TalkingBoxing News
Sturm headlines in Croatia
FRI May 20 - Former middleweight world champion Felix Sturm, 23-1 (11), will headline an action packed fightcard in Pula, Croatia, on June 18.
The German boxing star will defend his WBO intercontinental title at 160 lb that he won with a second round knockout over Bert Schenk on March 5. Sturm’s opponent will be announced later.
It will be the first time that Universum Box-Promotion is promoting a professional boxing event in Croatia.
Sturm was holding the WBO world title from 2003 to 2004 until he lost a controversial twelve round decision to US star Oscar de la Hoya in Las Vegas on June 5, 2004. Since facing de la Hoya the 26-year-old world class fighter scored three consecutive victories against quality opposition.
Also in action at the event in Pula will be 31-year-old Croatian Stipe Drews, 27-1 (12), a former European light heavyweight champion, as well as 21-year-old Croatian Ante Bilic,10-0 (6), who is holding the WBC Youth world title at super welterweight.
Both Drews and Bilic will contest for international titles in Pula.
The entire fightcard will feature up to eight professional boxing fights and will be broadcast live by ZDF in Germany and by RTL in Croatia.
Tszyu: 'Two Weeks Away', Pre-Release Programs
FRI May 20 - We are giving fight fans the chance to pre-order a Kostya Tszyu-Ricky Hatton fight programme via www.frankwarren.tv.
Bound to become a collector's item, the programme has profiles of all the boxers appearing on the card, a promoters message as well as other special articles and features.
A copy can be yours for just £10.99 including postage and packing Uk or £14.99 to the rest of the world.
As soon as the programmes have been printed they will be sent direct to your door.
Special Message to Kostya Tszyu Fans
Dear Tszyu Crew, The time has finally arrived and this weekend I travel to Manchester in the UK for my fight with the IBF No.1 contender Ricky Hatton at the MEN Arena in the early hours of June 5 local time. I am looking forward to this fight with Ricky and I am excited! My training has been very good. I have had four or five different sparring partners and the boys have been very helpful. They did some great work to the best of their abilities and helped me a lot.
The support from you the Tszyu Crew has been tremendous and I have enjoyed reading your emails and our live chats in the Forum at www.KostyaTszyu.com. There is great confidence amongst all the people around me and my team has worked very hard and there is not much more to do. The mental preparation is always there and I will be sharpening a few things over the final two weeks. Nearly all the work is done and my body is very fit and I am ready for this challenge.
Being at your best is all about desire. I have seen many fighters come to this final stage of their career where they start finding shortcuts in training and in preparation. If you have done everything, you can say I can do this a bit differently now. This is the first mistake you can make. I am training the same way I have trained years ago. Even harder and I have no excuses for myself.
After fighting in Australia and the USA my entire professional career, defending my world title in Manchester is going to be something different. I haven’t fought in Europe for so many years and I have to show my best abilities over there. I am World Champion and I have to show all the world why I am the World champion. I have to fight anywhere, anytime and be ready.
My team has arranged a dinner for me on my return to Australia after the fight with Ricky Hatton. On Friday 10th June 2005 I will be at the Panthers World of Entertainment in Penrith, NSW. More details are available from my website www.KostyaTszyu.com and tickets can be purchased via email: oliver@helpinghand.com.au or by telephone: (61 2) 8338 8755.
Some people have said that because I have not fought many rounds over the last few years it will work against me, but I see it as an advantage as I am a fresh 35 year-old. I am the world champion who is willing to fight and who has big desire. I can make this fight with Ricky Hatton very easy for me, or I can make this fight very hard for myself. I have been doing boxing for 27 years and I have fought against opponents with a similar style and I beat them. I am confident in myself. Confident in the way I have trained and the way I have prepared myself.
Remember the Tszyu Crew rules always!
Your champion, Kostya Tszyu, Undisputed Super Lightweight Champion of the World
Calzaghe Marches Towards Unification
FRI May 20, ROBIN YORK - After an impressive 6th stoppage of old foe Mario Veit on away turf, Joe Calzaghe has moved one step closer to a unification showdown with IBF champion Jeff 'Left Hook' Lacy.
All that remains now is for Lacy to defeat Britain's Robin Reid in St Petersburg Florida on August 6th and the fight with the Welshman will be a done deal. But that defense against Reid could prove to be a lot harder than Lacy imagines.
Calzaghe knows first hand how good a fighter Reid is, when he was pushed all the way by the former WBC champion back in 1999. The Welshman retained his WBO title by a split decision. Lacy, despite having made 2 defenses of his title is relatively inexperienced in comparison to Reid. The American has a perfect record of 19 wins and is a big puncher with 15 KO's. Reid has had 43 fights, 38 wins 4 losses and 1 draw. If you include the WBF, IBO and WBU world titles then Reid has been involved in, it's 15 world title bouts all told.
