World Boxing News 2010-2013

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor “The Punisher” eager to impress in Lara return Two-time WBO welterweight title holder Paul Williams is looking forward to returning to the ring on July 9th as he takes on the undefeated Miami-based Cuban Erislandy Lara in Atlantic City. The 29 year-old was originally pencilled in to meet Nobuhiro Ishida, but the Japanese fighter was rejected by TV company HBO. “The Punisher” now revisits the Boardwalk Hall, the scene of his most devastating night in boxing seven months ago when knocked out cold by former WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez and is hoping to eradicate the memory of last November and get his career back on track at 154lbs. “What I’m looking for is me to go out there and put on a good show,” Williams told 15rounds.com in a recent interview. “That last fight I had with Sergio Martinez, they wanna know how I’m going to perform after that. I’m going to go in there and do my thing. “I got caught, the best get caught. It’s not like I go...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor 'The Canadian Kid' denies retirement rumours Two-time IBF super-bantamweight champion Steve Molitor has called out newly crowned WBO champion Jorge Arce for a November showdown on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao’s WBO weltwerweight title defence against Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marqueaz in Las Vegas. The 31 year-old, who recently lost his title to Takalani Ndlovu in South Africa, had been the subject of speculation that he may retire after his wife gave birth to his third child just days after his defeat, but “The Canadian Kid” has called for an immediate title challenge after a few months away from the sport. “I’m taking the summer off to spend with my family, I had a baby girl on March 30th and I already have 2 boys,” Molitor told World Boxing News. “I would love, love, love a fight with WBO champ Jorge Arce! That’s the fight that makes me hungry, real hungry! “Let’s do it on the Pacman v Marquez undercard! They are having an world wide pr...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor Kogawa to move down to 112lbs for challenge WBC flyweight champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam will make yet another defence of his 112lb belt when he meets Japan’s Takuya Kogawa on July 1st in his home country of Thailand. The 33 year-old has held the title on two occasions, first winning the title in 2001 and going on to make 17 successful defences. The Thai legend then reclaimed the title in 2010, winning a majority decision over the strongly fancied champion Koki Kameda and earning his place amongst the top fighters in the world. Wonjongkam has an impressive 80-3-1 record with 44 KO’s, although a lot of the bouts are against young fighters over four rounds inbetween title defences and he now takes on Kogawa, who is 17-1. Kogawa, 26, has been campaigning at super-flyweight since turning pro in 2005, but couldn’t turn down the opportunity to fight for a world title and agreed to challenge the veteran champion at 112lbs. His only defeat came early on in his ca...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor Title challenger reveals details of Groves v DeGale brawl English heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has lifted the lid on his scuffle with British and Commonwealth champion Dereck Chisora at the O2 Arena last weekend. The 22 year-old spoke in detail to British tabloid The Sun to explain why he confronted “Del Boy” as Frankie Gavin fought Young Mutley on the ‘This is it’ undercard eight days ago. Fury, from Manchester, has an almost identical record to the champion, both having won all fourteen of their bouts and are set to meet on July 23rd in “The Brawl to settle it all,” which almost happened a couple of months earlier as the 6ft 9in man mountain described to Sun man Gavin Glicksman. "I got there and had every intention of keeping a low profile. I had tickets fairly far back in the arena and I just wanted a quiet night. "But my uncle pointed out where Chisora was sitting and a couple of my friends reminded me about some of the stuff he...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor “I am going to train a champion” – Scott Lawton 34 year-old Scott Lawton took his final bow earlier this year at the Liverpool Olympia in a twelve round war with former WBU champion Derry Mathews and it was a fitting way for the Stoke lightweight to bow out. In a ten-year career, Lawton never hit the heights he would have wanted, but has always shown the heart and the class that has made him a credit to the sport. He could have easily stepped down from the sport with less than his eight defeats, but testament to Scott, he took on all comers. After an early setback against Dave Stewart in just his sixth bout, Scott recovered to win ten in a row, claiming the Midlands Area title in 2004, before out-classing Stefy Bull to claim the English title in June 2006 with a sixth round stoppage. It led Lawton to a shot at the British title against John Thaxton in 2007, but he was stopped in the seventh round against the Norwich man, who just proved too strong and...