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That entrance was pretty dramatic... Got me prepared for a war, only to witness a jab fest in the early rounds, lol.... But good action towards the end.
Please lock.
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
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Beautiful KO by Froch last night, absolutely beautiful to watch.
The Donaire Vetyeka fight was ******* ********.
The Donaire Vetyeka fight was ******* ********.
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I don't usually have anything critical to say about 24-7 or All-Access even though I find most of it repetitive. But the first Episode of Cotto-Martinez was very bland... :\
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2 guys that don't really talk trash
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True but the way Martinez seems to feel slighted by Cotto, I thought it would have been a little more
Same here, after seeing their face off I expected more drama
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After seeing Froch/Groves at Wembley, I don't see how Floyd wouldn't want to fight there. Those dudes had a 5 minute walk to the ring with a pose by themselves
Pyrotechnics like a wrestling event
Froch would KO Chavez Jr.
No he wouldn't. Jr. might not be a great boxer, but dude has one of the best chins in boxing.
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After seeing Froch/Groves at Wembley, I don't see how Floyd wouldn't want to fight there. Those dudes had a 5 minute walk to the ring with a pose by themselves
Pyrotechnics like a wrestling event
Froch would KO Chavez Jr.
No he wouldn't. Jr. might not be a great boxer, but dude has one of the best chins in boxing.
Agreed, I think there's a higher chance that Chavez Jr. puts Froch down than the other way around. People underrate Chavez Jr.'s skills and ability just because of his laziness.
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I don't think you can even call it that, he joined camp for only like a week. he pretty much just uses Garcia the last few weeks of training
and not hard for Chavez chin to look legit when he is fighting bums and guys with zero power
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Didn't Donaire's father draft the whole gameplan leading into the Vetyeka fight?
Who else is headed to MSG for Cotto/Martinez. Hoping it lives up to you one of the premier bouts of 2014.
Weekend recap.
A roundup of the past week's notable boxing results from around the world:
Saturday at London
Carl Froch KO8 George Groves
Retains unified super middleweight title
Scores: 116-109, 115-110 (twice)
Records: Froch (33-2, 24 KOs); Groves (19-2, 15 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: For all of the raging controversy over Froch's ninth-round knockout victory against Groves in their first fight in November -- and referee Howard John Foster's stoppage really was an abomination -- there absolutely none of that this time around. Froch finished his British countryman in grand fashion with a huge right hand in the eighth round to leave no doubt.
There is also little doubt that the British fans are some of the most dedicated and passionate in boxing. A British-record crowd of some 80,000 filled Wembley Stadium for a grand spectacle that should embarrass those out there who like to proclaim that boxing is dead. Nothing could be further from the truth and this event, a much-anticipated grudge match that featured a load of trash talk, is a prime exhibit.
The 36-year-old Froch, in his third title reign, retained his title for the fourth time against Groves, 26, who once again started quickly but was beginning the fade when the end came. It was a competitive fight, but Groves looked quicker and sharper in the early going, and his jab was on point. But Froch is usually a slow starter and even though he might be slowing down a little after so many tough fights, nobody should underestimate his will to win.
Froch ate a lot of solid right hands, as he did in the first meeting, but never wavered, even after Groves rocked him in the fifth round with a right.
As the fight moved into the second half, the action intensified and there were a lot of exciting exchanges, giving the enormous crowd what it had come for. But, just like that, Froch ended the fight when he caught Groves with a clean right hand on the chin and dropped him near the ropes. Groves' left leg was pinned underneath him and he was in a very awkward position, causing referee Charlie Fitch to immediately wave it off at 2 minutes, 34 seconds. But unlike the first fight, Groves was out of it. Even as he tried to get to his feet after the stoppage, he couldn't and fell into Fitch. Good stoppage, good fight and definitive win for Froch, who added an important victory to his legacy as one of Great Britain's best ever.
The fight was Froch's 12th consecutive appearance in a world title fight. He is 10-2, the decision losses coming against Andre Ward (in a lopsided fight in the Super Six World Boxing Classic final) and Mikkel Kessler (in a very close Super Six fight that Froch avenged 13 months ago).
Groves still should have a bright future, but Froch is probably on his way to another huge fight, possibly in the fall in Las Vegas against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for what would be a terrific fight, although British countryman James DeGale became one of Froch's mandatory challengers with a win on the undercard.
James DeGale TKO4 Brandon Gonzales
Super middleweight
Title eliminator
Records: DeGale (19-1, 13 KOs); Gonzales (18-1-1, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: DeGale, a 28-year-old southpaw, won a 2008 Olympic gold medal for Great Britain and is a fine contender. Since his only loss, a debatable majority decision to George Groves in 2011, DeGale has won nine fights in a row, including the European title, which he vacated. He was facing Gonzales, 30, of Sacramento, California, in an elimination contest to earn a mandatory shot against unified titleholder Carl Froch, who knocked out Groves in the main event.
Whether DeGale gets that fight next remains to be seen, but based on the way Froch was talking afterward, it sounds as if Froch is far more interested in a fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. than the very technical DeGale, even if it would be a pretty big deal in England. But whatever happens, DeGale had to get the mandatory position, which he did by dismissing Gonzales, who was not in the same league as DeGale, despite their similar records.
DeGale had the speed edge, the experience edge, the power edge and was simply a better fighter. He landed a number of solid combinations, and in the fourth round he rocked Gonzales with a left-right combination. As Gonzales was staggering back, DeGale jumped in and nailed him with another left hand and dropped him. Gonzales looked shaky but he beat the count and the fight continued. But when DeGale peppered him with a few more shots, referee Steve Gray intervened at 2 minutes, 38 seconds. Some have been critical of the stoppage as being a tad too quick, but it seemed perfectly legitimate. Gonzales had been down and hurt, was taking shots and not throwing back.
Jamie McDonnell KO10 Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat
Wins a vacant bantamweight title
Records: McDonnell (24-2-1, 11 KOs); Na Rachawat (52-3, 34 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In May 2013, McDonnell, 28, of England, outpointed Julio Ceja to win a vacant bantamweight belt, but he was stripped for not making a mandatory defense in time. So McDonnell won his next two fights and then got the opportunity to challenge Na Rachawat, 31, of Thailand, for a different organization's vacant title (even if it was merely a secondary belt).
