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BOXINGMADMAGAZINE.COM JULY 2014 issue 12

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TIME TO SHINE!

BUT IS BROOK READY FOR PORTER? WOODHOUSE INTERVIEW issue #12 JUNE 2014

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Creative Department Creative Director: Callum Harris Senior Designer: Callum Harris

Sales Department

Senior Manager: Callum Harris CONTACT: calharris09@hotmail.co.uk

Writers ANSON WAINWRIGHT Jack Sumner / EDITOR David Mathews

TM BOXING MAD MAGAZINE / BMM 2011

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maineve Date: JUNE, 12

BBBC ORDER TWO POTENTIAL BARN BUNRERS OUT TO BIDS The BBBC have ordered purse bids on two mouth watering match-ups to be submitted be resoective promoters by July 9th.

Former Team GB Captin Tom Stalker and Prizefighter champion Chris Jenkins have been placed into a eliminator for Curtis Woodhouse British light-welterweight strap.

Jazza Dickends has worked his way back into the British super bantamweight since his TKO RD10 loss in 2013 to Kid Galahad, to fight the current champion Gavin Mcdonnell.

Mcdonnell comes of a draw in his last fight agaist Josh Wale in Leeds.

Cruiserweight rivalry ready to explode on Friday night Stephen Simmons and Wadi Camacho renewed their rivalry and stole the show at today’s pre-fight press conference for Friday night’s bill at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow, live on Sky Sports.

Simmons defends his

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e n t NE W S WBC International Silver Cruiserweight title against Camacho, but with their bitter feud simmering for months now, it’s the personal bragging rights that both men are eager to seize come fight night.

Promoter Eddie Hearn allowed headline star Ricky Burns and Commonwealth and British Light Welterweight foes Willie Limond and Curtis Woodhouse to speak first at the packed press conference before turning to the grudge match.

As Hearn passed over to the challenger from London, Simmons picked up his chair and sat right opposite Camacho to look him in the eye before taking a microphone and telling Camacho how the fight was going to pan out.

There was plenty of tension but no pushing or shoving and once the atmosphere had cooled, Simmons said that Camacho was not in his league and will be found wanting in the cauldron atmosphere.

“It’s simple – he’s stepped up twice and been beaten twice, and I’ll make it three out of three on Friday,” said Camacho. “He says that I am going to smell the canvas – well I never have and he has, and he will again on Friday. Little loud mouth is going to get taught a major lesson and he’s going to be flat on his back.

“My emotions are in check, I am in a happy place, I got married a few weeks ago and that was amazing and the camp has been fantastic. I have been laughing every day because everything this guy says is nonsense. My trainer Danny Vaughn has got the perfect plan for me and I am solely focused on that, he’s going to have to handle me and the hostile crowd, and I don’t think he can.”

Camacho and Simmons lock horns on a huge night of boxing in Glasgow as Ricky Burns is gunning for a return to winning ways against the unbeaten Montenegrin Dejan Zlaticanin for the WBC International Lightweight title and as an official eliminator for the World title.

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snapshot!

june 1995 - the rankings

T

he top 5 of the division made for a very interesting read in June of 1995. The enigma that was Chris Eubank (42-1-2) took up the rear of the chase for the number 1 spot.

He had previously relinquished his WBO title to “The Celtic worrier� Steve Collins, in March at the Green Glens Arena, Millstreet, Ireland. Eubank then made his comeback in a one sided first round destruction of Jose Ignacio Barruetabena in a WBO title eliminator to once

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again face his Celtic foe.

Steve Collins remained ready for his rubber match title defence with Eubank, in third position ahead of WBA champ Frank Liles in fourth. Collins defended his title with a split decision win in Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork, Ireland in September of 1995.

The Dark Destroyer and WBC Super Middleweight champion Nigel Benn (40-2-1) was struggling through hard times in his second position in the ranking. It should have been an enjoyable time after his win in, February of 1995,

against Gerald McClellen but it could not have come in anymore of a tragic way.

McClellen suffered a life changing injury from what seemed to be a head clash early in the bout. Later taking a knee in the 10th he was counted out, only to get back to his feet and collapse into a corner. McClellen was rushed to have emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain. Benn would not fight again until his WBC title defence, 22nd of July 1995, against Vincenzo Nardiello winning by TKO in round 8.

BOXINGMADMAGAZINE.COM Super Middleweight division Weight limit 175 pounds 1. ROY JONES JR 28-0 (IBF CHAMPION) 2. NIGEL BENN 40-2-1 (WBC CHAMPION) 3. STEVE COLLINS 29-3 (WBO CHAMPION) 4. FRANK LILES 27-1 (WBA CHAMPION) 5. CHRIS EUBANK 42-1-2

The King of the division was Rory Jones Jr. In his reign as IBF Super Middleweight champion he had enjoyed huge wins in the form of Bernard Hopkins and James Toney. Jones Jr was a 12/1 favourite as he faced Vinny Pazienza in June of 1995. A one sided match that was only personified by the fact that Jones became the first fighter in CombuBox history to go an entire round without being hit by his opponent.

