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Tuesday 30 October 2012

I was close to taking my own life, admits Ricky Hatton

Ricky Hatton has revealed just how close he came to committing suicide during his three-year retirement from boxing.  The 34-year-old said his girlfriend often had to prise a knife from his hand as depression took its toll on his life.  Hatton, who has had well-publicised battles with drink, drugs and depression after his loss to Manny Pacquiao in his last fight since May 2009, will return to the ring against Ukraine’s Vyacheslav Senchenko next month.  He told Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek programme: “I was near to a nervous breakdown, depression, suicidal. Most mornings my girlfriend would have to come downstairs and take a knife out of my hand. I had a knife at my wrists, I was in a really bad way, just hysterically crying for no reason.

“I’ve always liked a little bit of a drink, but my drinking had gone way off the Richter scale, I was having blackouts.  “And even if I was stone cold sober I was trying to kill myself. The real lowest point was when my little girl came along, who is one-year-old now. Hatton’s sonCampbell had the misfortune to see his dad in such a bad way, I am not going to do it any more to my kids and I’m not going to put my family though it any more.”  Hatton claims his life now is “really rosy”, but admitted in his eyes he was returning to the ring “ashamed” and as a “failure”.
“I feel sad because I feel ashamed of myself,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how many people say, ‘Ricky, everyone has problems and you got beaten my (Floyd) Mayweather (Jr) and Pacquiao who are the two best fighters of our generation, you did the country proud’.  “That’s very kind of people to say, but they don’t have to deal with this little fella who sits on my shoulder every day telling me that I’m a failure and I’ve let my family and my fans down and British sport, British boxing down. I feel a failure and it doesn’t matter how many people say, ‘Don’t be too hard on yourself’, that’s how I feel and that’s how I’m coming back. I feel I’ve got to redeem myself.
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Monday 29 October 2012

Vitali Klitschko Enters Parliment

Vitali Klitschko, the reigning world heavyweight boxing champion, is about to engage in a different kind of fight.  He is set to enter Ukraine's parliament as a lawmaker and the head of the UDAR party, following Sunday's parliamentary elections. UDAR stands for Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms. The word also means “punch” in Ukrainian.  The over 2-meters-tall athlete conducted a campaign in which he was critical of corruption and cronyism in the government of Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych. Klitschko said after preliminary voting results that he would join the opposition alliance.

Klitschko is not an entire newcomer to the political process. He has twice staged unsuccessful runs to become the mayor of Kiev. In a statement on his website, he says he has entered politics because he wants to help his country “toward a better future.” He says his country continues to lag behind its Eastern European neighbors. Ukraine is the second largest nation after Russia to emerge from the former Soviet Union.  Klitschko is only the fourth boxer – besides Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis – to win a heavyweight belt for the third time.

Friday 26 October 2012

Emanuel Steward devastates Lenox Lewis



Lewis is one of many top fighters to have had his career shaped by Steward, whose passing was last night confirmed by his sister. He was 68 and had recently undergone surgery for a stomach illness. He trained more than 40 world champions during his illustrious career, with Lewis being one of them. He went to Steward's Kronk Gym in Detroit after losing his WBC heavyweight title to Oliver McCall in 1994, reclaimed his title in 1997 and went on to have a spell as the undisputed champion before retiring in 2004. "I'm completely devastated by the passing of my long-time friend, mentor and trainer Emanuel "Manny" Steward," Lewis wrote on his official website."Manny has helped me get through some of the biggest fights in my career and I only regret that I couldn't return the favour and see him through his biggest fight. "We've maintained a close relationship and the last time we spoke he seemed his usual upbeat self so it was very disturbing to hear about his illness and rapid decline.

"It is with a heavy heart that realisation of what I hoped were just rumours are now in fact true. Manny always told me I was the best, but the truth is, HE was the best and I'm grateful, privileged and honoured to be counted among his many historic successes." Steward was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1996 and rose to prominence as a corner man owing to his work with Detroit fighter Thomas Hearns. Hearns, who became Steward's first professional fighter along with another Detroit native, Hilmer Kenty, in 1977, won his first world title in 1980 and went on to engage in a series of all-time classics with Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler. "This has been a very tragic year for the boxing world, but today we've truly lost one of its crown jewels," Lewis added.

Friday 28 September 2012

"Comanche boy" is ready

NEW YORK: (July 11, 2012) Star Boxing has signed undefeated middleweight contender George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah to an exclusive promotional contract, it was announced today by Joe DeGuardia, its President.“We’re very excited to bring George aboard to Star Boxing’s extensive team of world class fighters. He’s an undefeated middleweight who fits into the mix very well of highly ranked contenders in the division” said DeGuardia of Tahdooahnippah who sports a record of 30-0-1 (22KO’s).  A proud Native American Indian and member of the Comanche Nation, Tahdooahnippah is based in Lawton, Oklahoma with his wife and four children.

Known for his heavy hands and fan friendly style, Tahdooahnippah celebrates each of his fight appearances and victories with the pounding of the Native American drums, the breathtaking display of Native American Fancy War Dancers and the hip hop sounds of his Native American rappers.  “I’m very excited to work with Joe DeGuardia and the team at Star Boxing to take my career to a higher level. I’m ready to take the next step to fight the best at 160 and look forward to returning to action in the very near future.”

Last July 16th, Tahdooahnippah won the WBC Continental Americas Middleweight Title with an impressive first round knockout of Jimmy Holmes at the Comanche Nation Casino in his hometown of Lawton, Oklahoma.  In 2012, Tahdooahnippah has had two fights thus far; a first round knockout of Tyrel Brown on February 25th and a six round decision win over Rahman Yusubov on April 26th.  Details of Tahdooahnippah’s debut under the Star Boxing banner will be announced shortly.

Alex "The brick city Bullet" Perez vs Antonin Decaire

Alex “The Brick City Bullet” Perez, 16-0, 9 KOs, is a tough and exciting fighter from Newark, NJ. Decarie, 26-1, 7 KOs, is also an action fighter, who has fought top competition and has been very successful. While neither fighter is a household name, both are top welterweights on the brink of stardom. When DiBella announced the fight he said, “It is a fight that people are legitimately excited about. Alex Perez is one of my best prospects and I think it’s going to be a great fight with Antonin Decarie.”

Since turning professional in 2004, Perez has experienced many ups and downs outside of the ring, but he has always trained hard and remained focused when in the ring under the tutelage of trainer/manager Jose Rosario. He is selective with his company and he travels with a small circle of close friends and family that form “Team Perez”. He is in the best shape of his life and is more than ready for Saturday, recently saying, “I always fight my heart out because I want to give my three sons a life that I always dreamed of and I also know my grandmother who passed away recently is watching over me.”

After an impressive amateur career, Alex successfully turned pro but was shot in the chest just weeks later. He recovered, returned to the sport and quickly found success back in the ring. However, just when things started to progress in his career again, Alex found himself looking at 30 years in prison while facing gun and aggravated assault charges. Perez, who prides himself on his faith and loyalty to his family and friends had that loyalty repaid when Danny Serratelli, a close friend who had trained with Perez since he was a teenager took the case pro bono. With the help of “Team Perez” the truth was brought to light and he was exonerated on all charges. At that point Perez returned to the ring with a vengeance and after picking up a couple of wins he signed with promoter Lou DiBella.

Ricky hatton will fight Vyacheslav Senchenko

Ricky Hatton’s opponent on his return to the ring at the MEN Arena on Nov 24 will be will be 35-year-old Ukrainian Vyacheslav Senchenko in a 10-round welterweight bout. The match-up puts him on a perfect path to a potential world title fight with Paulie Malignaggi, the World Boxing Association welterweight champion, in the first quarter of next year. In spite of Hatton’s self-imposed 3½-year exile from the ring, his popularity is clearly undiminished. The 16,500 tickets sold out in 48 hours before opponent Senchenko had even been announced. However, it is understood that some of those close to the boxer-turned-promoter may be unhappy about his decision to fight again

Police were called when Hatton’s father, Ray, had an altercation with his son the day before the boxer announced his comeback. It is unclear whether the two events are related. Former two-weight world champion Hatton, who last fought in May 2009 when he was knocked out in Las Vegas by Manny Pacquiao, announced his return to the ring earlier this month. He has been in strict training for several months.
Senchenko has lost just one of his 33 professional fights and is a former world champion. After a decorated amateur career at world level, Senchenko won the WBA welterweight title in 2009, defending it three times before being stopped by former Hatton victim Malignaggi in April this year. It was one of Malignaggi’s finest performances, and Hatton is targeting the Brooklynite for the belt early next year, provided he comes through this.

‘The Hitman’, who will celebrate his 34th birthday next week, retired from the sport last year but admitted he was itching to get back into the ring. “I’m sure that Vyacheslav Senchenko will give me a good fight. It’s one that I am confident I can win though,” he said. “I believe this was as good an opponent as I could have had. I’m in great shape, I’m feeling good and I know I can put on a performance.” The undercard features Hatton-promoted Scott Quigg and Rendell Munroe, who will compete in a re-match for the WBA interim world title at super bantamweight – their first meeting was stopped when Munroe suffered a huge cut above his eye after a clash of heads – while Sergey Rabchenko will fight Cedric Vitu for the European light-middleweight title. I can’t wait to get in the ring now,” said the 33-year-old.

Saturday 22 September 2012

Kevin Mitchell vs Ricky Burns

It seems that nobody is convinced about the outcome of tonight's brilliant fight in Glasgow between Kevin Mitchell, the travelling challenger, and Ricky Burns, the hometown champion, that is arguably the best English-against-Scottish fight since 1968.  Burns will be defending his WBO lightweight title for the second time and trying to get the recognition that has so far eluded his efforts, which have been both impressive and overlooked. Mitchell is on a simple mission of redemption after his wayward tendencies ruined his last world-title fight and started a free fall of destruction that came close to ending his career.

