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Premier Boxing Champions On Spike Final Press Conference

Published

9 years ago

August 12, 2015

The Sweet Science

PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS ON SPIKE FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Photo From Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions

NEW YORK (August 12, 2015) – With just two days to go until their Premier Boxing Champions on Spike showdowns, fighters participating on the Friday, August 14 card at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey held a press conference Wednesday at B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill in Manhattan.

Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/PT and is headlined by a 12-round heavyweight showdown between Antonio “Magic Man” Tarver (31-6, 22 KOs) and Steve “U.S.S.” Cunningham (28-7, 13 KOs). Also featured on Spike is cruiserweight world champion Marco “Captain” Huck (38-2-1, 26 KOs) defending his title against Polish contender Krzyzstof Glowacki (24-0, 15 KOs) and Polish heavyweight Artur Szpilka (19-1, 14 KOs) taking on Cuba’s Yasmany Consuegra (17-1, 14 KOs).

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Warriors Boxing and Huck Sports Promotion are priced at $150, $100, $70 and $45, not including applicable service charges and are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000 or any Ticketmaster outlet. Tickets may also be purchased at Prudential Center’s box office.

Here is what the participants had to say Wednesday:

ANTONIO TARVER

“This is a big fight for me. PBC was designed for the new, young stars but I’m thankful they’ll let an old guy like me steal the spotlight on Friday night.

“You have two guys who know their way around the ring. We’re in the hurt business and only one man can win. When the smoke clears on Friday we’ll see who’s left standing.

“Every fight is do or die for me. I’ve come too far to start over. I’m on a destiny trip right now. I’m racing towards that heavyweight world championship.

“I was a big light heavyweight but I feel perfect at heavyweight. When I look back at some of my old fights, I was really just a shell of myself. Now I’m healthy and strong and ready to get to the top.

“I wasn’t blessed with this unique talent for nothing. I have to put it on display. The game hasn’t retired me. When I went through all of my struggles, I became a champion right then. Now I just have to walk through my destiny.

“I’m fighting the very best and I’m beating the very best. I’m looking to knock everybody out.

“Training camp has been amazing. My team has gotten me beautifully prepared for this fight. We’re just feeling strong and can’t wait until Friday.

“When I look at the ‘Rocky Balboa’ film when I played the undisputed heavyweight champion, I feel like art is going to imitate life. I played the champ in a movie and I’m going to become the champ in reality.”

STEVE CUNNINGHAM

“It’s a pleasure and an honor to be working with PBC. It’s fight time. Training camp is over. Training camp was hell, and that’s a good training camp.

“I know I’m prepared to do what I need to do. I’m ready to get this win and I want to look spectacular.

“Tarver is a five-time champion, legend, Hall of Famer, but that’s all going out the window August 14. He’s just another guy I have to beat.

“My record doesn’t reflect what I’ve done in the ring, but I take it on the chin and keep going forward like I do in the ring.

“People have seen the work ethic from me. They’ve seen what I’ve gone through in the ring. They saw the close decision losses. I’ve always had faith in myself and I still do.

“Tarver has fought the best out there. He’s been there. He’s been through adversity. He’s had ups and downs. There’s nothing you can say about Tarver that makes you feel like you can go in there and make him look like a bum.

“I’m 39 and I feel awesome. This is a fight. The age means nothing to me. I’m fighting a five-time champion and that’s how we look at it.

“A guy like Tarver, sometimes you have to talk yourself up to get to where you want to go and that’s who he is. He’s a good talker. That will carry on into his next career. But he’s dealing with a guy who grew up dealing with trash talking. I dealt with trash talkers in every language. The talk is for him. He sold this fight, great. But now I’m getting in there to fight.

“I’m trained by brother Naazim Richardson, he’ll never let me take anyone lightly. If you do that, that’s how you go in there and get wiped out.”

MARCO HUCK

“I’m really happy to be here for my U.S. debut. This is the mecca of boxing. I’ve wanted to fight here for a very long time.

“I am looking forward to wiping the floor with some of these guys up here.

“It’s a very special occasion for me to be here and I’m going to show everybody what I’m all about.

“This is a similar feeling to the one when I fought for my first world title. I’m starting to heat up inside. I can’t wait to put my fists on somebody.

“I want to bring this sport to everybody. Not just the people who make money but the people who don’t have the money to spend on the sport. It’s great for the sport.

“People can talk a lot but you have to prove it inside of the ring. I always prove it inside the ring. On Friday they will be chanting “Huck! Huck! Huck!'”

KRZYSZTOF GLOWACKI

“I’m so happy to be here. This fight is my whole life. I always dreamed about this chance to be a world champion and it’s very close.

“There’s no doubt Huck is a great fighter, a warrior, but if he thinks for a second this is going to be easy he’s mistaken big time. This is going to be a war from the first round to the last.

“I already see me as world champion. Huck is a great fighter, great warrior, so what? I’m ready for a war, from first round to the last.”

ARTUR SZPILKA

“I’m so excited to be here. I’m boxing for Polish people including my friend Glowacki, who I know can beat Huck.

“I want to show everybody how good I am. Everyone who does not believe in me will know the truth.

“All four Polish guys, my friends, will win on Friday.

“I have an amazing team and I can’t wait. I am becoming a better and better fighter and I promise this will be an exciting fight.”

LOU DIBELLA, President of DiBella Entertainment

“Artur Szpilka is a very exciting heavyweight and if you haven’t had the opportunity to see him you should make sure you don’t miss Friday. He’s fighting Yasmany Consuegra who’s very powerful as well. It’s a battle of two punchers and someone is going to hit the canvas.

“Glowacki is a very talented fighter who believes he’s taking the title back to Poland. Marco Huck believes otherwise. People are going to get to know Marco Huck in America and they’re going to love his style.

“The American public wants to see wars in the ring and I think that Huck and Glowacki are going to put on a show.

“One of the great things about PBC is that not only are we getting to make attractive matchups, but we can bring over stars and people who have not been exposed to the American public. Marco is already a star in most of the world and he’s soon going to be a star in the United States.

“The main event has been anticipated by a lot of people for a while. Antonio is looking for a shot at the heavyweight world title and he’ll have to beat a real heavyweight to get there.

“Steve’s record is not revealing of the quality of fighter that he is. He’s a very good fighter and an individual with outstanding character.

“Antonio Tarver has had a tremendous career. He is a future Hall of Famer. The five-time world champion moniker is one that most people can’t say. But this man can.”

For more information visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.dbe1.com, www.PruCenter.com andwww.spike.com/shows/premier-boxing-champions, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @AntonioTarver, @USSCunningham, @Szpilka_Artur, @LouDiBella, @PruCenter, @SpikeTV and @SpikeSports and become a fan on Facebook atwww.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.Facebook.com/PruCenterand www.Facebook.com/Spike.

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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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