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S V D R O F W A R C A O W B E I M V A ipated seeing the crowning of E G a new champion – we all did PR – but the judges cocked it up Terence Crawford is widely regarded as the best lightweight boxer on the planet. The natural ability has always been there, but the opportunity to showcase his talent against a top class opponent was seemingly unforthcoming. Until, that is, the Omaha, Nebraska man stepped up to the plate to take on the power punching Breidis Prescott at the eleventh hour.

The bout was at 140lbs, and the Colombian perennial contender was heavily backed to demolish the late replacement with a minimum of fuss.

Crawford didn’t like the look of that script however, so wrote his own; his version of events seeing him comprehensively outbox Prescott over ten rounds to earn a comfortable unanimous decision. Two more routine victories in his natural

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weight division, over Alejandro Sanabria (KO6) and Andrey Klimov (UD10) respectively, were enough to earn Crawford (230, 16KO’s) the position of mandatory challenger for the WBO lightweight title.

The champion at the time was Ricky Burns, who had been fortunate to cling on to the belt following a hugely controversial draw with Raymundo Beltran. The Scotsman had been battered from pillar to post during that fight; he was knocked down, suffered a broken jaw and was always retreating from the action. Not a single member of the press in attendance scored the fight in Burns’ favour. They all antic-

and they got more headlines than the two gallant warriors.

On March 1st, the man known as ‘Rickster’ saw his luck well and truly run out.

Crawford made him look nothing more than a domestic level fighter. Burns was outboxed, outthought, outfought and outhustled by the stylish American, who claimed an alarmingly straightforward unanimous decision and the highly sought-after world championship belt.

After winning their maiden world title, boxers often take

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an easy first defense against an undeserving contender. Not Crawford though, that isn’t his style. He will make his first defense against the uber-talented Cuban Oympic Gold Medallist, Yuriorkis Gamboa.

The 32-year-old ‘El Ciclon de Guantanamo’ is undefeated in 23 professional outings and he is a former WBA and IBF World titlist at featherweight. He also boasts interim belts at super featherweight and lightweight. Excellent wins over Jonathan Victor Barros, Orlando Salido, Jorge Solis and Daniel Ponce De Leon are proof of the exquisite skill that Gamboa possesses.

Gamboa has however only boxed only twice since his 2011 technical decision win over the aforementioned Ponce De Leon, and both fights were rusty looking twelve round decisions, littered with reckless behavior.

The Cuban can ill afford to be reckless in this fight. He mustn’t charge in, because Crawford is a brilliant counter puncher and he has heavy hands, and Gamboa has been decked on numerous occasions.

The bout between Crawford and Gamboa will be a good old fashioned boxing match. It will be the silky movement and timing of unbeaten champion, squaring off against the blistering speed and aggression of Gamboa. Size could also play a big part in proceedings, as Crawford holds advantages in both height and reach. If Gamboa can fight to his full potential however, he’ll be more than Crawford has ever had to deal with before.

Tough to call.

STEVIE ADAMS JNR

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BOXINGMADMAGAZINE.COM On Bur the u n to t ns eag derca h e tak ring erly-a rd of R e s bou on , Cur waite ick y bel t whe Willie tis Wo d retu Wo def ts on t re bo Limon odho rn figh odhou ter wends h he lin th figh d in a use ora t on t se co def eigh is Bri e. Wo ters p Dar ble pe he ba mes in cro ends ht title tish lig odhou ut fina ren H r form ck of a to th figh wn res is Co and Li ht we se m m l p t e true lly ma amilto ance mem is goo rs c ecti mon ond v o w d e m l e in a and de hi n, wh agains the form e i y. B alth s n o and to th th rua thrilli won t drea ere he t ing fight h r n m i t y s i ver . Wo g fig e Bri m com 27t o ste ost t loo figh h. P al t fan k t s vow dict o odho ht bac tish tit e to in s opu he n lar showare ex be but ed ne a sp use to k in F le p Dr i e v f fie on Ju cttha has s er to lit dec ok the ebld m n e hav t man ince m fight ision a an reti e mad y fight ade t again nd aga remen e and ers be he U-t inst t to ur fo c Lim tak ome o re him n ond e th u is fi t of . ght

