Hunter scores last round stoppage over Bakole in London.

At the legendary York Hall in Bethnal Green, London on Saturday, undefeated heavyweight prospect Martin Bakole 11-0 (8) took a calculated risk by taking on previously undefeated world Cruiserweight title challenger Michael Hunter 15-1 (10) in an international contest for the IBO intercontinental title.. Hunter a Las Vegas based Californian is the son of former fighter Mike The Bounty Hunter, but was giving away height and around 40 pounds in weight to Bakole, a Scottish based native of the Congo, but came into the contest with a considerable amount of experience at a higher level than that of his larger opponent.. In the early rounds Bakole attempted to intimidate Hunter with a walk forward stalking approach, but soon found the illusive American a much more spirited handful than first anticipated.. By round 4 Hunter had gained a healthy lead with aggressive counter punches, that initially didn’t appear to be visibly bothering Bakole.. The massive Bakole began to find some success in the fifth as the busy Hunter began to show signs of fatigue, at this point Martin used his added weight and size to manoeuvre the tiring Hunter onto his deliberate but hurtful shots.. Round 7 saw Bakole absorb a lot more punches than he needed too from Hunter, and although the much smaller man, Hunters shots did appear to stop Bakole in his tracks. Midway into the round Hunter, cut on the eyelid but handily ahead on points started to take unnecessary risks, trading leather and walking onto shots from the massive African, ending the round looking the worse for wear for the first time in the bout.. Hunter returned to boxing in the eighth and once again began to pepper Bakole with accurate jabs, setting up fast eye catching right hands, at the conclusion of the round an exhausted, Bakole winced as he returned to his corner, obviously in pain from what looked like a shoulder injury.. Between rounds Martin looked on the verge of quitting before experienced trainer Billy Nelson convinced him to continue by just working with the left hand.. Round 9 was awkward to watch as the unbeaten Bakole struggled to keep Hunter, now fully aware of the situation at bay, the demoralised fighter seemed lost as the smaller Hunter poked and prodded spearing punches through his one handed defence, Nelson unfortunately allowed his completely handicapped fighter to enter the tenth and final round horribly at a disadvantage. Hunter a streak ahead on the cards appeared to be on his way to a unanimous points win, but with a minute left in the round opened up with a rally of hooks and straight right hands that for the first time staggered Bakole into the ropes, a further barrage, followed by a straight right hand to the head and a left hook, forced referee Phil Edwards to jump in and stop the action at 2.19 of the final stanza.. The jubilant Hunter had pulled off what the bookmakers had considered an upset, as the beaten Bakole had been making noises amongst a who’s who of British heavyweights in sparring sessions, convincing many to favour him over the American. Hunter who many had only considered a mere Cruiserweight, had previously boxed in two Olympics as a heavyweight, and was the top USA Super heavyweight several years prior.. A tough pill to swallow for Bakole and Nelson as their calculated risk had backfired, but a wonderful jump start into the heavyweights for Hunter as his international profile received a well earned boost.

Saunders denied Massachusetts licence, WBO strip him of championship.

Tonight the Massachusetts state boxing commission took the step of denying WBO Middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders a licence to defend his belt against number one mandatory challenger Demetrius Andrade on the 20th October, due to his recent positive test for the banned stimulant Oxilofrene. In accordance to the ruling, the WBO have enforced that Saunders be stripped of his crown, leaving Andrade 25-0 (16 Ko’s) to face last minute replacement challenger Walter Kautondokwa 17-0 (16 Ko’s) at the TD Garden Arena in Boston on Saturday week.. Billy Joe won the WBO title in December of 2015, beating Andy Lee by Majority decision in Manchester.. Saunders 26-0 (12 Ko’s) made three successful defences, against Artur Akavov, Willie Monroe jr and David Lemieux all unanimous points..
Upon hearing the ruling via speakerphone, Saunders told the Commission to “Suck his prick.” This is the second time in a month that the outspoken fighter has faced disciplinary action.. Only weeks ago, Saunders was fined in the region of £100.000 by the BBB of C, for a disturbing video that was released showing Saunders and a companion, make lewd propositions to a desperate drug dependent female, resulting in the woman striking a passing male at the command of the fighter for the promise of a fix.. Its time that this obviously talented young man took control of his life and returned to what he does best, a fighters window of opportunity is narrow, I wish Billy Joe well..

