Fighter of the Year: Gennady Golovkin by the Ring

The readers' choice for Fighter of the Year received less than one quarter of all votes cast. That says something about what took place in 2013.

Nine names were offered in the poll. The bottom four – Mikey Garcia (5.3 percent), Bernard Hopkins (1.9 percent), Sergey Kovalev (2.3 percent) and Akira Yaegashi (1.0 percent) – all gave worthy performances but were simply crowded out by five others who accomplished truly remarkable things in the past year. Tim Bradley, Danny Garcia, Gennady Golovkin, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Adonis Stevenson all received more than 10 percent of the vote for their efforts.

At the end of the day, though, there's just something about GGG.

It's no surprise to see Floyd Mayweather Jr. (45-0, 26 knockouts) in the top two. He fought twice in 2013, which is kind of like Halley's Comet showing up two times in one year. And while the first – a unanimous decision over Robert Guerrero – was largely a clinic in mismatching, the second was a lesson in history-making.

Mayweather's bout with Canelo Alvarez, who at the time was probably popular enough in Mexico to be the A-side in a pay-per-view fight with Pancho Villa, was reportedly seen by 77 percent of households in that country, the all-time record for a boxing event there. Across the border in Showtime Land, the fight was purchased 2.2 million times for around $150 million. (For those of you familiar with coin-op laundry, that's a stack of quarters 650 miles high.) Buy-wise, still less than the 2.53 million for Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya in 2007, but far more money-wise, and that's before even getting to the record gate sales, closed-circuit tickets, etc.

Oh, and Mayweather won also, with ease, fighting above welterweight (barely) for only the third time to beat the incumbent RING junior middleweight champion, who many thought had a chance to muscle his way to victory. Plus, the fight was only No. 2 in a kerjillion-dollar six-bout deal with Showtime, another bit of history Mayweather chiseled out in 2013. In our poll, he got 20.7 percent of the 1,764 votes cast.

Division champions Danny Garcia (junior welterweight) and Adonis Stevenson (light heavyweight) finished neck-and-neck with 16.4 and 15.1 percent, respectively.

Garcia's year was a study in contrast: confidence and doubt, the former from Garcia and the latter from everyone else. The lack of respect was confounding to those around the kid from Philadelphia, having just logged two victories over Erik Morales and a knockout of Amir Khan in 2012, and then a unanimous decision over Zab Judah in April 2013. But there it was: the question of not "if," but "what round" Garcia would fall to the heavily-inked and heavily-favored Lucas Matthysse.

And once again Garcia delivered a "Swift" kick in the groin to the oddsmakers. Fighting in the co-feature to Mayweather-Alvarez, Garcia (27-0, 16 KOs) withstood the power-puncher's attacks before jabbing and hooking his way into the lead of what ultimately became an upset unanimous-decision win. The more Matthysse's right eye swelled shut, the more fans' eyes opened up to the fact that, yeah, Garcia's good.

Stevenson (23-1, 20 KOs) fought 20 rounds of a scheduled 46 in 2013. Four fights, four knockouts. First was a six-round revenge job against Darnell Boone, the man responsible for the "1" in Stevenson's record. It cleared the slate, but did so in relative obscurity. It was the next fight that made the Emanuel Steward protege a star.

Stevenson's overhand left to Chad Dawson's head connected with such force that it folded the then-RING champ in half before he toppled over like his foot was hinged to the canvas. This happened in the first round.

We already knew Stevenson could knock guys out, though. His next assignment proved he could also box ... before knocking guys out. Tavoris Cloud lasted seven rounds. Stevenson then finished out the year with a sixth-round TKO against Tony Bellew, whose previous fight was a UD over fellow top-10er Isaac Chilemba.

Tim Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs) started 2013 under a cloud of fan-rage following his gift-decision victory over Manny Pacquiao in June 2012 (Bradley actually received death threats), but ended the abuse with what would be voted Fight of the Year against Ruslan Provodnikov. He then completely erased the respect deficit by beating Juan Manuel Marquez, which doubled as a true victory-by-proxy over Pacquiao since it had been Marquez who KO'd the congressman in his previous fight. Bradley got 13.5 percent of the vote.

But the winner, with 23.8 percent, was the guy from Kazakhstan with the goofy grin and the slightly NSFW nickname (his initials, to be fair). He's also the guy with two-handed power and the skills to put him in position for using it.

