Boxing World is Buzzing in Boston: Official PBC on NBC Weights & Fighter Quotes

Published

10 years ago

May 23, 2015

BOSTON — For a Beantown fight card that seemed to come straight out of left field, it was appropriate that during fight week for the televised PBC on NBC co-promotion between DiBella Entertainment and Murphy’s Boxing, the final press conference was held on Thursday afternoon in the left field grandstand of Fenway Park, right by the world famous Green Monster.

All the key participants were in attendance, including main eventers Andre “The Resurrected” Dirrell, 24-1, 16 KOs, and James “Chunky” DeGale, 20-1, 14 KOs.

Both world-class super middleweights traveled long and far to take their respective places face to face for the international boxing media.

Dirrell, sporting a Muhammad Ali T-shirt and a smile as wide as the Charles River, strode into Fenway Park like he owned it, eager to please, with brother Anthony by his side in a Detroit Tigers baseball cap. The Dirrells are from Michigan but both were honorary Bostonians on this day; in fact, it was Andre who threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Thursday night when the Boston Red Sox took on the Texas Rangers at home.

DeGale, a 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist from Great Britain, gladly played the role of visiting team. “I’m a switch hitter, predominantly a southpaw but I can mix it up. I can do everything,” DeGale told me of his boxing style. “I’ve loved it here in Boston. I feel very welcomed,” he said of his short time in the city.

It was a long and brutal winter in New England and Boston doesn’t get to host very many championship fights these days. People in the area who love the fight game are understandably excited. The giant piles of snow are gone. The boys are back and they’re looking for trouble. “Be there or miss the eff out,” is how Dirrell put it bluntly during his time at the podium on Thursday at Fenway Park.

The last locally held world title tilt was all the way back in 2006 at the Boston Garden when British invader Ricky Hatton defeated New Yorker Luis Collazo in a “Hatton Wonderland” for the WBA welterweight title. Fans left happy with the action but upset with the decision in favor of Hatton.

“There’s a lot of tension when you’re right there next to your opponent,” Dirrell said of his posed encounters with DeGale for the press. If there was tension in the air between Dirrell and DeGale, it was hidden from everybody else by the beautiful spring weather and festive atmosphere that permeated the ball park presser and the weigh-in at nearby Faneuil Hall. As the Friday afternoon sun beat down on the historic public courtyard, that level of tension began to slowly heat up. By the time they hit the scales to make weight, that tension was in full bloom. Forehead to forehead, Dirrell and DeGale jaw-jacked back and forth for a large crowd of primarily pro-DeGale British fans before being separated and sent off to go have a well-earned bite to eat. Known for having some of the best food available in all of Boston, Faneuil Hall was an ironically appropriate place for these hungry boxers to weigh in.

Weights & Quotes:

Andre Dirrell (24-1, 16 KOs, Flint, Michigan, 167.8 lbs.): “I’ve learned to love, respect, and honor my sport. I love boxing. I go to the gym and I go into my pocket. I pull out the pain and I pay it forward. Now I want my receipt. Boston is a hardware store. The Agganis Arena is a hardware store. On Saturday, I’m gonna pick up my hardware. I want the IBF belt more than ever. It’s all I care about but I’m showing how important the fight is to us even if the title wasn’t on the line. I’m just adding the bonus material to the belt. I’m very happy to be fighting for the IBF title, but regardless of the belt or not, we have a championship fight. I’m a world class fighter and this is a world class sport. I’ve been through hell and back and I’m just ready to go see the ring. It’s ass-kicking time in that ring but outside, it’s all love.”

James DeGale (20-1, 14 KOs, London, England, 167.2 lbs.): “How can Dirrell go from fighting people like Derek Edwards and Vladine Biosse to step up to somebody like me who just knocked out Marco Antonio Periban and Brandon Gonzalez, a confident American trained by Virgil Hunter? That’s a bit of a jump, isn’t it? My last two performance speak for themselves. When Dirrell is on top, he’s very confident. If you give him too much space, that’s when he comes on as a fighter. I’m not going to let him rest. I’m not too sure he’s got the heart when it gets hard in there. All his attributes, the speed, the angles, his feet; I match him in all that. I’m actually intrigued myself about how good he is and how hard it’s going to be to beat him. After I win this title, I’m willing to fight anybody. I make 168 extremely easily but I’m kinda big for the weight. Eventually I will move up to light heavyweight.”