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor Will Pacquaio persuade his fellow countryman to join him in LA After joining the elite rank of world boxers earlier this year, speculation is mounting as to whether the WBN number two ranked pound for pound fighter Nonito Donaire will join up with fellow multi-weight champion Manny Pacquaio at Freddie Roach’s Wildcard Gym. The 28 year-old stunned bantamweight king Fernando Montiel last February with a spectacular second round TKO, picking up the WBC and WBO 118lb titles to become a two-weight world champion and leaping into boxing superstardom in the process. With eight-world world champion Pacquaio, 32, known to be a hero of Donaire’s, it is thought that an offer from the Filipino Congressman to join him in California, could be too good to refuse for the “Filipino Flash” and may lead to him opting to leave Robert Garcia for Roach. Donaire has stated his intention to try and unify the bantamweight division before embarking on a similar mission to th...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor WBN follows the story of a true boxing man A trainer, manager, promoter, cornerman, not to mention a former flyweight boxer, Sheffield’s David Coldwell is an all round boxing man of all seasons and a testament to what a boxer can achieve if he isn’t destined for world glory. Born in 1975 and turning professional in 1996 at the age of 21, David Coldwell fought for four years in the ring, claiming the Central Area flyweight title and putting in brave performances against Micky Cantwell and Jose Lopez Bueno, whom he took the full twelve rounds in Zaragoza, just a few months before he won the WBO title. David had been involved in training kids at a gym for Brendan Ingle for a few months prior to his last fight in 2000 against Jim Betts and after a stoppage defeat, decided to plough all his energy into the training side of the sport, which turned out to be an astute decision by David. He had always loved the training side of boxing, the banter and the atm...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor Africans battle each other again and again, with the same outcome After reading the story of Kenyan heavyweight Ray "King Kong" Ochieng, we at WBN felt compelled to write about his ongoing fight saga with fellow Kenyan Robert Ochung. Ochung made his debut in 2007 against a 6-5-1 Ochieng, losing in the second round via knockout and has since been pitted against his rival six more times and each time been knocked out within three rounds. Now call me sceptical, but after one knockout defeat and unless that defeat was a controversial one, I see no reason to be matched up with that fighter again, let alone six more times.  Ray with Wladimir  I am not too sure about how the Kenyan heavyweight scene is contested, but looking as Ochung’s record it reads, 0-10-0, and with six other active heavyweights, surely he could be matched up with another boxer. Ochieng, 33, on the other hand, amazing once fought world cruiserweight champion Krzystof Wlo...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor “Golden Boy” in heart felt tweet to Pacquiao and Arum Golden Boy Promotions boss Oscar De La Hoya has issued an apology to rivals Top Rank in a four-part Twitter message that was posted recently. The 38 year-old former six-weight world champion has been fighting his own demons lately, but took time out to issue this statement to his competitors. Dear Bob Arum, First, I would like to humbly apologize for any pain I have caused to you and or your family. I also want to apologize to manny paquiao for any wrong doing in my part. You are a great champion. I have realized that by accepting my mistakes everyone around me will hopefully forgive me. With great humility I ask we work together for the good of the sport we dearly love. It is not fair to the fans and to the fighters, so today, let's move forward and put on the best fights possible and show the world what we are capable of doing. Thank you Bob. Your friend Oscar. De La Hoya is c...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor “The Warrior” seeking out titles in the near future Former Britsh super-middleweight champion Tony Dodson (26-6-1, 13 KO’s) will climb back between the ropes next weekend after five months away from the ring. The Liverpudlian returns on the undercard of Gavin Ress and Andy Murray’s European lightweight battle at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales on June 4th. The 30 year-old was seemingly on his way to a Prizefighter victory in the light-heavyweight tournament at the Olympia in London last January until some nasty looking cuts, caused by head-clashes, ruled him out of a final place against eventual winner Travis Dickinson, 23. Dodson is not looking for a revenge meeting with Dickinson though and is instead focusing on getting into the British title picture as soon as possible. “I don’t need to fight Travis. I wish him all the luck in the world, he’s a nice lad, with a bright future, but I am on a different level to him at the moment,” Dodson told Worl...

