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David Haye: A Little Mayweatheresque-Type Ugliness Might Get Him A Klitschko…LOTIERZO

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I admired David Haye’s ability to talk himself into a fortune, and I even admired his decision to take the money and run. But now he sounds like an idiot. Haye had a chance to endear himself to a lot of boxing fans if only he attempted to back up his words when he fought Wladimir Klitschko in his last bout. Sadly, he showed he’s no different than any other heavyweight to challenge either Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko. In other words can’t beat’em, won’t try. Now his only chance to redeem himself is to act like a fool and become public enemy number one so the fans want to see him get the beating they feel he has coming to him.

As most boxing fans know former cruiserweight/heavyweight title holder David Haye recently retired on his 31st birthday. His plan is to go into acting and become an action hero star in the UK. This is plausible being that he’s a nice looking guy with a good build who’s capable of expressing himself. But he’s hinted in his biography that he’d return to the ring if he could get another fight with one of the Klitschkos.

In his biography, Haye 25-2 (23) admits he simply retired from fighting anyone without the Klitschko surname. And speaking at the book’s launch, he said: ‘Only time will tell whether the Klitschkos need me more than I need them.’

Only in today’s upside-down world could such a laughable statement like that be made with a straight face. It’s so apparently obvious that the former heavyweight title holder doesn’t want to fight and is only interested in scoring another big payday against Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko. The problem for Haye is, he put forth such a dismal effort against Wladimir  this past summer, nobody wants to see him fight the bigger and more formidable Klitschko, Vitali. I mean how many times can fans sit through watching heavyweight title bouts that make Mike Tyson vs. “Bonecrusher” Smith look like Larry Holmes vs. Ken Norton? Granted, Wladimir didn’t win any fans over with his “jab and look to see what Haye will try effort.” But he owns the title and the onus was on Haye to go get it. Not only did he not do that, he proceeded to blame a broken pinkie toe on his performance after the fight.

When Haye speaks of the Klitschkos possibly needing him more than the opposite, he’s out of his mind. Neither brother needs David Haye. They can both continue marching to their own beat and drummer. They sell out in Germany whenever they fight, not to mention pocket huge paydays. In fact Wladimir just signed to fight another former cruiserweight title holder, Jean Marc Mormeck, who couldn’t beat Haye when they met in 2007. Who was clamoring for that? Nobody. However, Wladimir will pocket another nice pay check and probably notch his 50th knockout victory.

On the other hand, why fight David Haye if you’re close to getting a fight with one of the Klitschkos? He’s a very skilled 215 pound fighter with a big right hand. He’s dangerous and a threat to win at anytime in between the first and 12th rounds. The only catch is, other than getting paid for the fight, beating him doesn’t necessarily net you much. He doesn’t own a title belt and his career is mostly defined by his three year media war with the Klitschkos. That and the one night he came up real small when he finally stepped into the ring and challenged a tentative Wladimir, who he made look almost fearless if you didn’t know better.

‘If they want a tough challenge you’d think they’d beat down my door. If they want guaranteed easy victories then they can do what they’ve always done,’ he’s said.

Perhaps David Haye’s living in suspended reality. His fight against Wladimir was nothing more than a 12-round sparring session. Like “Bonecrusher” Smith against Tyson, Haye finally cut loose in the last round and landed something meaningful, which had Wladimir looking shaky for a moment. Other than that, Haye was a monumental disappointment during the fight. Yet, he throws it out there that if either brother wants a tough challenge, they’ll beat his door down. Interesting, because based on his showing against Wladimir, I think Vitali would fight Haye in a winner take all bout.

David Haye at one time was perceived to be a fighter who could bring some much needed excitement into the heavyweight division. However, all that went down the drain when he showed up on fight night against Wladimir Klitschko and fought to survive and not to win. Sure, he was shrewd in the way he hyped the fight, but his performance left a bad taste in the mouths of all the fans that were pumped to see it. Right now he’s just an empty wagon making noise and trying to position himself for one more payday. It’s impossible to take David Haye seriously as a fighter. And he has no shot at getting a fight with Vitali Klitschko without incorporating some Floyd Mayweather into his persona.