Burns famously celebrates his world-title victories with a trip to Nandos and a few hours on his Xbox while Mitchell, in his darkest hours, was out of control, collapsing between bars, one-night stands, violence and confrontations with the police. "I feared for him," admitted Burns, who has been a friend since amateur days.  In 2010 Mitchell was given his dream fight when Frank Warren delivered a WBO lightweight title chance against Michael Katsidis at Upton Park, home of Mitchell's team, West Ham, and a shrine to the young Dagenham fighter. It was all set in place for the local boy, but a breakdown in his relationship with his wife, a crazy streak and some pure stupidity ruined his chances.

Pacquiao vs Marques IV + Chaves Jr fails Drug test

Pacquiao-Marquez IV is on: Ten thousand fans packed the Mexico City arena Friday to see Manny Pacquiao and native son Juan Manuel Marquez for the third stop o their media tour announcing their fourth meeting, set for Saturday, December 8 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.  Pacquiao has beaten Marquez twice, and they fought to a draw in a third fight. Many observers including this columnist believe Marquez won the last fight with Pacquiao in 2011. Although many people hoped Pacquiao would scheduled a rematch with Timothy Bradley after Bradley’s controversial decision over Pacquiao, the Marquez matchup is a bigger fan draw. He is by far the most popular boxer in Mexico. Marquez and Pacquiao have both said they will be going for a knockout to end the debate about their series once and for all.

Chavez Jr. fails drug test: It explains a whole lot about Julio Caesar Chavez, Jr., don’t you think? Such as getting up for the day around 6 p.m., and having trouble making weight.  As reported by several media including Ring Magazine and CBSSports.com, the Nevada State Athletic Commission informed Chavez Jr.’s promoter Top Rank that he failed the test following his fight with Sergio Martinez on Tuesday. If a second test confirms the first, Chavez Jr. faces a suspension from boxing, as much as a year. He could also lose his $3 million purse for the fight.  Chavez Jr. tested positive for a banned diuretic in 2009. He received a seven month suspension and the victory was changed to a no decision. This past January, he was arrested for drunk driving in Los Angeles, two weeks before his bout against Marco Antonio Rubio.

Thursday 20 September 2012

Floyd Mayweather's comeback delayed by legal troubles

Floyd Mayweather was recently released from prison, but a violation in his probation could send him right back.  The undefeated boxer pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges and served two months of a six-month sentence. He was released on good behavior, and according to Francis McCabe and Brian Haynes of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he was on probation that included "staying out of trouble."  Unfortunately, Mayweather was unable to do that, as police were needed to investigate an altercation that took place earlier this month.  McCabe and Haynes explain that the incident occurred at the home of Melissa Brim, the mother of Mayweather's daughter. The boxer reportedly stole an unknown possession from her after having a loud argument.  Michael McCann, Sports Illustrated's law expert, believes there is a real possibility this could force Mayweather to return to prison.

He goes on to explain that this incident could qualify as violating his probation.  Surprisingly, this was not the only legal issue that Mayweather has had to deal with recently. He was also forced to pay $113,774 in fees for avoiding questioning by lawyers of Manny Pacquiao regarding defamation (via ESPN).

The case is based around the fact that Mayweather has accused Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs, a claim that is completely baseless. This money will not make a dent in the fortune of one of the world's most wealthy athletes, but it indicates that a fight between the two superstars is likely a long way away.Fans have been waiting to see Mayweather back in the ring since he defeated Miguel Cotto in May. Unfortunately, this wait might end up being longer than anticipated.   He is arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world today. However, it will be interesting to see if the champ has lost a step or two by the time he returns to the sport after all his legal troubles are behind him.

Wednesday 19 September 2012

50 cent has business plans with Manny Pacquiao

Eight-Division world boxing champion boxer Manny Pacquiao handles his business both inside and outside of the ring. On Wednesday (September 19) Pac-Man was in New York City promoting his December 8 fight with his heated rival Juan Manuel Márquez, but also addressed his in-the-works promotion company with rap mogul 50 Cent.  "I love music, and he likes boxing also," Pacquiao told MTV News about the G-Unit head honcho just minutes before his big press conference at the Edison Ballroom in New York promoting the Márquez match. "We're talking about that and we're discussing. We didn't finalize yet because I'm so busy right now and he's busy right now."

Manny made it clear that he was focused on his December 8 bout with Márquez, a man who he is fighting for the fourth time in his career, but Pacquiao's business adviser Michael Koncz was able to give us much more detail.  "We've very close to it, I've been talking to 50 Cent now for over a month and a half, close to two months. It's becoming a reality, more than a possibility," Koncz said of the deal which will bring Fif and Pac together to promote big-time boxing matches. "I think we're going to end up doing something together before the year is out."  This is not 50's first venture into the sport. The multiplatinum rapper has a close friendship with boxing champ Floyd Mayweather — they call themselves the Money Team — but in a recent interview, Fif spoke on a rift between the longtime buddies. It is now being speculated that because Fif is gearing up to do business with Mayweather's rival Pacquiao, it has caused problems between the friends. During a radio interview on September 14 with Power 105's Breakfast Club in NYC, 50 said he and Floyd were still friends, and today, Koncz completely shot down the notion that Manny came between them.

Saturday 1 September 2012

Mike Tyson makes a life after boxing

IT WAS the ultimate dog act, one of the most heinous moments ever in sport as Mike Tyson spat out his mouthguard, sank his long, thick canines into Evander Holyfield's ear, wrenched away a piece of flesh and spat it out on to the canvas.  Tyson's reputation was already lower than a sewer rat's but in that frightful moment in a 1997 fight for the world heavyweight title, his standing as a human being sunk to an all-time low.   Despite his rape conviction, his drug use, his profanity and his unpredictable mood swings, Tyson had always commanded a grudging respect in the sporting world as the ultimate fighting machine, a boxer of freakish speed and power who, in his prime, dominated the heavyweight division like few champions in history.  But with this act of cannibalism, reviled even in the red-light district of sports that is boxing, he was exposed as nothing more than a cheap bully and a coward who could not take the sort of punishment he had dished out for years.  And it got worse. Over the next decade the cycle of drugs, depression and rage reduced him to a sad, fat, bloated punching-bag. With a tattooed face.

In 2005 in a Washington restaurant, a couple of days before his last defeat, Tyson had leaned over to me and lamented that his whole life had been "a waste of time".  One of the few friends who has always stuck by him, Australian boxing great Jeff Fenech, remembers visiting Tyson in Las Vegas six years ago and thinking he would never see him again.  "He was so down and depressed, " Fenech said.  "I thought it would be the last time I'd see my great friend.  We've had so many heart-to-heart talks over the years. We understand each other. We were both really wild as young guys and he used to tell me that he didn't think he'd live to be 40. I knew exactly how he felt."  So what the hell happened? How is it that Mike Tyson, now 46, a vegan looking as fit as the heavyweight who terrorised the sport in the late 1980s, was talking to the Australian media on Thursday by video link from Las Vegas about his new career as a motivational speaker and comedian?   How did the self-styled "baddest man in the world" become all warm, and fuzzy and funny?  Tyson's image loomed large on TV, filling the video screen with those huge shoulders that once hoisted all the heavyweight championship belts the world had to offer.  He was laughing, joking  clapping almost insanely - drumming his fingers impatiently at questions about his rape conviction and saying that boxing was just a bad memory. At one point he broke into a bad rendition of George Michael's Careless Whisper.  At suggestions he was a superstar, he replied: "I don't know about that, but I've been called a lot worse."   Tyson grew up in a particularly bleak slum in New York, mugging and bag-snatching while still a child, doing armed robberies by his early teens.

He became the youngest world heavyweight boxing champion aged 20 in 1986, was in jail between 1992 and 1995 for raping beauty queen Desiree Washington and spent nine months in jail in 1999 for what a judge described as a "potentially lethal" road rage assault on two men.   He was banned from boxing for a year after biting Holyfield and squandered a $400 million fortune.  These days he makes his living from a one-man stage show directed by Oscar nominee Spike Lee that is part confessional, part comedy, part kitsch. It has played Las Vegas and Broadway, and on his week-long tour of Australia in November, Tyson promises to give audiences an insight into what has lifted him from the depths of despair.  "To be honest with you, in my show I don't talk a lot about my fights, " he said.   "I only talk about two fighters, Mitch Green and Trevor Berbick. I didn't even know boxing existed any more. Boxing is so 19th-century now.   "The show is more about my life, about evolving as a person, reaching that paradigm shift in life that we have to change or no longer exist."   Of his days as the most feared fighter in the world,  he said: "Those days are over, man. I just want to do my show, enjoy my life and have some fun. I forgot about most of my fights. Sometimes I look at films of myself and I think who is that guy? Man, what's all that about?"   Fenech says Tyson's third wife Kiki, 35, born Lakiha Spicer, who he married in 2009, is the person who transformed his friend into a new man.

Thursday 30 August 2012

Mike Tyson frustrated about New Zealand visa issue

Your probably expecting Mike to have done something crazy knowing what he used to be like but he may be a changed man now!

