17 stories on BoxingScene are published under the George M. Phillips byline.
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History was made in Cleveland, Ohio as Vonda “The All American Girl” Ward became the first WBC Women’s Heavyweight Champion of the World. Vonda, rated #1 by the WBC took on Martha Salazar rated #2 by the WBC. The fight was a test of will, heart and a true battle of 1 vs. 2.
Nicolai Firtha is a rising heavyweight prospect based out of the rubber city Akron, Ohio, a town that produced a Heavyweight Champion named Michael Dokes. George Phillips sat down with Nicolai at the Old School Boxing Gym in Cleveland, Ohio where he is preparing for his February 10th fight against James Porter.
Silverhawk Championship Boxing promoted an exciting night of fights, from The Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan. In the main event, Rubin Williams (29-2-1, 16 KOs) recorded a split draw against veteran Antwun Echols (31-6-3, 27 KOs) in their IBA super middleweight slugfest. The scores were, 114-113 (Williams), 111-115 (Echols) and 113-113.
In front of a passionate and supportive hometown crowd at the Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino in Tulsa Oklahoma, Allan “Sweetness” Green upped his record to 22-0 with a unanimous decision over 16-year veteran Emmett “Laser” Linton 33-5-2
The Arco Arena in Sacramento, California saw Contender: Season One champion Sergio Mora, pick up a big win that may land him a potential title shot in his next bout.
Montell Griffin (48-6) continued his quest to regain his light heavyweight title with a victory over Norman Jones (28-15-3) on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights, held at the Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino. The judges scored it 119-109, 118-110, 118-110. The fight was very uneventful as heard by the fans when the scores were announced. Griffin captures the USBA Light Heavyweight Title with the win.
Puerto Rico has a storied history in the sweet science and has produced many legendary fighters most notably: Felix Trinidad, Hector Camacho, Wilfredo Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez, Carlos Ortiz, Edwin Rosario, Sammy Serrano, Jose Torres, Estaban De Jesus, John John Molina, Wilfredo Vazquez, Alfredo Esealera, Miguel Cotto, Pedro Montanez, and Juan LaPorte.
Before this editorial begins, I want to make it absolutely clear that the opinions expressed below are of my own doing and not those of any publisher who may run this article. Over the years, all of us fans of the sweet science have heard the following statements, “Boxing has a black eye”, “The sport is tainted”. Events that have occurred since The Marquess of Queensberry Rules were enacted based on the book written by John Graham Chambers in 1865 and the first fight that took place under those rules was on August 29, 1885 when John L. Sullivan defended his Heavyweight Title against Dominick McCaffery, winning by a sixth round knockout.
Tarick Samaci has had a roller coaster ride in the sport of boxing. Originally from Detroit, Tarick started boxing at the age of 8 at a local recreation center. With support and training from his grandfather and father (who were both professional boxers) Tarick has built up a professional record of 20-1, before retiring in 2001 after the inability to land a title shot. Before going Pro, Tarick was an Olympic Trials finalist. After Tarick gave up on boxing, he went on to earn a B.A. from the University of Michigan, got his real estate license and became a broker with RE/MAX Team 2000 in Dearborn, Mi. He sells homes there and also fixes up old houses and flips them.
Rocky Balboa has defeated Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, Ivan Drago, and Tommy Gunn. Can he reclaim his heavyweight title one final time against reigning champion Mason “The Line” Dixon”? Fight fans around the world will flock to the theatres to see their favorite champion lace up the leather one more time. Rocky 6 is set to begin filming in December, in Los Angeles. The premise of the film is that an aging former champion Rocky Balboa realizes that he still has the “Eye of the Tiger” and decided to come out of retirement in what will be billed as a modest club show style comeback. That comeback takes a dramatic spin as reigning Heavyweight Champion Mason “The Line” Dixon offers Rocky a title shot.