Gennady Golovkin started boxing professionally in 2006 and has been on a winning streak ever since. His record currently stands at 28-0, with 25 knockouts, and in those 28 fights his weight has ranged from 159 to 161.25 pounds. The last bout of his that didn't end with a knockout was an eight-rounder in 2008. He is consistent.

He was the same in the amateurs, racking up 345 wins in 350 fights, a gold medal at the 2003 World Championships and a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. At the relatively ripe old age of 31, he also has maturity to go with his experience.

In 2014 he had four fights. Before each one of them, there were those who said he'd soon be exposed as an overhyped power-puncher, and those who said no, he's different. After each of his wins, the voices of the latter grew louder. It was not just the power, which produced different-sounding impacts even through the TV and was further sensationalized by sparring partners who said they'd never felt anything like it. It was also the poise, the patience, and the precision. The footwork, the hand speed. Golovkin seemed to have the elements of a complete fighter.

But the power, and willingness to use it, is what drew fans to him in 2013. Being on HBO didn't hurt.

He began the year in New York with a bloodletting, defending his WBA middleweight title with a seventh-round stoppage of Gabriel Rosado. That stoked the public's interest, but rather than wait for the cable network to give him another date, Golovkin headed to Monte Carlo two-and-a-half months later for three rounds with Nobuhiro Ishida. He returned to the U.S. three months later and KO'd Matthew Macklin in Connecticut, also in the third round.

His fourth outing of the year was against Curtis Stevens, who stepped forward and asked for the fight that the rest of the middleweight division now seemed to be actively avoiding. After all, reasoned Stevens, his hands were also accustomed to delivering knockouts.

By this time, Golovkin was beginning to reap the benefits of HBO's favor, and after a high-profile promotion for the fight which included all the requisite threat-hype and trash talk, 1.41 million viewers tuned in to watch Golovkin hammer Stevens for eight rounds until the New Yorker's corner asked the ref to end it. Those numbers made it the third-most watched fight on cable that year, behind bouts headlined by proven stars Miguel Cotto and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Although Golovkin again opted to stay busy against a questionable opponent in Monaco rather than wait for another HBO date (he'll face Osumanu Adama on Feb. 1), fans of GGG are hoping 2014 will bring even bigger things – fights against the top contenders at 160 and possibly even 168. Whatever happens, we say, "Yes, please."

Best I've Faced: Junior Jones

“Poison” Junior Jones (50-6, 28 knockouts) was an immensely talented boxer-puncher from Brooklyn, N.Y., who won world titles at bantamweight and junior featherweight while carving out a reputation as one of the most exciting fighters of the nineties.

He turned professional in 1989, following a stellar amateur run which saw him win 150 of 159 bouts, and his paid tenure was no less impressive. Jones punched his way to 32 straight victories, 22 inside schedule, to establish himself as one of the most gifted technicians in the New York area.

In October 1993 he got off the floor to annex the WBA bantamweight crown from unbeaten Colombian Jorge Eliecer Julio, but just when the young star had reached the top of the mountain the peaks and troughs began.

Jones was sensationally stopped by the undistinguished John Michael Johnson in Las Vegas and, although the setback was considered a blip, a second knockout defeat to journeyman Daryl Pinckney had many experts believing that he lacked the required durability to remain at world level.

The rapid punching New Yorker knew differently and regrouped to pull off his biggest wins and capture another world title. In March 1996 Jones prevailed in a war with Hall of Famer Orlando Canizales and, seven months later, became the first man to defeat legendary Mexican warrior Marco Antonio Barrera, for the WBO junior featherweight strap.

A repeat victory over Barrera in a direct rematch gave Jones the respect and admiration of fans and media alike.

The last few years of Jones’ career were peculiar. He broke into the pound-for-pound ratings following his brilliant wins over Barrera, but an immediate stoppage loss to the hard-hitting Kennedy McKinney sent his career into a tailspin and mooted collisions with Prince Naseem Hamed and Kevin Kelley failed to transpire.

He never regained another world title and retired in 2002, at the age of thirty-one.

“Kennedy McKinney didn’t want the rematch,” said Jones. “We tried to negotiate that fight but he didn’t want to face me and lost to someone else. I don’t think Hamed ever wanted to take me on, either. We would have been open to talks, but unfortunately that one didn’t materialize.

“Hamed was very awkward and an extremely hard puncher. He was a southpaw, but I don’t think that would have been a problem for me. Kevin (Kelley) and I would have been a great fight. He was another left-hander with a lot of heart, but that isn’t always a good thing, because you can be too brave for your own good.

