July14 "FINISHED BUSINESS"

issue #11 JUNE 2014

BOXINGMADMAGAZINE.COM

01

BMMBOXING MAD MAGAZINE

34 PAGE MAGAZINE

FRANK WARREN

finished business

PAUL BUTLER

AND MORE

froch send groves back to the drawing board

INTERVIEWS

Creative Department

Creative Director: Callum Harris

Senior Designer: Callum Harris

Sales Department

Senior Manager: Callum Harris

CONTACT: [email protected]

Writers

Sam c Coulter

Jack Sumner

David Mathews

Peter Wells

James Bhrama

Arson Wainwright

TM BOXING MAD MAGAZINE / BMM 2011

The last two weeks of boxing have not disappointed in the slightest with a pairing of all British world title fights and a revival of a Puerto Rican legend at middle weight.

Miguel Cotto seemingly vanished a battle worn Sergio Martinez to retirement in emphatic fashion, forcing Mar-tinez’s corner to halt the Argentinians last stand at the end of 9th round, in doing so crowning Cotto the WBC Middleweight Champion, the first Puerto Rican to hold four world titles at four different weight classes.

Paul Butler stepped up to Bantamweight to dethrone Stuart Hall as the IBF Champion; David Mathews was there on the night for BMM and was informed by Pro-moter Frank Warren that a fight between Jamie McDon-nell and Butler must happen. Could this be the breaking point in the cold wars between Frank Warren Promotions and Matchroom Boxing? Probably not!

I had the privilege of being at the spectacle that was Froch Vs Groves II “Unfinished Business”. Hats off to all of the Matchroom Boxing team as the event at our national stadium was everything it was billed to be and more. From the star studded ringside attendance (mostly the cast of EastEnders but not without a Wanye Rooney to boot) to two of the best ring entrances I can remember in the sport in the prelude to the final fight. A final fight that started off, understandably cagy but finished with all the fire and fireworks that the two men entered the ring with. Carl Froch finally “Finished Business” and will be in full gratification that if he never fights again, he’d be more than happy to go out on such a high.

For me it’s a great time to step away as editor of Boxing Mad Magazine and hand over the reigns to a more than qualified Jack Sumner whilst British boxing is on such a high. I only hope that the powers that be can keep the public’s attention with more domestic clashes that prompt the heart to start thumping in there chest at the mere thought.

EDITORSNOTES

boxingmadmagazine tm

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE CONTENTS

JUNE 2014 issue #11 issue #11 JUNE 2014


02 03

THE RUN DOWN

Contents

Page 6 WHO WINS Experts opinion on a possible route back to a world title shot for George Groves.

Page 4 ASK THE FANS.

08

14

Page 8 PAUL BUTLER WORLD CHAMPION. INTERVIEW

Page 10 I’M READY FOR BIG NAMES: BRADLEY SAUNDERS.

Page 12 FRANK WARREN “PAUL AND JAMIE MUST FIGHT”

Page 14 FROCH VS GROVES ROUND BY ROUND

Page 18 DeGALE WILL HAVE TO WAIT.

Page 22 COTTO: FOUR WEIGHT FOUR WORLD TILES!

Page 26 BRAEHMER RETAINS

Page 28 RAMPAGE

6

4 18

Cal Harris

THIS ISSUES QUESTION WAS A SIMPLE ONE. WHAT NEXT FOR ST GEORGE GROVE?

@BoxingMadMag

alpha ‏@alphadog187 @BoxingMadMag @StGeorgeGroves he’s just been in biggest fight in Britains history got beat off good champion, deserves another crack WBC/WBO

Jim Lee @Jim_L_ @BoxingMadMag @StGeorgeGroves bus driver ?

Save Kennedy #Boxing ‏@FightersRated @BoxingMadMag @StGeorgeGroves Rebuild, rebuild and more rebuild. No title fights till the George from before the 1st Froch fight is back.

JC ‏@jcblakeway @BoxingMadMag @FrochGroves2 @StGeorgeGroves I think Groves should have a semi-easy comeback, then fight Abraham for the WBO strap. #easywin

Edward Roe ‏@P80ROE @BoxingMadMag @FrochGroves2 @StGeorgeGroves he’s going to have to have a couple of easy fights then maybe go after bika for WBC.

Peter Wells BMM ‏@boxingsaddler @BoxingMadMag @StGeorgeGroves He’s proved he’s world class in both fights with Carl. Abraham seems a perfect fit 4 him. Shud be easy 2 make

michael smith ‏@msmith3110 @BoxingMadMag @FrochGroves2 @StGeorgeGroves I think groves should have a nice easy 10 rounder then chase the winner of Abraham vs smith!!

Allardyce out ‏@RyanGodbold1 @BoxingMadMag @FrochGroves2 @StGeorgeGroves probably a few low key fights, build himself back up. Then a fight with @jamesdegale1 hopefully

Jamie Bourne ‏@BoxingBourne 1h@BoxingMadMag @StGeorgeGroves 10 rounder - Abraham fight - Kessler defence.

dave ras ‏@DaveRas1981 1h@JamesFarley2 @BoxingMadMag @StGeorgeGroves @jamesdegale1 can’t see him getting shot at ibf just had a shot that why I think bika better way

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE ASK THE FANS



04 05

EACH ISSUE WE ASK THE BOXING COMMUNITY VIA TWITTER THERE OPINIONS ON SOME OF THE SPORTS

HOTTEST TOPICS.

