Joseph Parker: I Back Myself To Beat Anyone, I’ll Fight Anyone!

WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (23-0, 18 KOs), 24 years old, is hoping to get in the ring with the other beltholders in the division to unify all of the titles.

At the moment, Anthony Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) holds the WBA, IBO, IBF world titles and Deontay Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) is the WBC champion.

Parker will return in September, when he heads to Manchester to face undefeated mandatory challenger Hughie Fury, who is the undefeated cousin of former world champion Tyson Fury.

Parker believes the upcoming contest, which takes place at the Manchester Arena in September 23, will help raise his profile in the division.

A big showcase on UK soil will certainly go a long way to building a potential 2018 showdown with Joshua, who right now is the biggest name in the heavyweight division.

“It’s alright. These other guys are fighting on that side of the world with all the exposure they get. New Zealand has got a small population to compare and for us to already have a world champion and now to start fighting, it’s a good step for us,” Parker said to Sport 360.

“It’s great to be a world champion, to achieve that goal that I set at a young age, but now I want to go on to do more, to create my own legacy. People don’t know me, but that’s all right. Hopefully they will soon. I want to show skills, bring excitement, pressure, be the fighter that everyone will remember.

“This is my chance in the UK to show what I can do. And I believe things happen when they are supposed to happen. Like every other heavyweight fighter I want to unify the belts, it’s a goal for me. It’s going to give me the motivation to train harder and focus. Just because you win one title, that’s not enough.”

Parker is very confident in his ability and is more than confident that he can topple both Joshua and Wilder – once he gets them the ring.

“I back myself to beat anyone. I don’t fear anyone and will fight anyone. The focus is of course on Hughie now and after that we will sit down and look to fight the other best fighters in the world,” Parker said.

www.boxingscene.com/joseph-parker-i-back-myself-beat-anyone-ill-fight-anyone–118714?print_friendly=1

By Miguel Rivera

WBO Junior Lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko mentioned that he was fully preparing to face Mexico’s Orlando ‘Siri’ Salido in a long awaited rematch on August 5, but then he was advised that Salido was out – and Colombian Miguel Marriaga was placed in the contest.

Vasyl was eager to avenge the only loss of his pro career to Salido, and an economic agreement had been reached but an injury to Salido’s hand prevented the deal from being finalized, and then Marriaga, who comes back from a solid fight against WBO 126-pound champion Oscar Valdez, was thrown in the mix.

“It really has not changed anything in my preparation, I was preparing for Salido but the opponent was changed. You have to be ready for the opponent they put in front of you and you have to give a good fight,” said Lomachenko to ESPN Deportes.

During the announcement of the card, Lomachenko (8-1, 6 KO’s) showed respect for Marriaga (25-2, 21 KO’s), who did the same, and promoter Bob Arum stressed that fights like this, and the one earlier this month with Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn.

“Boxing has been one of the major sports for many years, in the 1970s and 1980s, boxing was an essential sport not only in the United States but throughout the world. We’re working with ESPN to showcase these fighters and help boxing recover that top spot,”Arum said of the deal he had made with ESPN.

“We saw on July 1, Pacquiao-Horn’s ESPN broadcast had a tremendous audience, and Lomachenko and Marriaga, (Raymundo) Beltran and (Bryan) Vasquez will offer tremendous action to the public throughout the United States and the world, we are very proud to be part of this tremendous event.”

Finally, Marriaga expressed that he is not interested in the fact that Lomachenko is favorite. ”

It is normal that suddenly he is the favorite, he is the champion, but we are prepared, we come to fight, we’re coming to stage a war and God allows everything to go well,” he said.

www.boxingscene.com/lomachenko-i-preparing-salido-ready-marriaga–118729?print_friendly=1

By Miguel Rivera

The postponement of Felix Verdejo’s title fight does not mean that he will leave the gym entirely.

Ricky Marquez, coach and manager of the Puerto Rican pugil, said yesterday that he will not stop his pupil’s training regime and that he will keep abreast of the injury of Terry ‘Turbo’ Flanagan, lightweight champion (135 pounds) of the World Boxing (WBO).

“We continue to work and train to see what comes next,” Marquez told Carlos Gonzalez. “We are going to wait for the WBO to make its protocol according to the situation and if there is a fight that arises, an eliminator or maybe some regional title fight, we will look at it. For me, the important thing is that Felix stays as active as possible.”

Last Monday it was reported that Flanagan suffered a leg injury. The combat, originally scheduled for September 16, however, was postponed for a future date to be determined.

For Márquez, the change is not cause for concern.

“Felix has the focus and concentration to do the job. As every athlete wants to compete,” he said.

He also did not rule out the plan to move to Big Bear, California, to complete part of the training program at the gym of Abel Sánchez, whose main pupil is Gennady Golovkin.

“I would not know at this point because we do not yet have everything to make that decision. If a fight arises soon between August and September, I do not rule out Felix going to California,” said Marquez.

“It all depends on whether they tell us when the fight would be … when they give us a safe date.”

On the other hand, Márquez expressed caution regarding the alleged injury of Flanagan and hopes that the WBO receives the document that certifies the same.

“From what I understand, there was dissatisfaction on the part of Flanagan’s representatives. It is a coincidence that the injury happened so fast. It generates suspicion. I can beieve that it is a genuine injury because Flanagan is a warrior, but from I understand it is purely a matter of business,” said Marquez.

Even Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcárcel, president of the WBO, said yesterday that he had not received the medical certificate with details of the Flanagan injury.

