he can, and I'll catch him later. Right now I want anybody ranked ahead of me on Boxrec, or anybody else for that matter.

EastSideBoxing: Would you like a chance at bat against Arreola, and why do you deserve that fight?

Estrada: Absolutely, that’s what I'm doing this interview for. All this talk about Chris versus Tua...please. Tua ain't trying to fight anybody anymore. Anyway that wouldn't happen until the end of the year. All I've ever fought are guys with 500 records or above. Look at the guys I smashed this year alone. I like to say I'm New and Improved, and I will show it, by eliminating ALL of the competition.

How about me and Chris on HBO in August?

Call Jimmy Burchfield, of Classic Entertainment and Sports. We can make it happen.

EastSideBoxing: How would you describe Arreola’s fight style, and what do you vision your strategy against him would be?

Estrada: Strong clubfighter....that’s it. I won't say my exact strategy, but I will promise everybody that I'll steal his heart and feed it to him. He'll swear the referee is cheating and hitting him, by the time I get done with him!

EastSideBoxing: If Arreola were in your face right now, what would you likely say to him?

Estrada: Listen you gotta prove you belong where the media has placed you. Deep down inside when you're alone you gotta wonder, "Am I really that good?" This is your chance to find out with a former Olympian with over 300 amateur fights. Are you ready for a real test? Or are you just gonna keep taking on ready-made opponents?

EastSideBoxing: If Arreola doesn’t dodge your challenge to fight him, what would you predict the outcome to be?

Estrada: I've been learning how to sit down more on my punches, and I believe his punches will never land on me. I'll stop him or he'll quit. Maybe I bust him up, and the corner rescues him. Either way, he won't see the tenth round.

EastSideBoxing: Anything else you would like to say to the heavyweight contenders out there?

Estrada: Times up. I got the best chin out there and the fastest hands. Anybody who thinks they can stop me, is welcomed to call my promoter.

I won't be sidetracked anymore on my way to the heavyweight championship.

"Chris, Its time to prove who belongs."

EastSideBoxing: Jason, any other comments you would like to make?

Estrada: Also, thanks Peter and Eastsideboxing, for allowing me this interview and for my fans keep the faith. I won't let you down.

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Arreola Easily Defeats Witherspoon

Chris "The Nightmare" Arreola destroyed "Gentleman" Chazz Witherspoon within 3 rounds last night. Arreola improved to (24(21KO),0,0) while Witherspoon fell to 23(15KO), 1, 0). Chazz started out with some good footwork and a jab, but continued to get beat on the inside by Arreola. Eventually Arreola started connecting more and after a 2nd knockdown in the 3rd round just before the bell rang, Witherspoon's corner men came out after Witherspoon got up to help him get back to the corner thinking the round was over. Apparently the referee didn't see it as this and disqualified Witherspoon as a result of his team entering the ring. This has spelled controversy and the Witherspoon team suggests it might appeal last night's decision.

I think it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Arreola would have took out Witherspoon, who was out on his feet at the end of round 3, in round 4 anyway. Any advantage Witherspoon had-- footwork, jab--- Arreola was getting more and more comfortable getting around as the fight went on.

It looks like there may be a possibiity that Arreola may face David Tua this fall. This would be an interesting match up since both can punch and aren't afraid to come forward. Look for Arreola to be in the mix with the upper members of the division in the near future.

Eddie Chambers Defeats Raphael Butler

On Friday night(6/20/08), "Fast" Eddie Chambers (31-1, 17 KOs) defeated Raphael Butler (31-5, 24 KOs) by a convincing 6th round TKO. He started off slow, but using his jab he lured Butler into a stoppage by 2:23 in the 6th round via a barrage of punches which started with a left to the jaw. This gives Chambers some redemption over his loss to IBF #1 mandatory Alexander Povetkin who defeated him via 12 round decision a few months ago.


"I'm happy with the knockout, although I expected it to come sooner," Chambers said. "I was setting him up with the jab all day. I'm glad I got a couple of rounds in, but I really could have stopped him earlier."

Chambers On Povetkin Loss

"Fast" Eddie Chambers, whose only professional loss at heavyweight was to rising heavyweight star Alexander Povetkin, gave some responses as to why he lost and what he's going to do in the future to prevent any more losses.

Chambers On Povetkin Fight

“The first half of the fight was mine. I did what I was supposed to do, I took care of business and the things that we worked on in camp, but as far as the second half of the fight, it was a complete change. All the things I didn't do, all the mistakes I made in camp came to the surface. Just not long enough in camp and not being as mentally focused as I should've been, take nothing away from Povetkin, he's a great fighter, he did what he had to do to win, but there's no way I should've allowed it to happen and I think it's more so I allowed that win to happen, than me taking it."

Chambers on Buddy's Advice & Training

"Buddy was telling me the right things to do, he gave me the right information. It just so happens that you get to a certain thing where it's like a writer when you get a mental block, a writers block. Basically, but it was more of what happened in camp and things I let go. We found out about the fight right after St. Lucia, where Andre (Ward) fought, and we went down to that fight and it was right after that. We found out about that fight maybe two weeks after that. So it was already in December, then of course there's Christmas and all that and a whole lot of stuff going on where gyms are closed, you can't do this, you can't do that."

"So it kinda messed up the training a little bit. Then I went to Florida for the second half of my camp, which ended up being only 17 days worth of training camp. Really, I just didn't have the right time to get in the right mindset to do the right things I could've done to prepare myself and thus I lost the fight."

Chambers After Watching The Fight

"I allowed those things to happen; I did what I did in camp, I allowed those things to happen in camp and in the fight as well. You just don't stand there no matter what happens, no matter what the situation or how bad you feel," he would say. "You have to respond, you have to do something, you have to show the people, the judges, everyone who's involved in the fight that you have something left, you have something to give and I just didn't do that and there's the defeat.

Promoter Dan Goossen On Chambers

"We're going to find out Friday night because you've got a hungry fighter in Butler. Raphael may be one-dimensional but that dimension is very hungry and determined to put the pressure on Eddie to beat him, If Eddie's been as he's been in his last few fights, it's going to give him problems. But it's hard to overcome some bad habits, and hopefully this is a bad habit that he's able to overcome."

Chambers On His Upcoming Fight With Butler

"I trained a lot longer, I had good sparring and I had good sparring for that, it just wasn't long enough. I had great sparring, I had Steve Cunningham, cruiserweight champion of the world, also Chazz Witherspoon, who's fighting on HBO. Those two guys, they're two high-volume punchers. Steve Cunningham, a great boxer with exceptional speed, which prepares me now for Butler. But those kinda opponents for sparring will really set you straight. Plus, I had a long time to train. I think I'm just ready."

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Chazz Witherspoon Interview

On Saturday June 21st, undefeated Chazz “The Gentleman” Witherspoon (23 Wins(15 by KO), 0 Losses, 0 Draws) will step into the ring against fellow undefeated heavyweight Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola (23(21 by KO), 0 Losses, 0 Draws). This is a recent interview done by Rob Tierney with Chazz.

