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GABRIEL ROSADO AND TRAINER BILLY BRISCOE WATCHING CANELO FIGHT CLOSELY

PHOENIX, AZ - Rising Philadelphia junior middleweight contender Gabriel Rosado and his trainer Billy Briscoe will be intently watching WBC 154-pound champ Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defend his title against Josesito Lopez from their Phoenix, AZ training camp on Saturday night. Of course they are generally interested in the two big Vegas cards happening this weekend, but Rosado & Briscoe have a vested interest in the Canelo bout.

Next week at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, on the NBC Sports Network ‘Fight Night’ broadcast, Rosado, 20-5, 12 KOs, fights an IBF title elimination fight against Charles Whittaker, 38-12-2, 23 KOs, for the #1 spot in the IBF junior middleweight rankings. Although Team Rosado has its sights firmly set on Whittaker, they can’t help but keep an eye on Canelo, knowing that one day their paths may cross.

“We’ll be watching the Canelo fight,” said Briscoe. “He’s a perceived superstar in this game, but I think we can stop Canelo. You beat a perceived superstar, and suddenly you’re a superstar. The way I look at it is that we’ll just keep beating whoever they put in front of us and eventually we’ll have to fight him.”

Canelo faces Lopez after a round-robin of other foes fell out of the high-profile bout, and although Lopez beat Victor Ortiz to earn his shot at the title, many feel that his size disadvantage may make the fight a mismatch.

“I think Canelo is just going to be too big for him,” Briscoe said. “Josesito is a real 140-pounder. He moved up to 147 for the Victor Ortiz fight, and he won. He found a way to win. But I think that Canelo, a true junior middleweight, is just too big. Later on in the fight, the size and the pressure of the bigger man will break him (Lopez) down. Yeah, break him down in the later rounds, maybe the 10th or the 11th round. ”

But Rosado would not have such a size disadvantage if he ever got the chance to face Alvarez.

“No! Gaby is too big for Canelo,” Briscoe said.

Rosado, a big junior middleweight, is three inches taller than Alvarez, and has 7 inches more reach than the budding superstar. And given that star status, there is probably no one that Rosado would like to fight more. However, he does have other options.

“Canelo really doesn’t make Gaby or he doesn’t break Gaby,” Briscoe said. “At the end of the day, Gaby’s going to make a name for himself - with or without Canelo. But if the time comes, we’ll fight him. Maybe we’ll fight him in the next fight. Hell, if Josesito falls out, we’ll fight him on Saturday.”

ABOUT SEPTEMBER 21

The Smith-Cruz, Kovalev-Thompson and Whittaker-Rosado fights top a seven-bout card at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. First fight is 7.15 pm (ET). Tickets priced at $80 and $55 can be purchased through the offices of Peltz Boxing( 215-765-0922 ), all Ticketmaster outlets( 800-745-3000 ) or at the box office at the Sands Event Center(610-297-7414 ).

Tickets at www.peltzboxing.com, www.SandsEventCenter.com andwww.Ticketmaster.com. Luxury suite tickets at $130 apiece also are available.

In Bethlehem, tickets are available at Deja Brew, Inc., 101 West 4^th Street(610-865-2739 ) and at Pronto Insurance Notary, 232 East 3^rd Street( 610-419-6790 ).

NBC Sports Network will televise the Cruz-Smith, Kovalev-Thompson and Rosado-Whittaker fights, beginning at 9 pm (ET).

The card is being promoted by Main Events and Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., in association with the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

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Saturday Night Boxing Results And notes – For 8^th September 2012

Saturday 8 September 2024 - Campo Recreativo Pasteleros, Esteban Echeverria, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Super middleweight - Pablo Oscar Natalio Farias beat Dario German Balmaceda by KO 8 / 10 - vacant IBF Latino super middleweight title

Light welterweight - Fernanda Soledad Alegre beat Darys Esther Pardo by RTD 7 /10 - time: 0:01 - WBO female light welterweight title (supervisor: Jorge Molina)

Saturday 8 September 2024 - Hershey Centre, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Middleweight - Brandon Cook beat Ferenc Zold by TKO 3 / 6