“We had problems with the internet service during the past few days, so we have not yet been able to verify if we received it,” Valcárcel concluded.

www.boxingscene.com/verdejo-stay-busy-flanagan-situation-sorted-out–118799?print_friendly=1

IOS Boxing Promotions today announced its complete fight card for the much-awaited fight night ‘Battleground Asia’ scheduled to happen at Dome@NSCI, SVP Stadium in Mumbai on 5th August 2017.

The knockout king Vijender Singh headlines a quality packed card that also features debut of Beijing Olympic quarterfinalists Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar. In the double title fight, Indian boxing sensation Vijender Singh will take on Chinese No.1 boxer Zulpikar Maimaitiali and both will compete for double title – WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight & WBO Oriental Super Middleweight. The other two key boxers Akhil Kumar (Junior Welterweight – 63.5 Kg) will take on Australian TY Gilchrist and Jitender Kumar (Lightweight – 61.2 Kgs) will face Thanet Likhitkamporn from Thailand in their debut fights.

‘Battleground Asia’ will also see participation from other boxers apart from the Beijing Olympic trio, WBC Asia Welterweight Champion Neeraj Goyat who will be looking to defend his title belt, the other joining the fight card are Pardeep Kharera, Dharmender Grewal and Kuldeep Dhanda.

The 26-year-old boxer from Haryana, Neeraj Goyat made his professional debut in 2011 against Gou Wen Dong in China. He has fought 12 bouts with an experience of 71 rounds under his belt and claimed 8 wins, with 2 Knockouts. The Indian is currently placed 35th in the WBC list which was updated after his victory over Australian Ben Kite, who he defeated to retain his title. In 2016, he had won bronze medal in the AIBA Pro Boxing Olympic qualifier.

WBC Asia Welterweight Champion Neeraj Goyat will be looking to defend his title in a 10-round fight against Allan Tanada of Philippines in the Welterweight category (66.7 Kgs). Neeraj will be facing a much-experienced boxer, Tanada who made his debut in the year 2008 and has played 24 bouts since then with winning 15 of them including 7 KO’s, and has 137 rounds under his belt.

An enthusiastic Neeraj Goyat spoke on defending his title belt, “I have worked very hard for this belt and this belt means a lot to me. I am not going to let anyone take it from me. I am putting in a lot of labour and muscles to make sure that the belt remains with me on 5th August 2017. Yes, my opponent is more experienced but that does not mean I will let go of my belt that easy, I will give him a tough fight.”

The 21- year old Pardeep Kharera comes from a small district in Haryana. Pardeep turned pro last year in February, till date he has 3 bouts with 11 rounds under his belt. Pardeep, will face Wanphichit Siriphana of Thailand who debuted in the year 2014 and has fought 3 bouts since then. Siriphana has played 15 rounds, he has won 2 bouts out of the 3 that he has been a part of. Pardeep will face him in a 6-round contest in Welterweight category (66.7 Kgs).

Dharmender Grewal turned towards professional boxing in April last year and has fought and won 2 bouts since his debut, with one resulting in a Knockout win. He will face Isaac Slade of Australia in a 6-round contest, in the Cruiserweight category (90.7 Kgs). Isaac debuted in the year 2015 and has been a part of 3 fights with 15 rounds. However, he has won only 1 bout with KO, the other two resulting in loss and draw respectively.

Haryana boy Kuldeep Dhanda, 27, who turned professional in April last year in the light weight category made a good start in his career winning 3 out of 3 bouts. In this fight night, he will face Sachin Bhot in a 4 round contest in the Lightweight (61.2 Kgs) category. Sachin has previously played two bouts with one resulting in his favour the other against him

www.boxingscene.com/vijender-singh-vs-zulpikar-maimaitiali-undercard-information–118822?print_friendly=1

By David Finger

Isaac Dogboe and Javier Chacon took part in a final press conference on Friday at the Kempinski Hotel, Gold Coast City, Accra, Ghana before today’s fight at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra. Both fighters were respectful but confident as they talked about the upcoming clash.

When asked if he was ready for the fight Isaac Dogboe electrified the crowd with a forceful response. “(I’m the) warrior of Africa! I am always ready!”

Dogboe recognized he was facing off against a world class opponent in Chacon, brother of former WBO featherweight champion Juan Pablo Chacon. Javier Chacon has twice fought for a WBA world title and has won five in a row. But Dogboe nonetheless remained supremely confident and even directed a message to Chacon at the press conference.

“I want him to understand I possess a God-given strength and wisdom. I’m going to discipline a real warrior. He’s not in my league. Everything he brings, I have an antidote for.”

Chacon was respectful but also promised a victory.

“I’m here to win,” Chacon told the international media present. “I have been injured for awhile but I’m fit now and my focus is to win this fight.”

“I feel right now Isaac, he’ maturing into a real top class fighter,” matchmaker Mike Altamura added. “This is the last roadblock (to a world title fight).”

Altamura then suggested that the billing of the fight, “The Battle to Vegas”, might be renamed if Isaac performance exceeds expectation.

“If possible, let’s make it the Battle of Accra and bring the world title to Ghana.”

www.fightnews.com/dogboe-confident-final-press-conference-im-always-ready/1501

MAZATLAN, Mexico – The super middleweight world champion of the World Boxing Organization (WBO), Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, will travel to Los Angeles, on Sunday, where he will continue the training camp for the second defense of his title against undefeated American Jesse ‘Hard Work’ Hart.