In order for David Haye to get back into the Klitschko sweepstakes, he’ll have to put on the black hat like Mayweather, and start saying some outlandish things and really get ugly. That will inspire Vitali to want to fight him and by then fans will want to see Haye whipped so bad that they’ll become interested in the fight. But other than going on a nasty campaign against the Klitschkos again, he has no game.

With nothing else going on in the heavyweight division it would probably go over. It worked once, maybe it’ll work again.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake

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The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake

PRESS RELEASE —   CANASTOTA, NY – DECEMBER 5, 2024 – The International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum is thrilled to announce the newest class of inductees to be honored during the Hall of Fame Induction Weekend June 5-8, 2025 in “Boxing’s Hometown” Canastota, NY.

The Class of 2025 includes Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao, “The Pazmanian Devil” Vinny Paz and Michael “Second To” Nunn in the Men’s Modern category; Yessica “Kika” Chavez, Anne Sophie Mathis and Mary Jo Sanders in the Women’s Modern category; Cathy “Cat” Davis in the Women’s Trailblazer category; referee Kenny Bayless, cut man Al Gavin (posthumous) and referee Harry Gibbs (posthumous) in the Non-Participant category; broadcaster / journalist Randy Gordon and television producer Ross Greenburg in the Observer category; Rodrigo Valdez (posthumous) in the Old Timer category and Owen Swift (posthumous) in the Pioneer category.

Inductees were voted in by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America and a panel of international boxing historians. 

“We’re extremely excited about the Class of 2025 and are very much looking forward to honoring the newest class of inductees to earn boxing’s highest honor,” said Executive Director Edward Brophy.

The 2025 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend is scheduled for June 5-8th in “Boxing’s Hometown.” Many events will take place in Canastota and nearby Turning Stone Resort Casino throughout the four-day celebration including ringside talks, fist casting, fight night, 5K race / fun run, boxing autograph card show, banquet, parade and induction ceremony. 

For more information on the 2025 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, please call (315) 697-7095.

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Navarrete-Valdez and Espinoza-Ramirez Rematches Headline Phoenix Fight Fiesta 

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The annals of boxing abound with iconic rematches, and there’s a good chance that list will get longer after this Saturday in Phoenix’s Footprint Center with Top Rank’s ESPN card featuring Emanuel Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) versus Oscar Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) and Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs, against Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs).

Valdez’s ties to the local area and multiple Arizona appearances give his bout against Navarrete top billing, but WBO featherweight titlist Espinoza’s initial encounter with Ramirez was the better bout the first time around, deemed Fight and Upset of the Year by many observers.

That’s not to say Navarrete-Valdez 1 didn’t hold plenty of drama as Navarrete captured the WBO junior lightweight belt with a relatively widespread unanimous decision. Valdez got himself into an immediate bind in the first fight by walking into Navarrete’s jab, enabling Navarrete to score early with looping right leads from his six-inch reach advantage. Valdez’s corner implored him to stay patient but it seemed there was no avoiding a firefight that played into Navarette’s always busy hands.

By round 3 Valdez’s face was heavily marked and often on the defensive, waiting to establish an offense that never fully arrived. Though he scored with some big shots down the stretch, his swollen right eye closed by the 9th frame and the eventual outcome seemed obvious.

“I know there’s a lot of pride at stake in a Mexico versus Mexico battle,” said Navarrete. “I believe this will be an even better fight than before because we’re familiar with each other. I know I have to push Valdez to his limits.”

“I made mistakes the first time, the biggest one was trying to knock him out,” reflected Valdez. “I still have a few fights left in me, not everyone gets a second chance. I know what I needed to train for (this time) and I’ll make the most of it.”

Offense was never a problem for either Espinoza or Ramirez, who traded knockdowns in a give-and-take affair that might have gone either way. It was the gloved-up version of mongoose versus cobra as two time Olympic gold medalist Ramirez charged in behind blurring punches up the middle while the much taller Espinoza fired shoulder level combinations. In this case, it was the underdog cobra who triumphed.

Three days from first bell an unofficial consensus of online odds listed the previous winners as favorites, Espinoza by a hair and Navarrete by a solid margin. While the initial winners may still have an edge, that all disappears after the bell, and previous action indicates a pair of pick-em contests isn’t unlikely.

