boxing Archives - Page 22 of 64

Evander Holyfield, in an exclusive interview with VLAD TV, shared how he and Mike Tyson were once close to finalizing an exhibition match. But as it turned out, the money-spinner project unfortunately never came about. During the course of the discussion, the former heavyweight champion disclosed the reasons behind the collapse of the match while still being discussed.

Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. clashed for an eight-round exhibition match at the Staples Center on November 28, 2021. Roughly a year later, the 61-year-old Atmore, Alabama-born boxing legend, followed suit. He faced UFC legend Vitor Belfort at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. However, the outcomes were not similar. While Tyson and Jones Jr. drew, Belfort knocked out Holyfield in the first round.

DJ VLAD asked Evander Holyfield about the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition. Whether he, like many, felt that the duo refrained from hurting each other. ‘The Real Deal’ replied, “Well yeah, the whole big thing in exhibition is that you know you going to fight somebody that y’all in agreement that you know we just going to play around.” Despite having chances, the interviewer pointed out how Mike Tyson decided against punishing Roy Jones Jr.

Then he spoke about an exhibition bout that was supposed to happen between Holyfield and Tyson. Significant discussions were going on to make it happen. However, despite all the best efforts, the fight came to naught. ‘The Real Deal’ said, “Look how the fact out the matter is, it’s kind of sad that we both gonna make a lot of money because we want to do this thing around it around covid time. We both gonna make a lot of money.”

Then he added that a few individuals in Mike Tyson’s camp were not agreeable to the match. But Evander Holyfield remembered ‘Iron’ Mike’s words: “But what Tyson had said was the truth, coz Tyson told me, he said, look, let’s do a fifty/fifty deal…okay I so so what is the fifty/fifty deal? Both of us make the same much money, so we had somebody set it up, yeah, where it could be same much money, but the deal didn’t go through.”

DJ VLAD inquired about the supposed purse split. Evander Holyfield shared that they both would have taken home a neat $30 million.

It was on November 9, 1996, roughly a year after he suffered his second defeat to Riddick Bowe, that Evander Holyfield went against Mike Tyson. The first bout for the WBA heavyweight belt ended in an eleventh-round technical knockout victory for Holyfield. Six months later, they met again for what was to be one of boxing history’s most infamous episodes.

During the course of the fight, Tyson chewed off a small portion of Holyfield’s right ear. As a result, the bout, now more commonly known as ‘The Bite Fight,’ was stopped. Later, Mike Tyson faced disqualification. Subsequently, ‘Iron’ Mike received a suspension from boxing that lasted until January 1999. Years later, the two eventually made up, became friends, and are now business partners as well.

BOXING

Following Green Bay Packers’ Recent Loss, Terence Crawford Pens “Disappointed” Message

Football and boxing – Not exactly peanut butter and jelly! However, it never bothered Terence Crawford. The former undisputed champion has been a long-time Packers fan, something Crawford’s X followers are well aware of, not to mention his love for football. So, after the Green Bay Packers suffered a loss at the hands of the New York Giants recently, ‘Bud’ had to say something.

On Monday night, The Green Bay Packers witnessed their three-game winning streak evaporate into thin air. Win for The New York Giants can be credited to Randy Bullock’s 37-yard field goal, giving them a 24-22 victory. So, Terence, who has been a long-time fan of the Packers, turned to X, sharing his thoughts on the disappointing loss.

After the match concluded on Monday, Terence Crawford wrote, “I’m disappointed in my packers tonight.” What’s more, this isn’t the first time Crawford has become frustrated with the performance of the Packers. Back on 10 September 2018, ‘Hunter’ expressed his frustration with a tweet on X by writing, “Smh Green Bay pissing me off.”

Crawford last entered the ring against Errol Spence Jr. at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, winning the fight via technical knockout in the ninth round of the fight. However, they are going to run it back as Spence activated their rematch clause. Despite the upcoming clash, Terence Crawford found time to exhibit his skills beyond the boxing ring.

Back in September this year, a clip of Crawford on the football field surfaced online. The undefeated champion proved to be a talented football quarterback. The match was a no-contact version of what is basically football that is played in the NFL. While playing, someone passed the ball to Crawford, and he did something that impressed everyone.

As Crawford found himself with the ball, a defender started chasing him. Crawford dodged and backpedaled, but in the end, as a last resort, he threw a Hail Mary pass to the end zone. Fortunately for Crawford, the ball was caught for a touchdown. Upon scoring the goal, Crawford turned to the camera and asked, “Did you get that?”

