1,290 stories on BoxingScene are published under the Hans Themistode byline.
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Vincenzo Gualtieri talked a good game but Janibek Alimkhanuly didn’t believe him for a single second. His braggadocious threats and violent promises, ultimately, were all spurious.
If you took one glance at Brandon Figueroa, the last thing he looks like is a gym warrior. From a boxing perspective, he’s one of the best around, but physically, the 26-year-old looks as though he’s never lifted a single weight in his life.
For whatever reason, Demetrius Andrade has been unable to take part in any of the big-fight fun. The former Olympian believes he’s done his job. He hasn’t fought the best of the best but the names that were brave enough to face him have all come up short. Although it’s taken longer than he could’ve ever imagined, he’s finally getting his chance to play on the big stage.
Janibek Alimkhanuly hates wasting his time. And unless you have a middleweight world title wrapped around your waist, he views fighters who are deprived of that distinction as inconsequential.
Fighting Hector Luis Garcia was supposed to be one of his proudest moments, a stepping stone if you will, to bigger and better fights. All that Chris Colbert had to do was take care of business against his late replacement opponent and he would be guaranteed a world title shot. Unfortunately for Colbert, things don’t always go according to plan.
Katie Taylor has never been an underdog. Maybe not even as an amateur. Before she began pocketing large wads of cash for her abilities, she was practically unbeatable in the unpaid ranks. By the time she turned pro, Taylor racked up 176 wins and an Olympic gold medal. The pros are supposed to be tougher but she sliced and diced her competition with little to no issues.
There might be a few losses plastered to his record but Caleb Plant is still one of the top dogs at 168 pounds. So, naturally, the former IBF champ needs a dance partner that operates near his level.
Zhilei Zhang was essentially left for dead. In 2021, he was forced to settle for a majority decision draw against longtime journeyman Jerry Forrest. He also suffered the first loss of his career, albeit controversially, against Filip Hrgovic one year later. Zhang did sandwich in a few wins in between but they were against fighters that never came close to fighting for a world title, never mind winning one.
At this point, it’s almost hard to keep track of Eimantas Stanionis. Through practically no fault of his own, he’s been out of sight and out of mind.
Even if you’re relatively new to the sport of boxing, you know exactly what a steppingstone is. It isn’t verbatim but essentially, upper-echelon fighters use those from a lower tier to take their careers to the next level.