Lightweight - Steven Wilcox beat Sandor Horvath by TKO 2 / 6

Lightweight- Tebor Brosch beat Gyorgy Mizsei Jr on SD 6 / 6

Saturday 8 September 2024 - Karl Eckel Halle, Hattersheim am Main, Hessen, Germany

Middleweight - Nuhu Lawal beat Phillip Kolodzej by TKO 5 / 6 - time: 2:05

Light heavyweight - Konni Konrad beat Ata Dogan by TKO 6 /6

Saturday 8 September 2024 - Deportivo del Sindicato del Metro , Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Bantamweight - Felipe Orucuta beat Julio Cesar Miranda by TKO 10 / 10

Bantamweight Felipe “Gallito” Orucuta (25-1, 21 KOs) scored a tenth round TKO over former world champion Julio Cesar “Pingo” Miranda (37-8-1, KOs). The bout was waved off with Miranda under heavy fire. Miranda was originally slated to face Daniel “Bad Boy” Rosas, but the Mexican Commission wouldn’t allow Rosas to fight due to bronchitis. Orucuta, who was appearing in the co-feature stepped in to face Miranda and made the most of it.

Saturday 8 September 2024 - Gimnasio Miguel Alemán Valdez, Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico

Super middleweight - Marco Antonio Rubio beat Carlos Manuel Baldomir by RTD 4 / 12 - time: 3:00 - vacant World Boxing Federation super middleweight title

Super middleweight - Marcos Reyes beat Julio Cesar Garcia on UD 10 / 10

Marco Antonio “Veneno” Rubio (55-6-1, 48 KOs) scored a fifth round TKO over Carlos Baldomir (49-15, 15 KOs) to claim the WBF title on Saturday night at the at the Estadio Miguel Aleman in Celaya, Mexico. Rubio battered Baldomir the entire fight and Baldomir didn’t come out for round five. - In the co-feature, middleweight Marco “Dorado” Reyes won a ten round unanimous decision over Julio Cesar “Baby Face” Garcia by scores 99-91, 96-95, 96-94.

Saturday 8 September 2024 - Auditorio Teopanzolco, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

Light middleweight - Patrick Teixeira beat Omar Vasquez by TKO 8 / 10 - vacant WBC Youth Intercontinental light middleweight title

Saturday 8 September 2024 - The Flash Grand Ballroom of the Elorde Sports Complex, Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Bantamweight - Dennis Tubieron beat Hiroki Shiino by TKO 8 / 12 - time: 2:31 - WBC International bantamweight title

Light flyweight - Benezer Alolod beat Ryu Onigashima by TKO 6 / 10 - time: 1:55 - vacant WBC International light flyweight title

Super bantamweight - Jaderes Padua beat Christian Abila on SD 10 / 10 - Vacant WBC Youth Intercontinental super bantamweight title

Super flyweight - Gabriel Altarejos drew with Weljan Ugbaniel 10 / 10 - vacant WBC Youth Intercontinental super flyweight title

Saturday 8 September 2024 Olimpiyskiy, Moscow, Russia

Heavyweight - Vitali Klitschko beat Manuel Charr by TKO 4 / 12 - time: 2:10 - WBC heavyweight title (supervisor: Houcine Houichi)

Heavyweight - Magomed Abdusalamov beat Jameel McCline by TKO 2 / 10 - time: 1:57 - vacant WBC United States (USNBC) heavyweight title (supervisor: Miroslav Popovic)

Middleweight - Andrey Meryasev beat Muhitdin Rajapbaev by TKO 10 / 10 - time: 0:28 - vacant WBC Baltic middleweight title (supervisor: Mikhail Denisov)

Featherweight - Ayup Arsaev beat Khavazhy Khatsyhau by RTD 4 / 10 - time: 3:00 - WBC Baltic featherweight title (supervisor: Mikhail Denisov)

Heavyweight - Vyacheslav Glazkov beat Konstantin Airich on UD 10 / 10 - vacant WBC Baltic Silver heavyweight title (supervisor: Mikhail Denisov)

