Posts tagged News
Indian Boxer Vijender Singh Questioned In Drug Bust
Vijender Singh photo by Reuters
by Gautham Nagesh
India is a country so starved for athletic success, chess players sometimes dominate the sports page. Outside of cricket, India has barely any modern sporting tradition to speak of. The formerly formidable field hockey team is now toothless; the best Indian tennis players are typically specialists in doubles.
Into that vacuum stepped middleweight boxer Vijender Singh, who took the country by storm at the 2008 Olympics. Singh’s bronze medal in Beijing was the country’s first in boxing, and one of the few it has won in any sport recently. Afterward Singh became a national icon, landing lucrative endorsement deals and a cushy job in the police department, which like the Indian Army and rail industry, is a traditional employer of Indian athletes. Singh returned to the Olympics in London last summer, where he won a controversial decision over American Terrell Gausha before succumbing in the quarterfinals.
How far Beijing must seem now to Singh, who is currently the subject of numerous headlines thanks to his suspected involvement in a drug investigation currently underway in Punjab. Indian press reports generally tend to be imprecise if not outright unreliable, but they seem in agreement on one fact: a car registered to Singh’s wife was found outside a home where police found 26 kg of heroin. From IBT:
NYT: Fox Planning To Challenge ESPN, Again
On Tuesday, Fox will announce its intention to start Fox Sports 1, an all-sports network, in August.
The channel will carry Nascar races, Major League Baseball games, college basketball and football, soccer and U.F.C. fights. It will also broadcast studio shows, including one that is to be hosted by Regis Philbin, a celebrated Notre Dame fan.
Murdoch’s effort is a long shot to topple ESPN, or at least take a huge bite out of it.
ESPN brings in more than $6 billion annually from its industry-high subscriber fees. It owns the rights to televise Major League Baseball, the N.F.L., the N.B.A., Nascar, tennis, myriad collegiate conferences, the Bowl Championship Series and its new playoffs, and a raft of other sports. Both ESPN and ESPN2 have 98.5 million subscribers.
We’d be a lot more excited about this if Fox didn’t have to plug Regis Philbin so early in the piece. If Rupert Murdoch and Co. think an edgier version of NBC Sports Network is going to topple the Worldwide Leader, they’ve got another thing coming. Now that ESPN has mastered the cross-promotional magic first patented by Disney, they’re nearly unstoppable. Only Congress or the courts could potentially halt their dominance of the cable sports market.
The most notable aspect of all this for us is the possibility of more UFC on basic cable. Fox will have every reason to promote the sport, sinceMMA is one of the few weak spots in ESPN’s sports lineup. That could mean more fights on Fox network and better cards on the new cable channel, which in turn could thin out some of the weaker Pay Per View shows.
As we’ve seen with NBC Sports Network and boxing, any time another network gets into the fight game, the end result is good for fans. Fox isn’t a new entrant to the UFC, but their new channel will be desperate to brand itself more relevant than the increasingly middle-aged ESPN, which is personified by the pseudo-intellectual ramblings of dorky white everyman Bill SImmons. What better way to establish a new tone than to embrace the UFC and Dana White.
Preview: Lamont Peterson vs Kendall Holt At D.C. Armory
Photos by Anna John for StiffJab.com
by Gautham Nagesh
It has been a long time since we’ve seen that smile from D.C. junior welterweight Lamont Peterson (right).Since his last fight, a career-defining win over Amir Khan in December 2011, Peterson has been forced to defend himself against allegations of PED use. He has spent over a year of his prime on the shelf, and has watched his name disappear from the rankings due to inactivity.
On Friday night, Peterson will return to the ring looking to re-establish himself as one of the top fighters in the world at 140 lbs. Peterson hopes to duplicate his previous appearance on ESPN, where he dominated lesser opposition to earn the Khan fight. A win over Kendall Holt at D.C. Armory would put Peterson back in the top-5, setting up a premium cable showdown with one of his Golden Boy stablemates. A loss would be a setback that might take years to overcome.
Floyd Mayweather Signs 6-Fight Deal With Showtime, Will Fight Robert Guerrero May 4th
Photos via Mayweather Promotions
by Gautham Nagesh
The world of televised boxing was upended Tuesday morning with the news pound-for-pound champ Floyd Mayweather has signed a six-fight deal with Showtime and parent company CBS. The first fight will pit Mayweather against welterweight contender Robert Guerrero on May 4th.