RT: Good afternoon Chazz, I hope all is well. Everyone seems to be looking forward to next Saturday Night. How does it feel to be fighting on HBO for the first time?

CW: It feels good. It’s international exposure. However, I’m not really thinking about that. I’m just thinking about sticking to my game plan and coming up with a win.

RT: Speaking of game plans…….obviously I wouldn’t ask you to reveal any pre-fight strategies, but in general, what do you think you need to do to defeat Chris Arreola?

CW: I need to be busy! I’ll look at what he’s giving me and make adjustments as I go. When I see what he’s giving me, I’ll talk to the corner and tell them what I’m seeing. They’ll tell me what they’re seeing and we’ll make adjustments as we go.

RT: Chazz, you’ve defeated some tough opponents throughout your rise in the division. Some of the more notable names would be Kendrick Releford, Talmadge Griffis and Michael Alexander to name just a few. However, would you say that Chris Arreola will be your toughest opponent to date?

CW: Definitely so! He’s really aggressive and strong willed. He’s definitely going to be my toughest opponent to date. But I’m up for the challenge.

RT: What would a win over Arreola mean for your career?

CW: It would skyrocket my career into the upper echelon of the Heavyweight Division. It would also put a face to my name and legitimize my record to anyone who questions it. It’s definitely a big fight for both of us.

RT: True! You have to admit that a lot of people are going to watch this fight and view the winner as the next great American contender in the Heavyweight division. With a win over Arreola, do you think you would position yourself as the next great American contender?

CW: I do think that the winner of this fight is going to be looked at as the next great American contender. It’s definitely a step in the right direction. However, I plan on taking calculated steps. I’m still learning.

RT: Speaking of calculated steps…..you’re probably going to tell me that you’re taking it one fight at a time, but have you thought about any opponents should you emerge successfully on Saturday Night?

CW: No! I’m not looking past him, nor have I even begun to look past him. I’ve got to be on my A-Game to beat Chris Arreola, so I’m not looking past him at all.

RT: Since I was considerably impressed by your sparring at the International Boxing Hall of Fame last weekend, I have to believe that you’re bringing your A-Game just as you said. You look like you’re in good working condition. How was your training camp for this fight?

CW: Actually, it was my first true training camp. It was the first time I ever had paid sparring. It was really a good camp. There were no injuries. Everything feels good heading into Saturday Night.

RT: Well Chazz, I’m happy to hear that and I look forward to watching you fight next weekend. I also want to wish you and your father Eric a Happy Father’s Day and the best of luck next weekend.

CW: Thank You! You do the same.

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Vitali Klitschko's 1st Pro Fight

Both Wladimir & Vitali started their professional boxing careers on the same date of November 16th, 1996. Of course Vitali is older than Wladimir, but he had a successful kickboxing career before his turn to boxing. On the same night his brother fought Fabian Meza, Vitali fought Tony Bradham in Hamburg, Germany. Here's the fight:

Maskaev Returns This Year

Former WBC Heavyweight Champion Oleg Maskaev is planning a comback fight slated for either September or October of this year. No offical venue or opponent, but he defintely wants to get back in the fight picture, be active, and get his title back. His manager Fred Kesch had the following to say:

"We plan on keeping him busy and he wants to stay busy."

"Oleg is still a top contender. We know we need to go back to square one. He's very disappointed and he wants to get his title back."

Also regarding rumors of Maskaev fighting Haye Kesch said, "No one has contact me regarding Haye nor have they contacted Dennis Rappaport."

Wladimir Klitschko's 1st Pro Fight

This is back on November 16th 1996, and showcases Wladimir Klitschko's (Ukraine) (0-0) 1st professional fight in the heavyweight division. This is coming off Wlad's gold medal performance at Superheavyweight in the 1996 Olympics. The opponent was Fabian Meza (USA) (4-1-1).

Current News On Alexander Povetkin

This is a video from Russia Today that talks about The International Boxing Federation's (IBF) #1 Heavyweight Alexander Povetkin getting ready for his mandatory shot at Wladimir Klitschko's title this fall and his tune-up fight against Taurus 'The Bull' Sykes from New York on July 19.



Personally I'm not sure what will happen if a couple different scenarios occur that are unexpected. What if Sykes defeats Povetkin? Will this make Sykes the #1 challenger for Wladimir's belt or will the IBF not rank Sykes as high as Povetkin was and call in the #2 on their current list?

Also, what if Klitschko loses by some freak occurrence against Thompson on July 12th? Technically if Povetkin wins against Sykes he'd still be the IBF #1 mandatory and Thompson would have the belts, but maybe Wladimir has a rematch clause coming into this fight with Thompson. In that case Povetkin would have to wait further until the rematch between Thompson & Wladimir Klitschko. If Alex has to wait would Thompson be stripped of the IBF belt, and if he is stripped who would Alexander face for the IBF belt???

Rogan Says He'll End Harrison's Career

Martin Rogan (10 Wins(5 by KO), 0 Losses, 0 Draws) is going to have the fight of his career coming up. He is scheduled to fight 2000 Olympic Champion Audley Harrison (22 Wins(17 by KO), 3 Losses(1 by KO), 0 Draws) on July 19th at the Aston Villa Events Centre in Birmingham. Rogan believes he'll test Harrison's chin and end Harrison's career in this bout and had the following to say:

"I'm delighted to get a fight against a big name like Audley," he said.

"He probably wouldn't know me if he passed me on the street, but he's going to know all about me when I land a big right-hander on that porcelain chin of his.

"Harrison wants me because he thinks I will be an easy touch, but this is his last chance and will be finished if he losses.

"He will have to come and fight me because I don't do tip-tap, fancy, boxing. I'm a big guy and so is he so let's just stand toe-to-toe, slug it out, and see who has the best heart and chin.

"It is very fitting that we are coming up to the second Olympic Games since Harrison won Gold in Sydney and on that anniversary he will have his career ended by Martin Rogan."

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Nigel Benn Says Haye KO's Klitschko

In an recent interview former WBC super-middleweight champion Nigel Benn has stated that he believes former cruiserweight star turned heavyweight, David Haye, would knock out Wladimir Klitschko if they were to meet. David Haye has recently crashed the WBC top 10 rankings at #5 and has been calling out Wladimir Klitschko for awhile now. Here's more of what Nigel Benn had to say:

"You can see Haye will be a fast and powerful heavyweight. If he gets to fight Wladimir Klitschko I think he'll stop him. I don't think the Ukrainian can cope if he takes a shot."

"If you watch him (Klitschko), he keeps powering out his jab, powering out his jab and only moves in if he feels his opponent wobble. But if he takes a good shot he retreats back into his shell. Haye can deliver that shot."

"Mentally, Haye has got it too. He's proved that in his career so far. You've got to look at the defeat he had against Carl Thompson where he bounced right back up again - he can deal with the knocks."

"Haye can do it, but there will be distractions. I've said to him: 'Keep your feet firmly on the ground mate, don't get sidetracked by all the fame and fortune. Learn from my mistakes. There'll be women throwing themselves at you, there's the cars, the clubbing, all of that. But keep your feet on the ground. Stick with your guns and you could do really well in boxing. Do not get carried away. I'm talking through experience."


