WBA Boxing

The 39-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez won’t be able to keep pace with Manny Pacquiao’s steady barrage of punches when they face off December 8 in the all-too-familiar MGM Grand.

As boxing begins to fade into the twilight as MMA takes center stage, the stars of the past have aged and won’t be able to resurrect the dying sport.

Marquez has yet to beat Pacquiao in three fights, drawing one and losing two, all three going the distance.

This time around, the 39-year-old is going to have a tough time defending the agile, and much younger, Manny Pacquiao.

The 33-year-old Pacquiao has won the majority of his last 16 matches, but faced a controversial loss against the rising young American star Timothy Bradley. Pacquiao was apparently defeated by Bradley in what seemed like an obvious Pacquiao victory.

Pacquiao won’t need any help from the judges against Marquez, who is 7-3 in his last 10 matches dating back to ’07.

This fight is going to come down to conditioning, an element that Pacquiao has the clear advantage in.

While Marquez is an excellent fighter, it’s no secret who’s been the better, more conditioned athlete over the last few years.

Also, you need to take into account the quality of fighters each has fought over the last few matches.

Marquez’s last four fights came against the 31-year-old Ukrainian Serhiy Fedchenko, Pacquiao, Likar Ramos and Michael Katsidis, who’s only won one match in his last five bouts.

Pacquiao has had success over some of the greatest fighters in the world in his last four bouts, beating (technically) Timothy Bradley, Marquez, “Sugar” Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito.

This fight is extremely significant for the boxing world. While we’re beginning to accept the fact that we’ll never see a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, boxing needs an epic fight from these two men to save the sport.

Thailand's Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym will face Cuba's Guillermo Rigondeaux on December 15 in a super bantamweight world title bout that is guaranteed to thrill and excite. While these two names might not be as mainstream as Marquez and Pacquiao, the talent and excitement level are in the same realm.

The only marked difference will be in the hype and promotion selling the fight, but the action inside the ring might just be better. They will test one another in Houston on the same card as Donaire vs. Arce, which also promises to be epic.

Kratingdaenggym has an impressive record of 48-2 with 33 knockouts and has mostly fought in his native Thailand.

He is fast, ferocious and fearless.

He has been a stalwart pound-for-pound leader over the past several years in the super bantamweight division. This co-main event showdown on HBO will be his biggest chance ever to showcase his skills and set up a massive showdown with the winner of Donaire vs. Arce.

The Thai fighter has worn the WBA strap and has far more pro experience than Rigondeaux. However, in his WBA world title loss to Japanese fighter Ryol Li Lee, he was made to look clumsy.

This could be an even bigger problem against the WBA's current 122-pound champ, Rigondeaux. The 2000 and 2004 Olympic gold medalist is a technically sound boxer with impeccable skills. He will prove a difficult challenge for the Thai brawler.

Guillermo Rigondeaux is among the list of rising names (joining Keith Thurman, Adrien Broner, Gary Russell Jr. and fellow Cuban and friend, Yuriorkis Gamboa) to take over the reins as the elite of boxing.

He is 32 years old, which means his time to arrive is now. This fight and a superfight with either Donaire or Arce will segue perfectly into mainstream stardom for him. A pro record of 11-0 and 8 knockouts does not represent his boxing pedigree. His profound talent is best voiced by his exhausting list of amateur achievements.

In his last fight, he slowed his momentum by delivering a conservative display of his superior boxing skills, which was anticlimatic after his three prior bouts had produced electric knockout wins. Those performances lent to his name an air of excitement and curiosity. 

On the 15th of December, he will have a game opponent aggressively pressing the action with pride and legacy at stake. Kratingdaenggym's style will engender an opportunity for the Olympian to brand his vowel-saturated name upon the boxing world.

With so much on the line, expect the slick, promising Cuban to impress dramatically against a game Kratingdaenggym.

It might not be easy to say their names, but it is very easy to say that these two 122-pound stars will produce an amazing show. The lighter weights consistently produce more dramatic fights with a better expression of technique and skill—yet with a significant misrepresentation of fanfare—than their heavier colleagues.

