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* Klitschko snaps Wach's unbeaten streak
* Ukrainian pays tribute to late coach Steward (Adds quotes, details)
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HAMBURG, Nov 10 (Reuters) - World heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko was made to go the distance against Polish challenger Mariusz Wach but earned an unanimous points decision on Saturday to retain his four title belts.
The 36-year-old Ukrainian, who holds the IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA crowns, was never seriously troubled by the 32-year-old who saw his unbeaten record snap after 27 wins in 27 fights.
His older brother Vitali Klitschko holds the WBC crown.
"It was a very tough fight and Mariusz had to take a lot of punches," Klitschko said in a ringside interview. "I thought that Wach would go down but he fought on."
Klitschko also remembered late coach Emanuel Steward who died on Oct. 25.
"On July 7 after our last fight we sang happy birthday to him. We miss you, we love you, you are always here in the ring, thank you Emanuel," said Klitschko.
With Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone, who is co-producing 'Rocky - the Musical' with the Klitschko brothers, making a pre-fight appearance in the ring for the 16,000 fans in the O2 arena, Klitschko set the pace from the first round.
Wach may be the first opponent taller than Klitschko, who is 1.98 metres, but he lacked the speed of the Ukrainian.
The Pole did get one chance in the fifth round, pummelling his opponent after a huge right to the head but the Ukrainian was saved by the bell.
It was back to form in the following rounds and Klitschko, who improved his record to 59 wins from 62 fights, pinned Wach to the ropes in the seventh and eighth but failed to knock him down.
Instead Klitschko dished out painful punishment in the final rounds with the eyes of fans on referee Eddie Cotton to see whether he would put an end to it.
The three judges gave Klitschko a 120-107 120-107 119-109 victory.
UPDATE 1-Boxing-Klitschko beats Wach on points to retain titles - chicagotribune-com
* Ukrainian pays tribute to late coach Steward (Adds quotes, details)
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HAMBURG, Nov 10 (Reuters) - World heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko was made to go the distance against Polish challenger Mariusz Wach but earned an unanimous points decision on Saturday to retain his four title belts.
The 36-year-old Ukrainian, who holds the IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA crowns, was never seriously troubled by the 32-year-old who saw his unbeaten record snap after 27 wins in 27 fights.
His older brother Vitali Klitschko holds the WBC crown.
"It was a very tough fight and Mariusz had to take a lot of punches," Klitschko said in a ringside interview. "I thought that Wach would go down but he fought on."
Klitschko also remembered late coach Emanuel Steward who died on Oct. 25.
"On July 7 after our last fight we sang happy birthday to him. We miss you, we love you, you are always here in the ring, thank you Emanuel," said Klitschko.
With Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone, who is co-producing 'Rocky - the Musical' with the Klitschko brothers, making a pre-fight appearance in the ring for the 16,000 fans in the O2 arena, Klitschko set the pace from the first round.
Wach may be the first opponent taller than Klitschko, who is 1.98 metres, but he lacked the speed of the Ukrainian.
The Pole did get one chance in the fifth round, pummelling his opponent after a huge right to the head but the Ukrainian was saved by the bell.
It was back to form in the following rounds and Klitschko, who improved his record to 59 wins from 62 fights, pinned Wach to the ropes in the seventh and eighth but failed to knock him down.
Instead Klitschko dished out painful punishment in the final rounds with the eyes of fans on referee Eddie Cotton to see whether he would put an end to it.
The three judges gave Klitschko a 120-107 120-107 119-109 victory.
UPDATE 1-Boxing-Klitschko beats Wach on points to retain titles - chicagotribune-com
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Emmanuel “Game boy” Tagoe combined skills and artistry in the early hours of Sunday, to defeat George “Red Tiger” Ashie to annex the World Boxing Authority (WBA) International Lightweight Champion at the Accra Sports Stadium.
In a bout which was described as one of the greatest on the local scene after the famous Raymond Narh and Smith Odoom bout ten years ago, Tagoe proved to be the superior and lived by his pre-match prediction by dominating much of the rounds to win a majority decision of 114-114, 113-115 and 112-116 at the end of the day.
The bout, which was staged under the auspices of Baby Jet Promotions attracted a huge attendance at the Race Course end of the stadium, but was definitely not without the unique way boxers appeared in the ring.
Ashie, who was ushered into the ring, amidst drumming and dancing was dressed in a skin of tiger to signify his nick name, whilst Tagoe rode on a palanquin, holding a royal matchet in one hand and a whip in one hand, warning his opponent of the punishment ahead of him.
Ashie, noted for his biting punches, aggression and power, could only exhibit these traits in the first three rounds of the bout, but unfortunately failed to land accurate punches in the process as he seemed to be in a haste to knock out his opponent or had Tagoe swerving most of the punches.
Though, Ashie on most occasions was able to attack his opponent to the corner of the ring, it was Tagoe, who always had the best of such encounters, by ensuring he swerved most of the punches and responded with very hefty jabs to the surprise of Ashie; all in the first three rounds.
In a fight many pundits predicted will be difficult for Ashie, should he fail to knock out Tagoe in the first three rounds, it indeed materialized as Ashie seemed to be tired after the exhaustive first three rounds, leaving Tagoe to skillfully to jab him on countless occasions in the fourth and fifth rounds with no response from Ashie.
Indeed, this showed up in Ashie’s approach to the fight as he committed two illegalities which however went unpunished by referee Emmanuel Brenya.
In the sixth, seventh and eighth rounds, the two pugilists ferociously traded off punches from corner to corner, but again it was Tagoe who had much of the points as he was always on hand to swerve most of them, whilst landing accurately.
As the fight progressed, it was evident Tagoe was in a clear lead, occasionally landing very heavy punches to the face of his opponent, which sometimes takes Ashie off his balance, as he failed to find the right response, especially in the ninth and tenth rounds.
Sensing danger, Ashie came back strongly in the 11th round, and resumed attacking his opponent, seeking to find the killer punch that could end the fight in his favour, but Tagoe was always swift to avoid any of such punches, but responded with very good punches on the body and face of Ashie.
Again, Tagoe was always quick at clinching his opponent after landing his punches and ended up frustrating Ashie especially in the 11th and 12th rounds to ensure his dominance as well.
Though both boxers were carried shoulder high after the 12th round, expecting to be declared the winner, it was clear that, the verdict will be in favour of Tagoe, as well several pundits had scored the fight for him.
In a bout which was described as one of the greatest on the local scene after the famous Raymond Narh and Smith Odoom bout ten years ago, Tagoe proved to be the superior and lived by his pre-match prediction by dominating much of the rounds to win a majority decision of 114-114, 113-115 and 112-116 at the end of the day.
The bout, which was staged under the auspices of Baby Jet Promotions attracted a huge attendance at the Race Course end of the stadium, but was definitely not without the unique way boxers appeared in the ring.
Ashie, who was ushered into the ring, amidst drumming and dancing was dressed in a skin of tiger to signify his nick name, whilst Tagoe rode on a palanquin, holding a royal matchet in one hand and a whip in one hand, warning his opponent of the punishment ahead of him.
Ashie, noted for his biting punches, aggression and power, could only exhibit these traits in the first three rounds of the bout, but unfortunately failed to land accurate punches in the process as he seemed to be in a haste to knock out his opponent or had Tagoe swerving most of the punches.
Though, Ashie on most occasions was able to attack his opponent to the corner of the ring, it was Tagoe, who always had the best of such encounters, by ensuring he swerved most of the punches and responded with very hefty jabs to the surprise of Ashie; all in the first three rounds.
In a fight many pundits predicted will be difficult for Ashie, should he fail to knock out Tagoe in the first three rounds, it indeed materialized as Ashie seemed to be tired after the exhaustive first three rounds, leaving Tagoe to skillfully to jab him on countless occasions in the fourth and fifth rounds with no response from Ashie.
Indeed, this showed up in Ashie’s approach to the fight as he committed two illegalities which however went unpunished by referee Emmanuel Brenya.
In the sixth, seventh and eighth rounds, the two pugilists ferociously traded off punches from corner to corner, but again it was Tagoe who had much of the points as he was always on hand to swerve most of them, whilst landing accurately.
As the fight progressed, it was evident Tagoe was in a clear lead, occasionally landing very heavy punches to the face of his opponent, which sometimes takes Ashie off his balance, as he failed to find the right response, especially in the ninth and tenth rounds.
Sensing danger, Ashie came back strongly in the 11th round, and resumed attacking his opponent, seeking to find the killer punch that could end the fight in his favour, but Tagoe was always swift to avoid any of such punches, but responded with very good punches on the body and face of Ashie.
Again, Tagoe was always quick at clinching his opponent after landing his punches and ended up frustrating Ashie especially in the 11th and 12th rounds to ensure his dominance as well.
Though both boxers were carried shoulder high after the 12th round, expecting to be declared the winner, it was clear that, the verdict will be in favour of Tagoe, as well several pundits had scored the fight for him.
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A UNION is claiming a win for families after the NSW government scrapped a bill to allow retailers to open on Boxing Day.
