WBO African boxer of the year Braimah Kamoko AKA Bukom Banku makes a return to the ring on February 25 when he makes a defence of his WBO Africa Light heavyweight belt against Kenyan Hamza Wandera in Accra.
Victory for the unbeaten Kamoko, 22-0, 16 KOs will move closer to a fight against world champion Nathan Cleverly later in the year. Banku’s fight is the headliner of the first promotion of the year in Ghana put up by Golden Mike Boxing Promotions led by CEO Mike Tetteh slated for the plush Accra International Conference Centre.
Also defending their titles on the same bill are hot prospects Joshua Okine and Emmanuel Tagoe AKA Game Boy. Okine takes on Bethuel Ushoona of Namibia for his IBF Intercontinental Welterweight belt whereas Game Boy defends his IBF Intercontinental Super Featherweight title against Santos Benavides of Nicaragua.
Also featuring on January 20 at the Accra International Conference Centre are Samuel Amoako versus Martin Haikali of Namibia for WBO Africa Lightweight belt, Ebenezer Lamptey against Ecuadorian Aduardo Flores for WBO Africa Super Lightweight title with the night completed by the national Featherweight championship between Ishmael Aryeetey and Samuel Adotei.

 
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/artikel.php?ID=227540

World champion looking forward to summer ‘superfight’

Nathan Cleverly is hoping to further enhance his box office appeal when he defends his WBO light-heavyweight title against Tommy Karpency.

The Welshman will make the third defence of belt against the American at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on February 25, in what could be a stepping stone to a big open-air fight in the summer.

“Frank (Warren) has got big plans for me and to fight at Cardiff City’s ground would be a dream,” he said. “I’m still only 24 and time is on my side to achieve a lot of things.

“I know the big super-fights will come, I’ve just got to keep putting on good displays and we are progressively getting there.

“In the meantime I can’t be complacent by taking my eye off the ball and let Karpency upset the plans.

“I saw Karo Murat’s fight against Karpency when I was preparing for my fight against Murat and I saw that he’s a southpaw, tough, rugged and strong. He’ll come to have a fight with me, but I’ll break him down and look good doing it.”

 

http://www1.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/7423772/Clev-Big-fights-will-come

WBO World Light-Heavyweight Champion Nathan Cleverly will make his homecoming title defence against American Tommy Karpency on Saturday 25th February.

The unbeaten Welshman has his first fight in Wales for over four years when he takes on Karpency at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 456/Virgin Ch. 546).

Cleverly recorded the best win of his career when he beat rival Tony Bellew last October in a thrilling, all-action, fight that saw the 24-year-old win on points.

An offer went to WBA title-holder Beibut Shumenov to face Cleverly, but he said he would not be ready in time – although it could happen later this year.

WBC Champion Bernard Hopkins was also sent an offer, but Hopkins has a forthcoming rematch with Chad Dawson.

WBA number 11 ranked Karpency, 25, has a good record of 21 wins from 24 fights and 14 knockouts and last year took Karo Murat – who Cleverly beat in September 2010 – the full twelve rounds.

“This is my first fight in Cardiff for a long time and I’m looking forward to putting on a good show for my fans’ against Karpency,” said Cleverly.

“My return has created a big interest in Wales and it’s going to be a fantastic welcome home on 25th February at the Motorpoint Arena,”

“I’ve trained over Christmas and I’m in great shape already and we’re still over seven weeks’ away from the fight so I’ll be spot on come fight night,”

“Karpency looks like a tough fighter and he took Murat the distance last year and Murat gave me a hard fight,”

“I’ve got big plans for this year that I hope will include a unification fight so I’ve got to keep busy and beat Karpency in style.”

Tickets for Cleverly v Karpency from £40 are available from the Motorpoint Arena Box Office on 02920 224 488

 

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=48090

SES Boxing starts in 2012 on January 7th with the boxing gala in Maritim Hotel Magdeburg, Germany. Under the slogan “Schwere Jungs” (Heavy Boy´s) is the newly crowned WBO European Champion, Robin Krasniqi, defending his belt for the first time in Light Heavyweight. He is currently number 6 at the official WBO ranking in Light Heavyweight.

SPORT1, the German broadcaster, transmit the fight live at 10:00 p.m. CET.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A world unification fight between WBO light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly and WBA rival Beibut Shumenov in 2012 has moved a step closer.

BBC Sport Wales understands that preliminary negotiations have taken place between the two camps.

Cleverly wants hold the fight in his native Wales but will travel to Las Vegas where Shumenov now lives.

“Beibut Shumenov, the WBA world champion, he’s next in my sights,” unbeaten 24-year-old Cleverly said.

