Alonzo Butler looking to jumpstart his career.

In 2007, Alonzo Butler had the world at his feet, 27/0 with 17 knockouts a world ranking and the backing of Art Pellulos Banner promotions, the Chattanooga heavyweight looked a dead cert to feature in the divisions future as a major player. In June of 2008, Butler signed to box on an ESPN card in Las Vegas against tough veteran Friday Ahunanya, Butler came in  at a career high 265lbs and was pushed to the wall by the stubborn Nigerian in a close affair which saw Butler receive his first loss..  The Ahunanya fight was a tough lesson but maybe a blessing, with a shut eye and badly damaged pride Butler could easily have quit following a knockdown in the fourth round but showed championship courage to continue to a split verdict..  Unfortunately since that eventful night, Alonzo's career had stalled, with only a single appearance between 2009 and 2013, a contested loss the Travis Walker in a fight where Walker had to get off the floor to survive and a 3 round decision loss to Brice Coe in the quarter finals of the Super 8 tourney in New Zealand saw Butler fight only 3 times in close to 6 years..  Alonzo was a product of world renowned trainer Ace Miller, a decorated trainer who was the sole mastermind behind former WBA champion Big John Tate, Ace recognised potential in Butler and stayed with his student until his passing in 2012. How fitting would it be to see Alonzo jumpstart his career in a wide open division four years on. With lack of opportunity and exposure in the US Butler has his sights on a move the the United Kingdom, it would be a shot into the unknown but it would certainly cause a stir amongst the current British heavyweight scene. Fighters are aware of Alonzo Butlers reputation, Deontay Wilders people got a taste of Butlers power in a heated sparring session and number 2 ranked Alex Ustinov also had second thoughts and wanted no part of Alonzo..   Butler is still only 36, relatively young and with only a handful of questionable losses in a 34 fight career, the transatlantic move could be a risk worth taking.

Olympic bombshell.

Groundbreaking news has broken today that AIBA will be changing their statues in order to allow fully fledged professional fighters to compete in the Olympic Games, from this Summer's Olympiad in Rio onwards.
AIBA president, Dr. Ching Kuo Wu has been quoted as saying,
"We want the best boxers to come to the Olympic Games. It is AIBA's 70th birthday and we want something to change - not after four years, but now.
It is an IOC policy to have the best athletes in the Games and of the international federations, AIBA is probably the only one without professional athletes in the Olympics..   I think it's a terrible shame that the pinnacle of the amateur aspect of our game has sold out..  Where are our ground roots boxers going to emerge from now, and for what will our sports youth have to strive for..   Terrible news..

New faces.. Jesse Hard Work Hart.

In Philadelphia boxing circles the surname Hart should evoke fond images of Philadelphia legend Eugene Cyclone Hart a folk hero of a bygone era, but today there is a new Hart in town, Eugene's son Jesse 'Hard Work' Hart an unbeaten super middleweight raised up on the same mean streets as his father..   Jesse was the 2011 US Olympic trials gold medalist at 165, the national Championship gold medalist at 165 and the National Golden Gloves champion at 165..  Currently after three years as a pro Jesse is 19 / 0 with 16 Kos a 26 year old with a point to prove..  Father Eugene is Harts coach and since day one has never tried to wrap the youngster in cotton wool, Jesse trains at two gyms in Philly to vary his sparring, always top notch guys, in Philly no one cares about your reputation..  Eugene makes sure the competition in the gym is designed to push Jesse to his limits..  Cyclone knows how tough it is at the very top, he has carefully instilled a solid work ethic into his fighter, knowing full well Jesse will thank him in the long run, it's kill or be killed.. 

Jesse has been averaging five fights a year consistently, and in 2014 he beat Samuel Clarkson to win the vacant junior NABF super middleweight title in Las Vegas. Four fights later he would add the vacant WBO NABO and USBA titles by beating Mike Jimenez via 6 round tko on the Mayweather v Pacquiao card in Las Vegas..   His best performance to date had to be his 9th round tko in September over another son of a legendary fighter Aaron Pryor jr at the cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, a victory which has prompted many to tip Jesse for big things in the coming months..   "Everyone knows I am the hardest working guy in the gym, I live and breath boxing, I have a clear vision of where I need to be.."    With the wealth of knowledge his father brings plus the unequalled work ethic, it would be hard not to favour Jesse Hard Work Hart in the current super middleweight mix at the minute..   The WBA and IBF currently have Hart ranked at 8, with the WBO ranking him at 3..