#ASK THE FANS!

wh

o w

INs?

Gro

vEs

vs A

brA

hA

M03

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE WHO WINS?



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ronald mcINTOSH My first response would be “what about Paul Smith?”Joe Gallagher was ringside at Abraham’s most recent defence on something of a scouting mission. Gallagher and Smith feel they’re close to securing a title shot against “King” Arthur. They’ll be hoping they’ve got next.I was also ringside in Berlin that night, commentating on the fight. It was quite instructive to witness up close. From the outset, Abraham used his right hand sparingly and almost exclusively to the body. He said after the fight that he’d carried a hand injury into the bout. A product of two fights in quick succession, perhaps? Despite being a clean liver in between contests, perhaps at 34 and with a lot of miles on the clock, the body needs more time to recover.This notion was reinforced by the manner in which Abraham fought. He picked his spots, fought in bursts, but showed a fair degree of lethargy overall; even his trainer was asking him as early as round 1 “why are you so passive?”In picking his spots though, Abraham showed great accuracy. His jab was a thing of beauty that night; he used it to control the distance and the tempo and showed terrific variety, de-spite being the shorter fighter.I feel it’s this model of Abraham that any young Brit would be facing.Groves has the edge in speed and mobility and is a natural Super-Middleweight, which could be significant; all of Abra-ham’s defeats have come at 168.But it remains to be seen how Groves will be affected by the devastating knockout defeat to Froch in their rematch, both physically and mentally. He could come to terms with it instantly and continue to grow as a fighter, or he may never be the same again. Only time will tell.Having signed with Sauerland, Groves most certainly has the connections to make the fight. But will he want to come straight back in an event of that magnitude? Will he fancy travelling to Germany, as he’d invariably have to?All in all, I feel Groves at his best against this model of Abraham would have a very good chance of success. His speed, movement and energy could cause Abraham significant problems. (Remember Froch’s display against the Berlin resident?)However, Abraham is a proud, determined champion with heaps of experience at championship level. He won’t surrender his title without a fierce battle. But the timing could be right for a fresh, young, energetic fighter to take “King” Arthur’s

DANNY "CASSIUS" CONNERI think that’ an ideal fight for Groves, he can outbox Abraham as easily as Froch did. Gorge would need to keep his hand tight up close or run the risk of being hit by one of Abrahams bombs. He’s a massive puncher!

garry lockettI think it’s a fight Groves wins should it happen. He has all the tools to give Abraham fits!

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE PAUL BUTLER WORLD CHAMPION


DAVID MATHEWS BOXINGMADMAGAZINE.COM

08 09

As he faced up in the centre of the ring with the IBF bantam-weight champion Stuart Hall, the tiny frame of the Baby Faced Assassin Paul Butler was strikingly apparent. In the time between the weigh in and their next meeting at Newcas-tle’s Metro Arena on Saturday night, the difference in size between the two men had become more evident, though as soon as the fight got un-derway it appeared as though it would have little bearing on

fighter with a huge heart and anyone who is coming to his backyard can expect a battle, I felt one or two but at no point did I feel pressured or in trouble.”Butler’s victory scuppered Hall’s plans for a domestic unification showdown with recently crowned WBA ti-tleholder Jamie McDonnell. Clamoring has begun how-ever for Butler to meet the Doncaster man, with talk of offers between the two men’s promotional teams hot off the press in the wake of Saturday’s fight.Frank Warren announced on Monday that he had made McDonnell an offer that would amount to a career-best payday for the 28-year-old to meet Butler on BoxNation, only for Eddie Hearn to dis-pute the offer and instead issue his own proposal of £200,000 for the fight to take place on Sky Sports. Prior to the fight with Hall, I’d asked Butler about Jamie McDonnell as his next target at bantam-weight and following the bout, I was eager to find out if it was still the case: “Yeah I’d love that, but as we know there is a lot of politics to be worked through before it can happen. I’m a boxer and am ready as soon as the call is made but with regards setting the fight up, that’s down to

Frank Warren and his team.” At that point, manager Asif Vali was pressing us to leave the room and attend the main press conference, so I quickly asked Paul about the phenomenal support that had came up from Merseyside to see him win the title. “Fantastic, I couldn’t ask for more really. I have a massive following and it’s continuing to grow, I’m so glad that win-ning tonight means I can take the belt home and perform in front of those fans who couldn’t make it tonight.” I gave Paul his due congrat-ulations and thanked him for allowing BMM a few words before the main presser. “Not a problem and thanks for the coverage you have given this fight, it’s been great.”Butler’s win came by courte-sy of split decision, with two judges scoring for the Elles-mere Port fighter and one judge scoring for the North East man. Official scorecards read 117-111 and 115-113 for Butler, with the card award to Hall tallying 115 – 113. Hall blamed his slow start for the loss and not many would disagree. But credit goes to Butler, who after just sixteen fights and at twenty-five is a bantamweight world champion and looks like he will grow into the role.

