ESPRIT arena, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany – Ola Afolabi (19-2-3, 9 KOs), originally from Nigeria but now representing the United Kingdom, is once again the “interim” WBO world cruiserweight champion. It became clear after Afolabi, 31, had taken the Russian contender and former interim titlist himself Valery Brudov (39-4, 28 KOs) to school in devastative fashion. Referee Gino Rodriguez saved Brudov from his own bravery after the fifth round and rightfully so.

Brudov, who accepted the fight two weeks ago, was rusty but willing to bring some heat to WBO #1 Afolabi, who was also ranked #4 by the WBA and #7 by both the WBC and the IBF (Brudov was rated #8 by the WBO in advance and he was also WBA #14). He marched forward and threw looping shots but the British Nigerian easily slipped them with his supreme defense. He kept Brudov at the end of his jab, while adding stinging right swings on ocassion and left hooks to the body to make Brudov’s diet a bit more diverse.

In round three, Afolabi went after Brudov and landed two right hammering shots to put him down on his knees. Brudov, 35, refused to surrender and continued to fight on. The fourth stanza was also in Ola’s favor. He wasn’t very active but when he opened up he tagged the Russian once again. Punishment continued to accumulate in the fifth. Midst into the round, Afolabi landed several left and right hand bombs, and Brudov went down for the second time. He got up and went on, trying to harm Afolabi at all costs. Costs were cheap, however, as the Nigerian landed several huge right hand bombs at the bell. Brudov didn’t go down but he was too wobbly, and referee Rodriguez did a right thing by bringing a halt to the contest.

Next up for Afolabi could be a showdown with WBO full champion Marco Huck, if the champion decides to stay at the cruiserweight limit.

 

By Alexey Sukachev

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50232

 

WBO #4 cruiserweight B.J. Flores (27-1-1, 17 KO’s) says he has turned down an offer by K2 Promotions to face #1 ranked Ola Afolabi (18-2-3, 8 KOs) on March 3rd for the WBO interim world title in Germany on the Wladimir Klitschko-Jean Marc Mormeck heavyweight title card.

“I want this fight,” Flores said, “I have been very active lately and ready for this type of challenge. But on twenty-six days notice? And having to go to Germany? This is a very serious fight for a very serious title and I demand my full 45 days of preparation, especially considering I just fought last Saturday. It’s only fair. I have worked very hard for this opportunity and combine that with a very very low $25,000 offer, it doesn’t seem like they really want this fight.”

He continued, “This is a great chance for the cruiserweight division to put on a great fight and they want to stick it on an undercard where no one will see it, for very low money with only 26 days’ notice and I would have to travel to Germany. I have just had three successful shows in Springfield, Missouri and with the cash streams we can generate, we could do the fight there and bring in a network TV station and both of us can not only make more money but it could re-energize the cruiserweight division in the States. This fight deserves to be on TV and I deserve the regulated 45 day preparation time as I am the highest rated contender. Ola, I will pay you more money than you have offered me and we can definitely get American TV to cover this event. I demand the proper amount of time and I want everyone in America to see this fight as it is good for the division. Fighting on the undercard in Germany is with 25 days notice is not the right way to win a world title Have your promoter get in touch with Don King and we can set this up easy. I want this fight!”

 

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/afolabi-flores-a-no-go-for-march-3-107637

WBO NABO Jr. Heavyweight champion BJ Flores (27-1-1, 16 KOs) scored a sixth round TKO over comebacking 40-year-old former welterweight title challenger Hugo Pineda (39-6-1, 28 KOs) on Saturday night with an enthusiastic hometown crowd at the Shrine Mosque in Springfield, Missouri. Flores dominated the entire bout with Pineda not able to connect on anything significant in the six plus rounds. Flores looked exceptionally sharp and did not give Pineda an easy target to hit and at times it looked as if Flores knew what Pineda was going to throw. Both fighters were tentative in the first, each carefully measuring the other and keeping at a safe distance, however, early in the 3rd Flores connected with a thunderous left hand to drop Pineda but he was able to continue. The Missouri native then began to work Pineda’s body and from this point forward, it seemed to take the starch out of him.