The Mike Tyson circus edged closer to New Zealand today but whether he is granted a visa for his planned November show in Auckland remains in the balance.  Former world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson took part in a teleconference streamed live from Las Vegas to reporters in Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth in a publicity drive for his "Day of the Champions" show in the Australasian cities.  The visa issue loomed large among the early questions - he was convicted of rape and spent three years in prison 20 years ago - and Tyson's frustration was obvious as his promoter Max Markson gave an update on his dealings with Immigration New Zealand.  Under the Immigration Act, anyone who has been sentenced to five years or more in prison is to be denied a visa to enter the country. Tyson was sentenced to six years, but was released early for good behaviour.  "We've applied for the visa and asked for a special direction from the minister, so we're waiting patiently for a visa," Markson said, without explaining which minister he was dealing with.   Markson, sitting alongside Tyson, suggested the former boxer's tattoo over and around his left eye, which has suggestions of Maori art, made him an "honorary New Zealander".  "He's a great ambassador and he really does have a tremendous story which he has to tell to the people of New Zealand and it would be a tragedy if the show that he's been doing on Broadway for the last few weeks can't be told," he said.

"Tragedy, huh?" Tyson replied, before appearing to lose his sense of humour when the visa questions continued.  "I'm not going to sit here and cower and beg to come to your country. I'm sorry, but if I can't come, I can't come. It will be my misfortune but I don't want to feel like I'm on trial to come to your country," Tyson said.  Markson added: "He's not a danger to New Zealand, he'll be there for one day."  Tyson said: "I haven't been to New Zealand. Man it must be a serious country if I can't go there."  His promoter read off a long list of countries Tyson had visited, suggesting the former self-styled "Baddest Man on the Planet" hadn't had problems entering them.  Tyson, who was extremely animated at times during the teleconference, shouting "New Zealand!" and "Auckland!" during the 34 minutes he received questions, hasn't always been one to bear such inconveniences lightly.  Apart from his prison sentence, Tyson, who was heavyweight champion of the world as a 20-year-old and was known for his powerful, aggressive style in the ring, bit the ears of fellow heavyweight and American Evander Holyfield during a notorious 1997 fight in Las Vegas.Now aged 46, he also threatened to eat the children of his opponents and was forced to attend rehabilitation due to a cocaine addiction.  More recently he has attempted to redefine himself as an actor, playing himself in The Hangover movies, which make light of his notorious past.  Tyson today refused to go into detail about his past, saying he was saving it for his show.  However, he did reveal that he believes boxing is stuck in the "18th century" ("people don't want to hurt each other no more"), he no longer has a tiger for a pet ("you can't keep a tiger for free!"), and he could categorically rule out a return to the ring. "No way, I'm not that person any more. If I was that person, I wouldn't have my family."  Tyson said he didn't design his tattoo on Maori art, and appeared slightly confused about a question relating to the All Blacks.  "I've always been black. I've been playing black all my life."  "I can't believe you've got me doing this s**t!", he added, laughing and slapping the table.  When it was all over he exited stage right, eating an apple.

Wednesday 29 August 2012

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The home where Muhammad Ali grew up is up for sale

The house where boxing legend Muhammad Ali spent his childhood is up for sale.  The one-story white house comes complete with a sagging front porch overhang and is said to be the place where the future boxing champion's "values were instilled".  The house, which is situated along a tree-lined street in Louisville, is badly in need of repair.  It's valued at $23,260, according to the Jefferson County Property Value Administrator's website.  Owner Steve Stephenson is putting the property, which has become a popular tourist attraction over the years, up for sale at $50,000, according to reports.  In front of the home is a state historical marker recognizing the residence as Ali's boyhood home, when he was known as Cassius Clay.  The marker says Ali lived in the mostly black neighborhood with his parents and brother and attended local public schools.  Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said the city has an interest in preserving the home of a world-famous native son.  "Anything we can do to preserve and expand his legacy, we want to do that.  "His home serves as an inspiration for people to look at that and say, 'If this young guy, why not me?'"

The three-time world heavyweight champion remains one of the most recognizable figures on the planet, even though his public appearances have become sporadic as he fights Parkinson's disease.  Ali's influence extended far beyond the boxing ring. He retired from the ring in 1981 and devoted himself to social causes. He traveled the world on humanitarian missions and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2005.  Through it all, Ali kept his ties to his hometown. The Muhammad Ali Center, a museum and education center in downtown Louisville, is one of the city's prime tourist attractions. Ali came home for a 70th birthday bash early this year.  Donald Lassere, president and CEO of the Ali Center, said officials there have "every hope that Muhammad's former home is preserved in a way that makes both Muhammad Ali and the city proud."  A few houses down from the home, neighbor James Calloway reminisced how his mother saw the boxing great's generosity early on, when a young Ali carried her laundry basket to a neighborhood Laundromat.  "He was real neighborly," the 63-year-old Calloway said.  It was at his childhood home where Ali began dreaming of boxing greatness.  Ali took up boxing at age 12, when his bike was stolen and he wanted to find and whip the culprit.

The boy was introduced to Joe Martin, a police officer who coached boxing at a local gym. Ali flourished in the ring, becoming a top amateur and Olympic gold medalist.  Calloway recalled how Ali would run with boots or leg weights to build up his strength and endurance. And how Ali, after making it big in the ring, would come back to the neighborhood in his big tour bus.  Another neighbor who didn't want to be identified said vehicles occasionally stop in front of the old Clay family home to read the historical marker. The home is several blocks from a main downtown thoroughfare.  Now, the home is showing outward signs of disrepair.  "I think it's a disgrace," said Calloway, who thinks it should be turned into a museum.  Fischer said it's nothing that can't be repaired.  "We all show our age ... from time to time, but we'd be able to fix that up, no problem," he said.  Ali was born Cassius Clay on January 17, 1942 and changed his name to Muhammad Ali after converting to the Muslim faith in 1964.  By then he had won the Olympic Gold medal in the 1960 games in Rome and gone on to "shock the world," stopping Sonny Liston to become the-then youngest ever heavyweight champion of the world, aged just 22, in 1964.  He defeated Liston in a rematch the following year and defended his title a further eight times before being stripped of his titles after refusing to be drafted into the US armed forces for the Vietnam war.   Three years later he returned to the ring and became a legend, taking on Joe Frazier three times and sensationally defeating George Foreman in the 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" to reclaim the titles he never lost in the ring, ten years after he originally won them.

Timothy Bradley wants Pacquiao to fight him

In an interview with The Times yesterday, World Boxing Organisation welterweight champion Timothy Bradley revealed he would want to fight former WBO welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao once again.  Bradley, who won the title from Pacquiao on June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, believes the rematch will be a bigger sell-out than their previous encounter.  “I know boxing is a business and a sport, but as far as a rematch, we’ll meet a number everyone will be happy with because of the controversy: ‘This time Pacquiao will beat him.’ ‘Bradley will do better.’ People know who I am now because of the controversy. Honestly, I didn’t get crazy beat in that fight. It was competitive,” asserted Bradley.  Bradley won the title via split decision, which soon became controversial, as most fighters, analysts and fans believed Pacquiao was the rightful winner of the show. Even the World Boxing Organisation conducted a review of the fight with five international judges on the panel. The results showed Pacquiao won the showdown by a wide margin.  “It’s all up to Mr. Pacquiao,” added Bradley who is eager to meet the Filipino in the ring once again, as he is frustrated with all the curses and death threats he received after his victory over Pacquiao.

Bradley, right from day one, has maintained that he was not hurt by Pacquiao in the ring. According to Bradley, Pacquiao does not have enough punching power to knock him out. Right after the fight, Bradley revealed that he wants to go head to head with Pacquiao again in order to win in a more decisive manner to impress those who believe Pacquiao was robbed.  Now, Bradley is waiting for Pacquiao to decide his next opponent. The Filipino is scheduled to fight either on November 10 or December 1. Bob Arum, promoter for both the fighters, met Pacquiao last week in the Philippines to talk about the situation. However, the meeting ended with no result. Arum is now hopeful that Pacquiao’s decision regarding his next opponent will come by next week.  For now, Bradley can only wait and hope for the Filipino to select him as his opponent.

Saturday 25 August 2012

Don King aims for Boxing match in North Korea


He's known for his big hair and his big personality and at 81 years old, legendary boxing promoter Don King is still hard at work trying to turn his big dreams into reality. His latest endeavor: a boxing and music event in North Korea. "This came about by me thinking about Korea and feeling that Korea, that it should be one Korea," said King. When asked about the odds of this event actually coming together, King says, "It's very difficult to believe, I understand that." Understanding King may help explain why he believes he can make this event happen. The hallways of the Don King Productions office in South Florida are lined with photographs of him posing with world leaders, celebrities and athletes. There are old boxing posters and newspaper articles framed and hanging on the walls. It feels more like a museum than an office building. For decades, King has appeared alongside boxing greats including Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield -- promoting legendary matchups that have catapulted many boxers into lifelong fame. Boxing has always been more than a sport to King, who contemplates the photos. "Gen. David Petraeus, that was my friend," said King, pointing to a photo signed by the former Army commander, now CIA director. "I went to Iraq with him." On the other side of the room is a picture of King with a young Michael Jackson, who "told me that music is the ribbon that ties humanity together," King recalled. "And I added to that boxing is a catalyst that brings humanity together to be tied."

Boxing Champion Tapia dies of Heart attack

The 45-year-old boxer, who was found dead at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 27, died as a result of complications from hypertensive heart disease. Prescription drugs were a contributing factor, the autopsy report said. The cause of death was an accident. Tapia's wife first released the results on Wednesday, saying her husband died of heart disease and had no illegal drugs in his system. He rose to prominence in the late 1980s, and eventually won five world boxing championships in three weight classes: super flyweight, bantamweight, and featherweight. His final professional boxing record was 59 wins, five losses, and two draws. Thirty of his wins were knock-outs. In 2007 he planned a comeback bout against Ilido Julio dubbed "The Final Fury." A month later he was found unconscious of a cocaine overdose and was eventually taken into custody for violating his parole stemming from a prior cocaine offence. Tapia was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His father was murdered when his mother was pregnant with him, and his mother was later brutally murdered when he was eight years old.

