Today up and coming undefeated 6'8" heavyweight Tyson Fury defeated Daniel "Shrek" Peret when the ref stopped the fight after the 2nd round because of a large cut over Peret's left eye.
Fury dominated the fight with his footwork, height, and jab in the 1st round, and by the 2nd had Peret hurt and caused a cut over his left eye. Despite protests from Peret, the ref stopped the fight and Fury remains undefeated 3 wins and 3 KO's.
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The unbeaten 2004 Olympic gold medalist and IBF #1 contender Alexander Povetkin (16-0, 12 KOs) is making a unnecessary voluntary fight against Jason "Big Six" Estrada (15-1, 3 KOs) on April 4 in Dusseldorf, Germany. The fight is considered unnecessary for Povetkin because he already has a guaranteed shot at the title this fall. Because of this Estrada has said that Povetkin is taking him way too lighty.
“The fight’s on April 4 but Povetkin’s the April Fool. I really see this guy as just a big-name opponent. He has his gold medal but he’s been babied his entire career. They just put guys in front of him to fight. He’s making a big mistake taking this fight. I’m not dwelling on the past. The old stuff doesn’t matter to me; I’m focusing on the present. It doesn’t upset me that people are calling this a tune-up for him. If the shoe was on the other foot, I wouldn’t take him lightly, but they’re making a huge mistake if they’re taking me lightly. I think it will be easier fighting him today than in the amateurs because he had to box a little more back then. You don’t see him boxing now. He’s a sitting duck. This (pro boxing) is a whole different game, something I learned in my first fight and I’ve progressed from there. He’s got the same stuff. Our fight didn’t happen in the amateurs, so I’m focused on beating him as a pro. I can’t see how he took this fight. His people must be telling him I’m just fast, like (Eddie) Chambers or (Chris) Byrd, but I’m more aggressive and they weren’t. I’m not worried about going over there because, if I smash him and lose, everybody will see that. No way I’m going to lose; I’m either going to stop him, or I’ll deserve a win by decision. He can’t prepare for what I’m bringing.”
It's true that this fight is not going to be an easy win for Povetkin, but props to him for taking the fight even though he didn't have to in preparation for a much bigger challenge in Wladimir once he gets by Estrada.
Fightnews.com recently gave a interview to up-and-coming #1 WBO ranked heavyweight Alexander "Sascha" Dimitrenko(29-0, 19 KOs). He talks about potential fights with Matt Skelton and Wladimir Klitschko in the future. Here's the interview:
Hello, Sascha. Glad to you see again. There’s been talk about a fight against Matt Skelton. You want this fight?
The fight is interesting to me. We have until March 19th to negotiate the details and if all ends well, I’ll get in the ring against him. He’s a difficult contender, the champion of Europe, and a challenger for the world title.
You had your last fight against Luan Krasniqi, which you easily won. Now Krasniqi wants a rematch. Will you agree to fight him again?
From the sports point of view, this fight is not so interesting to me because I already won deservedly and clearly. But this is boxing, here anything is possible. If my managers tell me that this fight is interesting and also financially favorable, I’m ready to fight him again. There are no problems.
WBO/IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in an interview with Fightnews.com told us that in the future he’d be willing to fight you. How do you look at it?
I want this fight. I’ve always dreamt of becoming the world champion and I’m ready to fight the best boxers in the world. Wladimir Klitschko has proved that he is one of the best boxers in the world. But in the ring there aren’t robots, but people. It means that there are always opportunities. The main thing is to use them to your own advantage. If this fight takes place, I will try to the utmost to use them.
At one time, both of you were promoted by Universum Box Promotion. What can you tell about Wladimir Klitschko?
Yes, for a long time we worked in the same gym. I was always happy to talk to him and we worked together in training. I know him perfectly and he knows me. I think that a fight between us would be interesting to fans of boxing.
The Klitchko Brothers currently don’t have absolutely good relations with Universum Box-Promotion. Do you think that is a problem in making the fight?