the fight.Though his speed and move-ment, Butler quickly estab-lished control in the bout behind a dominant jab and raced to a commanding lead on the scorecard through five rounds. It took Hall that long to begin getting a foothold in the fight and his problem was evident to watching fans – Hall was taking a lot of shots to get into range but then fail-ing to let anything of worth go before Butler had counter punched and moved again. From the sixth round onwards it was a much closer fight, Hall forcing Butler back at times and landing the odd heavy

shot which would have caused most bantamweights prob-lems, but Butler discounted theories of him being too small for the weight and ab-sorbed the attacks well whilst staying composed. At the end of twelve rounds, both fighters had put on a show worthy of the occasion and it seemed inevitable that the verdict would be close. Had Hall’s late rally been enough to see him retain his title, or would it be heading back to Ellesmere Port with the challenger, who had made such an impressive start?It was Butler’s night, as the judges gave a majority deci-sion in favour of the latter and the world title changed hands to the unbeaten fighter. I caught up with Paul after-wards for a few quick words, as he attempted to digest his achievement:“I was told at the age of eleven years old that I would become a world champion, it’s hard to believe that at only twenty-five I have already fulfilled that prediction. It’s amazing. It went perfectly. The only thing that was not planned for was Stuart’s slow start, we really expected him to come out all guns blazing which never happened. Re-gardless though I was intent on getting the first 6 or 7 rounds in the bank then fend-ing off whatever he came with late on.” Butler was caught once or twice with heavy shots and given the pre-fight insight that had suggested his size could be a disadvantage, I asked him if he’d been in trouble at any point:“No never. Stuart is a great

PAUL BUTLERWORLD CHAMPION

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE DAVID MATHEWS



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North East fighter Bradley Saunders stepped out at Newcastle’s Metro Arena to a fantastic reception on June 7th, as all corners of the crowd welcomed in the likeable light welterweight who is quickly becoming one of British box-ing’s hottest properties. Just nine fights into his pro career, the unbeaten Saunders had claimed seven of his victories inside the distance, evidence of the knockout quality he brings every time he steps through the ropes.

His tenth bout however came against a much more seasoned opponent. Ville Pilspanen had fought at a much higher level, cemented on the European stage and a very stubborn operator having never being stopped. The Dane looked a real test for Saunders as they faced off for the WBO In-

ter-Continental Title, but once the opening bell rang, reality struck and Saunders punch power and shot selection had Ville in trou-ble within seconds.

A beauti-fully timed uppercut was the first bone rat-tler to shake the Dane and he did well to survive it, but sec-onds later a world class body shot almost ripped him in half and left him crumpled on the canvas. Just eighty-one seconds into the bout, refer-ee Phil Edwards reached the count of ten and Saunders’ biggest test was all over inside the first round, with Pilspanen still writhing in agony. With his most impressive performance to date, Bradley Saunders

proved he really has the class to face the best. I caught up with Saunders in his dressing room after the bout.

“I really wasn’t expecting to do that

before the fight, we

trained long

and hard expecting a full ten

rounds,” the 28-year-old from

County Durham told me. “Pilspanen has never been stopped and has been in with some top fighters, he has fought for the title three times and won it once I believe. Boxers can never tell how well they will do until that first jab goes out in a fight, sometimes it’s miles off and you have to use a couple of rounds up just

getting your range – tonight the first jab con-nected beautifully and I knew this wasn’t going to last long.”

When asked about his power, Brad excitedly shared some of the work he has been doing in sparring at the MGM – Matthew Macklin’s gym out in Marbella. Saunders relocated to the Spanish resort earlier this year, where he believes the sparring he has received has pre-pared him for the best that the 140lb division has to offer. ”I’ve always had power and always used it, hence all the hand injuries I’ve endured over the years, that’s what made me go to the body in an attempt to protect my hands back then. I practised bodywork over and over, weeks at a time until the shots flowed naturally and I’d built up a vast selection of damaging body blows to add to my arsenal. The one that finished Pilspanen tonight has creased middle-weights in sparring so I knew he wasn’t getting up once it landed.”

“MGM offers me some top sparring opponents and I’m dealing with them comfortably, I feel I’m ready for some real names now.”

Intrigued, I asked him if there was any names in particular he had in mind.

“Eric Morales, DeMarcus Corley. That kind of name. I’ve got about four years to leave a mark on boxing and leave some great memories that me and my boy can be proud of years from now, tonight I’ve won my little boy his first belt in the pro ranks and this is just the start I hope.”

Domestically the light welterweight division

still holds plenty of options, with Curtis Wood-house the British champion aiming to add Willie Limond’s Commonwealth crown later this month. Woodhouse is a lucrative opponent for any British 140-pounder, which Saunders recognizes.

“I’m over calling people out, we made an offer which was ignored and I don’t blame Curtis. Why fight Bradley Saunders for nothing when he can fight Limond for another belt? Fair play to him, Curtis is a great lad and I’m sure we’ll meet sooner or later.”

I was aware that weight has been a struggle for Saunders at light welter. Intrigued, I wanted to know if he and his camp had discussed moving up a weight?

“The weight is always a struggle for me but we work hard and never miss it. Seamus and the team are constantly suggesting I move up, the power and speed would still be there and I would have more opportunities. Maybe it is time to try welter out, let’s see what the boys in that division have to offer.”