Flores turned up the heat in the fourth as Pineda began telegraphing his shots allowing Flores to pick his spots, as he pounded his opponent to the body with both hands. The fifth round was much of the same as Flores seemed to not be interested in stopping Pineda just yet, continuing to feed the man across from his a steady diet of lefts and rights to his belly.

To his credit, Pineda came out in the fifth more aggressive, trying to keep Flores off of him, letting both hands go. However, the bodywork delivered by Flores up to this point had sufficiently weakened Pineda so that Flores was able to walk right through the barrage. The round ended with Flores unleashing his own arsenal, throwing combinations at a blistering pace.

Standing from his stool to start the sixth, Flores seemed determined to end the contest. Flores began to fire the right hand, sending his opponent around the ring with every punch. After trapping Pineda against the ropes, Flores began dropping both hands on his opponent. Toward the end of the round, Referee Mike England had seen enough, determining that Pineda could not defend himself, ending the bout at 2:34.

Flores was asked after the fight how he thought he did. “I felt sharp tonight” He continued to add “this was my 3rd fight in 6 month and it was against a guy I was supposed to beat but beating someone impressively is always a tough thing. I executed my game plan and got him out faster than anybody else has ever knocked him out”.

Promoter Don King, who recently added Flores to his stable, was in attendance and was asked what was next for Flores and he said that a title fight is definitely in Flores future.

 

By Clint Rosser at ringside
Photos: David Martin Warr/DKP 2012

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/flores-pineda-report-107103

A Jan. 28 fight against Hugo Pineda is just a keep-busy bout for NABO Cruiserweight champion BJ Flores, but while the 32-year-old cruiserweight contender (26-1-1, 16 knockouts) is okay with keeping busy, he wants that activity to lead him to a world title shot.

Flores spoke with BoxingScene.com about his upcoming bout, about what he’s doing to remain active (including promoting shows in his hometown), about which cruiserweight titleholder he’d like to challenge and what he wants to do before entertaining any thoughts of moving up to heavyweight.

BoxingScene.com: What are you looking to get out of this fight?

Flores: “To be honest with you, it’s just another fight. This will be my third fight in six months. I faced Nick Iannuzzi, Paul Jennette — a guy I’d never even heard of — and now we’re trying to target another top 10 North American guy. And it just didn’t happen. They just don’t want to fight.

“A lot of them are kind of holding out for what they think might be a title opportunity or something, or they just don’t want to fight in my hometown. They think it’s too risky of a fight. This is a time to take what I can get. It’s going to get me back in the ring and it’s going to keep me sharp. Like I said, it’s my third 10-round fight in a six-month period. We’re kind of putting to bed those rumors of not being able to fight, not wanting to fight. I love to fight.

“Now that I’m with Don King, I’ve got an extra little bounce in my step. They’re helping me promote the show. We’ve also got Cory spinks and Sechew Powell in an IBF eliminator in the co-main event. Wayne Braithwaite vs. Chris Stallworth is another special attraction. So we’ve got a fantastic card shaking up.”

BoxingScene.com: You said you’re putting to bed the rumors of not being able to fight. It does seems that there are Don King fighters who just don’t get in the ring that often anymore. You’re saying that, in your case, that’s not the case?

Flores: “Not at all. This is the thing. Don maybe doesn’t have as many dates as he used to have. That’s just boxing these days. So his fighters nowadays, we’ve got to be creative and go out and develop a home base, somewhere where you can fight and the promoter doesn’t have to do all the work every single time and just put you on a card and lose money.

“When I fight at home in Springfield, it doesn’t cost Don any money. I make money with the tickets I sell, and he can put his fighters on the undercard. It’s great for me. He does still have those big dates. He can still get me the big ones, but it’s not as frequent as it used to be. So I’m a team player. I’m all about helping out.