A forum of unions, community leaders, academics and religious leaders discussed the impact of Boxing Day trading on Tuesday before marching to parliament, led by St Nick himself.
Only stores in Sydney's CBD and at popular tourist spots are allowed currently to open on Boxing Day.
A government-proposed law to allow shops across the state to open for trade on the day after Christmas was before the upper house, but it was scrapped by finance minister Greg Pearce about 3.45pm (AEDT) on Tuesday.
"Following a forum and Santa-led rally of community groups and workers, minister Greg Pearce today officially withdrew the bill that would have taken thousands of workers away from their families at Christmas," Shops and Allied Distributors Association (SDA) NSW secretary Gerard Dwyer said.
At the forum earlier on Tuesday, Mr Dwyer said the move to expand trade would put pressure on workers to fill shifts, meaning they would have to forgo time with their families.
He said it wasn't retailers, distribution companies or finance-sector unions that wanted Boxing Day trading.
"It's a few people in charge of large shopping centres ... and a few big retailers who think that enough is never enough," he said.
He said the attempt to legislate wider Boxing Day trading was symbolic of the erosion of the work-life balance.
"They're not just after Boxing Day, they're after the lot," he said.
Mr Dwyer said the bill's dismissal was a win for families.
"Allowing trading on Boxing Day would have ruined Christmas for families right across NSW," he said.
"This legislation was a disgraceful attack on workers' rights to family time over the festive period.
"It's great that the government has now seen that."
Opposition Leader John Robertson said the government had been forced to backdown on the bill, which also allowed traders to have staff in stores on and working on Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Anzac Day morning preparing for trade.
"This was always a disastrous plan," he said in a statement.
"The fact the O'Farrell government was set to ram these laws through the parliament and prevent workers from spending Christmas and Easter with their families speaks volumes about their real attitude towards working families."
Read more: NSW scraps bill to allow Boxing Day trade | News-com.au
A forum of unions, community leaders, academics and religious leaders discussed the impact of Boxing Day trading on Tuesday before marching to parliament, led by St Nick himself.
Only stores in Sydney's CBD and at popular tourist spots are allowed currently to open on Boxing Day.
A government-proposed law to allow shops across the state to open for trade on the day after Christmas was before the upper house, but it was scrapped by finance minister Greg Pearce about 3.45pm (AEDT) on Tuesday.
"Following a forum and Santa-led rally of community groups and workers, minister Greg Pearce today officially withdrew the bill that would have taken thousands of workers away from their families at Christmas," Shops and Allied Distributors Association (SDA) NSW secretary Gerard Dwyer said.
At the forum earlier on Tuesday, Mr Dwyer said the move to expand trade would put pressure on workers to fill shifts, meaning they would have to forgo time with their families.
He said it wasn't retailers, distribution companies or finance-sector unions that wanted Boxing Day trading.
"It's a few people in charge of large shopping centres ... and a few big retailers who think that enough is never enough," he said.
He said the attempt to legislate wider Boxing Day trading was symbolic of the erosion of the work-life balance.
"They're not just after Boxing Day, they're after the lot," he said.
Mr Dwyer said the bill's dismissal was a win for families.
"Allowing trading on Boxing Day would have ruined Christmas for families right across NSW," he said.
"This legislation was a disgraceful attack on workers' rights to family time over the festive period.
"It's great that the government has now seen that."
Opposition Leader John Robertson said the government had been forced to backdown on the bill, which also allowed traders to have staff in stores on and working on Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Anzac Day morning preparing for trade.
"This was always a disastrous plan," he said in a statement.
"The fact the O'Farrell government was set to ram these laws through the parliament and prevent workers from spending Christmas and Easter with their families speaks volumes about their real attitude towards working families."
Read more: NSW scraps bill to allow Boxing Day trade | News-com.au
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Middleweight titleholder Daniel Geale's defense against Australian countryman Anthony Mundine was announced in mid-October, but the date and venue had not been finalized -- until Tuesday.
The much-anticipated rematch, heralded by many as one of the biggest fights in Australian history, will take place Jan. 30 at the 11,500-seat Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney, promoter Gary Shaw announced.
"In all my years in boxing, this is the biggest fight in Australian boxing history, and we are delighted to be able to bring it to Sydney," said Shaw, Geale's promoter. "This city has a proud history of staging big fights, and let me assure you they don't get bigger than this. "Daniel Geale is considered to be, by many, one of the best middleweights in the world after winning two world titles from German fighters on German soil. Daniel is desperate to avenge his controversial loss to Mundine in 2009."
Geale outpointed Sebastian Sylvester via split decision to win a 160-pound belt in Neubrandenburg, Germany in May 2011, made two title defenses and then unified two belts by winning a split decision against Felix Sturm on Sept. 1 in Oberhausen.
One of Geale's mandatory defenses was due against Gennady Golovkin. But rather than face him, the 31-year-old Geale elected to go for revenge against the 37-year-old Mundine in a more lucrative fight, forcing him to give up one of his belts.
Mundine (44-4, 26 KOs) handed Geale (28-1, 15 KOs) his lone career defeat by 12-round split decision in May 2009. Geale has won seven consecutive fights since the loss, including winning both of his world titles.
"I'm happy we are able to move forward with the promotion now that we have a date and venue sorted," Geale said. "The Sydney Entertainment Centre is a fantastic place to hold this fight. The whole country is talking about this fight, and I can't wait to put Mundine in his place after all the trash talking he's been doing."
Mundine, a former super middleweight titlist, will be fighting at the venue, which he calls his "spiritual home" for the eighth time.
"I've had some of my best fights in this venue and I can't wait to get back here again on Jan. 30," Mundine said. "I made my pro debut and won my first world title here. It's a special place for me, and in January I'm going to write another chapter in my legacy by stopping Daniel Geale."
Daniel Geale-Anthony Mundine middleweight fight to take place Jan. 30 in Sydney, Australia - ESPN
The much-anticipated rematch, heralded by many as one of the biggest fights in Australian history, will take place Jan. 30 at the 11,500-seat Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney, promoter Gary Shaw announced.
"In all my years in boxing, this is the biggest fight in Australian boxing history, and we are delighted to be able to bring it to Sydney," said Shaw, Geale's promoter. "This city has a proud history of staging big fights, and let me assure you they don't get bigger than this. "Daniel Geale is considered to be, by many, one of the best middleweights in the world after winning two world titles from German fighters on German soil. Daniel is desperate to avenge his controversial loss to Mundine in 2009."
Geale outpointed Sebastian Sylvester via split decision to win a 160-pound belt in Neubrandenburg, Germany in May 2011, made two title defenses and then unified two belts by winning a split decision against Felix Sturm on Sept. 1 in Oberhausen.
One of Geale's mandatory defenses was due against Gennady Golovkin. But rather than face him, the 31-year-old Geale elected to go for revenge against the 37-year-old Mundine in a more lucrative fight, forcing him to give up one of his belts.
Mundine (44-4, 26 KOs) handed Geale (28-1, 15 KOs) his lone career defeat by 12-round split decision in May 2009. Geale has won seven consecutive fights since the loss, including winning both of his world titles.
"I'm happy we are able to move forward with the promotion now that we have a date and venue sorted," Geale said. "The Sydney Entertainment Centre is a fantastic place to hold this fight. The whole country is talking about this fight, and I can't wait to put Mundine in his place after all the trash talking he's been doing."
Mundine, a former super middleweight titlist, will be fighting at the venue, which he calls his "spiritual home" for the eighth time.
"I've had some of my best fights in this venue and I can't wait to get back here again on Jan. 30," Mundine said. "I made my pro debut and won my first world title here. It's a special place for me, and in January I'm going to write another chapter in my legacy by stopping Daniel Geale."
Daniel Geale-Anthony Mundine middleweight fight to take place Jan. 30 in Sydney, Australia - ESPN
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Heavyweight Seth Mitchell didn't grow up around boxing like Johnathon Banks, his opponent on Saturday night (HBO, 10 ET/PT) at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., did.
Mitchell was a high school football star and then a linebacker at Michigan State. He had his eyes on the NFL, but a knee injury killed that dream and he moved to boxing after graduating from college with a criminal justice degree.
He didn't model himself after any fighter in particular because he was too into football.
"I literally just got involved in boxing six years ago," Mitchell said. "There's nobody that I really looked up to as a fighter, and you probably could ask Johnathon this question and he probably could say, 'Well I used to look up to so and so in boxing,' but that wasn't my thing. I wanted to be a football player. I really looked up and admired and wanted to play like Ray Lewis, middle linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens."
That should come as no surprise because Mitchell (25-0-1, 19 KOs) is from Brandywine, Md., not too far from Baltimore.
"But as a boxer I like a lot of people," Mitchell said. "I watch tape on fights just to pick up different things to add to my boxing craft. My favorite fighter right now is Miguel Cotto."
Banks (28-1-1, 18 KOs) is different. He has been around boxing since he was a teen boxing as an amateur for late trainer Emanuel Steward at his Kronk Gym in Detroit.
Besides looking up to Steward, he looked up to fighters from Detroit, which produced some all-time greats.
