Boxing

Bernard Hopkins will make the first defence of his IBF light-heavyweight title against Karo Murat in Brooklyn on July 13.
Bernard Hopkins will make the first defence of his IBF light-heavyweight title against Karo Murat in Brooklyn on July 13.
about 5 hours ago
**** Leading into his fight against Lamont Peterson at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Lucas Matthysse was a fighter whose notoriety exceeded his exploits. That he was a ferocious puncher was undeniable—as was the craft with...
**** Leading into his fight against Lamont Peterson at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Lucas Matthysse was a fighter whose notoriety exceeded his exploits. That he was a ferocious puncher was undeniable—as was the craft with which he delivered those destructive blows—but a reputation based on victories over the likes of Humberto Soto [...]MACHINE HEAD: Lucas Matthysse TKO3 Lamont Peterson - The Cruelest Sport - The Cruelest Sport - A Professional Boxing blog
about 6 hours ago
Bernard Hopkins changes his stance on MMA with UFC protege Nah-Shon Burrell. See video on CSN: More New evidence has been compiled regarding sports-related concussions and brain disease. More in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  A superfigh...
Bernard Hopkins changes his stance on MMA with UFC protege Nah-Shon Burrell. See video on CSN: More New evidence has been compiled regarding sports-related concussions and brain disease. More in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  A superfight between Lucas Matthysse and … Continue reading →
about 7 hours ago
Former pound for pound king pin, "Sugar" Shane Mosley, 47-8-1-(39), scored a close unanimous 12 round decision over Pablo Cesar Cano, 26-3-1-(20) at the Grand Oasis...
Former pound for pound king pin, "Sugar" Shane Mosley, 47-8-1-(39), scored a close unanimous 12 round decision over Pablo Cesar Cano, 26-3-1-(20) at the Grand Oasis...
about 9 hours ago
Generally, I try not to fall victim to hyperbole. I try, I said -- it doesn't always happen. Like anyone, I can be suckered into believing the hype, into thinking that Fighter X is definitely, without question the next big thing. Amir K...
Generally, I try not to fall victim to hyperbole. I try, I said -- it doesn't always happen. Like anyone, I can be suckered into believing the hype, into thinking that Fighter X is definitely, without question the next big thing. Amir Khan? I was sold. Then his chin happened. Andre Berto? Hey, I thought he was a more complete fighter than he turned out to be. Canelo Alvarez? I'm already there, man. I never fell for Joel Julio, though. So that's good. There are two cases right now that stand out: Unbeaten middleweight destroyer Gennady Golovkin, who has yet to be seriously tested even on paper, but will be on June 29 against Matthew Macklin, and junior welterweight Lucas Matthysse, a two-loss young veteran who should arguably be undefeated. Matthysse's hype has mostly exploded over the last year. Wiping out Humberto Soto, Olusegun Ajose, and Mike Dallas Jr had folks all ready to rock. That's not to say he didn't win over fans with dubious losses to Zab Judah and Devon Alexander. The flaws in Matthysse seemed obvious. He was often too deliberate, and simply started slow far too often, giving opponents time to bank rounds, and even if rounds were debatable, flirting too heavily with giving them away just because he didn't appear to be doing enough. Then he fixed the flaws. He tore through three guys who, while not spectacular, are all decent fighters. And last night, when he smashed the very capable Lamont Peterson in three rounds, we saw the birth, I believe, of a guy who's about to be dangerous for a long, long time. Richard Schaefer exuberantly shouted, "We have the next Manny Pacquiao!" after the fight, "It's Lucas 'The Machine' Matthysse!" I'm not convinced that we have the next Pacquiao in Matthysse. But I have to admit that I'm not convinced Schaefer is wrong, either. I've said before that there's something to really elite fighters that is different than very good, or briefly "great" fighters, and it's the swagger with which they carry themselves. Mayweather has it. Manny had it. Marquez has it right now. Hopkins has it. Roy had it. Ali had it. Oscar had it. Leonard had it, Duran had it, Hagler had it. Tyson definitely had it. It's a sort of body language and aura that says, "Of course I'm going to win." They are fearless when in that mindset, not in the way that Arturo