By: William Holmes
The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of October 21st to October 28th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.
Under the Lights: Pacquiao-Algieri Premieres November 15th on HBO
Under the Lights: Pacquiao-Algieri will debut November 15th at 11:45 p.m. on HBO. The special will dig deep and put the upcoming HBO Pay-Per-View showdown on November 22nd between welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao and fast-rising challenger Chris Algieri.
It will be hosted by HBO boxing commentator Max Kellerman and will feature the opinions of two boxing experts, welterweight star Timothy Bradley Jr. and renowned trainer Virgil Hunter.
Martin Murray and Caballero Win in Monaco
Middleweight Martin Murray has previously fought for the title twice and came up just short.
But on Saturday, he took on Domenico Spada in Monte Carlo, Monaco for the right to face currently middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin. Spada was not expected to give Murray that tough of a match and by all accounts he did not. A cut opened up near the right eye of Spada in the third round and by the seventh round, the ring side doctor recommended the fight be stopped and go to the scorecards.
Murray won by decision with scores of 69-67, 68-63, and 67-66.
Randy Caballero (22-0) took on Stuart Hall (16-4-2) for a vacant bantamweight title. Caballero cleanly out boxed the overmatched Hall and won by decision with scores of 118-110, 116-111, and 116-111.
Gennady Golovkin vs. Martin Murray Announced
Almost immediately after Martin Murray’s victory it was announced that will be facing unbeaten WBA, IBO, and IBC Interim Middleweight Champion Gennady Golovkin (31-0) in Monte Carlo on February 21, 2014.
“Murray is generally regarded as the best middleweight outside the world champions,” said promoter Rodney Berman. “As we all know, he’s a world champion without a belt. He won’t be intimidated for one second fighting ‘GGG’, unlike all of Golovkin’s challengers. “
Golovkin stated, “It feels great to get this fight. Murray is a great fighter, very strong. I remember the Sergio Martinez fight; it was an amazing fight. Along with Matthew Macklin and Daniel Geale, Murray is one of the best pure boxers in the division.”
He went on to state, “I like to test myself. I’m giving him a chance and for Europe this is the biggest fight in the middleweight division. It is important to fight here, where many of my fans and followers are.”
Murray stated, “I think he’s a top fighter. He’s crushed everybody he’s been in with, but I’ve got the tools to beat any middleweight out there. I wouldn’t be taking the fight if I didn’t taking the fight if I didn’t think I could win. A lot of his opponents have gone into the fight already beat. You won’t get that from me. I’m gonna go in there and stand up to him.”
Oscar De La Hoya to Announce Rosado vs. Lemieux
On October 29th at the Barclays Center-Practice Court, Oscar De La Hoya will host a Brooklyn Press Conference to announce Gabriel Rosado vs. David Lemieux fight card on December 6th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. This event will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark. The NABF Middleweight Championship will also be on the line as Huge Centeno Jr. takes on James De La Rosa in the co-feature. Tickets will be available at www.ticketmaster.com
Adonis Stevenson vs. Dmitry Sukhotskiy Announced for December 19th
WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion Adonis Stevenson (24-1) will return to the ring on December 19th at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec to face Russian boxer Dmitry “The Hunter” Sukhotskiy (22-2). Sukhotskiy is rated #7 by the WBC, #8 by the WBO, #7 by the WBA, and #11 by the IBF.
Stevenson will be headlining this event as part of a Showtime Championship Boxing card. Two-time Russian Olympian sensation Artur Beterbiev as well as welterweight contender Kevin Bizier will be on the undercard. Tickets will be available online at www.billeteck.com
Hopkins vs. Kovalev Undercard Announced for November 8th
The undercard has been announced for the Bernard Hopkins vs. Sergey Kovalev bout in Atlantic City on November 8th.
Nadjib Mohammedi (35-3) will be taking on southpaw Demetrius Walker in a ten-round light heavyweight bout. Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov (18-0-1) will be facing Darnell “Ding-A-Ling-Man” Wilson (25-17-3) in the heavyweight division. Wilson recently defeated the 36-0 run of David Rodriguez last December with a knockout win.
Unbeaten light heavyweight Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (10-0) will also be on the undercard and will take on Emil Gonzalez (11-8-1). William Gonzalez (27-5) will face Eric Hunter (18-3) in a featherweight bout, and Sullivan Barrera (13-0) will face Rowland Bryant in a light heavyweight bout.
Tickets will be available at www.ticketmaster.com
Mike Tyson’s Book Available in Paperback
Mike Tyson’s book, Undisputed Truth, is now available in paper back. His book is a New York Times bestselling book and is a brutal, honest, raw, and often hilarious chronicle of his life. The Wall Street Journal hailed it as a “raw, powerful and disturbing—head-spinning take on Mr. Tyson’s life.”
This book is published by Penguin Random House.
Katsidis Goes Down to Coyle
Michael Katsidis (30-7) has long been a fan favorite in the lightweight division and had been retired for two years. He came back earlier this year and had won two fights in a row, but he took on a tough Tommy Coyle (20-2) on Saturday in Hull England.