What became of Rufus Hurricane Hadley?

In the late 1970s, Former Marine, Rufus Hadley was a budding amateur heavyweight carving a reputation onto the Detroit boxing scene.. In 1979 by the tender age of 18 Hadley found himself representing his country in the Pan American Games, miraculously reaching the semi finals where would face the legendary Teofilo Stevenson. Although the fearsome Cuban knocked out the youngster in a single round, an appearance on this kind of platform was a moral Victory for Rufus.. The tall handsome 220 pounder turned pro in 1983, and within 3 years would rack up an unbeaten run of 10 fights including notable victories over Rick Keller and Donnie Long.. The 4th round knockout of Long came only months after the tough Ohio man had fallen in front of future champ Mike Tyson.. By the time Tyson had captured a portion of the title in the November of 1986, Hadley had just scored another knockout of one of the champions former victims, Sammy Scaff.. a month later Rufus Hadley was on the champions payroll.. As a sparring partner Hadley proved invaluable, not only to Mike, but for the whole camp morale.. Rufus was an eccentric character, a hysterical comedian who often featured on the Las Vegas standup circuit along with a penchant for hairdressing, serving as an unlikely camp barber.. I remember Hadley mostly from being around the Las Vegas gyms in the late 80s, he’d been part of team Tyson for at least 4 title defences and appeared a more successful spar-hand than his professional fighter in his own right.. By 1989 Hadley had wrapped up his own career following losses to promising fighters Orlin Norris and Michael Williams, with a closing record of 10-4-1 (8 Ko’s). Rufus still hung in familiar surroundings with guys like James Broad and Jesse Ferguson, was always impeccably dressed and made great first impressions wherever he went, I remember standing next to him in Johnny Toccos gym, eager to get a glimpse of Michael Dokes who was getting ready for the Holyfield fight, very often he’d let out a random shreak whenever a clean shot found its mark, a trait he often carried into his own sparring, a rarer more unique character you’d struggle to find..
I lost touch with Rufus in 1991, but kept occasional contact with guys from camp like Tyrone Armstrong and James Broad, but based on past appearances, I often pictured Hadley sitting somewhere smoking a cigar with a huge smile on his face surrounded by a gang of young offspring..

Two and a half decades later as I thumbed through some old photographs, I thought for a moment about Rufus Hadley, acting on my reminiscent nature I googled his name to see if any recent photos emerged from possible social media activity.. unfortunately something else emerged which I hadn’t prepared myself for, a recent unfiltered photo of a grinning black man, with shrunken ageing features next to a caption, 55 year old Rufus Hadley, Missing since 2015.. The Detroit press release detailed how the former talented fighter, was now 80% legally registered blind and was now diagnosed as Bi-polar. In November 2015 Hadley was admitted to hospital by family members following a fall at home, but in bizarre circumstances had literally walked straight out of the building and literally disappeared.. The last report was of a 6 foot 4 Male weighing 200 pounds, wearing a black and gold Phat Farm jacket and black cargo pants was missing, last seen in the Detroit area.. I have yet to discover what became of Rufus, he’d be 58 by now, and I’m still in the process of researching police reports to uncover the conclusion to the story.. Very rarely is the story of former professional sparring partners an optimistic one, but the stark reality of the decline of this once handsome athletes health paired with the uncertainty of his future is shocking.. I’m praying for a happy ending to this episode..

Matt Cameron ruins script for debutant Nkosi Solomon.

In a disastrous pro debut, former USA boxing’s number 1 ranked super-heavyweight Nkosi Solomon, dropped a unanimous 4 round decision to local Cruiserweight Matt Cameron 3-1-1 (1 Ko).. The New York based Guyana native suffered knockdowns in round 3 and 4, before suffering 2 point deductions for holding in the final session.. Big things were expected from the 6 foot 3 amateur standout, the loss stands as a stark reminder that you can’t take anything for granted.. Cameron came to fight and boxed impressively..
Scores were 39-33 across the board.

Roman stops brave McDonnell in 10.

In the first of the feature attractions at the Wintrust in Chicago last night, WBA super bantamweight champion Daniel Roman (26-2-1, 10 KOs) boxed exceptionally to retain his belt with a tenth round KO over the spirited Gavin McDonnell (20-2-2, 5 KOs) handing the Englishman only his second pro defeat.. Roman dictated the majority of the bout, stunning McDonnell in round ten, before dropping the challenger, forcing the stoppage.. A tough pill to swallow for Gavin having previously failed to lift the vacant WBC version in his only previous defeat to Rey Vargas last February.. A jubilant Roman called out every champion by name following the bout, stating that his sole intention is unifying the division..

Beterbiev overcomes scare to retain IBF title in 4.

Unbeaten IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (13-0, 13 KOs) held onto his title after a scare, with a fourth round KO over previously unbeaten yet lightly regarded challenger Callum Johnson (17-1, 12 KOs) last night at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Beterbiev caught Johnson between the ropes at the end of the first, scoring a strange looking knockdown. In haste to finish the job at the beginning of the second, Artur walked onto a huge left hook from the challenger which handed the champion his first trip to the canvas. Johnson fought aggressively throughout the remainder of the second through the third, again drawing confidence from his early success.. Bloodied and tired, the Brit gamely stood his ground into round 4, until a short right hand to the temple dropped Johnson to save Beterbiev’s unblemished knockout streak..

The champion paid a great tribute to his brave challenger after the bout, summing up the fight as “I hit him, he hit me, then I hit him again.. he was a great fighter..” explaining his first trip to the canvas as “That’s boxing, another thing experienced, but I get the win.. “

Disappointment for Callum Johnson, and even though he was nothing to lose, he came mighty close to scoring upset of the year in that second round, showing that there is a whole lot more to come in this young mans career..

Jesse Vargas and Thomas Dulorme box a 12 round draw..

Las Vegas’ former two division champion Jessie Vargas (28-2-2, 10 KOs) and Puerto Rico’s Thomas Dulorme (24-3-1, 16 KOs) fought a competitive twelve round draw on last nights Chicago card.. The highly entertaining bout saw Dulorme on the floor in round ten, followed by Vargas taking a trip to the canvas in round twelve. The draw appeared a fair outcome, leaving the Vacant WBC Silver Welterweight title still up for grabs.. scores were 113-113, 113-113 and 115-111 for Vargas.

Jarrell Miller stops Tomasz Adameck in 2.

Colourful undefeated Brooklyn Heavyweight, Jarrell Miller 22-0-1 (19 Ko’s) scored an impressive second round knockout over former two weight world champion Tomasz Adameck 53-6 (31 Ko’s) at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago last night, thrusting his career that bit closer to a championship shot.. The notably bigger 317 pound Miller showed deceptively fast hands in breaking down the tough Pole, first staggering Adameck with a sneaky right uppercut midway into the round before closing the action with the same shot moments later.. At a glance Miller looks anything but an athlete, but in recent showings has displayed impressive attributes that contradict his body type.. The likeable Belize born New Yorker continues to threaten the top tier of the division, but by self admission knows that he needs a victory over a name opponent if he’s to jump the queue to the title.. Adameck, outweighed by nearly 90 pounds found the imposing Miller far too much to fend off, it appeared that the overwhelming physical presence more than actual punch power won the day..

Dubois dominates Johnson to remain unbeaten in Leicester.

Undefeated British heavyweight prospect Daniel Dubois (8-0, 8 KOs) was extended for the first time in his brief career by wily veteran Kevin Johnson (32-11-1, 16 KOs) on Saturday night at the Leicester Arena in England.  The 22 year old Dubois started extremely fast, pressing the durable American from the opening bell.. In the middle rounds Dubois settled into a more manageable rhythm and went on to win nearly all of the ten rounds (100-91) The 39-year-old Johnson had a vast experience having boxed Vitali Klitschko, Tyson Fury, Dereck Chisora and Anthony Joshua but was coming off two straight losses..  Incidentally Kevin last won in October of 2017 by stopping Francesco Pianetta who recently extended Tyson Fury over 10 in his latest comeback fight..  Dubois looked comfortable doing the ten round distance, but did on occasion appear to lack variation in his repertoire..  

On the Cheif support in Leicester, Unbeaten WBO #2 rated super lightweight Jack Catterall (23-0, 12 KOs) won a twelve round unanimous decision over Ohara Davies   (18-2, 14 KOs) in a domestic grudge match.. The bout was a disappointing long range affair with both men picking shots carefully amidst a clash of styles..  Scores were 118-110, 115-113, 15-113. Catterall retained the WBO Intercontinental title and moves on now towards a possible world title shot..  Davies suffers his second pro defeat and is forced to go back to the drawing board..

Don King and Bermaine Stiverne start legal proceedings against Ryabinsky and Povetkin.

Veteran promoter Don King and former heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne are taking legal action against former Olympic gold medalist and WBA champion Alexander Povetkin regarding their scheduled bout from back in December of 2016.. Stiverne was due to meet Povetkin in Yekaterinburg, Russia in a WBC final eliminator, when on the day of the fight news broke that Povetkin had failed a drug test for the stimulant Ostarine, cancelling the fight.. Don King Productions and Stiverne will now attempt to settle the unresolved issue in court as they have filed a suit for $2 million in the Court of Arbitration for Sport against Alexander Povetkin and the World of Boxing.
Don King Productions and the World of Boxing had an agreement that the winner of the 2016 bout would stand in line to face Deontay Wilder.. Both fighters were to have received purses of $1,424,250 and the winner grabbing an additional $316,500. The test failure was the second by Povetkin in a seven-month period.
Stiverne did eventually face Wilder in a rematch, but still holds hopes of continuing his career..
“Povetkin and Ryabinsky can’t play by the rules of the WBC and VADA,” barked King, “they denied Bermane the opportunity of a lifetime to become heavyweight champion. All of the hard work leading up to the fight and then waking up the morning of the fight in Russia and being told that there wouldn’t be a fight is devastating.”
Incidentally, Povetkin still boxed in December of 2016 against an alternative opponent, Johann Duhaupas..

Sad news.. Graciano Rocchigiani dies in Italy.

Several days ago we were made aware of the terrible news that former two weight world champion Graciano Rocchigiani has died following a dreadful auto accident whilst vacationing in Catania, Sicily.. It’s unclear whether Graciano was a passenger in the vehicle of was struck whilst walking.. Rocchigiani held titles at both Super-Middleweight and light heavyweight. In 2003 Rocchigiani sued the WBC for misrepresentation as their champion and received an out of court settlement in the region of $30 Million. Graciano was brother of fellow world champion Ralph and continued in the sport as both a trainer and ringside commentator.. Graciano’s ring record was 41-6-1 (19 Ko’s) he was 53 years old.

Figueroa, Joyce and Ajagba all victorious in Ontario Ca.

Due to the unfortunate arrest of former champion Victor Ortiz and the last minute cancellation of his bout with John Molina jr, Main event status at the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario Ca belonged to Undefeated super bantamweight Brandon Figueroa (17-0, 12 KOs) who scored an impressive Knockout victory over Oscar Escandon (25-5, 17 KOs) on Sunday evening.. Figueroa controlled the majority of the bout and appeared to be on his way to a popular points win, when a clinical uppercut dropped Escandon for the count.. Time was 1:42 of round 10. Incidentally Brandon is the brother of former world champion Omar Figueroa.

In the Co-feature, Unbeaten Olympic super heavyweight silver medalist Joe Joyce (6-0, 6 KOs) boxed competently, scoring a fifth round TKO over the very game Iago Kiladze (26-4, 18 KOs). Joyce displayed great accuracy and versatility, dropping Kiladze in rounds two and three. Joe finally dropped Kiladze for the final time towards the end of the fifth round, Iago picked himself up off the canvas but appeared in no condition to continue.. Joe is a huge athlete with very good power, and in time will be a real danger to a lot of credible heavyweights.. The only negative I could take from this outing, was his willingness to stand and take unnecessary shots from Kiladze once he had the fighter hurt, otherwise the victory was a clinical performance.. Time was :41 of the fifth.

In an interesting clash of unbeaten heavyweights, Nigeria’s Efe Ajagba (7-0, 6 KOs) scored a first round KO over Nick Jones (7-1, 5 KOs). The first meaningful right hand that Ajagba set up dropped Jones heavily, the Oklahoma man robotically rose from the knockdown but the fight was waved off at 2:25. Efe is coming off a controversial victory over Curtis Harper, when the Florida man left the ring at the sounding of the opening bell.. Ajagba is in good hands with Ronnie Shields and is showing the makings of a promising heavyweight..

Former double IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale (25-2-1, 15 KOs) returned to action tonight for the first time since vacating his title, scoring a third round stoppage over former WBC lightweight title challenger Fidel Monterrosa (39-19-1, 31 KOs)