Glenwood Brown, a throwback..

Glenwood Brown...  This New Jersey native became a resident fighter at New Yorks felt forum in the mid 80s, staging 18 of his first 26 fights there.. Brown started his pro career with an 18 fight winning streak before losing a split decision to Saoul Mamby in 1988, Brown would avenge the sole loss a year later to win the USA New York State welterweight title..  Glenwood would go a further 16 fights unbeaten going into 1991, securing a shot at Maurice Blockers IBF title, losing a split points verdict..  A year later the unlucky challenger would get a second crack, this time at Meldrick Taylor's WBA belt, this time losing a unanimous decision..Miguel Santana, Edwin Curet and Anthony Andrews would set Brown back, but undeterred he would  go unbeaten for 3 years with 9 consecutive victories ..  In June of 1996 Glenwood Brown would box out of his skin against former two weight world champion Simon Brown, again falling short Unanimous points..   Losses to Dana Rosenblatt, Vinnie Pazienza and Bronco Mckart, along with his only 2 stoppage defeats at the hands of Bernice Barber and Scott Pemberton saw Brown end his career unlucky not to win world honours,  an awesome record of 48 / 1, Glenwood the real Beast was a top drawer fighter..

Forgotten warriors.. Philadelphia's Vaughn Hooks.

Who remembers Philadelphia light heavyweight Vaughn Hooks, a crafty boxer puncher who went 20 fights unbeaten with a NC against tough Frankie Swindell for the USBA title, a fight where Hooks was announced the winner only to fail a drugs test..  He would lose his unbeaten streak on points to Adolpho Washington in 1993 before losing his final bout that same year to Fabian Garcia on a retirement at the end of the 9th round..   Hooks was ranked as high as 11 by the IBF but never got close to a title shot..

Opening nights.. Legendary Las Vegas debuts..

Boxing has been taking place in Nevada since the late 1800s, Las Vegas in particular has held thousands of historic fights..  Many of the older venues are no longer here, but were opened with huge events, each one attempting to outdo the last..
1959 saw the Showboats first step into the boxing arena with a modest middleweight affair, 72 fight veteran Willie Vaughn outpointing Eddie Andrews in what would be the first of 110 shows..  1960 saw the Las Vegas convention centre hold its first boxing event, heavyweights Howard King and Charlie Powell, the centre would later stage historic matches like the Patterson v Liston rematch 3 years later..
1976 would see both Caesars palace and the Aladdin stage their debut events, with the George Foreman v Ron Lyle barnstormer at Caesars and Duane Bobick v Fred Houpe over the street at the Aladdin.  The Aladdin would add a theatre a year later with Leon Spinks v Scott Ledoux opening the show, whole 1978 saw Caesars build the huge pavilion, a landmark which was opened by another heavyweight firecracker, Larry Holmes v Kenny Norton..
1979 saw the beautiful Dunes Hotel dip it's toe into boxing with Sugar Ray Leonard outpointing tough Adolfo Viruet in future superstar Leonard's 21st pro fight..
In the 1980s the Las Vegas Hilton hosted a whole array of events..  1985 saw the Hilton centre open with the Donald Curry v Milton McCrory superfight, whilst two years later the outdoor arena would open for the WBA / WBC heavyweight unification bout between Mike Tyson and James Bonecrusher smith..  The eventual series would finish in this very arena with Tyson outpointing Tony Tucker to become the first unified champion in over a decade..  The more prominent resorts in the 1990s are still thriving today..  The MGM grand which is still considered the home of championship boxing opened with a double header in 1994, with Hector Camacho v Felix Trinidad and Julio Cesar Chavez suffering his first defeat at the hands of Frankie Randall..
5 years later the gorgeous golden towers of Mandalay bay staged its first event , again a mouthwatering double header, featuring future all time greats Floyd Mayweather boxing Justin Juuko and Oscar Dela Hoya fighting Oba Carr..  Hard acts to follow, Las Vegas always seems to upstage itself..  This coming May the latest arena the brand new T-mobile arena at the rear of New York, New York opens with an epic cinco de Mayo event..  Las Vegas never disappoints..