World Boxing News pound for pound Top 10 (25/11/2011) 1. Manny Pacquaio (53-3-2) WBO Welterweight champion and WBC light-middleweight champion 2. Nonito Donaire (26-1) WBC and WBO bantamweight champion 3. Floyd Mayweather Jr (41-0) 4. Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2) WBC and IBO light-heavyweight champion 5. Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1) WBA and WBO lightweight champion 6. Miguel Cotto (36-2-0) WBA "Super" light-middleweight champion 7. Sergio Martinez (47-2-2) 8. Wladimir Klitschko (55-3-0) WBO and IBF heavyweight champion 9. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (80-3-1) WBC flyweight champion 10. Chris John (44-0-2) WBA “super” world featherweight champion Do you agree or disagree? Have your say on the WBN Facebook wall at  http://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Boxing-News/134654593225151

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor British heavyweight rivals clash at as Gavin fights Mutley Unbeaten rivals Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury couldn’t wait until they meet this July to sort out their differences, the heavyweight pair decided to have it out whilst attending the grudge match between James DeGale v George Groves British super-middleweight bout at the O2 Arena in London. Fury, 22, and 27 year-old Chisora were spotted by spectators at ringside involved in a heated argument that turned into a mini-brawl involving several people while undefeated Frankie Gavin fought Young Mutley for the WBO Inter-Continental welterweight title, which was defused in a matter of minutes. The two will meet this summer for Chisora’s British and Commonwealth belts and it seems another huge grudge match is now brewing with both fighters eager to start the battle at The Millenium Dome. Titleholder Chisora (14-0, 9 KO's) tweeted just moments after the incident saying; " It's not my fault Ty...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor Russian Lebedev stops former champ in final round Four-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr. lost for the eighth time in his 22 year career tonight as former cruiserweight world title challenger Denis Lebedev knocked him out in the final round of their ten round 200lb contest at the Sport Complex Krylatskoe in Moscow. The 42 year-old has now suffered three straight defeats and seven of his last twelve fights dating back to 2004 and should now be stripped of his boxing license of suffering another shocking loss. The Russian, 31, ended the bout with just one second left on the clock with a hard right hand followed by an uppercut, which already had Jones falling as the Russian landed another huge right, leaving Jones blacked out and falling face first to the canvas. Referee Steve Smoger hesitated too long in stepping in after the initial flurry, leaving Jones wide open for, what seemed to be an uncalled for right, which had everything that Lebedev had left ...

Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew had to be dragged apart today ahead of their WBO light-heavyweight title fight on Saturday. The pair were involved in a slanging match which nearly came to blows at their final head to head press conference. Burly security guards intervened as promoter Frank Warren desperately tried to keep the peace. Earlier Bellew, a late replacement for Juergen Braehmer, vowed to knock Cleverly out. "Two days notice, two weeks notice or two months notice, I will win," said the Liverpudlian. He came into the fight when Braehmer said he had suffered a cut in training on Wednesday. But newly installed WBO champion Cleverly hit back by saying: "Bellew is not on Braehmer's level. He's just the Commonwealth champion and I'm going to prove a point. "I'm fully motivated now and I will put on a good show on Saturday night."

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor Shane Mosley also denies adding to steroid rumours The increasing rumour-mill surrounding Manny Pacquiao and any wrong-doing prior to big fights has almost reach a fever pitch in the last few days, with even his last opponent Shane Mosley standing accused of fuelling the fire in the wake of their one-sided May 7th contest in Las Vegas. WBN can confirm that the Nevada State Athletic Commission have now give the WBO welterweight champion the all-clear from PED’s (performance enhanding drugs), steroids, recreational drugs and diuretics. The 32 year-old successfully defended his 147lb belt for the second time earlier this month, after which, opponent Mosley was accused of starting a rumour over a sparring partner ‘injecting’ Pacquiao with steroids in the past, something that the Filipino Congressman has denied. “My lawyers will look into this. So, if they have any evidence, they should present them. My conscience is clear that only hard work has led to ...

Newly-crowned USBO Super Middleweight champion and undefeated prospect, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (24-0, 18 KO’s), finds himself in a sweet position after his electrifying knockout of former world title challenger Jesse Brinkley (35-7, 22 KO’s) on April 30 in Reno, Nevada in a fight televised live on TeleFutura’s “Solo Boxeo Tecate.” The 27-year-old Quillin rocked Brinkley in the opening round with an overhand right, showed poise during target practice in the following round, and finished-off the then International Boxing Federation (“IBF”) No. 7-rated Brinkley when referee Joe Cortez mercifully halted the action at 2:34 of the third. “Going into that fight I had a lot more confidence to do in the ring what I had worked so hard on in training camp,” Quillin said. “I orchestrated my camp and was more in rhythm to take care of boxing in order to be an explosive winner. I hurt him in the first round but didn’t go in for the kill. I relaxed and took my shots, realizing I could hit ...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor Lowest ranking since 1996 for future Hall of Famer 39 year-old "Sugar" Shane Mosley has dropped from number 22 in the WBN P4P Rankings to number 56 after failing to win in his last three bouts. His latest defeat to Manny Pacquaio last week puts him at his lowest ranking since November 1996, when the then 19-0 prospect defeated Ramon Felix in Indio, California to break the top 50 for the first time. The current WBN Top 50 as of 14/5/2011. 1. Manny Pacquaio  (53-3-2) WBO Welterweight champion and WBC light-middleweight champion 2. Nonito Donaire (26-1) WBC and WBO bantamweight champion 3. Floyd Mayweather Jr (41-0) 4. Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1) WBA and WBO lightweight champion   5. Miguel Cotto (36-2-0) WBA "Super" light-middleweight champion 6. Sergio Martinez (47-2-2)   7. Wladimir Klitschko (55-3-0) WBO and IBF heavyweight champion 8. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (80-3-1) WBC flyweight champion 9. Chris John (44-0-2) WBA “s...

