Boxing Thread

[Rav67]

  

How could they afford to pay them $34m each?  I certainly wont be watching and can't imagine many others wanting to.  It will be a pathetic fight.

[heganboy]

I saw that Maragarito had a "plaster like substance" removed and he had to re-tape the hands, that has got to have affected the mental preparation...

[Tim Buzaglo]

Larry Reilly??

[GalwayBayBoy]

The Time has Come...Now the World Awaits as Bernard Dunne goes in search of the ultimate prize at The O2, Dublin on Saturday, March 21st at the Hunky Dorys World Title Fight Night.

Dunne takes on World champion, Ricardo "El Maestrito" Cordoba for the WBA Super Bantamweight title as world championship boxing returns to Ireland for the first time in 13 years. The Dubliner turns 29 next month and he feels the timing is perfect for a shot at the WBA belt which once adorned the waist of Barry McGuigan over two decades ago.

"This is the fight I've wanted since I first put on a pair of boxing gloves," said Dunne. "It's every boxers dream to be a world champion and I'm no different. This is what I've worked my whole life for and now that the chance is here I want to grab it with both hands."

Promoter Brian Peters had promised his charge a world title fight in 2009 and he's duly delivered with Dunne admitting that having home advantage is a the icing on the cake. "It's a huge coup to get the fight here, there's no doubt about that," said the former European Champ.

"Every boxer wants to fight for a world title but to have it in your hometown is special. It's going to be an incredible experience and I know I'll thrive on that atmosphere. Cordoba's fought all around the world but he won't ever have experienced anything like the atmosphere in the O2, it's going to be very special. It's a fantastic venue and March 21st can't come soon enough."

Peters believes that Dunne can claim his destiny by becoming Ireland's next World Champion. "This is a huge event for Ireland, World title fights are often talked about but in reality they don't come along too often," said the promoter. "I think this has all the makings of a historic night for Irish sport. From the first time I saw Bernard as an amateur I believed he was destined to be a World Champion. It's been a long road but where better for that dream to become reality than at the fabulous new O2 in his hometown."

A hat trick of impressive wins over South American opposition in 2008 secured Dunne a number 11 ranking with the WBA and a crack at Cordoba's World title. The tall, Panamanian southpaw has just one defeat in his 37 pro fights and won the title with a landslide points win over Luis Alberto Perez in his native country last September. Dunne has already studied the champ on DVD and admits he was impressed by what he saw.

"He's a class fighter, you don't get to be a World Champion without having that little bit extra than most," said Dunne. "He's still only 24 but he has a lot of experience and he's been competing at the top level for so long now and you have to respect that."

However Dunne shrugged off suggestions that he would be entering the ring as the underdog on March 21st. "That's for the bookies to decide, that might take a bit of the pressure off me but at the end of the day it will only be the two of us in the ring and whether you're labelled the favourite or the underdog it doesn't matter as soon as you step between those ropes. It's what you do on in that ring on the night that counts and I know I'm as good as anyone else out there. If I didn't believe that then I'd have no business in there."

Dunne has been training for the fight since before Christmas and says his preparations will intensify now that he has a date to focus on. "I'm flying already, I'm way ahead of where I would normally be this far out before a fight. I've been working very hard with my strength and conditioning coach, Mike McGurn and I'm also working with some new nutritionists and I've noticed a real difference in that area.

"I'm always looking to add extra little components to the team and I'm already feeling the benefits on the nutritional side. This is the most important fight of my career so I want to make sure that no stone is left unturned in my preparations."

Details on the undercard of the Hunky Dorys World Title Fight Night will be announced next week.

Tickets for the Hunky Dorys World Title Fight Night are priced from €50 and are available now from Ticketmaster (phone 0818 719 300 or visit ticketmaster.ie). Tickets are also available from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.

[brokencrossbar1]

Undefeated world super-middleweight and light-heavyweight boxing champion Joe Calzaghe has announced his retirement.

The 36-year-old Welshman, who reigned as a world champion for more than 11 years, quits the ring with a glittering record of 46 wins from 46 fights.

"It was a difficult decision but I have achieved everything I wanted to achieve in boxing," he told BBC Sport.

"I've been world champion for 11 years. I've got no other goals to go for. That's why I am calling it a day."

In an exclusive interview with BBC sports editor Mihir Bose, Calzaghe, who held the WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF super-middleweight belts during his 16-year professional career, said he had thought "long and hard" about retiring but insisted it was the right move.
   


