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Quotes From Khan-Alexander Card Media Workout

Published

10 years ago

December 11, 2014

“ROYAL BATTLE: AMIR KHAN VS. DEVON ALEXANDER” FIGHTER GRAND ARRIVALS, MEDIA WORKOUT QUOTES & PHOTOS

This Saturday, Dec. 13, Live On SHOWTIME^® At 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT,
From The MGM Grand Garden Arena In Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (Dec. 10, 2014) – British superstar and former unified super lightweight world champion Amir “King” Khan and former two-division world champion Devon Alexander “The Great” made their ‘Grand Arrivals’ and performed a light workout on Wednesday at MGM Grand, just three days before their welterweight showdown this Saturday, Dec. 13, live on SHOWTIME.

Khan (29-3, 19 KOs), of Bolton, England, and Alexander (26-2, 14 KOs), of St. Louis, will square off in the 12-round main event of a SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING^® quadrupleheader from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

In the co-feature, power-punching interim WBA Welterweight World Champion Keith “One Time” Thurman (23-0, 21 KOs), of Clearwater, Fla., will defend against consensus top-five ranked contender and fellow unbeaten Leonard Bundu (31-0-2, 11 KOs), of Lazio, Italy, in a 12-round bout.

Former three-division world champion Abner Mares (27-1-1, 14 KOs), of Downey, Calif., will return to the ring against Mexico’s Jose Ramirez (25-4, 15 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight battle and Jermall Charlo (19-0, 15 KOs), of Houston, will take on Lenny Bottai (22-2, 9 KOs), of Livorno, Italy, in a 12-round IBF junior middleweight title eliminator fight.

In matchups on SHOWTIME EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast), undefeated up-and-coming Jermell Charlo (24-0, 11 KOs), of Houston, will meet Mario Lozano (27-5, 20 KOs), of Chihuahua, Mexico in a 10-round junior middleweight scrap and unbeaten welterweight Errol Spence Jr. (14-0, 11 KOs), of Desoto, Texas, will take on Javier Castro (27-7, 22 KOs), of Chihuahua, Mexico, in an 8-round fight. Also, former world champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (29-5, 22 KOs), of Ventura, Calif. will battle Denver’s Manuel Perez (21-10-1, 4 KOs) in a scheduled 8-round match that will be featured on the SHOWTIME BOXING on SHO EXTREME telecast.

Here’s what the fighters had to say on Wednesday:

AMIR KHAN

“I love these kinds of events, to be near the fans, because the fans are the ones who make you.

“On Saturday, you’re going to see an aggressive, disciplined boxer-puncher. It’s always been my dream to headline in Las Vegas and to be the main attraction at MGM Grand is a great motivation for me. People believe in me. Las Vegas believes in me.

“My career has gone by so fast. I’ve fought some of the biggest names and I’ve learned so much. But I’ve never had the focus and vision I have going heading into Saturday. I feel stronger and wiser and better than I did when I was 25.

“The stakes are so enormous. I am not looking ahead. There is no way I’m taking him lightly. He’s not a champion any more so I expect him to be even more motivated.

“This is going to be a great fight on Saturday.’’

DEVON ALEXANDER

“I’m so excited about fighting this Saturday. Finally fighting in Las Vegas is a dream come true. What’s better than this?

“He is good, but I am going to expose him with my speed and quickness. He’s fast, but I’m fast too. He’s got quick hands, but I’ve got quick hands too.

“I’m going to stay in the pocket and fight. I am so confident. The time is perfect for this fight. I would love to spoil Khan’s plans for the future. In fact – I’m looking forward to it.

“This is a high-stakes matchup that will take me one step closer to the top of the list.’’

KEITH THURMAN

“I’m really looking forward to this fight and getting back into the ring after eight months. This is a good opportunity for me.

“I’m looking at 2015 as my break-out year. Some fans have already jumped on the bandwagon; others want to see more from me.

“That’s why I am so anxious to get back in there; it’s another chance for me to showcase my skills. If I knock out Bundu inside four rounds, I’d fight Khan the same night.

“Some fans think that some fights don’t mean very much, but they all do. I want high-risk, high-reward fights. I’m not taking anything away from Bundu – he’s a good opponent and this is his greatest opportunity – but it’s my time.’’

LEONARD BUNDU

“I feel I deserve this fight and am very excited about it. I’ve had a good career and fought a long time.

“Thurman is a skilled, heavy-handed puncher but I’m not scared of him. I have a lot of skills and you will see them against Thurman.

“This is my opportunity to prove that I am one of the top welterweights in the world, and that’s that I’m here for.’’

ABNER MARES

“The hunger is back, the motivation is back and I am feeling great. I’m excited and ready to fight. Being back with my old team has been huge. I want to start 2015 off in a good way. For me, 2015 kicks off this Saturday.

“I need to do what I’m supposed to do on Saturday. I want my rematch with Jhonny Gonzalez. Jhonny, I’m coming for you.’’

JOSE RAMIREZ

“I feel great and want to thank Mares for this opportunity. I’m well-trained. Saturday is going to be a great fight, just like you’d expect with two Mexicans fighting each other.’’

JERMALL CHARLO

“I’m definitely excited about Saturday. You’re going to see a lot of action. I’m action-packed and always looking for a knockout.

“Look for a fast start. I am going to steal the show. I’m going to show him what American muscle is all about.’’

LENNY BOTTAI

“I don’t like to say this is an opportunity of a lifetime but it is a great opportunity for me to make a name for myself in America against a very good fighter. That makes me very excited and anxious to fight him.”

JERMELL CHARLO

“Me and Jermell, we eat, train and workout together. So it’s only natural we fight on the same card, although it doesn’t happen very often.

“I’m just happy to fight and ready to get it over with. It’s going to be a banner 2015 for both of us – two world titles for the both of us.’’

VICTOR ORTIZ

“I hope everyone sits back and enjoys the show because that is what I am here for: to put on a show.

“I’m so happy about coming back and fighting. This is home for me, and I missed it.

“All fights are different, all opportunities are different, but we are always prepared to win. We’ll take what we get in the ring, but if the right hook to the body is there we’re going to take it.”

# # #

“Royal Battle: Khan vs. Alexander,” a 12-round welterweight bout for the WBC Silver Welterweight Title, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Khan Promotions and The Great Promotions and is sponsored by Corona Extra, AT&T and Mexico – Live It To Believe It! The event will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. and will air on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT). In the co-main event, Keith Thurman defends his interim WBA welterweight world title against Leonard Bundu. Additionally, Abner Mares will face Jose Ramirez in a 10-round featherweight bout and opening the telecast, Jermall Charlo will meet Lenny Bottai in a 12-round IBF junior middleweight title eliminator. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will also be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts will be televised on SHOWTIME EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT).

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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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