He has fought away from home and won before; most notably when dethroning WBC champion Vincenzo Nardiello in Italy back in 1996. He also went to Brian Magee's backyard in Belfast and floored him 4 times on way to a unanimous points win so travelling to the US, where Reid has fought once already very early in his career, is unlikely to bother him.
Other key things to point out about the Brit is that many people felt he was robbed when he traveled to Germany to take on the then WBA/IBF champion Sven Ottke. Its always difficult to win on the road but Reid had it particularly difficult courtesy of possibly the worst referring ever seen. Ottke spent the first half of the fight looking at referee Roger Tilleman every time the challenger attacked in close and Reid was constantly warned for rule breaking despite to have done seemingly nothing wrong.
At one point Reid was even warned for punching the champion! Also Reid, it must be said, has a granite chin and has never tasted the canvas. But Reid has fallen short in some of the most important fights in his career. He lost his WBC title when he was out-boxed in a negative showing against the South African Sugarboy Malinga and the same scenario happened when he challenged Silvio Branco for the WBU strap. He cannot afford to fight like that against Lacy but despite Lacy being a big puncher, it's arguable that his bombs will have little effect on the challenger.
Lacy, the younger man at 28, will have to swarm all over Reid and try to beat him the way he out-pointed Omar Sheika in December last year, but he will likely find a much tougher fight on his hands against Reid. The IBF champion has looked ordinary during his career, especially against Donnell Wiggins before knocking him out in the 8th round in Manchester. But the general feeling is that Lacy is the hungrier fighter and one who is improving with every outing whereas Reid's best performances seem to be behind him.
It's a fascinating bout, but one that may have the British fight fans split on what outcome they would prefer. Many would want Reid to pull off the upset but then that destroys the appeal of a Lacy-Calzaghe showdown. A Calzaghe - Reid rematch may not have the same appeal as the latter contest and would not be considered a defining fight for the Welshman. We will have to wait patiently over the summer to see how the event will unfold but for now Joe can relax knowing his part in making the fight happen was accomplished successfully.
Golota, Brewster Weigh-In
FRI May 20 - At the public heavyweight Weigh In among the skyscrapers in downtown Chicago today, WBO champion "Relentless" Lamon Brewster registered 224, and challenger Andrew "Powerful Pole" Golota tipped the Toledos at 248.
Vargas, Juarez Headline August 20th
FRI May 20 - Two-time jr. middleweight world champion Fernando Vargas returns to the 154 lb. division on August 20, 2005, when he battles in a main event bout at the All-State Arena in Chicago, IL, it was announced today by Main Events CEO Kathy Duva.
In the 12 round co-feature bout, undefeated WBC/IBF #1 ranked featherweight contender Rocky Juarez vies for his first world title when he challenges WBC featherweight champion In Jin Chi in a potential “Fight of the Year” candidate. Both bouts will be broadcast live on HBO. Vargas’ opponent will be announced shortly.
Vargas (26-2, 23 KO’s) is a two-time jr. middleweight champion. The 27-year-old Oxnard, CA native became the youngest jr. middleweight world champion in boxing history (21 years and 5 days old) on December 12, 1998, when he dismantled defending IBF champion Yory Boy Campas in seven rounds (TKO 7). Vargas regained a world jr. middleweight crown on September 22, 2001, when he stopped Jose “Shibata” Flores to earn the WBA jr. middleweight championship (KO 7). Vargas, one of the sport’s most popular boxers, has won his last three bouts. In his last bout on March 26, 2005, Vargas decisioned Raymond Joval (W 10).
Chi (30-2-1, 18 KO’s) captured the vacant WBC featherweight title on April 10, 2004, when he knocked out Michael Brodie in the seventh round of their rematch (KO 7). The first bout ended in a draw. The 31-year-old Seoul, Korea native first attempted to win the WBC crown on July 28, 2001, losing a unanimous decision to then-champion Erik Morales (L 12). Prior to that bout Chic had not lost since 1991. In his last bout on January 30, 2005, Chi successfully defended his WBC title for the second time by decisioning Tommy Browne (W 12).
Juarez (23-0, 16 KO’s) was a 2000 U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist. The 25-year-old Houston, TX native dazzled boxing insiders with the ease in which he dispatched his last two opponents. Juarez demolished former world champion Guty Espadas in two rounds on December 3, 2004, and destroyed perennial contender Juan Carlos Ranchero Ramirez in one round on March 4, 2005. Juarez is ranked #1 by both the WBC and IBF, and is ranked #3 by The Ring magazine.
Main Events will promote the evening of boxing.
Viloria Gets WBC Title Shot
FRI May 20 - Being reported by the Honolulu Advertiser, Waipahu native Brian Vilora will battle WBC light flyweight champion Eric Ortiz, 24-4, of Mexico on the under-card of the "Million Dollar Lady" main-event between Christy Martin and Lucia Rijker at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas on July 30th.
Viloria will be fighting a 'TBA' on the under-card of May 28th Julio Cesar Chavez versus Ivan Robinson main-event at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.
