Stevenson shows another side!

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97 - @BoxingOpinions1

Adonis 'Superman' Stevenson burst onto the light-heavyweight world scene back in June with a devastating 1st round KO over the division's No.1 and WBC world champ Chad Dawson, a victory that left boxing fans and fellow fighters in shock throughout the world. And now he's kept the incredible momentum going with a 7-round demolition job over another former world champ, Tavoris Cloud.

New Video Idea #1: Do the WBC have double standards? (Pricey Boxing)

http://www.youtube.com/user/PriceysBoxinThoughts

Fighter Of The Week - Sakio Bika

This week we have chosen Sakio Bika as our 

fighter of the week...

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97 - @BoxingOpinions1

The main event was crazy, it was exciting, it was the one we all wanted to watch, but the performance from the winner Adrien Broner wasn't really a show-stealing performance. In fact nobdoy on the show last night, except for maybe Malignaggi, put on a better performance than we were expecting. But one man for me that does deserve a lot of credit is Sakio Bika. After years of trying and four previous attempts, the 34-year old finally achieved his dream of becoming world champion.

Continue reading...

Abner Mares vs Daniel Ponce De Leon - Post-Fight Report

Sergio Martinez Vs Martin Murray - Post-Fight Report

The Fans Have Voted: Bellew Vs Chilemba

This Saturday British fan favorite Tony Bellew (19-1, 12 KO's) takes on proven South African Isaac Chilemba (20-1, 9 KO's) in what could be the toughest fight of the 30-year old's career so far. The winner of this fight will become a serious contender in the light-heavyweight division and will be almost guaranteed a shot at WBC world champ Chad Dawson. The bout takes place at the Echo Arena in Liverpool so Bellew will have home advantage and he does enter this fight as the slight favourite, but there are many fans out there who believe that the 30th is going to be a bad night for 'The Bomber.'

This is how the fans see the fight going:

Mayweather-Guerrero First Face-To-Face

Floyd Mayweather and Robert Guerrero meet face-to-face for the first time in the build-up to their highly-anticipated welterweight showdown on May 4th!

Abner Mares to become mandatory challenger to Ponce De Leon!

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

WBC President Jose Sulaiman has said that former two-weight world champion Abner Mares will become the organisation's mandatory challenger for Daniel Ponce De Leon's WBC featherweight world title.

Ponce (44-4, 34 KO's) was originally scheduled to face the initial mandatory challenger Jayson Velez on March 2nd but Velez withdrew due to an injury suffered in training. The WBC will now replace him, putting Mares (25-0, 13 KO's) in the mandatory spot.

Mares has just recently vacated the WBC super-bantamweight title to move up in weight in an attempt to become a three-division world champion. Sulaiman explained that "a fighter giving up his title to move up in weight, he becomes the mandatory challenger (to the WBC title at the weight above." He also said that "it would be great to see a fight between Ponce and Mares."

Bika earns WBC mandatory spot with win over Sjekloca!

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Ring veteran Sakio Bika reaffirmed himself as a contender in the super-middleweight division last night with a unanimous decision victory over undefeated Russian Nikola Sjekloca on the undercard of Adrien Broner Vs Gavin Rees at the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City.

The 33-year old entered as the favourite but many people believed that the No.1 ranked Sjekloca would be a tough test for him. However, it proved a relatively easy night for the iron-chinned "Scorpion." Bika was always going to be tougher and stronger but he also managed to out-box his younger opponent for the majority of the fight. His jab was affective and it was out-shining the low work rate of Sjekloca.

All three judges were in agreement giving the fight to Bika by scores of 119-109, 118-112 & 120-108. There were a few good spurts from Sjekloca and he proved that he's a tough guy, but there was no doubt that Bika had won this fight. 

Adrien Broner Vs Gavin Rees - Fight Preview

By James McKnight @Jamesmcknight83.

Gavin Rees will face Adrien Broner in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on February 16 for the WBC lightweight title.  

Rees, 37(18)-1-1, last fought in July when he took on Derry Mathews in a rematch from 2011 which had ended in a draw. He beat Mathews after the fight was stopped during the 9th round. With that win. the Welshman not only regained the European title but he also claimed the British title too. Rees, 32, is aiming to win a World title at a second weight after he claimed the WBA World light-welterweight title back in July 2007. On that night he beat Frenchman, Souleymane M'baye on points. In his first defense of the title against Ukranian, Andriy Kotelnik in February 2012, he was stopped in the 12th round despite putting up a valiant effort throughout the fight, Rees simply had absorbed too much punishment. 

Broner, 25(21)-0-0, is currently 23 years of age and he is one of boxing's finest upcoming prospects. When he faces Rees. he will be aiming to defend the WBC lightweight title. In November, he made his lightweight debut after stepping up from super-featherweight. In the opposite corner to him that night was Mexico's, Antonio DeMarco who was aiming to defend the WBC title. Before the fight, many people had their own interpretation of how they believed the fight would unfold and many people expected DeMarco to give Broner problems of his own to deal with. But, this proved to not be the case. Broner was in excellent form, and landed many big shots throughout the contest, in particular some lethal uppercuts. The fight was eventually stopped during the 8th round. 