Na Rachawat, fighting outside of Thailand for the first time, had never faced a quality opponent, and it showed against McDonnell, who took charge from the outset and won going away. He outboxed the aggressive Na Rachawat, outfought him, broke him down and eventually dropped him with a left hand to the jaw in the 10th round that caused referee Terry O'Connor to call off the fight at 2 minutes. McDonnell was up on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage 90-82, 90-81 and 87-84.
Kevin Mitchell TKO11 Ghislain Maduma
Lightweight
Title eliminator
Records: Mitchell (38-2, 28 KOs); Maduma (16-1, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Mitchell, 29, of England, fought for a lightweight world title in 2012 and got knocked out by then-titleholder Ricky Burns in the fourth round. Mitchell rebounded to win four fights in a row and put himself into this title eliminator against Maduma, 28, who is a Congo native living in Montreal. The winner of the fight was supposed to become the mandatory challenger for Miguel Vazquez of Mexico.
However, although Mitchell made weight for the fight, the IBF rule is that a fighter cannot gain more than 10 pounds between the weigh-in and the weight check on the morning of the fight. Mitchell, however, put on 12 pounds; although he won the fight, he will not receive the mandatory position.
As for the fight, Mitchell did what he needed to do in comeback fashion. He was trailing 96-94 on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage, which came after he battered a tiring Maduma all over the ring during the 11th round before knocking him down twice, the final time on a left hook. Maduma beat the count, but was a bit wobbly and referee Phil Edwards halted the contest at 2 minutes, 56 seconds.
Anthony Joshua KO1 Matt Legg
Heavyweight
Records: Joshua (6-0, 6 KOs); Legg (7-3, 3 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The 24-year-old Joshua, the 2012 British Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist, is one of boxing's most significant prospects and getting in his pro reps, including this total wipeout of Legg, 38, also of England. Joshua needed a mere 83 seconds to dust Legg, crumpling him with a right uppercut to set the stage for what should be by far his most notable test of his young career. Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn said Joshua would likely return July 12 to face former world title challenger and former British, Commonwealth and European champion Matt Skelton (28-8, 23 KOs), 47, who is as battle-tested as they come but has lost his past two fights. The idea will be to see if Skelton can extend Joshua past the second round for the first time. This was Legg's second loss in three fights, including a third-round knockout loss in November to long-faded James Toney in a "Prizefighter" tournament quarterfinal.
Saturday at Macau
Nonito Donaire Tech. Dec. 5 Simpiwe Vetyeka
Wins a featherweight title
Scores: 49-46 (three times)
Records: Donaire (33-2, 21 KOs); Vetyeka (26-3, 16 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Donaire was the 2012 fighter of the year but had a rough 2013. First, he lost his junior featherweight title by decision to Guillermo Rigondeaux in a unification fight. Then, although he moved up to featherweight and knocked out Vic Darchinyan in the ninth round of their rematch, Donaire did not look good. He was trailing on the scorecards and suffered a facial fracture before his comeback.
Returning to the ring, Donaire31, the Philippines native who lives in Las Vegas, put the tough year behind him and defeated Vetyeka to win a world title in his fourth weight class (five, if you count interim belts). But it was a tough fight with an ending so unsatisfying that Donaire promised to give Vetyeka, 33, of South Africa, a rematch.
Donaire did not look sharp, which he admitted in his postfight comments. He was hampered by a terrible cut on his left eyelid that he suffered as a result of an accidental head-butt near the end of the first round. It was such a hard butt that Donaire went down to the mat. The cut was bad enough that referee Luis Pabon had the ringside doctor examine it multiple times during the course of the fight. There were more accidental head-butts in the second round.
Vetyeka, making the first defense of his belt following a sixth-round upset knockout of then-undefeated and long-reigning titleholder Chris John in December, appeared to have controlled the opening two rounds. But Donaire wobbled Vetyeka with a hard right hand in the third round that caused him to grab the top ring rope to steady himself.
In the fourth round, Donaire landed his money punch, a powerful left hook, midway through the round to score the only knockdown of the fight. Donaire's cut was getting worse and Pabon had it examined again in the round. Finally, a moment after the bell for the fifth round began, Pabon waved off the fight because of the cut and sent the fight to the scorecards for a technical decision, one in which the judges had to score the fifth round, all 10-10. Donaire was the rightful winner, but was not happy with his performance. Vetyeka was classy in defeat and did not complain. We could see a rematch but it is also entirely possible that Donaire will face secondary titleholder Nicholas Walters or titlist Evgeny Gradovich, both of whom retained their belts on the undercard.
Nicholas Walters KO5 Vic Darchinyan
Retains a featherweight title
Records: Walters (24-0, 20 KOs); Darchinyan (39-7-1, 28 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Walters, 28, of Jamaica, known as "The Axe Man," continued to show strong punching power as he racked up his 10th knockout in 11 fights, and what a sensational knockout it was against Darchinyan, the 38-year-old former flyweight and junior bantamweight titleholder, whose best days appear behind him.
Walters was making the second defense of his secondary title and put on a dominant performance against Darchinyan, a southpaw who suffered his second knockout loss in a row, six months after main event winner Nonito Donaire drilled him in the ninth round.
Walters may loom as future opponent for newly crowed titleholder Donaire after this victory in which he dropped Darchinyan with a right uppercut in the second round and outclassed him. Walters was bigger, stronger and faster. Darchinyan did not appear too hurt from the initial knockdown, but he was in the fifth round when Walters badly hurt him with a left hook and then floored him a couple of punches later with a right hand. Darchinyan continued to fight but was finished. He looked like he was out on his feet as Walters continued to fire punches, eventually catching Darchinyan with a huge left hook that dropped him hard. He hit his head on the bottom ring rope and referee Raul Caiz Jr. waved off the without a count at 2 minutes, 22 seconds.