“I would have been confident against both guys, but more cautious facing Hamed because of his punch power and awkward style.”

Jones had some of his finest moments whilst under the tutelage of Joey Fariello, the acclaimed New York coach, who worked out of Gleason’s Gym. Fariello passed away in December 1995, following a stroke, and Jones then spent several successful years with Tommy Brooks.

“Joey was a great trainer and a gentleman,” said Jones. “He pushed you to the limit and always got the best out of his fighters. That was the case whether you were a novice or a champion and I was lucky to have him.

“I still go to the fights. I’ve been involved in personal training and I will always follow the sport – I love it.”

RingTV.com spoke to the former two-weight world champion about the opponents he faced during a rollercoaster professional career:

Best overall: “Orlando Canizales, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame a few years ago. He had 16 world title defenses and was so cagey and tricky in the ring. I won our fight at Madison Square Garden and it was one of the best performances of my career.”

Best boxer: “Marco Antonio Barrera. He had terrific boxing ability and real punching power, which he displayed in both of our fights. Those wins (DQ5, UD12) really made me.”

Best puncher: “Marco Antonio Barrera again. He hit hard to head and body, although I was never down in either fight. I dropped him heavily in our first fight.”

Best defense: “Tom 'Boom Boom' Johnson. He was so smart and could lock me up at times and, even though I won a unanimous decision, it was a very difficult night for me. Canizales had some nice defensive moves also.”

Fastest hands: “Orlando Canizales. He was able to match me in that area; our hand speed was probably equal.”

Fastest feet: “No opponent in professional fights or sparring stands out in this area.”

Best chin: “Orlando Canizales. He took so many clean shots over 12 rounds, but was there right to the end.”

Best jab: “Kennedy McKinney. He had a pretty good jab at the time, but I ran out of power by going all out for the finish. I punched myself out in that fight.”

Strongest: “Marco Antonio Barrera by far. He was very strong on the inside and pushed me hard in the rematch.”

Smartest: “Erik Morales. In terms of finding the right hand Morales was very smart. He was able to set that shot up extremely well.”

Photos: Al Bello-Getty Images; Andy Lyons-Getty Images; THE RING

Fight of the Year: Bradley-Provodnikov

The Fight of the Year for 2013 came down to two rousing 12-round boxer-slugger confrontations for the fans who voted in RingTV.com’s year-end awards poll.

Marcos Maidana’s hard-fought but clear-cut unanimous decision over Adrien Broner, garnered 32.9 percent of 1,300 votes, but was outdone by Tim Bradley’s narrow unanimous decision over Ruslan Provodnikov, which took in a little more than half (51.1 percent) of the votes.

Both fights featured undefeated American boxers defending their world welterweight titles against rugged, hard-punching foreign-born challengers. And both fights exceeded the expectations of the boxing media and most fans as the heavily favored Americans found themselves at the wrong end of fearsome early round onslaughts from their underdog challengers.

Both Bradley and Broner were backed up and hurt during the first two rounds of their fights – perhaps surprised by the marked technical and tactical improvement that both “B-sides” made under the guidance of multiple Trainer of the Year award winners Freddie Roach (Provodnikov) Robert Garcia (Maidana).

Broner was dropped into the ropes early in the second round; Bradley was rocked so badly during the second round that he was fortunate to be allowed to finish it.

Both Bradley and Broner began boxing their way back into their fights in the third round and both had success during the middle rounds, but both also had to withstand relentless late-round rallies from their free-swinging adversaries.

Both suffered late-rounds knockdowns. Broner was floored in the eighth round; Bradley was forced to take a knee in the final seconds of the 12^th.

Both bouts had the requisite drama and sustained action to make boxing fans stand up and cheer as they watched, but Bradley-Provodnikov was the better fight. The fact that a bout that took place on March 16 received more votes from fans than a Fight of the Year candidate that took place on Dec. 14 says it all.

Bradley-Provodnikov, a one point fight (114-113) on two of the official judges’ scorecards, could have gone either way. However, Bradley was able to hold onto his WBO title and his unbeaten record because he fought harder and smarter against Provodnikov than Broner did against Maidana.

Unlike Broner, Bradley was not outworked by his challenger. The 30-year-old Palm Springs, Calif., resident threw 1000 total punches and landed 218 of 511 (43 percent) of his power shots, according to CompuBox stats. However, Bradley’s aggressive volume-punching tactics left him open for Provodnikov’s bone-jarring power punches, which badly rocked him at the end of the first round. The 5-to-1 betting favorite opted to stay in the pocket and exchange with Provodnikov mid-way through the opening round and paid the price.