Cu rt is Wo vW od ill h i e o pr us Lim ev e on iew d On w it w 140 asn’t as eas that c y n o he see mfort to see ight In t ms abl h e a that C ad Lim e op t i f f e p ren the w urtis wh ond – osite t an eig o ima ht, a yea has b a pro corne nd l. p r r , e s e t at spo – ha en a r bo he v for rt’s gr s bee profe xing m ery ex c n s e and e at d ats. . in th siona an fro perien e l o T m c l h m ma ight est e 36 ring for ov Gla ed nag w i s w c e g y elte i r fif lev ow Eur e ear- th s r t o ed of h pean to ma weigh l in bo old h ome o een a t k f Sco is fou title. L e the divisi th the s bee the n o imo tlan rtyl s i ns, a ght on figh n tep d b ts o altho e pro d has up af ut ha weigh te s f t u uts a ide gh he ession lso fo r win neve r ni of h u a h is n as ha l fight ght m ng a ost ativ d tw s (3 7 ec oun o hig -4) in h try. pro file

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. He lost to Amir Khan in London, which proved to be an enthralling fight as Limond put Khan down after six rounds, only for Khan to return the favour just a round later and at the end of round eight, force Limond’s corner to pull their fighter out after excessive swelling and many cuts. It was later discovered that Limond broke his jaw in the fight.

Limond got another big chance three years later when he went to Mexico in a daunting task to take on the legendary Erik Morales, but again came up short as Morales put Limond down three times with body shots, with the third one decking him for good. Against the resurgent and high-profile Woodhouse however, and with two prestigious titles on the line, the stakes couldn’t be much higher as the ageing warrior looks to claim what would arguably be a career-best win.

What’s sure to be a great clash could easily take the shine of Ricky Burns’s return to the ring and I’m going to stick my neck out and predict a Curtis Woodhouse victory by decision, although equally it would not surprise me if the result goes the other way. This will be a real tear up and not a fight fans should get too bogged down in scoring. Just sit back and enjoy.

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IS KELL BROOK READY FOR

PORTER

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Unbeaten British welter-

this week that negotiations

“take place within the next

weight prodigy Kell Brook

for the fight had collapsed,

couple of months.” There

will finally fight for a world

with reports circulating that

seems to be a number of is-

title this summer, after Gold-

Porter was yet to sign the

sues to iron-out, such as the

en Boy Promotions received

contract.

use of random drug-testing,

the signature of the IBF’s

Golden Boy’s Vice President

and there’s still no date con-

mandatory challenger to

and matchmaker Eric Go-

firmed at the time of writing,

fight champion Shawn Por-

mez moved quick to release

but noise from both camps

ter at the Barclays Center in

a statement claiming that

suggest that confirmation

Brooklyn, New York. Origi-

Brook-Porter would definite-

will arrive imminently.

nally scheduled for August

ly go ahead however, assur-

9th, speculation arose earlier

ing fans that the fight would

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It’s not unchartered territory for Brook, who after a protracted rise to the higher-echelons of the sport seems to have waited an awful long time to finally nail down a world title opportunity.

The 28-year-old’s attempt at realising a lifelong dream will come effectively two years after he initially earned his mandatory position, with a three-round blowout of Hector David Saldivia way back in October 2012.

That win gave Brook a shot at then titleholder Devon Alexander, with whom a meeting was scheduled for the 19th of January last year, but in training for the fight Brook sustained an ankle injury and the transatlantic battle of stylists was pushed back until February 23rd. Further injuries to Alexander and Brook respectively then ultimately led to the cancellation of the fight, with Alexander instead routinely defending his title against Lee Purdy and Brook’s future, at that time, left uncertain.

But the Sheffield star bounced back and having eventually gotten over the disappointment of missing his world title chance, returned to the ring to stop Carson Jones in a rematch, before signing off 2013 with a four-round mauling of former titleholder Vyacheslav Senchenko. Those victories retained his standing as the IBF’s number one contender and following an eighth-round stoppage of Alvaro Robles in a tune-up on March 15th, Kell was back in line to face the champ.

This time however the IBF had a different ruler. Whilst Brook was rebuilding, Alexander scheduled another title defence for December of last year. Enter Porter, who upset the odds and wrested the crown from the St Louis native in surprisingly dominant fashion, with a bullish display of aggression and variety en-route to a unanimous decision verdict.

With the mandatory against Brook looming, Porter then scheduled a voluntary defence in the meantime, agreeing to take on popular former two-weight titleholder Paulie Malignaggi in April.

In one sense an eliminator to fight Brook with the IBF ruling that Porter or Malignaggi do so within ninety days of their bout, British fans perhaps hoped that Porter had bitten off more than he could chew, preferring the 33-year-old ‘Magic Man’ as an opponent for Sheffield’s unbeaten hope.

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BOXING MAD MAGAZINE Familiar with them since he fought Ricky Hatton, the Brooklyn native possessed a sizeable fanbase in the UK and aroused hope that should he emerge victorious, a fight with Brook on British shores would be a realistic possibility. There were many who thought stylistically he could pose serious problems for Porter, who in hindsight may have been flattered by his win over a potentially below par Alexander.