The Ramírez vs. Hart showdown will be held on September 22 in Tucson, Arizona. Which leaves a space of two months, enough time for Ramirez to reach the level required for a world championship fight.

“The strongest stage of preparation has already arrived, to travel out to Los Angeles to start [the full camp]. I am very focused on this fight and the truth is I am very motivated by the opponent. I hope give the fans a good spectacle and I hope that Hart comes out to fight, as we are Mexicans.”

Both boxers will stake their undefeated records. The champion marches in with a record of 35 wins with 24 knockouts, while his challenger has 22 wins with 18 knockouts.

From the moment the contest was confirmed, Ramirez and his team went to work and made a game plan focused on what they know and what they have seen from Hart. They want to prevent Hart from using his style of evasive boxing – which they believe he uses to slow down the pace of his fights and avoid any toe to toe contact.

“We have studied him for two years. We have followed him during his trajectory and we have been looking at the progress that he’s had. He is a fighter that stays away a lot from his opponent. He doesn’t box in there – he runs. We already have the plan set down. We’re working on it and the fight is going to be interesting because of the size of both of us… he’s tall, so am I, so he won’t be able to run,” Ramirez said.

www.boxingscene.com/gilberto-ramirez-i-let-jesse-hart-run-i-want-him-fight–118758?print_friendly=1

By Declan Taylor, courtesy of The Daily Star

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS used to get chased round Sheffield by the police during his days as a tearaway amateur.

Now he says he is living a prison lifestyle in the Steel City after relocating there on a permanent basis a decade later.

Saunders, who will make the second defence of his WBO world middleweight title against American Willie Monroe Jr at London’s Copper Box Arena in September, called Sheffield his home when he was part of Team GB.

His glittering time as an amateur saw him box at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

And now he is back up in Yorkshire training under Dominic Ingle at the famous Wincobank gym which has produced the likes of ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed and Kell Brook.

But he is no longer treading the thin blue line even though Ingle is keeping him under lock and key.

He said: “It’s weird because sometimes I have a walk round the places where I used to get police chases.

“I just think, ‘Wow’ because nothing has changed except there are less police chasing me and that’s because I’m a bit fat.

“But the set-up is good in Sheffield, I live in the attic of Kid Galahad’s house.

“I just needed to be away from home really, there was too much horse racing, dog coursing, women, cakes and food – it was like Christmas every day.

“I’m proud of where I come from but our way of living is not good for boxing, our way of living is not good for general life.

“Now I’m locked away where it all started for me as part of the GB Olympic team for Beijing.

“You have to live like a monk who has nothing and put the work in. For me, that time is now.”

www.boxingscene.com/billy-joe-saunders-living-like-monk-get-top-form–118652?print_friendly=1

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – The second defense of the WBO Jr. Featherweight (122 pounds) Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano will headline the beginning of the series “Viernes de Campeones en Casino Metro Boxing Nights”, presented by PR Best Boxing Promotions (PRBBP), in association with DiBella Entertainment and Top Rank, on Friday, July 21, at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino in San Juan, to be broadcasted live on Papa 2 Deportes in Puerto Rico and on beIN Sports en Español on delay Saturday (11:00 p.m.).

In a press conference this afternoon, promoter Ivan Rivera, president of PRBBP, announced that the show will consist of five fights and that besides Serrano, will fight former world contender Jonathan Oquendo, the 2016 Olympians Jeyvier Cintron and Robson Conceicao, as well as the 2004 Olympic from Puerto Rico, Victor Bisbal, who returns to the ring.

“As we mentioned from the beginning that there would be five and six fights, we started this first edition of “Viernes de Campeones en Casino Metro Boxing Nights” at the Sheraton with five good fights for the fans’ enjoyment,” said Rivera. “Amanda’s defense, Jeyvier’s debut in Puerto Rico and Oquendo’s comeback are the strong part of the show on TV, which will open with the bout of Brazilian gold medalist Conceicao.”

The main fight of the evening is Serrano (32-1-1, 24 KOs), the first Puerto Rican and the only woman in history with world boxing championships in five different weights (118, 122, 126, 130 and 135 pounds), who will defend for the second time her WBO belt against the Hungarian Edina Kiss (13-4, 7 KO’s), a known rival that Serrano beat in April 2016. Serrano comes from defeating Dahiana Santana to win the WBO bantamweight (118 pounds) title on April 22 and become the first female world queen in five different weights.

“I feel very happy to fight again in Puerto Rico and defend one of my titles on the Island. I am well prepared and ready to demonstrate again what Puerto Ricans are and show off to my Puerto Ricans,” said Serrano.

In an interesting test, former world title challenger Oquendo (26-5, 16 KOs) returns after 19 months to face Costa Rican Francisco Fonseca (19-0-1, 13 KOs) for the WBO Latino title at 130 pounds in a 10 rounds scheduled bout. Oquendo’s latest fight was in December 2015 when he lost a unanimous decision against Argentine Jesus Cuellar challenging for the WBA featherweight crown. Fonseca comes from a victory in March by KO in three rounds over Eliecer Lanzas.

In another of the fights, Puerto Rican Olympian Jeyvier Cintrón (1-0), the first boxer from Puerto Rico to compete in two Olympic Games (London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016), will fight for the first time as a professional on the Island when he faces the Chilean Guillermo Dejeas (7-7-1, 2 KO’s) in a four rounds fight at 118 lbs. The son of former professional boxer Javer “Perrito” Cintron, who is trained by two-time former world champion Ivan “Iron Boy” Calderon, debuted professionally in April with a win by unanimous decision over the experienced Mexican Leonardo Reyes.

