★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience©®™: Mar 19, 2012

Monday, March 19, 2012

Bernard Hopkins taking a vow of silence when it comes to trash-talking Chad Dawson; by Denzil Stone - Atlantic City

Hopkins wants to prove he can beat another guy two decades his junior. Credit: Hogan Photos/Golden Boy

Hoping to emulate the veteran pugilists of yesteryear like Archie Moore, reigning WBC and lineal light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2, 32ko) will defend his world honours on Saturday, April 28 at the historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, however, during the promotion, the 47-year-old has elected to refuse to engage in any verbal jousting with 29-year-old challenger Chad Dawson (30-1-0, 17ko).

Dawson, though, has other ideas. The southpaw, a former champion of the IBF and IBO titles with victories over Antonio Tarver (twice), Glen Johnson (twice) and Tomasz Adamek, has already crossed swords with Hopkins; a two round technical knockout in October last year that was later changed to a 'No Contest' as B-Hop was unable to continue due to suffering a shoulder injury following a fall.

“The first fight did not go as planned, but I’m confident I was going to win that night," said Dawson, who then alluded to the possibility that Hopkins was looking for an exit when they last fought but will not be able to find another when they box in New Jersey next month.

"Hopkins is going to have to face his fears," Bad Chad added. "Bernard tried to run away from me, but here we are again. I’m thrilled about the whole situation. I’m very excited to fight on the East Coast because a lot of my fans will be there to see me live. I know I’ll be ready come fight night."

Hopkins commented that he will leave the bad-mouthing to Dawson: "Chad can say whatever he wants, but I am not going to trash talk this one. Everyone knows what I am capable of in the ring. They have seen it over 50 times before in the last 20 plus years."

History-making Hopkins, inspired by Moore, aims to continue to place his name next to the Old Mongoose by making successful defences that belie his elder statesman status.

Moore was 44 years and 190 days when he triumphed over Giulio Rinaldi in 1961, while George Foreman was 46 years and 113 days when he defeated Axel Schulz. Hopkins, though, would surpass both with a win over Dawson: "I absolutely want to prove that I can beat Chad Dawson, another guy that is almost two decades younger than me and I am confident I will on April 28."

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Alicia "Slick" Ashley retains her WBC Super Bantamweight Title!

Alicia Ashley land a right hand against challenger Maria Elena Villalobos on 3/17/2012 to retain her WBC Title, Photo: Alma Montiel

The pride of Brooklyn and Jamaica and Gleason's own, Alicia "Slick" Ashley (18-9-1, 1-KO) retained her WBC Female Super Bantamweight title by soundly defeating Maria Elena Villalobos (12-6-1, 5-KO) by unanimous decision in their ten round bout held in Mexico City on March 17, 2012. Villalobos who'd previously lost her WBO Female Super Bantamweight title to Ana Julaton this past September was no match for Ashley's truly "slick" style. With her win Ashley remains the oldest female world boxing champion. Speaking after the fight, Ashley is quoted as saying "I am thrilled that I was able to retain my title in fine style and I really want to fight in Jamaica next."

Prindle vs. Santos $100,000 Heavyweight Tournament Championship Added to Bellator 62

Everything is bigger in Texas – including the fight cards. Bellator Fighting Championships returns to The Lone Star State on Friday, March 23rd with a completely stacked night of fights at Bellator 62 live from the Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Texas.

The night will feature the long-awaited rematch between “The American Soldier” Eric Prindle and Thiago “Big Monster” Santos to determine a winner from last season’s heavyweight tournament. The night’s main event, which was originally scheduled for Bellator 61 on March 16, was moved to this Friday because of a commission mandate due to Prindle battling flu-like symptoms. Despite the minor setback, “The American Soldier” is itching to not only get his hands on Santos, but to get that heavyweight gold.

“I’m just ready to get into the cage and end this,” Prindle said. “I’m a warrior and want my shot against Konrad.”

But Thiago “Big Monster” Santos doesn’t agree with Prindle’s game plan; and the colossal Brazillian wants to make sure that he’s the one that earns the $100 K and world heavyweight title shot.

“Now I’ve just got one more week to train and one more week to think about winning,” Santos said. “It sounds like Eric may have been sick, and I don’t want to fight with any excuses. I want to beat him at 100 percent.”

“It makes sense that this huge fight between two Heavyweights is coming to Texas,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “When Oscar Enriquez and his team at Ultimate Warrior Fighting approached me about bringing Bellator live on MTV2 to Laredo, he had all of the right pieces in place and he made the decision an easy one. With our first trip to Laredo already packed with world class talent, adding this Championship fight makes this one of the best event line-ups we’ve ever put together.”

Not only will Bellator 62 decide Bellator Heavyweight World Champion Cole Konrad’s next title opponent, but the talent-laden Laredo card will also feature the quarterfinals of Bellator’s $100,000 Season 6 Lightweight Tournament as well a host of Texas’ top MMA talent.