“So whether that’s going to be in Wales or in Las Vegas, where he’s based, we’re yet to find out but wherever the fight takes place I’m really looking forward to that one.”

Shumenov has defended his WBA world crown on three occasions and the 28-year-old from Kazakhstan wants to unify the division, as does Cleverly.

IBF belt holder Tavoris Cloud is another rival challenger in the 175lb division.

“I want to fight the best to be considered the best 175-pounder in the world,” Shumenov said previously.

“All of these guys talking about unifying. Well, if they really want to make it happen all they have to do is contact us.

“I told [IBO champion Jean] Pascal that I’m from Kazakhstan, he lives in Canada; so, we should fight in the capital of boxing, Las Vegas. Same goes for Cleverly, who is from the United Kingdom.

“I’m getting ready and looking forward to a fresh New Year. Hopefully, one of the other light-heavyweight world champions will put his title belt on the line against mine in a unification fight in 2012.”

Cleverly has not ruled out a rematch against Tony Bellew, after defeating the Liverpudlian by points in October.

But whoever he ends up facing, Cleverly says he is yearning to fight in front of a home Welsh crowd for the first time since defeating Joey Vegas in November 2007.

“Preferably I’d love a homecoming now in Wales, it has been a long time,” Cleverly said.

“Most of my fights have been all over the country but a nice homecoming in Wales, that would be another dream of mine – to come to Wales as world champion, defending my title.

“So that would be my number-one venue, otherwise if we’ve got to travel to Las Vegas then so be it. We’ll go out there and do the business.”

Cleverly’s promoter Frank Warren was considering a possible fight against WBC champion Bernard Hopkins but the 46-year-old could be set for a rematch with Chad Dawson following their controversial in October.

There has also been talk of a possible all-Welsh clash with Enzo Maccarinelli, after the former WBO cruiserweight champion made a successful debut at 175 lbs after deciding to step down a division.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/15726817.stm

 

World title aspirant Braimah Kamoko popularly called Bukom Banku is set to receive his (World Boxing organization) WBO African boxer of the year 2011 at a lavish ceremony slated for the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Accra this Saturday November 26 at 7pm.

The dinner buffet/ award presentation ceremony with live music by THE CELEBRANTS band, will see Andrew Smale, the WBO Africa President present the award to Bukom Banku.

The unbeaten WBO Africa Light Heavyweight champion won all two of his fights this year and was expected to have taken up the award at the WBO Congress in Puerto Rico last month but US immigration officials in Accra refused the visa application of certain key members of the boxer’s management and promotion team.

Now the GoldenMike Boxing Promotions and Golden Concept Management International are organizing this presentation ceremony to officially recognize the accolade for the boxer.

“Attendance is strictly by invitation and nobody would be permitted entry without an invitation. All should comport themselves because dignitaries will be there in their numbers therefore no invitation, no entry,” GoldenMike Boxing Promotions CEO Mike Tetteh iterated in a statement.

By Ruslan Chikov

The WBO has approved Dmitry Suhotsky (18-1, 13KOs) for a mandatory shot at the full light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly (23-0, 11KOs). No orders were given regarding a negotiations period or a purse bid date, but the fight is being pushed by Suhotsky’s side for the first quarter of 2012. Suhotsky captured the vacant WBO Intercontinental light heavyweight title in October 2010 and made two defenses of the title.

 

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=45438

If you saw WBO light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly’s close 12 round majority decision win over challenger Tony Bellew (16-1, 10 KO’s) last Saturday night you would think the last thing that Cleverly needs to be doing is trying to move forward to fight WBC light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson or 46-year-old Bernard Hopkins. But that’s exactly what the 24-year-old Cleverly wants to do.

I think he’s stupid for wanting this, because I think he didn’t even prove that he’s better than Bellew last weekend. I scored the fight a draw and that was after giving Cleverly a couple of mercy rounds. I really think he should have lost, but knowing how popular he is in the UK, I figured he would be given rounds that were close even if Bellew appeared to do the better work. The judges scored it 117-112, 114-114 and 116-113. The 117-112 score was just plain strange because there was no way on earth that Cleverly won by those wide of score.

Instead of looking to fight Dawson or Hopkins, and get dominated, Cleverly needs to give Bellew a rematch but with a whole different crew of judges apart from the one that scored it 114-114. I think Cleverly needs to show that he’s better than Bellew before he can move on to bigger and better things like Dawson or Hopkins. And right now Cleverly and Bellew are about equal. That’s just the reality of it. Cleverly can move on if he wants to but he looks bad because he didn’t show that he was better than Bellew.