I'm glad Nigel is supporting boxers from his home country, but I think its a little too early to see how good Haye is at heavyweight. If you say someone can KO Wladimir Klitschko, that's basically the same thing as saying Haye is the best at heavyweight. I wouldn't go there quite yet. Lets see him get by a decent heavyweight 1st. According to recent reports, Haye might face the winner of the Rahman/Toney II matchup coming up on July 16th. If he gets by either of them with ease Nigel Benn might have a stronger case for his recent statements. But even if David does beat the winner of Toney/Rahman convicingly I still wouldn't put my money on Haye to win over Wlad.


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No Tune Up For Sam Peter

It has recently been reported that WBC Heavyweight Champion Samuel "The Nightmare" Peter will not fight a tune-up fight in July but will go ahead and face WBC emeritus champion and mandatory Vitali Klitschko without one. The fight with Vital will either take place in September or October.

The last time Vitali attempted a comeback he was setback with a back injury during training camp. Vitali appears to be healthy and the time off should at least helped him recover as to not have another injury during training camp for this bout. None-the-less good luck to Vitali on his training and fight this September/October. As soon as a official date for the bout comes available I will have it posted on here.....

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Haye To Fight November 29th

According to Golden Boy Promotions, former cruiserweight champion David "Hayemaker" Haye will fight a top ten ranked opponent on November 29Th. The WBC organization has also recently gave Haye a No. 5 ranking at heavyweight.

According to Setanta Sports, there is a high likelihood that Haye will face the winner of the fight between James Toney and Hasim Rahman which will happen on July 16th. If this fight does happen, Haye will have a credible name on his heavyweight win list even if though Toney and Rahman are both past their respective best. Also, since the fight between Toney & Rahman will be for the NABO title, Haye will have a smaller organizations title which will add to his marketability.

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Klitschko vs Thompson Teaser

This is teaser for the upcoming IBO/IBF/WBO Heavyweight title fight between current champion Wladimir "Steelhammer" Klitschko and WBO mandatory challenger Tong "The Tiger" Thompson. The fight is scheduled for July 12Th and will show on HBO.



Good luck to Wladimir on this fight, and with this expected win, on his fight this fall with IBF mandatory Alexander Povetkin.

Ring Heavyweight Rankings June 2008

Ring Magazine Heavyweight Boxing Rankings

Current Champions

IBF : Wladimir Klitschko Ukraine
WBO : Wladimir Klitschko Ukraine
WBA : Ruslan Chagaev Uzbekistan
WBC : Sam Peter Nigeria


Ring Magazine CHAMPION: No Champion

1 WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO 159 WIR*
2 SAMUEL PETER 162 WIR
3 RUSLAN CHAGAEV 82 WIR
4 NICOLAY VALUEV 129 WIR
5 ALEXANDER POVETKIN 33 WIR
6 SULTAN IBRAGIMOV 54 WIR
7 OLEG MASKAEV 96 WIR
8 VLADIMIR VIRCHIS 54 WIR
9 TONY THOMPSON 48 WIR
10 JOHN RUIZ 14 WIR

*WEEKS IN RANKINGS
**updated monthly

IBF Heavyweight Rankings May 2008

Current Heavyweight Boxing Champions

IBF : Wladimir Klitschko Ukraine
WBO : Wladimir Klitschko Ukraine
WBA : Ruslan Chagaev Uzbekistan
WBC : Sam Peter Nigeria

CHAMPION Wladimir Klitschko Ukraine

1 Alexander Povetkin Russian Federation
2 NOT RATED
3 Hasim Rahman United States
4 Alexander Dimitrenko Ukraine
5 Sultan Ibragimov United States
6 John Ruiz United States
7 Oleg Maskaev Kazakhstan
8 Eddie Chambers United States
9 Tony Thompson United States
10 Chris Arreola United States
11 Andrew Golota United States
12 Shannon Briggs United States
13 Kali Meehan Australia
14 Oleg Platov Ukraine
15 Carl Drumond


*Will be updated monthly

WBC Heavyweight Rankings June 2008

Current Heavyweight Boxing Champions

CHAMPION: SAMUEL PETER (NIGERIA)
EMERITUS CHAMPION: VITALY KLITSCHKO (UKRAINE)
WON TITLE: March 8, 2008
LAST DEFENCE: no defense yet
LAST COMPULSORY: March 8, 2008
WBA CHAMPION: Ruslan Chagaev (Uzbekistan)
IBF CHAMPION: Wladimir Klitschko (Ukraine)
WBO CHAMPION: Wladimir Klitschko (Ukraine)
Contenders:
WBC INT. CHAMPION: Juan Carlos Gomez (Cuba)

1 .- Vladimir Virchis (Ukraine) EBU
2 .- Juan Carlos Gomez (Cuba) INTL
3 .- John Ruiz (P. Rico)
4 .- Alexander Dimitrenko (Ukraine)
5 .- David Haye (GB)
6 .- Oleg Maskaev (Kazakhstan)
7 .- Chris Arreola (US) AMERICA
8 .- Hasim Rahman (US)
9 .- Andrew Golota (Poland)
10 .- Kali Meehan (New Zealand)
11 .- Donnell Holmes (US)
12 .- Travis Walker (US) NABF
13 .- JD Chapman (US)
14 .- Carl Davis Drummond (Costa Rica) FECARBOX
15 .- Oliver McCall (US)

16 .- Odlanier Solis (Cuba) LATINO
17 .- Kevin Johnson (US)
18 .- Sinan Samil Sam (Turkey) MEDITERRANEAN
19 .- Joe Mesi (US)
20 .- Paolo Vidoz (Italy)
21 .- Chazz Witherspoon (US)
22 .- Denis Boytsov (Russia)
23 .- Oleg Platov (Ukraine)
24 .- David Rodriguez (US)
25 .- DaVarryl Williamson (US)
26 .- Fres Oquendo (US)
27 .- David Tua (New Zealand)
28 .- Francesco Pianeta (Italy) YOUTH
29 .- Jameel McCline (US)
30 .- Taras Bidenko (Ukraine)
31 .- Manuel Quezada (US) CABOFE
32 .- Derrick Rossy (P. Rico) ABCO
33 .- Albert Sosnowski (Poland)
34 .- Carlos Takam (Cameroon)
35 .- Malik Scott (US)
36 .- Roman Greenberg (Israel)
37 .- Monte Barrett (US)
38 .- Tye Fields (US)
39 .- Joseph Chingangu (Zambia) ABU
40 .- Alexey Soloviev (Russia) CISBB

* NA = NOT AVAILABLE
Alexander Povetkin (Russia) * NA - IBF
Eddie Chambers (US) * NA - IBF
Tony Thompson (US) * NA - WBO
James Toney (US) * NA - Medical
Luan Krasniqi (Germany) * NA - Medical
Lamon Brewster (US) * NA - Medical
Evander Holyfield (US) *NA - WBO
Nicolay Valuev (Russia) *NA - WBA
Shannon Briggs (US) * NA - Medical
Sergey Lyakhovich (Belarussia)
Ray Austin (US)
Matt Skelton (GB)
Sultan Ibragimov (Russia)