“Me and my team, our guys, we put in a lot of work to make sure that we can build up my home state of Missouri. Springfield, Mo., is turning into a fight town. This’ll be our third show in six months. It’s an exciting time. Don is very willing to help out. We’re helping each other out. It’s a great thing.”

BoxingScene.com: How much distraction is there for you, running this show for Jan. 28 and also getting ready to do commentary Jan. 21 for the NBC Sports Network boxing broadcast?

Flores: “I enjoy staying busy. The prepping for the show, we teamed up with local promoters here, so he does a lot of the legwork and groundwork, I just kind of oversee everything. I really don’t have to do much — make some appearances here and there, set a couple of things up in the beginning. Since then, we’ve just pretty much been training. The broadcast doesn’t affect me at all. I’ve got all day to train. … And if you plan out your day effectively, you’ve got plenty of time.”

BoxingScene.com: What do you hope to accomplish in 2012?

Flores: “I just hope to continue to stay active, if I don’t get a title fight. I’m ranked [No. 4] by the WBO, No. 7 by the WBA and No. 8 by the WBC. I just want to continue to move up the ratings and whatever opportunity I have as soon as possible to fight for a world championship, that’s obviously what I want. This will be my third fight in six months. I feel like my timing is back, my reflexes are back.

“A long layoff is any fighter’s downfall. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t shooting myself in the foot before I went into a big fight. Everybody’s so good, that if you’re not active, you’re really doing a huge, huge disservice to yourself. That’s how it was when I fought Danny Green. I was coming off a 16-month layoff. I had to weigh 195 pounds for the fight. He wanted to handicap for me. I want to make sure the next opportunity I get that I’m 100 percent. We’re doing the right thing by staying active.”

BoxingScene.com: Of the major world titleholders, is there somebody specific that you want?

Flores: “To be honest with you, Marco Huck is the guy that I really want, but now he has the fight with [heavyweight beltholder Alexander] Povektin. I hope he wins that fight with Povetkin, so the WBO title can become vacant. That’s where I’m ranked the highest, so hopefully I’ll be in position to fight for that vacant belt.

“I also want Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. I think, style-wise, I match up with him really well. He’s coming off a big win over Danny Green, a fight that he was losing by four points until he scored the knockout. I think that’d be a great stylistic match-up. That’s the guy I would absolutely love to fight.”

BoxingScene.com: You’re mentioning other cruiserweights. Every other cruiserweight under the sun seems to have heavyweight aspirations. Are we going to count you someday among those ranks, too?

Flores: “I think there’s way too much unfinished business at cruiserweight. I don’t want to talk about moving ahead until I handle the business here. There’s just not enough name guys in the states to really be able to stay active and fight name guys, so I’ve got to stay busy fighting whoever I can find pretty much in America to keep me busy and keep me sharp until I get the big fight.

“But once I get that title, once I defend it a time or two, then we can talk about that, but I’m not even thinking about that until I accomplish my goals at cruiserweight, which is to win one of four major world titles. I will not go to heavyweight until that happens. That’s a guarantee.”

 

by David P. Greisman

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=48867

Cruiserweight contender BJ Flores has informed BoxingScene.com that his opponent for his Jan. 28 fight in Springfield, Mo., will be Hugo Pineda.

“We’ve offered this fight to seven different guys in the top 10 of the NABO and NABF ratings. And to be honest with you, nobody out there wants to fight,” Flores said. “It’s very difficult to find a guy to fight without him wanting some ridiculous amount of money. I mean, this is an off-TV card. We have offered this fight to so many guys, it’s unbelievable.”

Pineda, a 40-year-old from Colombia who last appeared in the ring in 2008, losing that January by stoppage against Glen Johnson and then dropping a decision that July against Jimmy Kapanov. This will be his first fight in three-and-a-half years. He has a record of 39-5-1 with 28 knockouts.