"I had a long think with my family," he said. "My children wanted me to give up, plus my mum. That's why I called it a day and will go on to do something else."

Asked if he could ever be tempted back into the ring in the future, the Newbridge fighter replied: "My decision is to retire. I've been boxing for 25 years and, like I said, I've achieved everything I want to achieve.

"You can never say never in this game, but I can't see myself boxing again. There's loads of things I want to do. I'm proud to be one of only a few fighters in history to retire undefeated."

Calzaghe, who was born in London but moved to Wales when he was two, chalked up an impressive record as an amateur, winning 110 of his 120 contests after taking up the sport at the age of nine.

He began his professional career with a first-round stoppage of Paul Hanlon on 1 October, 1993, going on to win seven of his first nine bouts in round one.

Trained by his father, Enzo, he became British super-middleweight champion in 1995 before capturing his first world title in 1997, outpointing Chris Eubank to claim the WBO crown.


Despite suffering from several hand injuries, Calzaghe defended the title a total of 21 times, adding the IBF version to his trophy cabinet with a stunning victory over American Jeff Lacy in March 2006.

He then claimed the WBA and WBC belts with what he feels is his most satisfying fight, a unanimous points win over Denmark's Mikkel Kessler at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 4 November, 2007.

"Unifying the super-middleweight division in front of 50,000 fans was a dream come true for me," he told BBC Sport.

"I was fighting a younger fighter than me, I was the underdog. A lot of people thought I was going to lose that fight. It was a great night."

Just a few weeks later, he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, collecting a CBE soon afterwards, which went nicely along the MBE he received in 2003.

Calzaghe's final two fights cemented his reputation as one of Britain's greatest ever boxers.

Stepping up to light-heavyweight and fighting in America for the first time, he won a split decision against Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas to become 'The Ring' light-heavyweight champion.

Calzaghe was 2007 BBC Sports Personality

He then finished his career with a comprehensive points victory over the legendary Roy Jones Jr at New York's Madison Square Garden on 8 November.

Calzaghe, who will be 37 on 23 March, hinted before the fight with Jones that it would be his last, despite talk of a re-match with Hopkins.

Fellow Briton Carl Froch, who took possession of Calzaghe's old WBC super-middleweight belt by beating Canadian Jean Pascal in December, was also eager to take him on.

But Calzaghe resisted the lure of another big pay day and the chance to inch closer to Rocky Marciano's record of 49 wins from 49 fights.

Calzaghe, who has two sons, Connor and Joe, from his marriage to Mandy, says he now plans to concentrate on his charity work and becoming a boxing promoter.

Now divorced and living with model girlfriend Jo-Emma, he also revealed he had several TV projects lined up.

Heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano with 49 wins in 49 fights and strawweight and light-flyweight Ricardo Lopez of Mexico, with 51 wins in 51 fights also retired undefeated.

Good for him is what I say, go out with a clean record.  Never really got the credit he deserved, but a fine boxer all the same.

[bridgegael]

yeah glad he called it a day,  there was no one else out there for him to fight.  i hope it really is a proper retirement and not a i've retired but i'm open to offers like a lot of fighters these days.

[ONeill]

Yep, I'd retire too:

[The Iceman]

she doesnt look like that now hi
good call from Joe - great record, great career - fair play to him he did his job - but i doubt he will ever go down as one of the all time greats - have the world has never heard of him and the other half may not remember him in 20 years
not saying he doesn't deserve to be but think this will be the case

[bridgegael]

anyone know if setanta or anyone showing john duddys fight this weekend??  i know he is on the undercard of cottos vacant title fight,  so i'm sure someone is showing it??

[milltown row]

National finals on now RTE 2

[Declan]

Classy alright- great mover

[milltown row]

Karl Framton was the best fighter on the night without a doubt

[Carmen Stateside]

Duddy fight!
http://www.freesportsnetwork.net/

[Carmen Stateside]

Duddy wins, held of a late rally by Vanda!
American commentators says he would be better suited to 154lb weight division
Changed fighter tonight used the jab all night and controlled the fight, dont think Duddy has a mark after this one which the commentators cant get over!!

[bridgegael]

duddy used his jab far more last night and didn't get involved in a slogging match, apart from the last round were he got caught a couple of times.   aye the commentators were talking bout himmoving down a weight.  i don't think will happen now with a fight with pavlik near a cert.  if he gets beat then i couold see him move down.