Coming off an explosive knockout victory over UFC veteran Kurt Pellegrino at Bellator 59, Patricky Pitbull (@PatrickyPitbull) is back and looking to start his ascent toward a title shot with a quarterfinal matchup against fan-favorite Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard (@mmacupcake). Patricky has produced a number of incredible Bellator “YouTube Moments” and has his sights set on adding another highlight to his collection.

Former U.S. Olympian Judoka Rick Hawn (@RickHawnmma) is making the drop to lightweight and meets the dangerous Ricardo Tirloni (@Tirlonimma). Hawn compiled an impressive 11-1 record as a welterweight, but is confident the drop in weight will make him even more dangerous.

“I felt like I was sort of undersized in the last tournament,” Hawn said. “Everyone had a height advantage on me, and while I thought I made a good run in my last welterweight tournament, I think lightweight is going to be a better fit for me and just give me an advantage over everyone else.”

Also making the drop to lightweight is longtime Bellator veteran Brent Weedman (@brent_weedman). Always looking for a finish, “Weedman Nation” will be on full display as he battles Bellator newcomer J.J. Ambrose (@SuperJJAmbrose).

“I’ve already tested myself with a lightweight weight cut and I felt great,” Weedman said. “Over the last year, I’ve felt a little undersized as a welterweight, so I think lightweight is going to be a great spot for me. I’m excited to show off my new skills, and this tournament is stacked, so we’re going to put on a show this season.”

Rounding out an absolutely loaded tournament class, Rene “The Brazilian Bomber” Nazare (@Nazaremma) will square off with top prospect Thiago Michel. A product of Team Bombsquad, Nazare always has his eye on delivering the knockout, and nothing will change on March 23rd.

Bellator 63 - Live on MTV2 and Spike.com at 7/6c Friday, March 30, 2012

Welterweights kick off one of the most stacked tournaments in Bellator history. Several promotional newcomers look to make an immediate splash, while a handful of veterans are out for redemption.

Chris "The Cleveland Assassin" Lozano vs. Karl "Psycho" Amoussou (welterweight tournament quarterfinal)

Ben "Killa B" Saunders vs. Raul Amaya (welterweight tournament quarterfinal)

Brian Foster vs. Dave "The Caveman" Rickels (welterweight tournament quarterfinal)

Bryan "The Beast" Baker vs. Carlos “Indio” Pereira (welterweight tournament quarterfinal)

Kopylenko, Akhundov Lifts Intercontinental Titles

On Saturday night at the Club Sportlife in Kiev, Ukrainians Vitaliy Kopylenko and Timur Akhundov captured World Boxing Federation Intercontinental titles with stoppage victories over Vasyl Tarabarov, also
from Ukraine, and Hungarian Arpad Vass.

Kopylenko, based in Switzerland and fighting in his native country for the first time since his professional debut four years ago, won the vacant
Middleweight version when he outworked Tarabarov for four rounds, taking
the initiative and landing the heavier shots. Before the fifth,
Tarabarov´s corner stopped the fight when their fighter claimed to be
unable to continue due to the affects of a liver-punch landed in the final
stages of the fourth round, making the official result a TKO in round
five.

With the victory Kopylenko won his first professional championship, and
improved his unbeaten record to 17-0 (8). Tarabarov, a former IBF and WBC
regional belt-holder and Ukrainian national champion, lost for the first
time and dropped to 22-1-1 (8).

In the second WBF title fight of the show promoted by Oleg Bruskov, Timur
Akhundov also won his first title in the pros as he stopped Budapest’s
Arpad Vass in three rounds for the vacant Featherweight strap. Both boxers
were active in the first two rounds, but Akhundov had the most success and
the visitor looked tired already at the end of the second.

After three knockdowns in the third round, referee Victor Panin from
Russia decided enough was enough and declared Akhundov, now 13-2-1 (5),

the winner by technical knockout. Arpad Vass fell to 8-4 (6).

It’s about Zab Judah being the best Zab Judah he can be. vs. Vernon Paris

Zab Judah, a three-time Junior Welterweight titlist and former undisputed Welterweight world champion, is ecstatic to fight in his hometown for the first time as a professional. “This is a great opportunity, because this is the first time that I will be fighting in Brooklyn as a professional. It’s a great feeling, and I think the last time I fought in Brooklyn, New York, was in the Golden Gloves.”

Brooklyn, the “thoroughest borough” which was once home to great fighters such as Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, and Eddie Mustapha Muhammad as well as to a plethora of legendary rappers like the Big Daddy Kane, Notorious B.I.G., and Jay-Z, is the perfect place for Judah to fight in, as the popular fighter has always connected with the hip-hop generation.

One gets the sense that the Brooklynite feels that he has to return home to reclaim some of the magic that made him a “super” prospect in the eyes of all who witnessed his amazing skills since his amateur days.

“I feel like superman, like how he came out of the booth and he became superman again,” explains Judah. “So this is the old Zab Judah all over again, I’m going back to my roots, Brooklyn New York, and when I come out of the booth it will be flying colors again.”