*will be updated monthly

WBO Heavyweight Rankings June 2008

Current Heavyweight Boxing Champions

IBF : Wladimir Klitschko Ukraine
WBO : Wladimir Klitschko Ukraine
WBA : Ruslan Chagaev Uzbekistan
WBC : Sam Peter Nigeria

CHAMPION: Wladimir Klitschko Ukraine

1 Tony Thompson USA
2 Alexander Dimitrenko (Int-Cont) UKR
3 Vladimir Virchis UKR
4 Alexander Povetkin RUS
5 Sultan Ibragimov RUS
6 Travis Walker USA
7 J.D. Chapman USA
8 Kali Meehan AUST
9 Chris Arreola USA
10 Denis Boytsov RUS
11 John Ruiz USA
12 Brian Minto USA
13 Hasim Rahman USA
14 Donell Holmes USA
15 Shane Cameron (Asia-Pacific) (Oriental) NZ

*will be updated monthly

Lennox Lewis Vitali Klitschko 2003

This is the entire fight between former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and former WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko. Vitali showed heart in this fight. Many people thought he had no heart because of the injury and pull out against the Chris Byrd fight, but this showed otherwise. He was leading on all scorecards in this fight until it was stopped on cuts. Good luck to Vitali Klitschko on his return WBC title fight against Sam Peter this fall. Enjoy the videos!

Klitschko vs. Lewis Part 1

Klitschko vs. Lewis Part 2

Klitschko vs. Lewis Part 3

Klitschko vs. Lewis Part 4

Do Or Die For Audley Harrison

On July 19th at the Aston Villa Events Centre in Birmingham Heavyweight contender and former 2000 Olympic Champion Audley Harrison (22 Wins(17 by KO), 3 Losses(1 by KO), 0 Draws) returns to Britain. His opponent will be Belfast puncher Martin Rogan (10 Wins(5 by KO), 0 Losses, 0 Draws) and is scheduled for 10 rounds. This is put up or shut up time for Audley and even in his own words, "This is it for me. I'm in a position where I have to beat Rogan and everybody else put in front of me from now on. I said from the beginning that I am going to win a world title. I've had my ups and downs on the way but I'm still here fighting away and I know that a loss at this stage is fatal but I'm re-focussed and know in my heart that I will win a world title."

Haye Ranks #5 WBC

Former Cruiserweight champion turned Heavyweight David "Hayemaker" Haye has recently received the number 5 ranking from the WBC organization. This means that he potentially can be fighting for the WBC championship title in a fight or two. He has been calling out Wladimir Klitschko recently, however since Vitali Klitschko is scheduled to face WBC Heavyweight Champion Samuel Peter this fall, and there's a good possibility that Vitali will win that fight, he might just get his chance to face Klitschko after all. :D

Here are the WBC top 15 rankings in full:

Champion: Samuel Peter (NIG)

1 .- Vladimir Virchis (Ukraine) EBU
2 .- Juan Carlos Gomez (Cuba) INTL
3 .- John Ruiz (P. Rico)
4 .- Alexander Dimitrenko (Ukraine)
5 .- David Haye (GB)
6 .- Oleg Maskaev (Kazakhstan)
7 .- Chris Arreola (US) AMERICA
8 .- Hasim Rahman (US)
9 .- Andrew Golota (Poland)
10 .- Kali Meehan (New Zealand)
11 .- Donnell Holmes (US)
12 .- Travis Walker (US) NABF
13 .- JD Chapman (US)
14 .- Carl Davis Drummond (Costa Rica)
15 .- Oliver McCall (US)

Vitali Klitschko's Greatest KO's

This is a 5 minute video showing some of Vitali's best knockout's throughout his heavyweight boxing career. Hope you enjoy. Also look for Klitschko's WBC Heavyweight championship with Samuel Peter this fall.

Povetkin Will Face Sykes Next

IBF #1 and WBO #4 Alexander Povetkin (15-0, 11 KOs) is scheduled to face American Taurus ‘The Bull’ Sykes (25-4-1, 7 KOs) on July 19 at the Olympiyskiy Sports Palace in Chekhov, Moscow region. He will be expected to not lose to Taurus since he is the IBF mandatory to face Wladimir Klitschko this fall. With Sykes only having 7 KO's in 25 wins, it would be safe to assume that Povetkin's opponent is one that would have a hard time knocking him out. With Povetkin's work rate, I believe at the very worst he will come out with a easy decision victory, but a KO is probably expected as to give an added boost of confidence for Povetkin coming into the fight with Wlad this fall.

Rahman Toney 2

After their controversial draw on their 1st WBC Championship outing Hasim Rahman 45(36 KO's) Wins, 6(4 KO's) Losses, 2 Draws and James Toney 70(43 KO's) Wins, 6 (0 KO's) Losses, 3 Draws will face each other again on July 16th. Only this time they will be fighting for the lightely regarded NABO Heavweight title. The event is in association with Top Rank presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions, Don King Productions, and will take place on the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, CA, and will be shown live on FSN’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period”.

I think this fight should have happened right after their initial match, but I imagine promoters and so forth may have prevented that from materializing so this is better than nothing. I'm not sure what will happen to the fighter who wins this fight, but whoever loses this fight might have a hard time explaining why they wish to continue their careers. If they draw? Lets hope not, I wouldn't want to see a 3rd installment 3 years later.....

Tony Thompson's Journal

This is a continuance of a previous post titled "Thompson's Press Conference Experience", in which Tony "The Tiger" Thompson writes his experiences of his daily routine as he get ready for his July 12th IBO/IBF/WBO Heavyweight Championship with Wladimir Klitschko. This is how it went:

"Upon my return from Germany, I immediately started training in order to get in shape for my dream fight.

My manager (Nate Peake), Sharmba (Mitchell), Steve Francis and Brandy Hudson went to New Orleans, Louisiana to meet with Mackie Shilstone. He did a whole body assessment, to tell me how bad my body really is; not fun at all. He had me doing MRI's, seeing a heart and back specialist and a chiropractor.

The MRI was the worse. If you had an MRI you would know this is nerve wrecking. MRI is the most stressful thing in medicine. You go to see what's wrong with you and the test stresses you out. MRI looks like a hollow hot dog. You have to fit yourself in there, not an easy task for a big man like me. And the noise - err, err, err, so noisy for an hour long! They tell you not to move but how the hell you not going to move? And you know what happens your nose begins to itch the second they tell you not to move.

Everything came out fine but the doctor threw a surprise on me. He did a prostrate exam. I'm only 36! I'm thinking to myself, did Klitschko get to this doctor? I'm too young to have this exam without someone playing with me! He didn't even tell me he was going to do this, he's like "lean on your elbows" and I was caught by surprise. After the horror, I came back home to have a team meeting. In the team meeting we discussed where I was going to train for the fight. We really wanted to train in Washington DC, the location felt right and I really wanted it to be a part of the experience and accomplish this journey together. But unfortunately some ‘big wigs' couldn't pull off the deal and we decided to move the camp to Vero Beach, Florida.

