By: William Holmes
The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of October 13th to October 20th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.
Boxer Prichard Colon in Critical Condition after Suffering Brain Bleed
Prichard Colin was in critical condition after suffering a brain bleed from an injury suffered during a bout against Terrel Williams in Fairfax, Virginia on Saturday afternoon.
Colon showed symptoms in his dressing room after the fight and was rushed to Inova Fairfax hospital.
“He suffered a brain bleed as a result of an injury during the bout and underwent immediate surgery to relieve pressure on his brain,” DiBella said in a statement. “His condition remains critical.”
Colon was knocked down twice in the second round, and his cornermen started taking off his gloves before the 10th and final round which forced the referee to disqualify him.
Colon was in the co-main event of the card which was televised live on NBC.
Tarver Tests Positive, Refutes Drug Test
Antonio Tarver tested positive for synthetic testosterone prior to his 12 round draw with two-time IBF champion Steve “USS” Cunningham in their August 14th bout in Newark.
Tarver has refuted the results of the drug test and offered the following comments.
“I have no idea how my urine sample tested positive because I didn’t take anything illegal,” Tarver said. “Either the test was contaminated, or mixed-up with another sample. We believe in the process and I will fully comply. Further analysis will prove I’m 100-percent innocent because I’ve done nothing wrong.”
(Editors Note: he accidenttnly tripped on a needle?)
Andrade Returns with a Win
Former WBO World Jr. Middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade (22-0) stopped Dario Fabian Pucheta (20-3) at 0:50 of the second round at the Mohegan Sun Arena to capture the vacant WBO International Junior Middleweight Title.
Andrade scored three knockdowns, two in the first round and one in the second round, before the referee stopped the bout.
“No disrespect to any fighter because anyone who gets in that ring, I have high respect for, but it’s time for me to showcase what I really have against the guys everyone thinks is No. 1.”
“This layoff, I just took the time to get better physically, spiritually, mentally, just all around, to be better myself,” he said. “Once I found out I was fighting October 17th, I always keep the synthetic oil in, but I had to get the motors running again. Here we go, man.”
‘Siberian Rocky’ Ruslan Provodnikov Steps in to Headline International Event
Former world junior-welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov of Russia will fight unbeaten Jesus Alvarez Rodriguez in the headliner of the “Night of Champions” tournament in Monte Carlo on November 7th.
The card was originally scheduled to feature a WBA Championship fight between Juergen Braehmer and Tommy Oosthuizen after Braehmer sustained a hand injury in training.
Provodnikov’s opponent is 23-years-old and unbeaten in 13 fights (although it is understood that five additional pro bouts are unrecorded).
Provodnikov (24-4, 17 KOs) has come off a remarkable run of five fights against top-level opposition: Tim Bradley jr, Mike Alvarado, Chris Algieri, Jose Luis Castillo and Lucas Matthysse.
“The Siberian Rocky” is a former WBO junior-welterweight champion rated number four by both the WBC and the WBO. His fight against Bradley in 2013 was named Fight of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America. More recently, his fight against Matthysse was another candidate for Fight of the Year.
Erislandy Lara Returns to Defend his Title Against Jan Zaveck on November 25th
Cuban sensation Erislandy Lara (21-2-2) will defend his super welterweight world title against former world champion Jan Zaveck (35-3) on Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on ESPN Wednesday, November 25th from Hialeah Park Racing and Casino in Miami with televised coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
“I’m very excited to be defending my title in my hometown of Miami,” said Lara. “Getting in the ring with a former world champion and an experienced fighter like Jan Zaveck is something I’m very much looking forward to. On November 25 I will put on a show for all my fans and especially all my Cuban fans watching on ESPN.”
“I am aware that this will be one of the toughest fights of my career,” said Zaveck. “I respect Lara and I will prove that I am on the same level. I am aware that I am the underdog and that I am coming into Lara’s ‘living room.’ I am coming to Miami to chase my dreams and surprise everybody.”
HBO to Show Replay of Golovkin vs. Lemieux and Gonzalez vs. Viloria
HBO Sports will present a replay of the world middleweight unification title fight between Gennady Golovkin and David Lemieux and the flyweight showdown between Roman Gonzalez and Brian Viloria on Saturday, October 24th on HBO.
These bouts will be presented along with the HBO World Championship Boxing Event featuring the world junior welterweight title fight between Terence Crawford and Dierry Jean in Omaha.
These two fights took place Saturday, October 17, live on HBO Pay-Per-View® in what was viewed as a highly anticipated pay-per-view card with 160-pound attractions Golovkin and Lemieux headling the event and Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez seeking to re-affirm his standing as the consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world versus a challenge from Brian Viloria.
Other HBO playdates: Oct. 25 (9:00 a.m.) and 26 (11:30 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Oct. 25 (3:30 p.m.) and 27 (11:00 p.m.)
Mr. Calzaghe in Cinema on November 20th and Blue-ray on November 23rd
From director Vaughan Sivell comes the critically acclaimed sports documentary Mr. Calzaghe. This portrayal tells the extraordinary story of Joe Calzaghe and his father Enzo, an unusually father-son who, from humble beginnings in Wales and through sheer grit and determination, have travelled the gloves from Cardiff to Las Vegas to take on the vicious world of boxing, beating the best fighters that America could throw at them and showing the world they are a force to be reckoned with.
The documentary will have a mix of archive footage, home videos, and exclusive interviews from family members and opponents including Chris Eubank, Mikkel Kessler, and celebrity fans Michael J. Fox, Matthew Rhys, and James Dean Bradfield.
Mr. Calzaghe will be in select UK cinemas and On Demand on November 20th and available on DVD, Blue-ray and Download on November 23rd.
Al Haymon’s Investors Dropped from Top Rank Boxing Lawsuit
The Los Angeles Times’ Lance Pugmire has reported that a federal judge in Los Angeles has removed Al Haymon’s financial backers from a lawsuit filed by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc.
U.S. District Court Judge John H. Walter also dismissed anti-trust and other claims made in Top Rank’s lawsuit, with a provision that allows Top Rank to refile the lawsuit by October 30th.
Walter cited in his opinion that behaving as a monopoly requires proving activity with “a specific intent to monopolize a relevant market; predatory or anticompetitive conduct; and a dangerous probability of success.”
In granting Haymon’s motion to dismiss, the judge wrote the Top Rank claims on the matter are “vague and lack the requisite factual detail.”
More details can be found at: http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-al-haymon-top-rank-bob-arum-golden-boy-20151017-story.html
Cotto- Canelo Undercard
Highly touted Takashi Miura (29-2-2, 22 KOs) of Tokyo, Japan will defend his WBC Super Featherweight title for the fifth time against Mexico City, Mexico’s unbeaten Francisco Vargas (22-0-1, 16 KOs) in a 12-round battle which is presented in association with Teiken Promotions. Hailing from the same city as headliner Miguel Cotto, and co-promoted by the Puerto Rican legend’s Miguel Cotto Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions, undefeated, multiple-regional title champion Jayson Velez (23-0-1, 16 KOs) of Caguas, Puerto Rico, will face Santa Ana, California’s Ronny Rios (24-1, 10 KOs) in a highly anticipated 10-round featherweight bout. An additional televised bout will be announced shortly.