I don’t think about that because I don’t wish to complicate the situation. I too have had some moments with Universum Box Promotion which didn’t suit me, but I won’t speak about what these problems are. We’ll see what happens. I am the #1 ranked heavyweight in the WBO and deserve the right to fight the champion. Wladimir knows it and understands it.
Do you think Wladimir Klitschko will beat David Haye?
Haye is not an easy contender, but I think Wlad will beat him.
Oleg Maskaev has recently gave an open letter to current WBC heavyweight champion "Dr. Ironfist" Vitali Klitschko in regards to his complaint to the WBC for having to fight 2 mandatory fights in a row--- March 21st again Juan Carlos Gomez and within 90 days after that fight against Maskaev).
Here's what Oleg Maskaev had to say:
"Dear Vitali, Let’s stop the nonsense. When I fought you for the CSCA (Centrum Sports Club Army) Military Championship, I stopped you in the 1st round. You were badly hurt and your corner threw in the towel. Stop making excuses, stop lying and be a man and admit it. That was our 1st fight.
I became Heavyweight Champion in August ‘06 and made my 1st defense in December ’06 in Moscow before a sellout crowd in the 1st Heavyweight Championship bout in the history of Moscow. Your people contacted my promoter, Dennis Rappaport, and said that the WBC had designated you Champion Emeritus; and as such you had the right to immediately face me for the Heavyweight Championship. I agreed to fight you despite the fact that you were inactive for about 4 years and that you cancelled your last 4 fights due to injury.. After months of negotiations surrounding the controversy as to who had the 1st right to fight for the Championship, Samuel Peter or you, I stood firm and supported your position. In return for my loyalty, you and your people started double-talking and procrastinating. On or about April ’07 HBO became disgusted and gave us a deadline for the contract to be signed. I signed the contract and was told that my promoter would receive your executed contract the next day. Vitali, your contract never was signed and you gave some ridiculous excuse that you wouldn’t have enough time to train. What were you doing for 4 months, getting a suntan and not training? I had very serious surgery for my elbow, due to injuries I suffered in my fight Dec. ’06. I went for rehabilitation after the surgery and was still ready to fight.
You claim that you shouldn’t have to fight 2 successive mandatories, but that’s exactly what the WBC had ordered me to do. You never complained or suggested that it was unfair or the WBC didn’t have the right. Of course not! It benefited you Vitali. Life is a two way street, there aren’t 2 sets of rules, one for you and one for everyone else.
You say you want to fight Arreola, Haye, or Dimentrinko, I don’t blame you….none of them have ever beaten a top ten contender.
Remember the words of Joe Louis, ‘you can run but you can’t hide’. For whatever the reason you have done everything humanly possible to avoid fighting me. I don’t know if it is psychological or what. Sometimes a fighter has another fighter’s number…like Mosely had DeLaHoya’s and Forrest had Mosely’s. These fighters won in the amateurs and also scored and won big upsets in the pros. Vitali, I know how to beat you. I stopped you in the amateurs and I’ll stop you whenever you have the courage to face me in the ring.
Prior to my fighting Peter I suffered a devastating back injury, the 1st in my professional career, I knew that if I had to postpone the Peter fight again, my title would have been stripped from me. There were strange and bizarre circumstances, surrounding the Peter fight, perhaps even bordering on the criminal. The truth of which will eventually come out. Suffice it to say that the real Oleg Maskaev was not in the ring that night. Today I am 100% healthy….and a 100% healthy Oleg Maskaev is a dangerous man. I respect you as a sportsman, so do whatever you choose; go to mediation, go to court, say your prayers, but remember if you defeat Gomez, you can’t fight anyone before you fight me. Vitali, stop the whining and let’s start fighting. I’ll fight you in Russia, in the U.S., or even in your own backyard. Let’s get it on. "
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You can read my previous post, but this is not the same situation as Vitali Klitschko prior to Maskaev losing his title. Maskaev is at the end of his game and is clearly trying to get 1 final payday. With this talk and the WBC ruling, I think it will most likely happen. Good luck to Maskaev. Permanent brain damage and the finer things in life are in his future.