Manny Pacquiao www.mpboxing.com An anonymous post on an internet forum claims an unidentified former Filipino sparring partner injected me with steroids before my fight with Oscar de la Hoya and in subsequent fights. This is completely false, totally fabricated, and, not surprisingly, leveled by someone who will not even identify himself. I did not even have a Filipino sparring partner during my training for the fight against De La Hoya or for any fight since then. I have never taken steroids, HGH, or any banned performance-enhancing drug. Period. My success in the ring is due to hard work, belief in God, and the support of my fans. Like every boxer, I am required to take drug tests in connection with every professional fight in the United States. I have passed every one, including my fight against De la Hoya and my most recent victory against Shane Mosley. I will fight to protect my hard-earned good name and reputation. Manny Pacquiao

Golden Boy PR http://www.goldenboypromotions.com Bernard Hopkins spoke to the awaiting press at his media day in preparation for his WBC light-heavyweight bout with champion Jean Pascal, hears what he had to say. "This [surpassing of George Foreman's record] is a hell of a milestone. This is something that not any old fighter gets to do, or most athletes from any sport for that matter. I am glad to be able to represent that at this stage of my career. "I have been able to reach this milestone because of things I have overcome [in my life] and I am motivated by the legacy I will leave. "I am already going in a champion. At the Montreal press conference, Pascal was trying to be cute and he gave me his belts. I never gave them back, so I have them in my possession. I just have to make it official next Saturday because I don't think anyone should have a belt unless they win in the ring. "Fifty percent of me is always going to be 100 percent [of so...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor Fans boo as “Pacman” dominates “Sugar” Shane A less-than vintage performance by Manny Pacquaio saw him retain his world welterweight title in front of a capacity crowd of 16,000 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The 32 year-old eight-time world champion was largely kept from his usual sparkling style by the wiley veteran Shane Mosley. Mosley, 39, seemed to just be content on surviving the twelve rounds against the dangerous Filipino and apart from a couple of nice right hands, never really got close enough to the “Pacman” to give him any real trouble. The Californian was put down by a shuddering punch by Pacquaio in the fourth round and took around a minute to recover from it. Round after round though followed the same pattern of Pacquaio dominance without real drama as some fans booed the two fighters in the middle sessions until an awful refereeing decision by Kenny Bayless saw him score a blatant push by Mosley as a genuine knockdown in the tenth round...

Manny Pacquaio v Shane Mosley ( WBO welterweight title ) 12x3 rounds MGM Grand, Las Vegas, USA                                                            Pacquiao                       Mosley           ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------            Round 1                                       10                                  10           ------------------------------------------...

Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. v Jorge Arce 12x3 rounds ( WBO super-bantamweight title ) MGM Grand, Las Vegas, USA                                                           Vasquez                            Arce           ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------            Round 1                                       9                                      10           ---------...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor ESPN commentator says Pacquaio not in all-time top 25 Boxing all-rounder Teddy Atlas has dismissed eight-time world champion Manny Pacquiao’s achievements in the sport as not good enough to be considered one of the all-time greats. The 56 year-old, who currently trains heavyweight Alexander Povetkin as well as his job as a boxing analyst on ESPN, made the comments on ESPN’s 1st and 10 show last week. Pacquaio, 32, is considered one of the greats of the modern era, winning world titles at seven different weights and beating some of the best fighters in their respective weight divisions. All this though seems to have been bypassed by Atlas, who also predicted an Antonio Margarito victory in Pacquaio’s last fight. “I’m taking nothing away from him - great talent, but who did he really beat?” said Atlas as he referred to most of Pacquaio’s opponents as ‘damaged goods’ and when asked if he would rank in the top 25 of all time, Atlas answered “Maybe a little...

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor My motivation is to be the best I can be. I don't want to look back at my career in ten years time and think what could have been so I try to make the most of it while I'm here.  I want very few regrets.  - Ashley Theophane Globetrotter Ashley Theophane had the perfect homecoming last February after picking up the British light-welterweight title from Lenny Daws in an eye-catching performance at Wembley Arena in London. It was Ashley’s second fight since returning to the UK after spending the previous eighteen months fighting on foreign shores. The 30 year-old has never shied away from travelling to get the fights he wants and has even fought as far a field as Saint Lucia, when he knocked out Marcos Hernandez in 2007. Theophane turned pro in 2003 after an indifferent amateur career and started with a seven-fight unbeaten run, with all fights happening on British soil. In 2005 though, Ashley suffered his first major blow, when los...