Hopkins and Dawson aren’t going to waste time fighting Cleverly. That’s not going to happen. Dawson wants to fight a rematch against Jean Pascal, while Hopkins is injured from a bad shoulder injury. Who knows how long it will take for that injury to heal, but I don’t think he’ll want to fight a less than popular guy like Cleverly in his next fight in the U.S. Hopkins won’t travel to England, that’s the only place that a Cleverly vs. Hopkins fight has any significance. U.S fans won’t buy that fight, especially after the PPV fiasco of the Hopkins-Dawson fight.

Cleverly said this to ringtv: “I think Shumenov would be good next step for me. He’s only had about 13 fights and is WBA champion. Or there’s Tavoris Cloud, the IBF champion, who is a good fighter. There’d both be unification fights. If a fight with Hopkins or Dawson came along I would take it. Whether or not I’m ready, I don’t know.”

You’re not ready, Cleverly; take it from me. I think Cloud would knock Cleverly out with his high work rate and the same with Shumenov. With his poor defense, Cleverly would be a sitting duck against Cloud and Shumenov.
I hate to say it but Cleverly pretty much found his upper level in the Bellew fight and he’s reached his ceiling.

By Scott Gilfoid:
http://www.boxingnews24.com/2011/10/cleverly-still-wants-hopkins-or-dawson-next-but-will-settle-for-cloud-or-shumenov/

WBO Cruiserweight Champion Captain Huck (33-1, 24 KOs) could not believe his eyes when he met challenger Rogelio Rossi (17-2-1, 11 KOs) at today’s press conference in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Listed at 6’6, the “Argentinian Giant” turned out to be much smaller than that. “Maybe he shrunk of fear,” Captain Huck said. “Doesn’t matter anyway. I don’t care what size he is. I have knocked out taller and smaller opponents. I will clinch a spectacular victory on Saturday night. He will not get my title.” Huck then measured his opponent. The result: 6’3 and a half!

Rossi seemed to enjoy the confusion regarding his height. “It’s true, I’m not two meters tall,” he stated. “But I will still defeat Huck. If you’re scared, your opponent looks much bigger than he actually is. I guess this has happened to Huck. I will take his title on Saturday night. I have trained hard and I will win.”

German coaching legend Ulli Wegner said Rossi’s actual size will make no difference. “We have done sparring with tall guys and with small guys, we are prepared for everything,” he stated. “If Rossi was clever, he would have stood on tiptoes during the face-to-face to look bigger than he is. I don’t think he can cope with Huck’s explosiveness and aggressiveness anyway.”

In the co-featured main event, IBF Intercontinental Middleweight Champion Dominik Britsch (25-0, 9 KOs) defends his title against Billy Lyell (24-9, 5 KOs), while unbeaten heavyweight sensation Kubrat Pulev (13-0, 6 KOs) takes on Travis Walker (38-6-1, 30 KOs) for the IBF International Heavyweight Title.

Photos: Sauerland Event
http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/rossis-size-stuns-huck-99083

Marco Huck (33-1, 24 KOs) will defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) Cruiserweight Title for the eighth time in Ludwigsburg, Germany next Saturday when he is challenged by Argentinian southpaw Rogelio Rossi (17-2-1, 11 KOs). Boxing-online.com has caught up the Captain in his training camp base in Kienbaum near Berlin.

Q: After knocking out Hugo Hernan Garay in July, you got married. Does being a husband change anything inside the ring?

MH: “Not at all. Inside the ring, it does not matter whether I am married or not. I am all by myself. There is only my coach Mr. Wegner who is trying to push me as hard as he can. But at the end of the day it´s just me and my opponent.”

Q: Your challenger Rogelio Rossi is taller than you. Have you changed anything in your preparation?

MH: “I have done sparring with a lot of tall guys. I don´t care what size Rossi is. He will go down. I enter the ring to win and to please my fans. And they can again expect an explosive performance.”

Q: Argentinian fighters always seem to have a very big heart, great fighting spirit and superb condition. How do you think the fight will go?

MH: “I have trained for 12 rounds. I think the fight will last long because, as you say, the guys from Argentina really come to fight. I will give everything from the first second onwards and it will be an exciting clash.”

Q: Two years ago, you made your first title defence in Ludwigsburg against Ola Afolabi. In retrospect, what do you think of that fight?

MH: “It was a big win for me. I defended my belt but I had to overcome some tough moments. The fans carried me when things got rough and that helped me a lot. I know I can count on their support again this time out.”

Q: What has changed since that fight?

MH: “A lot of things. I am an accomplished world champion these days. I have defended my title seven times. When I started, it was my dream to get a professional contract with Sauerland Event, and now I am a proven champion. That´s great. And I still have a lot of things to accomplish. But first of all, I need to defend my title against Rossi.”