I left the wife and 7 kids back at home with the broken air conditioner, broken dishwasher, broken dryer and the electricity down in one half of the house. To me, this is God's sign that I better get this fight done. I have to get this fight done. But I am OK with leaving to train because I know my wife and kids are going to be OK. They know daddy is doing what he has to do to get this stuff fixed.

They had me a little barbecue party (I was only able to be there for about 2 hours) before having to leave to the airport. So I kissed the family so long and traveled to Florida the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Most of my other family members that were invited got there late, so they owe me some time spent together. My brother who is stationed in Japan, Army Sergeant Keith Thompson dropped me off at the airport.

I traveled with Brandy Hudson and Tom Browner and we got to Vero Beach around 9:00 PM. When I arrived a couple of people thought that I was Lebron James. I wish I had that darn "I am not a basketball player" T-shirt on now.

Sharmba Mitchell was already in Florida and picked me and my team up at the airport.

For the next week we trained hard. Got on schedule and went to Buddy McGirt's gym. My back was sore so I had to see a masseuse. Come to find that I was being massaged by Hitler; or should I say Dr. Kevorkian. He left me worse than I had started so now I am back to my number 1 rule… never let a man massage you, only a woman. Can't wait to see my regular masseuse Jamie from Florida. Looking forward to a real massage. Stop laughing!

After that I had to travel back to Washington for my sisters wedding. The day before the wedding and hours before I boarded the plane, I get a call from US Airways informing me that my flight had been canceled and that I would have to make "alternative arrangements." After hollering for a while they were able to put me on a flight that departed earlier. Little did I know that they had me in a center seat where the passenger next to me decided to rest his tray table on my knees. About an hour and a half before the flight landed I decided to stand and stretch my legs for the remainder of the flight (or at least until they asked me to sit down). I stood in the stewardess section and people seemed kind of nervous as if I was guarding the restroom.

The next day (the wedding day) I barely made it to the church on time because there was a storm. There was zero visibility and to top it off the storm was so bad that the electricity in the church went out. There were no lights, no air conditioning and no music (seemed like I was back at home). Now we had to improvise. Luckily the RTL German camera crew were there filming me and we used their camera lights when it came time for the priest to read. Finally, my brother and me gave our older sister away because both of my parents are deceased.

I flew out the next Sunday night. However because of a faulty toilet and the storm, I was sitting in a center seat again for an hour and a half on the runway. These airlines are quickly putting me in the mood to get my hands around Klitschko's neck. If this keeps up I may not be able to restrain myself until July 12.

I waited until Monday to resume working out and it was back to work again. On Tuesday, I worried about Wednesday. Why? Because the TV people don't have me in a speedboat this time, they thought of something crazier, but at least on dry land but unfortunately a little bit scarier.

Wednesday they've got me working with real life tigers and I know they are going to eat me. You know how it goes, they are well trained then they return to their wild instincts and attack.

Animals do attack.

Wednesday will forever be known as the day of the tiger in my mind.

Wednesday, I started with my normal sparring session; it was predictable, as I took my lumps in the Florida sun (LOL).

Tea anyone.

It was also the day of the Tiger shoot with RTL TV from Germany. After we finished sparring, I had to recharge my battery by getting a little rest and do my best of not thinking of how nice this tiger was going to treat me.

Animals do attack.

I then hopped on my first helicopter ride, which was pretty interesting and scary. A lot of you may ask why? Everybody that knows me understands that flying is not one of my favorite things. Especially something as small as a helicopter where you feel every bit of the wind whipping against the chopper.

Before I got on the helicopter the pilot gave me a few instructions. One rule in particular stuck in my mind. The pilot said never walk towards the back of the helicopter because people have been known to lose a limb or two. So this did a lot to help my confidence for getting on this helicopter.

Since RTL was also flying in the helicopter, I had to sit in the back seat scrunched up as if I was in the middle of the coach section on a plane. You can imagine how I felt like a sardine. Surprisingly, once the helicopter took off I had the time of my life. Man it was it was crazy. It was better than I could have ever imagined.

At 500 feet, it was incredible to see the top of Orlando and the rest Florida from that height. You would be surprised to see how many wild animals and sh-t you see running around loose. Because I am, kind of a nature nerd it was cool for me. After an hour ride in the helicopter and dodging a bus fire below, we landed at the tiger compound. This is where it really gets interesting.

I was excited and anxious at the same time, because I have a soft spot in my heart for big cats especially tigers. I was also kind of fearful because some of the things that I was about to do with the tiger. I was nervous and fearful baby!! Some of the things they wanted to do were walk the tiger on a leech, feed the tiger by hand (by hand!!!), wash the tiger with a hose and kneeling down beside the tiger while rubbing him on his back (I was thinking more like begging him for his forgiveness not to eat me). This was a tall order.

I thought it was pretty interesting because when I fed the tiger I only fed him the legs and thighs of the chicken, that's right all the dark meat. And he seemed to really enjoy it. I didn't know if I should bring out the deep fry or if I should be worried because I was the only dark person there (LOL).

Never was I calm, even when the tiger was behind the cage and I was feeding him. I fed a 600-pound tiger name CHAD. Somehow I thought the name just did not fit very well. So, I immediately changed his name to Sampson. However, let me explain by saying, no disrespect to all the CHADS out there, but I thought a tiger this magnificent deserved a magnificent name.

I fed Sampson a chicken leg at the top of the cage and when he stood fully extended, he was over 7 feet tall. Baby he was big!! Shaq and Yao Ming have nothing on my new friend Sampson.

It was a magnificent but very scary site. It made me feel justified in my kids choosing the name of the Tiger for me because the tiger is majestic, he is intimidating, he is ferocious and more importantly, Sampson was just plain beautiful. Beautiful like me baby!

When I first got to the tiger compound, I was a little hesitant because I do not like to see ANIMALS HELD CAPTIVE. However, the tigers where in such wonderful shape and I have to commend the guy that ran the compound for the way he kept his place. The way the animals where treated as well as the condition of the animals. Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the guy who ran the compound but after this fight, I am definitely going to take my kids there. However, they will not do all the things I did with tiger but they will definitely get to see all the animals.

It's real funny that German TV has shown more interest in introducing me to their public than our own TV networks in the US. To me that's really unfortunate because most of our TV networks think of me as an after thought, when it comes to this fight. Nevertheless, this just adds more motivation for me and I am not bitter at all. I am just determined BABY!! So after all the excitement on Wednesday it was back to work on Thursday.

Brother back to work it was. It started off pretty bad for me because I was exhausted from all the tiger stuff and posing for pictures. It was good to get the PR stuff over with and get back to the grind of winning the heavyweight world championship.