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Hate campaign against Protestant Boxers

A mainly Protestant boxing club in Belfast has claimed it has been subjected to a decade of "chronic sectarianism" in nationalist areas.  The Sandy Row club has compiled a 57-page report outlining verbal and physical assaults.  The Department of Culture Arts and Leisure said it was aware of the complaints.  But a boxing club in a Catholic area of the city said it had not experienced bigotry.  The PSNI said they had a report of boxers from the Sandy Row club in a tournament in 2010 being subjected to verbal sectarian abuse.  They said the incident at North Queen Street in February of that year was being treated as a hate crime.  The allegations from the Sandy Row club come in the wake of Belfast boxers Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan winning bronze medals at the London Olympics.  Sports Minister Carál Ní Chuilín has also pledged £3m towards the sport.  The assaults, allegedly from followers of the sport, not participants, took place while Sandy Row boxers were fighting in places like west Belfast in the ten years to 2010.  Club secretary Ian McSorley said: "When the young people from Sandy Row went along to boxing championships they suffered different forms of abuse, either physical or mental".

The first incident is said to have been in 2000 when the Sandy Row club was stoned leaving the County Antrim championships in Twinbrook.  "It's a very frightening experience, for anybody to take up boxing, get in the boxing ring... never mind getting abuse or stoned," said Mr McSorley.  He said in February 2010, a Chinese boxer, who was 15, had a bottle thrown at him and he was called an "Orange chink".  The teenager is reported to have said: "I was really scared and I thought we weren't getting out of there. It's put me off boxing".Mr McSorley claimed a lot of promising young boxers had quit the sport because of what had happened to them, and the problem had affected other clubs from Protestant areas.  "Different boxing clubs have sent us letters, came and visited us from all parts of Belfast and said that this shouldn't take place in the sport, especially when these young people are at a formative age," he said.  He said the club had regularly complained to the boxing authorities, including the regulatory body, the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA). However, it is not currently affiliated to this grouping.  The club has put forward an eight-point plan to combat the problem including holding tournaments in neutral venues and wearing of neutral colours during events.  Mr McSorley denied the club was going public on the alleged assaults because of the money pledged by the sports minister.  "It's nothing to do with the money. The issues are all in the report. It took some time to compile the report. It lets everybody see what has happened," he said.


Pacquiao decides to move next fight to December

Manny Pacquiao has decided to move the date of his next fight from Nov. 10 to Dec. 1.  Pacquiao’s adviser, Mike Koncz, said Pacquiao chose to because of the "conflicting schedules with the boxing and Manny’s personal affairs.”  Pacquiao, the only boxer in history to win eight world titles in as many weight divisions, is also a congressman in his native province of Sarangani.  The 33-year-old Pinoy icon is into showbiz as well, running a weekly television game show, and over the past few months has been deeply associated with the bible.  If Pacquiao fights on Dec. 1, that will be close to six months after his stunning and controversial loss to Timothy Bradley last June 9 in Las Vegas.  Top Rank chief Bob Arum did not pick up his phone today. He was probably busy at the moment or he was not in the mood to talk after news of Pacquiao’s decision came out on the Internet.  "We've informed Top Rank that we cannot go on Nov. 10," Koncz told Lem Satterfield of www.ringTV.com. The fight would have taken place at the MGM Grand.

Arum and Koncz met in New York a couple of days ago.  Arum already has a lock on that date at the MGM, and now he may have to move the mountains to seal the venue for Pacquiao on the first day of December.  But that’s if Pacquiao wants his next fight held at the MGM, where he took the controversial loss to the undefeated Bradley.  "So [Top Rank CEO] Bob Arum has moved the date now to Dec. 1, and he's done that at our request due to conflicting schedules with the boxing and Manny's personal affairs,” Koncz said.  Pacquiao has yet to choose from among the three names that Arum gave him. They are Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto and Bradley.

But Pacquiao, jaded boxing observers say, may no longer be interested in a rematch with Bradley or Cotto or a fourth fight with Marquez.  Pacquiao stressed following his loss to Bradley that he wants Floyd Mayweather next, and word is that there are people working on the superfight.  Pacquiao wants Mayweather in April 2013. Perhaps the “secret negotiations” are going on well that there’s a possibility the two superstars may fight on Dec. 1.  If nothing comes out of the Mayweather talks, then Pacquiao should be forced to choose from among Bradley, Marquez or Cotto for a December fight.  Or he may not even fight at all the rest of the year, and instead make sure he’s 110 percent ready if a fight with Mayweather takes place in the first quarter of 2013.

Ricky Hatton set to return to Boxing

The former WBA welterweight champion has not fought since he was outclassed by Manny Pacquiao back in 2009, and confirmed that his career was definitely over last July. But the Daily Star reports that the 33-year-old Mancunian has decided to do a U-turn, and will fight former rival Paulie Malignaggi in late November. Hatton stopped Malignaggi in the 11th round when they met back in 2008, the Hitman inflicting what was at the time just the second defeat of Malignaggi's professional career. And the New Yorker is said to be "desperate" to avenge that defeat, and will be happy to become the first opponent for Hatton as he resurrects his career. Since retiring Hatton has struggled to readjust to life, with his weight ballooning and a cocaine habit landing him in rehab. But the newspaper reports that he has lost two and a half stone and is as fit as he was at the height of his career. Hatton's return is initially set to be for two bouts, but if all goes well he is already hoping to earn a re-match with Pacquiao. The Filipino superstar destroyed the Brit in two unforgettable rounds in Las Vegas in May 2009, a result that left Hatton devastated. He later admitted that he considered suicide after the loss, and reportedly remains convinced that could do himself justice if given another chance.

Manny Pacquiao's next opponent?

It has been more than a week since Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum visited the Philippines to talk to Manny Pacquiao. Arum said that Pacquiao would select an opponent, but the week passed without the former WBO welterweight champion making a decision. There are also rumors that the fight originally scheduled for November 10 will be moved to December 1 to accommodate Pacquiao’s other engagements.

Right now, the list of possible opponents has been trimmed down to four.  Floyd Mayweatter – As always, Floyd Mayweather’s name pops up at the top of the list whenever Pacquiao selects an opponent. The problem with making this fight is that Mayweather just recently got out of jail and nobody expects him to go back to the gym to start training anytime soon. He was incarcerated for a while so expect him to spend more time with his family and friends before fighting again. An interesting factor is how Mayweather and rapper 50 Cent formed their own boxing promotion. This takes Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions out of the equation which might make the negotiations easier. Although Mayweather’s name is on the list, it’s more likely for real negotiations between Mayweather and Pacquiao to happen for a fight next year.  The boxing world has grown weary of waiting for a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight to happen, but by the looks of it, more patience is needed.

Timothy Bradley – The fighter who defeated Pacquiao earlier this year is of course one of the options. Pacquiao has a rematch clause in his contract, so making this fight will be very easy. Bradley wants this fight to happen because it assures him of another big payday and Pacquiao might want another crack at Bradley for the chance to knock him out. The problem however, is that very few people are interested in seeing it. The public knows who the better fighter, is even though two boxing judges thought otherwise. Bradley is not a big name opponent as he is largely unknown outside the boxing world.  The pay-per-view sales from the Pacquiao-Bradley fight were bleak and while a rematch may generate more interest, Pacquiao and his camp are seriously looking into which fight could make the most money, as the eight division champion is down to his last handful of fights.

Juan Manuel Marquez – The Mexican legend is raring for another shot at Pacquiao, as he still believes that he won all three fights against his Filipino nemesis, to the point where he even wrote a book about it. This fight will still get interest from the public because the first three bouts between Pacquiao and Marquez have all been classics. The Mexicans want to see Pacquiao fall at the hands of hero and they know that there’s a real chance that this can happen.  

Miguel Cotto – The last and maybe most far-fetched option for Pacquiao is to fight Miguel Cotto for the second time. In their first meeting, Cotto agreed to put his WBO welterweight title on the line with a catch weight of 145 pounds. After losing to Pacquiao, Cotto revived his career in the super welterweight division. He might be willing to fight under 154 pounds for the right price, but it is highly unlikely that he’ll agree to fight at 150 pounds where Pacquiao fought Antonio Margarito. Pacquiao also expressed his apprehensions about fighting above the welterweight division so consider this a long shot.

In terms of interest, Mayweather should be the logical choice but in this crazy world of boxing, the logical things rarely happen. Marquez and Bradley have the inside track at winning the Pacquiao sweepstakes again and it will all come down to what Pacquiao really wants. If he wants to be called world champion again, he should accept that he’ll earn less money against Bradley. And in my humble opinion, that’s exactly what Pacquiao is going to do.

Monday 20 August 2012

Mitchell vs Burns will be another classic England vs Scotland

The world lightweight title bout between Englishman Kevin Mitchell and WBO champ Ricky Burns has all the makings of a classic, says David Anderson.In these islands, there are few things we love better than a clash between England and Scotland.  And now that the countries no longer go to war against each other, sport is the next best thing outlet for this rivalry.  Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your point of view, the nations rarely do battle on the football pitch anymore.  Rugby provides the most high-profile platform for this rivalry which is almost as old as time and the Calcutta Cup is a stand-out moment in the sporting calendar.  There are few other sporting scraps between the countries, which is why Ricky Burn's Battle of Britain with Kevin Mitchell is an Anglo-Scottish contest to get the pulse racing.  This is a proper fight as Scotland's WBO lightweight champ Burns puts his crown on the line against proud Englishman Mitchell.  It has the makings of another Bannockburn or Culloden, depending on which side of Hadrian's Wall you live on.  It promises to be a great scrap between two fighters who are riding the crest of a wave.