"Of course, the guys I looked up to in Detroit [were] Detroit fighters," Banks said. "Joe Louis, he was from Detroit. Sugar Ray Robinson was from Detroit. And of course there was Thomas Hearns."
Banks also mentioned such former Detroit champions such as Milton McCrory, and Hilmer Kenty, the first champion from the Kronk Gym.
"I have to say I looked up to all these guys, and I was able to talk to a majority of these guys," Banks said. "I was able to talk to a lot of different trainers that trained Joe Louis, a lot of different trainers that worked right next to Sugar Ray Robinson. So I was able to talk to a lot of these guys, just get a little techniques or stuff like that, learning different things from a lot of old-school people."
Boxing new to Mitchell, not Banks - Dan Rafael Blog - ESPN
Mitchell was a high school football star and then a linebacker at Michigan State. He had his eyes on the NFL, but a knee injury killed that dream and he moved to boxing after graduating from college with a criminal justice degree.
He didn't model himself after any fighter in particular because he was too into football.
"I literally just got involved in boxing six years ago," Mitchell said. "There's nobody that I really looked up to as a fighter, and you probably could ask Johnathon this question and he probably could say, 'Well I used to look up to so and so in boxing,' but that wasn't my thing. I wanted to be a football player. I really looked up and admired and wanted to play like Ray Lewis, middle linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens."
That should come as no surprise because Mitchell (25-0-1, 19 KOs) is from Brandywine, Md., not too far from Baltimore.
"But as a boxer I like a lot of people," Mitchell said. "I watch tape on fights just to pick up different things to add to my boxing craft. My favorite fighter right now is Miguel Cotto."
Banks (28-1-1, 18 KOs) is different. He has been around boxing since he was a teen boxing as an amateur for late trainer Emanuel Steward at his Kronk Gym in Detroit.
Besides looking up to Steward, he looked up to fighters from Detroit, which produced some all-time greats.
"Of course, the guys I looked up to in Detroit [were] Detroit fighters," Banks said. "Joe Louis, he was from Detroit. Sugar Ray Robinson was from Detroit. And of course there was Thomas Hearns."
Banks also mentioned such former Detroit champions such as Milton McCrory, and Hilmer Kenty, the first champion from the Kronk Gym.
"I have to say I looked up to all these guys, and I was able to talk to a majority of these guys," Banks said. "I was able to talk to a lot of different trainers that trained Joe Louis, a lot of different trainers that worked right next to Sugar Ray Robinson. So I was able to talk to a lot of these guys, just get a little techniques or stuff like that, learning different things from a lot of old-school people."
Boxing new to Mitchell, not Banks - Dan Rafael Blog - ESPN
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Former junior featherweight titlist Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan, one of the finest Asian fighters of this era, announced his retirement at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday. Nishioka's retirement comes one month after he was knocked down twice and ultimately stopped in the ninth round challenging 122-pound titleholder Nonito Donaire on Oct. 13 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
"Boxing gave me so much happiness and I was able to experience special feelings. I was touched and moved with strong emotion from fighting and boxing," Nishioka said in remarks translated into English. "I was able to become a world champion and able to fight against Donaire in the United States in the main event on a major television station (HBO) in U.S. I am very satisfied with what I have accomplished with my life as a boxer."
During his 18-year professional career, Nishioka (39-5-3, 24 KOs), 36, had his ups and downs. He won the Japanese national title in 1998 and made two defenses. In 2000, he lost a decision challenging then-bantamweight world titleholder Veeraphol Sahaprom of Thailand. It was the first of four title bouts against Sahaprom during their 2000-2004 rivalry. But Nishioka never was able to win the belt at 118 pounds, settling for draws with him in the second and third fights followed by another decision loss.
Nishioka moved up to junior featherweight and, in 2008, he claimed an interim belt by outpointing Napapol Sor Rungvisai before being elevated to a full titleholder. He defended the title seven times, beating a series of top opponents.
For one of the defenses, Nishioka traveled to Mexico and scored a sensational third-round knockout in an upset against Jhonny Gonzalez, a former bantamweight titleholder who later won a featherweight belt.
Nishioka counts the win against Gonzalez as the best of his career. "Looking back, I was very exited to defend my title outside of Japan," he said. "The emotion that went through my mind right after the fight was unspeakable. That was the kind of fight that I will never be able to experience that kind emotion ever again in my life. As a fight that I have emotional attachment is the fight against Napapol, (because I) became a world champion, which I dreamed of since I was 11 years old."
Nishioka also defeated top contender Rendall Munroe from Great Britain and former champion Rafael Marquez of Mexico in October 2011 in Las Vegas. After the fight with Marquez, Nishioka took some time off, during which he vacated his belt. He wanted Donaire all along and returned a year later to challenge him for his version of the title last month.
Nishioka said he was not retiring simply because he lost a lopsided fight to Donaire.
"The first week (after the fight), I was frustrated and angry, but it was just a result of the fight," he said. "I have given everything toward this last fight against Donaire and trained this past year. For that, I am very proud of myself and satisfied.
"To be honest, I feel I can still become world champion against anybody except for Nonito Donaire. There is no more motivation and emotional satisfaction I will receive by fighting anybody other than the last fight I prepared myself and fought against Donaire in October. This is the reason I decided to retire from boxing."
Nishioka, who does some part-time work as a boxing analyst on Japanese-televised fights, said he plans to start his own boxing gym in his hometown of Amagasaki, Japan.
Japanese boxer Toshiaki Nishioka hangs up his gloves - ESPN
"Boxing gave me so much happiness and I was able to experience special feelings. I was touched and moved with strong emotion from fighting and boxing," Nishioka said in remarks translated into English. "I was able to become a world champion and able to fight against Donaire in the United States in the main event on a major television station (HBO) in U.S. I am very satisfied with what I have accomplished with my life as a boxer."
During his 18-year professional career, Nishioka (39-5-3, 24 KOs), 36, had his ups and downs. He won the Japanese national title in 1998 and made two defenses. In 2000, he lost a decision challenging then-bantamweight world titleholder Veeraphol Sahaprom of Thailand. It was the first of four title bouts against Sahaprom during their 2000-2004 rivalry. But Nishioka never was able to win the belt at 118 pounds, settling for draws with him in the second and third fights followed by another decision loss.
Nishioka moved up to junior featherweight and, in 2008, he claimed an interim belt by outpointing Napapol Sor Rungvisai before being elevated to a full titleholder. He defended the title seven times, beating a series of top opponents.
For one of the defenses, Nishioka traveled to Mexico and scored a sensational third-round knockout in an upset against Jhonny Gonzalez, a former bantamweight titleholder who later won a featherweight belt.
Nishioka counts the win against Gonzalez as the best of his career. "Looking back, I was very exited to defend my title outside of Japan," he said. "The emotion that went through my mind right after the fight was unspeakable. That was the kind of fight that I will never be able to experience that kind emotion ever again in my life. As a fight that I have emotional attachment is the fight against Napapol, (because I) became a world champion, which I dreamed of since I was 11 years old."
Nishioka also defeated top contender Rendall Munroe from Great Britain and former champion Rafael Marquez of Mexico in October 2011 in Las Vegas. After the fight with Marquez, Nishioka took some time off, during which he vacated his belt. He wanted Donaire all along and returned a year later to challenge him for his version of the title last month.
Nishioka said he was not retiring simply because he lost a lopsided fight to Donaire.
"The first week (after the fight), I was frustrated and angry, but it was just a result of the fight," he said. "I have given everything toward this last fight against Donaire and trained this past year. For that, I am very proud of myself and satisfied.
"To be honest, I feel I can still become world champion against anybody except for Nonito Donaire. There is no more motivation and emotional satisfaction I will receive by fighting anybody other than the last fight I prepared myself and fought against Donaire in October. This is the reason I decided to retire from boxing."
Nishioka, who does some part-time work as a boxing analyst on Japanese-televised fights, said he plans to start his own boxing gym in his hometown of Amagasaki, Japan.
Japanese boxer Toshiaki Nishioka hangs up his gloves - ESPN
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BOXING in Zimbabwe is remebered through names like the late Proud “Kilimanjaro” Chinembiri, Langton “Schoolboy” Tinago, Mordecai Donga, Ambrose Mlilo and Alfonso Zvenyika. Over the years the sport has taken a slump.
In the past, Stoddard Hall, Windermere Hotel, Manor Hotel, Reynolds Inn and Bulawayo Polytechnic were home of the then great sport, with stables like Rampage Ring Promotions and Blow by Blow promoting events regularly.
Lorraine Muringi even participated in the male-dominated sport, competing with the likes of businessman Phillip Chiyangwa, Stalin Mau Mau and the late Jeff Dube.
The last professional boxing tournament in Bulawayo was held at the Large City Hall in June last year.
The sport was so popular back then that boxers from Zambia flocked into the country to take part in tournaments.
Heavyweight boxing champion Thamsanqa Dube is one boxer who had lots of potential until he won the Pan-African title, beating Jack Ells in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2009, but he was stripped of the title after he failed to defend it within the stipulated time frame.