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2011/10/qa-marco-%E2%80%9Ccaptain%E2%80%9D-huck-%E2%80%9Crossi-will-go-down/

Nathan Cleverly did just enough to retain his WBO light-heavyweight title on points at the end of a real war with Tony Bellew.

Liverpudlian Bellew produced the fight of his life in front of his home fans at the Echo Arena, proving he’s more than just a big puncher with a tremendous display of boxing skills that pushed the champion to the limit.

However Cleverly semed to land the cleaner stuff throughout 12 gruelling rounds, meaning he got the nod on a majority verdict.

The Welshman had it 117-112 and 116-113 in his favour from two of the judges at ringside with the third not able to split the pair, marking it 114-114.

They certainly did not disappoint after all the hype in the build-up, which included them nearly coming to blows at a press conference before their scheduled first fight, one which Bellew had to pull out of due to weight issues.

The extra wait proved worth it though and even referee Richie Davies was ready for fireworks from the moment the first bell sounded, warning the challenger within a minute for using his head.

The telling off did not bother Bellew though, and in the second round he loaded up with some big right hands that had his vocal supporters on their feet to cheer him on.

Cleverly responded to the onslaught with a show of defiance, both to his opponent and the crowd, sticking out his tongue and doing a little jig to suggest none of the punches had caused any damage.

Still, he was again on the wrong end of a few in the third, Bellew surprisingly out-jabbing a man who was supposed to have the superior talent of the two.

But by the seventh it appeared Cleverly’s work to the body was beginning to slow down his rival – only for ‘Bomber’ Bellew to get a second wind and pour forward, including landing a straight right in the 10th that would have floored many a man.

In the end, though, Cleverly’s champion pedigree saw him come on strong at the finish, and it was he who looked much the more confident over the outcome when the final bell sounded to end a sensational Anglo-Welsh battle that will leave many calling for a second instalment.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,,12183_7244849,00.html

I was brought up in an area called Phillipstown, New Tredegar in South Wales UK, or commonly known by the locals as, Monkey’s Island. There were few facilities and even fewer opportunities, however my upbringing was good with a strong family behind me and good set of values that kept me out of trouble, most of the time!

I have a strong competitive nature which was evident in my primary school days which continued onto secondary at Blackwood Comprehensive. Sport came first, especially football then cross country running. I also maintained my desire to do well academically, which I am happy I stuck with.

But being competitive brought its own problems and I found I needed to prove myself all the time, and so, I unwittingly started getting involved in fighting after school on street corners. Eventually realising that this was going to get me nowhere, I decided to “put my money where my mouth is” and after talking things through with my parents I decided to go and join the nearest boxing gym.

Although I still maintained my interest in football and cross country running, even becoming under 15 Welsh Champion, boxing took its hold, firstly in the amateur rankings, where I started at 39kg going onto 69kg. I won 6 consecutive titles in a row in a 6 year period, and then went on to win bronze, silver and gold at 4 nation championships (competing against the best of England, Scotland and Republic of Ireland).

My amateur record consists of 36 fights, winning 32 of the 36, undefeated in my own country, and only loosing to an Italian, 2 English, and a Norwegian boxer.

While my amateur boxing career was allowing me to develop, my school studies weren’t doing too badly either, I found the more competitive I became in boxing the more competitive I became in school. I passed my GCSE’s, 10 (4 A*, 4 A’s, 1 B and 1 C) then passed ‘A’ levels, 3 (2 A’s 1 B).

Then I decided to push myself a little bit harder, and made the decision to turn to professional boxing after my 18th birthday. My style of boxing and training was more suited to the professional game and I also realised I had achieved what I wanted to in the amateur sport. I thrive on a challenge, whether it is in sport or studies, and as much as I sometimes think “what am I doing!”, I know the decisions I make to push myself makes me work harder. So after my “A” level results I decided on University. But which “Uni”, it had to be a university that allowed me to continue my training, so the decision was made easily; I enrolled in Cardiff to study a Mathematics Degree. I got my degree in August 2010.

My “Pro” career has gone from strength to strength, of my 19 fights, I have had 19 wins, with 9 knockouts. I have been classed as the fastest rising ranking boxer in my weight division, and I was also nominated for Young Boxer of the Year Award, coming first runner up.

For the Future, I want to prove myself to be a worthy contender for the World Champion at Light Heavy Weight, and to go as far as I can in my professional boxing career, however it is very important to me that I “earn” my way, and certainly learn from my mistakes, taking nothing for granted. You only achieve what you truly believe.

Home