Arce and Donaire are prime examples of what dynamite can explode in this weight class. All four of these combatants will treat the world to an exciting night of fights on December 15th. The event also builds drama for the superfight between the two winners.

The potential is there for a return to the Fab Four days (of Hagler, Hearns, Leonard and Duran), when the division's best fought one another in classic battles.

Former WBA and IBF light welterweight champion Amir Khan will take on American Carlos Molina in Los Angeles, California on December 15th. It will be Khan's first bout since his knockout loss to Danny Garcia in July, and also his first fight under new trainer Virgil Hunter.

In this press conference video from BoxingScene.com, a different Amir Khan stood at the podium. This Amir Khan was humble, there was no bravado, he spoke about the difficulties being a comeback fighter and spoke about new training regimes he is learning under Hunter.

Could it be that Hunter's methods are already paying off for Khan, who stated in the video that Hunter is teaching him to slow things down and think things through while he is fighting?

Khan's mellow, humble approach reminds me somewhat of another Hunter-trained fighter, Andre Ward, who while confident in his abilities is not over the top, in your face or brash with his comments.If this attitude is truly rubbing off on Khan, we could see a completely different fighter step into the ring against Molina.

The Khan of the past was always looking to put on a show. Supremely confident in his abilities as a boxer, he wanted to entertain the crowd and it ultimately came back to bite him.

Khan's willingness to entertain led to him eating huge punches from Marcos Maidana that came close to ending the fight and also brought about his most recent defeat at the hands of Garcia.

A calm, calculated approach to fighting could bring huge rewards to a boxer like Khan who has all the tools at his disposal but is often too headstrong for his own good.

Molina isn't a power puncher, but likes to pressure his opponents, throw punches and make them back up. Lamont Peterson caused Khan problems with that style in their recent bout, so it will be interesting to see if this level headed approach from Khan follows him to the ring.

After months of delay, Alexander Povetkin and Hasim Rahman will finally battle for the WBA heavyweight title on Saturday, September 29.

The bout was originally scheduled for July 14, but Rahman withdrew two weeks prior to the fight for medical reasons.

This battle pits two fighters with different experience levels against each other. Povetkin is 24-0 with 16 knockouts, but Rahman has been around much longer.

He's 50-7-2 with 41 knockouts. His power is apparent, but the rest is up in the air. The 39-year-old has struggled to win fights lately, showing his age on a frequent basis.

The fight is on. Rahman's ability to compete at this point is uncertain, but this is still a championship fight.

Let's check out where you can catch this heavyweight action.

Where: Hamburg, Germany

When: Saturday, September 29, at 5 p.m. ET

Live Stream: EpixHD.com

Povetkin's Key to Victory: Stay Focused

It's important for Povetkin to maintain his focus against a more experienced challenger. This is his third title defense since taking it against Ruslan Chagaev last year, but he's never faced a fighter with Rahman's elite experience.

The Russian hasn't fought the fighters than Rahman has fought. He must stay focused and make sure Rahman doesn't use his experience to win this fight.

Povetkin is a powerful fighter, but power can be neutralized by craftiness.

Rahman's Key to Victory: Fight Like There's No Tomorrow

In Rahman's case, there may not be. He's 39 years old, and he hasn't beaten anyone notable recently. His last notable fight came against Wladimir Klitschko, and he lost. Before that it was James Toney, and that wound up as no-contest.

Rahman has to fight like he's fighting an elite fighter, and he has treat this fight like it's his last shot.

His whole career has been the same story. He's notorious for beating up on lesser opponents, but he struggles to beat fighters who are better than he is.

He must find the will power necessary to claim the crown Saturday evening.

Prediction

I think Rahman has one big fight left in his tank. He's old, and his body has taken a beating over the years, but he's a powerful puncher.

Look for his experience to shine through over Povetkin's title run. Povetkin doesn't bring a lot of pop for a heavyweight, and Rahman will overpower him. Rahman must avoid getting worn out, but he will be fine if he paces himself in the early rounds.

Rahman hasn't looked strong in recent fights, but he knows this is probably his last shot at a belt. That will provide some momentum.