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?

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.

Ricky Burns Vs Jose Ocampo - Fight Preview

By James McKnight (@mckjimbo).

WBO World lightweight champion Ricky Burns, was due to face commonwealth junior lightweight champion Liam Walsh on December 15 at the ExCel arena in London. Walsh though was involved in a car accident last month and consequently hurt his back forcing him to withdraw his challenge. Burns, 29, is now set to face late Filipino replacement, Jose Ocampo. 

Ocampo, 23, has a record of 17-5-1, 12 KO's and is rated at 14 in the World by the WBO. ''The bomber'' which is his alias, is relishing his meeting with Burns in the ring and believes he has what it takes to cause an upset. 

''I'll be coming to London with only one thing on my mind and that is to win the title.'' said the Filipino boxer. He added, "It's disrespectful that Burns is looking ahead of me next Saturday when i'll give him the hardest fight of his life,'' 

Sergio Martinez expects Canelo to duck and fight Cotto...

WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez is looking for a new challenge for the Spring of next year but believes that he may not be able to get some of the fights he wants.

'Maravilla' is coming off of a dominating performance over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and is hoping to face Mexico's other 'Golden Child', Saul Alvarez, in April or May of next year. The 37-year old has even stated that he would be willing to move down to 154lb to make the fight happen. However, he believes that this fight probably won't be happening anytime soon.

"Canelo has better and safer offers. After what happened to (Chavez) Junior, logic would tell me that he'll fight Cotto (because) there is less risk and more money," said Martinez.

Martinez has said that he will rematch Chavez Jr in the fall of next year but is really hoping for a "super-fight" with one of boxing's biggest stars before the rematch. And to be honest with you, he deserves one. The guy has done everything asked of him, fought everyone who's been offered to him and looked a class above all of them in the ring. He only wants one thing and that's a chance to prove he is the best pound-for-pound fighter out there today but unfortunately it looks like he isn't going to get that chance. In fact it looks like a rematch with the likes of Matthew Macklin is the most likely fight out there for him at the moment.

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Bernd Boente: Wladimir will not be forced into a fight with Povetkin!

Bernd Boente (left) with Wladimir (right).

Unified heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko's manager Bernd Boente claims that his fighter will not be forced into a bout with the WBC "super" champion Alexander Povetkin.

Povetkin fought last Saturday against Hasim Rahman in a completely one-sided bout that Povetkin ended up winning by second round KO. The Russian's promoter, Sauerland Event, spoke after the bout and claimed that Wladimir had been given to the end of February 2013 to face Povetkin or he will be stripped of his WBA title. "Dr Steelhammer's" next defence comes against Maruisz Wach on November 10th in Hamburg.

Team Klitschko have denied the WBA's mandate and claims Wladimir has up until the end of the July and even then he will only take the best fight possible.

This is what Bernd Boente had to say: "The WBA gave us a period of two years from the time of the David Haye fight [July 2011] to make a mandatory defence. In other words, up to July 2013. Povetkin's not a true champion, he's the same, a normal contender. We will not allow anyone to force us to do anything."

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Haye hoping for new British boxing license...

British heavyweight contender David Haye claims that if he does get a fight with WBC heavyweight world champion Vitali Klitschko, he will first attempt to get his British boxing license back.

Haye lost fought on July 14th against Dereck Chisora and he did so with a license under the Luxembourg Boxing Federation (LBF). Haye put on a career-best performance and knocked Chisora out in just 5 rounds, but it didn't seem to actually increase his chances of landing a fight with Vitali Klitschko. Vitali is the type of guy that likes to "play by the rules" and do things the right way, so I'm sure that at the moment, whilst Haye is still boxing under the LBF, there is not much chance of the fight happening. There is also the situation involving the WBC... Basically, Haye and the WBC are now "friends" again after a long dispute regarding 'The Hayemaker's' controversial fight with Chisora. I'm sure that the WBC, who are the organisation that Vitali is champion, would much rather the fight happen if Haye was with the BBBofC.

Haye says he will attempt to get his British boxing license back and hopefully as soon as possible.

"It's been well-publicised already, but the reason I applied for a license from the Luxembourg Boxing Federation was because my opponent, Dereck Chisora, had seen his British license withdrawn. The only way we were able to deliver the fight the public wanted, when they wanted it, was to both apply for foreign licenses, as arranged by Chisora's promoter," explained Haye.

"In an ideal world, though, I'd now like to box on with a British license. I'm a British boxer, I have never had any issues with the board and, should a fight with Vitali Klitschko happen, I'd be keen to have the British Boxing Board of Control in my corner, simply because they are so experienced and are the best at what they do."

 

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Martinez & Chavez exchange harsh words...

Chavez Jr (left) with Martinez (right).

This Saturday, WBC middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr takes on pound-for-pound contender Sergio Martinez in one of the biggest fights of the year. Now, I think it's fair to say that these do not like each other, you can even go as far as saying they actually hate each other. There is so much bad blood between them and they just can't stop insulting each other.