Dube made a mark on the local scene beating veteran boxer Arigoma Chiponda and Gardner Ndingwa numerous times before venturing into the international scene – beating boxers who include Joseph “Ramos” Phiri, a Zambian heavyweight boxer in a 12-round contest.
Veteran coach Phillip “Striker” Ndlovu attributed the demise of the sport to many factors.
“The main problem that we are facing is sponsorship. It is difficult because we expect the corporate world to assist us, but they are also facing challenges. Promoters are available, but they are currently not involved because they do not have money,” he said.
“The sport is dying because there are no tournaments, so we end up losing our boxers because they end up leaving the sport to perform other jobs or go to other countries. They are demoralised. We cannot blame the board because their duty is to give licences to promoters,” said Ndlovu.
“Our boxers are going to Namibia because it is the best country in Africa promoting the sport at the moment. They have eight Pan- African titles and two inter-continental championships. They will be holding a world title fight in January. There are no fights in Zimbabwe, so we try and get fights for our locals in Namibia. Most of our boxers lose because they will be ring-rusty. But it is better because it keeps them busy, as that is where most earn a living,” he said.
Boxing enthusiast and seasoned manager Mau Mau said not much was happening in the sport in the country at the moment because of lack of funding. He lambasted the flurry of excursions to Namibia at the expense of hosting local boxing tournaments.
“Absolutely nothing is coming from our boxers going to Namibia. It’s actually killing boxing. We are leading our boxers to the slaughterhouse. Our boxers are being pummelled and it actually destroys their workouts. More than 80% of the fights there are failures. It’s a big dent to the boxers’ records. Our boxers have been used as cannon fodder and stepping stones for the Namibian boxers,” Mau Mau said.
The seasoned boxing manager took a swipe at the Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Control Board, which he said should intervene and control the number of boxers who go out of the country.
“Not much is happening in boxing because we have got very minimal local tournaments taking place due to chronic lack of sponsorship. People who follow boxing should know that what the board does is police the sport, but in the case of the Namibian fights, the board should intervene by controlling boxers because they will be protecting them, even from a health perspective,” Mau Mau said.
He blamed the dearth of local boxing on the failure by boxing people (including himself) to lobby for sponsorship for local fights from the government and the corporate world.
“There is no sport that will excel without the corporate world and the government. Boxing is no exception. The problem is in us the people who are involved in boxing – the managers. We have not done enough to conscientise sponsors on the sport.
“We cannot talk of boxing promoters in this country. Promoting is a commercial undertaking and you cannot promote when there is no sponsorship. I used to sponsor local fights from my own pocket and it was a 100% sacrifice so that boxers could step into the ring locally and then gain international recognition. We have got a mandate to develop our boxers so that they are noticed internationally,” Mau Mau said.
Boxing lacks sponsorship: Donga
Bulawayo professional boxer Ntando Sibanda won his first international fight in September, while Zimbabwe welterweight boxing champion Charles Manyuchi drew with a Namibian boxer three weeks ago.
Former Zimbabwe light and middleweight boxing champion Donga has been facilitating trips to Namibia for local boxers under the Mordecai “Big Fish” Boxing Stable.
“The main problem that we are facing is lack of sponsorship. We cannot get any vibrant sponsors if there are no proper structures in professional boxing. The board does not even have an office to operate from. They operate from their (private) offices and use mobile phones. No companies will want to pour money in a sport that does not have proper structures,” he said.
“For the sport to improve we need to completely revamp the sport. The sport cannot be successful because there is nothing happening on the amateur ranks and that is where we are supposed to get professional boxers from. We only have one boxing officiator Mukondiwa, while Collin Mlilo is late.”
On the trekking of boxers to Namibia, Donga said: “Our boxers are not getting title fights because they are losing non-title fights. That is why I am doing away with old horses,” he said.
Zimbabwe Board of Wrestling and Boxing Control chairperson Patrick Mukondiwa said the sport was facing many challenges.
“The sport that receives (a lot of) spons
In the past, Stoddard Hall, Windermere Hotel, Manor Hotel, Reynolds Inn and Bulawayo Polytechnic were home of the then great sport, with stables like Rampage Ring Promotions and Blow by Blow promoting events regularly.
Lorraine Muringi even participated in the male-dominated sport, competing with the likes of businessman Phillip Chiyangwa, Stalin Mau Mau and the late Jeff Dube.
The last professional boxing tournament in Bulawayo was held at the Large City Hall in June last year.
The sport was so popular back then that boxers from Zambia flocked into the country to take part in tournaments.
Heavyweight boxing champion Thamsanqa Dube is one boxer who had lots of potential until he won the Pan-African title, beating Jack Ells in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2009, but he was stripped of the title after he failed to defend it within the stipulated time frame.
Dube made a mark on the local scene beating veteran boxer Arigoma Chiponda and Gardner Ndingwa numerous times before venturing into the international scene – beating boxers who include Joseph “Ramos” Phiri, a Zambian heavyweight boxer in a 12-round contest.
Veteran coach Phillip “Striker” Ndlovu attributed the demise of the sport to many factors.
“The main problem that we are facing is sponsorship. It is difficult because we expect the corporate world to assist us, but they are also facing challenges. Promoters are available, but they are currently not involved because they do not have money,” he said.
“The sport is dying because there are no tournaments, so we end up losing our boxers because they end up leaving the sport to perform other jobs or go to other countries. They are demoralised. We cannot blame the board because their duty is to give licences to promoters,” said Ndlovu.
“Our boxers are going to Namibia because it is the best country in Africa promoting the sport at the moment. They have eight Pan- African titles and two inter-continental championships. They will be holding a world title fight in January. There are no fights in Zimbabwe, so we try and get fights for our locals in Namibia. Most of our boxers lose because they will be ring-rusty. But it is better because it keeps them busy, as that is where most earn a living,” he said.
Boxing enthusiast and seasoned manager Mau Mau said not much was happening in the sport in the country at the moment because of lack of funding. He lambasted the flurry of excursions to Namibia at the expense of hosting local boxing tournaments.
“Absolutely nothing is coming from our boxers going to Namibia. It’s actually killing boxing. We are leading our boxers to the slaughterhouse. Our boxers are being pummelled and it actually destroys their workouts. More than 80% of the fights there are failures. It’s a big dent to the boxers’ records. Our boxers have been used as cannon fodder and stepping stones for the Namibian boxers,” Mau Mau said.
The seasoned boxing manager took a swipe at the Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Control Board, which he said should intervene and control the number of boxers who go out of the country.
“Not much is happening in boxing because we have got very minimal local tournaments taking place due to chronic lack of sponsorship. People who follow boxing should know that what the board does is police the sport, but in the case of the Namibian fights, the board should intervene by controlling boxers because they will be protecting them, even from a health perspective,” Mau Mau said.
He blamed the dearth of local boxing on the failure by boxing people (including himself) to lobby for sponsorship for local fights from the government and the corporate world.
“There is no sport that will excel without the corporate world and the government. Boxing is no exception. The problem is in us the people who are involved in boxing – the managers. We have not done enough to conscientise sponsors on the sport.
“We cannot talk of boxing promoters in this country. Promoting is a commercial undertaking and you cannot promote when there is no sponsorship. I used to sponsor local fights from my own pocket and it was a 100% sacrifice so that boxers could step into the ring locally and then gain international recognition. We have got a mandate to develop our boxers so that they are noticed internationally,” Mau Mau said.
Boxing lacks sponsorship: Donga
Bulawayo professional boxer Ntando Sibanda won his first international fight in September, while Zimbabwe welterweight boxing champion Charles Manyuchi drew with a Namibian boxer three weeks ago.
Former Zimbabwe light and middleweight boxing champion Donga has been facilitating trips to Namibia for local boxers under the Mordecai “Big Fish” Boxing Stable.
“The main problem that we are facing is lack of sponsorship. We cannot get any vibrant sponsors if there are no proper structures in professional boxing. The board does not even have an office to operate from. They operate from their (private) offices and use mobile phones. No companies will want to pour money in a sport that does not have proper structures,” he said.
“For the sport to improve we need to completely revamp the sport. The sport cannot be successful because there is nothing happening on the amateur ranks and that is where we are supposed to get professional boxers from. We only have one boxing officiator Mukondiwa, while Collin Mlilo is late.”
On the trekking of boxers to Namibia, Donga said: “Our boxers are not getting title fights because they are losing non-title fights. That is why I am doing away with old horses,” he said.
Zimbabwe Board of Wrestling and Boxing Control chairperson Patrick Mukondiwa said the sport was facing many challenges.
“The sport that receives (a lot of) spons
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Andrzej Fonfara brought the vacant IBO light heavyweight title to Chicago before a crowd of 4,224 Friday night at the UIC Pavilion, but his victory over Tommy Karpency didn't end the way he wanted.
After a very shaky first round, Karpency fought his way back into the match, then suddenly quit in the seventh round. He started that round aggressively and punched Fonfara into a neutral corner, then followed him around the ring throwing punches as Fonfara tried to escape.
It looked like the fight might be about to end, and it was, but it was Karpency who was on his back. But it wasn't because of a punch.