While he doesn't have a good track record against quality opponents, Rahman is talented enough to pull off the upset in Hamburg.

In the wake of his shocking knockout loss to Danny Garcia in July, it was no surprise that Amir Khan would be in the market for a new trainer.

His then trainer, International Boxing Hall of Famer Freddie Roach, was unable to commit full time to Khan as his stable of fighters also includes Manny Pacquiao and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. 

Khan made the split official last week when he announced he would return to the ring in December and would be seeking a new trainer to help him with his obvious defensive liabilities. 

In short, he gets hit too often, and has a propensity to get knocked out in spectacular fashion. 

Enter Khan's new trainer Virgil Hunter, who was announced this morning, the man who will be tasked at turning around a once promising career that has been shockingly derailed in its last two fights. 

Hunter, who currently trains WBC and WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward, is known as a defensive-minded trainer. 

His stock has certainly risen of late, in light of Ward's dominant technical knockout victory over light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson last week in Oakland.

But will this be enough to bring the British fighter, who was a rising star before losing his last two fights, back to the top of his game?

Amir Khan is an action fighter. And make no mistake about it, he's no slouch.  He does hold some solid victories including those against Andreas Kotelnik, current welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi, Marcos Maidana and Zab Judah. 

His problem is he too often is willing to unload punches, with no care in the world about his defense or leaving himself vulnerable to incoming coming back his way.

That was exactly what happened when he faced Danny Garcia in July. Khan, looking for a spectacular performance after losing a controversial decision to Lamont Peterson in December, threw caution to the wind. 

And when you throw caution to the wind, and have a suspect chin, what happens is you sometimes get caught. And when you get caught, you sometimes get knocked out. 

The task for Virgil Hunter will be to make Amir Khan into a more defensive minded fighter, while retaining the tools that make him dangerous in the ring. It's going to be a huge stylistic challenge for Hunter.

This will be Khan's fifth trainer in his short career, something that can be described as troubling. 

It's hard to drastically change a fighter. And defense is something that is innate. It's mostly instinct. Yes, it can be taught. But for many fighters you either have it, or you don't. 

The best analogy for this situation that a boxing fan would readily identify is probably Arturo Gatti. 

For much of his career Gatti was boxing's ultimate blood-and-guts warrior. Willing to take 10 punches to land one of his own and leaving every fight, win, lose or draw, bloody and swollen. 

Gatti, with his career basically on the skids, brought in former fighter James "Buddy" McGirt to train him. McGirt focused on turning the brawler into a boxer and had a great deal of success.

Gatti was always the same blood and guts fighter. But now he was smarter in the ring and this allowed him to prolong his career. 

Now will this happen when Amir Khan teams up with Virgil Hunter? It's hard to say at this stage. Khan certainly has the natural talent and charisma to be a boxing star. 

If he listens to Hunter and commits to defense-first, he may prolong his career but will he be as exciting in the ring?  

Either way, former trainer Freddie Roach has some free advice for Hunter.

"I like Amir but they should keep him away from punchers," Roach told the Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail over the weekend.

If you are only as good as your last fight, then there's nothing special about Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2).

The last time he got in the ring, he fought an unimpressive bout against undefeated Timothy Bradley. Not that Bradley dominated him or won the fight, but Pacquiao didn't really assert himself in the ring and merely looked like he was going along for the ride, content to take an uninspired decision.

It didn't turn out that way.

Even though Pacquiao appeared to win 10 of 12 rounds, the decision was taken from him by judging that was questionable at best and indefensible at worst (source: SBNation.com).

As far as Pacquiao's legacy is concerned, the Bradley fight will largely be forgotten and won't matter in the long run.

Pacquiao will be remembered as a hard-working and skilled champion who fought many of the best fighters of his era and almost always came out on top. When it comes to staying busy in the ring and throwing hard and accurate punches, few can match the left-handed Pacquiao.

He has fought many excellent fighters, including Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. He also has defeated world-class fighters including Oscar De La Hoya and Sugar Shane Mosley.