DC's Kenny Baysmore.. The nearly man..

Washington Dc's Kenny Baysmore looked like he had the potential to go all the way as a pro, he had amateur pedigree and had won the 1979 national golden gloves at bantamweight. Two years later Kenny would turn professional.
For three years Baysmore would stay unbeaten and by 1983 he would be voted Ring Magazines prospect of the year, an accolade reserved for prospective future standouts. In 1984 for his 18th fight he would beat Freddy Chumpitaz for the USBA  super featherweight title, a year later in 1985 he would win a 12 round split decision over tough Myron Taylor in defense of his title.  Kenny was now 20 / 0 with 18 knockouts, and matched into the toughest fight of his career, a USBA title defense against the former WBA super featherweight champion Roger Mayweather.  Roger had only lost 2 of his 22 fights, and it was an acid test for the promising Baysmore..  Mayweather was too much for the USBA champion, and served Baysmore his first loss, by third round knockout in Texas..  Roger would go on to fight the great Julio Cesar Chavez for the WBC title in a highly publicized affair, while Kenny had to reassess the direction of his career. The first loss, especially by knockout hurt Baysmore's confidence and it was important for him to get back on the horse as soon as he could..  A full year later he would regain his USBA title by outpointing Anthony English in Atlantic city..  After two more successful defenses of his title it was again time to step up..  This time against tough Harold Knight in his opponents back yard of Atlantic city..  Knight was unbeaten in 14 fights, but had took a couple of years out between 1985 and 87..   Kenny got off to a good start against Knight, using good lateral movement, but in round six he stood too long in front of the New Jersey man and got stunned, by round 7 Baysmore had not recovered and suffered his second defeat, again by knockout.  A year later Knight would unsuccessfully challenge Rocky Lockridge for his IBF title, in what would be his last fight. Kenny Baysmore would return three months later, but would find it tough gain momentum with his career, by 1990 after his next six fights Baysmore would win 2, lose 2 and draw 2, all to inferior opposition.  Kenny needed a break from boxing and would take a 2 year hiatus from the game. 1992 saw a refreshed Baysmore beat Floyd Favors and Cliff Hicks both by second round stoppage..  Baysmore then took on promising US based Russian Sergey Artimiev, Artimiev was 16 / 1 and held an amateur victory over Shane Mosley. The fight was a last ditch fight to propel his Baysmore's career. The Artimiev fight was ill fated, Baysmore would suffer three knockdowns en route to a 5th round TKO..   Artimiev looked destined for huge honors until he almost died following his 1993, 10th round knockout loss to Carl Griffiths..  Baysmore's final night in the spotlight was an appearance on the Bowe v Ferguson undercard in DC against Sharmba Mitchell. Mitchell 29 / 0 and a huge puncher knocked Baysmore out in one round..   Kenny would box 7 more times until 2001, losing each time by knockout..  Kenny Baysmore was better than his 28 / 13 / 2  (24 KOs) record but was never able to step up to world level as a major player..
A two time USBA champion and a national golden gloves champion, Baysmore was a highly popular DC fighter who should have achieved so much more..

Tony Tucker.. A talent that could have been great.

Tony Tucker looked like he had everything, he used his height, had a tremendous jab, had respectable power and a solid chin..  Tony enjoyed a very good amateur career. Capturing the 1979 National AAU light-heavyweight title, as well as winning a light-heavyweight gold medal at the 1979 Pan-Am games and winning the 1979 light-heavyweight World Cup, Tucker looked ahead to the 1980 Olympics. Tucker had a lot of tools that could have defeated Teofilo Stevenson, the Cuban favorite but Tucker was denied the opportunity due to the USA’s boycott of the Moscow games. However Tucker like most of the Olympic representatives took the opportunity to fly to Poland and compete, independently..  In Poland Tony won his bout, and in waiting around in the airport for his father he missed the scheduled flight home, taking the next flight out..   On arrival back to Grand Rapids the Tucker family were said to have thought they'd seen a ghost..  Unbeknown to Tucker, the plane carrying most of the remaining squad home had crashed killing all onboard..
Tony is a deeply religious man and always held the belief that God had spared his life for a purpose..
Tony turned pro in 1980 under the guidance of Kronks Emmanuel Steward, beating an overmatched Chuck Gardner in 3 rounds..
Over the next three years Tucker was matched strategically as to move him quickly through the ranks..  By 1984, he had beaten ranked Walter Santemore, got past durable Jimmy Young and after a solid win over the very dangerous James Broad in 1986, Tucker was 35/0, staring at a title shot...
Tony's title fight would come on the Tyson v Pinklon Thomas card in Las Vegas in 1987..  Michael Spinks had been stripped for not defending against the IBF number 1 contender who happened to be Tucker himself..    Tony Tucker would face James Douglas, a decent heavyweight who was notorious for blowing hot and cold throughout his career..   Tony would get off to a bad start, allowing James, who was more relaxed to get into a rhythm. It took until the eighth round until Tucker got a foothold, gaining Douglass respect with his jab..  Going into the tenth round it was still close, but Tucker looked the fresher, he backed James into the ropes and started to mount an assault, Douglas wasn't firing back, Tucker pouted it on and Mills Lane jumped in to save Douglas. Tony Tucker was 28 years old and the undefeated IBF heavyweight champion..    This victory was only the prelude to a huge Glory Hallelujah unification bout with WBA and WBC champion Mike Tyson..  Tony was a huge underdog in this fight and no-one gave him a hope.  Mike Tyson was the mechanical champion that everyone thought was invincible..  On this night, Tucker proved a lot of people wrong in defeat..  In round 1 Tony caught Tyson walking straight in with an uppercut, from that moment Tyson knew he had his hands full, Tucker however boxed conservatively, trying to nullify Mikes attacks only once standing toe to toe in the final seconds of a fight where he proved his true value, losing a unanimous decision to the best heavyweight around was no disgrace..
Following the Tyson loss,  problems found Tucker..
Most of Tony's problems was his father Robert. Tony's father signed a lot of paper with a lot of people , shares for up-front money and Tony was getting virtually nothing from his purses, all kinds of people had pieces of Tony Tucker..  Tucker had no choice but to tell his father Robert that he could no longer handle his career, he had almost broke his son..
1988 Tony Tucker went through a deep depression, he had no money, the Tyson purse was still ongoing and a lot of court hearings were getting him down..  He acquired a drug habit which he kept private and wouldn't box for three years..
Tony would return in 1989 under the watchful eye of Jack Cohen, a real estate investor who had seen Tucker's demise at the hands of Cocaine, lots of cocaine and deep depression...  Tucker was 30 pounds heavier, thick set, a sterner look on his face and the trademark Jeri curls had gone... Tony would rack up 14 straight wins in the next four years, beating respectable names, Orlin Norris, Lionel Washington, Oliver McCall, Frankie Swindell until in 1993, three years completely clean following numerous rehabs, he would be presented with a chance of a competed clean start..  WBC Champion Lennox Lewis offered to defend his new crown against Tucker, now heavily backed by Don King..     Tucker's $1.005,000 purse would be enough to square up all of the financial mess his father had made and enough to make him comfortable again..    Tucker would box very competently against Lewis, he had come a long way..  He got off the floor twice to go the full 12 against a man who would prove over the next 10 years as one of the best of the era...
In the next four years Tony would only lose to future world champions..    Orlin Norris the former cruiserweight champion, Bruce Seldon in a WBA championship fight on the Holmes v McCall card in Las Vegas, Henry Akinwande in Philadelphia, Herbie Hide, the WBO champion in Great Britain, then finally in an Nabf Championship fight to John Ruiz in 1998, the year he would fight his last bout, a one round knockout of Billy Wright..  Tony's record stands 57 / 7 with 47 knockouts..
Tucker now lives in Florida, has been clean of drugs since 1989 and coaches the next generation of young prospects in a local gym..  Tony still attends the major boxing events, I was lucky enough to speak with him in April of this year at the  Mayweather v Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas..    Tony Tucker is at peace with himself..     He only ever lost to world champions.

Jacobs v Quillin.. Dibella says it's the biggest fight ever at The Barclays Centre.

Come December 5th, the bout between middleweights Peter Quillin (32-0-1, 23 KO’s) and Danny Jacobs (30-1, 27 KO’s) will be one of the biggest bout to ever take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Both Jacobs and Quillin call New York home so it's got a turf war flavour to help promote the huge event..
Lou Dibella is convincing in selling the show, "This is the biggest fight in Barclays history and certainly the biggest fight I will have promoted in Brooklyn and it's going to have the biggest crowd, I think we’ve been doing great crowds with Garcia-Peterson, Garcia Malignaggi. Khan-Algieri did a good crowd. This is going to be a great fight.”
If Dibellas mathematical recipe is correct, of put on a 50/50 fight in the right area, watch the magic happen..
As far as the matchup, it's a natural, both Brooklyn natives, both champions in the same division, both big characters and both former NY golden gloves winners.
Its a matchup that’s been a long time coming. Both guys in their primes , Jacobs overcoming huge adversity in his life has built a huge following, Quillin has Cuban heritage bringing a hispanic element into play..  It's a mouthwatering fight, and there's no (Pacquiao v Mayweather) 18 months of messing around, the fights was easy to make and it's a classic.

Finally.. Frampton v Quigg is On.. Feb 27th.

It looks like finally the Carl Frampton v Scott Quigg all British world title unification fight is finally on..  Northern Ireland's Frampton holds the IBF super-bantamweight belt while England's Quigg, is the current WBA title holder.
The long-awaited bout between the undefeated pair will unify both belts. Frampton is adamant that he is going into Scott Quiggs back yard to take the titles because he says "I'm the legitimate champion and It's what Champions do."
Frampton and Quigg have baited each other for a while now and only financial issues have caused previous negotiations to break down. Both respected champions are evenly matched, Frampton being the older by a year at 28..
Frampton claimed the IBF crown from Kiko Martinez in September 2014 and has defended his title twice, stopping Chris Avalos in Belfast in February before retaining his belt on points against Alejandro Gonzalez Jr after a shaky start on his debut in America.
Quigg has made five successful defences of his title since claiming the WBA belt in October 2013.
"I've finally got the fight I've wanted for so long," said Quigg.
"I've dedicated my life to this sport and I have never been more confident going into a fight. I know I will beat him in every department."
The much awaited bout is scheduled for February 27th at The Manchester Arena..

Sinan Samil Sam Passes aged 41.

Former heavyweight Sinan Samil Sam died Friday morning in his native Turkey from liver failure at the age of 41.
6-foot-3inch Sam was an outstanding amateur, winning the super heavyweight title at the 1999 World Championships in Houston, Texas before turning pro the following year.
Sam signed with Turkish promoter Ahmet Oner of Arena boxing and boxed out of Germany, winning his first 18 fights, including knockouts of fringe contenders Przemyslaw Saleta and Danny Williams. He suffered his first loss in 2003, dropping a decision to Juan Carlos Gomez on HBO’s “Night of the Young Heavyweights” in Buffalo, N.Y.
Sam was a highly respected durable fringe contender for the next few years, defeating Decent opposition, Lawrence Clay Bey and Denis Bakhtov while losing to Luan Krasniqi, Oleg Maskaev and Oliver McCall.
Sam retired in 2008 with a record of 31-4, 16 knockouts, after winning the European heavyweight title for a second time.
Sam was hospitalized in intensive care in 2010 with liver failure after vomiting blood due to excessive alcohol consumption, Sam was rushed to hospital last week with suspected liver failure..  41 is far too young to go, he was a folk hero in his native Turkey and was affectionately known as The bull of the Bosporus..