Boxing Notes: Mayweather–Berto Undercard Addition, Eddie Chambers Update, More!

08/06/201508/06/2015 Paul Jones

By Paul “Paparazzi“ Jones Photo © (clockwise) Paul “Paparazzi” Jones /ESB, Premier Boxing Champions, Suzan Classen, Matthias Kern, and Daniel Kucin, Jr. | Illustration – “Paparazzi” Jones

Just in case you missed the memo, it’s official. Floyd “Money” Mayweather (48-0-0, 26 KOs), 38, will return to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 12 to take on Andre Berto (30-3, 23 KOs), 31, in a welterweight title bout (Showtime, Pay-Per-View).

By toppling Berto, Mayweather aims to tie Rocky Marciano’s (49-0-0, 43 KOs) coveted perfect record of 49 wins without a loss. Although Marciano’s benchmark has stood for nearly 60 years, a win over former welterweight titleholder Berto would put Mayweather alongside “The Brockton Blockbuster” in the boxing annals.

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Mansour Outworks Dawejko: Calls out Wilder, Klitschko

09/15/201605/09/2015 Paul Jones

Amir Mansour continues his road to redemption with a hard-fought victory on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights”

By Justin Jones – Photos © Paul “Paparazzi” Jones

Philadelphia, PA —In an entertaining heavyweight tilt, which headlined ESPN 2’s Friday Night Fights card at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia, Amir “Hardcore” Mansour (22-1, 16 KOs) demonstrated true grit and determination last night in outworking Joey Dawejko (14-3-2, 7 KOs) to earn a unanimous decision victory. Official scorecards were 98-92, 97-93, and 96-94 all in favor of Mansour.

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The People’s Court (of Public Opinion): Mayweather v. Pacquiao

05/03/201505/02/2015 Paul Jones

Attitudes and social consensus surrounding “Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: The Fight of the Century” are mixed

By Paul “Paparazzi“ Jones |Photo © Steve Lopez/ESB and Chris Farina/Top Rank | Illustration – Paul “Paparazzi” Jones

It’s a forgone conclusion that tonight’s welterweight clash between Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. (47-0, 26 KOs) and Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) will be the highest-grossing fight in boxing history. Mayweather also remains the betting favorite among many Las Vegas oddsmakers and sportsbooks. For example, Sportsbook’s current line is Mayweather -200, Pacquiao +170 and, according to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, Mayweather’s implied winning percentage hoovers around 65%. Public opinion varies concerning the winner of tonight’s tilt, however.

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OPEN MIC: A Candid Conversation with Lamont Peterson — García, Mayweather, Pacquiao, More!

04/04/201504/03/2015 Paul Jones

IBF Champ discusses his fight preparations and the career implications of a win over Danny García

By Paul “Paparazzi” Jones | Photo & Animation © Paul “Paparazzi” Jones — On April 11^th, The Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series continues with a junior welterweight battle between Danny ‟Swift” García (29-0, 17 KOs) and Lamont ‟Havoc” Peterson (33-2-1, 17 KOs) at the Center in Brooklyn, New York. García, of Philadelphia, is the reigning WBC, WBA (Super), and The Ring champion, while Peterson holds the IBF strap.

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Lamont Peterson “Anxious for April 11” — Open Media Workout Photos, More!

03/27/201503/26/2015 Paul Jones

IBF Champion is fit and focused heading into his imminent showdown with Danny Garcia

By Paul “Paparazzi” Jones & Justin Jones – Photos © Justin Jones & Paul “Paparazzi” Jones – Washington, DC— IBF junior welterweight titlist Lamont ‟Havoc” Peterson, 31, (33-2-1, 17 KOs) held an open workout today at the Bald Eagle Recreation Center as he prepares for an April 11th tilt against fellow 140 lb. WBA (Super), WBC, and The Ring champ Danny “Swift” Garcia (29-0, 17 KOs).