Provodnikov, a 29-year-old pressure fighter from the Siberian area of Russia, was dismissed as an “ESPN fighter” by many so-called hardcore fans, who did not deem him worthy of the title shot or the HBO showcase, but he made his detractors eat their words as he made Bradley eat his right hands and left hooks during the first six minutes of the fight.

Bradley entered the bout with a sizable chip on his shoulders. He had scored the biggest victory of his career by outpointing Manny Pacquiao via split decision last June, but the controversial nature of the win and harsh subsequent public backlash denied him any satisfaction. Bradley fought Provodnikov like a man hell-bent on earning respect from the boxing world.

He did that and he also reminded fans about his world-class boxing ability by shrugging off the cobwebs in his head and getting into his stick-and-move groove in rounds three, four and five. Provodnikov, however, remained dangerous and reminded Bradley of this fact when he stunned the American with a hook with 30 seconds remaining in the sixth round. Provodnikov hurt Bradley again as he backed the titleholder to the ropes and cracked him with series of right hands. Bradley returned fire while practically out on his feet until the bell.

Between rounds, Bradley’s trainer Joel Diaz threatened to stop the fight unless the still-dazed fighter heeded his words by fighting a smarter fight. Bradley boxed beautifully on “auto pilot” in rounds seven, eight and nine, but Provodnikov cut the ring off better in round 10, got to Bradley’s body and landed a monster hook at the bell. Still, he returned to his corner with grotesque facial swelling and a left eye that looked like a raw piece of meat. Now it was Roach’s turn to threaten to stop the fight between rounds.

The Hall of Famer would not have to do that as Provodnikov battled Bradley on even terms in the 11^thbefore having defending beltholder reeling about the ring during the final minute of the 12^th. Bradley wisely took a knee with 13 seconds left, beating referee Pat Russell’s 10-count just before the bell and thus surviving the most grueling fight of his life.

With the victory, Bradley proved that he belongs among the sport’s elite. Meanwhile, Provodnikov proved that he belongs on the world-class stage. Together, they combined to give boxing its Fight of the Year.

Fignt of the year 2013:

http://boxefrombelgiumvideo.blogspot.be/2013/07/timothy-bradley-ruslan-provodnikov.html

David Price returning on Jan. 25

Photo: Sport Lustig

Fresh off of back to back stoppage losses to Tony Thompson, David Price (15-2, 13 KOs) is set to return to the ring on Jan. 25 at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer Halle in Stuttgart, Germany.

Price, who is trying to rebuild his image as a hot prospect, will be taking on Evengy Orlov (14-12-1, 10 KOs), in a fight that is surely aimed at improving his confidence.

The British heavyweight will be on the undercard of the cruiserweight title rematch between Marco Huck and Firat Arslan.

Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin named Fighter of the Year 2013

World WBA middleweight Super Champion Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin from Kazakhstan has been proclaimed the Fighter of the Year 2013 by Boxing 101 sports portal, Vesti.kz reports.

Besides Golovkin, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia, Timothy Bradley, Sergey Kovalev, Adonis Stevenson and Guillermo Rigondeaux were among the candidates for the prestigious title. 

The Kazakhstan boxer fought against strong rivals, looked impressive and gave spectacular shows during his bouts this year. 

"31-year old Golovkin stuck to his word and did, in fact, fight four times this year, quite a rarity for a reigning world champion," Boxing 101 writes.

Gennady Golovkin had four bouts this year, ending each with KO. He won over American Gabriel Rosado in January. Then he faced and beat Japanese Nobuhiro Ishida in March. British boxer Matthew Macklin became his next opponent in June. And Golovkin's last fightwas against Curtis Stevens in November.

"If the argument against appointing Golovkin as Fighter of the Year is that all four of these opponents were 'easy prey', the counter would be that he did exactly what he should have done against such foes. He disposed of all of them within eight rounds," Boxing 101 writes.

The professional boxer from Kazakhstan has 28 victories out of his 28 fights and ended 25 of them with KOs. 

"Gennady Golovkin is a rare breed of fighter who possesses very sound fundamentals combined with killer power. This blend of ring discipline, versatility, talent and force makes him extremely dangerous and Boxing 101's 2013 Fighter of the Year," Boxing 101 writes about Golovkin.