Gatti was fearless, but in that they know they're in control. That the other man, whoever it is across the ring, is going to have to earn his way into the fight. Last night against Peterson, Matthysse (34-2, 32 KO) definitely had that aura. A slow first round saw Peterson likely shade the frame, working from the outside, cautiously avoiding being in Matthysse's wheelhouse. It's easy to say that that's not really Peterson's comfort zone, though, and it's true. Lamont is better in the trenches. Matthysse knew that, and probably knew he could easily drag Peterson into that fight, which is the fight he also wanted. In round two, an aggressive Matthysse went straight at Peterson (31-2-1, 16 KO) and found that the DC native was perfectly willing to oblige the fight that Lucas wanted. In close, the two of them threw shots, got rolling, and it was clear quickly that Matthysse was the stronger, better man. Nothing about Lamont Peterson changed last night. He was still the same really good fighter he's been for a while now. He was the same guy who stood up to hard shots from Victor Ortiz -- say what you will about the "Space Man," but he can thump -- and went 12 hard, gritty rounds with Amir Khan. Matthysse was too much. Matthysse was a force of nature. Peterson just couldn't handle the furious power, the precision, the exceedingly calm way in which Matthysse dissected him with power shots and put him into a mental situation that will take a special fighter to overcome. Matthysse quickly and severely made Peterson doubt his own ability. Lamont Peterson has lot before, when Tim Bradley outclassed him, but Bradley didn't dominate Peterson like that, menta
about 11 hours ago
2012 Puerto Rican Olympian and Jr. Lightweight sensation Felix Verdejo stops Corben Page in the 4th round on Saturday night at the Ruben Zayas Montañez...
2012 Puerto Rican Olympian and Jr. Lightweight sensation Felix Verdejo stops Corben Page in the 4th round on Saturday night at the Ruben Zayas Montañez...
about 11 hours ago
IBF welterweight titleholder Devon Alexander may face Amir Khan in December of this year, if Richard Schaefer's stated plan stays on course, but the 26-year-old St. Louis native believes he's ready for Floyd Mayweather now, and stated hi...
IBF welterweight titleholder Devon Alexander may face Amir Khan in December of this year, if Richard Schaefer's stated plan stays on course, but the 26-year-old St. Louis native believes he's ready for Floyd Mayweather now, and stated his case last night after his win over Lee Purdy. "He wants to fight the best. I think I'm one of the best at 147. ... I haven't had no easy fight since [Juan] Urango, since Junior Witter. I fought ranked guys, not cherry-picked guys, no bums. I fought all top-notch guys, so why not? That's how I see it. "I've been boxing since I was 7 years old. What makes Floyd better than me?" he said. "He's been on top probably longer than me, but I got skills, I'm fast just like him, and if you notice, any slick fighter he has problems with. Just throwing it out there. We'll see." Mayweather (44-0, 26 KO) is, of course, considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, so the question, "What makes Floyd better than me?" likely either got a laugh or an eye roll out of you. It's not Devon's fault, really. It's just that nobody considers him on the Mayweather level; I'm not sure anyone considers anyone in the surrounding weight classes truly on the Mayweather level. That said, if Floyd does fight in September, and it's not Canelo Alvarez across the ring, and it's not Amir Khan, then sure, Devon is probably the third option. Floyd floated the idea earlier this year when they were making believe that maybe Robert Guerrero wouldn't be the May 4 opponent. To say that Mayweather-Alexander was met with indifference would be to ignore the cries that the fight sucked, but I can't honestly say that I think Devon has any worse a shot than Guerrero had going in. They're about the same level, and style-wise, maybe Devon's speed really can make a significant difference. Guerrero, who is slow on that level, said he felt he was "just missing" -- maybe Devon can "just connect." All I'm saying is that the market for Mayweather opponents isn't exactly robust right now, and Alexander (25-1, 14 KO) is honestly, I think, a better option than Khan, and arguably the second-best fight out there, after Canelo, among those who are actually available (everyone not with Top Rank, and frankly, mostly just guys with Golden Boy).
