REAL COMBAT MEDIA WEEKLY BOXING REPORT – “Split Decision Edition“
By Zo Crooks,Real Combat Media Chicago Boxing Correspondent
Welcome back to another edition of the Real Combat Media Boxing Weekly Report “Split Decision Edition” ! Took a little holiday break but we’re back at it. We try to keep you updated and informed on what’s going on in and out of the squared circle on a consistent basis. This week we feature exciting fight recaps of last week’s bouts featuring Deontay Wilder vs. Artur Szpilka, David Haye, and more. We also have news on upcoming bouts with Danny Garcia vs. Robert Guerrero, Tim Bradley vs. Manny Pacquiao, and the latest on Shawn Porter vs. Keith Thurman! So without further ado….let’s go!
#And Still…Bomb-Zquad!!! In what might be the K.O. of the year, Heavyweight Champion Deontay “Bronz Bomber” Wilder stopped Artur Szpilka with a nasty 9th round knockout! Wilder hit Szpilka so hard that the ref stopped counting! Although it was highlight reel worthy, it was scary to see. That right hand shot was brutal!!! However before the shot that shut down the show, Spzilka was giving Wilder a tough fight. Spzilka is a very slick and crafty fighter and is well trained by the legendary Ronnie Shields….so he is not a punk nor a pushover at all! Szpilka has skills and it showed during the fight. Wilder was winning the fight but he wasn’t flat out dominating it. Regardless, Wilder was on his way to another strong title defense win. The judges had Wilder up on the scorecards 78-74 (twice) and 77-75. My hat goes off to both fighters. Great fight to start off the New Year! The post-fight entertainment was off the chain when Tyson Fury crashed the party! Fury, the lineal heavyweight champion, who is coming off a huge upset win over Wladimir Klitschko came up to Wilder during his post-fight interview and was talking reckless. That would be a good match up later this year. Fury has the rematch with Klitschko looming and it seems Wilder is on a crash course with Russian contender Alexander Povetkin. If Fury and Wilder cross paths in the ring I would put my money on Wilder!
In the co main event of the evening undefeated heavyweight Charles Martin of St. Louis defeated Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov of Ukraine for the vacant IBF belt which was vacated by Fury once he signed to a rematch with Klitschko. What’s weird is that he defeated him by 3rd round TKO without landing a knockout punch! Midway through the 3rd Glazkov’s knee buckled and he was unable to continue. Word is Glazkov suffered a torn ACL injury. Before the bout-ending injury occurred Martin was winning the fight. He was landing the cleaner punches and was slightly the busier fighter. Wow!
Guess who’s back….Former Cruiserweight Champion and Heavyweight title holder David Haye of England returned to action. Haye has been inactive for the last 3 years or so. In 2010 he lost a unification bout to Wladimir Klitschko and in 2011 he defeated fellow countryman Dereck Chisora and hasn’t been in the ring since. He had a bout scheduled with Tyson Fury but pulled out because of injury. Then he left longtime trainer Adam Booth and replaced him with Shane McGuigan. Saturday night he returned to the ring to take on Australian Mark De Morri. Haye looked good in his return as he shut it down with a first stoppage of De Morri. Haye looked bigger and sharp. Haye didn’t waste any time. He jumped on De Morri and stayed on him. The ref stopped the bout at 2 minutes and 11 seconds in the first round. This was a good return for Haye.
Upcoming Bouts
Premiere Boxing Champions is putting on a hell of a show this weekend January 23rd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. live on FOX starting at 8PM ET/5PM PT.
Danny “Swift” Garcia vs. Robert “Ghost” Guerrero. This welterweight bout will feature undefeated Garcia (31-0) taking on southpaw Guerrero (33-3-1) for the vacant WBC title. This isn’t the classic Puerto Rico vs. Mexico war but something like it. Garcia is Puerto Rican- American and Guerrero is Mexican-American. Garcia is coming off of a 2015 campaign that started with a tough narrow victory over Lamont Peterson and a 9th round TKO stoppage over Paulie Malignaggi. Guerrero had a tough 2015 as he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Keith Thurman in March and had a tough bout four months later as he squeaked out a very tough split decision victory over Aaron Martinez. This is a dang good matchup. Both guys can go so it won’t be easy for either fighter.
