BoxingScene.com has received confirmation that veteran promoter Cedric Kushner has passed away after suffering what close friends describe as a "massive heart attack" early this morning. Promoter Lou DiBella was close friends with Kushner and was very emotional when doctors informed him of the news.
By Jake Donovan - As 2014 slowly crept towards to a close, the thought process going into this year was that there wasn’t any way possible it could be worse for the sport of boxing. The worst thing that could have happened in the early stages of 2015 was if the plan had been to simply do better than a bad year. Fortunately, nearly everyone in the industry received the message loud and clear. The storylines that have come from the first month of the year are a strong indication that things are back on the right track, en route to an industry revival. All of that is WITHOUT the biggest to be made, actually yet being made. Given all that is going on in the sport of boxing today, it comes with mixed emotions that fans can be that excited about Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao both having attended Tuesday night’s pro basketball game between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks. Pacquiao was already in South Beach, having served as a guest judge for the Miss Universe pageant and extending his stay when plans for a trip to the Northeast were scrapped due to severe blizzard conditions. Mayweather took advantage of the itinerary change, hopping on a plane and surfacing courtside in Miami in his resumed role as a regular spectator.
Pankorn Singwangcha won the ABF 140 lbs title with a stoppage win over Chinese light welterweight Hi Li Fu, who didn’t come out for the ninth round of their main event Wednesday afternoon in Hua Hin, Thailand.
French super welterweight champ Frank Harroche Horta (36-14-5) takes on Anderson Prestot (15-0) January 31 in Massy (France). The 34-year old Horta says 2015 will be his last year as an active fighter. He turned pro in 2006 and never had it easy despite a lot of talent. His record his loaded with close, split or majority decisions going both against and with him. In April last year he looked like a clear winner against to be WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee but lost a majority decision after eight with Lee on shaky legs at the end (as was reported by this reporter at the time).
SAN ANTONIO, TX - Rising star and undefeated featherweight phenom, Mario Barrios (7-0, 3 KOs), is looking to take his career to new heights in 2015. After fighting six times in 2014, Barrios is on the fast track to accomplishing his dream of becoming a world champion. Standing 6'1, Barrios has the height and reach advantage against most of his opponents. With lighting fast hands, Barrios also possesses good footwork and power. With adviser Al Haymon backing him, Barrios feels he's in a fantastic position.
Philippine flyweight champion Ardin Diale is eyeing a rematch with reigning Orient Pacific Boxing Federation champion Koki Eto of Japan to whom he lost by an 8th round knockout in a clash for the vacant crown on June 17 last year in Tokyo. Diale who is ranked No.2 by the OPBF behind Japan’s Takuma Inoue has stayed busy with a series of fights featured on the top rating Viva Sports weekly boxing show “The Main Event” of the promotional tandem of Edgar De Castro and Ryuta Kato of United Boxing International Promotions.
The fight for vacant EBU super middleweight title between Hadillah Mohummadi (17-3-1) and Mariano Hilario (11-2) is now off again after being postponed three times. The last date was March 14 in Elancourt (France). The EBU is now calling for purse bids again and the bids received will be opened February 10 at noon.
Melva Santos will be the authority in the ring when Liliana Palmera and Alys “La China” Sánchez fight on Friday, February 6, at the Coliseum Mario de León Guzmán, in Cereté, Colombia. Palmera will defend for the first time the World Boxing Association interim super Bantam 122 lbs belt she won on points from Venezuelan Ana Lozano in October.
Heavyweight veteran Alexander Petkovic, now 50-4-4, beat Raymond Ochieng (26-18-3) last night in Dachau (Germany) and won the vacant WBA I/C title on a technical decision reports box-news.de. Petkovic, ahead on points going into the tenth, was badly cut after an accidental head clash and the fight was stopped and went to the scorcards. Ochieng had two points deducted, first for pushing and then for low blows, Petkovic was all in all down three times after bodyshots and Ochieng was floored once.
They call him “Dangerous” Donald Cobb for a reason. Cobb has a built that just screams knockout. So when we saw his opponent for the September 19th bout at Salon Madrid, I expected fireworks. Cobb’s opponent came in just as tall, just as broad, and trained MMA which gave him tree trunks for legs. But big trees fall hard, as Cobb came in quickly in round one and quickly put his opponent down on the canvas. Anderson didn’t make it up for the ten count, and left the ring as quickly as he walked in.