“The only thing we are waiting for is the day of the fight, as we have been preparing to give a good show in my first fight in Puerto Rico,” Cintron said.
The fight that will open the TV will be between Conceicao (3-0, 2 KO’s), the first Brazilian boxer to win an Olympic gold medal (2016 Olympic Games) and a veteran of three Olympics (2008, 2012 and 2016), who will fight an eight rounds and 130 pounds bout against Mexican Bernardo Gomez (18-7, 11 KO’s).

The remaining bout is a heavyweight attraction with former Olympian veteran Victor Bisbal (22-3, 16 KOs), facing Colombian Epifanio Mendoza (43-25-1, 37 KO’s) for eight rounds. Bisbal, an Olympic from Puerto Rico in 2004 and a Central American and Panamerican Games medalist as an amateur, returns to the ring after an inactivity of one year.

www.boxingscene.com/photos-amanda-serrano-vs-edina-kiss-final-press-conference–118668?print_friendly=1

Two weeks ago, Australian Jeff Horn pulled off a shock welterweight title victory over Manny Pacquiao – but there was a lot of controversy over the scorecards [115-113, 115-113, 117-111] and there were many who felt Pacquiao should have been the victor.

As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, the World Boxing Organization reviewed the fight with five independent judges and they declared Horn the clear winner.

The WBO — which does not have the power to reverse a decision unless fraud or law violations are proven — set up a panel of independent and anonymous judges who were asked to watch the bout without sound and determine who won each round.

The results were tabulated to show clearly the rounds each fighter won using an average scale based on 60, 80 and 100 percent, with three of the five officials needing to be in agreement.

A similar method has been used to review WBO title fights before.

“Upon the analysis, the findings stated that Pacquiao won the 3rd, the 8th and 9th by 100 percent; the 5th round was won by 80 percent; and the 11th round by 60 percent,” the WBO said in a statement.

“Horn won the 1st, 6th and 12th rounds by 100 percent; rounds 2, 4, and 7 by 80 percent; and then, the 10th round by 60 percent. From the results, it can be established that Pacquiao won five rounds while Horn won seven rounds. Based on this analysis, Jeff Horn was the winner of the bout.”

The loss sparked calls in the Philippines for the 38-year-old Pacquiao, a national icon after rising from poverty to be considered one of the greatest fighters of his generation, to retire and concentrate on politics.

Pacquiao briefly quit boxing last year to pursue his long-held political ambitions and was elected senator. But he quickly made a successful comeback against Jessie Vargas in November, saying he still felt like a youngster.

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum said the result of the World Boxing Organization’s review “doesn’t settle anything.”

“First of all they didn’t [rule] that Jeff Horn clearly won the fight. They (WBO) had five judges scoring the fight: three had Horn winning narrowly, one had it at draw, one had Pacquiao winning,” Arum told News To Go in an interview.

“Well it doesn’t settle anything. It was a very close fight. It could have been scored either way. I had Manny winning the fight by one point, but you know when it gets that close, the fight can go either way.”

“Manny has to decide what he wants to do in the future and we’ll take it from there. I will see whether he really wants to do a rematch, whether he wants to continue boxing, or whether because of his senatorial duty, he is unable to continue.”

Photo Credit:  Getty Images

www.boxingscene.com/arum-reacts-wbo-backing-horn-shocker-over-pacquiao–118387?print_friendly=1

 Photos by Naoki Fukuda  –

Do you know who’s a current world champion under 100 pounds? The WBO female atomweight titlist Nao Ikeyama is the one. Do you know who’s the oldest current world champ? Nao, 47 years old, is the one, too. Nao Ikeyama (18-3-3, 5 KOs), 99.5, barely kept her WBO 102-pound belt as she was held to a split draw (96-94, 94-96, 95-95) by younger and fresher Saemi Hanagata (13-6-4, 7 KOs), 101.75, over ten hard-fought rounds on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan.

It’s Nao’s sixth successful defense, and the tallies were completely same as their previous encounter with the WBO belt at stake in June of the previous year. Hanagata, fifteen years her junior, took the initiative with her opening attack, but the veteran champ, having fought since 2003, came back hard with her trademark non-stop attack in the second half. Hanagata may deserve their rubber battle.

www.http://fightnews.com/ikeyama-47-keeps-wbo-female-102lb-belt/860

Jeff Horn has welcomed a World Boxing Organisation review that has concluded he was the true victor of his welterweight title fight against Manny Pacquiao.

The 29-year-old Australian said it was “super timing” as he prepared to board a flight to the United States, where he is set to meet some of the biggest critics of his contentious points win over Pacquiao at the ESPY Awards on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.

“It gives me evidence behind me that I can just use now. Instead of saying I think I won the fight, now a heap of other people – professionally – think I won the fight,” Horn told reporters at Brisbane Airport on Tuesday morning.

A WBO statement declared that Horn won seven rounds to Pacquiao’s five and was a rightful winner. Five independent judges reviewed the fight, watching without sound, and delivered their decision.

Horn and Filipino veteran Pacquiao squared off in a hyped-up fight at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium last week, with the Australian underdog being named the winner in a points decision after 12 rounds of boxing failed to produce a knockout result. The result from the judges was a unanimous win to Horn — with the scores coming in at 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113 — but many of those watching, including Pacquiao’s camp, were outraged at the result.

