Ukrainian heavyweight Andriy Rudenko (32-3, 20 KOs) and European champion Agit Kabayel (18-0, 13 KOs) went through an official weigh-in procedure the day before their fight. According to its results, the Ukrainian showed a mark of 106.7 kg (235 pounds), while his opponent was 106.5 kg (234 pounds).
Fight week press conference featuring former super middleweight champion Erislandy Lara and WBA Super Welterweight Champ Brian Castano. They both went face-to-face Thursday at the final press conference before they headline action this Saturday live on Showtime from Barclays Center presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
This sparring took place in 2014 when Carl Froch was getting ready for George Groves rematch. Chris Eubank Jr was Carl Froch’s chief sparring partner in the build up to this fight. At that time Eubank Jr was 24 years old with a 14-0 record. He was brought into Froch’s camp to replicate the ferocity of the youthful Groves and as such gave the world champion all he could handle in the gym.
Before the fight between WBA and WBO lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko and Anthony Crolla, the mandatory contender for the WBA title, there are less than six weeks. Lomachenko spends his training camp in Oxnard, California, actively preparing for the upcoming fight, and shares his workdays with subscribers on his Instagram page.
The undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (16-0, 12 KOs) in his Facebook shared a photo, which was signed: "The road to the heavyweight division."
Former two-time heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko told about how he made the decision to appoint Jonathan Banks as his coach after the death of Emanuel Steward. Until 2012, Banks was only a sparring partner of the Ukrainian.
James Ali Bashir, the former coach of Wladimir Klitschko (64-5, 54 KOs) believes that the Ukrainian will return to the ring and is ready to work with him. “I always believed that Wladimir would still fight. Even when he announced his retirement, I could not accept this in my heart. What I knew about him did not allow me to make such a decision.
Undefeated women’s middleweight world champions Claressa Shields and Christina Hammer meet at the kickoff press conference to preview their showdown for the undisputed women’s middleweight world championship. This fight is set to take place Saturday, April 13 live on SHOWTIME from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Watch the tense face off of the girls.
Tickets to see the unified lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (12-1, 9 KOs) taking on Anthony Crolla (34-6-3, 13 KOs) are available Tuesday at 3PM ET/12PM PT. The cheapest ticket costs 51.75 dollars.
Top 140-pound prospect Mazlum Akdeniz added to his undefeated record over the weekend with a thrilling stoppage victory over Mexican veteran Alberto Bautista in Cornwall, Ontario.
Bautista, a veteran of 17 professional fights, attempted to apply pressure on Akdeniz throughout the fight, but was simply overmatched by the 21-year old’s handspeed and accuracy. Akdeniz repeatedly ran him into counter left hands, before turning the tides and walking him down behind laser sharp lead lefts and right hooks.
In the sixth round, Akdeniz trapped Bautista along the ropes, uncorking almost 30 unanswered punches before the referee stepped in to stop the bout.
“We already knew Mazlum was as technically sound as any fighter in Canada, but what we’re starting to see now is his killer instinct,” said promoter Lee Baxter. “It would be easy for him to simply outbox guys, especially a veteran like Bautista who knows how to survive, but he’s going out and stopping these guys. That should tell everyone that we have something special on our hands.”
Akdeniz’s amateur credentials showed signs that he would indeed be special. In addition to winning the 2015 Ringside Championships, Akdeniz also scored a win over Jorge Moiran Vinent, becoming the first Quebec-based boxer to defeat a Cuban fighter since the legendary Jean Pascal in 2005.
Now as a professional, he seeks to follow in Pascal’s footsteps in becoming a world champion.
Akdeniz (8-0, 4 knockouts) paid his respects to Quebec boxing legends on Saturday, as well. He wore a t-shirt with the name of Adonis “Superman” Stevenson, former light heavyweight champion who tragically suffered traumatic injuries in a bout last December, and is battling back valiantly to this day. Akdeniz also walked to the ring with Arturo Gatti Jr., the son of the late Hall of Famer Arturo Gatti.
“We believe Mazlum can have his name alongside the great Canadian fighters of all-time one day. We’re going to take it one step at a time, but those steps can come more and more frequently—we want to keep him as active as possible, and want to start taking steps up in competition right away,” said Baxter.
Akdeniz is expected to be back in action before the end of April.