But five years have passed since then and it’s almost four years since Brook bested Michael Jennings in a WBO eliminator, which should have begun his assault on the world stage. Now looking back, the cut-induced stoppage of Jennings was something of a false dawn, with what seemed like a never-ending conveyor belt of preliminary bouts standing between Brook and his long mooted world title challenge.

But if the victory over Alexander had been Porter’s coming out party, then his fight with Malignaggi was an unadulterated confirmation of his surest assets. Spiteful and venomous from the get-go, the 26-year-old from Ohio demolished his much more experienced foe in just four rounds, administering a brutal beating along the way. Admittedly never one of the sport’s true elite, Malignaggi had been a world-level campaigner for a number of years and fought a long list of the top names in and around his division. Nobody before had been able to bully him the way that Porter did.

It’s been the source of much derision, which is unfortunate for Brook, but understandable particularly in this fickle age where social media rules. Fans have become frustrated with his development and tired of the countless times when it was deemed Brook’s crowning was just around the corner. In his first bout with Carson Jones he was on the ‘Edge of Glory’, against Hector Saldivia we were told ‘This Is It’, but, until now, a world title shot has not materialised. Much has been of the fact that since Kell first became a mandatory, newly-crowned IBF bantamweight titleholder Paul Butler has turned professional and gone on to win a world crown.

Able to boil down to welterweight from a middleweight’s frame and vastly improved from the talented if unspectacular prospect he had once been, following his ferocious first title defence, Porter has suddenly been portrayed as a 147lb Mike Tyson. Brook has waited a long time for his opportunity and now it will finally come his way, but after Porter’s destruction of Malignaggi, few are envious of the task he has at hand.

A professional for eight years, many moons have passed since Brook (32-0, 22 KO’s) was first earmarked as a potential superstar.

Hailing from the same Wincobank gym that produced the likes of Johnny Nelson, Herol ‘Bomber’ Graham and a fighter that a young Brook idolised in ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed, the brash and exciting youngster set tongues wagging when he claimed a Lonsdale belt outright less than thirteen rounds after winning the British title.

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Of course, Brook cannot be blamed for the collapse of the Alexander fight through injury, but there are those who suspect that the ankle ailments were nothing more than convenient get-out-of-jail-free cards for a fighter who felt he was not ready to mix with the best. The delayed announcement of the Porter clash has been met with jeers and eye-rolling by the anti-Kell Brook society on Twitter, who’ve made Matchroom supremo Eddie Hearn all too aware of how they feel.

One man who could perhaps chair that club is Brook’s longstanding rival Amir Khan, a fighter with his own fair share of detractors but a successful world-level operator for a number of years. In Khan’s mind, Brook doubts his ability after some of the scares he has encountered along the way and isn’t, nor ever will be ready to win a world title.

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“Brook-Porter is not going to happen because Kell doesn’t think he can win it,” Khan told BBC Sport in May, “I don’t think Kell has got the bottle to take a big fight like that - he’s always been all talk when it comes to the big fights.” There’s clearly no love lost between Brook and Khan, who offers a jaundiced view of his compatriot, but you have to credit that the former light-welterweight king has plenty of material with which to base his damning verdict.

If Khan and his anti-Brook army are correct, perhaps the doubt began with Kell’s first meeting with Jones back in July 2012, where he put was through the grinder and had to dig deep to survive a gruelling twelveround war of attrition.

Brook dominated the fight’s early rounds, compiling a healthy lead on the scorecards by the sixth and looking a class above the journeyman-turned-fringe-contender. But from there, it all turned rather sour.

It’s long been suspected

that Brook has stamina issues and simply may not be a twelve round fighter, evidence of which began in round seven of what was truly a fight of two halves. If Brook had dominated the first six rounds, Jones was on top for the majority of the last six, breaking Brook’s nose in the eighth and down the stretch looked on the brink of claiming a stoppage in his opponent’s backyard.

Kell hung on in a reassuring display of heart if nothing else and at the fight’s conclusion was adjudged to be a majority decision winner, with close scorecards across the board. In the aftermath, Brook and his camp blamed poor preparation for what they saw as a lacklustre performance and a result that was far too close for comfort.

Brook handled Jones easily in their rematch last year en-route to an eighth-round stoppage and ever since the scare on that summer’s night, his diet and conditioning has reportedly come under greater focus. Hopefully it was just that, a blip, a wake-up call and a lesson learned, but the worrying fact remains that a fighter of Jones’s calibre was able to cause Brook so many issues.