Let me describe Buddy's gym for those who don't know. For anybody that has ever been to Florida, you know it is an understatement to say that it's freaking hot down here. Even though Buddy has a great gym, it's pretty much a warehouse with no fan, no air condition and no ventilation. If its 90 degrees outside, then it is about 115 inside at 9 a.m., when I train. Therefore, without having my proper rest with the heat beating down on me, I was dog-tired after sparring and not much in the mood for continuing anything else. But they (trainers) did not have any mercy on me, as they pushed me through the rest of my workout, which good trainers are supposed to do. So I was very tired but satisfied with the quality of my workout. I was also looking damn forward to my day off from sparring on Friday.

We worked very hard Friday. My trainers again did a great job of pushing me through the hard work and the heat. Barry Hunter, Tom Browning and BB Hudson; they make a great team knowing my body and the right things to do to get me through my workouts. Having the Headbangers family down here was a plus as well.

That's about it, I guess I will catch you people a little later, time for bed now. I got to run in the early morning."

Source

Real Deal That Holyfield Is Broke?

There has been recent articles on the Internet stating that former heavyweight boxing champion Evander "Real Deal" Holyfield was in financial troubles. This was mainly do to his $10 million estate in suburban Atlanta being under foreclosure, and Toi Irvin, mother of one of his children, stating that Holyfield has missed 2 of his child support payments.

But, recently Holyfield has stated, "I'm not broke. I'm just not liquid." Holyfield's attorney has also confirmed that his house is no longer up for auction as of Thursday (6/5/08) morning.

Even if he isn't completely broke, did his desire to continue fighting at his age have more to do with his financial issues than anything else? Possibly, but even though he did not defeat Sultan Ibragimov last year, I do think he did a very good job against him compared to what I thought would occur. As long as he's in good health he should be allowed to fight on even if it is for more economic reasons. I just don't think he's going to be quite at that level at his age to become a world champion again.

Source 1

Source 2

Vitali Klitschko Kyiv Election Interview

This is an interview recently done by the Kyiv Post with former WBC Heavyweight Champion and Kiev mayoral candidate Vitali Klitschko. Vitali gives his opinion on the election, his views towards Kyiv and Ukraine in the future, and future plans....

Kyiv Post: How do you evaluate the 2008 Kyiv elections? How transparent and democratic were they?

Vitali Klitschko: These elections said a great deal about Ukrainian society. The first trend is that the elections were marked by the lowest voter turnout in election history. Only every second voter came out for the elections. This is a signal that society doesn’t trust politicians, or has grown tired of the political squabbles and doesn’t want to participate in elections, doesn’t believe in changes, doesn’t believe in those who participated (in the elections).

First of all, during these elections for the first time since 2004, we again began to see a return of censorship. If this tendency continues, I think we will return to the positions we started from before the Orange Revolution. The scale of manipulation and vote buying gained momentum. The Security Service of Ukraine said that clearly the vote buying was organized. And despite the Minister of Internal Affair's statement that the elections were held without violations, our observers documented a great number of election law violations.



KP: In 2006 you finished second, this time third. On the other hand, in 2006 your Bloc got 8.51 percent and this time 10.61 percent. How do you evaluate your Bloc’s results in 2008? In your opinion what factors prevented you from winning?

VK: I had hoped for better results. The only thing I can say is we failed to explain to every Kyivan our main principles and the main positions of our platform “Face to Kyivans.” This was the reason for our poor results. Nevertheless, our faction in Kyiv City Council increased. But, I think if voter turnout was higher, and if more young people participated more actively, the results of these elections would be much better.

But I think we shouldn’t speak only about indirect factors. The campaign organization and headquarters bears much responsibility. I can say that the results we got from the mayoral elections and the results of the Bloc show the weaknesses of the campaign’s organization.

It is important to make serious analysis and draw a conclusion. The results we achieved – the third place finish for the faction and in the mayoral elections, when we expected to win – show that the campaign was not run well.



KP: You had negotiations with the Tymoshenko Bloc on future cooperation. What agreements have you reached with them?

VK: We had preliminary agreements with the Tymoshenko Bloc that we will have a united candidate determined on the base of primaries, Tyrchynov or Klitschko. But at the last moment Yulia Tymoshenko canceled our agreement and said that Tyrchynov should be the united candidate. Nevertheless, Tymoshenko’s Bloc was our strategic partner for two years and, I hope, our partnership for the interest of Kyivans’ will be preserved. Now we are negotiating with the heads of other factions to form the City Council majority.



KP: Are you going to negotiate with the Katerynchuk Bloc and the Lytvyn Bloc and Pylypyshyn to form the majority in Kyiv City Council?

VK: We have had such negotiations. I think you will know the results soon. We can speak about agreements when the negotiations are over and the results are declared publicly.



KP: If you form the majority with your allies, what will be your first step as one of the Kyiv City Council majority leaders?

VK: I wish to cancel the Kyiv City Council decision of October first (on land plots) and declare the main principles which will be the base for the majority’s work. Not the distribution of committees and positions, but to clearly formulate principles that correspond with Kyivans’ interests. Kyiv has many problems and solving each of these problems will be the task for the majority.



KP: What are Kyiv’s main problems that need an immediate solution?

VK: There are many problems. Housing and public utilities are serious problems. Traffic jams, environmental issues and social payments, too.

But, none of these problems can be solved in Kyiv until we solve one of the biggest problems on which all others are based. These are the problems of total corruption and the chaotic construction in Kyiv. All these problems are impossible to solve without a strategy for city development. And we have a clear strategy on how to solve the problems and a clear plan to rid corruption.



KP: If the plans for creating a majority fail, will you work on uniting the opposition forces in Kyiv City Council? Have you planned a strategy for working in the opposition?

VK: We will coordinate our activities. We have plan A and plan B, but let’s solve problems as they arise.



KP: The next mayoral elections will be held in two years. Are you going to run again?

VK: I don’t have a goal to put the medal “mayor” on my chest, to become famous, to add several zeros to my bank account. I am a rather rich person. My goal is for Kyiv to become the center of Europe. To reach this goal I give my strength and time and if it will help me to reach this goal, I will run for mayor again.



KP: Are you planning to try yourself in the next parliamentary elections?

VK: I am sure that Ukraine, not only Kyiv, needs change. Kyiv is Ukraine’s heart and all changes start in Kyiv. I am sure that Ukraine needs new politicians who support European values and understand European standards of living.



KP: What is your impression from the first session of the new Kyiv City Council?

VK: All I can say is a proverb I repeated many times before: “The fox can change color, but it never changes its character.”

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New Klitschko Blog Chat

Klitschko Blog Announcement

For all Klitschko brother fans worldwide, I have recently added a chat that you can find at the bottom of any page on this blog******Now located as a link at the top of the page*******. Feel free to discuss any information about Wladimir & Vitali Klitschko, upcoming fights, heavyweight boxing news, etc. Enjoy!

Haye Declines Skelton Offer

David Haye recently turned down (supposedly laughed off) an offer of £600,000 from promoter Frank Warren to face Matt Skelton. This coincided on the same day he set up his promotional company Hayemaker Productions.

Haye On The Offer

“The timing of the offer was priceless. As Hayemaker Promotions are announcing their ethos and plans to break trends in boxing - to put on exciting, competitive and meaningful contests – Frank Warren’s Sports Network offer me a fight with a washed-up 40-year-old coming off a defeat with nowhere else to go. I’m sure I’m not the only one who saw the irony in that.

