
Klitschko seemed to be missed, as the crowd was littered with Ukranian flags and would erupt even at the sight of him on the arena screens before his match-up with Jennings.
Klitschko seemed to be missed, as the crowd was littered with Ukranian flags and would erupt even at the sight of him on the arena screens before his match-up with Jennings.
Kenneth Sims Jnr UD6 Luis Rodriguez
Unbeaten Chicago light-welterweight prospect Kenneth Sims Jnr ran out a convincing winner tonight over game Puerto Rican novice Luis Rodriguez, winning everything but one round on the three scoring judges cards.
His challenger Bryant Jennings, 19-0 (10KO’s), looked equally impressive – despite the size aggregate – notching a ripped 226.8 pounds.
Sadly, it was not the two men who will put it on the line tomorrow that will take the headlines from today. These will once again be dominated by the tedious sideshow that is Shannon Briggs and his furious slanging match with reigning WBC World heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAoatq-tyGs
Saturday’s HBO World Championship Boxing doubleheader telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT).
The HBO telecast kicks off from Madison Square Garden in New York City with an exciting 10-round welterweight showdown between Sadam Ali and Francisco Santana. The main event pits Wladimir Klitschko defending his heavyweight championship against Bryant Jennings.
Official Weights from New York:
Wladimir Klitschko: 241.6 lbs. – Bryant Jennings: 226.8 lbs.
Sadam Ali: 146.8 lbs. – Francisco Santana: 146.4 lbs.
Ahead of this weekend’s heavyweight clash from New York that pits dominant lineal champion Wladimir Klitschko against Philadelphia’s Bryant Jennings, Frank Warren has written in his weekly column for the Independent in the UK to talk of his hopes for British #1 Tyson Fury, and how he wants the fight for his man against Wladimir in the UK.
Fury is the mandated challenger to Wladimir’s WBO belt and should Klitschko beat Jennings Saturday night as all expect him to, then Warren and the Klitschko’s have 30 days to put the fight together before it goes to purse bids.
Warren wrote of Klitschko;
“As long as I have the motivation and health, I’ll do it. I don’t feel old, or bad, or slow.” said the confident champion. At the last press conference prior to his fight with Jennings, Wladimir acted out of character and did some brash talking giving the media and fans a little more food for comments. Ever the gentleman, he never talks trash and he found some balance in dismissing the up comers but paying his respect to the legends form the past, saying: “I am still looking up to those guys.
Both fighters conducted themselves with confidence, class and respect, something, which has typified the build up to a fight that has accepted its position as the entrée to the biggest event in boxing history.
This class cannot be extended to the continued delusion of gate crasher Shannon Briggs, who ludicrously turned up at the proceedings as incoherent and as annoying as ever.
ALI vs. SANTANA is presented by K2 Promotions in association with Gary Shaw Productions and Golden Boy Promotions.
Tickets priced at $1000, $600, $300, $200 and $100 may be purchased through the Madison Square Garden Box Office, www.TheGarden.com and www.Ticketmaster.com.
Wladimir Klitschko: Good afternoon, everybody.
Q. When you’re at the stage of Bryant Jennings now where you’re climbing, where you weren’t yet the champion, what did life change after you became the heavyweight champion of the world? Also, fighting again in the United States and bringing the belt back here?
A. The first question was how did it feel when I became champion?
Q. How did it change your life?
There’s one more big fight to get excited about before May 2nd, and like last weeks Crawford and Matthysse fights, it’s in danger of being a little overshadowed by this generations “big one”
Dominant lineal heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (63-3, 53ko) returns to America to face relative novice Bryant Jennings (19-0, 10ko) at the world famous Madison Square Garden on Saturday, and in the opinion of this writer, “By-By” needs a miracle bigger than turning water into wine if he is to be victorious.