The controversy led the WBO to re-score the fight, but once again, Horn has been named the winner after the results were released on Tuesday morning

“The Jeff Horn vs. Manny Pacquiao bout results were controversial causing disputes amongst fans. For this reason, transparency is so important,” the WBO said in a statement on its website.

“The WBO does not have power to reverse the judges’ decision based on discretion as it can only be revoked when fraud or a violation of law has occurred, which is not relevant in this case. Based on this, five anonymous, competent judges from different countries were asked to watch the bout without sound.

“From the results, it can be established that Pacquiao won five rounds while Horn won seven rounds… Based on this analysis, Jeff Horn was the winner of the bout.”

www.boxingscene.com/jeff-horn-applauds-wbo-now-i-evidence-back-my-win–118371?print_friendly=1

Michael Koncz, the long-time adviser to eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao, agrees with the opinion of Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum – who felt Pacquiao’s corner was overconfident and unprepared for last weekend’s world title defense against 2012 Australian Olympian Jeff Horn.

Pacquiao’s head trainer, Freddie Roach, and other members of the corner, admit they very surprised with the toughness and the durability of Horn. Prior to the contest, they were giving Horn zero chance of wining.

Horn upset the odds, winning a twelve round unanimous decision to capture Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title before a crowd of over 51,000 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia. The three judges were in agreement, scoring the contest 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111 for Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs).

The veteran promoter believes the entire corner dropped the ball in what was a very winnable fight for the eight division world champion. And Arum says the entire corner should be on point here – including head trainer Freddie Roach, assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez, conditioning coach Justin Fortune and cut man Miguel Diaz.

“What the hell is wrong with that corner? Why wasn’t Freddie Roach out in the ring between rounds yelling at the referee? It’s his job, and there’s confusion in the corner with the languages, with Buboy and Miguel Diaz yelling and screaming like a maniac,” said Arum to The Los Angeles Times.

“And Freddie has to stay close to Manny to give him some advice … to me, they were so overconfident going in — Justin Fortune tells the press that the only way Horn can win is if Manny trips going into the ring. I had seen the kid. I told everybody he was a big, tough kid who could take a punch. I didn’t think he’d beat Manny, but it wasn’t the same Manny.”

Koncz, also felt the corner was lacking.

“The corner didn’t have a strategy. They were all amazed Jeff Horn was such a tough, rugged fighter and they didn’t adapt to it. There’s a lot of blame to go around, but the bottom line is the kid had a lot of heart and came to win and did everything he could to get it, and the referee let him do more than he should have,” Koncz said.

“If we go back to Australia, I’ll be more involved with the promotion and the selection of the judges and referee. I relied heavily on the WBO. Everybody can be blamed for everything for this. If we do have a rematch, there’s got to be a lot of changes. We’re not sure he’s ever going to fight again. I told Manny before the fight that if things didn’t happen, we would sit down and make decisions on what we need to do.”

www.boxingscene.com/koncz-backs-arum-pacquiao-corner-strategy–118194?print_friendly=1

170706 Letter to the Games & Amusement Board

Date:  Sunday, July 2, 2017

WBO INTERNATIONAL LT. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:  Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Promoter:  Duco Events Ltd/Dean Lonergan –  Top Rank/Bob Arum  

Supervisor:   Leon Panoncillo

Referee: Phil Austin

Judges:   Katsuhiko Nakamura 96-94, Adam Height 96-94, Danrex Tapdasan  96-94

Results:   The WBO International Lt. Heavyweight Title was defeated by Damien Hooper against Umar Salamov by Unanimous Decision.

TV:   USA ESPN, Australia Main Event, New Zealand Sky Arena

WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs) was not happy with the way Teddy Atlas spoke to him, during their post-fight interview.

Horn is the new owner of the WBO championship after a controversial points victory against Pacquiao on Sunday in a brutal slugfest at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

The unanimous decision in favour of the 29-year-old has prompted a storm of debate over the scorecards, with a host of prominent US celebrities, broadcasters and sports stars weighing in, and some even suggesting the outcome was rigged.

Judges Waleksa Roldan (117-111), Chris Flores (115-113) and Ramon Cerdan (115-113) adjudicated the fight. Roldan and Flores are from the United States and Cerdan is from Argentina, yet there have been accusations it was a hometown decision.

According to CompuBox statistics, Horn landed just 92 punches to Pacquaio’s 182, but some rounds were tight and difficult to score.

Atlas, a veteran trainer and longtime boxing analyst, was working ringside as part of ESPN’s broadcast team.

When the decision was announced, Atlas was furious and expressed his anger to millions of viewers who were catching ESPN’s coverage.

“They gave a trophy, a win, a huge win to Horn, the local kid for trying hard,” Atlas moaned. “You’re not supposed to get it for trying hard, you’re supposed to get it for winning!”

Then, in a post-fight interview at ringside, Atlas told Horn to his face that he didn’t think he won the fight.

“Congratulations, great effort, but I thought you lost,” Atlas said. Pacquiao, standing alongside them, cracked a wide smile.

On Monday, Horn explained that he felt the timing of Atlas’ rant was lacking class.

“Everyone has a right to their opinion. The timing of their opinions can be a bit off sometimes. He was trying to ruin the moment for me at that point. It would have been good for him to say it another time. Say what you want, Teddy,” Horn said.

www.boxingscene.com/horn-atlas-tried-ruin-my-moment-say-what-you-want-teddy–118159?print_friendly=1

Date:  Saturday, July 2, 2017

WBO Welterweight Championship Title Bout

Location: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Promoter:    Top Rank / Bob Arum

Supervisor:   Francisco Valcarcel, Esq.