BOXING

“They Wanna Compare Them to Floyd”: Following Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia’s Statement Wins, Curmel Moton Explains Why Floyd Mayweather Is the Real GOAT

It’s generally agreed upon that no other boxer has wielded the kind of influence on the sport as Floyd Mayweather Jr. has in the last decade or so. The bar set by the undefeated former champion has become the holy grail of achievement in modern-day boxing. Though long retired from the professional world, Mayweather Jr. tours across the globe fighting exhibition bouts.

Given his immense success, it’s only natural that Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s techniques and fighting style have been imitated by the next generation of boxers. It makes sense too as Mayweather hardly ever got hit during his 50-0 career. Two glaring examples recently caught everyone’s attention. First, Ryan Garcia used the ‘shoulder roll’ during his triumphant campaign against Oscar Duarte. Then, the day before yesterday, Devin Haney‘s clinical destruction of Regis Prograis reminded fans of Mayweather Jr.’s sheer genius.

Of course, the comparisons could also be a hyperbole since Mayweather is the modern GOAT and anyone remotely resembling his style would automatically be hyped up to fill his shoes. Upcoming prospect, Curmel Moton also feels the same way. In a tweet, he said that new-age boxers frequently get measured against the Mayweather benchmark. He tweeted that whenever someone performs exceedingly well, people immediately bring in Floyd Mayweather Jr. to set up a comparison. It goes beyond doubt to show the level of greatness the undefeated former champion has achieved. Moton said, “Every time someone have a good performance, they wanna compare them to Floyd; that show you who really the Goat.”

And he definitely has a point. Ryan Garcia had a high-stakes bout against the heavy-hitting Duarte on December 2. But surprising everyone at the Toyota Center, the young Californian boxer started rolling his shoulder. He couldn’t execute the method as flawlessly as its greatest exponent, Mayweather Jr., used to. However, ‘The Philly Roll’ stifled the Mexican opponent’s aggression. Garcia later spoke about it during the post-fight conference. He recalled how, after some time, he had to revert to his usual style of fighting, as Oscar Duarte soon managed to sidestep the technique.

Likewise, against Regis Prograis, Devin Haney entered as the clear favorite. However, no one had the faintest thought that he would be setting up a boxing clinic on Saturday night. Despite the New Orleans-born southpaw’s proclivity for early stoppage, round after round, it was ‘The Dream’ who pummeled him into complete submission. An air of bitterness clouded their pre-fight conferences and weigh-ins. But in the end, a much humbled Prograis couldn’t help but acknowledge Haney’s sheer ring finesse.

Through his X/Twitter handle, ‘Rougarou’ said, “Disappointed to have come up short, but I want to give credit where it’s due. Congratulations to @Realdevinhaney on remaining undefeated and becoming a 2 division world champion. You’re special kid.“

For sure, to many die-hard fans, Haney’s performance must have reminded them of the way Floyd Mayweather Jr. embarrassed Canelo Alvarez during their September 2013 bout.

But in the opposite corner, the undefeated former champion sees his reflection in the young Curmel Moton. The 17-year-old prodigy, who turned to professional boxing this year, rides on the back of two successful outings. Both came through first-round knockouts. Even Floyd Mayweather Jr. has expressed confidence that the youngster, with an outstanding amateur record of 156-7, should be able to carry his torch.

BOXING

Shawn Porter Says Fighter’s Punch Resistance Has Gone After Facing Gervonta Davis

Two-time welterweight champion Shawn Porter believes the punch resistance of one super-lightweight has diminished after he suffered a knockout defeat to the undefeated power-puncher, Gervonta Davis.

‘Tank’ is on a three-fight knockout streak and has recorded twenty-seven stoppages in his twenty-nine contests to date, including knocking out the likes of Leo Santa Cruz, Rolando Romero and Ryan Garcia in statement victories.

Garcia bounced back from that defeat to ‘Tank’ recently with a stoppage win of his own against Oscar Duarte and proceeded to call-out Romero for a shot at the WBA super-lightweight title during the aftermath.

In an interview with Fight Hype, Porter gave his prediction for a proposed clash between two of Davis’ former opponents and shared his belief that Romero’s punch resistance appears to have declined, based off of his performance against Ismael Barroso earlier this year.

“I think Rolly has shown that he can’t really take a punch, his punch resistance is very low after that ‘Tank’ Davis fight.