Having finished early again with no wear or tear, the line of questioning then moved to when the unbeaten fighter would be out next?

“I think I could be out on the Fury v Chisora bill if it can be sorted, I need to speak to Frank but watch this space.”

Finally, I asked the fighter what his long term goals were in the four years he spoke of?

”I want to fight regular, stepping up each time. If I get found out then at least I’ll know I wasn’t good enough. I want to make my family proud and give my little boy something to be able to boast about when he is my age, make him proud of my achievements. I’m not a Chris Eubank Jr, he fought his 16th fight tonight at a level way below him, it’s pointless. I’m at ten fights and have won a title and am one fight off mandatory for the British. I’m not looking for a safe way to the top; I’m looking to get there on merit”.

I’m ready for the bIg names

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE WARREN INTERVIEW



012 013

they are both world champions it’s a fight that can’t be ignored.”

Will this force Eddie Hearn and yourself to work together, we know it’s been difficult in the past but could this be a turning point maybe?

“You would have to ask Eddie, I have never stopped my fighters going on Matchroom’s Sky bill if it’s a fight they want or need. The problem is none of their fighters are ever allowed on BoxNation, even if it’s for their benefit with regards a good fight or a title bout. So like I said, ask Eddie.”

So are you saying it’s a one way street?

“Yes, everyone in boxing knows that. My outlook is if it’s a fight that benefits my boxers or a fight the fans are screaming for, let’s try and make it happen. I fear though our only option will once again be purse bids.”

Moving onto Bradley Saunders, that was another devastating finish tonight!

“Yeah the kids unreal, he is fighting top European fighters now and breaking them up. Really exciting.”

Where do you see him going next?

“Again it’s a difficult one, we made two massive bids for Curtis Woodhouse before this was made and they were ignored - so what can you do?”

Bradley is asking for big names from America like DeMarcus Corley, do you think that’s realistic?

“We can look at that and many other options, Brad’s 28 and in a hurry but he’s a young 28 - lots of time and even more options, so we’ll see.”

How far do you think he can go?

“Undoubtedly all the way, he has fought all over the World as an amateur and at the highest level - look at the impact he has made in only ten fights as a pro! I expect big things from both Brad and Paul, it’s a very exciting time and I feel lucky to be part of it.”

wArrEN“Jamie Mcdonnell and Paul are both world

champions it’s a fight that can’t be ignored.”

Boxing Mad Magazine had the pleasure of hearing

Frank Warren’s views on the title-winning displays of

two of his fighters in Newcastle; newly crowned WBO

Inter Continental light welterweight champion Brad-

ley Saunders and Paul Butler, who of course wrestled

the IBF world bantamweight strap from home favou-

rite Stuart Hall. BMM’s David Matthews pressed the

promoter on his opinion of both his charges’ perfor-

mances, starting with Ellesmere Port’s world champi-

on:

“I thought Paul was terrific tonight,” said Frank, “It is a

real achievement to come to Stuart’s home venue and

pull off that performance, anyone who knows Stu-

art knows nobody gets anything for free when they

fight him - ask Malinga how much courage Stuie has.

Tonight was all about Paul though and he dominated

early with a solid jab and great movement. Stepping

up to bantamweight was always going to be tough

but he did it, he deserves all the plaudits he gets.”

Will Paul get the Jamie McDonnell unification fight

next?

“Well that’s what we will be aiming for, there is the

IBF to be kept happy first but if that can be sorted

then why not? I tried to set up the fight with Jamie a

long time ago but it never happened, hopefully now

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Carl Froch retained his WBA and IBF super middleweight titles with a brutal eighth-round stoppage of George Groves, in the biggest British fight for a

generation at Wembley on Saturday. It was a career-defining performance by the Cobra, but the challenger played his part in a memorable encounter. Here’s how the

action unfolded, round by round.

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BOXING MAD MAGAZINE ROUND BY ROUND

JUNE 2014 issue #11014

FroCh vs GrovEs II

roUNDbYroUNDJACK sUMNEr brEAKs DowN ThE ACTIoN

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Groves is down. . . but not from a punch, rather a push from Froch as the fight momentarily breaks out into a wrestling match. The champion received a ticking off from referee Charlie Fitch but also enjoyed some genuine success in the round and was scoring with his jab. As the round reached its climax, another close session swung in Groves’s favour as the chal-lenger countered Froch’s jab with a big right and did more damage with a hard left hook.

The round that Groves predicted the finish in his favour with a left hook, but it was again that lethal counter right hand that was the pick of his arsenal, with two of them landing hard to catch the eye of the judges. But Froch came marauding forward with a flur-ry and backed Groves up to the ropes. The action was heating up and there was nothing to split them as they headed back to their corners.

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Froch was holding the centre of the ring and forc-ing Groves back with his rapier-like jab to set up his attacks, but for all Froch was throwing plenty missed the target and the Saint was boxing well off the back foot and was out-landing, even out-jabbing the Cobra by increasing numbers. One of those rounds where the subjectivity of boxing’s scoring system comes into play, a swing round, dependant on ‘what you like’.