Referee:  Mark Nelson

Judges:  Waleska Roldan (117-111), Chris Flores (115-113), Ramon Cerdan (115-113)

Results:   The WBO Welterweight Title was obtained by a new World Champion Jeff Horn against Manny Pacquiao by Unanimous Decision.

TV: USA ESPN, Panama RPC Channel 4, Australia Main Event, New Zealand Sky Arena, Canada Super Channel

By Cliff Rold

The road show is nothing new for a star on the wane.

With his numbers down from what they were in the States, if still strong for most fighters, Manny Pacquiao is hitting the road this weekend (Saturday, ESPN, 9 PM PST/6 PM PST). Pacquiao is fighting outside the US and it’s hard to argue with the business results. The Suncorp Stadium in Australia is going to look great on the broadcast.

Will Pacquiao look great too?

Much of that will come down to the question: who is Jeff Horn?

Anonymous to even most hardcore fight followers, Horn didn’t even turn professional until after the fourth fateful battle between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. There are some recognizable names on his record, faded versions of Randall Bailey and Ali Funeka, but none of them give him recognition yet.

He’ll determine whether he can attain that Saturday night.

Let’s go the report card.

The Ledgers

Manny Pacquiao
Age: 38
Current Titles: WBO Welterweight (2016-Present, 1st Attempted Defense)
Previous Titles: Lineal/WBC World Flyweight (1998-99, 1 Defense); IBF Super Bantamweight) 2001-03, 4 Defenses); Lineal/Ring World Featherweight (2003-05, 2 Defenses); Lineal/Ring/WBC World Jr. Lightweight (2008); WBC Lightweight (2008-09); Lineal/Ring World Jr. Welterweight (2009-10); WBC Light Middleweight (2010); WBO Welterweight, (2009-12, 3 Defenses; 2014-15, 1 Defense); TBRB/Lineal Welterweight (2016; Retired)
Height: 5’5 ½
Weight: 146 lbs.
Hails from: General Santos City, Cotabato del Sur, Philippines
Record: 59-6-2, 38 KO, 3 KOBY
Rankings: #1 (BoxingScene, TBRB, ESPN, Boxing Monthly, BoxRec); #4 (Ring)
Record in Major Title Fights: 20-3-2, 11 KO, 1 KOBY (including Lineal title Fights)
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: Chatchai Sasakul KO8; Medgoen Singsurat TKO3; Lehlo Ledwaba KO6; Agapito Sanchez Tech. Draw 6; Jorge Eliecer Julio TKO2; Marco Antonio Barrera TKO11, UD12; Juan Manuel Marquez D12, SD12, MD12, KO by 6; Erik Morales L12, TKO10, KO3; Oscar Larios UD12; David Diaz TKO9; Oscar De La Hoya RTD8; Ricky Hatton KO2; Miguel Cotto TKO12; Joshua Clottey UD12; Antonio Margarito UD12; Shane Mosley UD12; Timothy Bradley L12, UD12, UD12; Brandon Rios UD12; Chris Algieri UD12; Floyd Mayweather L12; Jessie Vargas UD12

Vs.

Jeff Horn
Age: 29
Current Titles/Previous Titles: None
Height: 5’9
Weight: 147 lbs.
Hails from: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Record: 16-0-1, 11 KO
Rankings: Unrated
Record in Major Title Fights: 1st Title Opportunity
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: Randall Bailey RTD7

Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Pacquiao A-; Horn B
Pre-Fight: Power – Pacquiao B+; Horn B
Pre-Fight: Defense – Pacquiao B+; Horn B-
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Pacquiao A; Horn B

If Horn is going to win, his feet and a tricky right hand will be his deliverance. He’s not as fast as Pacquiao, not even this older version. Horn does have canny timing with the right; he throws it straight and as a timed looping lead. The challenger also has a good, hard, straight jab. He can sit down inside but, at least in his last few fights, seems to feel more comfortable using his feet to create space.

He’s going to need space with Pacquiao.

While he throws far less than he did in his prime, sometimes closer to half of what he did against the like of Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito many years ago, Pacquiao is still effective in picking spots and stringing together combinations. His feet are also still an asset, allowing him to get in and out and around younger foes.

Along with his talent, there is a reservoir of experience opponents have to overcome. There is a reason all three of Pacquiao’s clean losses since 1999 have been to first ballot Hall of Fame talent.

Both guys can be hit. Horn has decent head movement but against Funeka and Bailey he seemed wide open for the jab at times. Pacquiao, the shorter man, may find an advantage there from his southpaw stance. Horn will have a height edge and could try to muscle Pacquiao when they get in close but he’d be open to the body. Funeka put Horn down with a sharp body shot in their fight.

In terms of intangibles, one guy is Pacquiao and one is a guy fighting a live, world-class talent for the first time. What we’ve seen so far from Horn is promising but he’s fighting someone unlike anything he’s seen to date. To his credit, when he was down he got up and won. He’s handled a cut. Adversity isn’t a stranger.

How much adversity will Pacquiao provide? Is this the night where he finally creeps towards the boxing rocking chair? His performances against Bradley and Vargas last year indicate he’s still got a lot left. It’s up to Horn to prove he can top the efforts of those two more proven foes. 