Burns announced his arrival on the world stage two years ago when he beat Roman Martinez to win the WBO super-featherweight title.  He made three defences of the strap before stepping up to campaign at lightweight.  In his first fight he beat dangerous Aussie Michael Katsidis to win the WBO's interim crown before being crowned the full champion.  Mitchell is also on the up after a difficult time.  It looked like his world title dream had gone in May 2010 when he was stopped inside three rounds by Katsidis when they fought for the WBO interim crown.  He bounced back in spectacular fashion in July 2011, handing John Murray his first pro defeat to announce his return to the big time.  After a win in a tune-up fight against Felix Lora in February, he is ready for Burns.  They will meet at Glasgow's SECC on September 22 and Burns is honoured to emulate the likes of Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank and Naseem Hamed by fighting there.  "To fight for the first time at the SECC in the biggest and most important fight of my life against Mitchell where all these great names have boxed is an unbelievable honour," he said.  "You can't get bigger names than Benn, Eubank and Naz. They're like British boxing royalty and I can't wait to get in the ring and thrill the fans like they did with their appearances there."  Bring it on!

Thursday 16 August 2012

Is there any way Olympic Boxing can be fixed

The London 2012 Olympics were 99 per cent a rousing worldwide success. Unfortunately, the boxing scoring system formed a fair chunk of the remaining 1 per cent. Firstly, after a manic but amazing fortnight for the Games, The Pugilist feels good to be back. Secondly, before we go deep into negativity, a massive congratulations are due to those Great Britain and Ireland boxers who took medals home from East London - in particular, the seminal gold medal performances of Nicola Adams and Katie Taylor, and the blistering bantam final between Brit Luke Campbell and Irishman John Joe Nevin. Right, feel-good stuff out of the way. Now for the the less-glowing developments. The introduction of a new scoring system (covered in-depth by TP for Eurosport's London Spy Olympic series here) irked purists, and sure enough a storm was brewing. It felt like there wasn't a single day of action from London's ExCeL that didn't involve at least one contentious, sometimes downright incorrect, result. It bore something of a resemblance to the issue of empty seats at some Olympic events, despite the struggles many had finding a way to experience a once-in-a-lifetime deal first-hand, in that the efforts of the athletes and the enthusiasm of the public were being undermined by the poor organisation of those in charge. That said, talk of scrapping the sport from the Games entirely was equally preposterous, as were minority conspiracy theories of home bias (try calling those shenanigans to Tom Stalker). Take away the judges' decisions and you're left with a festival of exciting performances, emotional climaxes and unlikely crowd favourites coming to the fore, all before a molten crowd. So with that in mind, and in the wake of the quick death of the new judicial system, we have suggested a few concepts which could improve matters in time for Rio.

Wednesday 15 August 2012

Usher to play in Sugar ray leonard upcoming film

Usher has signed on to play boxer Sugar Ray Leonard in a forthcoming movie, the BBC reports. The singer confirmed the casting in an interview, explaining that if people see him running around London, it's part of his training for the role. "I'm in preparation for a very incredible role," Usher told the BBC. "If you see me in the corners boxing, I'm doing that while working on this album."  The film, called Hands of Stone, will begin filming later this year. Usher will star opposite Robert De Niro and Gael García Bernal in the picture, which tells the story of Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán.  Usher will also release his seventh studio album later this year. "Climax," the Diplo-produced first single from the as-yet-untitled record, is on the charts now.

What does the future hold for olympic boxers?

The refreshing difference this time is that at least two of the biggest headline-makers from the ExCeL are thus far resolutely refusing to consider taking potentially lucrative sums to move into the paid ranks.  While it is a little ambitious to consider that Anthony Joshua may be around to defend his Olympic title in Rio in 2016, he certainly spoke convincingly enough in the wake of his win to suggest he will stay amateur until next year's World Championships.  Who knows where such a lead would leave the others? Seeing the sport's talisman resist the lucre may well convince some that there is more reason to remain part of the close-knit team in Sheffield.  The amateur game is changing to the point where it is barely amateur at all. The world governing body AIBA are pushing through a so-called 'amateur professional' programme which will see top stars sign long, guaranteed contracts.  Contrast it to the professional game where top promoters are struggling for television revenue like never before, and where only the very best achieve an annual income which eclipses that of the elite lottery funded amateurs.  Here we reflect on the team's historic 2012 Olympics, and ask in turn what the future holds for the fighters themselves:  ANDREW SELBY: Brother Lee's professional career may well tip the balance for Selby. But the young Welshman might find it hard to match his guaranteed salary as one of the amateur sport's big stars.  LUKE CAMPBELL: Claims to be keeping his options open, but is highly likely to take his pick from a number of offers that have come his way. Having achieved his lifelong dream, has little left to prove.JOSH TAYLOR: For Lochend youngster Taylor, London was a superb learning experience. His big day is yet to come when he hopes to represent Scotland in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.  THOMAS STALKER: Time is not on Stalker's side, but it is hard to see the likeable Liverpool fighter committing to the amateurs after the despair of his controversial Olympics defeat to Mongolia's Munkh-Erdene Uranchimeg.  FRED EVANS: Evans had a glorious Olympics, finishing with silver, and while he will certainly be courted by the pros, it would not be a big surprise to see him take a lead from Joshua, and stick around a little longer.  ANTHONY OGOGO: A virtual certainty to go professional. Ogogo's looks and personality will make him big box office and he will be top of the list of a number of promoters. Has the style to make it as a pro too.  ANTHONY JOSHUA: Joshua is adamant he will not take the first sizeable sum that has been flung his way. First, he wants to win gold in Kazakhstan next year. Then he will deserve which ever big deal takes his fancy.  NICOLA ADAMS: For gold medallist Adams, like her female team-mates, there is little point giving up the chance to go to another Games in order to join the virtually non-existent pro circuit. Adams will push for Rio.  NATASHA JONAS: Emerging from the Games with great credit after the fight of the tournament with Katie Taylor, Jonas is also likely to aim for Rio. Her biggest challenge could be keeping the young girls she has inspired at bay.  SAVANNAH MARSHALL: Marshall was the biggest disappointment of the London Games but she has plenty of time to come again. At 21, she has proved she can go all the way. Do not be surprised to see her do it in Rio.

Boxing duo Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan get a Titanic reception as the red carpet is rolled out

Belfast's most famous export was a fitting venue for the homecoming of the city’s Olympic bronze medallist boxing heroes.  Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan were given a Titanic reception at the building honouring the famous ship on their return home on Monday.  Proudly displaying their medals, the pair spent an hour meeting many of the fans who had cheered them on throughout the Games.  The red carpet was rolled out — literally — for the reception and both were only too happy to pose for pictures and sign autographs.  Among those waiting to greet Paddy and Michael were Northern Ireland Olympic boxing heroes of yesteryear.  They included John McNally, who took silver in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki; Freddie Gilroy, who won bronze in 1956, making world headlines at the height of the Cold War by knocking out a Russian; Jim McCourt, who took bronze in Tokyo in 1964; and Hugh Russell who won bronze in 1980 in Moscow.

Olympians Jim Montague, who competed in 1972, and David Larmour, who took part in 1976, were also present.  Conlan said he was overwhelmed by the support.  “I wasn’t aware of how much support there was until I saw the news clips of people watching the fights here and seeing all the kids’ faces,” he said.  “It’s great to see all the support back home. I really do appreciate it, it’s amazing.  “I think a lot of people were watching the boxing as they had watched the (Euro 2012) football and we were terrible and had nothing to cheer about then.  “So they had something to cheer about and it just lifted the spirits of everyone in Ireland.”  Paddy was proudly displaying a wristband in support of three-year-old Oscar Knox, who is currently battling cancer.  The two have been exchanging messages on twitter with Oscar sending a picture showing his support for Paddy while he was in London.  “The support we’ve had has been unreal,” said the 25-year-old.  “We are a wee bit out of the way here and I was surprised how many people turned up. It’s great.”  Asked if there would be a knees-up at his house on Monday night, he quipped: “There better not be, I’m tired!”

Fred Evans is hoping for a gold medal in Rio

WITH Great Britain’s London 2012 boxers having the most successful Games since 1920, team leader Rob McCracken faces an anxious wait as the promoters circle ready to pluck his prizefighters from the amateur ranks and place them in professional circles.But one he might not lose any sleep over is silver medallist Fred Evans after the Cardiff boxer revealed he could be at his peak for Rio 2016.  Evans played his part in Team GB’s successful boxing campaign at London 2012, settling for welterweight silver after losing the final 19-7 against Kazakhstan’s Serik Sapiyev.  Like the rest of his medal winning compatriots – McCracken’s crew finishing the Games with three golds, a silver and a bronze – the lure to turn professional will soon kick in once Evans and co have put their feet up after a job well done in the capital.