Gennady Golovkin has also been nominated for the WBN Fighter of the Year 2013 along with 15 other professional boxers such as American professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao from Philippines, Mexican Jhonny Gonzalez, Russian Sergei Kovalev. 

Besides, Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) included the Kazakhstan professional boxer into the list of candidates for the Fighter of the Year 2013 title.

For more information see:http://en.tengrinews.kz/sport/Boxing-Gennady-GGG-Golovkin-named-Fighter-of-the-Year-2013-24903/
Use of the Tengrinews English materials must be accompanied by a hyperlink to en.Tengrinews.kz

Ryad Merhy back in action on Jan 11 + New Spot vidéo IBF

21 year old cruiserweight Ryad Merhy is, along with Bilal Laggoune, probably one of the most talented boxers in
After his amateur career he went to America training during the day and working in a restaurant in the evening. After one year he came back to Belgium and turned pro under the banner of team Vanackère-Duvinage.

Merhy is now 5-0 with 4 inside the distance and is scheduled to have a busy 2014. His next fight is on the undercard of the IBF final eliminator between Alex Miskirtchian and French Sofiane Takoucht on Jan 11, 2014 in the Country Hall of Liège, Belgium. It’s an organisation of 12 Rounds Promotion. Merhy will face Patrick Berger of 4 rounds.

Belgium.

On this quality show will also fight Bilal Laggoune over 6 rounds against Tamas Bajzath. Laggoune is then scheduled to fight for a WBC regional title early next year.
Geoffrey Battelo is in with French Mathieu Monnier and WBC Youth heavyweight champion Herve Hubeaux is having a 4 rounder.
Female Sanae Jah is having a rematch with Sandy Coget whom she defeated by majority decision in her last fight.

Stuart Hall Claims vacant IBF bantamweight title in a thriller

British ace Stuart Hall captured the vacant IBF bantamweight championship by defeating dangerous South African Vusi Malinga via unanimous decision in Leeds, England, tonight. It was the final world title bout staged in Britain this year, and arguably the most savage and evenly contested of 2013.

The official scores were 117-110 twice and 116-111.

Hall (117.25 pounds) flew out of the blocks and outpunched his opponent with sharp combinations in the early sessions. His dream start then took a serious upswing, when he decked Malinga with a heavy right hand to the jaw in Round 3, but this savage fire fight was only getting started.

The crowd was in uproar when Hall, from Darlington, England, attempted to close the show, but the game South African sensed urgency and roared back with defiant attacks of his own. Malinga (117.5 pounds) was taking too many flush shots although slowly, but surely, the bout began to turn in his favor.

“I still feel unbelievable,” said Hall during his post-fight interview. “Malinga kept coming at me and I couldn’t stop him no matter what I tried. Domestically when I put them down they stay down, but this guy was world level, and he wouldn’t give up.”

By Round 6 Malinga, who fights out of the southpaw stance, was jabbing his way inside and unloading with fierce uppercuts, as the damage mounted on his opponent’s face. Still, despite strong punishment, the desire seemed to ooze from Hall’s pores as he bit down on his mouthpiece, accepted the pain, and fired back with impressive salvos of his own.

Malinga was on the ascendency as the fight headed into Round 9, and both men traded on the inside like mirror images of one another: Hall started, Malinga stopped, Hall stopped, Malinga started, without a single moment of respite, amidst crazy scenes. The noise inside the arena was deafening.

A left hook had hurt Malinga at the end of the ninth, but he resumed Round 10 with a reserve tank and both men went at it again. Although Hall would not be denied, several meaty head punches landed with an audible thud, as the British star gave it everything in yet another brilliant give and take session.

Hall’s left eye was now completely closed, but he kept firing off effective work, despite the handicap.

There were times when one felt the clock was ticking more on Hall than Malinga, but the home fighter was determined to reach the finishing line. The brave heart South African could not locate the equalizing shot, and the 33 year old closed out confidently with impressive combination punching in the eleventh and twelfth rounds.

“I was fighting with one eye,” said the new champion. “As the late rounds approached I just kept forcing out the left jab. All the doubters said I couldn’t do it, but Stuart Hall did do it. It’s one of the best nights of my life.”

Neither man is ranked within THE RING Top 10 at 118 pounds so, regardless of who prevailed, it was always going to be a metaphorical Cinderella story. Hall (16-2-1, 7 knockouts) was swamped by family and friends at the end of an emotional evening as Malinga, now a loser in three world title bouts, lowered his head in disappointment.