Walters looked very good and he did get rid of Darchinyan in far easier fashion that Donaire did in November in a struggle before the knockout.
Evgeny Gradovich W12 Alexander Miskirtchian
Retains a featherweight title
Scores: 118-110, 117-110 (twice)
Records: Gradovich (19-0, 9 KOs); Miskirtchian (24-3-1, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gradovich, 27, of Russia -- known as "The Mexican Russian" because of his fighting style -- won a 126-pound world title in March 2013 and has made three successful defenses, all in Macau. His latest was a mandatory defense against Alexander Miskirtchian, 28, a native of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, who lives in Belgium.
It was a tough, hard fight but Gradovich was in control all the way other than for a few brief moments. A third-round accidental head-butt cut Miskirtchian on the bridge of the nose, but he also rocked Gradovich with a clean right hand. Gradovich, whose face also was bruised and marked up by the end of the bout, opened a cut over Miskirtchian's left eye with a punch in the fourth round.
Miskirtchian had his best moment in the sixth round when he knocked Gradovich down with a left jab because Gradovich was squared up and had no balance when he got hit. He was not hurt on the knockdown and resumed outboxing Miskirtchian afterward as he rolled to the decision win.
Chris Avalos TKO8 Yasutaka Ishimoto
Junior featherweight
Title eliminator
Records: Avalos (24-2, 18 KOs); Ishimoto (24-7, 7 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Avalos, 24, of Lancaster, California, looked very good in this important victory, one that secured him a mandatory shot at 122-pound titleholder Kiko Martinez of Spain, a fight that could wind up in November on Manny Pacquiao's next undercard. Avalos is an entertaining fighter and did solid work against Ishimoto, 32, of Japan.
Avalos scored a hard knockdown on a sweet right uppercut in the first round and Ishimoto was in big trouble in the final 90 seconds of the round. There was some good action in the fight, including fierce exchanges in the sixth round, when both guys landed heavy shots. But Avalos was the boss for most of the fight, and in the eighth round he dropped Ishimoto for the second time with an eight-punch combination to the head and body. Referee Malik Waleed got to six and a weary Ishimoto began to get up, but his corner entered the ring and Waleed stopped the fight 44 seconds into the round.
Esquiva Falcao W6 Eunchang Lee
Middleweight
Scores: 59-55, 59-54, 58-55
Records: Falcao (3-0, 1 KO); Lee (7-4, 3 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Brazil's Falcao, a 24-year-old southpaw, was a decorated amateur who won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics and turned pro in February. He was facing South Korea's Lee, 32, who had a three-inch height advantage but did not put it to good use in what was a sloppy fight filled with clinches. When they weren't clinching, Falcao did a solid job of putting his punches together and caught Lee with many right hands, which Lee often leaned into. Falcao also fired to the body regularly and by the second round, Lee's left flank was red from taking so many right hands.
In the fourth round, Lee pushed Falcao to a knee and then hit him with a right hand behind the head, drawing a hard warning from referee Danrex Tapdasan. Lee did the same thing again in the sixth round, this time eliciting a point deduction from Tapdasan. It made no difference as Falcao was the clear points winner. Falcao may have been a star amateur, but he looks like a project in the pros.
Saturday at Krefeld, Germany
Sam Soliman W12 Felix Sturm
Wins a middleweight title
Scores: 118-110 (twice), 117-111
Records: Soliman (44-11, 18 KOs); Sturm (39-4-2, 18 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: After a long, tough career, Soliman, 40, of Australia, finally claimed a world title in his third opportunity (after having been beaten by countryman Anthony Mundine twice in super middleweight title bouts). He first met Sturm, 35, of Germany, in a February 2013 title eliminator and beat him by unanimous decision in an upset. However, Soliman tested positive for a banned stimulant after the fight, the result was changed to a no contest and Soliman was suspended for nine months by German regulators.
Later in the year, Sturm stopped England's Darren Barker in the second round to win a middleweight belt for the fourth time and faced Soliman in a rematch that also served as his mandatory defense.
While the first fight's scores were razor-close, it was not the case in the rematch, which Soliman, always an awkward, pain-in-the-neck-type of fighter to face, dominated by outworking his younger opponent. While Soliman punched from various angles and moved all over the place, Sturm had a hard time catching him cleanly, although they did produce some exciting exchanges, particularly late in the fight. Whenever Soliman looked like he might be in any kind trouble he grabbed and held, for which referee Eddie Cotton warned him repeatedly, but never took a point.
Sturm came on late in the fight, hurting Soliman with a body shot in the 11th round, but Soliman was not going to be denied. Although Sturm was the heavier hitter, Soliman's movement and activity was the difference and even Sturm conceded after the bout that Soliman was the rightful winner. Now we just have to wait for the drug test results.
Saturday at Mexico City
Carlos Cuadras Tech. Dec. 8 Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Wins a junior bantamweight title
Scores: 78-73, 77-75, 77-74
Records: Cuadras (30-0, 24 KOs); Sor Rungvisai (27-4-1, 25 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Cuadras, 25, of Mexico, got off to a good start, one that ultimately was the difference in his 115-pound title-winning effort against Sor Rungvisai, 27, of Thailand.
Cuadras, in his first world title bout, set a quick pace early on and nicely mixed his boxing and aggressive punching against Sor Rungvisai, who was making his second defense and fighting outside of Thailand for the first time.
It was a pretty good fight, but the accidental head-butts did mar it. An accidental head clash cut Cuadras over the left eye in the fourth round, forcing referee Jay Nady to invoke the WBC's mystifying rule to deduct a point from the fighter who is not cut in the event of an accidental head-butt. Shortly after the eighth round began there was another accidental head-butt, and blood began pouring down Cuadras' face. Nady called timeout for the ringside doctor to look at the wound, and it was too bad for Cuadras to go on. Nady stopped the fight, the judges scored the partially completed eighth round and matters were sent to the scorecards for the technical decision, which Cuadras won, thanks in large part to his good start.