A skilful, dynamite puncher with terrific speed and reflexes, Brook does however leave gaps defensively and isn’t the most active of fighters in terms of his low punch-output. Though he may have run out of gas, Brook allowed an active pressure fighter like Jones to outwork him for long periods in the fight. Shawn Porter is leagues above Jones as a pressure fighter, not to mention as a fighter altogether and can match Brook in areas that Jones didn’t. issue #12 JUNE 2014

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BOXING MAD MAGAZINE On the evidence we have to go on, Porter will be the aggressor come fight night, something that is routinely rewarded by judges particularly on American shores.

Trained by his father Kenny, Porter is an undoubtedly well-conditioned athlete and again on what we’ve seen, would appear to trump Brook in both fitness and strength. He’s got fast hands, is vey mobile, versatile and can probably match Brook for speed. Although a quick glance at his record would not indicate a puncher, he demonstrated against Malignaggi that he has the power to take out a world-class fighter who’s always displayed reliable punch-resistance.

Also, whilst both wins were impressive, the man who failed to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Olympics team faced light-punching foes in both of his biggest fights. Alexander and Malignaggi between them don’t have as many knockouts as Brook, who took out Saldivia with a jab and clearly possesses world-level power. At his slick, sharp best, that power might be enough to dissuade Porter from bulldozing in and even if it doesn’t, Brook’s powerful counter shots are a priceless commodity against such an aggressive foe.

As with any unbeaten and largely untested fighter a question-mark remains. We simply don’t how Brook will fare at the highest-levAnother concern is Brook’s overall level of el. What we do know however, is that at opposition up to this point. He’s beaten twenty-eight and after a particularly long all who’ve been put in front of him and and winding road to the top, if Kell Brook compiled some impressive looking num- isn’t ready for Porter now, he never will be. bers, but his biggest scalps are Jones and Senchenko. Porter’s victories over Alexan- JACK SUMNER der and Malignaggi ensure he’s been in with the better adversaries and not only that, but he beat them both convincingly.

Porter (24-0-1, 15 KO’s) will enter the ring as the favourite and rightly so. Particularly on American soil, the world title Brook has long been waiting for won’t come easy. But to flip the scrutiny, it’s worth noting that whilst the American represents a difficult task for one of Britain’s brightest hopes, there’s also plenty that can offer reassurance in the coming weeks.

Brook has had his struggles, but it’s not too long ago that Porter received the only blemish of his professional career, fighting to a draw with Julio Diaz only eighteen months ago. Forgotten in the wake of his more recent form and rematch victory over Diaz, it’s clear however that Porter isn’t the invincible beast that many are inevitably portraying him as since his win over Malignaggi.

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BOXING MAD MAGAZINE DAVID MATTHEWS

curtis woodhouse My Power will shock Limond Hi Curtis and thanks for talking to BMM. I’d like to pick up where we left off, you had just won the British Title and fulfilled your promise to your Dad. Retiring as the British Champion was the plan, what happened to make you change your mind?

The thought of never Boxing again if I’m honest. Immediately after winning the British Title I was euphoric and thought I don’t want to give this up now, and that’s why I took so long to make an announcement. Was I just still buzzing of that night and would that feeling eventually go away?

My initial plan was to retire as British Champion and live happily ever after, but as time went on I knew in my heart that I could not live with myself if I didn’t continue. You are a long time retired and I’m still healthy, I didn’t put a pair of boxing gloves on until I was 26 and had no Amateur fights - I’m still fresh with plenty to give and that’s why I decided to continue.

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So you team back up with Dave & Ryan to prepare for Willie Limond. Was Limond always the target or where there others?

The main reason I targeted Limond was he had the Commonwealth belt. In my eyes the British Champion and the Commonwealth Champion are the best domestically. The opportunity to have them both was too good to turn down.

I spoke to Dave Coldwell and Eddie Hearn to see if the fight could be made and it was done pretty quickly.

I expected it to be in Hull if I’m honest with September looking the likely date.

When I was asked if I’d consider Glasgow I jumped at it, I know the crowd has a reputation of a hostile welcome, but I play a good Pantomime Villain so it should be fun. I’m going there to fight so hopefully the Scottish fans will get value for money, and who knows even become fans of mine.

How has training camp gone, you look ripped and huge at the weight but how are energy levels?

I have to admit I felt really weak getting down to 9st 9lb and that took a long time to recover from, I had depleted my body to such an extent. But let me say this, I was in good condition for the Hamilton fight - but I’m in terrific condition for this, I feel big and strong at the weight and will have no excuses come fight night. Willie

BOXINGMADMAGAZINE.COM Limond hasn’t faced a fully blown Light Welterweight and I think my power and strength could be a real shock to him come fight night.

What do you know about Limond?

Do you have a strategy or is it just to outwork him until he folds?

I’ve watched him five or six times, Morales, Crolla, Prince and a few others, but I’m more concerned about what I’m bringing. I feel if I turn up and perform on the night then not only do I win, but I win in style. Everyone knows what I’m bringing and I will be looking to take Willie into the trenches with me and break his heart. The sooner I can get him fighting the better it is for me. It may take a couple of rounds to track him down but eventually he will have to stand and fight and that’s when I’ll impose my will on him.