Vitali started to unload punishment from the opening bell. WBC #7 Charr was moving laterally around the corners trying to show something. Klitschko, his hands down, was waiting for more action from the challenger but the German chose to move around rather than actually fight with the champion. Klitschko landed a couple of jabs to start inflicting damage to the challenger. All in all the first round was all Vitali’s but he landed almost no power punches. In the second. Vitali landed a hard right hand to the spleen to start the stanza. Charr tried to unleash a series of punches but none of them landed clean except for a left hand, which the Ukrainian took well. Early into the fourth, the WBC champion landed a crisp jab, and blood started raining down from the Charr’s right eye. He tried his best and sensing the fight was just moments away from being stopped - he charged after the giant Ukrainian and even landed some punches. Then Italian referee Guido Cavalleri called a halt to the action and took Charr to the ringside physician, who stopped the bout. Charr was extremely angry about the stoppage as his corner was never given a chance to try to stop the blood.

Saturday 8 September 2024 - Alexandra Palace, Muswell Hill, London, United Kingdom

Welterweight - Lee Purdy beat Gumersindo Lucas Carrasco by TKO 4 / 12 time: 1:43 - vacant IBF International welterweight title

Light welterweight - Chris Evangelou lost to Danny Connor on PTS 10 / 10 - vacant BBBofC Southern Area light welterweight title

Middleweight - Erick Ochieng beat Ryan Toms by TKO 5 / 10 - time: 2:37 - BBBofC English light middleweight title

Saturday 8 September 2024 - Oracle Arena, Oakland, California, United States

Super middleweight - Andre Ward beat Chad Dawson by TKO 10 / 12 - time: 2:45

WBC super middleweight title (supervisor: Peter Stucki) - WBA Super World super middleweight title (supervisor: Robert Mack)

Lightweight - Antonio DeMarco beat John Molina by KO 1/ 12 - time: 0:44 - WBC lightweight title

WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre “SOG” Ward (26-0, 14 KOs) scored an impressive tenth round TKO over WBC light heavyweight champion “Bad” Chad Dawson (31-2, 17 KOs. Ward sent Dawson to a knee in round three, and floored him again in round four - Inside the final minute of the tenth, Dawson was blasted with a left hook he never saw coming right behind the ear. Dawson’s knees caved in on each other as he attempted to find his balance but Ward was having none of it. Another left landed to set up a salvo of exact power punching, Dawson forced to his knees near the ropes. Dawson was up early in the count but showed no desire to go on. Asked by Smoger if he was done, Dawson nodded and said, “Yes.” Time was 2:45. – WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco (28-2-1, 20 KOs) needed just 44 seconds to annihilate John Mol

Saturday 8 September 2024 - Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, United States

Super flyweight Ivan Morales beat Luis Maldonado on TD 10 / 10 - time: 1:30 - WBC International Silver super flyweight title (supervisor: Rudy Tellez)

Saturday 8 September 2024 - Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, United States

Heavyweight - Tomasz Adamek beat Travis Walker by TKO 5 / 12 - time: 1:08 - IBF North American heavyweight title

Heavyweight - Steve Cunningham beat Jason Gavern on UD 10 / 10

Heavyweight - Bryant Jennings beat Chris Koval by TKO 1 / 8 - time: 0:35

Super featherweight - Joselito Collado lost to Jerry Belmontes on UD 8 / 8

Tomasz Adamek (47-2, 28 KOs) got up from a hard second-round knockdown to stop Travis Walker (39-8-1, 31 KOs) in the fifth round of a heavyweight fight on Saturday afternoon at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Walker was also knocked down in a wild second round after taking a right. After that, Adamek stayed in control, winning the third, cutting Walker in the fourth before stopping him on his feet at the 1:08 mark of the fifth. - Steve Cunningham won a 10-round unanimous decision against heavyweight veteran Jason Gavern. Scores were 100-90 (twice) and 99-90 all for Cunningham. With this win, Cunningham breaks a two-fight losing streak to move to 25-4 with 12 KO wins. Gavern falls to 21-11-4 with 10 KOs. - Bryant Jennings beat Chris Koval in just 35 seconds. Koval was down on a left and then seconds later on a right before the bout was called off. Jennings is now 15-0 with six knockouts, Koval now has double digit losses for an overall record of 25-10, 18 KOs.

