Articles

NEWS ON: Provodnikov, E-Rod, Chicago Stadium Show

Published

11 years ago

March 9, 2013

Los Angeles, CA (March 7, 2013)—With just over a week to go, Ruslan Provodnikov is winding down the best training camp of his life, as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career when he takes on WBO Welterweight champion Timothy Bradley on March 16^th at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

The fight will be shown live on HBO Championship Boxing at 10:15 pm EST/PST

Under the watchful eyes of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, Provodnikov, who is ranked number three in the world at Welterweight has trained very hard and is ready for not only his move up in weight, but to be crowned the new WBO world champion.

Below are quotes from Provodnikov and his team as training camp winds down at the famed Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.

Quotes from team Provodnikov:

Ruslan Provodnikov: “My training for this fight went better than I ever hoped! I feel like I'm a completely different fighter now and I have gained even more power in my punches after working with Gavin MacMillan, my new strength and conditioning coach. I think Timothy Bradley is in for something he doesn't expect! I have fought many guys that tried to just box me, but usually that did not end well for them!”

Vadim Kornilov (Manager): ”After the contract for this fight was signed, our job was to make sure that Ruslan's training camp was complete and he had everything he needed to prepare properly. I think our new strength and conditioning coach Gavin MacMillan and Freddie Roach's knowledge of the opponent is going to change Bradley's plan of “I'll just box him” into a plan of “how do I stay on my feet.”

New strength coach Gavin MacMillan: “Ruslan's conditioning has progressed from week to week and he is a true professional and he is ready for this fight.”

“Best camp we've ever had. Biggest fight we've ever had. We're ready.”

– Freddie Roach

Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Banner Promotions and Tecate, remaining tickets to the Bradley-Provodnikov world welterweight championship event, priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, can be purchased online at AXS.com or by phone at 888-929-7849 as well as The Home Depot Center Box Office (open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Suites are available by calling 1-877-604-8777. For information of group discounts, please call 1-877-234-8425.

New York, NY (3/8/13) – When Edwin Rodriguez (22-0, 15KO's) steps into the ring in the opening round of the upcoming coveted “Monte-Carlo Million Dollar Super 4” Tournament in Monaco on March 30 against Olympian Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna (19-0, 13KO's), he will be looking to take a major step toward fulfilling his ultimate goal of becoming a world champion. Rodriguez, the IBF #3, WBC #3, WBA #3, WBO #12 and Ring Magazine #10-rated super middleweight in the world, is considered by many to be the favorite in the tournament. Winning the tournament carries a 60% split of the $1,000,000 grand prize, as well as practically securing a world title shot for the Dominican-born Rodriguez. If you ask the always-colorful Rodriguez, though, the real champions in his family are his two six-year-old twins, Edwin Jr. and Serena.

The story of Edwin and his wife Stephanie's family since the twins were born severely premature more than six years ago has been well-documented during Edwin's climb up the professional ranks. Numerous articles have been written and television networks ESPN, Showtime and HBO have all commented on it during Edwin's fights. But when Edwin and his family sat down with esteemed boxing writer Ron Borges for a piece the esteemed reporter was planning on doing for the upcoming April issue of The Ring Magazine, no one could have expected the outcome. What transcribed was a mammoth 10-page feature spread, one of the longest articles ever published in the historic magazine's existence.

http://ringtv.craveonline.com/blog/177441-the-ring-magazine-april-issue-at-a-glance

“I am honored and humbled that The Ring Magazine thought enough of my family's story to dedicate so many pages to it,” said Rodriguez.”It's great that this article is bringing awareness to premature births, autism and C.P.”

“Ron Borges did a fantastic job in this extensive profile of Edwin and his family,” stated Rodriguez' long-time promoter Lou DiBella. I urge everyone to read it, and truly understand just what Edwin is fighting for.”

“I was fortunate to meet Edwin at the recent WBC convention. We struck up an

immediate rapport. I've long admired him as a fighter, but his humility and warmth are even more impressive. He's a real rolemodel, a pleasure to deal with and deserves to go far. He's definitely among the new wave of boxers to be on the look out for. The Monte Carlo Million Dollar Super 4 will be the ideal opportunity for him to showcase his skills,” said Rodney Berman, President of Golden Gloves, LTD; promoter of the Super 4 Tournament.

