Articles

Heavyweight Lucas Browne Has Always Enjoyed Hurting People

Published

9 years ago

December 9, 2014

United States boxing fans are always seeking compelling and talented heavyweight boxers. And we aren’t picky or jingoistic, we will embrace a talented pugilist who doesn’t know the words to the Star Spangled Banner.

In the eyes of fight fans, many of them, there is but ONE talented jumbo-sized pugilist plying the dark trade….Wladimir Klitschko.

We are always, but always auditioning new bodies, with the hope that one could at the least give long, tall Wlad a run for his money…or maybe force him to sip from the bitter cup of loss for the first time in a dog’s age.

Lucas Browne, a 35-year-old Aussie with a 22-0 (19 Kos) mark, is headed to the States to attend the WBC convention (Dec. 14-20), where we presume he will do some handshaking and make himself more familiar to the powers that be that can smooth his ride to more meaningful bouts. Promoter Ricky Hatton and trainer, the Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech (fellow Aussie, ex bantam, super bantam, and feather titlist) will accompany. Could he be a suitable candidate to force Wlad to have a brown acid flashback to 2004?

I fired some queries at the big lad, to help us all get a better sense of where he came from, and where he proposes to go.

You hold a WBC and a WBA lesser belt, and the Commonwealth strap, I asked “Big Daddy,” are you a compelling and talented heavyweight, and could you be the man to topple Wladimir?

“Yes, I think I’m an very naturally talented athlete and have done as much as I’ve done so far mainly on my own,” said Browne, who last gloved up Nov. 12, taking out Chauncey Welliver in five, in his homeland. “So my talent has gotten me this far, but it’s time to step it up in a big way..I think I have the skills, the power, the anger to give Klitschko a very hard night at the office yes!”

How so, sir?

“People try to box him, and for a man who has dominated and perfected his style for so long, why would you try to out-box him?” asks Browne quite reasonably. “Put him in a place he’s not used to, push him around, bully him, bash him like you’re in a school hard, that’s how I would do it.”

Makes infinite sense to me, lord knows I’ve theorized the same gameplan for umpteen years now…

Tell us about your strengths, why you are deserved of more buzz in the boxing sphere….and are there holes in your game you need to work on?

“I think I’m the sort of fighter that always brings the bang factor to a fight, it’s never boring, you’re always on the edge of your seat waiting for something to happen and it’s exciting,” he told me. “I’m learning more and more every day and there will always be holes in your game, but I think I have the size, the strength, the punching power, and very soon the speed and agility to mix it with the best.”

Browne is now in the top five in the WBA, WBC and IBF, for the record. Joseph Parker, a New Zealander with a 12-0 mark, has been yapping that he’d like a crack at the beefy tatted fella, but it seems as though, understandably, Browne wants to fry fatter fish.

Tell me please about your upbringing…mom, dad, brothers, sisters, type of upbringing…and how did your upbringing affect you?

“I had a very normal upbringing,” said the boxer, who stands 6-4, and has been cutting down from the 270s into the 250s. “Older and a younger brother who I was always trying to beat, supportive parents, all was fine. I grew up with most of my friends being Arab or islander, so I was the token white boy and really had to stand up for myself so I didn’t get picked on or bullied, and it worked lol. I always played sport at a state level, and always enjoyed the physical side of sports, being able to hurt someone was always fun for me.”

Now that’s a quote that stands out for me, eh?

“Being able to hurt someone was always fun for me,” indeed…

And what about an SO? There is no shortage I’m sure of admirers of that tatted up vessel and fearsome demeanor and ability to concuss…

“I was married for 11 years but as things do they fade,” he said. “I’ve got three beautiful children and am very proud to be their dad. I’m currently living with my girlfriend and her little one.”

And how did he get started in the sweet and savage science, I asked the scrapper, whose best win came over James Toney (UD12) in April 2013. “My ex wife and kids moved across the country just before my 30th birthday, so I used the extra time on my hands to start fighting,” said the hitter. “I’d always wanted to do it, and started in the cage, two weeks later I had a kickboxing bout, and the week after I had my pro boxing debut. I spent years years in the cage and fought Daniel Cormier for the XMMA world title, but was massively outclassed in the wrestling department and lost by ref stoppage due to a cut from an elbow. I’d always only punched in my fight either way and chose to stick with boxing as it was what I’d always wanted to so anyway. As of 2011, I was just a boxer.”

Who are the top guys you are targeting? What about maybe Tyson Fury? What do you think of him?

“At the moment I want some good hard fights that will get me up in the rankings,” Browne said. “People like Fury, Denis Boytsov, Alexander Ustinov, Ruslan Chagaev would be priority on my list. I’ll probably defend my Commonwealth title soon, and then hopefully challenge for a world title next year. Basically, I’m a guy who wants to make his mark on the world, make my family and my kids proud of their dad, give the fans a good show, and make some money while I’m at it,” he said, in closing. “I’ve had no amateur experience and have done 70% of what I’ve achieved so far on my own. I’m with promoter Ricky Hatton, trainer Jeff Fenech, and finally doing things right. Expect a massive 2015!”

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Michael Woods

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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