Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Can Fonfara Put Himself Back In Line For A Title Shot?





When top Light-Heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara challenged WBC Light-Heavyweight world champion Adonis Stevenson in May of this year, there may have been some who were not expecting Fonfara to have much of a chance against one of Boxing’s hottest rising stars, who entered the fight having knocked out his previous ten opponents. Fonfara however, would provide the champion with a stern test in putting forth a “Game” effort in defeat.


Despite suffering knockdowns in rounds one and five, Fonfara consistently pressed forward and would score his own knockdown of the champion in round nine in losing a hard fought twelve round unanimous decision. Although Fonfara did not come out of the fight with Stevenson as a world champion his stock definitely went up in terms of his standing as a contender in the Light-Heavyweight division.


The first step toward another world title shot for Fonfara will come when he returns to the ring on Saturday night against veteran contender Doudou Ngumbu at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. Ngumbu, a veteran of thirty-eight professional fights will be fighting for the first time in the United States.


Ngumbu will enter this fight having won four of his last five bouts. In his last fight in June Ngumbu scored a ten round unanimous decision over Johnny Muller. It will be interesting to see how Ngumbu will respond to not only fighting for the first time in the United States, but also fighting in Fonfara’s adopted hometown of Chicago where he has a sizable fan following. 


It will also be interesting to see if Fonfara will be able to let his hands go more regularly in this fight than he was able to in the first half of his fight with Stevenson. As I stated in covering that fight, Fonfara’s difficulty in letting his hands go in the first half of that fight could likely have been attributed to both a respect for Stevenson’s punching power as well as his elusiveness and ability to control distance.


Although Ngumbu is not well known in the United States, he does have an awkward style in which he uses lateral movement and will likely look to control distance and keep Fonfara from getting in close where he can do damage. Ngumbu however, has not fought fighters who most would consider top contenders and this should be viewed as a step up in class for him against a fighter who is coming off of challenging for a world title.


Whether or not Ngumbu can utilize some of the tactics that were successful for Adonis Stevenson in his fight with Fonfara remains to be seen. For Fonfara however, this could be a fight that could lead to another opportunity at a world championship down the line. Even though Ngumbu is somewhat an enigma as this fight approaches, if he should win this fight it could catapult him into world title contention.


With much of the attention in regard to the Light-Heavyweight division being firmly focused on both the upcoming unification bout between IBF/WBA champion Bernard Hopkins and undefeated WBO champion Sergey Kovalev on November 8th, as well as the announcement earlier this week that Adonis Stevenson will defend his WBC championship against top contender Dmitry Sukhotsky on December 19th, it will be interesting to see if the winner of Fonfara-Ngumbu will be in position for a potential challenge for the winner of either of those two upcoming championship fights. An important element to remember as well is Bernard Hopkins has set his sights on completely unifying the Light-Heavyweight division and become the undisputed champion.  It goes without saying however, that in Boxing one should expect the unexpected.

Although Andrzej Fonfara clearly established himself as a player in the Light-Heavyweight division with the spirited effort he put forth against Adonis Stevenson and might be expected by both fans and experts alike to win this fight against Ngumbu, anything can happen. If Andrzej Fonfara wins this fight it is logical to assume that he will be right back in line for a shot at a world title. It will be interesting however, to see if Doudou Ngumbu a fighter who is not well known can seize the opportunity to establish himself in his first fight in the United States. We will see who emerges victorious on Saturday night.


“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”


The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.


Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 
 

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

NYPD And FDNY Prepare To Fight!



Corporal Murphree, wife Ashley, and son Brody Photo Credit: FDNY
Press Release: October 23, 2014 By Tony Shultz- The NYPD and FDNY are going at it again, this time for bragging rights and a great
cause. Boxing teams for both of the city’s Elite First Responders are hard at work training
for their upcoming charity boxing rivalry, and stakes couldn’t be higher!