Martinez, who is obviously very hyped up for this fight, started with the trash-talk and made some pretty bold statements.

"I trained a long time dancing," said Martinez. "That's all I need to break his face a thousand times."

"I will punish him a lot and then I will knock him out. He will suffer a lot."

Chavez, who has been slightly quieter in the build-up to this fight, was quick to respond.

"I'm not only going to beat you; I'm going to retire you," said Chavez in reply to Martinez.

He continued: "I have seen when he was knocked out or knocked down and his eyes were white. He looked pretty good."

Seeing as Chavez brought up some of his history, 'Maravilla' decided to do a bit of the same.

"The only reason he is the champion is that he is Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, the son of the legend. His mouth is bigger than his brain, he's talking too much."

Chavez once again responded to these taunts, this time saying: "I am going to shut him up once and for all... He is just a big clown."

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Pension Fund Launched For Former Boxers...

The World Boxing Council (WBC) has decided to launch a pension fund for former boxers who are not as well-off as they used to be. The Swiss watch company Hublot will play a key factor in raising the money.

Twelve ring legends (Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez, Ken Norton, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Lennox Lewis, Roberto Duran, Oscar De La Hoya, Jeff Fenech and Azumah Nelson) have also been selected to help with the fund. Hublot have created twelve watches for the WBC legends, with each one being engraved with the boxer's signature.

Hublot and the WBC will then hold an auction on September 29th at the Bellagio Resort Hotel in Las Vegas where twelve exact copies of the watch will be on sale. Tickets to the event will be priced at one thousand dollars and all proceeds from the event will go straight into the WBC Boxers Pension Fund.

"Having thrilled us with knockouts and lion hearted bravery in the ring, many of our favourite fighters have fallen on hard times, having suffered injuries and they're living in reduced circumstances. For years this has been a great concern for those of us who love the sport and care deeply about it's participants, who form a precious constellation. Now we can begin to help those boxers in need. We do not forget."

Personally I think this is a great idea that will really benefit the sport as long as the WBC have no tricks up their sleeve. If all of the money raised goes directly to the pension fund then it is a brilliant idea. We just need to hope that the WBC are not to doing this to benefit themselves. I know its very unlikely but you always have to be skeptical with this governing body.

Khan-Garcia winner will have to vacate one title...

The light-welterweight unification bout between Amir Khan and Danny Garcia on Saturday night (July 14th) is a multi-title fight, with the WBA and WBC world titles on the line. Until just recently, the winner of the fight would have become a unified world champion and probably stayed like that for quite a long time. This could still be the case, but it is very unlikely.

World Boxing Council President Jose Sulaiman has claimed that the winner of the fight will have to vacate one of the titles. The reason for this is that the WBC do not usually allow their champions to remain unified with other sanctioning bodies.

"It's a real surprise to know that the WBA title is involved," said Sulaiman. "The WBC will accept only the WBC. Whoever doesn't want it, the title is vacant."

When the fight was made last month, only Garcia's WBC title was expected to be on the line, but recently Khan was reinstated as the WBA champ. Lamont Peterson, who defeated Khan last December, was stripped of his title after failing a drug test. The WBA were expected to make the title vacant but instead they handed it back to Khan.

It is very likely that the winner of the fight will vacate the WBC title. If Garcia wins, he will want to hold on to the first world title he ever won, and if Khan wins, he will also likely want to keep the WBC title as it is probably the most recognised sanctioning body around today.

After disposing of Spinks, Bundrage wants Canelo...

IBF champ Cornelius Bundrage.

39-year old IBF light-middleweight champion Cornelius Bundrage showed on Saturday night that even at his age, he can still compete at the top level of the sport. 'K9' put on one of his career-best performances against Cory Spinks, knocking him down four times and then stopping him in the seventh.

Whilst Spinks (39-6, 11 KO's) is not a top fighter at light-middleweight, and he certainly is no Saul Alvarez or Miguel Cotto, he is still a decent fighter that would be a tough challenge for most  people at 154lb. So the fact that Bundrage disposed of him relatively easy, shows that 'K9' is still a force to be feared in the division.

Erislandy Lara.

And he wants to prove this even further by fighting the 21-year old Mexican superstar Saul Alvarez.

Bundrage called out the WBC world champ in the post-fight interview.

"The black 'Rocky' versus Canelo. Let's get it on... We want Canelo! We want Canelo," Bundrage exclaimed. "I think that would be a good fight. I ain't going nowhere. You see how I fight. I fight. I don't even really think about doing no jabbing. No, I fight. He a fighter. I'm a fighter. Let's fight."

Also on the card, was another potential opponent for Alvarez on September 15th, Erislandy Lara. The Cuban 29-year old scored a wide unanimous decision over Freddy Hernandez and also looked pretty good whilst doing it.

At the moment, it looks as though these two men are the only two people that would be allowed by the WBC and put up a good fight against Alvarez. Personally, I'd rather see 'Canelo' fight Lara but either of them would be an interesting fight. Not the best, but still interesting.