As Fonfara tied him up, Karpency slipped and fell. He seemed to want referee Pete Podgorski to help him get up, but when Podgorski insisted the fighter get up on his own, as is customary, Karpency got up and waved that he was done fighting.
After a period of confusion, Karpency extended his hand to congratulate Fonfara, but the Chicagoan would have none of it, pushing the hand away in disgust.
It looked like it would be a very short bout in the first round when after a brief feeling out period Karpency seemed to relax, dropped his hands and moved fluidly.
It was a mistake. Fonfara caught him with a shot that sent Karpency into the ropes, where he took many more punches. Podgorski jumped in and gave Karpency a standing eight count. Karpency went down a short time later as Fonfara pounded him.
Karpency was able to regain his composure after the bell despite a slightly damaged left eye. But at the end of the second round, his legs were a bit rubbery.
By the third round, Karpency went back to moving and counter-punching, but he wasn't conserving energy. Fonfara, on the other hand, was keeping plenty in the tank as he hesitated to commit to an attack.
Karpency was breathing heavily at the beginning of every round.
At first, the crowd was delighted with the Fonfara victory, but then voiced their displeasure with Karpency for taking the easy way out.
"I felt my right shoulder go out," he said afterward describing how he hit the canvas in the seventh round. He said he told the referee he couldn't raise his arm, and Podgorski responded that would end the fight.
It was technically a knockout at 57 seconds of the seventh.
At the time, Karpency was ahead 57-55 on two of the judges' cards, and Fonfara was leading 57-55 on the third.
On the undercard, Chicago super middleweight Paulie Littleton ran his record to 5-0-1 with a six-round unanimous decision over Michael "Tyson Face" Williams (2-1). It was the first time Littleton won without scoring a KO.
It was a tough fight, with neither fighter willing to cede any part of the ring.
Williams sent Littleton stumbling back with a strong jab in the first round, but by the third round, Littleton started to land with more authority and work Williams' body effectively.
Littleton also was busier in the fourth round as Williams appeared to be gasping for breath and he started to lose his mouthpiece with regularity.
Littleton opened the round with a long overhand right and followed by a left, but Williams fought back.
In the final round, Littleton opened up with a two-fisted body attack, but as in all the earlier rounds, Williams fought back. They traded fiercely until the closing bell, and Williams registered disappointment when the decision didn't go his way.
Jaime Herrera, Chicago welterweight, won a unanimous six-round decision over Patrick Boozer (5-1). Herrera dominated the busy fight, which featured plenty of action throughout. Herrera is now 9-2, with four knockouts.
Heavyweight Richard Carmack doesn't look like a fighter, but he knocked out finely tuned Chicagoan Carl Davis (16-5) in the first round.
The overweight Carmack ran his record to 12-0 with a perfect right cross in the early going. Davis fell to 16-5 with 12 knockouts.
Boxing: Andrzej Fonfara takes IBO light heavyweight crown - chicagotribune-com
After a very shaky first round, Karpency fought his way back into the match, then suddenly quit in the seventh round. He started that round aggressively and punched Fonfara into a neutral corner, then followed him around the ring throwing punches as Fonfara tried to escape.
It looked like the fight might be about to end, and it was, but it was Karpency who was on his back. But it wasn't because of a punch.
As Fonfara tied him up, Karpency slipped and fell. He seemed to want referee Pete Podgorski to help him get up, but when Podgorski insisted the fighter get up on his own, as is customary, Karpency got up and waved that he was done fighting.
After a period of confusion, Karpency extended his hand to congratulate Fonfara, but the Chicagoan would have none of it, pushing the hand away in disgust.
It looked like it would be a very short bout in the first round when after a brief feeling out period Karpency seemed to relax, dropped his hands and moved fluidly.
It was a mistake. Fonfara caught him with a shot that sent Karpency into the ropes, where he took many more punches. Podgorski jumped in and gave Karpency a standing eight count. Karpency went down a short time later as Fonfara pounded him.
Karpency was able to regain his composure after the bell despite a slightly damaged left eye. But at the end of the second round, his legs were a bit rubbery.
By the third round, Karpency went back to moving and counter-punching, but he wasn't conserving energy. Fonfara, on the other hand, was keeping plenty in the tank as he hesitated to commit to an attack.
Karpency was breathing heavily at the beginning of every round.
At first, the crowd was delighted with the Fonfara victory, but then voiced their displeasure with Karpency for taking the easy way out.
"I felt my right shoulder go out," he said afterward describing how he hit the canvas in the seventh round. He said he told the referee he couldn't raise his arm, and Podgorski responded that would end the fight.
It was technically a knockout at 57 seconds of the seventh.
At the time, Karpency was ahead 57-55 on two of the judges' cards, and Fonfara was leading 57-55 on the third.
On the undercard, Chicago super middleweight Paulie Littleton ran his record to 5-0-1 with a six-round unanimous decision over Michael "Tyson Face" Williams (2-1). It was the first time Littleton won without scoring a KO.
It was a tough fight, with neither fighter willing to cede any part of the ring.
Williams sent Littleton stumbling back with a strong jab in the first round, but by the third round, Littleton started to land with more authority and work Williams' body effectively.
Littleton also was busier in the fourth round as Williams appeared to be gasping for breath and he started to lose his mouthpiece with regularity.
Littleton opened the round with a long overhand right and followed by a left, but Williams fought back.
In the final round, Littleton opened up with a two-fisted body attack, but as in all the earlier rounds, Williams fought back. They traded fiercely until the closing bell, and Williams registered disappointment when the decision didn't go his way.
Jaime Herrera, Chicago welterweight, won a unanimous six-round decision over Patrick Boozer (5-1). Herrera dominated the busy fight, which featured plenty of action throughout. Herrera is now 9-2, with four knockouts.
Heavyweight Richard Carmack doesn't look like a fighter, but he knocked out finely tuned Chicagoan Carl Davis (16-5) in the first round.
The overweight Carmack ran his record to 12-0 with a perfect right cross in the early going. Davis fell to 16-5 with 12 knockouts.
Boxing: Andrzej Fonfara takes IBO light heavyweight crown - chicagotribune-com
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2006/12/07
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EVEN at 39, which is pretty senior for any sport, let alone one as brutal as boxing, Danny Green can't quite bring himself to utter the R-word - retirement.
He did that once before, five years ago, and he didn't much enjoy the view from outside his natural habitat, the ring, and was back less than 18 months later.
So he insists Melbourne sports fans will not necessarily be farewelling him - as has been widely reported - when he fights New Zealander Shane Cameron for the International Boxing Organisation's vacant cruiserweight world title at Hisense Arena on Wednesday night.
"I've learnt to never say never," Green said after completing one of his final training sessions.
"What I have said is that this would be a nice way to go out - but I don't think I'll ever officially retire."
There speaks a man who simply doesn't want to let go of the life-force that defines him and it's not difficult to understand.
Plenty of elite sportsmen have a similar difficulty, tennis star Lleyton Hewitt for instance. When I asked him why he was still training and playing so hard in his 30s with nothing left to prove, he said: "Don't know - maybe I just enjoy punishment."
And six years after his retirement, Shane Warne has been busily tweeting about how excited he is by the prospect of a second crack at the Big Bash League.
For guys like them, it's an addiction, isn't it?
"My oath it is," Green said. "Anyone who says no is lying. It's about keeping my health intact, believe it or not.
"The longer I stay fit and healthy, the longer I put on the end of my life.
"The training side - getting out on the oval and running, gym sweats, the hard work right down to the morning of the fight - that's what I enjoy.
"You feel sore and tired, but the closer you get to the fight, the more you jump out of bed and feel a million bucks physically and mentally. You get a clarity that's very sharp. By Tuesday or Wednesday, I'll be hyper sensitive and hyper vigilant and I can hear everything that's going on.
"My body is that in tune. It's in as good condition as it can possibly be, hopefully.
"It's a pretty special feeling that doesn't last forever."
Perhaps that's the answer they're looking for, the people - and there are plenty of them - who wonder why a father of two is fighting on in the shadow of his 40s when his recent record strongly suggests he may be pushing himself beyond his use-by date.
In Sydney in July last year his corner threw in the towel when he was pummelled mercilessly by ageing American Antonio Tarver, himself in his 40s, who has since been stripped of the title because he tested positive to drugs.
Watching from ringside that night, I believed Green should have retired then and there. His performance was that bad.
Green recovered some ground by knocking out another American veteran, Danny Santiago, in Perth in July, bringing his record to 32 wins, 28 by knockout, and five defeats, with three world championships.
He is taking another big risk by confronting Cameron, who usually fights as a heavyweight and has a deadly punch that has KO'd 22 of 31 opponents, although Green has been able to bend the rules so the limit will be 89kg instead of the usual cruiserweight 90.7kg.
"It's David and Goliath," Green said.
Even his biggest fan, his dad Malcolm, has expressed reservations about this one.
"A lot of people around me, family and friends, want me to give it away," he said.
"I don't know how rapt Dad was in me taking this fight. We are very close but he has never said don't do this or that.
"But he's comfortable with it. He sees the sacrifices I make, the discipline I have, the work ethic and he knows I'm serious about it.
"This is without doubt an extreme challenge."