Proceeds from ticket sales to this years event are going to an incredibly heroic Army
Veteran who enlisted to serve because his family was affected by the September 11th
Terrorist Attacks. Corporal Jesse Murphree tragically lost both his legs and is dealing
with a traumatic brain injury, due to being hit by an anti-tank mine while on a mission in
the extremely dangerous Taliban stronghold of Korengal Valley, Afghanistan. This area

is notorious for being a key to breaking the Taliban and has been the site of numerous
fierce firefighters with enemy forces, so much so in fact, it’s been dubbed "The Valley
of
Death" by American Forces. Unfortunately Cpl Murpree was a victim of one of those

deadly missions.


The charity boxing event will help raise funds for Cpl Murphree, along with his wife and
son to build a mortgage free, handicap accessible home in their dream location of Tampa,
FL, through the charity “Building Homes for Hero’s” located on Long Island, NY.



Madison Square Garden, which is hosting the event, has named Tony Shultz's FightTown
Promotions as the “Official Marketing Partner” of The 32nd annual “NYC: Battle of the
Badges" Boxing Event at The Theatre at MSG on November 22nd.



“Being that American Forces have dedicated so much, for so long, and put themselves in
harms way to prevent another September 11th Attack” Shultz said when asked about
helping to promote the fight. “As a boxing promoter, this is the best way I felt I could
give back to all the Cpl. Murphree’s and their families, one fight at a time”.



Tickets can be purchased at: www.theateratmsg.com or by clicking the fight poster at
www.FightTown.net


About FightTown Promotions:


FightTown is a Boxing Promotions company that focuses on promoting Heavyweight
World Championship Fights. With an emphasis on promoting strong “Rivalry’s”
FightTown is constantly looking to create explosive matchups between Boxing’s Top
Contenders and current World Champions that decide once and for all who is the
Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World.



Material Courtesy of: Tony Shultz/FightTown Promotions, The New York City Police Department, The New York City Fire Department, and Madison Square Garden. Used with permission.  




The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.  
 

Monday, October 20, 2014

Golovkin Adds Rubio To Knockout Streak




The Middleweight championship fight between undefeated WBA/IBO world champion Gennady Golovkin and top contender and former two-time world title challenger Marco Antonio Rubio had what appeared on paper to have all the makings of a shootout between two knockout artists.  Golovkin, one of Boxing’s hottest rising stars, who entered the fight undefeated in thirty professional fights, scoring twenty-seven knockouts. The champion also entered having knocked out his previous seventeen opponents and successfully defended his title eleven times.  The champion faced what appeared to be his toughest test to date in Marco Antonio Rubio.
  

Rubio, the longtime Jr. Middleweight and Middleweight contender and veteran of sixty-six professional fights entered the fight having scored fifty-one knockouts in fifty-nine career wins. Rubio also held interim status in the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) Middleweight ratings.  Before the fight took place however, there was a slight controversy that emerged when Rubio failed to make the 160lb. Middleweight limit at the weigh-in on October 17th.  Rubio who weighed 161 ¾lbs. was fined $100,000 of his purse for the bout, lost his interim status in the WBC’s ratings, and was unable to win Golovkin’s unified championship if he were to emerge from the bout victorious. 


Although Rubio was unable to make weight, the championships as well as Rubio’s previous interim status remained on the line for the champion Golovkin. All the anticipation of what some expected to be a head-on collision between two power punchers culminated when Golovkin and Rubio squared off on October 18th at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.  No matter how a fight may look on paper however, sometimes it does not always appear to live up to the anticipation that often precedes a fight when the fight actually takes place.


Although the first round of this fight was competitive the clear difference was not only the champion’s ability to out land the challenger, but also the systematic approach in which Golovkin set up his offense. Even though what has endeared Golovkin to Boxing fans is his seek and destroy style along with devastating punching power, what should not be overlooked is Golovkin’s approach that sets up his offense.


Golovkin has shown an ability to be aggressive, but at the same time be very accurate with his offense and has also shown patience in waiting for opportunities to present itself without looking recklessly for a knockout. Golovkin’s ability to cut off the ring and be very accurate with his offense is one facet along with his punching power that makes him such a devastating force.