What is different about Curtis Woodhouse since winning the British Title?

Winning the belt has took the pressure off me, people always focused on my losses and it used to get to me.

Every loss I endured was a learning curve, I didn’t have all the tools for the job because of my late introduction to the sport - I learnt along the way and sometimes that means you lose. Now I’m British Champion it validates me as a fighter and I like that, it’s all I ever wanted when coming across from football at 26 - to be accepted as a Boxer.

The lifting of that pressure means I’m more relaxed and a direct result of that is my shots have been landing cleaner, I feel people might

see the best Curtis Woodhouse to date in Glasgow.

Twitter has been a lot less futile ahead of this bout unlike the Hamilton fight, you seem to be downplaying this one rather than fuelling it. Is this a conscious decision and why?

No not at all, Limond hasn’t got a twitter account - so there’s no one to have a banter and a wind up with.

It’s been a bit of a nightmare having no one to pick on but maybe the next fight we can have the twitter pages buzzing again.

If You win the Commonwealth is retirement then an option or will you push on again for European?

No retirement isn’t on the horizon!

I’m a person that’s never satisfied so I’m sure I’ll want something else, and something else after that. It’s difficult really because that mentality means I rarely get to enjoy anything, once it’s done I’m focused on my next challenge. At the time I only focus on what’s next so until this fight is over I have no plans in mind as yet, with regards the European title of course that’s the natural next step, but let’s see what happens.

We all love big rivalries and Wadi v Simmo is the same night, your thoughts?

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BOXINGMADMAGAZINE.COM How’s the sparring gone?

Sparring has been great with some tough opposition and lots of different styles strength, speed, movement and awkwardness have all been covered and I’m prepared for whatever Limond brings.

Life after boxing. What are your realistic plans for your next life - Football, Boxing or Media maybe?

Football Management is something I want to explore more, I’m currently the Manager of Goole Fc and I’m loving that, so yeah once boxing is over that’s an option that interests me.

I’m also currently doing the commentary on the Coldwell App which I enjoy, but no one as ever approached me with any concrete media offers - if they did I would definitely love to give it a try. I think I’m quite sport knowledgable with my football and boxing background and if it ever did become a reality, I’m sure I’d give it a good go.

Tell me something about your lowest point in Boxing.

My lowest point in boxing was losing my English title to Shayne Singleton, I was devastated and had to face the fact at the time I was never going to be good enough to get to where I wanted to be. I seriously considered packing it all in and walking away.

To be honest I was saying I would be British Champion and at times I didn’t believe it myself, I was getting my arse handed to me in sparring sessions by kids when I started out, but it’s a lesson in perseverance for anyone - keep digging in and you will be suprised at what you can achieve.

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e e r h t in

ld r o aw s e m ts o u c o e b b e o e k r h en t h n c i n an o i m p o l m cha On Saturday 21st June history was made in the sport of boxing, or at least equaled, as Ukraninan amateur legend Vasyl Lomachenko (26) picked up the vacant WBO featherweight title, defeating the unbeaten Gary Russell Jr, (also 26), in just his third professional contest.

Lomachenko was the slight favourite going into the fight and rightly

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so; despite only having two professional fights, compared to Russell’s twenty-four, going into the fight, Lomachenko was arguably vastly more experienced as a pro. In those two fights he had made his debut on a big stage, got a knockout, challenged for a world title against a very good veteran fighter in Orlando Salido, been roughoused

and fouled, lost a close decision and gone the 12 rounds, whereas Russell hadn’t even had a scheduled 12 rounder.

As early as the first few rounds the difference in class was apparent and Lomachenko’s ability to integrate his offence & defence into one fluent movement, somewhat reminiscent of a Roberto Duran or perhaps a Mike

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Tyson, was on display.

Russell’s amateur style played right into the hands of the double Olympic Gold Medalist as, even though Russell has some of the fastest hands in the sport, he was able to block, slip and parry almost all of the American’s punches.

Although he was outboxed early on, Russell Jr never looked uncomfortable until the fifth round, where Lomachenko landed a big left hand and followed it up by ripping in some huge body shots, which put Russell into a defensive shell. The fight seemed like it was swinging heavily in Lomachenko’s favour, but Russell seemed to bounce back in round six and push Lomachenko onto the back foot as he landed some good body-shots of his own. However, this success was short-lived as Lomachenko regained control again, dominating round 7.

Russell had some more success in the ninth, but yet again he couldn’t sustain it as the man from Ukraine came back and

dominated the final three rounds. If you’re a believer in punch stats then they certainly illustrate Lomachenko’s defensive wizardry, as well as his effective offense, as Russell only landed 83 of his 806 punches, whereas Lomachenko landed 100 more despite throwing over 200 less. Russell only outlanded Lomachenko in one round and that was negligible due to how many punches he threw compared to Lomachenko; Lomachenko was far more effective.