Saturday 8 September 2024 - Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Light welterweight - Lucas Martin Matthysse beat Ajose Olusegun by TKO 10 / 12 - interim WBC light welterweight title (supervisor: Robert Lenhardt)

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Olympic Boxing: “With This Ring” - a new documentary lifts the lid on problems facing women boxers in India

By Michael O’Neill

Women’s boxing was one of the great success stories of London 2012 and not just from an American,British or Irish viewpoint - indeed the sport’sInternational Boxing Association (A.I.B.A) declared that the introduction of women boxers – the last Olympic sport to include both sexes – was considered to be one of the highlights of the entire London 2012 Olympic Games, enticing spectators and media from around the world to one of the hottest venues of the past weeks.

The Katie Taylor/Claressa Shields and Nicola Adams stories have been featured in just about every corner of the earth and not just in their home countries - and rightly so , yet here let us look at the great achievement of another of the world’s finest pugilists, Mary Kom from Manipur - pinweight Mary was one of those who had to move up two weight classes just to qualify for the Olympics but yet ‘Magnificent Mary’ managed to pull off a Bronze behind new Olympic champion Nikki Adams and China’s world title holder Cancan Ren.

Mary has long been one of the pioneers of women’s boxing and indeed has won the World Championship crown on five occasions. Mary and the otherIndian women have come up against every possible barrier in their home land to gain acceptance for women’s boxing and have had to fight against numerous prejudices. Later this year there will be a new documentary “With This Ring” which should be compulsive viewing for every boxer male or female and not only in India but worldwide. The documentary’s producers Anna Sarkissian and Ameesha Joshi have spent the past six years following the braveIndian women boxers around the world, mainly at their own expense. So what particular problems do the Indian women face?

Let Ameesha and Anna speaking from Canada tell us of some of the many problems they do face and that will not go away “immediately” despite Mary Kom’s bronze in London.

“The 35-strong Indian women’s national boxing team trains year-round, six days a week in blistering heat and heavy downpours. As you can imagine, women’s boxing is neither popular nor widely accepted in India, where many women are pressured to marry and abandon their career aspirations.

They are some of the best boxers in the world. And the most under-appreciated.

These women are trailblazers in the purest sense, who can inspire others around the world to step out of the mold and pursue their passion. Though some women have risen to power and achieved prominence in India, many are still treated like second class citizens. The rate of female infanticide and sex-selective abortions is alarming, to say the least. Though these issues are complex and linked with religious, financial, and cultural concerns, suffice it to say that these boxers have had their share of hurdles and there is so much we can learn from their journey.

Though Mary is now becoming a household name (finally!), the other boxers train in relative anonymity, with little to no recognition for their achievements. There are numerous world champions (at different grades inc youth and junior) on the team who started out with nothing and fought against centuries of tradition to rise to the top. Without this film, their inspirational stories would be cast into the shadows”.

“Young women in India are usually known as somebody’s sister, daughter, wife or mother. For the first time, they are gaining independence by setting their own goals, living independently, and taking the world by storm.

Yes, some have short hair. And yes, they show their legs and wear athletic gear–something which most Indians would frown upon. As one woman that we interviewed put it, wearing shorts amounts to “degrading women.”

Their parents are concerned. At least, they are at the beginning. With bruises or scars on their face or hands, they worry that their daughters will never marry. The importance of holy matrimony cannot be underestimated in India. It’s the most important day of your life.

Then, the boxers start winning. In the case of five-time world champion Mary Kom, her parents only found out she was a fighter when they saw her picture in the newspaper. Her father wasn’t pleased. Mary is now the most successful amateur boxer (male or female) in history and supports her husband and two children financially. Her family came around.

Boxing isn’t all about glory or world championships. Many of these women are boxing to get out of poverty. Successful athletes are often rewarded with government jobs in the railway or police force, complete with pensions and benefits. It’s almost like hitting the jackpot.

All this doesn’t come easy. The Indian women’s national boxing team, composed of about 35 boxers, trains year-round. Whether it’s 50 degrees or 5 degrees, they wake up at dawn and start working. They generally train two to three times a day, six days a week, for up to 2 hours at a time.