Sammy Vasquez vs. Aaron Martinez. This welterweight bout features the undefeated southpaw Vasquez (20-0, 14 KOs) taking on tough Martinez (20-4-1, 4 KOs). This is the kind of bout my man Vasquez has been waiting for. He wants to be tested and Martinez will do just that! Vasquez will be returning to the ring for the first time since September 2015, when he stopped Jose Lopez (25-3-1) in the fifth round and Martinez is coming off his huge upset victory over former two-division world champion Devon Alexander. Martinez also took Guerrero into deep waters last year in their welterweight matchup. There were a lot of people that felt Martinez was robbed in his bout with Guerrero and have good reason to feel that way!
Dominic Breazeale vs. Amir Mansour. This heavyweight bout features undefeated Breazeale (16-0, 15 KOs) against southpaw Mansour (22-1-1, 16 KOs). Breazeale is coming off of a tough win in his last bout against veteran big man Fred Kassi while Mansour is coming in off of a split draw against Gerald Washington in October. Kassi is the one opponent that both men have in common. Mansour took out Kassi in 7 rounds in November 2014 and Breazeale in his unanimous decision victory over Kassi. Breazeale has the height advantage (6”7 vs. 6”1) as well as the reach advantage (81” vs. 74”) and age (Breazeale is 30 and Mansour is 43). Keep in mind advantage on paper means nothing when you get hit!
WORD IS!!!
The Heavyweight division is looking good! Wilder, Fury, Szpilka, Povetkin, Chris Martin, Luis Ortiz, Anthony Joshua, David Haye….to name a few. You also still have Bermane Stiverne, Klitschko, and Bryant Jennings. The heavyweight division might be making a comeback as the premiere division in boxing!
Showtime will carry live coverage of the much-anticipated junior featherweight title unification bout between Northern Ireland’s Carl Frampton and England’s Scott Quigg. They are scheduled to meet on Feb. 27 at sold-out Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, Quigg’s home region. Showtime will simulcast the broadcast from England’s Sky Sports. The precise start time of the “Showtime Boxing International” telecast, however, has not been determined yet, although it will air live in the afternoon with a prime-time replay paired with another live fight; featherweight titlist Leo Santa Cruz will make his first defense against former junior featherweight titlist Kiko Martinez at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Last Saturday night, former IBF welterweight champion Shawn “Showtime” Porter (26-1-1, 16 KOs) revealed to Showtime Sports that a deal is being finalized for him to face WBA World welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman (26-0, 22 KOs) on March 12 at a still to be determined venue. This is the matchup that everyone has been waiting on since last year when it was rumored that the two would face each other in December. I just seen a video about the status of the fight on youtube on my homie Karceno page (please subscribe). Here is the link https://youtu.be/3e2xmpvgZd8. I hope all of the details are worked out soon! I will be there to cover that fight.
Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley kicked off their fight promotion with a press conference yesterday. Their April 9th trilogy will take place in Las Vegas. Pacquiao insists that this will be his last fight of his career. “I end it because I want to help my countrymen. … Boxing has been my passion. Public service is my calling. … If [presidency] is my destiny, no one will refuse that” said Pacquiao. He is seeking election on May 9 to become one of 12 senators in the Philippines. Victory would give him a six-year term, and leave one the country’s best-known citizens strongly positioned to run for the presidency in 2022. Meanwhile Bradley is looking to defeat Pacquiao. This time Bradley steps in the ring with Teddy Atlas in his corner.
Well that’s my time for this week. Please stay tuned every week for news and updates. If you have any questions that you want answered in the weekly report please email me at [email protected] or hit me on twitter @Zomanystylez or Facebook at Zo Sincere Boxing.
Also I will be featuring “Prime”…..Prime will feature new monthly interviews and articles that covers the top amateurs in the sport of boxing. Thank you for the love and support!!!
COMMENTS
English