The wins over De La Hoya and Mosley helped build Pacquiao's reputation more than any other of his fights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UlF1GHzWNk

That's enough to get Pacquiao in the discussion with the best lightweight, featherweight and welterweight fighters of all-time.

Yes, his name will be discussed with the greatest fighters, but it's not likely that 20 years from now anyone will pound their fists against the table and declare Pacquiao to be among the best.

Could he get in the ring with the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns? Sure, but would he have beaten any of them by knockout or a decision? Hardly likely.

In a discussion with BoxingScene.com, Leonard tended to be respectful of Pacquiao's ability, but stopped short of saying he could have beaten Robinson, Duran or himself.

However, Pacquiao still has a chance to step up his reputation further. If he were to get the long-discussed, much-anticipated but yet to be realized fight with Floyd Mayweather, Pacquiao would have a chance to be taken far more seriously.

Mayweather is generally considered to be the best fighter of his era. When it comes to speed, defense, skill, style and punching power, Mayweather appears to be without peer.

He does rank with the great champions mentioned above.

He has been working at his craft since his early childhood, but he too lacks the great opponent that often helps top fighters make their reputations.

Will Mayweather ever give Pacquiao the fight that would enhance both their reputations? It seems that if it was going to happen it would have already been signed, sealed and delivered.

It's not completely out of the picture, but it's probably more likely not to happen.

That would be too bad. It's the one potential event that would deliver boxing to the front page of every newspaper and website in North America.

It's the fight that would help Pacquiao grow his reputation from top-level fighter of his era to a potential all-time great.

Of course, he would need to beat Mayweather for that to happen and he would clearly be a decided underdog.

But with the speed of Pacquiao's hands and his courage in the ring, he would have a solid chance to earn a spot with the all-time greats.

Last night I went to the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY to watch the American debut of WBA world middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21 KOs) of Kazakhstan. By the time I started my long drive home in the early morning hours, I felt as if I had just been witness to an historic event.

In the long view of boxing history, that could end up sounding like hyperbole. But watching one elite fighter completely dismantle another elite fighter can sometimes provoke that sort of response. 

And I'm willing to bet it won't sound like hyperbole at all. 

Grzegorz Proksa (28-2, 21 KOs) of Poland is a quick and athletic fighter with good power and an awkward southpaw style. The Ring had him ranked No. 9 in the world at 160 going into last night's action, just one spot behind Golovkin.

He is nobody's idea of a pushover. But last night, Golovkin made him look like one. 

Golovkin is a stalking slugger, a banger with great footwork who patiently walks his opponent down. For much of the first round, it looked like Proksa's elusive style might present some problems. But near the end of the round, Golovkin showed the first flashes of his highly touted power, dropping Proksa hard with a single punch.

Proksa appeared to recover very well and went back to his game plan in Round 2. I want to be clear: Proksa looked like a world-class talent last night. He countered well at times, catching Golovkin with the type of power shots that I have seen him use to rock other world-class talents. 

But Golovkin walked through them, patiently and accurately landing punishing blows. Even his jabs landed with thudding impact, moving Proksa's head with the kind of violence that will take away a boxer's balance and bearings. 

In the third, Golovkin began to find Proksa's body. He trapped the two-time European champion against the ropes and doubled up to Proksa's ribs with vicious hooks. In Round 4, he again brutalized Proksa's body against the ropes, then moved back and floored the Pole when he shifted his attack upstairs. 

For the second time in four rounds, Proksa was on the canvas. This time I thought he was finished, but he somehow made it to his feet and showed a true warrior's heart to gut out the round. 

From the opening bell of the fifth, it was clear Golovkin was looking to wrap things up for the night. He floored Proksa again, and this time Proksa landed face down.

He valiantly made it back to his feet but was still wobbly, clearly unable to intelligently defend himself. Referee Charlie Fitch made the only responsible decision possible, waving the fight off and calling a halt 1:11 into the round. 

Afterwards, a triumphant Golovkin met with the press, flanked by trainer Abel Sanchez and promoter Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. 

Loeffler revealed that he had already started talks with HBO for broadcast rights for Golovkin's next fight. The goal is to have Golovkin fight again before the end of the year. 