“I don’t even remember the gentleman’s name that he was in the ring with after that [Ismael Barroso], but that guy had him light on his feet a couple of times. I would bet on Ryan and his camp, that left-hook showed up last night.

Rolly’ claims that Davis’ punch power is overrated and that Barroso hits ‘one million times harder’ than the WBA Regular lightweight Champion, although his chin may be truly tested if he opts to face Garcia, who has also established himself as a hard-hitter in his own right.

Before Romero-Garcia can take place, the champion is expected to defend his title against the winner of Ohara Davies-Ismael Barroso after the WBA ordered that the champion takes on his mandatory challenger by March 2024 in order to keep hold of his belt.

BOXING

“Them Days Are Over”: Devin Haney’s Father Calls Out Gervonta Davis for “Hiding” While Branding Son as “The Face” of Boxing

Devin Haney secured the WBC super-lightweight world title from Regis Prograis, marking his entrance into the 140-pound division with a commanding performance in San Francisco. The former undisputed lightweight world champion delivered a notable blow by knocking down his opponent during the bout. The judges unanimously declared Haney the winner with scores of 120-107.

This assured the dominance he displayed throughout the match on Saturday. Haney had Prograis down on the ground in the third round and even stunned him with a direct hit in the sixth round. After the immaculate performance, Haney’s father Bill Haney claimed his son to be the ‘face of boxing’ and criticized Gervonta Davis for giving himself this accolade.

In the aftermath of the Prograis showdown, the potential clash between Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis appears to be a tightly contested matchup, with opinions leaning towards a 50/50 split. Haney, buoyed by his accomplishments, business acumen, and exceptional technical skills, has established himself on a comparable or even superior platform to Davis. Notably, Bill Haney, Devin’s father, has emphatically asserted that they will not yield to Tank’s rehydration clause and what they perceive as low-ball offers.

He said, “Hiding behind the Twitter and hiding behind the other s**t, them days are over with man. Devin is the face.” Then he goes on to talk about how Davis cannot really be called the ‘face of boxing’. He explained further, “How you gon’ be the face and you never get asked questions to y’all. How you gon’ be the face and you don’t fight the people that you want to fight. How you gon’ be the face and you brag about the money you charge to people and it’s a fight that is a mismatch. Come on man, is that the face?”

In the past few days, Davis has been sending a lot of cryptic messages supposedly in the direction of ‘The Dream’. Still, Haney believes ‘Tank’ doesn’t want to take the fight against him.

Following his victory as the WBC super lightweight champion, Devin Haney contemplates potential future matchups. He also acknowledged that a showdown with a rival previously defeated by Davis seems more plausible than a bout against Davis himself in 2024. Haney expressed cautious optimism about a lucrative fight with Ryan Garcia, deeming it “a possibility” during his post-fight press conference on Saturday night.

However, when addressing the prospect of facing Davis, Haney conveyed a sense of pessimism. He said, “Tank don’t wanna fight because if he really wanted to fight, then he would be trying to build up the fight, instead of trying to, you know, knock it down or, you know, try to, you know, say I’m only selling cuz of this or cuz of that.”

BOXING

With a History of Bitter Sweet Relationship, Mayweather Promotions’ CEO Gives Brutally Honest Response to Bill Haney’s Dig at Floyd Mayweather

How often do you see a CEO being understanding of someone who takes a shot at the founder of their company? Devin Haney became the WBC super lightweight champion after securing a win against the reigning champion, Regis Prograis, on 9th December. Throughout the training, press conference, the bout, and even after that, the father and trainer of ‘The Dream’, Bill Haney has stood right behind his son. Be it engaging in a heated argument with Prograis’s trainer or calling out Floyd Mayweather and Gervonta Davis, the senior Haney has not hesitated a bit.

After Haney’s recent win, Bill Haney expressed his discontent in a heated confrontation, directly challenging Floyd Mayweather and Gervonta Davis for what he sees as inadequate efforts in promoting boxing. As the debate about whether this time he went too far by targeting Mayweather ensues, Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, has given his brutally honest response to the dig while still being understanding of the father. Why? Let us find out.

One thing that many don’t know is that the Haneys’ relationship with Mayweather goes back some time. For a while, Devin even trained at Mayweather’s Las Vegas gym. Mayweather even put his time and energy into training Haney when he was very young. This is exactly the argument one netizen raised on X. They said, “Bill Haney busting shots at Floyd is a low. Devin Haney was schooled by Sinsei Mayweather and now Bill switching up.”