Boxing history is also full of tie-breaking trilogies, too. It wouldn’t be a big surprise if that’s what we’re looking at again in both these cases.

Adding to the electric atmosphere in Phoenix are a solid batch of undercard extras featuring multiple first-rate performers that should get the audience more than ready for the night’s headliners.

Top Rank junior welterweight prospect Lindolfo Delgado, 21-0 (15) from Nuevo Leon, meets skilled Dominican Jackson Marinez, 22-3 (10) in a contest that could qualify as main event worthy in many locales.

Undefeated southpaw heavyweight Richard Torrez, Jr, who earned the silver medal in that division for the USA at the 2020 Olympics faces off against Mexican big boy Issac Munoz Gutierrez, 18-1-1 (15) who reportedly packs a respectable wallop. None of Torrez’s pro opponents have made it to the final bell.

San Diego’s highly ranked welterweight title challenger Giovani Santillan, 31-1 (17) faces Fredrick Lawson of Ghana, 30-5 (22). Lawson has dropped his last two outings but that was against good opposition and he won’t be an easy test.

21 year-old DJ Zamora, a hot prospect at 13-0 (9) from Las Vegas meets experienced Roman Reynoso, 22-5-2 (10), from Argentina and emerging new stablemate Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez, 11-0 (7), who recently signed a long term Top Rank contract faces Gerardo Antonio Perez, 12-6-1 (3).

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R.I.P Israel Vazquez who has Passed Away at age 46

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Israel Vazquez, a three-time world champion at 122 pounds and one of the most crowd-pleasing prizefighters of any era, has passed away at the age of 46. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman revealed the bad news today (Dec. 3) on his social media platform.

Born on Christmas Day 1977, Vazquez began his pro career in his native Mexico City at age 17. He was 16 fights into his pro career when he made his U.S. debut in El Cajon, California, under the management of Frank Espinoza.

Vazquez is most remembered for his four-fight rivalry with fellow Mexico City native Rafael Marquez.

The first two meetings were contested before small crowds in Carson, California, and Hidalgo, Texas.

Marquez won the first meeting thanks to a left hook that broke Vazquez’s nose in the opening round. The nose swelled to the point that Vazquez, who was making the fourth defense of his WBC super bantamweight title,  could no longer breathe and he was all done after seven rounds.

Vazquez won the rematch (TKO 6), setting the stage for a rubber match that would be a fight for the ages. The bout, contested on March 1, 2008 at the soccer stadium in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, was a shoo-in for Fight of the Year, earning that accolade from the BWAA, The Ring magazine and others.

Vazquez pulled that fight out of the fire in the final round, knocking Marquez to the canvas to win a split decision. Ron Borges, writing for this publication, wrote, “they knocked pieces off each other that could never be fully reattached.”

That was true of the detached retina in Vazquez’s right eye. It would require multiple surgeries before Vazquez, nicknamed “El Magnifico,” fought again and the eye would eventually be replaced by a prosthetic.

Their fourth meeting, contested before a celebrity-studded crowd at LA’s Staples Center, was anticlimactic. Vazquez, damaged goods, was stopped in the third round and never fought again.

All four meetings were televised on Showtime which celebrated the rivalry in 2015, airing highlights from all four fights on March 7 of that year. TSS West Coast Bureau Chief David A. Avila, looking back at the series, wrote, “[It was] 28 rounds of the most scientifically brutal and awe-inspiring prizefighting at an elite level.” Avila would also call Israel Vazquez one of the sport’s greatest gentlemen, a class act, as evinced in his energetic handshake whenever meeting a new fan.

Vazquez used his ring earnings to open a boxing gym in the Greater Los Angeles City of South Gate.

Vazquez’s passing wasn’t unexpected. Mauricio Sulaiman announced last month that Vazquez had been diagnosed with Stage IV Sarcoma, a particularly virulent strain of cancer and along with Oscar Valdez and Top Rank, established a GoFundMe account to defray his medical expenses. Today, Sulaiman wrote, “Israel Vazquez is finally resting in peace. May God give strength and support to his wife Laura, their children, family and friends during these difficult times.”

We here at TSS share that sentiment and send our condolences.

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