Rubio was able to land some punches in the first round, but he could not dictate how the fight was to be fought and Golovkin was able to take Rubio’s offense and keep pressing forward. This would set the stage for the second round. Golovkin continued to apply pressure on Rubio in the second round behind his consistent jab, which set up opportunities to land his right hand. Rubio did land a couple of solid body shots in close, but he could not land anything significant enough to halt the champion’s pressure. A right hand followed by a left uppercut from Golovkin sent Rubio back on the ropes. Golovkin would knock Rubio down with a left hook to the head moments later. Rubio was counted out by Referee Jack Reiss at 1:19 of round two. With the win Golovkin scored his eighteenth consecutive knockout and his twelfth successful title defense of his unified WBA/IBO Middleweight world championship.


Prior to this fight I stated that it would be interesting to see how Golovkin would respond to Rubio’s punching power. It was clear in this fight that the edge in punching power was in Golovkin’s favor. I also stated prior to this fight that it would be of equal interest to see how Rubio would respond to Golovkin’s power. Even though this fight did not last long, Rubio did take some punishment before absorbing the left hook that ended the fight.


Although this ultimately did not prove to be the test that some expected for Golovkin, it was another demonstration of his devastating punching power on full display. Whether or not Marco Antonio Rubio was affected in any way by the difficulty he had in trying to make the Middleweight limit of 160lbs. is a subject for debate. This observer believes that it was more a case of Golovkin being simply the harder puncher of the two more than the potential issue of weight that led to Rubio’s downfall in this fight. As for Rubio’s weight issues, some may criticize a fighter for not making weight. Sometimes, despite all the effort a fighter might make in training, the fighter’s body simply cannot make a weight limit.


I suggested prior to the fight that Rubio may have been looking at this fight as his last chance to win a world championship. If this is not the end for Rubio and if he can no longer make the Middleweight limit, it will be interesting to see what potential options may be available to him in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division.


As for the champion Gennady Golovkin the outlook for him remains the same as it was following his title defense over Daniel Geale earlier this year. As Golovkin continues to score knockouts Boxing fans and experts alike will continue to question who may be able to give Golovkin a significant test. Off of this latest victory, it will be interesting to see if fighters who are considered by most to be stars of the sport in or around the Middleweight division will be interested in challenging the undefeated champion for his title.


What will be interesting coming out of this fight is if a potential fight between Golovkin and WBC champion Miguel Cotto is on the table in 2015. In addition to retaining his title against Rubio, Golovkin also earned interim status in the WBC’s ratings. Although this is likely the first time a world champion has earned status that would put him in line to challenge for another title in the same weight division, I believe that is a moot point given that a fight between Golovkin and Cotto would be a unification bout if it can be made. For his part following the fight against Rubio, Golovkin called out Cotto, Saul Alvarez, and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for potential fights.


This observer believes it’s more likely that a fight between either Golovkin and Cotto or Alvarez seems more logical at this point, due to Chavez Jr. fighting in the Super-Middleweight division and it is doubtful that he could move back down in weight to 160lbs. given his own difficulties making that weight when he was campaigning as a Middleweight.  Another scenario if a fight with Cotto, Alvarez, or Chavez Jr. is not what is next for Golovkin is for Golovkin to potentially face Danny Jacobs or Dmitry Chudinov who each hold regular/interim status in the WBA’s ratings. With the situation concerning what might become of the IBF Middleweight championship remaining uncertain for the time being, it will be interesting to see who Golovkin will fight next out of the potential five opponents.

With now twelve successful title defenses a storyline that might become increasingly interesting with each title defense Gennady Golovkin attempts will be the potential march towards the Middleweight championship record for successful title defenses in the division which was set by current unified WBA/IBF Light-Heavyweight world champion Bernard Hopkins, who reigned atop the Middleweight division from 1995-2005 defending his title an incredible twenty times. We will see what the next chapter in the career of Gennady Golovkin has to offer.



“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”


The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.


Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison