Month: July 2018

 

Photos/Olga Ivashchenko — Team Braekhus

 

Kiev, Ukraine – Women’s #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and Boxing’s Only Undisputed World Champion, ‘The First Lady’, Cecilia Braekhus, (33-0, 9 KO’s), is spending her final week of training in Kiev, Ukraine ahead of her welterweight world title (WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO) defense against Undefeated WBC Interim Junior Middleweight Champion Inna ‘The Ice Queen’ Sagaydakovskya, (7-0-0, 3 KO’s), on Saturday, July 21 at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia.

Braekhus vs. Sagaydakovskya will be the 10-round chief support to the highly anticipated World Boxing Super Series Unification Final between cruiserweight world champions Murat Gassiev of Russia and Alexander Usyk of Ukraine. The event takes place just six days after the final of the World Cup in Moscow.

Braekus has trained in Kiev since the second week of June under the watchful eye of longtime trainer Johnathon Banks and has been joined by Women’s IBF Junior Middleweight World Champion Chris Namus, Women’s WBC Silver Middleweight Champion Hannah Rankin and junior middleweight contender Dominique Dolton for sparring.

“Training in Kiev at the Olympic facility here in Kiev has been fantastic,” said Braekhus. “It’s been a great training camp with terrific sparring and working with Johnathon has been very productive as always. We’ve also had some great friends visit while we’ve been here including Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Usyk.”

Said Banks, “Cecilia is in great shape, it’s been a very focused camp and she’s very well prepared for victory on July 21 in Moscow.”

Braekhus has held all of the sanctioning body world titles in the welterweight division since defeating Ivana Habazin in September 2014. On May 5, 2018, she made history becoming the first female fighter to appear on HBO in their 45-years of televising boxing. Her 10-round decision over Kali Reis from the iconic Stubhub Center in Carson, CA averaged an extraordinary 904,000 viewers in the live telecast on HBO.

Sagaydakovskya defeated Maria Lindberg on September 29, 2017 in Bilbao, Spain by ten-round decision to earn the vacant WBC Silver Women’s Super-Welterweight Title. In her next bout, she stopped Jennifer Retzke in the second round on December 30, 2017 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, winning the WBC Interim Women’s Super-Welterweight Title.

@realjosephadorno

In our opening bout, Super Featherweight Joseph Adorno from Allentown, PA. dropped Guadalupe De Leon from Mission,TX. in the 3rd. De Leon got up, got trapped in the corner, and the referee seen enough and waved it off.

Adorno, aka “Blessed Hands,” improves to 8-0, 8 KOs.

Photo credits: @4mikeywilliams

@trboxing @BobArum @ToddDuboef

@CarlMoretti @frankstea

@crystinaponcher @4mikeywilliams @mrgardyroots @BruceTrampler @jasonmtang @lavozdelbox

@espn @savemartcenter

@ivandychko

DYCHKO STOPS HARRIS

Hollywood, Florida – Two-time Olympic medalist Ivan Dychko of Hollywood, Florida, via Kazakhstan, moved his perfect record to 7-0 (7 KOs) with a one-punch demolition of once promising Maurice Harris 26-22-3 (11 KOs) of East Orange, New Jersey.

Dychko, who said he was hoping to learn something from the experienced Harris, landed a glancing right hook and Harris elected to look for a soft spot to land. Disappointed fans voice their disapproval of Harris’ non-effort. The time of the 10 count was 1:39.

Photo: @lsboxing

Report: @latinboxsports

@ziya_a_aliyev @elvis_c_boxing @theheavyweightfactory @hardrockholly

 New York, NY – DiBella Entertainment has signed 2016 Olympic Heavyweight Clayton “Mr. 340” Laurent Jr. of the U.S. Virgin Islands, it was announced today. He is the stepson of former junior middleweight and middleweight world champion Julian “The Hawk” Jackson and the stepbrother of contenders John and Julius Jackson.

Standing 6’5″ and weighing 250lbs., the 27-year-old Laurent competed at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, advancing to the second round. With the ultimate goal of becoming the first world heavyweight champion born and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Laurent made his professional debut on August 19, 2017, earning a second-round stoppage against Wayman Carter.

Outside of boxing, Laurent is a property manager for Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA), the local emergency response agency.

“I’m thrilled to add heavyweight puncher Clayton Laurent Jr. to the DiBella Entertainment roster,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “With his background as a 2016 Olympian, and having honed his skills under the tutelage of his legendary stepfather Julian Jackson, Clayton has explosive potential. Together with his managers Philippe Fondu and Matt Clark, we will work to develop Clayton and provide him with an opportunity to become the first heavyweight champion from the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

“It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m being signed by one of the biggest names in boxing right now,” said Laurent. “I first heard about Mr. DiBella when my brothers went to train with Sergio Martinez at his camp in California. I saw him take Sergio from being an undiscovered, unknown boxer to a superstar, and I look forward to seeing him transform my career as well.