Saturday at Las Vegas
Javier Fortuna W10 Juan Antonio Rodriguez
Junior lightweight
Scores: 98-91 (three times)
Records: Fortuna (25-0-1, 18 KOs); Rodriguez (26-5, 23 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In 2012, Fortuna, a speedy, 25-year-old southpaw from the Dominican Republic who fights out of the same stable as middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, won an interim featherweight belt but was stripped before his first defense for failing to make weight. Since then, Fortuna has fought four times, at featherweight and junior lightweight, where he probably will continue to campaign.
Although he handily outpointed Rodriguez, 26, of Mexico, this was a tough, action-packed battle. Rodriguez gave him everything he could handle despite the lopsided scores. Fortuna knocked Rodriguez down in the third round but also sustained a nasty cut over his right eye. Rodriguez also dropped Fortuna with a straight right hand in the closing seconds of the third round, but referee Robert Byrd badly missed the call. By the ninth round, both of Fortuna's eyes were swelling -- the right one was totally closed -- and the cut looked terrible. Rodriguez was going for a knockout but Fortuna, despite the gruesome-looking face, held him off in the final couple of rounds, including in the 10th round when he was desperately going for broke and rocked Fortuna. When it was over, Fortuna's face looked like that of a loser, but he had done more than enough to win a decision.
Luis Rosa W10 Luis Orlando Del Valle
Junior featherweight
Scores: 98-91, 97-91, 97-92
Records: Rosa (17-0, 7 KOs); Del Valle (18-2, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In an all-Puerto Rican fight, Rosa, 23, got the better of the 27-year-old Del Valle in an action-packed battle that heated up in the second round and stayed that way. Rosa, who switched between right-handed and left-handed, did damage with combinations to the head body. In the fifth round, Rosa opened a bad cut on the bridge of Del Valle's nose that bled for the rest of the fight. Also in the fifth, Del Valle landed a short left hook that dropped Rosa for the first time in his career.
Referee Kenny Bayless deducted a point from Rosa in the seventh round for hitting on the break. In the final three rounds, Rosa and Del Valle spent long stretches fighting toe-to-toe, with Rosa ultimately notching the most significant win of his career. Del Valle dropped to 2-2 with a no contest in his past five fights.
Sergio Mora TKO5 Samuel Rogers
Middleweight
Records: Mora (26-3-2, 9 KOs); Rogers (14-2, 8 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Former junior middleweight titlist Mora, 33, of East Los Angeles, is eyeing a middleweight title shot -- he wants Peter Quillin or Gennady Golovkin -- and won his third fight in a row. More important, Mora, who usually fights in a style very unfriendly to fans and television executives, scored his second knockout in a row after promising to become more entertaining if that is what it took to get a shot. He dominated Rogers, 31, of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mora dropped Rogers with a right hand in the first round, had him in trouble late in the third round and stood in the pocket and fought him rather than move backward and fight in a complete defensive shell, as he has so often done. In the fifth round, Mora knocked Rogers down again with a right hand and then forced referee Russell Mora to step in at 2 minutes, 55 seconds during the follow-up attack when Rogers was pinned on the ropes and not firing back.
Saturday at Odessa, Ukraine
Olexander Usyk KO4 Cesar David Crenz
Cruiserweight
Records: Usyk (4-0, 4 KOs); Crenz (21-9, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Usyk, 27, of Ukraine, won the 2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medal and is off to a great start as a professional and looks to be moving quickly. In just his fourth pro bout, Usyk was already in a scheduled eight-round fight as he faced the very experienced Crenz, of Argentina, who has faced several quality opponents, including cruiserweight titlist Yoan Pablo Hernandez in a 2010 12-round decision loss in a regional title bout.
Usyk, who spent time in heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko's recent training camp (Klitschko's K2 Promotions is also Usyk's promoter), dominated Crenz. Usyk showed a strong jab and put combinations together very well. In the third round, Usyk unloaded one of those combinations and dropped Crenz in the final 30 seconds, a left hook doing the biggest damage. In the fourth round, another left hand, this time to the pit of the stomach, dropped Crenz to all fours, where he was counted out with 29 seconds left in the round. Usyk's home crowd cheered wildly and he had another knockout in the books.
Friday at Moscow
Alexander Povetkin KO7 Manuel Charr
Heavyweight
Records: Povetkin (27-1, 19 KOs); Charr (26-2, 15 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The previous time Povetkin, 34, the 2004 Russian Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist and former secondary world titleholder, was in the ring was in October, when he was embarrassed, getting knocked down four times and losing a shutout decision in front of his home crowd challenging dominant world champion Wladimir Klitschko.
In his return, Povetkin looked much better against Charr, 29, a native of Lebanon living in Germany. Povetkin let his hands go early. He was throwing combinations and landing to the body and head while Charr was much more wild with his punches, including one that he nailed Povetkin with after the bell ended the second round. Povetkin was a lot busier than Charr, who spent a lot of time covering up. Povetkin split his guard a few times with some nice uppercuts and then finished him in explosive fashion in the seventh round with a beautiful six-punch combination: right, left uppercut, right, a left hook that missed, a left hook that landed and a flush right hand. Charr went down hard and referee Massimo Barrovecchio waved it off at 1 minute, 9 seconds.
It was an impressive display from Povetkin, who despite the loss to Klitschko is one of the best heavyweights in the world. The loss ended Charr's five-fight winning streak since he last fought in Moscow in December 2012 and suffered his first defeat. That was when he challenged then-titleholder Vitali Klitschko (who is now retired and was recently elected mayor of Kiev, Ukraine) and was stopped on a terrible cut in the fourth round.
On the undercard, 2008 Russian Olympic gold medalist Rakhim Chakhkiev (19-1, 14 KOs), a 31-year-old southpaw, won a unanimous 12-round decision against fellow former world title challenger Santander Silgado (25-2, 20 KOs), 29, of a Colombia native based in New York, in a regional title bout.
Saturday at London
Carl Froch KO8 George Groves
Retains unified super middleweight title
Scores: 116-109, 115-110 (twice)
Records: Froch (33-2, 24 KOs); Groves (19-2, 15 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: For all of the raging controversy over Froch's ninth-round knockout victory against Groves in their first fight in November -- and referee Howard John Foster's stoppage really was an abomination -- there absolutely none of that this time around. Froch finished his British countryman in grand fashion with a huge right hand in the eighth round to leave no doubt.