That aside, the offer was a derisory one anyway. We thank him for the offer, but I now know what I’m worth and can guarantee I’ll make at least double Warren’s figure in my next fight. Not only that, my next heavyweight fight will actually mean something and progress my career towards a world title shot. With all respect, Skelton brings nothing to the table. Warren needs to re-evaluate both his figures and the heavyweight rankings.

Frank Warren should have realised that, given the fact Skelton is not ranked in the top 10 by any of the main governing bodies, Setanta Sports would not even allow him to box me in the first place. I have an agreement with Setanta Sports which will only see me box top 10-ranked heavyweights from now on. Skelton’s nowhere near the top 10 of any governing body.

Frankly, even if Skelton was ranked, I wouldn’t choose to fight him. It’s not the sort of fight we’re looking to put on at Hayemaker Promotions. Firstly, Skelton’s coming off a defeat. Secondly, as determined as he is, Skelton’s the most boring heavyweight in the world. Thirdly, his most dangerous punch combination is the double-grab, right hug. Fourthly, why would I want to jeopardise Skelton’s huge showdown with Samuel Peter on July 12 for the WBC title? That’s a massive fight for him and Great Britain. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of that.

“How much more charity are Sports Network willing to offer me?. They’ll be replacing Oxfam at this rate. They already gift-wrapped their prodigal son Enzo Maccarinelli for me to obliterate in a couple of rounds and now they want to wheel out the company’s grandad on his Stannah stair-lift for a beating. Thanks for the offer - but I’m not in this sport to hand out pensions.”

Haey On His Next Fight

“It will be an exciting fight against a dangerous, top 10-ranked heavyweight,” Haye promised. “Taking that into account, if you’ve seen Matt Skelton fight, you’ll know it won’t be him.”

My Thoughts

Matt Skelton to me doesn't seem like a bad opponent for Haye, but I guess he's looking strictly for top 10 level opponents and namely 2 big ones so that he can try to push for a showdown with Wladimir Klitschko next summer. I think he should just fight anyone real quick to get a taste of the heavyweight division, and this fight would let him do that. Unless of course he's not sure of how well he's going to do against any heavyweight, and he's just trying to hype himself to get a big payday just in case he does lose. If thats the case maybe he should change his nickname from the "Hayemaker" to the "Hypemaker"... :D
Source

Thompson's Press Conference Experience

The following is piece I found by Tony "The Tiger" Thompson himself about the experience he had at the initial press conference's in Kiev, Ukraine and Hamburg, Germany, for his heavyweight showdown with WBO/IBF/IBO Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko:


"I’ve had great experiences in Hamburg in the past and this was no exception. I arrived in Hamburg on a Monday afternoon (May 28) with my manager Nate Peake after a full day of traveling from Washington, DC. Already being a little under the weather, I wanted to rest up from a very tiring trip, and be ready to face Klitschko face-to-face looking strong and healthy for the press conference the following morning.

But it seemed no matter how tiring of a trip it was, or how I didn’t feel 100%, it was all overcome when I got that rush from knowing that I am going to be the next unified World Heavyweight Champion of the IBF and WBO on July 12th.

That thought immediately perked me up and got me mentally focused to be ready for the people of Hamburg. The one thing I thought would be funny was to wear my t-shirt that said, “Im not a basketball player.” Unfortunately, like my boxing shoes missing from my fight against Timor Ibragimov in 2007, so too was my “I’m not a basketball player” t-shirt I purchased the last time I was in Hamburg for the Krasniqi fight last year.

The people of Hamburg were still very warm, friendly, and inquisitive of whom this 6’5” giant was. What I didn’t realize was how many fans I had just from my last fight in Germany and the anticipation of the upcoming fight. Many, many people came up to me and wanted to shake my hand and take pictures with me and requested many autographs.

After a quick dinner, which was really lunch for us (because of the time difference), I went to bed early tired and jet lagged because I had to get up early for a busy day with morning interviews and a photo shoot and a noon press conference. I woke up at 10am that morning, which was really 4am back home.

After the photo shoot, I was on to my favorite part of the day, putting my custom made suit on knowing I was going to look great. My tailor from ‘WE R ONE’ made a stylish suit and of course my wife coordinated all of the accessories perfectly. I could’ve passed as secret agent 007 (James Bond) I looked so sharp. We were picked up from the hotel and rushed to the press conference where things got really interesting.

For a promotional piece German TV was doing, they wanted Dan (Goossen), Nate, and I to take a boat to the restaurant making a grand entrance into the press conference. Unfortunately, it was raining, which put a damper on the plans and not to mention our outfits. Klitschko and I were supposed to drive in on separate speedboats, however, the rain was coming down so hard they decided instead to have us come in on a tugboat, a real slow tugboat.

As network executives are prone to do, half way there they changed plans and headed to the dock and put us on separate speedboats despite the pouring rain. They wanted me to pilot the speedboat, which was difficult because the rain was pouring down in my face, drenching my beautiful suit. They didn’t seem to care. All they wanted was video of us coming in on the speedboats. Making matters worst, they had us coming in several times until they got what they thought was the perfect shot. I guess since Klitschko was as irritated as I was, I wasn’t going to let it bother me. I actually had a great time talking and laughing with Dan and Nate about it for the next few days.

It was pretty cool seeing all the people waving to us in the surrounding buildings and warehouses, and pointing at me like they knew who I was.

When we entered into the restaurant my team and I were greeted by a tremendous amount of media members and fans. They took us to our table where they introduced us individually and let us say a few words then came the questions. There were very few words from me. My favorite part was when the press conference was over and we did the stare down. I noticed that Klitschko tried to intimidate me when it went from nice to serious. I wanted him to know that I wasn’t going to be intimidated and this wasn’t a fight he was going to win. He seemed to get my message because he softened his stance a little and became a little friendlier. After the stare down we were suppose to have dinner, but our next flight to the Ukraine was right after the press conference. So we had to leave, pack, and change out of our suits and go to the airport.

Two hours later we arrived in the Ukraine where they had more cameras and reporters to greet us upon our arrival. The Ukraine time difference added an extra hour to my already tired and jet lagged weary body. But I still had dinner with my promoter and manager before heading off to bed.

The next day I woke up for a breakfast interview at 10am, which is really 3am in the morning to me, so it was really hard to function properly. But I manned up and I got through the interviews even with some of the language barriers. The next press conference was right after breakfast. When we got there, I was introduced with the Rocky theme song entrance music, which was interesting because I realty wanted to tell Klitschko “I must break you” but I didn’t want to offend anyone so I kept that tidbit of humor to myself.

I’ve never seen so many television cameras and press photographers in my life. Dan said it reminded him of the type of coverage Mike Tyson used to get at his press conferences.