According to the release, the deal is “a unique revenue-sharing arrangement between Showtime PPV and Mayweather” that will enable Floyd to fight up to six times over a period of 30 months. The release declines to give specific financial details, but claims the deal “is by far the biggest in the sport of boxing.
“At this record-setting PPV performance level, if all six fights contemplated by this deal occur, it will be the richest individual athlete deal in all of sports,” states the release.
R.I.P. Omar Henry 1987-2013
by Gautham Nagesh
Junior middleweight prospect Omar Henry passed away Friday in Chicago from gall bladder cancer. He was 25.
Born in Chicago and raised in Houston, Henry was a decorated amateur with a promising future in the 154-lb weight class. Henry boasted a record of 12-0-1 with 9 KOs and was slated to be the headliner on ShoBox last November, when his illness was first discovered. He posted a message to his Facebook account on January 9th expressing his hope that he would live to see his 26th birthday on February 8th.
“To all my friends and loyal fans I want to inform you all that I am fighting the fight of my life against a disease known as gallbladder cancer,” Henry posted to Facebook on Sunday. “While I’m in this current state I am fighting with my family by my side and I will not go down for the count.”
NYT: 'Rocky' Musical May Come to Broadway
“A stage musical based on the 1976 movie “Rocky” has proved a hit in Hamburg, Germany. Now its producers hope to bring it to Broadway.” (read more)
Hector Camacho Shot, in Critical Condition
By Anna John
Three-division world champion Hector “Macho” Camacho was shot in the face tonight in a drive-by shooting in his hometown of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, where he is in critical condition. The 50-year-old Camacho was hit when a gunman opened fired on a Ford Mustang the boxer was sitting in with a friend; unfortunately, Camacho’s companion, the driver of the car, did not survive. One suspect is in custody.
As is common in such situations, confusion ensued on Twitter when Carlos Suarez Jr. of BoricuaBoxing tweeted the following information two hours ago:
BREAKING NEWS: I have confirmation that HECTOR “Macho” CAMACHO has indeed passed away from gun shot wounds suffered earlier… R.I.P. #MACHO
Suarez Jr. updated his feed an hour ago:
BREAKING NEWS: Hector “Macho” Camacho is ALIVE and fighting for his life!
Suarez Jr. added that he was in direct contact with Camacho’s family members at Centro Medico, the trauma center in San Juan where the boxer was being treated for his injuries.
Strikeforce is going away. Thank God.
Ronda Rousey photo by Tom Casino for Showtime
by Dr. Octagon, J.D.
Strikeforce has finally packed it in and Ronda Rousey is now an employee of the UFC.
While the UFC could use some competition to help boost fighter purses, in practice, Strikeforce was a poorly-run mess. I predicted that it would be dissolved prior to the ill-fated heavyweight Grand Prix that saw Fedor lose quickly and Overeem withdraw. Daniel Cormier, who got to jump in midway through as an alternate, defeated Josh Barnett in the finals.
Strikeforce definitely had its moments, put on some great cards and was the only place you could see females fight (which most recently resulted in the rise of Ronda Rousey’s always entertaining first round armbreaking). However, it was equally maddening to watch the few top fighters they have waste the prime of their careers against less than distinguished fighters. Gilbert Melendez in particular springs to mind as a guy that hasn’t had any quality competition as far back as I can remember.
The House That Barry Hunter Built: New Headbangers Boxing Gym Opens In Ward 8
by Gautham Nagesh
WASHINGTON, D.C.—It started almost 20 years ago in a storage room at Lincoln Multicultural Middle School in Northwest Washington. A friend told Barry Hunter the school had set aside a small space for boxing. Hunter, a carpenter by trade, agreed to pitch in, dug out his old equipment, and headed over to share his lifelong passion: the Sweet Science.
“I didn’t go to stay, I went to help a little bit.” said an emotional Hunter on Thursday at Bald Eagle Recreation Center in Ward 8. But once he met the kids and saw their need, he couldn’t walk away.
“The ride I got on, I couldn’t get off.”
So Hunter stayed to teach the kids boxing, and more than anything, to show them that someone cared. There have been plenty of ups and downs since, from training world champions and amateur stars, to skipping a national tournament and using the funds raised to pay for a kid’s funeral.