A huge round for Froch as Groves was forced back to the ropes again but this time courtesy of a hard right hand and the challenger looked hurt. A series of vicious digs to the body did little to help his cause and towards the end of the round Froch snapped Groves head back with a jab. The early rounds had been tight and a couple of them difficult to score though with Groves ahead in the eyes of most observers, but round five definitely belonged to Froch.

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DOWN ANDOUT

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Froch was coming on strong, the centre of the ring was his territory and Groves was constantly being backed up, Froch landing more and unleashing combinations. Groves had developed a mouse under his right eye that substanti-ated the period of dominance that Froch was enjoying.

7roUND

But that was broken in the seventh as Groves fired back and a stiff jab forced back Froch’s head and jolted the legs of the champion. His boxing was coming together again and he landed his landed his right hand often, Froch came back with another flurry against the ropes but Groves had the last word and finished the round strong.

LAWRENCE LUSTIG

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE ROUND BY ROUND


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Froch was tagged by a retreating Groves and made to swing at thin air by a now confident looking challenger, who was getting into his groove. But that would be shattered when he backed up to the ropes once more. Froch pressed forward and with a combination he’d been timing for a few rounds got Groves attention with a left-hook before crashing home with a devastating right hand that relieved Groves of his consciousness and left him sprawled on the canvas; his head underneath the bottom rope and a leg bent back in a worrying state. Groves came to and fought to beat the count, but referee Fitch had seen enough and waved the contest off to jubilant scenes in the Froch corner.

LAWRENCE LUSTIG

LAWRENCE LUSTIG

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LAWRENCE LUSTIG

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE DeGALE WILL HAVE TO WAIT!



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Sam C Coulter

F ollowing what were emphatic wins from both Carl Froch and James Degale at our national stadium of Wembley there is a possibility that the two super-middleweights will face-off in

another domestic dust-up.

Froch aged 36 is the money man of the division following his conclusive victory over bitter rival George Groves. Froch was more switched on mentally for this massive rematch and it showed in his performance.

Froch was not continually hit with big shots and the opening rounds were a lot closer than the first fight. Froch finished the fight in the 8th round with an absolute peach of a shot. A huge right hand landed flush on Groves and knocked him to the floor. He was clearly in no fit state to continue and the referee was correct to step-in.

On the undercard of Froch’s fight James Degale defeated the previously unbeaten American Brandon Gonzales in hugely impressive fashion. Degale rocked Gonzalez as early as the first round and was dominant for the entirety of the fight before it was ended in the 4th round.

Degale looked like a man who had got hispassion back for the game following a few years of fighting in the wilderness in small venues. He looked determined to grab his massive opportunity and he did so in style.Degale is now the mandatory challenger for Froch’s IBF world title. Degale would love the

shot at ‘The Cobra’ as he believes that his style is all wrong for the veteran champion.

Degale is a slick operator who can box from the southpaw or orthodox stance and was a highly decorated amateur having won an Olympic Gold Medal. He has also shown that he has the power to hurt his opponent which would be key if he were to face Froch.

If Degale wasn’t able to hurt Froch, then he would face a constant battle to keep the champion away and his chances of success would be lessened greatly.

DeGale will have to wait!

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It does however seem unlike-ly that Degale will get his shot straight away. Froch has fought George Groves twice in a row as mandatory challenger for his IBF strap and he may be al-lowed time to fight someone else before he has to face another mandatory.

A fight with Degale has the potential to be big as it would be another all-British affair but there are bigger fights out there for Carl Froch at this point in time.

Having just fought in front of 80,000 people and come out on top in what will prove to be his career defining moment he needs something big to motivate him to carry on in the sport. No offence to James Degale but it just isn’t him at the moment.

All the signs from Froch are that he wants to fight in Las Vegas for the first time. The most likely candidate would be the tough Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez Jr who has a massive following. The fight would have the poten-tial to be dual-pay-per-view over here on Skysports and in the US on HBO.

Degale will be looking to try and persuade Froch into fighting him but it would look as though Degale will have to seek another fight if he wants to be-come world champion this year.

Sakio Bika could be a possibility for Degale if Eddie Hearn can negotiate a deal. Chavez is rated as number one below Bika in the WBC but if Chavez and Froch fight then there would appear and open-ing for another fighter.

Bika would be a very winnable fight for Degale and if he was to face Bika and become a world champi-on than a potentially huge domestic unification fight with Froch could take place next year.

James Degale wins in style but he may have to wait for his shot at Froch.

LAWRENCE LUSTIG

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE DeGALE WILL HAVE TO WAIT!

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down for a count!


On hall of fame weekend, the likes of Wilfredo Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez and Felix Trinidad, who are all inductees and three weight world champions and legends, were eclipsed, with Cotto managing to go one better than all of them.In his post-fight interview he told Max Kellerman that it was the “Happiest day of my life, this is the biggest achievement of my profes-sional career.”

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE



023

CoTTo:FoUr wEIGhTs,FoUr worLD TITLEs.

H istory was made on Saturday night as Miguel Cotto became the first fighter from the boxing mad island of Puerto Rico to win four world titles in four separate weight classes after stopping Sergio Martinez in the

10th round at Madison Square Garden.