Green has fought in Melbourne only twice before, nine years ago and five years ago, and demolished his little-known opponents in one round and two rounds.
He said he had been welcomed so warmly he wished he had established himself here earlier.
"I want to give people something to remember," he said.
"This one is not about making money. I want dads to take their sons so that they can always say they saw a world title fight."
Green is a likeable character who has been good for Australian boxing.
He claims he has 265,000 fans on Facebook - more than any athlete in Australia - and replies to their messages constantly, especially those who are depressed or suicidal.
Asked whether he felt fear in the ring, he said: "Yeah . . . I don't fear getting hurt but I do fear letting people down, my supporters and family."
He said he had tried to lift the sport's profile and had no time for the antics of Anthony Mundine and others.
"I'm nothing like that peanut," he said. "I'm pretty laid-back now and hopefully people see I'm just a regular dude who you would enjoy having a beer with. To me, that's a nice thing.
"I've nearly died in the ring and I'll give everything I've got every time I get into the ring, not just for me but for the fans of boxing."
Boxer Danny Green is still going strong at 39 | thetelegraph-com.au
He did that once before, five years ago, and he didn't much enjoy the view from outside his natural habitat, the ring, and was back less than 18 months later.
So he insists Melbourne sports fans will not necessarily be farewelling him - as has been widely reported - when he fights New Zealander Shane Cameron for the International Boxing Organisation's vacant cruiserweight world title at Hisense Arena on Wednesday night.
"I've learnt to never say never," Green said after completing one of his final training sessions.
"What I have said is that this would be a nice way to go out - but I don't think I'll ever officially retire."
There speaks a man who simply doesn't want to let go of the life-force that defines him and it's not difficult to understand.
Plenty of elite sportsmen have a similar difficulty, tennis star Lleyton Hewitt for instance. When I asked him why he was still training and playing so hard in his 30s with nothing left to prove, he said: "Don't know - maybe I just enjoy punishment."
And six years after his retirement, Shane Warne has been busily tweeting about how excited he is by the prospect of a second crack at the Big Bash League.
For guys like them, it's an addiction, isn't it?
"My oath it is," Green said. "Anyone who says no is lying. It's about keeping my health intact, believe it or not.
"The longer I stay fit and healthy, the longer I put on the end of my life.
"The training side - getting out on the oval and running, gym sweats, the hard work right down to the morning of the fight - that's what I enjoy.
"You feel sore and tired, but the closer you get to the fight, the more you jump out of bed and feel a million bucks physically and mentally. You get a clarity that's very sharp. By Tuesday or Wednesday, I'll be hyper sensitive and hyper vigilant and I can hear everything that's going on.
"My body is that in tune. It's in as good condition as it can possibly be, hopefully.
"It's a pretty special feeling that doesn't last forever."
Perhaps that's the answer they're looking for, the people - and there are plenty of them - who wonder why a father of two is fighting on in the shadow of his 40s when his recent record strongly suggests he may be pushing himself beyond his use-by date.
In Sydney in July last year his corner threw in the towel when he was pummelled mercilessly by ageing American Antonio Tarver, himself in his 40s, who has since been stripped of the title because he tested positive to drugs.
Watching from ringside that night, I believed Green should have retired then and there. His performance was that bad.
Green recovered some ground by knocking out another American veteran, Danny Santiago, in Perth in July, bringing his record to 32 wins, 28 by knockout, and five defeats, with three world championships.
He is taking another big risk by confronting Cameron, who usually fights as a heavyweight and has a deadly punch that has KO'd 22 of 31 opponents, although Green has been able to bend the rules so the limit will be 89kg instead of the usual cruiserweight 90.7kg.
"It's David and Goliath," Green said.
Even his biggest fan, his dad Malcolm, has expressed reservations about this one.
"A lot of people around me, family and friends, want me to give it away," he said.
"I don't know how rapt Dad was in me taking this fight. We are very close but he has never said don't do this or that.
"But he's comfortable with it. He sees the sacrifices I make, the discipline I have, the work ethic and he knows I'm serious about it.
"This is without doubt an extreme challenge."
Green has fought in Melbourne only twice before, nine years ago and five years ago, and demolished his little-known opponents in one round and two rounds.
He said he had been welcomed so warmly he wished he had established himself here earlier.
"I want to give people something to remember," he said.
"This one is not about making money. I want dads to take their sons so that they can always say they saw a world title fight."
Green is a likeable character who has been good for Australian boxing.
He claims he has 265,000 fans on Facebook - more than any athlete in Australia - and replies to their messages constantly, especially those who are depressed or suicidal.
Asked whether he felt fear in the ring, he said: "Yeah . . . I don't fear getting hurt but I do fear letting people down, my supporters and family."
He said he had tried to lift the sport's profile and had no time for the antics of Anthony Mundine and others.
"I'm nothing like that peanut," he said. "I'm pretty laid-back now and hopefully people see I'm just a regular dude who you would enjoy having a beer with. To me, that's a nice thing.
"I've nearly died in the ring and I'll give everything I've got every time I get into the ring, not just for me but for the fans of boxing."
Boxer Danny Green is still going strong at 39 | thetelegraph-com.au
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Talk about multi-tasking. Johnathan Banks trained Wladimir Klitschko last week to a victory while training for his own fight against Seth Mitchell. Many long time boxing people cannot recall anything like this happening in the history of the sport. Boxing promoter Gary Shaw said, “In all my years in boxing, I cannot ever recall anything like this happening before. A trainer, training the heavyweight champion to a victory and then a week later, fighting and winning a championship belt. My hat is off to Banks”.
It was no big deal to Banks, “It’s all about boxing. Training a fighter or being trained, it’s all within the realm of boxing. It sounds harder than it was”. Banks made short work of Mitchell, with 3 knock downs in the second round before veteran ref Eddie Cotton had no choice but to stop the fight at 2:37 of round 2. This loss puts Mitchell, in the back of the line of heavyweights in search of a chance to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world. “I am really upset”, says a dejected Mitchell, (25-1-1, 19 KO’s), “I had a great training camp and Banks did not do anything we didn't prepare for. I just got over anxious after the first round, where I put some good shots on him that he felt. I was lunging and did not let the fight come to me as we prepared. We knew Banks was a good counter puncher and my long leads fell right into his style of fighting”.
Banks, (29-1-1, 19 KO’s), was very humble in victory as he displayed the NABO belt that he took from Mitchell. “I want to thank the Mitchell team for continuing with this fight that had been postponed a few times. This is a classy group. I can’t always say that about people in this sport”, said a happy but still grieving Banks. A few days before the Mitchell fight, Banks and many fans and admirers, attended the memorial service for Manny Stewart, Banks long time trainer and father figure. “I could hear his voice in the ring. ‘Take your time….look for your openings’, he was everything in this sport to me. Anything good that ever happened to me in boxing is because of Emanuel Stewart. I was at his side on many occasions and I will miss him”, remembers Banks. Johnathan Banks, 30, now goes to the head of the class of American heavyweights and one day may have to fight the world champion he now trains. Once again, no big deal to Banks, “I never take bread off the table, so if that happens, I will be there”.
Banks takes care of Mitchell in 2nd round TKO - Washington DC Boxing | Examiner-com
It was no big deal to Banks, “It’s all about boxing. Training a fighter or being trained, it’s all within the realm of boxing. It sounds harder than it was”. Banks made short work of Mitchell, with 3 knock downs in the second round before veteran ref Eddie Cotton had no choice but to stop the fight at 2:37 of round 2. This loss puts Mitchell, in the back of the line of heavyweights in search of a chance to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world. “I am really upset”, says a dejected Mitchell, (25-1-1, 19 KO’s), “I had a great training camp and Banks did not do anything we didn't prepare for. I just got over anxious after the first round, where I put some good shots on him that he felt. I was lunging and did not let the fight come to me as we prepared. We knew Banks was a good counter puncher and my long leads fell right into his style of fighting”.
Banks, (29-1-1, 19 KO’s), was very humble in victory as he displayed the NABO belt that he took from Mitchell. “I want to thank the Mitchell team for continuing with this fight that had been postponed a few times. This is a classy group. I can’t always say that about people in this sport”, said a happy but still grieving Banks. A few days before the Mitchell fight, Banks and many fans and admirers, attended the memorial service for Manny Stewart, Banks long time trainer and father figure. “I could hear his voice in the ring. ‘Take your time….look for your openings’, he was everything in this sport to me. Anything good that ever happened to me in boxing is because of Emanuel Stewart. I was at his side on many occasions and I will miss him”, remembers Banks. Johnathan Banks, 30, now goes to the head of the class of American heavyweights and one day may have to fight the world champion he now trains. Once again, no big deal to Banks, “I never take bread off the table, so if that happens, I will be there”.
Banks takes care of Mitchell in 2nd round TKO - Washington DC Boxing | Examiner-com
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Rapper and entrepreneur 50 Cent is taking a swing at promoting boxing in Nevada.
Nevada Athletic Commission executive Keith Kizer said Monday the entertainer and businessman whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III won approval last week for a promoter's license.