about 11 hours ago
By Ivan G. Goldman We’re already hearing that Lamont Peterson is as good as finished. Knocked out by Lucas Matthysse in round three, he is, some fans and analysts tell us, toast. Not so fast. Photo: Tom Casino/Showtime They said …
By Ivan G. Goldman We’re already hearing that Lamont Peterson is as good as finished. Knocked out by Lucas Matthysse in round three, he is, some fans and analysts tell us, toast. Not so fast. Photo: Tom Casino/Showtime They said …
about 12 hours ago
Edgar Sosa scored a hard fought 12 round unanimous points win over Giovani Segura at the Plaza de Toros Eloy Cavazos in Zitacuaro, Michoacan, Mexico on Saturday...
Edgar Sosa scored a hard fought 12 round unanimous points win over Giovani Segura at the Plaza de Toros Eloy Cavazos in Zitacuaro, Michoacan, Mexico on Saturday...
about 12 hours ago
Daniel Geale and Darren Barker will come to U.S. soil on August 17 for an HBO Boxing After Dark main event, as the two will meet for Geale's IBF middleweight title at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York. Geale (29-1, 15 KO) wil...
Daniel Geale and Darren Barker will come to U.S. soil on August 17 for an HBO Boxing After Dark main event, as the two will meet for Geale's IBF middleweight title at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York. Geale (29-1, 15 KO) will be making the fifth defense of his title, which he won in 2011 from Sebastian Sylvester. Geale briefly unified the belt with a win over Felix Sturm, taking the WBA title, but that belt was soon in other hands due to whatever, blah blah, boxing crap. His last fight came on January 30, when he beat Anthony Mundine, with Geale avenging the lone defeat of his career. Outside of Sturm, though, Geale's defenses have been less than spectacular. Mundine was old and faded, and the duo of Eromosele Albert and Osumanu Adama didn't exactly move the needle. Barker (25-1, 16 KO) is a back-end top ten guy, who didn't look totally out of his element against Sergio Martinez in 2011. Given what we've seen from Sturm in his recent fights, Barker may indeed be Geale's toughest test since winning the belt. "Barker has to be one of the toughest opponents I've faced on paper, but I've been in the ring with world titlists and it remains to be seen whether or not Barker can offer up anything extra," said Geale. "He is a top rated fighter amongst 160 pounders, but in the middleweight division that's saying a lot because the entire division is dangerous. A guy in the top 10 at middleweight would be top 3-4 in almost any other division." And while the fight's location is more due to getting the HBO exposure than it making any sense otherwise for the matchup, Geale is excited to come to the States. "Fighting in the United States for the first time is truly an honor," Geale said. "I'm going to give the fans a great night of boxing while representing my country with dignity." The 32-year-old titlist also believes that Barker, 31, is better now than he was against Martinez. "I'm going to have my hands full, that's for sure. Barker gave Martinez all sorts of fits, but he is an even better fighter now and I think he has improved a great deal since the Martinez fight," said Geale. "I'm not sure Martinez could beat Barker now, maybe Martinez planned on fighting Barker before he got too good? I want the fights that will give me the biggest challenges and I plan on handling Barker better than anyone has, it won't be easy but that's what I'll attempt to do." For his part, Barker is itching for an opportunity, and he's got one now. "This is a golden opportunity for me and I feel it's my time to shine," the Londoner said. "It's been a tough journey for me but I'm one fight away from realizing my dream and becoming World Champion. I've dedicated my entire life to this sport and since the Sergio Martinez fight I really feel like I've grown as a fighter. I can't wait to bring that IBF world title back to the UK." There is no undercard yet for the fight, but promoters Gary Shaw and Eddie Hearn should have plenty to offer up, whether it winds up being a double- or triple-header (and hopefully, it's a triple-header). It's certainly early, but who do you have here? Does Geale keep his streak going, or does Barker break through and win his first world title?
about 13 hours ago