June 18th, 2013 at 10:00 AM
By Sharon ScrimaWill all of the verbal warfare over the past several weeks between WBA welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi and WBC lightweight belt holder Adrien Broner actually translate into some semblance of a competitive prizefight or will it prove to have only been useful for promotional purposes? We will soon find out when the two men meet Saturday night at the Barclays Center for Malignaggi's title on Showtime at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT.
The always talkative and colorful Malignaggi (32-4, 7 KO's) has primarily focused his verbal assault on the quality of Broner's previous opponents.
"The guys he’s been fighting have nothing at all so just the fact that you bring something, anything to the table, already gives you more of a chance than anybody else he’s fought."
“There are a lot of things I can do against Adrien Broner,” Malignaggi later said on a heated conference call. “He’s fought such bums you can’t even really make a comparison as to what will or won’t work (against him by watching his fights). The guys he’s been fighting have nothing at all."
Read more... Join the Conversation... June 17th, 2013 at 10:44 PM
By Phil ClarkHe may have vacated his title on the scales, but Mikey Garcia (full name Miguel Angel Garcia) put on a quick hitting display that ended with a technical knockout win over Juan Manuel Lopez.
Garcia was supposed to defend his WBO featherweight title against Lopez, but weighed in two pounds over the 126-pound limit for the bout. Garcia opted to not even attempt to lose the weight and was stripped of his title. By rule, the title was still on the line for Lopez since he made the weight.
Despite losing his title before entering the ring, Garcia was dominant right from the beginning.
The left was Garcia's punch during this bout, whether working the jab with it or launching a hook. The left hook in particular worked very well for Garcia, landing it both short and lunging during the bout. The shots had impact immediately and caused some early swelling below Lopez's left eye.
Garcia scored his first knockdown of the bout in round two. Lopez, in a moment of irony, seemed too preoccupied with Garcia's left and left himself wide open for a straight right by Garcia after he had thrown a left.
Read more... Join the Conversation... June 17th, 2013 at 11:10 AM
By Sharon ScrimaThe documentary film "Tapia", featuring the life, struggles and triumphs of five-time world champion Johnny Tapia, made its world premiere on Saturday at the Los Angeles Film Festival to a sold out crowd of hundreds, headlining as one of the main showings.
Through the use of archive footage and Tapia’s last interviews, the film tells the story of his successful boxing career and a life nearly lost to depression and drug addiction.
The troubled fighter died on May 27, 2012 due to heart problems.
Saturday’s premiere was the first time a crowd had seen the documentary. While formal reviews have not yet been released, the feedback has been positive as reported by local news station KRQE in Albuquerque, New Mexico from where Tapia hailed. The film is eligible for both the Filmmaker and Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature, to be issued at the end of the festival which concludes on June 23.
Producers are hoping new financial backing from Curtis Jackson, also known as rapper 50 Cent, will help launch the documentary to a worldwide audience. Boxing promoter Lou DiBella is also executive producer of the project.
Read more... Join the Conversation... June 15th, 2013 at 10:00 AM
By Sharon ScrimaMikey Garcia defeated Orlando Salido this past January to capture the WBO featherweight championship, a title that Salido had won against Juan Manuel Lopez in April 2011 and successfully defended against him the following March. In a surprising turn of events, Garcia lost the belt on the scale yesterday when he weighed in two pounds over the 126 pound featherweight limit. Therefore, the vacant title is available only for "Juanma" to win when the two men face-off tonight at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on HBO at 10:45 pm ET/PT.
With a victory, Lopez can still go full circle.
One can not assume that Garcia (31-0, 26 KO's) will handily win this fight simply on the basis that he convincingly beat Salido, the man who beat Lopez twice. The poised and composed Garcia was masterful against Salido in his first world title bout, dictating the pace and controlling the fight from the opening round with an exceptional blend of fundamental boxing and precise power shots. Garcia knocked down Salido four times before the fight was stopped due to an accidental headbutt that broke the challenger's nose in Round 8, winning a wide unanimous decision on the scorecards to capture the belt.
Read more... Join the Conversation... June 14th, 2013 at 10:00 AM
By Sharon ScrimaMSG Network’s fifth annual 'Summer Block Party' lineup of programming that celebrates the season in New York with themed programming blocks each night of the week continues tonight with Madison Square Garden favorite John Duddy and 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time world champion Mark Breland hosting 'Friday Night Fights'. Classic bouts featuring some of the biggest names in boxing, including Lennox Lewis, “Sugar” Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe, will be aired throughout the summer.
Tonight's installment at 9:00 pm will be the November 13, 1992 battle between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Considered one of the greatest heavyweight fights of all-time and the first of three memorable battles, these two undefeated warriors went the full 12 rounds with the younger Bowe outlasting his opponent for the unanimous decision to win the undisputed world heavyweight championship.
This will be proceeded by three hours of boxing programming starting at 6:00 pm, including a look back on Madison Square Garden memories with Duddy and a feature on Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini. The complete schedule for the remainder of June can be found on the MSG website, with additional fights to be announced at a later date.
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