But, despite admitting he is yet to make a firm decision either way, Evans isn’t about to rule out trying to upgrade his silver to gold at Rio 2016 – far from it.  “My London 2012 experience was amazing and, although I was aiming for the gold, I am obviously not upset at ending up with a silver,” he said.  “I don’t know what my future will be yet, but I am still young. I am only 21 so in four years time I will be young still.  “But I am not going to rush into a decision this soon after London. I need to go away and have a bit of a rest before getting back into the routine of training before anything else.  “Although I have won an Olympic medal, I know I am not the finished article by any means and I have a lot to learn still.  “I’ve got loads of experience to gain, but once I get back into training I’ll sit down with my coaches and family and decide where I go, see what’s best for me.”  However, before Evans can even entertain the idea of Rio, there is the business of next year’s World Championships to attend to.  And with them taking place in the home of his London 2012 victor, Evans can see the perfect opportunity for revenge presenting itself.  “I will be older and stronger and I would fancy another fight with him (Sapiyev) in his home town,” he added.


Tuesday 14 August 2012

Cuban Boxing explained

As Cuban teenager Robeisy Ramirez Carrazana defeated Mongolia's Tugstsogt Nyambayar to win the flyweight gold medal at London 2012 he was carrying on a rich boxing legacy. Cuban boxers are the most successful in the history of amateur boxing, with each generation producing a host of world-class fighters. Cuba has won 32 Olympic boxing gold medals since 1972, more than any other country, which is all the more remarkable given that they boycotted the 1984 and 1988 Olympics.Former boxing World Champion Barry McGuigan, who fought for Ireland in the 1980 Moscow Olympics and is at London 2012 working with LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games), has been assessing what makes Cuban boxers special. "Cuban boxers are genetically predisposed to boxing. Their genetic make-up aligned with the volatile Latino temperament, world-class trainers and iron discipline make for an explosive combination," explains McGuigan. McGuigan thinks it is no coincidence that there are so many world-class Cuban fighters in every weight division. "The Cubans all look bigger than everyone else in their division. They train at the highest level with world-class coaches. They have the perfect fighting physique: tall and lean with broad shoulders."

Former boxing World Champion Barry McGuigan, who fought for Ireland in the 1980 Moscow Olympics and is at London 2012 working with LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games), has been assessing what makes Cuban boxers special. "Cuban boxers are genetically predisposed to boxing. Their genetic make-up aligned with the volatile Latino temperament, world-class trainers and iron discipline make for an explosive combination," explains McGuigan. McGuigan thinks it is no coincidence that there are so many world-class Cuban fighters in every weight division. "The Cubans all look bigger than everyone else in their division. They train at the highest level with world-class coaches. They have the perfect fighting physique: tall and lean with broad shoulders."In 1962, professional boxing in Cuba was banned by Fidel Castro. So amateur boxing reigns supreme in the country. Successful amateur boxers are regarded as superstars. McGuigan maintains there is a real incentive for Cubans to excel in the sporting arena: "In a country where resources are limited, promising boxers are brought into a camp, trained and educated and their families well looked after. Boxers are schooled in an almost military style environment where discipline is paramount." As a consequence of Castro's ban, if fighters want to pursue their dream of becoming world champion they have to make the heartbreaking decision to defect from the country and McGuigan says this decision can have a profound effect on fighters. "It can be very tough for them because they are excommunicated and separated from their families."

Women's Boxing viewed as Big Hit at The Olympics

Under the lights of London 2012, boxing occupies a shadowed corner, away from the healthy brilliance of other sports. It can seem a hopelessly outmoded sport – all vicarious brutality, needless damage, and cruel aggression. Olympic boxing, as a form of amateur boxing, attracts less controversy than the professional ranks, in part because Olympic boxers wear headgear and box fewer rounds. But this year Olympic boxing is under more scrutiny than ever before: for the first time, women are competing beside men.  Women's boxing attracts a wealth of controversy and prejudice, of approval and pride. Coach Pedro Roque, explaining why Cuba was not sending female boxers to London 2012, said that women should be "showing off their beautiful faces, not getting punched in the face". Frank Maloney, famous for managing Lennox Lewis, described the first British women's amateur boxing match as "a freak show".  Defenders of women's boxing tend to focus not on the merits of the sport itself, but rather on its cultural and political implications. For American writer Katherine Dunn, women's boxing reveals women's capacity for aggression, and should be seen in terms of a feminist movement. In the world of international advocacy, the Cooperation for Peace and Unity (CPAU) in Afghanistan developed a boxing project for women and teenage girls, in the belief that women's boxing could provide a model of cultural participation for women in Afghanistan.  Female boxers, and the progressive cultural force they are seen to embody, have also been the focus of artworks. Photographer Inzajeano Latif's compelling portrait of a "female boxer" was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London. In America, Golden Gloves winner (and single mum) Nisa Rodriguez starred in the video to Gil Scot-Heron's 2010 track I'll Take Care of You.

Former Heavyweight Champion Michael Dokes dies aged 54

Former WBA heavyweight champion Michael Dokes has died of liver cancer, aged 54. Dokes, who won the heavyweight title against Mike Weaver in December 1982, passed away on Saturday in Akron, Ohio. Nicknamed 'Dynamite', Dokes fought Evander Holyfield, Donovan 'Razor' Ruddock and Riddick Bowe in a 21-year career. Dokes had battled with cocaine addiction throughout his career, as well as serving eight years in prison. The Ohio-born boxer turned professional in 1976 and took the WBA heavyweight title six years later in controversial circumstances after referee Joey Curtis stopped his fight with Mike Weaver in the first round. Dokes drew the rematch with Weaver and retained the title before relinquishing it to Gerrie Coetzee in September 1983. He would never hold a world championship title again. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2000 after pleading guilty to attempted murder, second-degree kidnapping and intent to commit sexual assault against his girlfriend, and was released in 2008.

Sunday 12 August 2012

Luke Campbell takes Gold

Even tough guys cry. Luke Campbell joined female flyweight Nicola Adams as an Olympic champion. The 24-year-old from Hull fought the contest of his life to hold off swarming Irishman John Joe Nevin last night and claim Britain's first bantamweight gold in more than a century.  In what has been the most successful Olympics for British boxers since Melbourne in 1956, Campbell scored frequently and decisively against an opponent he knows well but whose performances in this tournament have been sharp and exciting. In front from the start, Campbell had a lead of 5-3 after the first round, showing a clarity of punching that was to improve as the bout progressed, notably with the smart use of a left hook and his southpaw jab.

A storming second round saw Nevin come out more aggressively, catching Campbell with a neat right cross, but the Briton remained unruffled, one point ahead at 9-8.  What clinched it for him was a cracking right in the third which caught the Irishman flush on the temple, sending him tottering down for the Brazilian referee to administer a statutory standing count of eight. Such knockdowns are worth only one point but the advantage was sufficient to give Campbell the confidence he needed to take the bout at 14-11.  It was a result that bought tears of joy to him and no complaint from 23-year-old Nevin, an Irish traveller who had hoped to emulate his female compatriot Katie Taylor by becoming an Olympic champion.

Thursday 9 August 2012

Nicola Adams takes Gold for team GB

When Nicola Adams first put on boxing gloves at her local gym as a tiny schoolgirl of 12, bouts between two women were banned by the British Boxing Board of Control. They were too unstable, went the reasoning, on account of their menstrual cycles, and besides no one wanted to see a pretty girl get hit.  On Thursday, 17 years later but not a great deal taller, Adams finally gave her response in the ring, emphatically defeating the Chinese world champion flyweight Ren Cancan to become the first woman ever to claim an Olympic gold medal in boxing.  She had only gone to the gym that day because her mother had an aerobics class and could not find any childcare.  Britain may be getting accustomed to gorging on medals, but the country's 24th gold, courtesy of Adams, is more significant than most.  When the IOC ruled in 2009 that women's boxing would be in the London Games, 11 years after the BBBC was obliged to lift its unequal ban, the former world champion Amir Khan said he was against the move, saying: "When you get hit it can be very painful."  On Thursday he was ringside, paying lavish tributes, with everyone else, to the skill and dexterity of the female fighters.

Once London's festival of sport has come to its conclusion, there is little question women's boxing will be reckoned one of its great successes. It is not merely the ferociously supportive crowds the sport has drawn – even if the most vocal bellows have been reserved for Ireland's Katie Taylor, who took lightweight gold shortly after Adams's bout – but the respect the competitors have commanded, among boxing ingenues and experienced sports devotees alike.  As recently as March this year, the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) was threatening to force women boxers at the Games to compete while wearing skirts "to help distinguish them from the men".  Immediately before Adams's bout, Ching-Kuo Wu, the AIBA president, said the Rio Games would almost certainly see the number of divisions at which women could compete at the Games double from three to six. London's women fighters, he said, were "heroes in boxing history".  As Adams stood on the podium to claim her gold, four days into women's Olympic boxing history, the exclusion before now of women from the sport already seemed as ridiculous as the bar, until 1984, on their running the marathon. Did she think she had answered the sceptics, she was asked later?

Monday 6 August 2012

Katie Taylor beats Britain's Natasha Jones

You would not want to pick an argument with Katie Taylor. That Natasha Jonas did and lost 26-15 to the Irish boxing phenomenon at the Olympics is to her eternal credit.  It was the bout of the day – and arguably the bout of the tournament so far. The ever-smiling Liverpudlian lightweight can say now that, although she missed an Olympic medal, she traded quality punches on the grandest stage with the best female boxer there has ever been or, possibly, ever will be.  Jonas joined her Great Britain team-mate and the reigning world middleweight champion, Savannah Marshall, on the way out of the inaugural women's competition at the quarter-finals stage but both gave their best.  They will be there to cheer on the third British female here, Nicola Adams, who came through in the flyweight division with a comfortable 16-7 win over the Bulgarian Stoyka Petrova. Next up for Adams is the excellent Indian Mary Kom, the mother of twins.  It is three years since Adams fell down stairs at home and was sidelined for 12 months with a back injury that threatened to cut short her career. The part-time actor (occasionally spotted in Coronation Street) will not have received more applause than she did in this ring in front of a capacity audience.