If Malinga does want a beer or two, in order to drown his sorrows, then he might want to join former IBF titlist Jamie McDonnell. In October, THE RING’s No. 7-rated bantamweight was stripped of his title, for failing to commence negotiations with Malinga, and tonight he looked on as a former opponent captured his old crown.

McDonnell actually handed Stuart Hall his first defeat in Sept. 2011, via unanimous decision, in a British and Commonwealth title fight and the talented technician, from Doncaster, England, must have watched most of tonight’s action through his fingers.

Expect rematch talk between Hall and McDonnell to commence in early 2014.

Kiko Martinez KO9 Jeffrey Mathebula

Roy Jones Jr. Décisions Benmakhlouf

Kiko Martinez vs. Jeffrey Mathebula this Saturday, December 21st in Spain

This Saturday night IBF super bantamweight champion Kiko Martinez (29-4, 21 KO’s) will be making his first defense of his IBF title against #1 IBF Jeffrey Mathebula (27-4-2, 14 KO’s) at the Pabellon Esperanza Lag, Elche, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain.

Martinez, 27, captured the title last August in stopping IBF champion Jhonatan Romero in the 6th round in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It was an impressive slugging performance by Martinez, as he went after Romero from the start and battered him around the ring round after round until the fight was ultimately halted in the 6th round.

Stiverne-Arreola to battle for title

By Dan Rafael

• 192
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• EMAIL
• PRINTHeavyweight contenders Bermane Stiverne and Cristobal Arreola will meet in a rematch for the world title vacated on Monday by Vitali Klitschko, who resigned the belt after nine defenses in order to focus on his political career in Ukraine.

Heavyweight contenders Bermane Stiverne and Cristobal Arreola will meet in a rematch for the world title vacated on Monday by Vitali Klitschko, who resigned the belt after nine defenses in order to focus on his political career in Ukraine.

The WBC on Thursday announced that it has formally ordered Stiverne-Arreola to fill the vacant title. They are the organization's top-rated contenders.

The sides were ordered to begin negotiating the fight, and if they can't come an agreement a purse bid would take place on Jan. 17 at the WBC offices in Mexico City. If there is a purse bid, the split would be 60-40 in Stiverne's favor, according to his manager, Camille Estephan.

Stiverne (23-1, 20 KOs), 35, of Canada, and Arreola (36-3, 31 KOs), 32, of Riverside, Calif., first met in Ontario, Calif., on April 27 in a final elimination bout for the right to challenge Klitschko.

Stiverne, the underdog, dropped Arreola in the third round, badly broke his nose and went on to win a lopsided decision. Stiverne was next supposed to fight Klitschko, but after several delays in a purse bid for that fight, Klitschko retired.

That left Arreola, the next highest-ranked contender, to face Stiverne for the vacant belt.

Stiverne has not fought since beating Arreola because of the delays in trying to make the fight with Klitschko. Arreola, however, rebounded to score an impressive first-round knockout of Seth Mitchell on Sept. 7.

"Here we are. We got the order from the WBC to fight Arreola for the vacant title. It's a fight we will happily do," Estephan told ESPN.com. "We would have hoped to take the belt from Vitali but this was not something in our control. I respect what he is trying to do in the political arena. Now we are facing a guy we already beat. We're looking to do it again.

"We feel like Bermane dominated the fight with Arreola in April. But we do have a lot of respect for Arreola and his team, so we take nothing for granted. We will be diligent and put more of an exclamation point on things and send Wladimir Klitschko a message as well. His brother didn't want to fight Bermane, so when we're done with Arreola, let's do it and unify all the titles."

Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali's younger brother, holds the other major heavyweight belts.

There had been some questions about whether Stiverne would be available for the fight with Arreola because of a legal battle with promoter Don King, but Estephan said that their issues were settled earlier this week.

"I know there were a lot of questions about Don King and the relationship with Bermane," Estephan said. "We have come to a very good agreement that everybody is happy with this past Tuesday. We are gonna do things together and hopefully bring the heavyweight division back to North America. We have a good agreement with Don King and we feel like we're a strong team."

For Arreola, it will be his second shot at a heavyweight world title. He got a crack at Vitali Klitschko in September 2009 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles but was dominated before his corner threw in the towel in one-sided fight in the 10th round.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for Chris to not only avenge a loss to Stiverne, but to win the biggest prize in our sport," promoter Dan Goossen said. "Throw in the fact that history can be made by becoming the first heavyweight world champion of Mexican descent, and Arreola has the chance to make every ounce of his blood, sweat and tears he put into this sport come to a climatic and history-making victory."