"It's very important that he stays busy now," Sanchez elaborated, pointing out that Golovkin was 30 and in the heart of his physical prime. 

Earlier in the day, Daniel Geale of Australia had beaten Felix Sturm by split decision, capturing the WBA "super" world middleweight title to go along with his own IBF belt. He was among the first names raised during the press conference. 

In my own opinion—and I believe a lot of boxing writers would agree with me—the WBA "super" title was only ever even invented to deal with the impasse caused by the fact that Sturm didn't want to risk a fight with Golovkin.

Loeffler confirmed that the WBA had issued a resolution that the winners of Proksa-Golovkin and Sturm-Geale would have 20 days to negotiate a mandatory unification fight. Considering Geale's IBF strap (and Golovkin's IBO, for what it's worth) would also be up for grabs, it would make for a pretty sweet pot.

The other obvious possibility that was quickly asked about was the winner of Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., scheduled for HBO pay-per-view on September 15. Martinez is already viewed by most fans and writers as the true middleweight world champion. He holds The Ring belt and ranks in most people's pound-for-pound top five. 

Team Golovkin left no doubts that they would welcome a bout with the winner. When asked directly who he would like to see his fighter take on next, Sanchez was blunt: "Winner of Martinez-Chavez. And then we go after unification bouts."

Sanchez confirmed that Proksa had been viewed as an attractive opponent due to the fact that he has a somewhat similar style to Martinez. 

But the clearest message of the press conference was that K2 plans to keep Golovkin busy against the best possible opponents they can find. In his post-fight interview with HBO's Max Kellerman, Golovkin stated he was willing to fight anybody in the world, from 154 to 168 pounds.

I asked for some clarification on this bold statement at the press conference. Loeffler said, "We feel that Gennady is strongest at 160. But he can make 154 easily and we think he has the power to compete with anybody at 168."

The possibilities for Golovkin truly become intriguing when you factor in this claim. Middleweight is already deep with talent. But if you throw junior and super middleweight into the equation, things really open up wide.

Golovkin could go up and challenge the winner of Andre Ward and Chad Dawson. A fight with the very popular and always game Carl Froch would be a fan-pleaser for sure.

At the same time, Golovkin could be a future opponent for Saul Alvarez or Miguel Cotto at 154. And if Golovkin is willing to go to 154 (from seeing him up close, I believe he could easily make it) that means just one thing.

Gennady Golovkin has to be viewed as an emerging player in the Floyd Mayweather sweepstakes.

Golovkin has committed to training in the United States now, at Big Bear with Sanchez. He is quickly learning English, and in his post-fight interview with Kellerman and his press conference, he came across as a very marketable fighter.

He has a natural, unforced smile. He is too confident to qualify as humble, but there's not an ounce of boast or brag in him. Both he and his promoter Loeffler spoke about other fighters in respectful language. 

They simply believe he is the best. And they are hungry to make sure the entire world finds out as soon as possible. 

Briggs Seekins is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

Gennady Golovkin will take on challenger Grzegorz Proksa on Saturday, September 1, for the WBA Middleweight championship.

Golovkin, 30, the undefeated champion from Kazakhstan, has never fought in the United States and is looking to make an impression on the market to help boost his stock for future bookings and pay days.

Mitch Abramson of New York Daily News speculates that Golovkin, with a win, could see himself facing the winner of the WBC Middleweight championship fight on September 15, between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Tom Loeffler (via Abramson), Golovkin’s promoter, thinks the upcoming battle with Proksa is the fight the champ needs to propel him to the next level.

He has such a tremendous amateur career. Unfortunately, in the pros, he hasn’t fought a big name yet, and that’s what we’re looking to do now with Proksa, who’s a European champion with his debut on HBO. The goal is to make him a known commodity over here.

Both boxers bring power and the ability to end a fight in a moment’s notice to the ring Saturday night on HBO.

Golovkin is 23-0 with 20 knockouts while Proksa is 28-1 with 21 KO’s of his own.

The tale of the tape, though, lies in the pedigree and amateur experience of Golovkin. He is an incredible striker that uses nifty combinations and counterattacks to keep opponents on their toes and weary of landing their own strikes.

