Scott Quigg Vs Yoandris Salinas - Fight Preview

By Andrew Graves @andrewgravess

This coming Saturday night Britain's Scott Quigg will make his first defense of his WBA Super Bantamweight title against tough Cuban Yoandris Salinas.

Scott Quigg returns, beats Prado. Frampton rivalry is getting very tasty!

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Nonito Donaire Vs Guillermo Rigondeaux - Fight Preview

By Jack Sumner @Jack_Sumner_

It’s becoming a cliché, but in boxing rarely do the best fight the best anymore. Too often in recent years fights that should have materialised between the two standout competitors in a division have not, submerged under the weight of promotional rivalries, inflated egos and protected records. 

But every once in a while those fights do materialise and above the confusion of fractured world titles an undisputed champion emerges. Every once in a while two rare talents shared the squared circle in an event that makes the boxing world stand still, a superfight, when a pair of great pugilists collide, captivate and divide opinion.

That’s what we have this Saturday at the Radio City Music Hall in New York, when WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (31-1, 20 KOs) meets WBA 122lb titleholder Guillermo Rigondeaux (11-0, 8 KOs). It’s a unification battle that not only features the top two fighters in their division, but arguably two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport.

Rigondeaux has no issue with drug testing...

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

The highly-anticipated super-bantamweight unification bout between Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux now seems in doubt after Nonito Donaire took to Twitter yesterday and released the following statement:

“I want you guys to hear it from me first. I am NOT going to NYC for the presser this Thursday [because] Rigo is backing off his agreement to VADA drug testing. Rigo's team verbally agreed to VADA testing both online and in negotiations. But now that the contract to start testing is infront of them, they are finding every excuse not to sign and delay the start of the testing. I have NOT signed my fight contract yet to fight him so I have no obligation to fight ONLY HIM. It disappoints me that top fighters these days run from everything that will hold professional boxing integrity to its highest standard. I will be looking into other opponents with my manager, Cameron Dunkin immediately."

However, Rigondeaux's team have responded to the Filipino's allegations, and claim that their fighter has absolutely no problem with the VADA random drug testing. His manager Gary Hyde also stated that it was part of the 30-year old's Olympic training program during his amateur days in Cuba.

Romero beats Lopez for 122lb, Could face Frampton later this year.

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Jhonatan Romero remained undefeated last night (February 16th) with a split decision victory over Alejandro Lopez in which he claimed the vacant IBF super-bantamweight title.

It was a tough and scrappy night of boxing for both fighter and it was nip and tuck the whole way. Romero, fighting in his opponents hometown of Tijuana, Mexico, knew he would have to work hard to win a judges decision. He did this by taking the fight to Lopez and not allowing him to settle. This worked well for the first few rounds and Romero hurt his opponent on a number of occasions. But as the fight progressed, we saw a slight dip in the Colombian's work rate and Lopez saw his success rate to start to rise.

The middle rounds were also close with many people believing that Romero was doing the slightly better work. The championship rounds also proved tough for both men, and Romero saw a point deducted in the final round for repeatedly punching to the back of the head. However, this didn't affect the scorecards as two judges had it 115-112 and 116-111 in favour of Romero, with one judges scoring it 115-112 for Lopez.

Santa Cruz steps up to 122lb, McDonnell & Ceja to fight for vacant belt.

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Leo Santa Cruz.

Young boxing superstar Leo Santa Cruz (23-0, 13 KO's) has made the decision to vacate his IBF bantamweight title and step up to the highly-competitive super-bantamweight division. This move has been coming for a relatively long time and Cruz and his team finally made it official on Monday, a day before the negotiations were set to start for his mandatory title defense against Jamie McDonnell.

The 24-year old was one of the breakthrough stars of 2012, fighting on five occasions and looking impressive every time. He is now in search for the "big" fights at 122lb. The California-resident has long been linked with a mouth-watering bout with Abner Mares, another young fighter who made it into the big time in 2012. However, Mares looks set to step up to featherweight in search for a fight with WBC champ Daniel Ponce De Leon so that fight looks unlikely at this current time. But there's still plenty of exciting match-ups for Cruz at super-bantamweight, and his promoters at Golden Boy agree.

"For the first fight at the higher weight class we want to pick a quality opponent and we see that in the next two or so fights Leo will be fighting for a world title again," said Golden Boy Chief Executive Richard Schaefer. "We will have to see what is available for him for a big fight, but we believe as a company, that in no particular order, Leo Santa Cruz, (Nonito) Donaire, Abner Mares, (Guillermo) Rigondeaux and Gary Russell Jr. are the best guys in these weight classes (super-bantamweight and featherweight), and we are not afraid to put Leo in with anyone."

Abner Mares vacates title and steps up to featherweight!

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97. 

Has Abner made the right decision?

I have to be honest, I was slightly disappointed when I saw someone share this news on Twitter. Mainly because it means that another super-fight is going to be passed by in Nonito Donaire Vs Abner Mares, but also because I do genuinely believe it is too early for Mares.