His last two bouts were at light heavyweight and cruiserweight. Pineda, who is listed on BoxRec at 6-foot-1, challenged two times for world titles at lower weight classes, losing in 1996 to Kostya Tszyu and suffering a knockout against Felix Trinidad in 1999.

Flores, meanwhile, says he’s keeping busy while seeking a title shot.

The 32-year-old is 26-1-1 with 16 knockouts. His first career loss came in 2010 when he lost a decision to Danny Green. He’s fought twice since then, stopping Nicholas Iannuzzi in July and out-pointing Paul Jennette in October.

This will be Flores’ third fight in about six months.

 

by David P. Greisman

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=48605

On February 25 in Stuttgart, WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck wants to become the first German world heavyweight champion since the great Max Schmeling when he takes on WBA regular champion Alexander Povetkin of Russia. “I’m very happy about the chance to fight the heavyweight world championship,” says Huck. “That to me is like winning the lottery. I really want to be the heir to Schmeling. But actually I see Povetkin only as a stopover on the way to the Klitschko brothers….I don’t understand why Povetkin has never taken the chance to climb into the ring against Wladimir. I think he’s afraid of the Klitschko brothers. I’m not.”

“I want to beat Povetkin, then compete against the two brothers. I know that Vitali and Wladimir are strong, and I respect their achievements. But I’m sure I can beat both of them. And anyway, what is it bigger than competing with the best? Why would someone enter the boxing ring if he doesn’t want to make the best possible fight? I can’t understand that.”

Huck is preparing in Berlin for his first fight as a heavyweight. “I’ve already gained the necessary pounds, I feel very comfortable with the higher weight. My energy levels have improved. I have more power than most heavyweights. At the same time I’m fast and physically in top condition. I’ll be training in the coming weeks as hard as ever. This is my big chance and I’m going to use it!”
 

 

 

 

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/huck-povetkin-is-scared-of-the-klitschkos-im-not-105916

EC Box Promotion returns to the BoxHall in Hamburg on February 11 with a ten fight show headlined by cruiserweight Kai Kurzawa (27-4, 19KOs), who will fight Georgian Levan Jomardashvili (25-5, 18KOs) for the WBO’s Asia-Pacific title.

Karama Nyilawila defends the WBFed middleweight title against Cagri Ermis in the co-feature. Heavyweight Michael Wallish, 7-0 and Int´l German champ, takes on Ladislav Kovarik and Swedish female jr. welterweight Klara Svensson faces Angel McKenzie. Middleweight Domenic von Chrzanowski squares off against Pole Mariusz Biskupski in his debut for EC.

There´s a strong possibility that Alexander Alexeev will be the guest of honor at ringside. Alexeev fights Enad Licina the week before in Frankfurt / Main for the vacant EBU cruiser crown and he is favored to win.

 

By Per Ake Persson

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=48426

Former Golden Gloves champion and Willard native B.J. Flores’ dream bout against WBA cruiserweight champion Guillermo Jones apparently is no longer on the radar of iconic promoter Don King.

In promoting a non-King fight scheduled for Jan. 28 at the Shrine Mosque, Flores revealed Monday that King would rather him face the champions of the World Boxing Organization or World Boxing Council, Germany’s Marco Huck or Poland’s Krzysztof Wlodarczyk.

King has Jones and Flores under contract, making it more possible for Flores to get his title shot.

But Flores’ reasoning for King’s retreat on that matchup was odd Monday.

He cited the success of his Oct. 15 fight, a unanimous decision against 43-year-old Paul Jennette that drew about 3,500 to the O’Reilly Family Event Center. Flores never put Jennette on the canvas in a fight that went the full 10 rounds.

“I don’t think he knew the type of result we’d get for the fight in Springfield,” Flores said at a news conference at the north Doubletree Hotel, and then indicated King sees potential (read: big payday) should he have rights to Flores and Jones if one is a WBA or WBC champ while Jones retains his WBA title.