The Pick

Watching his last three fights, it was hard to shake the thought that Horn wouldn’t even belong in the ring with a prime Manny Pacquiao. This isn’t a prime Pacquiao and still nothing about Horn suggests he’s in league with the last two men Pacquiao defeated. It’s hard to gauge before any fight just what youth, hunger, and a massive hometown crowd can mean but based on talent, Pacquiao would have to be greatly receded from where he was when last we saw him to be defeated here. He’s faster, even at 38, hits harder, and has a far more expansive offensive repertoire. His combination punching should more than offset Horn’s over reliance on the right hand and Pacquiao’s body work will bring his hands down. Horn might last the route on guts but Pacquiao is the pick to win. 

www.boxingscene.com/manny-pacquiao-jeff-horn-pre-fight-report-card–118077?print_friendly=1

Date:  Saturday, July 1, 2017

WBO INTERNATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:  Luzhniki, Moscow, Russia 

Promoter:  World of Boxing Promotions / Dmitry Ivanov

Supervisor:   

Referee: 

Judges:  

Results:   

TV:  

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division world champion and the only sitting Senator to capture a world championship belt, will add another first to his burgeoning list of Hall of Fame-caliber accomplishments with his live debut on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (also streaming live on the ESPN app) on Saturday, July 1 at 10:00 p.m. ET. 

The fight will be called ringside by ESPN commentators Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas. 

They will be joined by guest analyst Timothy Bradley, Jr., a former two-division world champion recently trained by Teddy Atlas who has met Pacquiao three times in the ring, winning their first match in a decision. ESPN Deportes will pair Jorge Eduardo Sanchez and Juan Manuel Márquez to call the main event in Spanish, with prefight commentary from Pablo Viruega, Leopoldo Gonzalez, Claudia Trejos and Juan Manuel Márquez.

Pacquiao, the Boxing Writers Association of America’s reigning Fighter of the Decade, will defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown against undefeated No. 1 contender and Brisbane’s favorite son Jeff “The Hornet” Horn at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia. 

This will be the first time Pacquiao has not fought on pay-per-view since Sept. 10, 2005, when he stopped Hector Velazquez in the sixth round — 12 years and four weight divisions ago.

ESPN’s coverage of “The Battle of Brisbane” will begin on Friday, June 30th, and includes live coverage of the Pacquiao and Horn weigh-in at 7 p.m. ET within SportsCenter on ESPN and within Golpe a Golpe on ESPN Deportes.  During the week of June 26, classic Pacquiao fights will also be available on demand and streaming via the ESPN app, on both ESPN and ESPN Deportes, including Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton (5/2/2009), Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez (11/12/11) and Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley (4/12/14).

The July 1 telecast will also feature Irish Olympic hero Michael Conlan (2-0, 2 KOs), from Belfast, in a six-round featherweight bout against Jarrett “Juarez” Owen (5-4-3, 2 KOs), of Brisbane, and International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior bantamweight world champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas (24-1-1, 16 KOs), of Cavite City, Philippines, defending his title against top-rated contender Teiru Kinoshita (25-1-1, 8 KOs), of Kobe, Japan.  The live telecast will open with an eight-round middleweight rumble between Shane Mosley, Jr. (10-1, 7 KOs), of Pomona, Calif. and son of former three-division world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley, and David Toussaint (10-0, 8 KOs), of Canberra, Australia.

www.boxingscene.com/photos-pacquiao-horn-go-face-face-final-presser–117975?print_friendly=1

In days, international icon and megastar boxing champion Manny Pacquiao will defend his world welterweight title in his first fight that will not be broadcast on Pay-Per-View [Pay-Per-Event] since 2005.

This Saturday, the ‘Pacman’ will risk his belt against undefeated Australian contender Jeff Horn in a bout that will reach a much wider audience, as it will be televised from coast to coast in the United States at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes in Mexico by Azteca 7, La Casa del Boxing. .

Pacquiao and Horn played the world championship welterweight World Boxing Organization (WBO) in the main event of the historic event ‘Battle of Brisbane’ to be held before a record crowd of over 55,000 fans abarrotarán Suncorp Stadium of city located east of Australia.

“It will be exciting fight before more than 60,000 fans and the hometown of my opponent. That gives me more motivation to focus and get the win,” Pacquiao said.

“I’m not underestimating. I did my job and I trained hard for this fight. If he based his homework at my fights with Marquez, that’s good for me. We will give a good show for the fans,” said the fighter who will go for win No. 60 out of his legendary career.

The senator also the only eight-division world champion in boxing history was extremely pleased with the news that his fight will be televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.

“I am very happy that this fight will be broadcast live in the United States on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Now everyone can see my fight. That’s good for boxing. ”

Meanwhile, Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs), of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, will come into this fight having won his last three fights – all in 2016 – before Ali Funkea, Rico Mueller and Randall Bailey, on the fast track. Horn is world ranked No. 2 by the WBO and the International Boxing Federation (IBF).