Meanwhile, Taylor, from Bray, County Wicklow, is destined to win Ireland's first gold medal at these Games to go with four world titles over the past six years. Her compatriot and a former world title challenger, Matthew Macklin, was moved to observe: "One word springs to mind watching Katie Taylor: special! Absolutely gifted."  That is three words Matt but never mind: it is easy to run out of superlatives describing a woman whose hand speed, footwork, power and ring craft are every bit as good as many of her male counterparts.  "When you see women's boxing at the highest level," Jonas said later, "and that kind of performance, how can you argue that women aren't just as good as the men?" You wouldn't argue with Jonas either. Both of them spar against men and it showed in their sharpness as, after a slow start, Jonas got to parity in round two of four, then gave nearly as good as she received, especially with tireless attacks to the body, and came through standing eight counts in the third and final two-minute stanzas.  Taylor said of Jonas: "She's a super boxer and a fantastic person. I had to work so hard. She wasn't hurt at all. I am just delighted with the win."  The packed arena was a cell of noise for most of the eight minutes, officially recorded as 113.7 decibels, as loud as any rock concert and four decibels greater than the human pain threshold, a testament to the popularity of the combatants and the sport. At many Olympic boxing tournaments the seats do not fill to capacity until the semi-finals. These were quarters but this bout was worthy of a final.


Wednesday 1 August 2012

The 25 most powerful people in Boxing

There are few sports more star-driven than boxing. The NFL doesn't rely on a Tom Brady or a Peyton Manning the same way boxing desperately needs guys like Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. In the major team sports, guys like Brady and Manning have influence, but they're just one piece in the cog. When Brady missed almost the entire 2008 season, the NFL didn't see a drop in ticket sales, merchandise sales, television ratings or overall interest. Try the same thing in boxing. Guarantee in 2013 that neither Pacquiao nor Mayweather fights and the sport will take a precipitous drop. Big stars are extraordinarily important for boxing. Good matches between little known fighters don't sell at the box office and don't attract television ratings. That gives guys like Pacquiao and Mayweather extraordinary power and influence within the industry. It also makes big-time power brokers of those who work with them. With that in mind, here are the Top 25 most powerful men (and women) in boxing: 1. Al Haymon – The most powerful guy in boxing is also its most mysterious. You'll rarely, if ever, see him in front of a television camera and you'll never catch him speaking to a reporter. He's not a promoter. He's not a manager. But when Haymon says jump, plenty of people in boxing listen. He's referred to as an adviser, which is a smart way to avoid having to be licensed by an athletic commission and to skirt the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. It's illegal in the U.S. to serve as a promoter and a manager, though Haymon does both.

1. Al Haymon – The most powerful guy in boxing is also its most mysterious. You'll rarely, if ever, see him in front of a television camera and you'll never catch him speaking to a reporter. He's not a promoter. He's not a manager. But when Haymon says jump, plenty of people in boxing listen. He's referred to as an adviser, which is a smart way to avoid having to be licensed by an athletic commission and to skirt the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. It's illegal in the U.S. to serve as a promoter and a manager, though Haymon does both. But what he does is, he'll hire a promoter to, essentially, buy his or her license for an event. So, while, say, Gary Shaw Productions may be the promoter of record for an event, he's doing so at the direction of Haymon. It's Shaw who has to follow the regulations required of a promoter by the state athletic commissions, not Haymon, but it's Haymon making the calls. He also directs the careers of many fighters, serving as a de facto manager. But while managers are required to be licensed by the states, advisers are not. He's involved with a slew of the sport's biggest stars, including the biggest, Floyd Mayweather Jr. When Haymon wants one of his fighters on television, he gets it. His fighters compete when he says, where he says, on the network he wants and generally for what he asks purse-wise. There's no one more powerful than that.

2. Todd duBoef – duBoef is the president of Top Rank. He is the promoter of Manny Pacquiao, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and Nonito Donaire. He is very innovative and has made many changes, including revamping the live event atmosphere at Top Rank fights. He's embraced the use of technology and Top Rank is clearly the leader in the digital space among boxing promoters.

 3. Richard Schaefer – The CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Schaefer for years had to listen as competitors and media moaned about his unfair advantage in landing fights on HBO. Then, when the deal with HBO ended, the former legal counsel for Golden Boy, Stephen Espinoza, was hired to run Showtime Sports. Suddenly, Golden Boy's fights are all over Showtime and Schaefer's competitors are moaning again. That's the definition of power and influence. Schaefer works well with Haymon and, as a result of that relationship, he's promoted all of Mayweather's fights since 2007. He also owns Ring Magazine and its website uses it as a propaganda tool when need be. When he complained that media was too influenced by Top Rank's Bob Arum, he used the site he owns and a reporter he pays as the vehicle to do it. That provides him with even more influence.

4. Curtis Jackson – Jackson is a musician who is best known by his stage name, 50 Cent. He recently formed a promotional company, TMT Promotions, which is short for "The Money Team." That is the moniker that Mayweather has given his crew. It appears that Jackson will be Mayweather's promoter going forward. TMT Promotions has reportedly signed fighters such as Yuriorkis Gamboa, Andre Dirrell, Zab Judah and Andre Berto. None of them are big draws, but it's an indicator that Jackson is serious about promoting. As long as he's fast friends with Mayweather and Mayweather continues to fight, he'll continue to be among the leading boxing power-brokers.

5. Bob Arum – The Top Rank founder is a Hall of Fame member who is still very active at 80. And while much of the business is run by duBoef, Arum's imprint is still all over everything Top Rank does. He has a great knack for understanding how to build a fighter and he gives his very strong team plenty of room to do their jobs. As a result, he consistently comes up with star after star and remains at the top even as others fall into irrelevance. Arum has stayed current, though he keeps referring to Jackson as "50 Cents." That faux pas aside, Arum is a relentless worker who has relationships with some of the most powerful people in the television, venue and casino businesses. 6. Ken Hershman – The president of HBO Sports, Hershman has the biggest budget and the largest reach of any broadcaster who does big-time boxing. As a result, if he wants a fight to be on HBO, it usually is.

6. Ken Hershman – The president of HBO Sports, Hershman has the biggest budget and the largest reach of any broadcaster who does big-time boxing. As a result, if he wants a fight to be on HBO, it usually is.

 7. Floyd Mayweather Jr.– He's the top boxer in the sport. He's the biggest draw in the sport. He's aligned with the most powerful figure in the sport. Those factors earn Mayweather a spot on the list. The only issue is whether he should be higher.

 8. Manny Pacquiao – He's not as big as Mayweather in the U.S., but he's got a bigger fan base world-wide. The Philippines is a boxing-mad country and Pacquiao has great influence with the young boxers emerging there.

 9. Stephen Espinoza – Espinoza is the executive vice president and the general manager of Showtime Sports. He controls a big budget and a lot of dates, many of which are going to his old bosses at Golden Boy. But without any significant involvement in boxing from basic cable or over-the-air network channels, he's in charge of the No. 2 outlet in the U.S.


10. Kathy Duva – The promoter at Main Events has laid a strong foundation in a deal with the NBC Sports Network for fights. She's also managed to convince NBC to put fights on the network starting later this year. Right now, most of the fights involve lesser names, but if she has success with the series, it could lead to more high-profile bouts with bigger audiences. But with the television dates and the potential audience she controls, she wields considerable influence among the boxing crowd.

11. Leonard Ellerbe – Ellerbe is the CEO of Mayweather Promotions and is extremely close with Mayweather. He's also close with Haymon and 50 Cent, putting him squarely in the middle of a lot of big deals.

12. Fernando Beltran – Beltran is a promoter in Mexico and delivers many of the top Mexican stars to Top Rank. The Hispanic audience is a significant one for boxing and nobody is stronger with it than Beltran.

 13. Oscar De La Hoya – The Golden Boy was No. 1 on this list in 2008. But he's no longer boxing and his influence isn't what it was. He's a liability at times to the company with his Tweeting and he's been taunted relentlessly by 50 Cent. But De La Hoya is still an idol to many younger boxers and his presence without question attracts fighters to Golden Boy.

14. Richard Plepler– Plepler is the co-president of HBO and is the man who hired Hershman. He's not a boxing guy and isn't involved on a day-to-day basis, but it's Plepler who sets the tone for the boxing content that winds up on HBO. The amount of boxing-related shoulder content on HBO has increased dramatically since Plepler has taken a greater interest in it.

15. Keith Kizer – A state regulator ordinarily wouldn't make a list of the most powerful, but Kizer runs the commission in Nevada, where the majority of the sport's biggest events are held. He has great sway with his commissioners and exerts a firm hand over what happens. The fact that Antonio Margarito did not fight again in Nevada after the hand wraps incident with Shane Mosley in California in 2009 was largely the result of Kizer's behind-the-scenes influence with the Nevada boxing commissioners.

16. Wladimir Klitschko – The International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion attracts crowds of 30,000 plus in Europe for fights the fans know going in are not going to be competitive. He has a lot of sway with the TV networks in the U.S., as well.

17. Jim Lampley– Lampley is the voice of HBO Boxing and, as such, plays a huge role in how the public perceives the sport. He's also landed a news magazine show in which he's able to explore serious topics in the sport in more depth. He reportedly was involved in a coup of sorts to try to take over the boxing division at HBO last year. It didn't work, but Lampley still remains a major player.

18. Michael Koncz– He's Pacquiao's right-hand man and that alone gives him juice. Whether he retains that when Pacquiao retires, or if he manages to hang around with Pacquiao until the end, can be debated. But he speaks for the champ and that opens plenty of doors for him.