“He said, ‘You know, you’ve got a great thing in Springfield. I don’t want to knock one of my top guys off (Jones) and have them start back over,'” Flores said.

The public relations manager for Don King Productions, Alan Hopper, on Monday said he did not have time to respond in full.

“I want the title shot,” Flores said. “But if I can fight here again, increase my fan base here again and fight in a place that I love and then have a title shot, I don’t care what champion I fight. I just want a shot for a title.”

Meanwhile, details of Flores’ Jan. 28 fight, and the card itself, are still being finalized, including a start time and ticket prices.

But, in essence, it will be marketed at the same time as a Feb. 11 card featuring Kimbo Slice at the O’Reilly Center.

Flores will be defending his NABA and NABO belts, plus go for a vacant NABF belt. Potential opponents are Carl Davis, 38, Andres Taylor, 32, and Shane Stoneman.

“It’s going to take a little more money to get quality opponents in, and we are prepared to do that,” Flores’ trainer, Jacob Chavez, said.

 

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20111206/SPORTS/112060343/0/NEWS08/?odyssey=nav|head

Marco “Käpt´n” Huck (34-1, 25 K.o.´s), der aktuelle WBO-Weltmeister im Cruisergewicht, steht vor einem Wechsel ins Schwergewicht. Sein Plan: Er will den amtierenden WBA-Weltmeister Alexander Povetkin (23-0, 16 K.o.´s) herausfordern. Der 32-jährige WBA-Titelträger verteidigte am Samstagabend im finnischen Helsinki gegen den Amerikaner Cedric Boswell seinen WM-Gürtel eindrucksvoll, gewann durch K.o. in der achten Runde. Die in der Nacht folgende Pressekonferenz zum WM-Fight im Medien-Raum der Hartwall Areena nutzte dann aber Huck für seinen großen Auftritt. Nachdem Wilfried Sauerland dazu befragt wurde, welche Pläne man nach dem Erfolg gegen Boswell mit Alexander Povetkin verfolgen würde, meldete sich Marco Huck zu Wort. Der Cruisergewichts-Weltmeister hatte sich zuvor unter die anwesenden Journalisten gemischt und stürmte ans Podium. “Herr Sauerland, ich möchte etwas dazu sagen”, so Huck. “Jeder weiß, dass es schon immer mein Traum war, ins Schwergewicht zu wechseln. Hiermit fordere ich Alexander Povetkin heraus, ich möchte gegen ihn antreten und nach Max Schmeling erster deutscher Schwergewichts-Weltmeister bei einem bedeutenden Box-Weltverband werden.”

Wilfried Sauerland antwortete: “Das ist natürlich eine Sache, über die wir erst einmal sprechen müssen. Beide Kämpfer stehen beim Sauerland-Team unter Vertrag. Deshalb freue ich mich nicht darüber. Aber wir werden in den nächsten Tagen mit allen Beteiligten diskutieren und sprechen.” Grundsätzlich scheint der Weg für Huck, der dafür seinen Cruisergewichts-Titel niederlegen müsste, aber frei. “Wir respektieren Marcos Wunsch”, so Sauerland-Geschäftsführer Chris Meyer, “aber jetzt müssen wir erst einmal sehen, ob sich das realisieren lässt. Das Interesse an diesem Kampf wäre riesengroß. Doch wir müssen natürlich erst einmal mit den entsprechenden Weltverbänden darüber sprechen, ob das möglich ist.” Huck-Trainer Ulli Wegner scheint den Plänen seines Schützlings inzwischen offen gegenüberzustehen. “Ich glaube, einige Kämpfe im Cruisergewicht gegen Gegner wie Ola Afolabi oder Denis Lebedev wären genauso schwer”, so der Erfolgscoach. “Alexander Povetkin hat am Samstagabend eine gute Leistung gezeigt. Marco müsste für das Schwergewicht im Kraftbereich natürlich erheblich zulegen. Ich hätte an seiner Stelle noch damit gewartet, denn das Cruisergewicht ist eine sehr spannende Gewichtsklasse. Doch letztendlich stehe ich seiner Entscheidung nicht im Wege.”