Some of the boxers are also in school at the same time. Their schedule goes something like this: train, eat breakfast, school, train, eat lunch, school, dinner, train, sleep. It’s non-stop “.

True, all women have had to fight against prejudice for many years to even get to the Olympics, and many great former champions have never made it , but few have faced the struggle that Mary Kom has - she became India’s first ever women’s Olympic medallist – against all the odds.

You can see clips from the documentary here via Youtube

And follow the making of the documentary via: http://www.indiegogo.com/withthisring

More Clipts About India’s Mery Kom

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British heavyweight boxer Michael Sprott is interviewed by By Michael J Jones

A long-time contender on the British heavyweight scene, Michael Sprott seems to have been around forever. Turning pro way back in November 1996, Sprott has now had 54 pro fights and still has title aspirations at 37 years of age. Currently 36-18 (17), Sprott has been fighting at title level both in the UK and around Europe for ten years and has fought a virtual who’s-who of big names in that time from; Corrie Sanders in South Africa, Danny Williams three times, Audley Harrison twice an Ruslan Chagaev.

Not the tallest heavyweight at 6ft 1in, Sprott is usually a cagey operator with good boxing skills and a respectful dig. A long-time sparring-partner for both Klitschko brothers, Sprott was a British and Commonwealth champion in 04’ and as recently as 2010 was winning the latest Prizefighter.

Despite a patchy-looking record, when in the mood Michael can be a formidable fighter as seen in victories over Timo Hoffman, Mark Potter, Cengiz Koc and Audley Harrison.

The victory over Harrison was particularly impressive giving that the former Olympic champion was coming off a destruction of Danny Williams. Dropped to the canvas in the first, Sprott was well on top in the third round when a spectacular left hook knocked Audley out cold.

Although Michael has lost his last three fights, all came in very good company and one feels there still could be some memorable nights still left for the Reading contender. Here’s what Michael had to say-

MJ) How old were you when you first started boxing?

MS) I was thirteen when I first started. I had about 60 fights before turning pro.

MJ) Probably the first time I saw you was against Harry Senior in a Southern Area title fight on Sky. He stopped you in six with body-shots, what do you recall about that fight ?

MS) I remember that fight very well. I was going to pull out with a rib injury beforehand. I’d been sparring Danny Watts and Julius Francis and things weren’t going right in camp. My trainer talked me into going through with it saying it’d be all ok. I remember Harry going for a big haymaker and missing but he came back with a big shot to my solar plexus. It winded me and then seconds later another punch got me in the same place. I went down and the ref’ stopped it.

MJ) You lost to the much-bigger Wayne Llewellyn soon after, getting stopped in three before being matched with the hulking Timo Hoffman at York Hall. Nobody expected much from that fight but you boxed brilliantly to beat him on points over eight rounds. Were you as surprised at how well you handled him ?

MS) What happened was, we were both on the same bill and our respective opponents both pulled out so we were matched against each other. I think I was meant to fight Michael Holden. I knew I could do ok against Timo as I’d sparred him over in Germany. His team were impressed with me when we sparred, I out-boxed him most of the time. His trainer wasn’t very happy though, at the weigh-in he asked me “who was I fighting ?” I said “I’m fighting Timo”, he wasn’t happy, he didn’t have a clue !

We fought a rematch in Germany, I thought I won but they gave him the decision. Even the German crowd booed the announcement that he’d won.

MJ) The year after, you came in at late notice to take on Danny Williams for the British and Commonwealth titles. You fought bravely but he wore you down in seven rounds. You seemed to grow in confidence after that loss and reeled off the form of your career ?

MS) I don’t really count that fight as a loss as I only came in on four days notice. I was in Barbados on holiday when I got the call.

It was after that fight I started working with Johnny Greenfield and he completely changed my style of boxing. He taught me to punch more correctly and other things and I ended up winning eight fights in a row with six by knock-out. I stopped Pele Reid (KO 7), Mike Holden (KO 4) and Mark Potter (KO 3) among others.

When Johnny died it was a very hard year (2004). Denny Mancini (Sprott’s cut-man) died a short while after him so I lost two of my corner-men close together. Around the same time we also lost my sister’s boyfriend’s dad, it was a terrible time and a tough moment to get through.

