The Ghost Saves Boxing

03/10/201503/08/2015 Daniel M Webster

Tonight professional boxing ended its prime time network television drought with the inaugural installment of the so called “Premier Boxing Champions” series. The return of boxing to network television seems to have taken center stage, even to the point of eclipsing the fights and the fighters themselves. While I am not one of those who believe that the future of boxing hinges on the success or failure of this foray into primetime, it’s clear that a lot was riding on tonight’s fight card. To that end we have to thank Robert Guerrero, who took what was shaping up to be a pair of mismatches, and gave the crowd someone to cheer for. In the lead in bout on the telecast, Adrien Broner used a snappy punishing jab to keep an inactive John Molina at bay, cruising to an uneventful 12 round decision. The crowd did not appreciate the lack of action, and at first blush it is easy to cast the blame in the direction of Adrien “The Problem” Broner. However, in light of the punishment that he sustained against Marcos Maidana, it would have been unrealistic to expect Adrien to take any greater risks than he had to in order to secure the victory. He even said as much in his post-fight interview, which was cut short when he started into his racially insensitive “Can Man” routine (which I personally find amusing).

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Thurman defeats Guerrero; Broner decisions Molina

03/10/201503/07/2015 Jeff Sorby

WBA 147lb champion Keith Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs) gave Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (32-3-1, 18 KOs) a methodical beating in winning a 12 round unanimous decision tonight in their fight on NBC in the Premier Boxing Champion series at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The judges scored the fight 120-107, 118-109 and 118-108. Guerrero was cut over his left eye and knocked down in the 9th round after getting tagged hard by a left hand from Thurman.

In the 3rd, Thurman and Guerrero rammed heads with each other, leaving Thurman was a big goose egg on the left side of his forehead.

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“PBC” on NBC: Spotlight Shines On Keith Thurman & Adrien Broner

03/10/201503/07/2015 Vivek Wallace

Tonight, for the first time in nearly 30 years, Boxing will return to non-subscription based television as NBC is set to air the “Premiere Boxing Champions” series. During its well documented absence, those in and around the sport have pushed for this effort. What was once a wish is now a reality, and what that reality means for two men at the center of this spectacle could be very intriguing after the final bells.

Since their arrival to the sport, both Adrien “The Problem” Broner (29-1, 22KO’s) and Keith “One Time” Thurman (24-0, 21KO’s) have lived in the proverbial ‘under the radar but above the rim’ echelon of the sport. Heavy with the hands, yet light with sympathy for anyone standing across from them with plans to prevent their rise to the top. While very different in presentation, there is a lone common thread between these two talents. Both seem to embody that patented “it” factor, making them easy to love, yet equally easy to hate.

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Broner vs. Molina/Thurman vs. Guerrero: 4 Fighters 2 Crossroad Fights on NBC

03/07/201503/06/2015 Chris Carlson

Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions on NBC brings boxing back on free television with the winners likely to get a bump in terms of overall marketing reach and the potential viewership. All four fighters in the co-main events will face a crossroads in their respected careers. Two promising young boxers face two veteran fighters that have already been through the ringer a time or two.

Al Haymon will of course have a plan to feature the newly crowned Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder on NBC but the favorites for this Saturday night’s card are crucial to the success of the PBC on NBC as well. Adrien Broner being a full fledge named fighter in the sport and a young counterpunching knockout artist who remains unbeaten in 25 fights Keith Thurman.

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Seven days until the debut of Premier Boxing Champions

02/28/201502/28/2015 NBC Sports

In seven days, on Saturday, March, 7, boxing returns to primetime broadcast television with the debut of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC at 8:30 p.m. ET. The debut of PBC on NBC features a pair of blockbuster bouts — Keith Thurman vs. Robert Guerrero, and Adrien Broner vs. John Molina Jr. — from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Blow-by-blow announcer Marv Albert and analyst “Sugar” Ray Leonard call the action. Al Michaels will host. Laila Ali and B.J. Flores serve as corner analysts, joined by reporter Kenny Rice.

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Robert Guerrero on Thurman–‘If we go on the inside, he won’t be able to handle me.’

02/19/2015 James Sexton

Whilst talking to ThaBoxingVoice, former world champion Robert Guerrero discussed his upcoming bout with one of the upcoming stars of the sport – Keith Thuman. Guerrero discussed a bout he had with Andre Berto where both Berto and the public at large assumed the bigger, stronger Berto was going to walk through Guerrero and knock him out. Guerrero actually brutalised Berto in that fight. He knocked him down twice and bruised up his face severely. Berto managed to see the fight out to the twelfth, but if we were in the days of fifteen round fights it would have had to be stopped.

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Keith Thurman expects quick KO of Robert Guerrero

02/13/201502/12/2015 James Sexton

WBA welterweight champion Keith Thuman (24-0, 21 KOs) is looking to maintain his high KO percentage when he takes on former two division world champion Robert Guerrero (32-2-1, 18 KOs) in their upcoming bout on March 7th at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Currently Thurman has won in all of his 24 outings and has taken 21 opponents out within the scheduled distance. In his last fight Thurman went up against long time European champion Leonard Bundu who had not had a loss in 33 fights, but failed to get the stoppage that has come to be expected of him. If he does not stop Guerrero people will start to say that he cannot maintain the same level of offense when he is against world level competition.

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Guerrero Vs. Thurman, Broner Vs. Molina

01/14/2015 Selva Muthuchchamy

It`s official: Robert Guerrero will be facing Keith Thurman in the main event of the NBC Boxing premier set for March 7th. The undercard will feature Adrien Broner Vs. John Molina. Robert Guerrero has not fought since June of last year, where he earned a hard-fought victory over Yoshihiro Kamegai. Keith Thurman had an unimpressive win over Bundu but has kept himself more active than Guerrero. Thurman can punch and Guerrero can take a few to land his own. This should be a great fight and a big test for Thurman. We will see if Thurman’s power is too much for Guerrero or if he will he fold under Guerrero’s pressure.

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2014/2015 Reviews & Previews: Ward, Broner, Maidana, Marquez, Thurman, Danny Garcia, & Kell Brook

12/30/2014 Vivek Wallace

(Note: As part of a week long breakdown, boxing scribe Vivek “Vito” Wallace analyzes where today’s top fighters stand, and whether or not 2015 could be the year many of them fall. This week long analysis will cover over 30 fighters from around the world)

ANDRE WARD

Throughout Boxing history we’ve seen drugs, alcohol, crime, and a host of other demons strip precious time away from distracted talents which they could never get back. In the case of Andre Ward, 2014 proved that even for a focused “Son of God” the ills of the sport can be far too much of a cross to bear. For Ward, a stiff game of politics has been more of a test outside the ring than his incredible talent ever allowed inside of it.

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Khan vs. Alexander: East meets West at the crossroads

12/15/201412/12/2014 Chris Carlson

Contender crossroads is the theme heading into Saturday nights Showtime main event from the MGM Grand in the city that never sleeps Las Vegas. If Amir wins he will be in line for a huge fight. If Devon wins he saves a once promising career.

For the last two years the only thing that Amir Kahn talks about in interviews is Floyd Mayweather. That and how he’s made significant improvements to his tool belt as a boxer. If Amir Khan can be 75% as good as he thinks he is major fights will be on tap for 2015 and beyond.

Slowly but surely the tide is turning in Khan’s favor for landing Mayweather. There is a small swell of fans who think Khan is being ducked because of his skill set and speed. Meanwhile, his handlers have been carefully matching him after Danny Garcia stopped Khan in the summer of 2012.

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