 

http://www.boxen.com/news-archiv/newsdetails/article/huck-will-ins-schwergewicht.html

WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck renewed his promotional contract with Sauerland Event for two more years. “I am very happy with the way we have been working together over the years and I am looking forward to keeping up the great work”, says Huck. “There is no reason for me to change anything at the moment. I am still young, and I want to win more world titles. I am sure that my team at Sauerland will help me to achieve my goals.”

The 27 year old powerhouse is tied to Sauerland since starting his pro career in November 2004. Huck won 34 of his 35 pro fights including 25 KO-victories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His only loss came in December 2007 when he challenged Steve “USS” Cunningham for the IBF world championship. In September 2008 Huck won the European cruiserweight champion and finally claimed the WBO world title in August 2009 by outworking Victor Emilio Ramirez. „Captain“ Huck has successfully defended his title eight times, most recently with a stunning KO over Argentina’s Rogelio Rossi. Huck will return to action early in 2012.

 

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=46136

Last night WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck publicly called out both Klitschko brothers on one of Germany’s biggest TV shows “TV Total.” ‘Captain’ Huck had a special present for host Stefan Raab who hosts a platform diving event this weekend which will feature Huck as one of the guest stars: A life-size cardboard stand-up of himself holding baby-versions of the Klitschkos in his arms, complete with broken teeth and with Wlad sporting a black eye. “I don’t care which brother I can get my hands on. I would fight both of them right away,” proclaimed Huck. Raab stated, “If you win our diving event I will talk to Wladimir and make the fight happen!” David Haye drew the ire of the Klitschko family with an image on a t-shirt. How will they react to this? On Best Survival Products you will find all the preparedness gear you need to be ready in case of emergency. Be equipped to ensure your safety with our self-defense products and to face natural disaters with our survival supplies and kits. Rotorm – Survival Products Shop Online – That said, getting the best survival bow may be the difference between merely surviving or thriving even under harsh conditions. Several brands purport to offer the perfect survival bow but this only makes it harder for you. However, we are here to help you discover some of the top bows on the market.

 

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/huck-calls-out-the-klitschkos-101257

 

WBO Cruiserweight Champion Captain Huck (33-1, 24 KOs) could not believe his eyes when he met challenger Rogelio Rossi (17-2-1, 11 KOs) at today’s press conference in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Listed at 6’6, the “Argentinian Giant” turned out to be much smaller than that. “Maybe he shrunk of fear,” Captain Huck said. “Doesn’t matter anyway. I don’t care what size he is. I have knocked out taller and smaller opponents. I will clinch a spectacular victory on Saturday night. He will not get my title.” Huck then measured his opponent. The result: 6’3 and a half!

Rossi seemed to enjoy the confusion regarding his height. “It’s true, I’m not two meters tall,” he stated. “But I will still defeat Huck. If you’re scared, your opponent looks much bigger than he actually is. I guess this has happened to Huck. I will take his title on Saturday night. I have trained hard and I will win.”

German coaching legend Ulli Wegner said Rossi’s actual size will make no difference. “We have done sparring with tall guys and with small guys, we are prepared for everything,” he stated. “If Rossi was clever, he would have stood on tiptoes during the face-to-face to look bigger than he is. I don’t think he can cope with Huck’s explosiveness and aggressiveness anyway.”

In the co-featured main event, IBF Intercontinental Middleweight Champion Dominik Britsch (25-0, 9 KOs) defends his title against Billy Lyell (24-9, 5 KOs), while unbeaten heavyweight sensation Kubrat Pulev (13-0, 6 KOs) takes on Travis Walker (38-6-1, 30 KOs) for the IBF International Heavyweight Title.

Photos: Sauerland Event
http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/rossis-size-stuns-huck-99083