However, many are questioning just how much Judah has left at 34-years-old with so many grueling fights behind him. In his 16-year career, the fighter has shared the ring with the likes of Kostya Tszyu, Cory Spinks, Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, and most recently, Amir Khan.

His performance against Khan last July has been cited as evidence that the veteran is not the same fighter that, win or lose, thrilled fans with his blazing speed, thunderous power and an attitude to match in his prime years in the sport.

Judah did not let his hands go enough against Khan to be competitive against the young and hungry champion. The Brit dominated the fight for the first 4 rounds until a body shot dropped Judah for the count in round 5.

“People are questioning me,” admits Judah, clearly aware of the criticism and the calls to perhaps call it a career. “I understand that everybody was a little upset at the last outing, but there are some things that are out of your control. It kind of hurts your feelings, because people are saying ‘that wasn’t a low blow, you got hit with a body shot.’ A body shot? Me? Come on, my body was tremendous. It was as hard as a brick. Amir Khan is no knockout puncher that can stop someone with a body shot. It was a low shot that jammed the cup right into my testicles.”

That loss aside, the Pernell Whitaker-trained Judah insists that the fire to succeed still burns in his belly and that it is fueled by his new found spirituality.

“Oh yeah, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has re-lit my fire, my fire is back, my hunger is there,” exclaims Judah. “I feel like Jesus when he was at the mountaintop 40 days and 40 nights with no food or water and this is how I am going into this fight. I hate going backwards and trying to explain, but everybody that knows me knows I have a heart like a lion. They used to say ‘he has too much heart, he’s too wild,’ and now they’re saying ‘he’s soft.’ You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t, but come March 24th you’re going to see Zab Judah and I’ll do what I do best. I think the respect that I deserve as a fighter will be given back at this fight to come.”

In Vernon Paris (26-0, 15 KOs), Judah is facing another undefeated fighter who is a decade younger. In fact, the 24-year-old from Detroit is as brash and cocky as a young Zab Judah was in his prime.

“I remember being in that kind of a position before. I was what Paris is trying to be,” reminisces Judah, now wise enough to know that talking tough does not mean a thing if one cannot back it up in the ring. “I was that kid once, the trash talker, the loud mouth, but it don’t pay the bills. March 24th is a boxing match, and that’s the only thing that should count for anything.”

Judah cites a lack of mental and sometimes physical preparation as the main reasons why he ended up on the losing end of big fights where he started fast and strong. Zab believes that the tricks he learned in 48 professional fights will be too much for a young, inexperienced fighter.

“It’s a 12 round fight, and I’m fighting a fighter that’s never been passed 8 rounds ever in his career. I’ve been 12 rounds numerous times with some of the top fighters in the world today,” explains Judah. “Vernon Paris is going into a depth of water he’s never ever swam and he’s going to find out there is no bottom.”

The fighter clearly counts on experience to be the deciding factor in this fight, but he takes exception to those who call him “old” at 34 years of age.

“It’s funny how they call you old at 34. I don’t understand what’s old. Old is experience and experience is great. I think that everybody that’s old in the game of boxing is great. If you watch the great Bernard Hopkins, he’s done it time after time. George Foreman has shown the world he can do it. I’m not comparing myself to these guys age-wise, but those guys are another decade older than myself. If you look at the whole [Olympic] team of ’96, myself, Antonio Tarver and Floyd Mayweather, we are probably the only three that are still rolling strong. People have to remember just last July I was a champion of the world. Now I’m coming back to rightfully get back what’s mine.”

So is there anything in particular about Vernon Paris that concerns Judah?

“Hopefully he shows up!” quips Judah. “It’s not just Vernon Paris, you gotta understand, he’s just the fighter at hand. It could be any fighter. It’s about Zab Judah being the best Zab Judah he can be.”

The fighter does have a message for his young opponent, however.

“You have to respect everywhere that you go. You can’t disrespect or bad mouth anywhere that you go and just expect to walk out there plain and calm. Vernon Paris is coming to Brooklyn City, New York. I don’t want anyone to say that this is a Detroit vs. Brooklyn fight, because it’s totally not. I love Detroit, I represented Detroit, I defended my world title on the Tyson-Golota undercard in Detroit, I have a lot of friends in Detroit and I love Detroit. The only one that is thinking something like this is Vernon Paris and his weak minded crew. At the same time, all that I ask the young man is to come in here and prepare for a boxing match. Come here and give respect and respect will be given back. Understand that you are going through Brooklyn, NY. You can’t come here with disrespect.”

Other than demanding respect, the Brooklyn native claims that he is rejuvenated and blessed that he has one more opportunity to turn back the clock.

“Anybody that knows me knows winning means more to me than anything. I could care less who it is, just that Zab Judah steps in there and be the best Zab Judah that Zab can be. It’s a blessing to be in the situation where I’m at. I was stopped on a low blow, and I’m back fighting for the number one spot for the IBF belt again. I’m excited again. I’m feeling like I’m 22 years old again. The fire is lit, my airline tickets are ready, my hotel is booked. Brooklyn is ready. That’s all I can say, this is going to be great.”

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