The company is called SMS Promotions. It's handling a Dec. 8 bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas between Cuban-born Miami-based boxer Yuriorkis Gamboa and an opponent yet to be named.
Messages left Monday with the company in New York City weren't returned.
Kizer says 50 Cent and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. had been talking about forming a promotions company called TMT Promotions.
But the rapper told the commission those plans fell through, and the fledgling business was being absorbed by SMS Promotions.
50 Cent takes swing at promoting boxing in Nevada | www-wsbtv-com
Nevada Athletic Commission executive Keith Kizer said Monday the entertainer and businessman whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III won approval last week for a promoter's license.
The company is called SMS Promotions. It's handling a Dec. 8 bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas between Cuban-born Miami-based boxer Yuriorkis Gamboa and an opponent yet to be named.
Messages left Monday with the company in New York City weren't returned.
Kizer says 50 Cent and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. had been talking about forming a promotions company called TMT Promotions.
But the rapper told the commission those plans fell through, and the fledgling business was being absorbed by SMS Promotions.
50 Cent takes swing at promoting boxing in Nevada | www-wsbtv-com
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2006/12/07
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Former world boxing champion Hector “Macho” Camacho was shot in the face as he sat in a car outside the Puerto Rican capital Tuesday, and doctors said he was in serious condition but expected to survive.
Another man in the car, whose relationship to the 50-year-old Camacho wasn’t immediately known, died in the attack in which at least one gunman opened fire on their vehicle in the city of Bayamon, according to a statement from police.
Camacho was rushed to Centro Medico, the trauma centre in San Juan, where he was in critical but stable condition, Dr. Ernesto Torres, the hospital director, told reporters.
The bullet apparently struck him in the jaw but exited his head and lodged in his right shoulder and fractured two vertebrae, Torres said. The doctor said the boxer, who was trailed by drug and alcohol problems during a career that included some high-profile bouts, could be paralyzed from the shooting.
“Camacho’s condition is extremely delicate,” he told Telenoticias. “His physical condition will help him but we will see.”
No arrests have been made in the shooting, police said.
Camacho representative Steve Tannenbaum said he was told by friends at the hospital that the boxer would make it.
“This guy is a cat with nine lives. He’s been through so much,” he said. “If anybody can pull through it will be him.”
The fighter’s last title bout came against then-welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya in 1997, a loss by unanimous decision. Tannenbaum said he was going to fight two years ago in Denmark until his opponent pulled out and that they were looking at a possible bout in 2013.
“We were talking comeback even though he is 50,” he said. “I felt he was capable of it.”
Camacho was born in Bayamon, one of the cities that make up the San Juan metropolitan area. He won super lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight world titles in the 1980s.
Camacho has fought other high-profile bouts in his career against Felix Trinidad, Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard. Camacho knocked out Leonard in 1997, ending what was that former champ’s final comeback attempt.
Camacho has a career record of 79-5-3, with his most recent fight coming in 2009.
Drug, alcohol and other problems have trailed Camacho since the prime of his boxing career. He was sentenced in 2007 to seven years in prison for the burglary of a computer store in Mississippi. While arresting him on the burglary charge in January 2005, police also found the drug ecstasy.
A judge eventually suspended all but one year of the sentence and gave Camacho probation. He wound up serving two weeks in jail, though, after violating that probation.
Twice his wife filed domestic abuse complaints against him, and she filed for divorce several years ago.
Hector Camacho shot in Puerto Rico: Former boxing champion in serious condition | Sports | National Post
Another man in the car, whose relationship to the 50-year-old Camacho wasn’t immediately known, died in the attack in which at least one gunman opened fire on their vehicle in the city of Bayamon, according to a statement from police.
Camacho was rushed to Centro Medico, the trauma centre in San Juan, where he was in critical but stable condition, Dr. Ernesto Torres, the hospital director, told reporters.
The bullet apparently struck him in the jaw but exited his head and lodged in his right shoulder and fractured two vertebrae, Torres said. The doctor said the boxer, who was trailed by drug and alcohol problems during a career that included some high-profile bouts, could be paralyzed from the shooting.
“Camacho’s condition is extremely delicate,” he told Telenoticias. “His physical condition will help him but we will see.”
No arrests have been made in the shooting, police said.
Camacho representative Steve Tannenbaum said he was told by friends at the hospital that the boxer would make it.
“This guy is a cat with nine lives. He’s been through so much,” he said. “If anybody can pull through it will be him.”
The fighter’s last title bout came against then-welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya in 1997, a loss by unanimous decision. Tannenbaum said he was going to fight two years ago in Denmark until his opponent pulled out and that they were looking at a possible bout in 2013.
“We were talking comeback even though he is 50,” he said. “I felt he was capable of it.”
Camacho was born in Bayamon, one of the cities that make up the San Juan metropolitan area. He won super lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight world titles in the 1980s.
Camacho has fought other high-profile bouts in his career against Felix Trinidad, Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard. Camacho knocked out Leonard in 1997, ending what was that former champ’s final comeback attempt.
Camacho has a career record of 79-5-3, with his most recent fight coming in 2009.
Drug, alcohol and other problems have trailed Camacho since the prime of his boxing career. He was sentenced in 2007 to seven years in prison for the burglary of a computer store in Mississippi. While arresting him on the burglary charge in January 2005, police also found the drug ecstasy.
A judge eventually suspended all but one year of the sentence and gave Camacho probation. He wound up serving two weeks in jail, though, after violating that probation.
Twice his wife filed domestic abuse complaints against him, and she filed for divorce several years ago.
Hector Camacho shot in Puerto Rico: Former boxing champion in serious condition | Sports | National Post
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The family of Hector "Macho" Camacho tried to decide Wednesday whether he should be removed from life support after a shooting in his Puerto Rican hometown left the former boxing champion clinging to life and his fans mourning the loss of a dynamic and often troubled athlete.
Doctors at the Centro Medico trauma centre in San Juan found that Camacho had irregular and intermittent brain activity late Wednesday, said Dr. Ernesto Torres, the centre's director.
"We can't declare him brain dead," he said. "We're going to ask the people of Puerto Rico to keep praying."
Torres said doctors will conduct additional tests early Thursday but warned the prognosis remains dire.
"The changes have been more negative than positive," he said, adding that Camacho does not have enough blood coursing through his brain.
Doctors initially had said Camacho was in critical, but stable condition and expected to survive after he was shot Tuesday night in the city of Bayamon. But his condition worsened overnight and his heart stopped at one point, Torres said.
The 50-year-old Camacho was shot as he and a friend sat in a Ford Mustang parked outside a bar. Police spokesman Alex Diaz said officers found nine small bags of cocaine in the friend's pocket, and a 10th bag open inside the car.
Camacho's mother, who flew in Wednesday from New York, will lead the discussion about whether he should be removed from life support, said Ismael Leandry, a longtime friend and former manager who was also at the hospital.
"We just have to wait to see if 'Macho' gets better. It's a hard battle," Leandry told The Associated Press as he joined friends and family outside the emergency room.
Torres said Camacho's mother, Maria Matias, spent about 20 minutes with her son, one of the most dynamic boxing personalities of his era, and was expected to return for a second visit on Wednesday night.
"His mother came and she is devastated," he said. "She knows the prognosis is not at all favourable."
A godson, Widniel Adorno, said the family has discussed the possibility of organ donation but no final decision has been made.
Camacho's friend, identified as 49-year-old Adrian Mojica Moreno, was killed in the attack. Police said two assailants fled in an SUV but no arrests have been made and no motive has been disclosed.
Risk of paralysis
Camacho was rushed to Centro Medico, where doctors initially said the bullet passed through his jaw and lodged in his shoulder. Torres said the bullet damaged three of the four main arteries in his neck and fractured two vertebrae, which could leave him paralyzed if he were to survive.
Steve Tannenbaum, who has also represented Camacho in the past, had been told earlier by friends at the hospital that the boxer would make it.
"This guy is a cat with nine lives. He's been through so much," he said. "If anybody can pull through it will be him."
Friends and family members waited anxiously at the hospital, fondly recalling Camacho's high-energy personality and his powerful skills in the ring.
"He was like a little brother who was always getting into trouble," said former featherweight champion Juan Laporte, a fellow Puerto Rican who grew up and trained with Camacho in New York.
Camacho has been considered one of the more controversial figures in boxing, but also popular among fans and those who worked in the sport.
"The Macho Man was a promoter's dream," renowned promoter Don King told AP. "He excited boxing fans around the world with his inimitable style. He was a nice, amiable guy away from the ring."
King had promoted Camacho but was caught off guard by news of the attack on the former champion. "What a tragedy this is," he said. "I'm very sorry for Hector and his family. My prayers go out to him."
The fighter's last title bout came against then-welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya in 1997, a loss by unanimous decision. He last fought in May 2010, losing to Saul Duran. Tannenbaum said they were looking at a possible bout in 2013.
"We were talking comeback even though he is 50," he said. "I felt he was capable of it."
Camacho was born in Bayamon, one of the cities that make up the San Juan metropolitan area.
'The Harlem Heckler'
He left Puerto Rico as a child and grew up mostly in New York's Harlem neighbourhood, one of the reasons he later earned the nickname "the Harlem Heckler."