MJ) Let’s talk about your second and third fights with Danny Williams. There was high anticipation for the rematch as your form was incredible at the time, but both that and the rubber match were controversial with Williams being awarded a stoppage win in the second bout and you won a close decision in the last encounter ?

MS) Yeah they were controversial. The second fight I was out-boxing him but he kept hitting me below the belt. The referee wasn’t even warning him when he should have penalised him. In the fifth I turned to tell the ref’ I’d been hit low again and (Danny) knocked me out. It was hard to take at the time but they say “protect yourself at all times” and, in that fight, I learned that.

The third fight, I know everybody said he won but I thought I boxed well and I was just really proud to be British and Commonwealth champion. That was a very proud moment for me.

MJ) You lost both titles a short time later to Matt Skelton. It seemed surprising at the time that only three months after winning the titles you were taking on an undefeated challenger in your very first defence ?

MS) It was a little bit frustrating because I only got told about the fight a month after winning the titles. I wanted it a bit later but the BBB of C pushed for it as he was my mandatory. Skelton is a hard worker in there. People don’t like his style but it works for him.

MJ) You fought mostly in Germany for the next couple of years but eventually came back to the UK to score probably your most famous victory. You fought Audley Harrison straight after he’d just wiped out Danny Williams and came off the canvas to knock him out cold with a left hook. Tell me about that fight ?

MS) When he fought the second fight with Danny Williams I was actually there ringside. I’d been offered the fight but turned it down (Matt Skelton pulled out at late notice). I watched the fight and, while Audley looked impressive, I knew for a fact Danny wasn’t fully prepared for that fight.

Big things were meant to happen for Audley but I had great training for the fight, six or seven weeks and got down to a good weight at 16st 8lbs; that’s a good fighting weight for me. I was told by my trainer to come out strong in the first but I knew that would be a mistake as Audley is a very good counter-puncher. I got dropped in the first but got through the round and took over a round later. It was a great left hook I caught him with, it was a similar shot that stopped Colin Kenna. I went to the body and came back with the hook. I was actually pretty surprised because I was aiming to wear him down and stop him later on in the fight in eight or nine rounds.

MJ) You came a cropper again against Matt Skelton in your next fight losing a close decision. Afterwards you went on your travels again boxing Lamon Brewster amongst others. You were due to return to take part in Prizefighter in October 2009 but tragedy struck and you were forced to pull out. Can you talk a little about that difficult period in your life and career ?

MS) My sister died tragically and I was devastated. It was a very tough time in my life, I thought about going through with Prizefighter but my mother told me not to. My head wasn’t in a good place, so I pulled out to support, and be there for, my family.

Audley Harrison won the tournament and immediately afterwards put his trophy up for auction. The money he raised he gave for my sister’s children. I never had the opportunity to thank him properly but it meant a lot what he did. I was hoping, win-lose-or-draw, I could speak to him at the end of our second fight but I never got the chance.

MJ) A lot of people will be surprised reading that. Why do you think he gets such a bad wrap in this country ?

MS) I don’t know, maybe he just doesn’t come across very well to certain people. I’ve known Audley a long time and know him well. When we were amateurs we used to spar and train together. He’s a good guy, I like him.

MJ) After a warm-up you fought Audley for the vacant European title. He was injured early and you seemed well ahead going into the last but he paid you back for that left hook ?

MS) Yeah he sure did (laughs). It’s funny how things work out but it just goes to show; it’s not over until it’s over. That’s why heavyweight boxing is so exciting; anything can change at any given moment. One minute I’m in control and waiting to be crowned European champion and the next it’s all over !

MJ) You came back to win the next Prizefighter tournament six months later, beating old foe Matt Skelton in the final. What was more satisfying; winning the tournament or finally beating Skelton ?

MS) I was very happy to do both. Obviously winning the tournament was great but also beating Matt after he’d beaten me twice was a good achievement too.

MJ) You had less success the following year in International Prizefighter losing to Tye Fields in the opening bout. It was very close did you think you’d won ?