Outrageously, the official result of the fight was a majority decision, in Lomachenko’s favour of course, as Lisa Giampa inexplicably scored the fight a 114-114 draw. The other two judges (Max Deluca & Pat Russell) thankfully, both delivered more acceptable scorecards of 116-112 to Lomachenko.

Even though he was outboxed and beaten by the better man, Russell can take away some positives from the fight. He can be confident in his chin, heart & durability after some of the shots he took, he

has completed the 12 round distance, at a high pace, against a top quality opponent. The areas he needs to improve have now been clearly highlighted in defeat and they can now go to work on fixing those mistakes.

As for Lomachenko, he has shown he has the ability to bounce back from a defeat and lived up to his nickname of “Hi-Tech”, showing high technical ability in almost every area of the sport. He has also achieved his dream of being in the history books equaling the record of Saensak Muangsurin, becoming the joint fastest fighter to win a world title.

Despite the controversy of Lomachenko getting his back to back title shots, I, for one, find it refreshing that there is a fighter who dares to be great and is actively seeking to fight the best, an ideal that not many fighters choose to follow for their careers, so I wish him success!

ADAM CANAVAN

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Martin Murray stayed on track for a t MONTE CARLO! From the opulent surrounding of Casino de Mon-

“He was very tough, a good twelve round

te Carlo Salle Medecin, Monte Carlo, in the small

ray said “He’s a good experienced fighter

principality of Monaco Martin Murray stayed on

think we lost a round, it was about puttin

track for a third world title fight when he won a

a boxing display. It was a big improvemen

twelve round decision over Max Bursak.

South Africa.

Murray (28-1-1, 12 knockouts) won a wide decision by scores of 119-109 twice 117-112.

“Cotto is keeping it (WBC) warm for the ti ing.”

The win gave the Englishman his third win since his lone loss to Sergio Martinez in Argentina last

Promoter Rodney Berman said “I can’t pro

April claiming the vacant WBC silver middleweight

but I’ll move heaven and earth for his (ne

title in the process.

October 24 to be a world title fight in Mo

The 31-year old was able to outbox his Ukrainian

WBA strawweight champion Hekkie Budle

adversary for large stretches of the bout that failed

successful first defense of his title stoppin

to catch fire in a fight that at times was scrappy.

Kokietgym at 1.06 of the eighth round.

Bursak a former European 160-pound champion

Budler who advanced to 26-1(8) with the

lost for the second consecutive time dropping to

dropped his Thai opponent in the fourth

29-3-1(12).

in the seventh from a bodyshot before to

down twice in the eighth round forcing th Afterward former two time world champion Brian

page.

Mitchell spoke to Martin Murray.

“Was a tough competitive fight but my co

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third world title fight IN !

ds,” Mur-

advice was spot on when he started asking me to

r. I didn’t

go downstairs,” said Budler “I also felt my jab was a

ng in on

good weapon tonight.”

nt from In an interesting meeting of two once-beaten cruiserweight’s Youri Kalenga won a closely con-

ime be-

tested bout against former European champion Mateusz Masternak to claim a over twelve round split decision by scores of 116-112 and 115-113

omise it

ext fight)

which the dissenting judge voted 115-113 for Masternak.

onaco.”

In light heavyweight action Doudou Ngumbu won

er made a

a ten round unanimous decision over fellow fringe

ng Pigmy

contender Johnny Muller. The French based Congan born fighter was award the win 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94.

e win and again

ouching

The win takes Ngumbu to 33-5(12) while the South African dips to 16-4-2(12).

he stop-

oaches

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at elraincoat@live.co.uk and you can follow him at www.twitter.com/AnsonWainwright

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BOXING MAD MAGAZINE JACK SUMNER

Lion-tamer Andrade dismantles Rose

The Lion did not roar in New York on June 14th, as a dominant Demetrius Andrade turned back the challenge of a brave Brian Rose at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The unbeaten Andrade - making the first defence of his WBO light middleweight strap - was simply too good for Blackpool’s plucky challenger, hurting Rose consistently and dropping him twice en route to a

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seventh-round stoppage.

Andrade (21-0, 14 KO’s) came into the bout off the back of his title-winning effort against Vanes Martirosyan last November, in which he got up off the canvas to edge a split-decision verdict over the previously unbeaten Armenian. In the eyes of most observers it was a deserved triumph though and combined with the Rhode Island native’s stellar amateur pedigree, few gave ‘Boo-Boo’’s visiting mandatory challenger much of a hope.

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Rose (25-2-1, 7 KO’s) - aptly nicknamed ‘The Lion’ - had earned his position as Andrade’s number one contender however and had notched eleven consecutive victories before crossing the pond.