In addition to his undefeated record and impressive knockout margin, the Kazakhstani fighter was also a boxing silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games and World Championship winner in 2003.

As a professional, he’s dominated all opposition and hasn’t truly been tested to this point. With the spotlight on him under the bright lights of Las Vegas, he has everything to fight for in this one.

Consider this Golovkin’s “arrival” bout in the biggest boxing city in the world.

He's going to execute it to perfection by dropping the talented Proksa with a knockout blow, but he's going to take some punishment in return.

Proksa isn't exactly going to lay down at the challenge of taking on the champion. The south paw’s lone loss came in a highly contested decision to Kerry Hope of the United Kingdom. To clear the air about that one, he left no doubt and knocked out Hope in their rematch last month.

This is a make or break fight for both of these fierce strikers and will go down as the best slugfest of the night. It’s the biggest draw of the night in what looks to be a promising Saturday night of boxing on HBO.

Mike Hoag is a Trends and Traffic writer for Bleacher Report and also covers the Cleveland Browns and the NFL for the site. Follow him on Twitter @BigHoagowski.

Just like Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Amir Khan claims he, and only he, is his own boss, and Khan intends on making Khan Promotions yet another driving force in boxing promotions and management.

In a recent interview with BoxingScene, Khan cockily stated the following:

The fighter has to also remember the he’s the boss, what he says goes. Never feel threatened by the manager saying this or that. You can go out and get any manager you want to. Never be under the thumb or think you work for the manager or promoter, they work for you – don’t let anyone pull you down or control you. I’ve kept my family around me and people I trust. You need someone who will be there for you and maximize your potential. I have made a lot of money. I am only 25 and I don’t think any 25-year-old has made what I’ve made, but that’s because I’ve been managed right and am the boss.

Khan is certainly very confident, but unfortunately, is too cocky and inexperienced to be anyone’s boss, let alone his own. How can a young fighter like Khan, having reached such impressive feats in boxing, believe that he has done all this due to his own abilities to manage and make important decisions?

He states that he has made a lot of money and that no one else at that age has ever achieved such heights. This was a very uneducated and false proclamation by Khan, and as I have stated numerous times before, Amir needs to talk much less, as he is digging a hole too deep to climb out of if things will turn sour.

Being your own boss requires intricate knowledge of all aspects of boxing management, including financial complexity, contracts, optimal decisions at a given time and the best possible way to market your client or yourself. Thus far, the only self-marketing Khan has done was all self-damaging, and his almost made decision to leave Roach is even more absurd.

When we talk about some of the things that a boxing champion must possess, mental/psychological health is always at the top of the list. Looking at Amir Khan, I guess now we know what happens to a boxing champion that simply cannot handle a loss, yet is faced with such a task. 

In the wake of the firestorm of criticism received by the sport of boxing after Timothy Bradley's highly disputed decision win over Manny Pacquiao in June, the World Boxing Association is seeking to stop this from happening in the future.

According to a report from Gabriel F. Cordero of Fightnews.com, the WBA will seek to modify the existing scoring system that governs boxing. Under the current "10-point must" system the fighter who is judged to win a round gains ten points, while the loser receives 9. This system is also subject to point deductions and knockdowns.

With many close and controversial rounds, the WBA no longer feels this system is sufficient for judging close fights. Under their new proposal, a fighter would receive a 10-9 advantage if he clearly wins a round. If the round is close, it would be scored 10-9.5.  

This is in an effort to reduce controversy in scoring that has been made all too apparent by a rash of bad decisions this year including Pacquiao-Bradley and also Brandon Rios stunning decision win over Richard Abril.

According to the report, the WBA currently employs the half point system in its Fedlatin and Fedebol regions. It was used for the first time in a WBA-sanctioned light flyweight interim world title fight between Alberto Rossell and Karluis Diaz. Rossel won the fight by unanimous decision and scores of 117.5-113.5, and 117.5-111.5 twice.

The new system has been widely praised by WBA President Gilberto Mendoza, and is expected to be taken up by the organization's convention later this year in Jakarta, Indonesia.