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Angelo Santana-Hank Lundy Tops ShoBox on Feb. 21

Published

11 years ago

February 5, 2014

POWER-PUNCHING ANGELO SANTANA RETURNS TO FACE HANK LUNDY AND AMIR IMAM MEETS JARED ROBINSON IN BATTLE OF UNBEATENS FRIDAY, FEB. 21, ON SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION^®

From Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio;

Doubleheader Starts at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT Live on SHOWTIME^®

NEW YORK (Feb. 5, 2014) – The first time Angelo Santana appeared on ShoBox: The New Generation he scored one of the most memorable knockouts of 2012. The second time, he suffered the only loss of his career in a shocking upset. Now, in his third consecutive ShoBox appearance, Santana (14-1, 11 KOs) will look to regain his status as one of the most promising – and feared – boxing prospects of today.

But it won’t be an easy test as he takes on the more experienced Hank Lundy (23-3-1, 11 KOs) in the compelling 10-round lightweight main event of ShoBox on Friday, Feb. 21, live on SHOWTIME^® (10:45 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast). The event is promoted by Don King Productions from the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Opening the telecast will be a 10-round super lightweight bout featuring one of the most exciting prospects in boxing, Amir “Young Master” Imam (12-0, 11 KOs), and Jared “The Quiet Storm” Robinson (14-0, 6 KOs) in a battle of unbeatens. The electrifying, power-punching Imam has won 11 consecutive fights by knockout, all but one inside three rounds.

“My first boxing promotion in Cleveland was on Aug. 28, 1972,’’ said Don King. “It was a charity event for ‘Show For People Care’ to benefit Forest City Hospital and it featured Muhammad Ali in an exhibition match. For our great fight card on Feb. 21, we’re calling it ‘Cleveland Show for People Care: Let’s Do it for Cleveland, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.’

“It’s going to be a terrific night of fights, a dynamite show in Mayor Frank Jackson’s great city of Cleveland, in Gov. John R. Kasich’s great state of Ohio. We will be in a city and a state where people are the most important.

“This ShoBox event features the next generation of young boxers. In Santana and Imam, you have two guys, who, if they win, could be fighting for a world title in their next fight.’’

Tickets to the event – priced at $35, $75, and $125 plus tax and fees – go on sale tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 6, at 5:00 p.m. ET and can be purchased through the Wolstein Center box office and website www.wolsteincenter.com or by calling Charge-by-Phone 1-877-468-4946. Doors open at 7 p.m., and a full undercard will be presented prior to the televised matches.

The talented Santana, 25, is seeking to regain his winning ways in his first outing since suffering his lone defeat – a stunning ninth-round TKO to late substitute and underdog Bahodir “Baha” Mamadjonov last April 12 on ShoBox. Going into the fight, the popular and aggressive Santana was ranked No. 3 in the WBA.

Despite his loss, expectations remain high for the Cuban native. In a career-best performance in his ShoBox debut on Nov. 16, 2012, Santana registered one of the most devastating knockouts of the year – a brutal fifth-round stoppage over previously unbeaten Johnny Garcia in Hallandale, Fla.

Lundy, 30, is a tough out for any boxer and figures to give Santana all he can handle. A dedicated, determined boxer-puncher with good speed and movement and a strong amateur background, Lundy has registered notable victories in his seven-year career, including wins over former WBC lightweight world champion David Diaz (KO 6) in August 2011 and current WBA lightweight world champion Richar Abril (W 10) in January 2010.

“Hank Lundy is one of the most exciting and TV-friendly fighters in the ring today,” said Jimmy Burchfield, President and CEO, CES Boxing. “We appreciate the opportunity for this fight given by Don King and Angelo Santana. We feel it’s going to be a terrific fight.”

A former NABF lightweight champion whose currently ranked No. 10 in the IBF and No. 13 in the WBC at super lightweight, the switch-hitting Lundy is coming off a lopsided 10-round decision over former top ranked Olusegun Ajose (31-1 going in) on July 19, 2013. Seemingly always matched tough but willing to fight anybody, any place, Lundy dropped a close, questionable 12-round decision to local favorite and still-undefeated Viktor Postol in the Ukraine two outings ago on March 21, 2013.

Imam (pronounced “EE-mom”), 23, an amateur standout and silver medalist at the 2011 U.S. Olympic Trials, fought six times in 2013. This will be his second appearance on ShoBox. He was devastating in his debut, impressively knocking out Jeremy Bryan in the second round of the co-featured bout under Santana vs. Mamadjonov on April 12, 2013. A left hand followed by a colossal right to the chin finished Bryan at 2:13 in what was expected to be Imam’s toughest test.

The only time Imam went the distance as a professional came in November 2011 when he won a four-round decision in his pro debut. His last 10 fights have ended in two rounds or less.

Robinson, 31, a pro since August 2009, fights out of Charlotte, N.C. He is coming off a sixth-round knockout over Jahaad Wingfield last Aug. 17.

A well-prepared and focused athlete, Robinson hasn’t come close to losing while competing exclusively in the South (North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina).

This opportunity, on a nationally televised event, is one that Robinson, who was the No. 3-rated U.S. amateur in 2008, has longed for and he is confident he will make the most of it.

Barry Tompkins will call the ShoBox action from ringside with boxing historian Steve Farhood and former World Champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

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2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

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

Published

9 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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2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

9 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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