Boxing

Super Bowl Weekend is shaping up to be an amazing few days for fight fans, as it appears 25-year old sensation Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will put his WBC middleweight title and unbeaten record on the line against 53-5-1 Marco Antonio Rubio. Adding to what should already be a great environment, the event will take place in San Antonio, Texas giving Hispanic fans in the area an opportunity to cheer on two of boxing’s top Mexican competitors. Chavez Jr. holds an overall record of 44-0-1, having won twenty straight scraps since enduring his career’s lone blemish six years ago. The upcoming bout with Rubio will be the rising star’s second consecutive clash in Texas, racking up a fifth round TKO against Peter Manfredo Jr. in Houston last month, and second time he’s visited the home of The Alamo in his previous five fights. ...

Junior welterweight Erik Morales has only been finished a single time in 59 professional fights. However, as tough as the multi-time champion is it appears the 35-year old is indeed mortal and could be pulled from an upcoming bout due to recent gallbladder surgery. Though the procedure was relatively minor, removing gallstones, according to Morales’ camp is apparently unsure if their fighter will be ready or not to defend his WBC title against Danny Garcia on January 28. ...

“Super Six” Champion Andre Ward Won with Broken Hand Undefeated super middleweight Andre Ward looked particularly impressive against British brawler Carl Froch when the two locked horns last weekend with the “Super Six” crown on the line. However, making the Olympian’s offering even more impressive was the fact he outpointed his opponent with a banged up hand he ultimately broke midway through his fight with Froch. Ward came out to reveal the status of his moneymaking mitt earlier today, Tweeting a picture of the X-Ray while assuring fans he expected to be back by early summer. ...

I caught Saturday night’s Strikeforce event. Strange as this may sound, I’m pretty sure Cristiane Santos could beat some of the male 145-pounders. No, not anybody in the Top 20 or so, but I think she could probably take some a few guys out there. They talked about doing a fight with Ronda Rousey, maybe at a catchweight. I think at 135 it would be a good fight because I don’t think Ronda is big enough to go up to 145. I think Ronda being inexperienced on her feet benefits "Cyborg" because most girls who strike with her don’t do so well. Santos is a finisher as well and when she has someone hurt, she doesn’t mess around. Ronda is super slick and quick on the ground though. I thought Gilbert Melendez deserved the decision and I'd originally picked him to win too. I thought he out-struck Jorge Masvidal who waited too long to really get going. The fifth round was the closest frame by far. I didn’t think Masvidal used his reach the proper way. Melendez was a lot busier and throwing combinations and I definitely think he won the fight. ...

Decorated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. may be untouchable in the ring but the trait doesn’t carry over to his life outside of the squared-circle. The polarizing pugilist plead guilty earlier today to charges of domestic violence/harassment based on a 2010 incident where he hit the mother of two of his children in front of them and made threatening statements towards them. As a result he has been sentenced to 90 days in hail, as well as issued 100 community service hours and fined $2,500. Mayweather Jr. will report to jail on January 6, 2012. ...

It took more than two years to get to last weekend’s final of the Super Six Super Middleweight Tournament and for good reason too, as the proceedings have ultimately determined the cream of the 168-pound crop and his name is Andre Ward. Ward, an Olympic Gold Medalist with a 25-0 record, used his mongoose-like reflexes to pick apart Carl “The Cobra” Froch in Saturday night’s showdown. The judges’ scores read as 115-113, 115-113, and 118-110 with all the nods going to the likeable Californian. The two were supposed to meet earlier this year but Ward was injured while training. ...

The WBC has stepped in to resolve a situation involving light heavyweights Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson relating to the controversial result of their October 15 fight. The headlining match-up featured what was originally ruled a TKO win for Dawson when he threw Hopkins to the canvas, injuring the popular 46-year old’s shoulder in the process and rendering him unable to continue. The California State Athletic Commission quickly changed things to a “No Contest” after Hopkins complained and the WBC allowed “B-Hop” to retain his title. Now the two will face off again in hopes of determining a more conclusive, less questionable outcome. The rematch is expected to take place immediately unless both sides agree to allow an interim bout beforehand. ...