There is also little doubt that the British fans are some of the most dedicated and passionate in boxing. A British-record crowd of some 80,000 filled Wembley Stadium for a grand spectacle that should embarrass those out there who like to proclaim that boxing is dead. Nothing could be further from the truth and this event, a much-anticipated grudge match that featured a load of trash talk, is a prime exhibit.
The 36-year-old Froch, in his third title reign, retained his title for the fourth time against Groves, 26, who once again started quickly but was beginning the fade when the end came. It was a competitive fight, but Groves looked quicker and sharper in the early going, and his jab was on point. But Froch is usually a slow starter and even though he might be slowing down a little after so many tough fights, nobody should underestimate his will to win.
Froch ate a lot of solid right hands, as he did in the first meeting, but never wavered, even after Groves rocked him in the fifth round with a right.
As the fight moved into the second half, the action intensified and there were a lot of exciting exchanges, giving the enormous crowd what it had come for. But, just like that, Froch ended the fight when he caught Groves with a clean right hand on the chin and dropped him near the ropes. Groves' left leg was pinned underneath him and he was in a very awkward position, causing referee Charlie Fitch to immediately wave it off at 2 minutes, 34 seconds. But unlike the first fight, Groves was out of it. Even as he tried to get to his feet after the stoppage, he couldn't and fell into Fitch. Good stoppage, good fight and definitive win for Froch, who added an important victory to his legacy as one of Great Britain's best ever.
The fight was Froch's 12th consecutive appearance in a world title fight. He is 10-2, the decision losses coming against Andre Ward (in a lopsided fight in the Super Six World Boxing Classic final) and Mikkel Kessler (in a very close Super Six fight that Froch avenged 13 months ago).
Groves still should have a bright future, but Froch is probably on his way to another huge fight, possibly in the fall in Las Vegas against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for what would be a terrific fight, although British countryman James DeGale became one of Froch's mandatory challengers with a win on the undercard.
James DeGale TKO4 Brandon Gonzales
Super middleweight
Title eliminator
Records: DeGale (19-1, 13 KOs); Gonzales (18-1-1, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: DeGale, a 28-year-old southpaw, won a 2008 Olympic gold medal for Great Britain and is a fine contender. Since his only loss, a debatable majority decision to George Groves in 2011, DeGale has won nine fights in a row, including the European title, which he vacated. He was facing Gonzales, 30, of Sacramento, California, in an elimination contest to earn a mandatory shot against unified titleholder Carl Froch, who knocked out Groves in the main event.
Whether DeGale gets that fight next remains to be seen, but based on the way Froch was talking afterward, it sounds as if Froch is far more interested in a fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. than the very technical DeGale, even if it would be a pretty big deal in England. But whatever happens, DeGale had to get the mandatory position, which he did by dismissing Gonzales, who was not in the same league as DeGale, despite their similar records.
DeGale had the speed edge, the experience edge, the power edge and was simply a better fighter. He landed a number of solid combinations, and in the fourth round he rocked Gonzales with a left-right combination. As Gonzales was staggering back, DeGale jumped in and nailed him with another left hand and dropped him. Gonzales looked shaky but he beat the count and the fight continued. But when DeGale peppered him with a few more shots, referee Steve Gray intervened at 2 minutes, 38 seconds. Some have been critical of the stoppage as being a tad too quick, but it seemed perfectly legitimate. Gonzales had been down and hurt, was taking shots and not throwing back.
Jamie McDonnell KO10 Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat
Wins a vacant bantamweight title
Records: McDonnell (24-2-1, 11 KOs); Na Rachawat (52-3, 34 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In May 2013, McDonnell, 28, of England, outpointed Julio Ceja to win a vacant bantamweight belt, but he was stripped for not making a mandatory defense in time. So McDonnell won his next two fights and then got the opportunity to challenge Na Rachawat, 31, of Thailand, for a different organization's vacant title (even if it was merely a secondary belt).
Na Rachawat, fighting outside of Thailand for the first time, had never faced a quality opponent, and it showed against McDonnell, who took charge from the outset and won going away. He outboxed the aggressive Na Rachawat, outfought him, broke him down and eventually dropped him with a left hand to the jaw in the 10th round that caused referee Terry O'Connor to call off the fight at 2 minutes. McDonnell was up on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage 90-82, 90-81 and 87-84.
Kevin Mitchell TKO11 Ghislain Maduma
Lightweight
Title eliminator
Records: Mitchell (38-2, 28 KOs); Maduma (16-1, 10 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Mitchell, 29, of England, fought for a lightweight world title in 2012 and got knocked out by then-titleholder Ricky Burns in the fourth round. Mitchell rebounded to win four fights in a row and put himself into this title eliminator against Maduma, 28, who is a Congo native living in Montreal. The winner of the fight was supposed to become the mandatory challenger for Miguel Vazquez of Mexico.
However, although Mitchell made weight for the fight, the IBF rule is that a fighter cannot gain more than 10 pounds between the weigh-in and the weight check on the morning of the fight. Mitchell, however, put on 12 pounds; although he won the fight, he will not receive the mandatory position.
As for the fight, Mitchell did what he needed to do in comeback fashion. He was trailing 96-94 on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage, which came after he battered a tiring Maduma all over the ring during the 11th round before knocking him down twice, the final time on a left hook. Maduma beat the count, but was a bit wobbly and referee Phil Edwards halted the contest at 2 minutes, 56 seconds.
Anthony Joshua KO1 Matt Legg
Heavyweight
Records: Joshua (6-0, 6 KOs); Legg (7-3, 3 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The 24-year-old Joshua, the 2012 British Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist, is one of boxing's most significant prospects and getting in his pro reps, including this total wipeout of Legg, 38, also of England. Joshua needed a mere 83 seconds to dust Legg, crumpling him with a right uppercut to set the stage for what should be by far his most notable test of his young career. Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn said Joshua would likely return July 12 to face former world title challenger and former British, Commonwealth and European champion Matt Skelton (28-8, 23 KOs), 47, who is as battle-tested as they come but has lost his past two fights. The idea will be to see if Skelton can extend Joshua past the second round for the first time. This was Legg's second loss in three fights, including a third-round knockout loss in November to long-faded James Toney in a "Prizefighter" tournament quarterfinal.