If you haven't heard already, highly-rated Mexican Abner Mares has chose to vacate his WBC super-bantamweight world title and is stepping up in weight to fight at featherweight. Mares has stated on many occasions that he was only sticking around at 122lb if a fight with the division's No.1 and pound-for-pound contender Nonito Donaire was made. And with Donaire Vs Rigondeaux looking likely for April, I guess he just got fed up of waiting and decided to finally take the step up. I say "finally" but I do think this is way too early for 'Lil Abner.'

With only two fights at super-bantamweight against extremely talented, but smaller guys (Anselmo Moreno and Eric Morel), there's still a lot for him to do at the weight. A fight with either Rigondeaux or Donaire would have came at one point and there's other fighters there that may not be as talented, but still have big names. Fights with Wilfredo Vazquez Jr, Scott Quigg, Carl Frampton and even Leo Santa Cruz would all have been mouth-watering match-ups and big paydays for the 27-year old.

The other problem is his size. At only 5"4 he is going to find himself coming up against a lot taller and physically bigger guys. I know he's got a lot of strength but does he have enough to out-muscle and grind out victories against top-class featherweights such as Mikey Garcia, Chris John and Daniel Ponce De Leon? That's a question that currently has no answer, but I'm sure it will do soon. Because we know with a guy like Abner Mares he will be straight in there with the elite guys in the division and looking to win even more titles.

Is this a wise move from the young superstar or is it a risk that just isn't worth taking at this current time? Can the two-weight world champion make it three out of three weight divisions at featherweight?

Martinez sends out warning to Frampton!

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

European super-bantamweight champion Kiko Martinez travels to Belfast on February 9th to take on highly-rated Irishman Carl Frampton. The Spaniard goes into the fight as the slight underdog but he claims that he will KO his "un-tested" opponent. 

"I feel I will win by knockout, or they'll stop the fight (be)cause of the beating I'm going to put on him. That's how I see it in my mind," Martinez told WorldBoxingNews. 

"I don't worry about the judges. This is a great country for boxing, it's a serious title up for grabs and it's not Germany or France. They know about boxing here and the judges will be fair."

"I think Frampton will try to run, I think he'll box and he won't go toe-to-toe. I know I'm a lot stronger than him. When I'm in the ring with him, he won't want to fight with me. He knows it, his corner knows it and all of Ireland knows it."

Martinez is a well-known fighter in Ireland having fought there four times already, and has no worries of facing the home favourite in Frampton. He also believes that 'The Jackal's' most recent victory over former world champ Steve Molitor was not as impressive as some people think.

Continue reading...

Abner Mares considering a move to featherweight!

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97. 

WBC super-bantamweight world champion Abner Mares is considering a move up in weight if a unification bout with WBO champ Nonito Donaire cannot be made.

"My promoter (Golden Boy) and Top Rank said they are pushing for this fight, but to be frank I'm hopeful that someday they can do it and it disappoints me a lot, because it's a big fight for me and people want it," Mares told Rene Umanzor of The Record. "In my division there is nothing but opponents who are just coming up, and I do not want to be (a) step (for them). I want to fight the best, and right now I (I'm thinking about moving to featherweight) to face a champion in that division."

Golden Boy's chief promoter Oscar De La Hoya recently went on record saying that he would love to stage a fight between Mares and IBF bantamweight champ Leo Santa Cruz. Mares, 27, claims that he is willing to face Cruz but would much rather take on Donaire.

De La Hoya looking to stage Mares Vs Cruz!

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97

Oscar De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions is eager to make a fight between WBC super-bantamweight champion Abner Mares and IBF bantamweight world champ Leo Santa Cruz.

Both men are unbeaten and, although  they're world champions, they still are far away from the peak of their careers, but this does seem like a fight that is likely to happen. Both fighters are promoted by Golden Boy and are happy to fight as many times as possible at this current time.

Cruz (23-0-1, 13 KO's) has been interested in fighting Mares for a very long time, and has made this clear in almost every one of the five post-fight interviews he has had in 2012. However this isn't the No.1 priority on Mares' list. The 27-year old is targeting super-bantamweight king and pound-for-pound contender Nonito Donaire. Unfortunately there isn't much chance of this fight happening as Donaire is promoted by Golden Boy's main rivals Top Rank.

Frampton Vs Martinez confirmed for September 22nd!

Irish super-bantamweight prospect Carl Frampton.

The highly-requested bout between Irish super-bantamweight prospect and EBU champion Kiko Martinez has been confirmed for September 22nd. The fight has been talked about and negotiated for a very long time and has now finally come into place. The EBU title clash will take place in Belfast at the Odyssey Arena.

Kiko Martinez.

Martinez is actually fighting in Ireland this weekend (July 21st) against Dougie Curran. However, this is expected to be a relatively easy bout for Martinez so unless something remarkable happens, it should be an easy victory for Martinez.