After another day and set of questions, it was time for my favorite part of the trip, the stare down. I was not going to be caught off guard so I took my glasses off and I got as close as I could to Klitschko. Somebody yelled out closer, so I moved in where we were standing nose to nose. I won the first mind battle because he backed up and I came forward in his face knowing neither one of us wanted to be the first to move or blink. It seemed like we stayed in that pose forever, until his brother Vitali broke it up and told us to save it for July 12th. After the press conference, we did a very uncommon and unusual thing, we went to a late lunch with Waldimir, Vitali (and his wife), Dan, Nate, and me, where we were met by a woman journalist who was writing a big piece on the fight and needed extensive time with Wladimir and me.

I was surprised I enjoyed eating Ukranian food. It certainly was different, but pretty good. By this time I was really getting tired of all the interviews. I really wanted to get the fight going after that intense stare down, but I answered the questions and I ate my food and Dan, Nate and me left. The next day we hopped on a plane and traveled all day long.

Now back in the states and into training that’s it (smile) (laugh) lol till next report from training camp!"

Source

Ahmet Öner Bilbao Spain Defense

Due to the confusion and difficult circumstances that developed in the fight between Danny Williams and Konstantin Airich, the fight's promoter Ahmet Öner recently made a statement in his defense of the actions made during this fiasco...

“First of all I want to apologize for all the confusion in this fight. And I want to point out that I never meant to cheat on Danny in any way. If it would have been my goal to steal the victory from him I wouldn’t have thrown in the towel at a point were Konstantin was leading on all scorecards..

To me the first couple of rounds between Konstantin Airich and Danny Williams have been the most entertaining I’ve seen in a while in heavyweight boxing. Konstantin showed a great performance and impressed Danny with his enormous power and very hard hands and sent him to the canvas a couple of times. The way Danny recovered from that and came back to win the fight with all his experience was very impressive as well. The main problem of the fight, however, was very poor refereeing and the officials of the local commission.

Regarding this I want to make clear that the show was only co-promoted by ARENA and we didn’t bring German officials to Spain but worked with the local commission in Bilbao. I didn’t know anybody of the officials before the fight and to me they really turned this great bout into a farce. The referee was at no point in control of the action inside the ring. When Danny’s tape loosened from his glove the ref wouldn’t stop the bout to have it fixed. At one point the ref even tried to wrap the tape around the glove himself which looked really stupid to me after that he even ripped it off completely. In addition to that he warned Danny and deducted points in strange situations, he gave him a standing eight-count which wouldn’t have happened in Germany and he saw knockdowns where the fighters obviously slipped. The supervisor did nothing to correct the referee and what the timekeepers did was the biggest disgrace. They stopped the breaks prematurely and had one round – I think it was the 5th – going for 3:30.

Because the fight was very exciting but disturbed by poor refereeing I got very angry and started to argue with the officials. Additionally I had heard after the 3rd round that Konstantin had problems with his left hand and seemed to be seriously injured. So when Danny started to attack Konstantin in the 6th I shouted at the officials to stop the fight. Actually Konstantin’s trainer didn’t think that his fighter was in danger so he didn’t throw in the towel what would have been the best at this point of time. I thought Konstantin might get knocked out hard as I know that Danny can do some damage. So I kept on shouting ‘Stop the fight!’ and meant that it should have been a tko for Danny at this point. This situation led to the ringing of the bell with 1:30 to go in the round. As the officials acted as if nothing had happened and just started the 7th round after a break I threw in the towel to end all discussions. I never meant to cheat on Danny or to steal the victory from him. Otherwise I wouldn’t have thrown the towel in.

Unlike other (German) promoters I stand for boxing as a sport. I want to see interesting fights and great action inside the ring. That’s why I do the aggressive matchmaking I’m known for. No other promoter in the world would have let a guy with only 10 pro-fights take on a world class fighter like Danny Williams. In addition to that I didn’t do the fight on German soil or with German officials like other German promoters do it to control the judging. We went to neutral soil which proved to be a mistake as this local commission really did a bad job. I think the first half of the fight showed that it was a good match-up. That this was ruined by poor refereeing teaches me not to work with inexperienced referees and officials again. And I regret the mistake I made in choosing Bilbao as place for the fight to happen.

I hope that Danny understands my motives and what happened in Bilbao. And I hope that he didn’t mean to accuse me personally but point on a problem we have in professional boxing in general: Promoters impinging on officials to have their fighters win. This might be a typical German problem but I am not a typical German promoter – I am Turkish; I work internationally; and I am a boxing fan as well which means I want to see great fights with fair decisions. Everybody who accuses me personally should not forget that it was me who ended the fight in favour of Danny and that I saw Sinan Samil Sam losing to Oliver McCall in Ankara one year ago which wouldn’t have happened one of the other ‘typical German promoters’.

After all I hope that Danny gives Konstantin a rematch one day after he recovers from his broken hand because I think Konstantin deserves it as he really showed a hack of a fight which shouldn’t be forgotten besides all the anger and confusion.”

In my opinion he could have just threw in the towel originally if he wanted the fight to end. Since when does a promoter think of ringing the bell as the primary choice for ending a fight?

John Ruiz Fights Drugs

Former WBA champion John "The Quietman" Ruiz is taking part in a annual WBA KO to Drugs Festival. The international festival will take place at the Olympic Center in San Juan de los Morros, Venezuela. There will also be fights later on with a three two minute round exhibition match between John Ruiz himself and WBA vice-president Gilberto Jesus Mendoza.

Ruiz Comments

“I’m excited about returning to Venezuela, especially for such a great cause and one I’ve always supported. The last time I was there it was for an awards ceremony. Venezuela is a beautiful country and the people there are very friendly. I’m honored to be invited and I’d like to thank the WBA and the Mendoza family for selecting me to help promote its anti-drug program. I have spoken to kids for years about the perils of drugs, encouraging them to stay away from all illegal drugs, and to follow their dreams. It’s about surrounding yourself with good people and making wise decisions in life.”

Mendoza Comments

“It will be a pleasure to box with no less the first Latin American heavyweight champion. John represents the spirit of our festival because as a Latin American, he achieved what seemed to only be reserved for Americans or Europeans.”

Source

Williams TKO 7 Over Airich

In a very interesting fight on May 30th, Danny Williams (39(31 Ko's), 6(3 Ko's), 0) scored a unusual TKO stoppage in round 7 over German fighter Konstantin Airich (9(8 Ko's), 1(1 Ko), 1). Airich was doing very well from the beginning scoring knockdowns over Willams. But then then Willaims recovered and started to turn the tables.

The ref did some bizarre things in the fight. He seemed to be counting a lot of low blows against Danny Williams, and even at one point decided to fix the tape around Danny's gloves for him! He also appeared to be getting in Danny's way when he chased after Airich. But, the most bizarre and controversial part of the fight came when Airich's promoter Ahmet Öner rang the bell during the 6th round! This to me is blatant corruption, but Ahmet Öner has since said that he was doing it to stop the fight. I highly doubt it, why didn't he throw in the towel or do something else? The 7th round began, Williams poured it on some more and the towel was thrown in-- -finally. Danny Williams is seeking some kind of action because of this fight that happened in Bilbao, Spain. Here's the fight if you want to watch it.

Danny Williams Vs Konstantin Airich
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