That had culminated with a split-decision win of his own, to win a final eliminator with Javier Maciel in October, a real gut-check that had illustrated the 29-year-old’s heart and fortitude.

Those characteristics were never going into be in doubt despite the odds being firmly stacked in Andrade’s favour, but the biggest concern for Rose at world-level was always going to be his apparent lack of power. With a paltry knockout ratio compiled largely against domestic opposition, if Rose was going to be victorious he was likely going to have shock the former World Amateur Champion on the cards.

That would mean throwing the 26-year-old slickster off his own game, outworking the champion and imposing his will on Andrade from the opening bell. Unfortunately for Rose, it was not long after the opening bell when the challenger was made fully aware of Andrade’s class.

A rapid straight left hand sent

Rose crashing to the deck and a look of shock and realisation broke across his face as the magnitude of the task at hand dawned on him. He wasn’t badly hurt, but for the remainder of the round Andrade landed left hands almost at will from his southpaw stance, with Rose’s lack of head movement not aiding his cause.

The following round he stepped back on the gas and with the fight becoming increasingly one-sided in the seventh and with Rose not possessing the power to keep Andrade off, referee Michael Griffin jumped in just as Bobby Rimmer stepped on the apron to wave the towel in Rose’s corner.

Aiming to impress in front of his home fans and not just secure victory, Andrade peppered Rose with combinations in the second and the onslaught carried over into the third, where he dropped Rose again, this time with a peach of a check right hook. A nasty looking cut had opened up across the bridge of the challenger’s nose and it seemed only a matter of time before the inevitable finish.

“He was better than I thought,” said Rose, “He may be one of the best out there. I just couldn’t keep up with him and I couldn’t keep him off me.”

The pace of the fight dipped however as Andrade eased off after his explosive start, though he continued to dominate the action. Rose was surviving and enjoyed a better fifth, though Andrade perhaps just took a round off.

There’s no shame in losing to a fighter like Andrade however and the American may not be too far away from clashes with his division’s true elite, the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Erislandy Lara and Floyd Mayweather.

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n hall of fame weekend, the likes of Wilfredo Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez and Felix Trinidad, who are all inductees and three weight orld champions and legends, were eclipsed, with Cotto managing to go one better than all of them.

MAD MAGAZINE hisBOXING post-fight interview he told Max Kellerman that it was the “Happiest day of my life, this is the biggest achievement of my profesonal career.”

There was a huge upset at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 14th, as Chris Algieri, from Huntington, New York, dethroned Ruslan Provodnikov to become the new WBO light welterweight champion. Algieri won via split decision after twelve grueling rounds, having survived a nightmare start to hang on and lift the title in front of his home fans.

Algieri had an undefeated record of 19-0 (8 KO’s) going into the fight, but despite that he was a 9/2 underdog and in the first round it appeared that the bookies had got it right again. Provodnikov quickly cut off the ring and started throwing threatening body shots and then, around a minute and fourty seconds into the round, the relentless Russian landed a huge left hook which put the American down. Algieri rose to his feet immediately, but the punch had caused the challenger’s right eye to swell up dramatically and he looked in bad shape. Provodnikov jumped straight back on him forcing Algieri to take a knee for the second knockdown of the round.

When the second round began it seemed like the writing was on the wall and it was going to be one sided as many people predicted beforehand, but Algieri clearly didn’t have the same idea as he recovered well and moved around the ring, avoiding many of Provodnikov’s attacks and landing fast, sharp shots of his own.

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ADAM CANAVAN

Algieri shocks Provodnikov in New York . This however did nothing to deter the Russian as he continued to march forward and cut off the ring, although it did appear that he was now looking for one big shot to produce a highlight reel finish to the fight.

This pattern continued in the other early rounds as Provodnikov was on the front foot throughout, cutting off the ring and attempting to trap Algieri on the ropes,

but Algieri started to do a good job of smothering and turning Provodnikov to escape that.

Algieri appeared to take Provodnikov’s power much better than expected, especially considering he was struggling to see the left hooks coming due to the swelling of his eye.

There was a sense that the tide had turned back in Provodnikov’s favour after the sixth round, a round in

which Provodnikov got the better of the action and Algieri seemed to tire considerably and take lots of hard shots.

But yet again Algieri bounced back into action for the next round as it continued to be closely contested, right up until the final round where Algieri got onto his bike, which he says was because of a lack of vision due to the damage on his right eye.

At the end of the

bout, it went to the scorecards and Algieri was awarded a split decision victory with scores of 109-117 and 114112 (twice), improving his record to 20-0 (8 KO’s). More importantly, he has now added his name to the exciting title level mix in the light welterweight division, alongside the likes of Lucas Matthysse, Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia. issue #12 JUNE 2014

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