This will be a big step up in class for Frampton and if he does get the victory, it will likely line him up for a fight with either Rendall Munroe or Scott Quigg, who are both two big domestic rivals. The 25-year old has looked amazing in his career so far and him and his promoter have been desperate for a chance like this for a very long time.

His Mexican opponent has actually fought in Ireland a few times before. The most memorable was his devastating victory over Bernard Dunne who he dispatched of in just one round. This will also be Martinez's toughest test in a very long time.

Donaire Vs Arce almost definite!

Donaire in his fight with Jeffrey Mathebula on July 7th.

The fight that Top Rank have been trying to make for over a year is now finally looking like it's going to happen. According to reports, a showdown between Nonito Donaire and Jorge Arce is "ninety percent" finalized and is looking set to take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in October.

Mexican warrior Jorge Arce.

Donaire fought last Saturday (July 7th) when he beat Jeffrey Mathebula by unanimous decision in California. Donaire now holds the WBO and IBF titles at 122lb and after his fight with Mathebula, he stated that he wanted to unify at least one more title. He won't be able to do this if he fights Arce as the Mexican does not hold any world titles at this current time. It looked as though we were going to see Donaire fight Toshiaki Nishioka but Top Rank seem to prefer this fight a lot more. Probably because of the fact that Arce will bring a lot more fans that Nishioka.

Another reason is that Arce (60-6-2, 46 KO's) is 32-years old and has the fighting style that will take a negative affect on you as you get older. So Top Rank probably feel that they should take what could be their final chance to make a big-money fight involving Jorge Arce, and this is the perfect opportunity. Arce and Donaire both bring very big fanbases so it won't be hard to sell tickets and promote the fight, and Arce has the typical style that is tailor-made for Donaire but he will bring excitement and put on a show.

Donaire could have looked for a fight with the champions such as Nishioka, Abner Mares and Guillermo Rigondeaux but these men are going to be around for at least another few years and Arce might not. Donaire has a lot of time ahead of him and if he performs to the best of his potential, he could easily unify his titles in a big fight next year.

Abner Mares returns on August 25th...

According to reports, WBC super-bantamweight champ Abner Mares will return to the ring on August 25th in Puebla. The most likely opponent at the moment is Christian Esquivel (25-3, 18 KO's).

This is a decent fight for Mares as Esquivel is a man that will come to fight and come to win, and he's not that bad either. He's not the toughest opponent that Mares (24-0-1, 13 KO's) will ever face on his journey to the top but it will do good in showing us if Mares really is something special. However, there is one little negative surrounding this fight. Mares is a super-bantamweight and this is the second bout in a row that he has chosen to face a man who usually boxes at bantamweight. The Mexican has been criticised on occasions for not facing a top contender at 122lb (super-bantamweight). But that's the only bad thing I can think of about this fight.

It will be a good little scrap and it will definitely be more closely contested than Mares' most recent fight against Eric Morel, where the 26-year old widely outpointed the much older man.

The viewing of this clash on the night of August 25th could be a little less than usual. This fight will be shown on Showtime and on the same night, HBO will be showing a much more popular and 'high-key' fight in Dmirty Pirog Vs Gennady Golovkin for the world middleweight title. If it does not go head-to-head with this fight then I'm sure a lot of people will be watching it.

Rigondeaux looks fantastic yet again!

Rigondeaux just before landing a devastating blow on Kenndey.

Yesterday (June 9th) we all had the privilege to watch the young Cuban superstar Guillermo Rigondeaux in action on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao Vs Timothy Bradley.

The 31-year old has had just 10 professional fights and he is already good enough to compete with some of the top fighters in the world. He became super-bantamweight world champion after just 9 fights. He has looked untouchable so far in his career and his record as an amateur was one of the best you will ever see. 'The Jackal' won 243 out of 247 fights. Now that shows that the guy can box.

In his fight last night, he had a slight step up in class against Teon Kennedy (18-2). But it was the same old solid performance from Rigondeaux yet again. The WBA champ knocked Kennedy down five times and finally stopped him in the fifth round. If he would have gone in like a mad man he could have probably finished it much earlier but he showed his composure and did not make any mistakes. I don't think Kennedy landed a punch throughout the whole fight.

It's time now for Rigondeaux to step up his level of opposition. I know it's strange to say that for a guy who has only had 10 fights but I am already considering him as a top-class fighter in the world right now.

Personally, I think a great fight would be between him and Anselmo Moreno, if he decides to move up from bantamweight. Whilst Rigondeaux would provide a stern challenge for the pound-for-pound contender Nonito Donaire, he is not yet ready to fight somebody like him.

Whatever happens in the near future... We can no doubt expect a very bright future for Guillermo Rigondeaux.

Carl Frampton ready for Kiko Martinez!

@IFILMLONDON

Carl Frampton is riled up for his European title shot against Kiko Martinez tomorrow night! Things got heated at the weigh-in when the two men went head-to-head. Here is what 'The Jackal' thinks of the weigh-in and the fight. 

Kid Galahad discusses current career status

@IFILMLONDON