Cotto managed to score four knockdowns, three of them coming in the first round, in what was a unexpectedly dom-inant victory. Martinez was still sitting down when his train-er, Pablo Sarmiento, refused to let him come out for the

10th round, having also suffered his fourth trip to the canvas in the 9th round of the fight, it seemed like a good decision. As Michael Griffin waved the contest off, the largely Puerto Rican crowd that had come out to support Cotto, on the eve of the annual Puerto Rican parade in the big apple, celebrated wildly.

On hall of fame weekend, the likes of Wilfredo Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez and Felix Trinidad, who are all inductees and three weight world champions and legends, were eclipsed, with Cotto managing to go one better than all of them.

On hall of fame weekend, the likes of Wilfredo Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez and Felix Trinidad, who are all inductees and three weight world champions and legends, were eclipsed, with Cotto managing to go one better than all of them.In his post-fight interview he told Max Kellerman that it was the “Happiest day of my life, this is the biggest achievement of my professional career.”

The WBC middleweight crown joins Cotto’s other titles won at Jr middleweight, Welter-weight, and Jr welter-weight.After the early excitement of the three

first round knockdowns, Cotto managed to keep up his dominance throughout the entirety of the night and was leading 90-77 on all three scorecards when it was waved off. Freddie Roach was pos-itively beaming as well. The hall of fame trainer has reinvigorated Cotto in the two fights he has trained him for, and de-serves a huge amount of credit for the role he has played in the Puerto Rican’s renais-sance. “I’m proud of Mi-guel. He worked so hard, He deserved this historic victory.”

Roach, in the build-up to the fight, had made no secret of his desire

to bring back the dev-astating left hook that was previously Cotto’s signature punch. And, in the first round, we got treated to it in all it’s beauty as Cotto sent Martinez crashing to the canvas with it for the first knockdown. Not long af-terwards, a stinging right hand sent Martinez back to the canvas before a body shot put him on the floor for the third time.

“I got hit with the punch and I was cold and I nev-er recovered after that,” Martinez, who took defeat like a gentleman and refused to blame recent knee injuries for his loss, said after the fight. “I tried to do my best and I want to

apologise to the Argentine fans and I want to thank all of the Puerto Rican fans for coming out. You’ve got to know when to win and you’ve got to know when to lose and I give all congratulations to Miguel Cotto.”“I never went wild even after I knocked him down three times. This was a 12-round fight, not one-round fight. I was following Freddie’s game,” Cotto told his audience after the win.

It would hard to disagree with Cotto’s observation. The 33 year old Cotto stayed alert and stuck to what was working as Martinez crumbled in front of him.

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE COTTO: FOUR WEIGHT FOUR WORLD TILES!


JAMES BHAMRA BOXINGMADMAGAZINE.COM

025

Despite Martinez begging him to let it continue for another round, he stopped the fight. “He was unstable and not responding, that’s why I stopped the fight, he was hurt badly in the first round and he never got better”.

Questions about Martinez’s future are sure to loom large over the next few weeks. Having already had three operations on his knee and suffered two broken hands in as many fights, the time may be right to step away from the ring.

His promoter, Lou Dibella, was gracious in his man’s defeat. “Cotto looked unbelievable,” He said. “He fought a brilliant fight after he hurt him, too. He was controlled, he didn’t do anything stupid. He laid down a lot of punishment. I never thought he’d look like that at middleweight. That was the best performance of his I have ever seen. He deserves all props. Freddie said he didn’t want to hear any excuses and he won’t hear any excuses.”

When he was asked about Martinez’s future, and whether we’ll see him in the ring again, Dibella said “It’s up to him, I wouldn’t push him either way. I don’t think it’s a decision to be made tonight.”

“I thought he was absolutely sensational,” Bob Arum of Top Rank told us afterwards “I was saying to myself, ‘What a waste that he didn’t get to Freddie earlier.’ And the way he did it, he fought like a perfect fight. He just blew him out.

“I think Sergio probably was better a number of years ago. You can’t take a lay-off like that and fight a guy with the skill and the stamina that Cotto has. No way you can do that.”

Arum said they were looking at fighting again on December 6th or December 31st, depending on when the arena can accommodate them. Arum continued by saying he would meet with former friend turned rival turned friend again, Oscar De La Hoya, who runs Golden Boy Promotions, about a showdown be-tween Cotto and former junior middleweight titleholder Canelo Alvarez. If it can be made, the fight would pit Puerto Rico and Mexico’s most popular fighters against one another, adding fuel to what is already a simmering boxing rivalry between the two countries.

Arum also said that the much feared Gennady Golovkin could get a shot at unifying the titles with Cotto, although, for now at least, the Canelo fights seems the easiest to make.

During the fourth round the Argentine fans in the crowd, who had been stunned into silence earlier on in the fight,

tried to lift Martinez with repeat-ed chants of “Martinez!”. But they proved to be ineffective, as Cot-to’s fans, who were the majority, drowned them out.

Not long after, yet another left hook landed flush on Mar-tinez’s face, putting him in danger once again. The work

Cotto was doing was evident-ly pleasing Roach in the corner, who even put his game face to one side at the end of the seventh round and told his fighter “Miguel, you are giving Martinez a boxing lesson,”.

