Mixed martial arts legend Ken Shamrock is jumping into bare-knuckle boxing promotion. Shamrock is starting a promotional company in the growing combat sport, he announced Tuesday. Valor Bare Knuckle will hold its first fight card Sept. 21 at 4 Bears Casino in North Dakota, with plans for quick growth.
The Daily Bread Mailbag returns, with Stephen "Breadman" Edwards tackling topics such as Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, Demetrius Andrade vs. Jermall Charlo, the career of Donnies Nietes, and more.
On Thursday morning, the young Mexican boxer Ivan 'Sonrics' Ramirez, just 24 years old and highly regarded as a future world contender by the boxing scene in Yucatan, from where he was originally from. Ramirez's mother found the boxer hanging in his home in the city of Merida, state of Yucatan, according to the initial reports without giving more details at the moment.
Retired junior welterweight Raul Torres could be looking at a jail stint in the near future. He retired from the sport in 1997 after a decision win, and a record of 12-7-2 and 2 knockouts. He went ten rounds with an undefeated Hector Camacho in 1989, losing a unanimous decision in Atlantic City - a fight which took place under Evander Holyfield vs. Alex Stewart.
The first two anti-doping tests for ring officials have been presented, as part of the Clean Boxing Program of the World Boxing Council. The WBC implemented this standard to randomly test ring officials, based on the importance of maintaining maximum integrity in boxing. The tests are designed to detect the usage of recreational drugs such as: marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamines.
With a few months of results to ponder, it’s time to reflect again on some of the very best of the best across the span of seventeen weight divisions. The biggest change comes near the top. While the physical talent has been seductive for years, Naoya Inoue’s latest destructive victory in May over Emmanuel Rodriguez was particularly eye popping. He took a young, quality, undefeated opponent and obliterated him in two rounds.
The Daily Bread Mailbag returns with Stephen "Breadman" Edwards tackling topics such as Saul "Canelo" Alvarez being named the "franchise champion by the WBC, where this leaves Jermall Charlo, thoughts on IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant, Manny Pacquiao, and more.
Heavyweight: Andy Ruiz now takes up a big piece of real estate in the unlimited class with three title belts and a likely first defense against the man he beat for them, Anthony Joshua. Since the last update, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury have made defenses of their claim to the throne. Cruiserweight: The slow separation of Oleksandr Usyk from the division is near complete. Usyk hasn’t formally made his move to heavyweight as yet but all the alphabet titles he collected are now off his waist.
Boxing is a universal force for good that can unite gender, race, religion and conflicting sides of a delicately-poised political argument. That comes through loudly and clearly in the latest book by the brilliant Donald McRae. Fight fans will be aware of McRae’s acclaimed boxing titles from Dark Trade and In Black and White to A Man’s World and his latest offering is no less riveting.
Willie “The Worm” Monroe was boxing a six-rounder against Ted Hamilton, a scrawny white kid out of Fairmount, WV. This was in April 22, 1970, at the Blue Horizon. I was 22 years old; Monroe was 23 and he had won all four of his pro fights by knockout. We billed Hamilton as the middleweight champion of West Virginia which didn’t quite carry the same weight as, say, the middleweight champion of New York.