DeGale on rival George Groves: “A lot of people thought I won the Groves fight. The Americans thought I won. Groves is a pussy(cat). He doesn’t want a rematch with me. They offered him two million pounds for the fight, and he doesn’t want it.”

DeGale on Carl Froch: “He’s coming off his best win against Groves in front of eighty thousand people at Wembley Stadium but he’s getting old. He’s not the force he once was, trust me. He vacated his world title to not have to fight me. No way he’s gonna fight a young gun coming up.”

DeGale on the recent Gennady Golovkin vs. Froch talk: “It ain’t gonna happen. I think Froch is gonna retire.”

DeGale on the just announced George Groves vs. Badou Jack title fight: “Groves should win that. Jack is not very good. I’m hoping for Groves to win the WBC title and me the IBF, then next summer, a unification rematch which in UK which would be massive.”

Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (26-1, 17 KOs, Worcester, MA., 176 lbs.): “Right now, I’m focused on Craig Baker. He is undefeated and he is hungry. In 2005, I lost a decision to Adonis Stevenson in the amateurs during a USA vs. Canada duel. Then back when he turned professional, I went out to help him get ready for one of his fights by sparring with him. There’s no denying that he’s a big puncher. That’s who I want in the future.”

Craig Baker (16-0, 12 KOs, Baytown, TX., 175.6 lbs.): “Before I started boxing, I was a 296 pound offensive lineman for Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown. When I first walked into the boxing gym I was a borderline diabetic. I got into boxing to lose all the weight and I saw results. By my first pro fight in 2008, I was down to 199 pounds.”

Danny O’Connor (25-2, 9 KOs, Framingham, MA., 147.4 lbs.): “I’m always happy to fight at home in front of my fans. Chris Gilbert will try to use his brute and I’m going to use my brain. I’m a versatile fighter who can handle any situation that may arise. I’m happy that Gilbert, a kid from Vermont, can have this opportunity as well. When the Malignaggi fight fell off, it wasn’t real anymore, so Paulie who? He’s not even on my mind. I’m concentrating on Chris Gilbert.”

Chris Gilbert (12-1, 9 KOs, Windsor, VT., 146 lbs.): “I just fought two weeks ago in my hometown. I hit the guy with a liver shot in the first round. We expected a good eight out of him but I caught him, his face turned beet red, he spit out the mouthpiece, and that was it. I’m excited to be on this card and to fight Danny O’Connor. I always train to win every fight and this is another one where I’m coming in very strong and confident.”

Ryan “The Polish Prince” Kielczewski (22-1, 6 KOs, Quincy, MA., 127.6 lbs.): “I’m excited to get back in the ring after the loss to Danny Aquino on ESPN Friday Night Fights last month. I thought I pulled out a close victory but the judges saw it the opposite way. I basically had to lose too much weight. I was done after two rounds. I’d like to get Aquino again at 126 pounds. I don’t know much about my opponent Anthony Napunyi. He’s awkward, he’s wild, and as soon as I figure him out I should have no problem with him.”

Undercard Weights: Heavyweights, Danny Kelly (239.8) vs. Curtis Lee Tate (229.4); Middleweights, Immanuwel Aleem (159.2) vs. David Toribio (159.6); Junior Featherweights, Jonathon Guzman (124) vs. Christian Esquivel (123.2); Light Heavyweights, Edwin Espinal (171) vs. Alvaro Enriquez (170.4); Middleweights, Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan (159.6) vs. Melvin Betancourt (159.6); Ryan Kielczewski (127.6) vs. Anthony Napunyi (125.4); Super Featherweights, Logan McGuiness (136.8) vs. Gerardo Cuevas (143); Bantamweights, Antonio Russell (117.2) vs. Brandon Garvin (118.6).

PBC on NBC airs at 4:30 PM EST from the Agganis Arena on the campus of Boston University. Doors open at 1:30 PM EST. Tickets are still available on www.Ticketmaster.com Look for undercard fights to be aired on NBC Sports Network following the NBC telecast.

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Jeffrey Freeman

Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

Published

12 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his last three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, applied the exclamation point, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

Published

22 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11^th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is the winner of the Feb. 2 match between Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa/Fulton have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino

Published

1 day ago

January 24, 2025

David A. Avila

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Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.

In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.

All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.

Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.

Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.

Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.

In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.

Other Bouts

Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.

Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.

Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.

A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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