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Mike Reed Stops Soto in 2nd; Vows, “Best Is Yet to Come”

03/16/201503/15/2015 Paul Jones

By Justin Jones & Paul “Paparazzi” Jones: Washington, DC – Unbeaten light welterweight Mike “Yes Indeed” Reed (13-0, 6 KOs) recorded his 13th consecutive victory on Saturday night’s Keystone Boxing “Capital City” Card at the Sphinx Club in DC by seeking and destroying Edgardo “Eddie” Soto (12-9, 4 KOs), 38, in less than six minutes of work. Reed recorded his third and final knockdown – two knockdowns in the first – 2:10 into round two before the referee called a halt to the bout.

There’s no other way to sum up Yes Indeed” Reed’s intent and demeanor other than a man on a mission. As soon as the timekeeper sounded the opening bell, Reed began walking Soto down and landing power punches to the body and head. There was no slow start; no finesse; no feeling out his opponent; it was all business.

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OPEN ‘MIKE’: Rising Prospect Mike “Yes Indeed” Reed Vows to Bring Top Rank to DC — Mayweather/Pacquiao Predictions, More!

03/07/2015 Paul Jones

Photo © (top) Christopher Smith; (bottom) Daniel Kucin, Jr. | Illustration – Paul “Paparazzi” Jones
On March 14, super lightweight prospect Mike “Yes Indeed” Reed (12-0, 6 KOs) takes his unblemished record back to the nation’s capital where he headlines a Keystone Boxing card at the Sphinx Club in Washington, DC.

At just 22 years old, Reed has a ton of upside and he is coming off a 6-0 campaign in 2014. To cap off his win streak, Reed earned a unanimous decision victory in November over ¬previously unbeaten Oscar Valenzuela (8-1-1, 5 KOs) at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Because Reed’s bout was part of Top Rank’s card featuring WBO Titlist Terence Crawford’s (25-0, 17 KOs) near shutout of Raymundo Beltran (29-7-1, 17 KOs), the DC product received some well-deserved exposure that he intends to build on starting with his fight next Saturday.

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Drumroll Please: Our Nominees for Boxing’s Top Honors in 2014 are…

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By Paul “Paparazzi“ Jones and Justin Jones

Tis the season of giving and we aim to pass on some holiday cheer to a group of fighters that we believe deserve top honors. In some categories, we also offer honorable mention. Without further ado, here are our front-runners for 2014’s major boxing superlatives:

Knockout of the Year

“Paparazzi” Jones — Amir Mansour KO7 Fred Kassi. Amir “Hardcore” Mansour’s (21-1, 16 KOs) clock-cleaning 7^th round KTFO of Fred Kassi (18-3, 10 KOs) was my top choice. This highlight-reel KO deserved an R rating for Strong Violence and it was SI.com’s Knockout of the Year (KOTY).

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The Year in Review: Six Notable Fights in 2014 – Part I — Pacquiao, Hopkins, Froch, More!

12/25/201412/24/2014 Paul Jones

By Paul “Paparazzi“ Jones – Photo © (clockwise) Paul “Paparazzi” Jones/ESB; Steve Lopez/ESB; Al Santiago/ImageSantiago; Chris Farina/Top Rank | Illustration – Paul “Paparazzi” Jones

In this two-part review, I chronicle six of the most anticipated bouts of 2014. In Part I, I cover three key fights from the first half of the year. In Part II, I describe three fights from the remainder of the year and list match-ups that deserve honorable mention.

I selected each of these contests based on their ability to produce drama, historical significance, and/or sustained action. In addition, I emphasize tilts with pound-for-pound and title implications.

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Kovalev Grounds “The Alien”

11/09/201411/09/2014 Paul Jones

All that Remains is a Win vs. Stevenson to Unify the Light Heavyweight Division

By Justin Jones and Paul “Paparazzi” Jones | Photo © Paul “Paparazzi” Jones – Atlantic City, NJ – Many questioned whether WBO champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs) could defeat future Boxing Hall of Famer and former WBA/IBF champ Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) in a Light Heavyweight unification bout. People pointed to Kovalev’s limited competition, the lack of a signature win, and a sizeable gap in experience between the two.

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