Cotto remained focused and stayed in the zone as he hit his opponent with a variety of punches in the 8th and had

his opponent in trouble once again in the 9th thanks to a brilliant com-bination of work to the body and head before he was hit flush late on in the round and briefly touched his glove down.

That was the beginning of the end. After walking back to his corner, Sarmiento told Martinez, “Your knees are

not working, champion. They are not working. It is my responsibility, champion. They are not working.”

oN sATUrDAY EvENING JUrGEN brAEhMEr sUCCEssFULLY rETAINED hIs wbA

“rEGULAr” LIGhT hEAvYwEIGhT CrowN wITh A TwELvE roUND UNANIMoUs

DECIsIoN ovEr ArGENTINEAN ChALLENGEr robErTo boLoNTI IN FroNT oF

hIs hoMETowN FANs IN sChwErIN, GErMANY.

JUsT Two MoNThs rEMovED FroM hIs vICTorY ovEr ENZo

MACCArINELLI ThE 35-YEAr oLD ChAMPIoN rETUrNED To ThE rING

To MAKE A sECoND TITLE DEFENsE wINNING A wIDE DECIsIoN

119-108 (TwICE) AND 118-109..

JUrGEN brAEhMEr sUCCEss-

FULLY rETAINED hIs wbA

“rEGULAr” LIGhT hEAvY-

wEIGhT CrowN ovEr

ArGENTINEAN ChALLENGEr

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE BRAEHMER RETAINS


Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected] and you can follow him at www.twitter.com/Ansonwainwright

Early on Boloti fought cautiously, allowing Braehmer to take a lead he would never relent. With the fight slipping away Boloti re-sorted to dubious tactics in the eighth round, which included hitting on the break and hitting behind the head, resulting in having a point taken away. The German once dubbed the 100-year talent is in his second title reign having previously held the WBO strap was unable to hurt his opponent but would have things his own way coast-ing home down the stretch in an uneventful bout until Boloti came alive in the final seconds of the fight engaging the cham-

pion. It was too little to late and Braehmer was able to up his record to 44-2 (32) while Boloti drops to 35-3(24). 2012 German Olympian Enri-co Koelling (14-0, 4 KO’s) light heavyweight continued his rapid progression in the paid ranks with a hard fought twelve round unanimous decision against Pat-rick Bois (11-3-1, 2 KO’s). Koelling outpointed the French champion in a competitive bout 116-113, 116-112 and 115-113 to win the vacant WBA Inter-Conti-nental strap. Highly touted German super

middleweight prospect Tyron Zeuge stopped Armand Cull-haj (15-5-3, 9 KO’s) in the ninth round.Zeuge (14-0, 8 KO’s) dropped the tough Albania native in the seventh before getting the stop-page at 1.12 of the ninth, retain-ing his WBO Youth 168-pound title in the process.

Cecilia Braekhus (25-0, 7 KO’s) retained her WBA/WBC and WBO welterweight titles easily outpointing Jessica Balogun (24-4, 12 KO’s). The Norwegian

fighter is widely regarded as the best female fighter in the world currently kept her titles convincingly 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92.

Former 2008 Olympic bronze medallist David Price won a pedestrian ten round decision over Yaroslav Zavorotnyi. Price was able to fight behind his jab

mixing in his right hand, though couldn’t make a dent in his Ukrainian foe. Price won by the scores of 100-90, 98-92 and 97-93.

The British fighter won his third fight this year since signing with Sauerland Event late last year. Prices advances to 18-2 with 15 KO’s while Zavorotnyi dips

to 16-7, 15 stoppages.

Firat Arslan rebounded from losing to Marco Huck (34-7-2, 21 KO’s) in January to win an eight round decision over Tamas Bajzath (9-11-1, 5 KO’s). 43-year

old Arslan dropped Bajzath in the final round but was unable to get the stoppage. Arslan won 80-71 on all three scorecards.

Rising cruiserweight prospect Noel Gevor (12-0, 7 KO’s) continued his progression with a second round blitzing of Hungarian journeyman Bela Juhasz

(8-3, 5 KO’s) forcing the stoppage at 2.29 of the round.

issue #11 JUNE 2014


027

Rising cruiserweight prospect Noel Gevor (12-0, 7 KO’s) continued his progression with a second round blitzing of Hungarian journeyman Bela Juhasz (8-3, 5 KO’s) forcing the stoppage at 2.29 of the round. Heavy handed super middleweight prospect Vincent Feigenbutz (13-1, 12 KO’s) stopped Gheorghe Sabau (10-2, 6 KO’s) at the 2.57 mark of the third round with a right hand.

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE RUNNING TITLE


PETER WELLS BOXINGMADMAGAZINE.COM

029

RAMPAGEBUTLER RIPS THE IBF BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE

AWAY FROM THE NORTH EAST!

AND THE NEW While the UK fans enjoyed

a battle between two of the

countries best Bantamweights,

the world was slightly less in

tuned, despite the contest be-

ing for the IBF Bantamweight

title, it was not quite hitting the

domestic rivalry heights of Carl

Froch vs George Groves 2 the

week before.