After his son’s recent victory, Bill Haney did not hold back, openly criticizing the current business model that charges fans high prices for fights. Ellerbe, however, feels this was just an attempt by the father to promote his son.

“He jus promoting his son like he supposed to. I’m not entertaining the nonsense, I deal with facts,” responded Ellerbe, replying to the comment of the netizen. The CEO might not agree completely with the trainer, but he understands what he is trying to do.

Haney did not say anything directly in this regard. However, he placed the blame on ‘Money’ Mayweather this June for the current state of boxing. He held Mayweather responsible for the reluctance among fighters to engage in challenging matchups and promoters prioritizing financial gains over genuine competition. As Haney said, “Floyd made boxing bigger, but he kind of messed up the game with the undefeated record so guys don’t wanna fight each other, they just wanna keep the 0.”

He suggested that following the UFC model, where fighters readily face each other, could revolutionize boxing. “We could change the whole dynamic of boxing and make it like the UFC – those guys fight each other, lose, fight again in maybe even bigger fights after a loss,” noted Haney. In Haney’s view, a shift away from this mentality could rejuvenate boxing and lead to more authentic and compelling matchups.

BOXING

Hollywood Actor Details Why Mike Tyson’s “Manufactured” Hatred Towards Evander Holyfield Cost Him the $280 Million Fights

It was the first big fight after Mike Tyson came out of prison. He had previously suffered his first career loss at the hands of James Buster Douglas. On the other hand, Evander Holyfield had also lost to Michael Moorer and Riddick Bowe. As a result, fans were hyped for the fight. In the end, the boxing world witnessed the better fighter emerge after two nail-biting encounters that together generated a combined revenue of $280 million. However, Michael Jai White feels the reason behind Tyson’s loss wasn’t just Holyfield’s superior skills.

Rather, the Hollywood actor thinks Tyson’s manufactured hatred towards Holyfield was the real reason behind the losses. During an interview with Vlad TV, Michael Jai White detailed his take on ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson’s loss to Evander Holyfield, which cost him a $3 million fine.

During the interview, the host questioned White about his thoughts on the fights between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. In response, the actor/director claimed, “I felt like it was always a psychological thing.” The comment from White reminded the host about an incident between Holyfield and Mike.

Tyson was basically like playing pool with everyone. But he was sort of bullying everyone and like taking turns – one wasn’t supposed to take turns, whatever. And Holyfield just went up to him just grabbed the pool stick away from him,” the host remembered. He went on to claim that Holyfield said, “You’re not doing this with me. I see how you’re doing everyone else.” According to the host, Tyson did not say anything to Holyfield after that incident, which kind of showed that Holyfield wasn’t afraid of Mike like others.

So, White highlighted the psychological angle while claiming Holyfield was like a big brother to Mike Tyson. “Holyfield was like a big brother to him and was very staunch,” said White. He went on to suggest that Mike had a lot going on, underscoring his release from prison and becoming a Muslim. In the interview, White also claimed Tyson didn’t seem like himself while talking about Holyfield, suggesting Tyson was manufacturing the hate between them. “When I first would see Tyson speak about Holyfield before their fights, it was like he seemed like he was manufacturing this hatred,” revealed White.

According to White, during the first fight, Mike heard something in the third round he had never heard before, leading to his loss. “I feel like that third round Tyson heard something that he never heard before – the whole audience was cheering for Holyfield,” said White. This shift in public favor was psychologically debilitating for Mike, suggested White.

BOXING

Bozy Ennis: “Boots Is Faster, Stronger Than Terence Crawford”

Derek “Bozy” Ennis, father and trainer of Jaron Ennis, saw things playing out entirely differently. With his son gaining a ton of attention, coupled with his high ranking in each of the four sanctioning bodies, Bozy was convinced that his young star would be given a chance.

Patience was preached in the Ennis household. Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. finally agreed to terms earlier this year and squared off with all of the welterweight marbles on the line. Jaron, in the meanwhile, grabbed the IBF interim tag and played the waiting game.

Picking a winner was irrelevant to Team Ennis, they simply wanted to get their hands on the winner. That, of course, was Crawford. The 36-year-old dominated Spence, winning every millisecond of their unification. Impressive victory aside, Jaron couldn’t care less how good Crawford looked. The 26-year-old wanted his shot and began banging loudly on the door of the pound-for-pound star.

In the midst of his callouts, Crawford shrugged his shoulders and gave his man the cold shoulder. Considering his age, Crawford has admitted that Jaron is talented but he doesn’t view a matchup against him as a sexy one.