When the 42-year-old Klitschko (45-2, 41 KOs) vacated the title, which he had held since coming out of an injury-induced retirement and winning it in 2008, he was given the designation of "champion emeritus," meaning should he decide to fight again he would get an immediate shot at the title.

More WBA title madness

The absurdity of the WBA knows no bounds. I’ve harped on the organizations and their sheer madness and audacity for years -- not to mention putrid rankings, multiple titles and not following their own rules -- but things are just way out of hand now with this particular alphabet soup body. 

It’s bad enough that the WBA will sanction as many as four titleholders in the same weight class (for a small sanctioning fee, of course). It has super, regular, unified and interim titleholders. Take your pick. It is just pathetic. 

But where it really is ridiculous is when two of its so-called titleholders perform on the same night rather than fighting each other. 

On Saturday, light heavyweight titlist Beibut Shumenov, inactive for 18 months (yet allowed to keep his belt) was “elevated” to “super” titleholder and defended the belt against Tamas Kovacs on the big card in San Antonio. 

On the very same day in Germany, Juergen Braehmer outpointed Marcus Oliveira -- a massive joke to be fighting for a world title given his woeful résumé -- to win the vacant “regular” title. 

Here you had Shumenov and Braehmer, both quality top-10 175-pounders, fighting for belts in the same organization on the same day rather than facing each other. 

As bad as that was, it gets even worse on Feb. 1 in Monte Carlo. That is where Gennady Golovkin, also recently “elevated” (which really means another title that the greedy organization can charge another sanctioning fee for) to “super” titleholder, will defend against Osumanu Adama. 

On the very same card, England’s Martin Murray (26-1-1, 11 KOs), the interim titlist, will face Australia’s Jarrod Fletcher (17-1, 10 KOs) for the now-vacant “regular” title when Murray really should be facing Golovkin, for whom he was the mandatory. But the WBA didn’t order the fight. Instead, it is content to collect another fee and pass off this fight as a title bout. 

It’s insanity, yet the Murray camp made Wednesday’s announcement of the fight with Fletcher -- knocked out in the second round the only time he ever faced a decent opponent in Billy Joe Saunders last year -- out to be some huge deal. 

“Martin Murray will look to fulfill his dream of becoming St Helens' first-ever world champion in Monte Carlo on February 1,” the Hatton Promotions press release read. 

The winner of that fight won’t be a real world champion. He’ll have a gaudy belt but no credibility as a serious champion. How can the winner be a real world champion when Golovkin (28-0, 25 KOs), in the main event, is active and already holds a title in the same organization? 

I can’t blame Murray. Is he supposed to turn down the opportunity? Of course not. He’s already had two other title shots, a draw with Felix Sturm and a tight loss to Sergio Martinez (the real, honest-to-goodness middleweight champ of the world). So from Murray’s point of view, the fight with Fletcher is meaningful, even if to most others it is pointless as far as being a title fight. 

“Jarrod Fletcher is a good kid. I've not seen too much of him, but we'll be working on that now we've got a date,” Murray said. “He's got a good pedigree, and he beat [2008 British Olympic gold medalist] James DeGale in the amateurs, which isn't easy and proves he's a good fighter. 

"He's going to be well up for this, but I think I'll be the favorite and rightly so, given who I've fought before and how I've done against them. It's going to be interesting for both of us, but I want everyone to know that there's no way I'm coming home to St Helens without that world title.” 

Indeed, Murray said “that” world title. Just not a legitimate one, thanks to the WBA’s continuing joke of having multiple belts in the same division
.



Dan Rafael is ESPN.com's boxing writer. Rafael began writing for ESPN.com in March 2005 after working for five years as the boxing writer for USA Today.

Marcos Maidana unanimously outpoints Adrien Broner

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Marcos Maidana overpowered heavily favored Adrien Broner to take the WBA welterweight championship, knocking him down twice in a unanimous decision Saturday night at the Alamodome.

''I had to show a lot of heart to win this fight,'' Maidana said. ''I did what I had to do to win.''The target of heavy trash talking leading up to the fight, Maidana was dominant in handing the brash Broner his first loss in 28 bouts. After the judges' scores of 115-110, 116-109 and 117-109 were announced in favor of the Argentine star, Broner ran out of the ring.