When Roy Jones Jr. stepped into the ring this past weekend it’s likely he could have been doing so for the final time had things not gone his way. A loser of three straight prior to the bout against Max Alexander, the 42-year old had been stopped by strikes in two of the stumbles and appeared to have reached the end of the road in his storied career. However, after picking up the Unanimous Decision win, the flashy Jones Jr. not only wants to keep fighting – he wants a divisional belt. "I'm feeling wonderful. I want a cruiserweight title, the world title," explained the former champion in a conversation with the Associated Press. "This is just a start. I'm not through yet." As far as what may have made the difference in the performance in comparison to the previous fights he’d lost, Jones stated, “The thing I worked on was not spending so much energy, so much useless energy. Don't be bouncing around for nothing." After improving his record to 55-8 with the victory, as well as possibly finding a new lease on life, it sounds like Jones Jr. may have a reason to be bouncing around after all. ...

Xtreme Couture trainer Gil Martinez might be best known for his work with Mixed Martial Artists but there’s no doubting the highly-respected striking coach also has a PhD in the sweet science as a long-time lover of boxing and general guru on the mitts. Fighters.com recently caught up with Martinez to get his thoughts on the recent bout between 37-2 Miguel Cotto and 38-8 Antonio Margarito. The two light middleweights duked it out a little over a week ago in an action-packed affair ultimately seeing Cotto come away with a TKO win due to damage inflicted on Margarito’s troublesome eye. ...

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Even with eyes closed, it’s not easy to mistake the slapping sounds of glove meeting mitt and the whispering whoosh as breath is expelled on contact. Jab, jab, jab. The one-two combo, and the fighter drifts back as he is met with the fast hands of Xtreme Couture striking coach Gil Martinez. To the casual observer, it looks like a choreographed dance. Martinez moves forward, muscles bunched as his body absorbs the kinetic energy of each blow. To those in the know, it is either a test of the mettle of the fighter, or one of the long hours of training in preparation for the cage or the ring. The soft tenor and shyness in his voice belies the fact that he is a fierce coach who gives it his all each and every time he steps into the cage with someone trying to achieve their dreams of fighting success, whether that dream is as a boxer or a mixed martial artist. ...

TSN.CA has the full story, but we at Fighters.com wanted to pass along our thoughts for the friends and family of Ron Lyle who died at the age of 70 in Denver over the weekend. Details have not been made availble. Lyle lost to both Ali and George Foreman in the mid 70s. After he retired he moved to Vegas where he trained young boxers and worked in security. He made a comeback in 1995 at age 54 and hoped to fight Foreman again in a fight billed as "Old and Older." He also considered the idea of fighting Mike Tyson but neither fight occured. ...

In a bit of a twist Friday, Manny Pacquiaos trainer Alex Ariza says that they want the fight with Floyd Mayweather but that Bob Arum doesn't want it. Speaking with the Manilla Standard Ariza said that he "was sure that Mayweather wants the fight, but it was Arum who doesn’t want the fight, for whatever reason." He added that “If he fights Marquez again and God forbid, he loses, there is no Mayweather fight. How can you tell me that in the best interests of the fighter, fighting Mayweather isn’t the smartest move? He (Pacquiao) stands to make $60 to $70 million and maybe another $30 million again (against Marquez). His life is set,” Time will tell what happens with Manny vs Floyd but if the best boxing match in decades doesn't get mad for whatever reason, it would be the ultimate shame. ...

Chances are any fight-fan has caught at least one bout from this sport spawning millions of enthusiasts with a storied history in North America and Europe. Boxing is a form of striking where competitors are limited to using their fists. Match-ups involve three-minute rounds with wins possible by knockout, technical knockout, disqualification, or judges’ decision. ...

The historically beautiful city of London will be hosting the 2012 Olympics. Making next year's events even more exciting for fighting fans worldwide is that this time they will also be hosting a monumental effort by placing women on the Olympic Boxing events. For decades, female fighters have watched the boy from afar competing curious as to when they too will get their own shot. Now, that time has deservedly arrived and not without controversy. ...

Welcome to the Fighters.com boxing section. In this section you will find the latest in boxing news, interviews and breaking stories from the world of boxing. From Floyd Maywether, to Manny Pacquiao and Bernard Hopkins Fighters.com has all the names in boxing covered in our new Boxing section. So check back often to get your boxing fix daily at Fighters.com. ...

This is the new Boxing Section! ...