“Edwin's story is a story of regular people doing extraordinary things,” said Rodriguez' manager Larry Army. “In a sport where so many people are interested on the negative stories of fighters, it's refreshing to see such a great and historical magazine focusing on such a positive story.”

“Super middleweight contender Edwin Rodriquez is one of the world's best boxers but his two young children are the real fighters in his family. Their 122-day fight for life is a champion's story, just as their father hopes one day his story will be,” said Borges.

The event on March 30 is headlined by red-hot WBA middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (25-0, 22KO's) defending his title against former world champion Nobuhiro Ishida (24-8-2, 9KO's). The opening round of the Super 4 tournament matches Edwin Rodriguez (22-0, 15KO's) against Argentinean Olympian Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna (19-0, 13KO's) and former two-division world champion Zsolt Erdei (33-0, 18KO's) squaring off against Denis Grachev (12-1-1, 8KO's). The two finalists will split a $1,000,000 total purse on a 60-40 basis, in Monaco in July as part of the commemoration of Nelson Mandela's 95^th Birthday Celebration.

The European junior middleweight title bout between champion Sergey Rabchenko, of Belarus, and Adriano Nicchi, of Italy, will also be featured on the March 30 event.

The “Monte-Carlo Million Dollar Super 4” is distributed in the United States and Canada by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT on both cable and satellite Pay-Per-View via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH and Avail-TVN in the United States and in Canada via Bell TV for a suggest retail price of only $24.95. In addition, the event will be available via online Pay-Per-View at: http://www.gfl.tv/Events/Fight/Boxing/Gennady_Golovkin_vs_Nobuhiro_Ishida/1896

The event on the March 30 will mark the first professional boxing card to take place in the country since 2006. Monaco, one of the most exclusive vacation destinations in the world and situated on the Mediterranean Sea in South West Europe, attracts millions of visitors each year. The Monte-Carlo Casino, owned and operated by the Société des bains de mer de Monaco, is the premier casino destination in Europe. The Monte-Carlo Casino continues to attract some of the wealthiest and most well known celebrities and aristocrats throughout the world.

The event is promoted by Rodney Berman's Golden Gloves. The Golovkin-Ishida bout is promoted in association with K2 Promotions, while the Rodriguez-Maderna and Erdei-Grachev bouts are promoted in association with DiBella Entertainment.

Tickets can be purchased by contacting the SBM Reservations Department by phone at: +377 98 06 36 36 (10 am to 7 pm) or email: ticketoffice@sbm.mc.

Responding to rampant speculation over who will appear in their historic August 16 boxing event at the Chicago White Sox’ U.S. Cellular Field stadium, Chicago-based boxing promoter Dominic Pesoli and his partners, Frank Mugnolo of Round 3 Productions and Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing, say fans are going to have to wait.

“We don’t know who is on the show. We know it’ll be incredible and we’re working on several blockbuster match-ups, but it’s still very much in the air,” said Dominic Pesoli.

The event will be the first of its kind in 50 years, since Sonny Liston knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962. Margules says he’s aware of the importance of making it something unforgettable for fans.

“Boxing in Chicago is enjoying a renaissance and this event will be an announcement to the world that we’re back. That’s the approach we’re taking to constructing this show, making the best fights possible with the local and international flavor the Windy City shows have become known for.”

Mugnolo says he’s fielding several calls daily from reporters and fans, wondering who will be appearing on the epic show.

“You’re all going to have to wait. I don’t even know yet. As soon as we make decisions, we’ll announce them. All I can promise you is this is going to be an unforgettable show and we’re very proud to be putting it on in the city.”

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The Sweet Science

Articles

2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

8 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.

Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.

The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.

The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.

Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.

Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.

A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.

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Articles

Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score

Published

8 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.

The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.

The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.

De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.

The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.

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Articles

2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

8 years ago

December 29, 2015

The Sweet Science

On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.

The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.

However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.

At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?

Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.

But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.

Photo by naoki fukuda

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