Recently, WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko said he was going to file a complaint in regards to having to fight 2 mandatory fights in a row as ordered by the WBC (March 21st vs. Juan Carlos Gomez and then within 90 days after that fight against Oleg Maskaev). Team Maskaev has given a response to Vitali's criticism on the order to fight Maskaev right after the Gomez fights. This is what Maskaev's promoter Dennis Rappaport had to say:
“Klitschko is fighting about the very same thing he received. What does this guy have a double standard? One for the rest of the world and one for the Klitschko’s?
He’s in the mirror position of Maskaev. Why didn’t he cry when it benefited him? It’s really like a joke. Now he wants to attack the very same thing he benefited from!”
Ok sorry, but this is not the same situation. When Vitali lost his belt it was because he retired do to injury not because someone TKO'd him in the ring. Maskaev lost via TKO to Peter whom Vitali soundly defeated just this past December 2008.
So in one instance you have a dominant champion(ok he didn't have a lot of title defenses but the fights he fought he he won easily against recognizable names and he gave Lennox Lewis all he could handle. So clearly anyone would say he was the man to beat. Not the case with Maskaev) who the WBC gave a special circumstance to if he should ever return, and then in Maskaev's situation you got a guy who fought 1 title defense in Moscow against a no name and lost on his next outing to Sam Peter.
If nothing else it's ridiculous to consider it the same situation because of the marketability of the fight. Everyone loves the idea of a popular more recognized champion coming back and fighting, but not everyone likes the idea of a former champion who wasn't dominant getting another title shot after losing 2 fights ago to the same guy Vitali Klitschko destroyed in his last fight.
The only thing that's similar is the WBC making rules, and that's what anyone would expect a governing body such as the WBC to do.
The 6'7" 300 plus pound rising heavyweight Alexander Ustinov (14-0, 12 KOs) of Belarus defeated the unbeaten Ukrainian heavyweight Maksym Pedyura (11-1, 10 KOs) via 5th round TKO at the Sports Palace in Kiev, Ukraine yesterday. With this win Ustinov now has the EBA heavyweight title. Keep an eye on this guy. He's very quick for a man his size and he could be moving up the ranks pretty fast after this fight.
Current WBC heavyweight boxing champion "Dr. Ironfist" Vitali Klitschko has recently filed a complaint to the WBC against having to face 2 mandatory challengers in a row (Gomez and then Maskaev within 120 days after the March 21st showdown with Gomez). Vitali Klitschko has said, "The fight with Maskaev won’t be interesting for me or the spectators.” Vitali would much rather have a more lucrative voluntary defense after his match with Gomez, which he expects to win.
On March 27th, former WBC heavyweight champion and #5 World-ranked Sam "The Nigerian Nightmare" Peter (30-2, 23 KOs) and up-and-coming #3 World-ranked contender "Fast" Eddie Chambers (33-1, 18 KO's) will square off to see who gets higher up in the heavyweight picture.
In Peter's last 2 fights, he won the WBC heavyweight championship from Oleg Maskaev via TKO, but lost his WBC belt via 9th round in his following bout to "Dr. Ironfist" Vitali Klitschko. He ended up quitting on his stool, so this fight is going to be very important to try to win impressively to get some kind of credibility back.
As far as Chambers, he lost a decision to IBF #1 mandatory Alexander Povetkin in a IBF elimination tournament final, but since has won 2 fights in a row to the likes Ross Purrity and Derric Rossy.
This should be an interesting style match up against a slick fast boxer in Chambers and a more raw puncher in Peter. The bout will be shown ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” at 10:00 pm ET/7:00 pm PT at the new world-class 7,100-seat Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles.
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