Saturday at Macau
Nonito Donaire Tech. Dec. 5 Simpiwe Vetyeka
Wins a featherweight title
Scores: 49-46 (three times)
Records: Donaire (33-2, 21 KOs); Vetyeka (26-3, 16 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Donaire was the 2012 fighter of the year but had a rough 2013. First, he lost his junior featherweight title by decision to Guillermo Rigondeaux in a unification fight. Then, although he moved up to featherweight and knocked out Vic Darchinyan in the ninth round of their rematch, Donaire did not look good. He was trailing on the scorecards and suffered a facial fracture before his comeback.
Returning to the ring, Donaire31, the Philippines native who lives in Las Vegas, put the tough year behind him and defeated Vetyeka to win a world title in his fourth weight class (five, if you count interim belts). But it was a tough fight with an ending so unsatisfying that Donaire promised to give Vetyeka, 33, of South Africa, a rematch.
Donaire did not look sharp, which he admitted in his postfight comments. He was hampered by a terrible cut on his left eyelid that he suffered as a result of an accidental head-butt near the end of the first round. It was such a hard butt that Donaire went down to the mat. The cut was bad enough that referee Luis Pabon had the ringside doctor examine it multiple times during the course of the fight. There were more accidental head-butts in the second round.
Vetyeka, making the first defense of his belt following a sixth-round upset knockout of then-undefeated and long-reigning titleholder Chris John in December, appeared to have controlled the opening two rounds. But Donaire wobbled Vetyeka with a hard right hand in the third round that caused him to grab the top ring rope to steady himself.
In the fourth round, Donaire landed his money punch, a powerful left hook, midway through the round to score the only knockdown of the fight. Donaire's cut was getting worse and Pabon had it examined again in the round. Finally, a moment after the bell for the fifth round began, Pabon waved off the fight because of the cut and sent the fight to the scorecards for a technical decision, one in which the judges had to score the fifth round, all 10-10. Donaire was the rightful winner, but was not happy with his performance. Vetyeka was classy in defeat and did not complain. We could see a rematch but it is also entirely possible that Donaire will face secondary titleholder Nicholas Walters or titlist Evgeny Gradovich, both of whom retained their belts on the undercard.
Nicholas Walters KO5 Vic Darchinyan
Retains a featherweight title
Records: Walters (24-0, 20 KOs); Darchinyan (39-7-1, 28 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Walters, 28, of Jamaica, known as "The Axe Man," continued to show strong punching power as he racked up his 10th knockout in 11 fights, and what a sensational knockout it was against Darchinyan, the 38-year-old former flyweight and junior bantamweight titleholder, whose best days appear behind him.
Walters was making the second defense of his secondary title and put on a dominant performance against Darchinyan, a southpaw who suffered his second knockout loss in a row, six months after main event winner Nonito Donaire drilled him in the ninth round.
Walters may loom as future opponent for newly crowed titleholder Donaire after this victory in which he dropped Darchinyan with a right uppercut in the second round and outclassed him. Walters was bigger, stronger and faster. Darchinyan did not appear too hurt from the initial knockdown, but he was in the fifth round when Walters badly hurt him with a left hook and then floored him a couple of punches later with a right hand. Darchinyan continued to fight but was finished. He looked like he was out on his feet as Walters continued to fire punches, eventually catching Darchinyan with a huge left hook that dropped him hard. He hit his head on the bottom ring rope and referee Raul Caiz Jr. waved off the without a count at 2 minutes, 22 seconds.
Walters looked very good and he did get rid of Darchinyan in far easier fashion that Donaire did in November in a struggle before the knockout.
Evgeny Gradovich W12 Alexander Miskirtchian
Retains a featherweight title
Scores: 118-110, 117-110 (twice)
Records: Gradovich (19-0, 9 KOs); Miskirtchian (24-3-1, 9 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Gradovich, 27, of Russia -- known as "The Mexican Russian" because of his fighting style -- won a 126-pound world title in March 2013 and has made three successful defenses, all in Macau. His latest was a mandatory defense against Alexander Miskirtchian, 28, a native of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, who lives in Belgium.
It was a tough, hard fight but Gradovich was in control all the way other than for a few brief moments. A third-round accidental head-butt cut Miskirtchian on the bridge of the nose, but he also rocked Gradovich with a clean right hand. Gradovich, whose face also was bruised and marked up by the end of the bout, opened a cut over Miskirtchian's left eye with a punch in the fourth round.
Miskirtchian had his best moment in the sixth round when he knocked Gradovich down with a left jab because Gradovich was squared up and had no balance when he got hit. He was not hurt on the knockdown and resumed outboxing Miskirtchian afterward as he rolled to the decision win.
Chris Avalos TKO8 Yasutaka Ishimoto
Junior featherweight
Title eliminator
Records: Avalos (24-2, 18 KOs); Ishimoto (24-7, 7 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Avalos, 24, of Lancaster, California, looked very good in this important victory, one that secured him a mandatory shot at 122-pound titleholder Kiko Martinez of Spain, a fight that could wind up in November on Manny Pacquiao's next undercard. Avalos is an entertaining fighter and did solid work against Ishimoto, 32, of Japan.
Avalos scored a hard knockdown on a sweet right uppercut in the first round and Ishimoto was in big trouble in the final 90 seconds of the round. There was some good action in the fight, including fierce exchanges in the sixth round, when both guys landed heavy shots. But Avalos was the boss for most of the fight, and in the eighth round he dropped Ishimoto for the second time with an eight-punch combination to the head and body. Referee Malik Waleed got to six and a weary Ishimoto began to get up, but his corner entered the ring and Waleed stopped the fight 44 seconds into the round.