19. Bruce Trampler – Top Rank's Hall of Fame matchmaker, Trampler has the ear of Arum and duBoef. They still won't make a big fight without his OK.

20. Bernd Boente – He's often insufferable and has more feuds than Pete Rose has hits, it seems, but Boente is the personal manager of the Klitschko brothers and wields plenty of power as a result.

 21. Eric Gomez – The matchmaker for Golden Boy Promotions is also De La Hoya's boyhood friend. Gomez shapes the career of many fighters who appear regularly on TV and he's earned Schaefer's trust.

22. Gordon Hall – Hall runs Showtime's ShoBox series, which is a steppingstone for young prospects looking to move to the next level. All of boxing's managers have his number on speed dial.

23. Cameron Dunkin – Dunkin is a manager of elite fighters like Donaire and Timothy Bradley Jr. He's one of the best talent evaluators in the business and, despite an appearance he's a Top Rank guy, has relationships with all of the promoters.

 24. Mark Taffet – The senior vice president of sports operations and pay-per-view at HBO, Taffet has much say in who appears on the air and how they're presented.

 25. Kery Davis – Davis is the senior vice president of sports programming a HBO. It's his day-to-day job to program HBO's boxing shows and he's extremely close with Haymon.




Tuesday 31 July 2012

U.S. Marine determined to keep team spirit up

His London Olympics may have only lasted nine minutes but Jamel Herring will not be getting down about it. A veteran Marine of two tours of duty in Iraq, the U.S. team boxing captain knows he has his men to think about. The 26-year-old sergeant, who served as a field electrician during the Iraq war, is just part of the military backbone of an American team led by officer Basheer Abdullah, head coach of the army's boxing programme for 15 years. Herring saw many friends die during his service but also lost his daughter to cot death shortly after his return, something that was at the forefront of his mind when went down on bended knee upon entering the ring on Tuesday. "Everybody back at home knows what I've been through, I've been through a lot of ups and downs," the circumspect light-welterweight told reporters after his 19-9 loss to Kazakhstan's Daniyar Yeleussinov. "From the first time I stepped in the ring to the last, I was thinking about her (his daughter Ariyanah), my team, my country, the Marine corps. A lot was going through my head."

A native of Long Island, just east of Manhattan, Herring was in high school when New York's World Trade Centre was destroyed on September 11, 2001. School friends lost relatives in the attacks, prompting the then 15-year-old to decide to enlist. He does not know yet whether he will re-enlist when his service ends in a few months, although a harder question to answer is whether it means more to be an Olympian or to have served for his country. "I was a proud Marine and proud to defend my country," he said. Being a New Yorker and so close to the 9/11 incident in high school, I wanted just to do something good in life. Make something out of myself. "I appreciated the both of them," he added, referring to the Olympics. "I wish I could have done better but not everyone gets to the Olympics so when you do, it's a big accomplishment on your resume. I'll always be an Olympian." With seven American male boxers and three females still chasing medals, their captain knows he still has plenty of work to do in London. "It hurts, no one likes to get beat but I've got to keep my head up, I'm team captain. If I'm down basically my team is down," he said. "I don't want nobody to feel down, I fought hard. I don't want them to feel bad for one man, one man's gone down, but we've still got out whole team."

Monday 30 July 2012

Olympics:Boxing judges favor Brits, claims Conceicao

Brazilian lightweight Robson Conceicao claimed he was the victim of biased judging after he lost in the first round to Britain's Josh Taylor on Sunday. Conceicao, who pushed world amateur champion Vasyl Lomachenko all the way in last year's championships, lost 13-9 but was convinced he won every round. "They (the judges) were very malicious. It's not fair because I think the judges favoured him because of the crowd and that shouldn't happen in a competition like this," Conceicao told reporters. "It hurts a lot, I was fighting really well, making the points and the referees didn't give it. I'm sad." In front of a packed and giddily excited arena, Taylor became the third British boxer in a row to advance to the second round of this year's Games, handing rising boxing power Brazil its first defeat in the process. "It will be very difficult," Conceicao said when asked if it would be hard to beat a British boxer in London. Taylor, who sparred with the Brazilian in what he described a tough session in the run up to the Games, said it was amazing having the crowd behind every punch he threw, describing the experience as the best in his life.


Sunday 29 July 2012

Queen Elizabeth says that her Olympics was 'a laugh'

Britain's Queen Elizabeth thinks her Olympic Games Opening Ceremony cameo was a "bit of a laugh".  The 86-year-old royal took part in a pre-recorded segment with James Bond actor Daniel Craig before appearing to parachute into the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London, during Friday's (27.07.12) spectacle, and while she didn't watch her part, she admits the ceremony seemed to go "very well".  During a tour of the Olympic Park yesterday (28.07.12), she told London Mayor Boris Johnson: "It all seemed to go very well last night. But I didn't see my bit."  Boris said: "You were brilliant Ma'am."

And the monarch replied: "It was a bit of a laugh."  The queen is said to have immediately accepted the invitation to film the cameo for the ceremony, and she shot the piece in just one take.  An official is quoted by the Sunday Mirror newspaper as saying: "It was not a case of having to persuade the queen to take part.  "Her Majesty said 'yes' to it straight away. She thought it was such brilliant fun. And when the idea for the format was explained to her she was happy with that, too. When we came to filming it the queen was a natural. Did it take long? No. Let's just say we only had to film it once."  The segment saw Bond arrive at Buckingham Palace in an iconic black London taxi and he then walked down the hallway flanked by the monarch's corgis - played by her own pooches Monty, Willow and Holly - before being taken to the queen.  She greeted him with the words: "Good evening, Mr. Bond." He replied: "Good evening, Your Majesty."  The pair then retired to a waiting Union Jack-decorated helicopter where they travelled from the palace to the Olympic Stadium and then appeared to parachute out much to the surprise of fans inside the stadium and the one billion people watching on TV sets worldwide.  But the joke was revealed when she arrived with her husband Prince Philip walking down the steps into their seats.  The queen's cameo was the idea of the Opening Ceremony curator Danny Boyle, who admitted the monarch is a "good actor" and revealed she got on "very well" with Daniel during filming.

Saturday 28 July 2012

Team GB Boxer Anthony Ogogo keeps Olympic dream alive

The brave quest for Olympic glory of Anthony Ogogo, whose mother recently suffered a brain haemorrhage, continues. The Lowestoft middleweight overcame Junior Castillo of the Dominican Republic on a 13-6 count in the preliminary round after the sudden illness of his mum, Teresa, caused him to consider withdrawing from the Games.  Competing in an Olympics is Ogogo's "dream", he said after this easy win, so this pushed him on. That, and his four sisters "ordering" him to fulfil his ambition. On a memorable day for the middleweight one of those sisters, Leanne, went into labour and is just "down the corridor" in the James Paget hospital, near Great Yarmouth, from Teresa, who is in a stable condition.  Ogogo said: "About six weeks ago my mum had a brain haemorrhage so she's been in hospital – in the critical care unit for a good month and she's been looked after. She's doing so well. Hopefully I've given her a boost and it will help in her recovery. For what she's doing and what's she's going through and how good she's done I'm so proud of her. Winning a medal at the Olympics is nothing in comparison.

"My eldest sister Leanne went into labour so I'll phone her and hope I have a little nephew or niece. She's just down the corridor from my Mum. It has been a really good day for the family. I've kept my focus. It makes me want it even more. My world has been incentivised by what's gone on, I'm working hard, and hopefully I will get what I feel like I deserve."  How had he negotiated these past six weeks? "Just with the help of my family, and friends and girlfriend – they've kind of got me through," Ogogo said. "There was a stage where I didn't think I was going to be boxing at the Olympic Games because it just didn't seem important with all that was going on at home with the family and stuff. But my sisters kind of ordered me back to Sheffield [where Team GB are based] to train with the squad. The team have been really good with me to: they've given me time off to go and see members of my family.  "I've just worked hard and focused on the goal because it was my dream. But you kind of put into perspective what's important or not – it just testament to my family and friends who kind of got me here and hopefully I'll do them even more proud and make my mum proud by wining a medal."  Cheered on by the sold-out arena at the ExCel and "Team Ogogo" – who consisted of three sisters, his girlfriend and friends all wearing T-shirts sporting the logo – the 23-year-old admitted to nerves during the opening round.

"It was amazing," he said. "Just the people in the crowd supporting me – it's quite emotional really. I walked to the ring and thought: 'lip don't quiver, don't quiver.' I was a bit tense in the opening round, to perform in front of that crowd, it was a bit nerve-racking. But I settled down, got into my rhythm."  Ogogo closed the opening three minutes just 3-2 ahead but he was about to pull away. His cleaner punches and greater work kept Castillo at range and after a fast flurry from the Dominican following the opening bell of round two, Ogogo's better work took his advantage to 8-3.  By ducking inside whenever Castillo advanced during the final round Ogogo stayed away from danger, preventing his opponent from adding to his tally. Now, he faces Levgen Khytrov, the Ukrainian world champion and No1 seed, who will provide a big step up in class.  Ogogo said: "It's going to be really hard, the draw was unkind was to me. My girlfriend said to me: 'If the wind won't get in your sails, use your oars.' So I'll have to row against the tide. He's world champion but with that crowd and my coaches, the team I've got, I feel I can rise to the occasion: the better my opponent, the better I usually perform.  "I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I can beat him. It's going to be a much harder fight but I can't wait. It's the Olympic Games, you don't become Olympic champion without beating the best. It's about bringing the best of the best together. I'm going to rest up, get the tactics sorted out and crack on."