379 stories on BoxingScene are published under the T.K. Stewart byline.
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Roy Jones, Jr. tells BoxingScene.com that he may go back to heavyweight before he reties, that he would fight Bernard Hopkins and Glen Johnson anytime, and that he never sought out Jeff Lacy for a fight – but it was Lacy that has been after him since the very beginning. Jones and Lacy, both Florida natives, will clash on Aug. 15 at the Gulfport Arena in Biloxi, Mississippi.
By T.K. Stewart - He won and lost with class and grace. But it was the inner spirit that defined Alexis Arguello. He was left with nothing at least four times in his life, but each time he battled back. The first time it was a devastating earthquake that leveled his home in Managua, Nicaragua and caused the walls to come crumbling down. He was left with nothing but a pile of dust and rocks. The second time it was the Sandinista guerrillas that plundered his property and raided his bank accounts, leaving him a penniless exile. The third time it was a host of hangers-on and bad business deals that helped themselves to what was left of a rebuilt fortune. The fourth time it was drugs and alcohol that reduced a once proud man to a hollow-eyed addict looking for his next high. His early life was defined by extreme poverty and he was forced by his father to quit school in the fifth grade in order to help contribute to the family finances. He first laced on a pair of boxing gloves as a 15-year-old boy and the sport eventually provided him wealth and status beyond anything he could have ever imagined as a child growing up on the dusty streets of Central America. “I used to fight in the streets and I never thought I would become a fighter,” he said. “I was born into poverty and I thank God that I found something that gave me hope. I always loved boxing and I enjoyed it. And you know something? Once I found boxing that was the end of me being poor.”
By all accounts, Junior Witter is on the way to being in the shape of his life for his August 1st fight against Devon Alexander for the vacant WBC 140-pound title belt. Witter is rarely far from top shape and is known to always be in the gym between fights.
Renowned trainer Teddy Atlas is currently in Russia evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of highly rated, 29-year-old heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin who has a record of 17-0, 12KOs.
By T.K. Stewart - He might just be the most famous person ever born in Garden City, Kansas. And that's saying something considering the fact “Vicious” Victor Ortiz has only boxed 87 rounds as a professional prizefighter. He has yet to win a world boxing title, although he'll take the first step on that journey tomorrow night when he faces Argentina's Marcos Maidana for the interim WBA 140-pound title. While he's still a baby in fistic terms and he's still cutting his teeth in the world where they punch for pay, Victor Ortiz is one of the most promising young prospects in the sport of boxing today. Now aligned with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, the similarities between he and “The Golden Boy” are an inevitable fact of his life. Photogenic, engaging, amiable and outgoing are just some of the same complimentary adjectives that have been used to describe the young southpaw with a record of 24-1-1, 19KOs. He does remind you a bit of Oscar, too, especially when he smiles or when he chuckles at his own good fortune. He looks younger than 22, and it would be a safe bet to say that it's not necessary for him to break out the Barbasol and a Gillette razor every morning in order to keep his baby face looking the way it does. The big silver watch he wears, the one that looks like it might be a Rolex, give him the appearance of a son that may have raided Dad's jewelry box. Since when does such a young kid worry about time?
Bob Arum has promoted a multitude of of mega-events and superfights in his 40 plus years in boxing, and he promises to continue doing so. But in order to have a mega-event a fighter first needs to be nurtured and developed. This weekend Arum is promoting “Latin Fury 9” a pay-per-view event that will take place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Promoter Dan Goossen, his fighter Chris Arreola and trainer Henry Ramirez are set to meet the media next week for a press conference in Sherman Oaks, California.
By T.K. Stewart - I've shaken the thick, meaty hand of Ruslan Chagaev, so I hope I'm not at risk. The American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians came out of nowhere yesterday and claimed that Chagaev should not be allowed to fight Wladimir Klitschko tomorrow night in Germany because he has tested positive for the Hepatitis B antigen. They say it may not even be safe to touch him. The supposedly positive test was enough for officials last month in Finland to have called off Chagaev's WBA heavyweight title fight against Nikolai Valuev. The AAPRP is of the opinion that it is hazardous to your health to get within a few feet of Chagaev when he is engaged in gloved combat, lest you, too, become infected with Hepatitis B. However, the medical uncertainties that surround Chagaev like throngs of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad protesters don't seem to bother the Germans official too much. The fight, as they say, “Ist auf!” which translated for you unilingual readers means, “Is on!” It will all go down Saturday in front of over 60,000 German spectators and for the first time in over half a decade the outcome will hopefully produce a mostly unified heavyweight champion that will hold the gaudy title belts of the IBF, WBA and WBO.
WBC light heavyweight titlist Adrian “The Shark” Diaconu responded to challenger Jean Pascal's comments that appeared yesterday on BoxingScene.com.
Challenger Jean Pascal says he is more than ready to take on WBC 175-pound titlist Adrian Diaconu at Montreal's Bell Centre on Friday night.