But few days could be better than today, when the District of Columbia finally repaid Barry Hunter by opening the new Dr. Arnold McKnight Boxing Annex. The magnificent 6,600-sq. ft. facility is attached to the Bald Eagle Rec Center, one of the original homes of Hunter’s acclaimed Headbangers Boxing Program, which has produced 100 national amateur championships, two professional world titlists, and saved countless young men and women from the wrong path.
Bernard Hopkins: ‘I Am A Car Fanatic’
by Gautham Nagesh
Speed and violence are inextricably linked in the American mind. This is, after all, the country of NASCAR, not Formula 1.
So it’s no surprise that like yours truly, former middleweight and light heavyweight world champion Bernard Hopkins is a big fan of classic cars. Hopkins was in the crowd at Friday’s Mecum Classic Car auction in St. Charles, Ill. and took a moment to speak with the folks at Velocity about his other passion.
“I’ve been a car guy since a teenager,” said Hopkins, who was thrilled to be at his first live car auction.
Hopkins, who said he’s a Chevy guy, picked up at least one vehicle and was on the hunt from more. Having won the light heavyweight title just short of 50 years old, Hopkins is definitely entitled to enjoy the fruits of his Spartan lifestyle. He also had a ’60s Lincoln Continental with suicide doors restored three years ago.
“Most men can relate to the good disease that we have,” Hopkins. “It’s great being here. it’s jam-packed like a boxing match.”
Hopkins closed by noting the Chicagoland auction was his first, “but it definitely won’t be my last.”
Two-on-Two MMA Fights Coming To Arizona
Photo of future Frankie Edgar opponent, property of StiffJab.com
by Dr. Octagon, J.D.
Just when we feared MMA was losing its legitimacy as a sport due to uncompetitive matchups designed solely for television ratings, MMAJunkie is reporting there will be two on two fighting at the Paradise Casino in Yuma, Arizona. Obviously, this completely redeems everything.
So how is this going to work? Well, for starters the weight classes are determined by adding the weights of the two together. So you could get a dwarf and a heavyweight against two middleweights or somethings similar. If there’s a knockout, they take a break and then the guy left standing has to fight both the other fighters. And to think I was complaining about Chael Sonnen versus Jon “Bones” Jones being a lopsided contest.
Boxer Orlando Cruz: ‘I am a Proud Gay Man’
by Anna John
Featherweight contender Orlando Cruz is gay.
I wrote a different, more traditional introduction to this post, but why bury the lede?
Yesterday, BoxingScene published a statement from the former Olympian from San Juan, Puerto Rico, who decided to reveal this aspect of his life in part to inspire children who are the victims of bullying.
“I’ve been fighting for more than 24 years and as I continue my ascendant career, I want to be true to myself. I want to try to be the best role model I can be for kids who might look into boxing as a sport and a professional career. I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican. I have always been and always will be a proud gay man.”
Stiff Jab Hits The Washington Post
Photos by Bea Hundal
Our humble Tumblr continues to spread its reach: Our esteemed editor was recently commissioned by the The Root DC to follow local lightweight Ty Barnett as he prepared for his biggest test against unbeaten Filipino prospect Mercito Gesta on Friday Night Fights in Las Vegas. Barnett fell short, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check out Gautham’s profile of him, which ran in Friday’s edition of The Washington Post.
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Our esteemed editor Gautham Nagesh stopped by NPR’s “Tell Me More” this morning to discuss the Paquiao-Bradley fight, Kevin Durant vs LeBron James, and the Jerry Sandusky trial with host Michel Martin, Jimi Izrael and the other folks in the Barbershop.
Opening Bell: What’s Next For Manny Pacquiao?
by Gautham Nagesh
WASHINGTON—The fallout from welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao’s controversial loss to Tim Bradley last weekend has continued to build in recent days, with the WBO announcing it will review the fight and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum requesting a formal inquiry by the Nevada State Attorney General’s office. Of course, the combined result of those actions will be exactly nothing, a fact Arum is no doubt aware of as a former Justice Department prosecutor.
But here in the world of people with the power to actually do things, there has been renewed talk of the need for a national boxing commission to oversee the sport on the federal level. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who as you can see from the photo above is no stranger to Pacquiao (or the sport, as a former amateur boxer, judge and Nevada state official), and recently said he might join fellow fight fan Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and renew his push to implement national standards for the sport. Many in boxing would welcome the effort, which stalled during previous attempts in the 1990s and capped out with the passage of the toothless Muhammad Ali Reform Act of 2000.
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