Bozy, by and large, understands where Crawford is coming from. However, popularity notwithstanding, the famed trainer is convinced that Crawford is an incredible fighter but when juxtaposed to his son, it isn’t even close.

“Boots is faster, stronger, and got more attributes than Terence,” said Bozy to MillCity Boxing.

When last seen, Jaron was busy painting a masterpiece against Roiman Villa. The Philly star had a jam-packed crowd at The Ballroom Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City up on their feet oohing and ahhing.

Bozy though, was mostly stoic as his son continued to put on a show. If fans and media members were impressed by what they saw a few months ago, they’ll lose their minds once Jaron is truly unleashed.

“We got a lot of weapons. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

BOXING

“That’s Pretty Pretty Cool”: Fans in Awe as Mike Tyson Signs Tattoo Addict’s Body to Be Inked for Permanent Stay

A tattoo addict and a huge fan of Mike Tyson, who has decorated his entire body with tattoos, recently met ‘Kid Dynamite’ with an unusual request. Gavin Steffen, who has an unparalleled love for ink, asked Mike Tyson to sign his body as everyone else watched in awe.

However, Mike Tyson did not disappoint Gavin. In the wake of this incident, Steffen took to social media and shared the brief clip of Tyson’s signing his physique.

After tattoo-addict, Gavin Steffen requested Mike Tyson to sign his body, the former heavyweight champion of the world happily left his autograph right above his portrait inked on Gavin’s physique. And given the fact that Steffen wants to provide the tattoo permanent company, he announced he will get the same inked. Likewise, he took to Instagram and wrote, “It Was An Honor And Privilege Meeting Mike Tyson Today. He Signed My Side So I’ll Be Getting His Autograph Tattooed In My Skin Sunday.” In addition, as a token of appreciation, Gavin also revealed that he purchased Tyson’s products – Dynamite Cookies and Undisputed Cannabis.

After Steffen shared the video of Mike Tyson signing his body, several people reacted to it. According to one user, “That’s pretty pretty cool.”

On the other hand, one exclaimed, “Breathtaking!”

Finally, one wrote, “DAMN.”

In the context of Tyson signing Gavin’s body, it will be worth mentioning that ‘Kid Dynamite’ recently tattooed his late daughter on his body.

In March of 2009, Tyson’s beloved daughter Exodus passed away in an accident. In her memory, Tyson recently tattooed Exodus on his chest. Later, artist Noah Bissi took to Instagram and shared the video of Mike receiving the mentioned tattoo. “I had one of the best days of my life yesterday,” Noah wrote about his encounter with Mike.

BOXING

“Team Tank Are Pus”: Bill Haney Blasts Gervonta Davis’ Trainer Kenny Ellis After Regis Prograis Win

As soon as Devin Haney became the WBC Super Lightweight champion in his debut match at 140 lbs against Regis Prograis, the former’s father, Bill Haney fired his arrows and called out Gervonta Davis. While ‘Tank’ Davis is currently the Lightweight Champion at 135 lbs, Bill Haney challenged the former to face ‘The Dream’ at Super Lightweight.

Following Bill’s statement, Davis’ trainer Kenny Ellis suggested Haney should rather fight Jaron Ennis. At this, the father of the two-division world champion insulted Davis’ team.

After Devin Haney’s impressive victory against Regis Prograis, Kenny Ellis, the trainer of Gervonta Davis stitched and shared the BoxRec profiles of Jaron Ennis and ‘The Dream.’ In doing so, he highlighted the fact that both Haney and Ennis have 31 professional wins each with zero losses in the ring. While Haney vs. Ennis will undoubtedly make an exciting fight, Bill Haney, the father of the current WBC Super Lightweight champion felt Davis’ team was deliberately avoiding Devin.

As a result, taking to one of his Instagram stories, Bill Haney blasted Kenny Ellis and his team. “Team Tank are P*****s & Bill Haney said it,” he wrote. Given Bill’s statement, it is obvious that team Haney has seriously considered pursuing ‘Tank’ although the latter’s team hopes Devin will settle for Ennis.

According to Bill Haney, there is only one fight that makes sense for Devin. And that fight is Gervonta Davis. Likewise, following Haney vs. Prograis, talking to the media, Bill said, “We’re available now. So, f**k all that other sh*t. I’m going to see who gon’ mention ‘Tank’ other than us.” As if almost possessed by a spirit, he chanted Davis’ name and added, “Tank, Tank, Tank. Where you at Tank?”