“Boxing is what I love to do, it’s what I live for. Growing up, it was exciting to see my brothers excelling. I wanted to be a world champion and a world ranked heavyweight fighter representing the U.S. Virgin Islands, and I appreciate having this opportunity at really building my career and becoming somebody in the ring.”

Laurent is co-managed by Philippe Fondu and Matt Clark.

Stated Fondu, “I was privileged to work several times in the past with Lou DiBella, whom I consider a leading boxing promoter in the world. When it came time to select someone trustworthy to develop Clayton’s career, my suggestion to the team was to address DiBella Entertainment’s proposal. I am deeply convinced that Clayton has a great future in front of him being associated with DiBella Entertainment.”

Added Clark, “Clayton is an exciting addition to the heavyweight scene. He has a good engine and punches to the body very well. We are proud to be a part of the DiBella Entertainment stable.”

In addition to representing the U.S. Virgin Islands in the 2016 Olympics, Clayton had an illustrious amateur career, including participating in the Pan American Games in 2015 and 2011. He also had three victories in the World Series of Boxing in 2015, competing for the Puerto Rican Hurricanes.

Additionally, Laurent has sparred on numerous occasions with current Unified Cruiserweight World Champion Murat Gassiev.

Details of Laurent’s first bout under the DiBella Entertainment banner will be announced shortly.

The winner of WBC Interim World Champion Regis Prograis vs top challenger Juan Jose Velasco on July 14 will enter the 140lb edition of the second season of the World Boxing Super Series.

29-year-old Prograis (21-0, 18 KOs), the Houston resident who relocated from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, won the WBC Interim 140-pound World Championship in March after a sensational second round TKO-victory over former titleholder Julius Indongo from Namibia.

“My biggest asset is my hunger to be the best. I have a chip on my shoulder and I want to prove to everybody I am the best at 140 lbs,” said Prograis.

The undefeated southpaw, known for his fan-friendly style inspired by idols such as Roberto Duran and Pernell Whitaker, is confident that he will enter the tournament.

“I’m definitely excited to enter into the tournament. This is great for boxing. The best fighting the best.”

31-year-old Velasco (20-0, 12 KOs), from Buenos Aires, Argentina, will challenge the Interim WBC World Super Lightweight Champion in Prograis’ birthplace of New Orleans, Louisiana on July 14. Velasco already sees himself as an Ali Trophy participant:

“It’s a great honour and I look forward to competing for the Muhammad Ali Trophy and winning the whole thing. I think the format is set up well,” said Velasco, also known as ‘El Pitbull’. “The best fight the best in the World Boxing Super Series to determine one champ. Great!”

Said Kalle Sauerland, Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer: “Prograis is an exciting athlete capable of catapulting his status to new heights of sporting glory in the Ali Trophy tournament. He is facing Velasco, a tough challenger. We are sure of one thing: another belt will enter the Ali Trophy tournament!”

Three weight classes will feature in Season II of the World Boxing Super Series with two categories, Bantamweight and Super Lightweight, already announced.

It was a big step for me to put this out there for the public to see. I was just going to shut down social media and keep my disease a secret. Then I thought how selfish that would be.

We have a great opportunity to raise awareness for this very scary disease. Brain disease is not a nice way to go. Not that there is a nice way. But to have your mind disintegrate to nothing is intimidating. Even for big strong guys like me.

Most think of brain disease as an elderly condition and just the process of life. Well I am here to say this is not true. Brain disease can effect anyone young or older. I am living proof of this. And even if it was reserved for the elderly what a cruddy way to go.

Let’s stop this disease. We all get to die. No questions there. But we should all know who we are and who our loved ones and Kids are when we do get our turn. To die not even remembering how to feed yourself. Not knowing how to get a drink. Or how to get up and use the restroom. To not know who you have spent your life with. This is unacceptable.

I am mad at myself for not being more aware of other people who have suffered from brain disease. I now Fighting brain disease that is progressing very rapidly. And I have a broken heart for anyone who has had to experience any degenerative brain disease. There is no good endings.

I believe we can change this. This is why I have decided to fight this fight publicly and ask you all to fight with me. Please join me in this to change the way brain disease affects us. We do not have to be rich to make a difference. The smallest donations and support will make the biggest impacts. I am grateful for you even reading this and liking it. That means the awareness has begun. All my best to you all. Bronco Billy Wright

https://www.gofundme.com/rk3w83-brain-diseasetrauma-needs-help