Esquiva Falcao W6 Eunchang Lee
Middleweight
Scores: 59-55, 59-54, 58-55
Records: Falcao (3-0, 1 KO); Lee (7-4, 3 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Brazil's Falcao, a 24-year-old southpaw, was a decorated amateur who won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics and turned pro in February. He was facing South Korea's Lee, 32, who had a three-inch height advantage but did not put it to good use in what was a sloppy fight filled with clinches. When they weren't clinching, Falcao did a solid job of putting his punches together and caught Lee with many right hands, which Lee often leaned into. Falcao also fired to the body regularly and by the second round, Lee's left flank was red from taking so many right hands.
In the fourth round, Lee pushed Falcao to a knee and then hit him with a right hand behind the head, drawing a hard warning from referee Danrex Tapdasan. Lee did the same thing again in the sixth round, this time eliciting a point deduction from Tapdasan. It made no difference as Falcao was the clear points winner. Falcao may have been a star amateur, but he looks like a project in the pros.
Saturday at Krefeld, Germany
Sam Soliman W12 Felix Sturm
Wins a middleweight title
Scores: 118-110 (twice), 117-111
Records: Soliman (44-11, 18 KOs); Sturm (39-4-2, 18 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: After a long, tough career, Soliman, 40, of Australia, finally claimed a world title in his third opportunity (after having been beaten by countryman Anthony Mundine twice in super middleweight title bouts). He first met Sturm, 35, of Germany, in a February 2013 title eliminator and beat him by unanimous decision in an upset. However, Soliman tested positive for a banned stimulant after the fight, the result was changed to a no contest and Soliman was suspended for nine months by German regulators.
Later in the year, Sturm stopped England's Darren Barker in the second round to win a middleweight belt for the fourth time and faced Soliman in a rematch that also served as his mandatory defense.
While the first fight's scores were razor-close, it was not the case in the rematch, which Soliman, always an awkward, pain-in-the-neck-type of fighter to face, dominated by outworking his younger opponent. While Soliman punched from various angles and moved all over the place, Sturm had a hard time catching him cleanly, although they did produce some exciting exchanges, particularly late in the fight. Whenever Soliman looked like he might be in any kind trouble he grabbed and held, for which referee Eddie Cotton warned him repeatedly, but never took a point.
Sturm came on late in the fight, hurting Soliman with a body shot in the 11th round, but Soliman was not going to be denied. Although Sturm was the heavier hitter, Soliman's movement and activity was the difference and even Sturm conceded after the bout that Soliman was the rightful winner. Now we just have to wait for the drug test results.
Saturday at Mexico City
Carlos Cuadras Tech. Dec. 8 Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Wins a junior bantamweight title
Scores: 78-73, 77-75, 77-74
Records: Cuadras (30-0, 24 KOs); Sor Rungvisai (27-4-1, 25 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Cuadras, 25, of Mexico, got off to a good start, one that ultimately was the difference in his 115-pound title-winning effort against Sor Rungvisai, 27, of Thailand.
Cuadras, in his first world title bout, set a quick pace early on and nicely mixed his boxing and aggressive punching against Sor Rungvisai, who was making his second defense and fighting outside of Thailand for the first time.
It was a pretty good fight, but the accidental head-butts did mar it. An accidental head clash cut Cuadras over the left eye in the fourth round, forcing referee Jay Nady to invoke the WBC's mystifying rule to deduct a point from the fighter who is not cut in the event of an accidental head-butt. Shortly after the eighth round began there was another accidental head-butt, and blood began pouring down Cuadras' face. Nady called timeout for the ringside doctor to look at the wound, and it was too bad for Cuadras to go on. Nady stopped the fight, the judges scored the partially completed eighth round and matters were sent to the scorecards for the technical decision, which Cuadras won, thanks in large part to his good start.
Saturday at Las Vegas
Javier Fortuna W10 Juan Antonio Rodriguez
Junior lightweight
Scores: 98-91 (three times)
Records: Fortuna (25-0-1, 18 KOs); Rodriguez (26-5, 23 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In 2012, Fortuna, a speedy, 25-year-old southpaw from the Dominican Republic who fights out of the same stable as middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, won an interim featherweight belt but was stripped before his first defense for failing to make weight. Since then, Fortuna has fought four times, at featherweight and junior lightweight, where he probably will continue to campaign.
Although he handily outpointed Rodriguez, 26, of Mexico, this was a tough, action-packed battle. Rodriguez gave him everything he could handle despite the lopsided scores. Fortuna knocked Rodriguez down in the third round but also sustained a nasty cut over his right eye. Rodriguez also dropped Fortuna with a straight right hand in the closing seconds of the third round, but referee Robert Byrd badly missed the call. By the ninth round, both of Fortuna's eyes were swelling -- the right one was totally closed -- and the cut looked terrible. Rodriguez was going for a knockout but Fortuna, despite the gruesome-looking face, held him off in the final couple of rounds, including in the 10th round when he was desperately going for broke and rocked Fortuna. When it was over, Fortuna's face looked like that of a loser, but he had done more than enough to win a decision.
Luis Rosa W10 Luis Orlando Del Valle
Junior featherweight
Scores: 98-91, 97-91, 97-92
Records: Rosa (17-0, 7 KOs); Del Valle (18-2, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: In an all-Puerto Rican fight, Rosa, 23, got the better of the 27-year-old Del Valle in an action-packed battle that heated up in the second round and stayed that way. Rosa, who switched between right-handed and left-handed, did damage with combinations to the head body. In the fifth round, Rosa opened a bad cut on the bridge of Del Valle's nose that bled for the rest of the fight. Also in the fifth, Del Valle landed a short left hook that dropped Rosa for the first time in his career.
Referee Kenny Bayless deducted a point from Rosa in the seventh round for hitting on the break. In the final three rounds, Rosa and Del Valle spent long stretches fighting toe-to-toe, with Rosa ultimately notching the most significant win of his career. Del Valle dropped to 2-2 with a no contest in his past five fights.