“I think I have a style which Pacquiao has not faced. I think you’ll have trouble with my style. I’m bigger than him. He may be faster, but I’m pretty fast too. What I can connect with a straight right and nobody knows what can happen, “said the Australian who was inspired by the withering right hand with which the Mexican Juan Manuel” Dinamita “Marquez knocked out Pacquiao.” I’m very excited and I can not wait to to the day of the fight. I’m ready for war. I do not have much more to do. I’m saving energy and nerves for the day that I need, which is the day of the fight. ”

Transmission of July 1 will also present the Irish Olympic hero Michael Conlan (2-0, 2 KOs), of Belfast, in a six-round featherweight bout against Jarrett “Juarez” Owen (5-4-3, 2 KOs) , Brisbane and world champion junior bantamweight IBF [International Boxing Federation (IBF)] Jerwin “Pretty Boy” [Pretty Boy] Ancajas (24-1-1, 16 KOs), of Cavite City, Philippines, defending his title against challenger. Teiru Kinoshita (25-1-1, 8 KOs), of Kobe, Japan. The live broadcast will begin with a middleweight bout over eight rounds Shane Mosley, Jr. (10-1, 7 KOs), of Pomona, California son of world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley and David Toussaint (10-0, 8 KOs), Canberra, Australia.

www.worldboxingnews.net/2017/06/29/news/pacquiao-horn-ready-to-rumble-in-brisbane

World Boxing Organization (WBO) Welterweight World champion Manny “Pacman’ Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs) and his Hall-of-Fame trainer, Freddie Roach, held a media workout today in Australia, preparing for this Saturday night’s ESPN showdown between Pacquiao and his title challenger, Jeff Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs).

MANNY PACQUIAO: “We have a really good plan for this fight. We worked hard in training camp both in Manila and in General Santos City. I’m totally focused for this fight. I am not looking past this fight because at this point in my career, every fight is the most important. There are no tomorrows if I don’t win today.

“Jeff Horn is OK. I’ve watched video of his fights. He brings a lot of action into the ring. 

“I know what he is feeling. I remember everything about my first world title fight.

“Being a senator and training for a fight is hard. It takes discipline and time management. Luckily, the Senate has been in recess for the past few weeks and I have been able to focus on training for my world title fight.

“A Senator’s job is to defend his people … to fight for their rights.

“I know Jeff Horn used to be a teacher. In the ring, I’m a teacher too.

“I am ready for Jeff to come out and be aggressive. If he does that it will be a great fight for the fans.

“The biggest crowd I ever fought in front of was at Cowboys Stadium against Joshua Clottey. I’m told this could be bigger [51,000+]. I am very excited for doing that, even though they may not be rooting for me. I am also very happy that ESPN will be televising it live.to the U.S. Now everyone can see it. It’s good for boxing.”

FREDDIE ROACH: “Manny is a performer. He loves people, loves a big audience. Brisbane has all that for this fight. He’ll be fighting in front of the biggest crowd of his career.

“Not everyone gets the opportunity to fight for a world title. It was always my dream but I never fought for one. It’s a big deal. Jeff Horn earned this opportunity. He is the WBO’s mandatory challenger.

“Manny gave me 110% in training camp. He always does. No one works harder in the gym. The difference in this camp from recent ones has been his aggression. He’s scored several knockdowns and I haven’t seen that in years. He has kept his foot on the pedal throughout, even when he’s had a sparring partner in trouble. After his ring work he is singing and dancing – not well – but that’s not the point. He is really hungry to make a statement in this fight against Horn. He’s even playing Shakira during his workouts again and he hasn’t done that in years.”

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/pacquiao-im-totally-focused-fight-407726

Light heavyweight Umar Salamov came in at number 8 in the WBO’s latest ratings after his stellar performance stopping Emil Markic (24-1) on the undercard of Joseph Parker’s heavyweight world title defense in New Zealand earlier this month.

At just 22 years old Salamov stands an imposing figure at 6’3 tall and has already achieved plenty in his 19 fights to date.

He has held 2 versions of world youth titles with the IBO and WBO, the WBO European and IBO World titles.

In his last outing, he secured the WBO International & IBF East/West European titles.

He is set to go again on July 2nd on the Jeff Hon vs Manny Pacquiao undercard where he is scheduled to face former Aussie Olympian Damian ‘Super’ Hooper.

Trainer Kevin Barry said: ‘I am hearing rumors Hooper is treating this fight as his own personal version of a world title fight as he knows doors will fly open for him if he can get a win over Umar.

“So we are training for a hard-long fight against a willing opponent who has excellent skills.

“We didn’t have to call Hooper out – he actually contacted our matchmaker Stuart Duncan wanting the fight.”

Umar’s manager Kazbek Aslambekov said it would be foolish and disrespectful to look beyond Hooper at this stage other than confirming it is the team’s intention to have him fight at least two or three more times in 2017.

www.worldboxingnews.net/2017/05/31/news/umar-salamov-to-fight-damien-hooper-on-pacquiao-undercard

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Former three-time world champion Jeff Fenech has advised WBO #1 Jeff Horn he can defeat WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao on July 2 if he uses the correct tactics at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland Australia with a predicted attendance of 55,000+ fight fans. Fenech talked to Grantlee Kieza of the Courier Mail.

“Just bash the bloke in close,” Fenech said. “It’s no more Mister Nice Guy now. I’m not saying break the rules but you have to rough Manny up. Jeff, do everything to hurt him in close. Twist him, twist his knees, use your weight advantage, bully him — bang your shoulder into him. Manny can punch at a distance, Jeff. Close the distance. Stay on his chest and make him feel all of his 38 years.”

Pacquiao-Horn has already eclipsed Fenech’s record for the biggest crowd ever in Australian boxing which had stood at 38,000 for the 1992 world title fight with Azumah Nelson at Princes Park in Melbourne.

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/fenech-horn-can-defeat-pacquiao-uses-right-tactics-407426