The former Super Flyweight,

Paul Butler took over as world

champion with a split deci-

sion victory that highlighted

the nature of the tale-of-two-

halves bout. Unbeaten now in

16 starts – 8 knockouts - as a

professional it was a world title

that many had tipped Butler to

win, and he delivered, running

out to an early lead before

seeing off a second half charge

from the former champion

Stuart Hall 16-3-2(7).

Butler came out the blocks

sharp, a couple of fast com-

binations along with a sharp

jab ensured he took the first

round. . His blistering hand

speed would also ensure that

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE RAMPAGE


Hall could not find a rhythm,

Butler taking the centre ring

against the bigger man.

Butler dug a left hook to the

body early in the second, while

Hall tried to get his jab into the

face of Butler. A big right land-

ed from Butler with a minute to

go in the round, before making

the Darlington man miss wildly.

Butler put together multiple

good one-twos in the 3rd,

neutralising the momentary

success that Hall had when he

backed Butler onto the ropes.

Both had their successes in the

4th, one that could have gone

either way. Hall landed several

good jabs, while Butler was

slightly less active although

a few right hands got around

Hall’s gloves. As Hall looked to

take the round in the final min-

ute, Butler burst out to possibly

sway the judges.

Butler came out with a little

more offense in the 5th, sens-

ing that Hall was beginning to

find a comfort zone. Hall con-

tinued to try to break up But-

ler’s attacks but that resulted in

a clash of heads leaving a cut

over the left eye of Hall. But-

ler increased his output, most

punches hitting the gloves but

it was noteworthy work from

the challenger. The 6th opened

with Hall thoroughly in the

drivers seat with his foot on the

gas as he closed in on Butler

who had slightly less behind

issue #11 JUNE 2014


031

who had slightly less behind

his punches than he did in the

early rounds. Arms by his sides

Butler tried to make himself

an elusive target but his upper

body movement was not frus-

trating Hall who landed with

enough to convincingly take

the round.

Butler came out slightly chirp-

ier again in the 7th, coming

around the side with a good

right hook. A solid double jab

reaffirmed centre of the ring

for Hall. Another flurry before

the bell from Hall stole him the

round.

Butler came out slightly chirp-

ier again in the 7th, coming

around the side with a good

right hook. A solid double jab

reaffirmed centre of the ring

for Hall. Another flurry before

the bell from Hall stole him the

round.

A sharp right caught the atten-

tion of Hall’s supporters more

than it did Butler, but it was

another indication of how Hall

was slowly pulling his way right back into the fight.

Butler soon retaliated with a combination of his own

before Hall had the South West fighter on the ropes

again. Hall looked in full ascendancy to end the 8th as

he was forcing Butler to work at a high tempo, who had

a good round himself, another stanza that could have

gone either way.

Two left hooks from Butler were greeted by another

Hall barrage, most failing to get through but the attack

was effective nonetheless. Butler’s quick burst was once

again met by a bruising one-two. It was another round

of Butler’s flashy punches vs Hall’s gritty attacks. A right

hand caught Butler on the ropes just before the rounds

end.

Hall’s pressure was telling early in the 10th as he backed

Butler onto the ropes, Butler unable to find the target

with a quick flurry.

A solid right found its way through from Butler before

Hall poured it on to the favourite, Butler then respond-

ing in kind. Hall dug to the body, Butler swung a left

upstairs before they exchanged jabs that had all the

same mean intentions of the right crosses and left

hooks. Both were mustering up all they could in a hard

fought 11th round.

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE RAMPAGE



033

step when he needed it as

he avoided what was coming

back from Hall. Hall finished

with a flurry with Butler on the

ropes just waiting for the final

bell to ring.

It seemed that Butler’s early

work was enough for him to

take the verdict in a fight that

was very difficult to score

from the 5th round onwards.

The official scorecards were

115-113 (Hall) and 115-113,

117-111 (Butler) – I scored the

contest 116-113 for Paul Butler

who will now have to defend

his newly acquired IBF title

against mandatory challenger

Randy Caballero 21-0(13).

On the undercard Ovill McK-

enzie was the ‘Upsetter’ once

again as he stunned Jon Lewis

Dickinson in two rounds to

claim the British Cruiserweight

title while retaining his Com-

monwealth strap. After losing

in 11 to Enzo Maccarinelli,

the Jamaican born Ovill has

With uncertainty over the

scorecards, both Butler and

Hall had to put it all on the

line in the final round. But-

ler was the more accurate to

start the 12th as he avoided

tired punches from Hall while

finding the target with short

left hooks. Butler was able to

find that little bounce in his

moved up to Cruiserweight

to dethrone Tony Conquest in

five rounds and now Dickinson

in two.

It was a straight right that sent

the tentative Dickinson 15-3(4)

to the floor just prior to the

bell. He rose but stumbled

back towards the ropes, Victor

Loughlin rightly ignoring

the time of the knockdown,

waving the contest off based

on the fact that Dickinson

was in no position to defend

himself at that time. The feel

good story continues for the

likeable McKenzie 23-12(12)

who will now likely be defend-

ing against English champion

Matty Askin 17-2(10) although

Lawrence Bennett 6-1 won a

final eliminator against Chris

Keane 12-2(5) in Swindon on

the same night.

BOXING MAD MAGAZINE RUNNING


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