MS) Yeah I did. I thought I landed the cleaner shots and combination punches while he hit gloves a lot. I thought I nicked it but also, with it being over here, I’d have a better chance again but they gave it him. It’s like that over in Germany; you’re never guaranteed the decision but I thought it’d be different over here.

MJ) You’ve lost your last three bouts to Fields, Alexander Dimitrenko and Kubrat Pulev. That’s great company but what do you hope to achieve in the last few years of your boxing career ?

MS) I’d really like to go for a world title…and win it. I was very close to getting a world title shot with the second Audley Harrison bout (Harrison getting destroyed by David Haye next time out), so there’s no reason why I shouldn’t get a chance with a couple of good wins. I’m 37 now but I feel good for my age, there’s no reason why I can’t carry on for a few more years.

Those last two fights I didn’t feel completely recovered from a bout of pneumonia I had last year. I sparred Alexander Povetkin for a month before falling ill with it. I didn’t feel great in either of those fights but I am much better now and can’t wait for my next fight. I wanted to continue against Pulev but my trainer Jim Evans said “you’re behind on points and taking unnecessary punches. You could go the distance but what’s the point ?” He was right I guess.

MJ) Who are you fighting next Mike ?

MS) I’m fighting (20-0 German) Edmund Gerber in Germany on August 26th. It was meant to be on the Povetkin-Rahman card on July 14th, so now it’s on the re-scheduled bill on the later date. It’s been a bit frustrating this year, I’ve not fought since January as I’ve had a few dates cancelled so I just hope this one doesn’t get scrapped like the others.

MJ) You’ve fought Matt Skelton three times, Danny Williams three times and Audley Harrison twice. If you could fight any of those former rivals again who would you pick and why?

MS) Hmmm…I don’t think I want to fight any of them again ! No seriously, I think I’ve kind of had revenge on all of them as I’ve beaten each one. Maybe I’d say Audley as it’s one win a piece.

MJ) What do you make of the younger heavyweight contenders coming through like Tyson Fury and Dave Price?

MS) We’ve got a good young generation of heavyweights coming through I think. David Price is the best for me, he’s tall, athletic and can bang. Tyson Fury is coming along well, I was impressed with his last fight. Fighting Martin Rogan as a southpaw was amazing. Richard Towers too looks a good fighter. They all look good but it’s time to see what they bring (in a higher class).

MJ) Is there any fight over the years that you wanted but never got ?

MS) Maybe Mike Tyson. I beat Danny Williams but he got the fight against Tyson. I have to give credit though; Danny beating him was a great achievement. Tyson wasn’t what he was but he still had the speed and power and was a dangerous man.

MJ) Many thanks for your time Mike and best of luck for your next fight.

MS) Thank you !

Published by kind permission of: Worldwide Weekly Boxing Predictions League

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By Michael O’Neill, 28 June 2024

250 male and 36 women boxers for Olympics 2012

The AIBA have this morning confirmed the full list of qualifiers for the 2012 Olympic Boxing tournaments (male and female) and as forecast by SportsNewsIreland ,the 81kg “tripartite commission place” that most Irish fans hoped would go to Joe Ward has gone to Montenegro’s Bosko Draskovic.

After a year long journey, 250 men and 36 women boxers have now qualified for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

These Olympic Games will be a watershed moment in the history of the sport of boxing, the noblest of disciplines, with the women making their debut in three weight categories (48-51kg, 57-60kg and 69-75kg). There is huge anticipation for the competition to get started with some of the finest talent around ready and primed to set the tournament alight with displays of the highest order.

The men will be competing in ten weight divisions, from Light Fly to Super Heavyweight, with 91 having qualified at the AIBA World Boxing ChampionshipsBaku 2011, 146 through the Continental Qualifying Events, five via the inaugural World Series of Boxing season’s Individual Championships and finally eight selected as part of the Tripartite process.

The women had 25 boxers qualifying at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships Qinhuangdao 2012 with one place reserved for an athlete from the Olympic Games’ host nation whilst a further eleven were given quotas after being identified in the Tripartite selection.

The world will come to a standstill when the cream of the crop takes to the ring at the ExCeL London from 28 July to 12 August.

Who will be the ones to claim gold? See below the full list of boxers competing at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Link to boxers list

Article Credit: Sports News Ireland

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