Sergio Mora TKO5 Samuel Rogers
Middleweight
Records: Mora (26-3-2, 9 KOs); Rogers (14-2, 8 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Former junior middleweight titlist Mora, 33, of East Los Angeles, is eyeing a middleweight title shot -- he wants Peter Quillin or Gennady Golovkin -- and won his third fight in a row. More important, Mora, who usually fights in a style very unfriendly to fans and television executives, scored his second knockout in a row after promising to become more entertaining if that is what it took to get a shot. He dominated Rogers, 31, of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mora dropped Rogers with a right hand in the first round, had him in trouble late in the third round and stood in the pocket and fought him rather than move backward and fight in a complete defensive shell, as he has so often done. In the fifth round, Mora knocked Rogers down again with a right hand and then forced referee Russell Mora to step in at 2 minutes, 55 seconds during the follow-up attack when Rogers was pinned on the ropes and not firing back.
Saturday at Odessa, Ukraine
Olexander Usyk KO4 Cesar David Crenz
Cruiserweight
Records: Usyk (4-0, 4 KOs); Crenz (21-9, 13 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: Usyk, 27, of Ukraine, won the 2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medal and is off to a great start as a professional and looks to be moving quickly. In just his fourth pro bout, Usyk was already in a scheduled eight-round fight as he faced the very experienced Crenz, of Argentina, who has faced several quality opponents, including cruiserweight titlist Yoan Pablo Hernandez in a 2010 12-round decision loss in a regional title bout.
Usyk, who spent time in heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko's recent training camp (Klitschko's K2 Promotions is also Usyk's promoter), dominated Crenz. Usyk showed a strong jab and put combinations together very well. In the third round, Usyk unloaded one of those combinations and dropped Crenz in the final 30 seconds, a left hook doing the biggest damage. In the fourth round, another left hand, this time to the pit of the stomach, dropped Crenz to all fours, where he was counted out with 29 seconds left in the round. Usyk's home crowd cheered wildly and he had another knockout in the books.
Friday at Moscow
Alexander Povetkin KO7 Manuel Charr
Heavyweight
Records: Povetkin (27-1, 19 KOs); Charr (26-2, 15 KOs)
Rafael's remarks: The previous time Povetkin, 34, the 2004 Russian Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist and former secondary world titleholder, was in the ring was in October, when he was embarrassed, getting knocked down four times and losing a shutout decision in front of his home crowd challenging dominant world champion Wladimir Klitschko.
In his return, Povetkin looked much better against Charr, 29, a native of Lebanon living in Germany. Povetkin let his hands go early. He was throwing combinations and landing to the body and head while Charr was much more wild with his punches, including one that he nailed Povetkin with after the bell ended the second round. Povetkin was a lot busier than Charr, who spent a lot of time covering up. Povetkin split his guard a few times with some nice uppercuts and then finished him in explosive fashion in the seventh round with a beautiful six-punch combination: right, left uppercut, right, a left hook that missed, a left hook that landed and a flush right hand. Charr went down hard and referee Massimo Barrovecchio waved it off at 1 minute, 9 seconds.
It was an impressive display from Povetkin, who despite the loss to Klitschko is one of the best heavyweights in the world. The loss ended Charr's five-fight winning streak since he last fought in Moscow in December 2012 and suffered his first defeat. That was when he challenged then-titleholder Vitali Klitschko (who is now retired and was recently elected mayor of Kiev, Ukraine) and was stopped on a terrible cut in the fourth round.
On the undercard, 2008 Russian Olympic gold medalist Rakhim Chakhkiev (19-1, 14 KOs), a 31-year-old southpaw, won a unanimous 12-round decision against fellow former world title challenger Santander Silgado (25-2, 20 KOs), 29, of a Colombia native based in New York, in a regional title bout.
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Did anyone go to the Sergio Martinez open work out/ autograph signing? In nyc modells I went and got an autograph on both gloves so happy he signed both.
Sergio has some serious punching power it sounded loud when he was hitting the mitts. I might go to the weigh in on friday. Cotto has an open work out tomorrow In NJ might head out there.
View media item 1004588
Sergio has some serious punching power it sounded loud when he was hitting the mitts. I might go to the weigh in on friday. Cotto has an open work out tomorrow In NJ might head out there.
View media item 1004588
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Dope [emoji]128293[/emoji] 
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- Jan 27, 2012
Richard Schaefer officially leaves Golden Boy Promotions
everysingletime
formerly amel223
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- Apr 4, 2006
What does this mean?!?
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- Jan 27, 2012
Not sure, still won't get Manny vs Floyd though
I'm not even sure which fighters on Showtime belong to GBP or Haymon Promotions.
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I wanna see Hopkins/Stevenson
Been waiting for this. Idc what anyone says I still enjoy a b hop fight.
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Damn I would've loved to go. Bro next time put us on beforehand.
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Sorry I forgot to post that here. Anyway tomorrow Miguel Cotto media workout at
Everlast Lab
358 Newark Street
Hoboken NJ 07030
@ 1:00 pm. I don't know if he's signing or taking pictures. I might go.
Everlast Lab
358 Newark Street
Hoboken NJ 07030
@ 1:00 pm. I don't know if he's signing or taking pictures. I might go.
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- Jan 27, 2012
Might take an early lunch then hop on the train over to Hoboken
Not sure, still won't get Manny vs Floyd though
I'm not even sure which fighters on Showtime belong to GBP or Haymon Promotions.
Damn, I thought they were going to wait until after Canelo/Lara. DLH might not keep any fighters. Right before his HOF induction too
Schaefer did almost ALL of the work building GBP after he teamed up with DLH and he has a VERY good relationship with Al/PBF.
IMO, this is extremely good for boxing as a whole. Schaefer has always wanted to re-open doors and work with Arum.
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How tf or when has Schaefer said he wanted to work with arum?
http://m.espn.go.com/extra/boxing/story?storyId=11022980
Read about DLH arum and Schaefer, it will still be 2 leagues DLH and arum vs al haymon Schafer and mayweather
http://m.espn.go.com/extra/boxing/story?storyId=11022980
Read about DLH arum and Schaefer, it will still be 2 leagues DLH and arum vs al haymon Schafer and mayweather