Broner is nicknamed ''The Problem,'' but Maidana (35-3) had the answer with power that the three-time world champion had never faced before.

''I'm OK. I'm still the three-time world champion in three different weight classes,'' Broner said. ''Tonight, Maidana was just the better man, but we fought a hell of a fight. I hope the fans got what they deserved. ... I'm still going to live like we won the fight. I'm still going to party.''

With the victory, Maidana set up a possible fight against Keith Thurman. On the undercard, Thurman stopped Jesus Soto Karass in the ninth round.

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Marcos Rene Maidana, right, lands a punch on Adrien Broner, left, during an WBA welterweight title b …

Maidana left little question of what he wanted to do, landing 231 of 663 power punches while connecting on only 38 jabs.

The power stunned the confident Broner, who was unable to use the fluid counter-punching that had resulted in 22 knockouts and made him one of the sports' top stars.

''I'll tell you one thing, make a rematch,'' Broner said. ''I don't need a warm-up fight. I want a rematch,''

Maidana staggered Broner early in the opening round with an overhand right to the back of the head, causing the Cincinnati fighter to stumble trying to regain his footing. Broner attempted to wrap up Maidana as Broner attempted to wrestle free to land more power punches.

Maidana spent the entire opening round charging at Broner, trapping him against the ropes and throwing powerful combinations.

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Tamas Kovacs falls after a hit from Beibut Shumenov during their WBA Super World and IBA light heavy …

Maidana sent Broner tumbling into the ropes early in the second round with a lunging left hook to the chin. After a standing eight count, Broner charged and wrapped up Maidana's upper legs in an attempt to recover.

Maidana landed 57 punches in the opening two rounds to only 13 for Broner, according to Showtime. Broner regained his balance after the second round, spending the next five rounds trading punches and clenches before Maidana regained control.

''Broner is a very good puncher,'' Maidana said. ''He's a very good boxer, very good puncher. Yes, I felt his blows.''

Maidana floored Broner in the eighth round with a left to the midsection and an overhand right. After a standing eight count, Broner again went to the canvas after taking a head-butt to the jaw. Amid heavy booing, Broner remained on the canvas and in a corner for about 3 minutes before returning to action.

In the ninth round, Maidana again stunned Broner, unleashing combination after combination that Broner was struggling to avoid. Broner again regained his feet in the 10th round, but was only able to exchange blows with Maidana the remainder of the fight.

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Leo Santa Cruz, right, knocks back Cesar Seda, left, during their WBC super bantamweight title fight …

''I don't think he was on today,'' said Broner's trainer, Mike Stafford. ''I thought it was a little closer than (the judges) had it, but I just don't think he was on tonight.''

On the undercard, Thurman (22-0) stunned Soto Karass (28-9-3) with a left hook to the chin that had the Mexican fighter out on his feet. Defenseless, Soto Karass took four more heavy blows before the referee stopped the bout.

Soto Karass caught Thurman with an overhand right to the chin in the opening minute of the bout, staggering the Clearwater, Fla., fighter. Soto Karass followed it with another crushing right, but Thurman withstood the flurry and delivered his own staggering shots to the body and head to close the round.

''He made me bring it out from round one,'' Thurman said. ''He was ready Round 1. I was dilly dallying in Round 1 and he turned the lights on and woke me up.''

Earlier, Leo Santa Cruz (26-0-1) successfully defended his WBC super bantamweight championship, unanimously outpointing Cesar Seda. The judges scored the bout 116-111, 115-112, 117-110 for Santa Cruz, who landed 43 percent of his power punches in handing Seda his second loss in 27 fights.

Also, Beibut Shumenov stopped Tomas Kovacs in the third round to retain his WBA super light-heavyweight championship. Shumenov, from Kazakhstan, improved to 14-1. Kovacs, from Slovakia, dropped to 23-1.

Boxe-Boxing Live Stream 14-12-2013

Boxing Live Stream 14-12-2013

European welterweight title: Leonard Bundu v Lee Purdy

12 Rounds Lightweight: Kevin Mitchell v Brunet Zamora

6 Rounds Heavyweight: Anthony Joshua v Dorian Darch

Vacant WBA World Light-Heavyweight Championship: Juergen Braehmer vs Marcus Oliviera

WBA World Welterweight Championship: Adrien Broner vs Marcos Maidana

Interim WBA World Welterweight Championship: Keith Thurman vs Jesus Soto Karass

WBC World Super-Bantamweight Championship: Leo Santa Cruz vs Cesar Seda

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