They both went at each other hard in the first round but the fight quickly ended in the second round when Coyle landed a hard left hook that sent Katsidis to the mat. Katsidis rose back to his feet but was clearly wobbly and the referee waved off the fight at 1:33 of the second round.
Jose Ramirez Remains Undefeated
2012 Olympian Jose Ramirez (12-0) remained undefeated on Saturday night in Fresno, California.
He took on the veteran David Rodela (17-10-3). Ramirez is already a big draw and had the arena packed with fans despite the fact it wasn’t on premium television or on pay per view. Ramirez sent Rodela to the mat in the first round with a left hand and Rodela went to the mat and stayed down. Ramirez won by knockout at 0:50 of the first round.
Gavin vs. Skeete Heats Up
Domestic rivals Frankie Gavin and Bradley Skeete are set for a showdown on November 29th at the ExCeL in London. Gavin will be defending his British Welterweight title and the Vacant Commonwealth title will also be on the line. They will be featured on the undercard of Dereck Chisora vs. Tyson Fury and Billy Joe saunders vs. Chris Eubank Jr.
“Deep down Skeete doesn’t want to fight me, his whole team don’t, they could’ve fought me a year ago but wanted no part of me. What does that tell you?” said Gavin. He continued, “I’ve no problem facing someone like Skeete because I know I can beat him everyday of the week if I had to. Even so, I’ll leave no stone unturned to prepare for this fight, I’ll be 100 percent ready for him,”
Skeete replied, “He says I turned him down in the past, but I’ve taken this fight, I wanted this fight. I’d never run from the likes of Frankie Gavin and I’ll show the reason why on the night,” Skeete continued, “I’ve got the tactics and skill to beat Gavin. My confidence is sky high at the moment he lost to Bundu, he tried to set up and failed, now he’s got to step up to me.”
Tickets are available at www.eventim.co.uk
Emanuel Taylor Gives Statements After Bout with Broner
Welterweight contender recently held a question and answer session. He recently fought three division world champion Adrein Broner on September 6th. Below are some of his most relevant statements.
1. After your performance with Broner, Your stock was raised. How do you feel after that performance?
I feel real good. I am ready to get back into the ring. I am ready to show the world what I got. I have a huge fan base after that fight. They want to see me back in the ring ASAP. I am ready to get back in there in December or January.
2. You proved that you belong to be able to fight the elite fighters. You feel that you are fully entrenched to be mentioned for big fights?
I sure Hope so. I feel that I only should be fighting the fights on HBO or Showtime. I am ready right now to fight all the big dogs.
3. You have been mentioned for some big fights like Khan. He just signed to fight Alexander. Who are the guys that you are looking at to fight.
I would have liked that fight with Khan. I see Mauricio Herrera has a fight coming up (against Jose Benavidez). Jesse Vargas is another one. Zab Judah–I will fight him right now. Then we will from there. I see up and coming prospects Frankie Gomez. He is a good fighter. I would like to fight him as well.
4. Give me a perfect scenario for you. Do you see another fight before the end of the year? Where do you expect to be by this time next year?
Hopefully I get another fight before the end of the year or January. By this time next year, I will be a world champion. I will have a belt in the 140-pound division then go up to 147 pounds for the rest of my career.
(Co-Manager) Doc Nowicki–His management team and coaching team. We were struggling to get an opponent but we got hooked up with Star Boxing. Maybe we can get a rematch with Chris Algieri. Next year at this time, I would like to see Emanuel defending his world title
5. If you got a call tomorrow for a good fight at 147 pounds. Is that an issue.
Not at all. I fought the beginning of my career at 147. It wasn’t that type of competition. But I can handle it.
(Co-Manager) Dave Price– We spar with the likes of Julian Williams, Kermit Cintron, so we know he can handle 147 pounders. We would like to fight the bigger guys at 140. No disrespect to Danny Garcia but we would love to get a shot at him.
6. How about a fight with your fellow Beltway resident Lamont Peterson?
Me and Lamont have similar styles. I have been in with him in the gym a couple times. I give him a lot of respect. I would like to get in the ring with him too.
7. How do you like this new fan base, new found fortune?
I like it a lot. I am starting to see it especially on my social media. It gives me more motivation to get another fight. It also makes me train harder.
Klara Svensson To Defend WBC Title November 29th
Klara Svensson (14-0) will defend her interim WBC Female World Light Welterweight Title against Lucia Morelli (18-4) on November 29th at the Falcone Hall at the Radisson Blu in Copenhagen, Denmark.
She won the title against Marie Riederer in September and her opponent is the former lightweight world champion and welterweight world title challenger.
“Lucia is a big name in Europe. She has a good style and I’m sure it will make for a very exciting fight,” said Svennson. “In my last fight I proved I belonged at the very highest level. I’m ready to pick up where I left off. She is standing in my way. On November 29, I will defend my title and continue my journey to the top.”
