379 stories on BoxingScene are published under the T.K. Stewart byline.
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Fernando Vargas is still only 31-years-old and although it's been two years since he claimed he was hanging up the gloves for good – it appears he is serious about comeback plans for 2010.
Andre Dirrell is currently training in Big Bear, Calif., for his Oct. 17 challenge of WBC super middleweight titlist Carl Froch. The fight will take place at the Trent FM Arena in Froch's hometown of Nottingham, England.
by T.K. Stewart - It might well have been June 11, 1982 all over again. If you were around back then, and if you remember, it was on that evening that Gerry Cooney challenged Larry Holmes for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world. In the brutal heat of the Las Vegas night, in the parking lot behind Caesars Palace, it was Cooney that was rescued from the fists of the "Easton Assassin" when his cornerman, Victor Valle, Sr., stepped into the ring in the 13th round to save his man from further abuse. Cooney would later commandeer the ring microphone and address the crowd of 29,214. Through the blood, sweat and tears that streamed down his giant Irish face, he said, over and over, "I'm sorry."
by T.K. Stewart - Although the number seems much higher, only 14 different men have worn the WBC heavyweight title belt over the course of the past quarter century. Cris Arreola wants very much to become number 15. The 28-year-old Riverside, California resident will get his “Rocky Balboa-like” shot at Vitali Klitschko's heavyweight title tomorrow night at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Change the names and the storyline a little and this fight has elements of the fictional Apollo Creed vs. Rocky Balboa match-up. There's the wealthy, skilled and well-known Klitschko, who like Creed, needed an opponent to look good against. Then there's the betting underdog and hometown favorite-son in Arreola. Similar to Balboa, he's fighting for pride and for his shot against a champ in a fight that most observers feel he has no chance of winning. But there are a few major differences in this real world clash. Cris Arreola is undefeated at 27-0, 24 KOs and he is rated as the #1 WBC contender. He'll become the first fighter of Mexican descent to ever challenge for a heavyweight title. He's not a clubfighter, either. And some are even of the notion that if he lands a big punch on the 38-year-old chin of the towering Klitschko, that he might be able to yell out to his good friend and trainer Henry Ramirez; “Yo! Henry! We did it!” But the most likely outcome, at least according to the oddsmakers, is that Klitschko's greater experience and more refined boxing skills will show Arreola the exit sign before the eighth round. The bet is that Arreola isn't at all prepared for what Vitali brings to the table. They say Klitschko is the most experienced heavyweight in the world. They also point to the fact that while Klitschko is always in shape and never far from his fighting weight - Arreola gains 30 to 50 pounds in between fights and is enslaved by beer and Mexican food.
On Tuesday morning, David Haye was a bit flabbergasted. He had just emerged from the press conference to announce his Nov. 7 battle against Nikolai Valuev for the WBA heavyweight title. The promoters have deemed the bout “David vs. Goliath” and it will take place in Nuremberg, Germany.
WBA super bantamweight titlist, Bernard Dunne, on Wednesday said he is ready to make his first title defense a successful one. The Irishman will go up against Thailand's Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym at The O2 Arena in Dublin, Ireland.
Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, has told BoxingScene.com that there is a tentative deal in place for a welterweight unification bout to take place on Jan. 30 between WBA titlist Shane Mosley and WBC belt-holder Andre Berto.
by T.K. Stewart - The stakes have never been higher for Floyd Mayweather, Jr. “Money” will make his return to a Las Vegas ring Saturday night for the first time in nearly two years. Staring back at him from the opposite corner will be Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez – a formidable foe if ever there was one.
WBC and WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik is very close to getting back on track. With the second surgery for a staph infection on his left hand behind him, “The Ghost” and his team hope to get back into training by Oct. 12.
Undefeated WBC welterweight belt-holder Andre Berto turned 26-years-old last Monday and he has been on a whirlwind, five city “birthday tour” for the past 10 days. Behind the scenes with Berto shows that he likes to travel, he likes to hit the clubs and he's enjoying the life of a young, high-profile boxer.