He went on to win super lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight world titles in the 1980s.
Camacho has fought other high-profile bouts in his career against Felix Trinidad, Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard. Camacho knocked out Leonard in 1997, ending what was that former champ's final comeback attempt.
Camacho has a career record of 79-6-3.
In recent years, he has divided his time between Puerto Rico and Florida, appearing regularly on Spanish-language television as well as on a reality show called "Es Macho Time!" on YouTube. In San Juan, he had been living in the beach community of Isla Verde, where he would obligingly pose for photos with tourists who recognized him on the street, said former pro boxer Victor "Luvi" Callejas, a neighbour and friend.
"We all know what Macho Camacho has done, but in the last couple of months he hasn't been in any trouble," Callejas said as he kept vigil outside the hospital. "He has been taking it easy. He's been upbeat."
Drug, alcohol and other problems have trailed Camacho since the prime of his boxing career. He was sentenced in 2007 to seven years in prison for the burglary of a computer store in Mississippi. While arresting him on the burglary charge in January 2005, police also found the drug ecstasy.
A judge eventually suspended all but one year of the sentence and gave Camacho probation. He wound up serving two weeks in jail, though, after violating that probation.
His wife also filed domestic abuse complaints against him twice before their divorce several years ago.
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Doctors at the Centro Medico trauma centre in San Juan found that Camacho had irregular and intermittent brain activity late Wednesday, said Dr. Ernesto Torres, the centre's director.
"We can't declare him brain dead," he said. "We're going to ask the people of Puerto Rico to keep praying."
Torres said doctors will conduct additional tests early Thursday but warned the prognosis remains dire.
"The changes have been more negative than positive," he said, adding that Camacho does not have enough blood coursing through his brain.
Doctors initially had said Camacho was in critical, but stable condition and expected to survive after he was shot Tuesday night in the city of Bayamon. But his condition worsened overnight and his heart stopped at one point, Torres said.
The 50-year-old Camacho was shot as he and a friend sat in a Ford Mustang parked outside a bar. Police spokesman Alex Diaz said officers found nine small bags of cocaine in the friend's pocket, and a 10th bag open inside the car.
Camacho's mother, who flew in Wednesday from New York, will lead the discussion about whether he should be removed from life support, said Ismael Leandry, a longtime friend and former manager who was also at the hospital.
"We just have to wait to see if 'Macho' gets better. It's a hard battle," Leandry told The Associated Press as he joined friends and family outside the emergency room.
Torres said Camacho's mother, Maria Matias, spent about 20 minutes with her son, one of the most dynamic boxing personalities of his era, and was expected to return for a second visit on Wednesday night.
"His mother came and she is devastated," he said. "She knows the prognosis is not at all favourable."
A godson, Widniel Adorno, said the family has discussed the possibility of organ donation but no final decision has been made.
Camacho's friend, identified as 49-year-old Adrian Mojica Moreno, was killed in the attack. Police said two assailants fled in an SUV but no arrests have been made and no motive has been disclosed.
Risk of paralysis
Camacho was rushed to Centro Medico, where doctors initially said the bullet passed through his jaw and lodged in his shoulder. Torres said the bullet damaged three of the four main arteries in his neck and fractured two vertebrae, which could leave him paralyzed if he were to survive.
Steve Tannenbaum, who has also represented Camacho in the past, had been told earlier by friends at the hospital that the boxer would make it.
"This guy is a cat with nine lives. He's been through so much," he said. "If anybody can pull through it will be him."
Friends and family members waited anxiously at the hospital, fondly recalling Camacho's high-energy personality and his powerful skills in the ring.
"He was like a little brother who was always getting into trouble," said former featherweight champion Juan Laporte, a fellow Puerto Rican who grew up and trained with Camacho in New York.
Camacho has been considered one of the more controversial figures in boxing, but also popular among fans and those who worked in the sport.
"The Macho Man was a promoter's dream," renowned promoter Don King told AP. "He excited boxing fans around the world with his inimitable style. He was a nice, amiable guy away from the ring."
King had promoted Camacho but was caught off guard by news of the attack on the former champion. "What a tragedy this is," he said. "I'm very sorry for Hector and his family. My prayers go out to him."
The fighter's last title bout came against then-welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya in 1997, a loss by unanimous decision. He last fought in May 2010, losing to Saul Duran. Tannenbaum said they were looking at a possible bout in 2013.
"We were talking comeback even though he is 50," he said. "I felt he was capable of it."
Camacho was born in Bayamon, one of the cities that make up the San Juan metropolitan area.
'The Harlem Heckler'
He left Puerto Rico as a child and grew up mostly in New York's Harlem neighbourhood, one of the reasons he later earned the nickname "the Harlem Heckler."
He went on to win super lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight world titles in the 1980s.
Camacho has fought other high-profile bouts in his career against Felix Trinidad, Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard. Camacho knocked out Leonard in 1997, ending what was that former champ's final comeback attempt.
Camacho has a career record of 79-6-3.
In recent years, he has divided his time between Puerto Rico and Florida, appearing regularly on Spanish-language television as well as on a reality show called "Es Macho Time!" on YouTube. In San Juan, he had been living in the beach community of Isla Verde, where he would obligingly pose for photos with tourists who recognized him on the street, said former pro boxer Victor "Luvi" Callejas, a neighbour and friend.
"We all know what Macho Camacho has done, but in the last couple of months he hasn't been in any trouble," Callejas said as he kept vigil outside the hospital. "He has been taking it easy. He's been upbeat."
Drug, alcohol and other problems have trailed Camacho since the prime of his boxing career. He was sentenced in 2007 to seven years in prison for the burglary of a computer store in Mississippi. While arresting him on the burglary charge in January 2005, police also found the drug ecstasy.
A judge eventually suspended all but one year of the sentence and gave Camacho probation. He wound up serving two weeks in jail, though, after violating that probation.
His wife also filed domestic abuse complaints against him twice before their divorce several years ago.
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PUERTO Rican boxing great Hector "Macho" Camacho is clinically brain dead doctors say.
But family members are in disagreement on whether to take him off life support.
Dr Ernesto Torres said doctors have finished performing all medical tests on Camacho, who was shot in the face Tuesday night.
“We have done everything we could,” said Torres, who is the director of the Centro Medico trauma center in San Juan. “We have to tell the people of Puerto Rico and the entire world that Macho Camacho has died, he is brain dead.”
He said at a news conference that the family expects to say tonight (AEDT) if Camacho should remain on life support.
Torres said Camacho's father has already indicated that he wants the boxer taken off life support and his organs donated, but one of his sisters opposes the idea. “This is a very difficult moment,” he said.
Ismael Leandry, a longtime friend and former manager, told reporters that Camacho's mother also is wavering on taking her son off life support and would like more time with him. He said the family is waiting for Camacho's oldest son to arrive Thursday night before having a family reunion and making a decision.
“Let's remember him as a good man,” Leandry said. “He was a good father, a good son.”
Steve Tannenbaum, a friend and a former boxing agent for Camacho, said in a phone interview that he idolized Camacho as a boxer.
“He is one of the greatest small fighters that I have ever seen,” he said. “Hector Camacho had a legendary status.”
Tannenbaum said he initially believed Camacho would survive. “He was almost like the indestructible man. He had so many troubles with the law, so many altercations in his life. It's a great shame.”
The 50-year-old Camacho was shot as he and a friend sat in a Ford Mustang parked outside a bar Tuesday night. Police spokesman Alex Diaz said officers found nine small bags of cocaine in the friend's pocket, and a 10th bag open inside the car. Camacho's friend, identified as 49-year-old Adrian Mojica Moreno, was killed in the attack.
Doctors had initially said Camacho was expected to survive, but his condition worsened and his heart stopped briefly overnight Tuesday, Torres said.
The bullet entered his jaw and lodged in his shoulder after tearing through three of four main arteries in his neck, affecting blood flow through his brain, doctors said.
“That lack of oxygen greatly damaged Macho Camacho's brain,” Torres said.
Camacho was born in Bayamon, a city within the San Juan metropolitan area, but he grew up mostly in New York's Harlem neighborhood, earning the nickname “the Harlem Heckler.”
He won super lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight world titles in the 1980s and fought high-profile bouts against Felix Trinidad, Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard. Camacho knocked out Leonard in 1997, ending the former champ's final comeback attempt.
Camacho has a career record of 79-6-3.
In recent years, he divided his time between Puerto Rico and Florida, appearing regularly on Spanish-language television as well as on a reality show called “Es Macho Time!” on YouTube.
In San Juan, he had been living in the beach community of Isla Verde, where he would readily pose for photos with tourists who recognized him on the street, said former pro boxer Victor “Luvi” Callejas, a neighbour and friend.
Camacho battled drugs, alcohol and other problems throughout his life. He was sentenced in 2007 to seven years in prison for the burglary of a computer store in Mississippi. While arresting him on the burglary charge in January 2005, police also found the drug ecstasy.
A judge eventually suspended all but one year of the sentence and gave Camacho probation. He wound up serving two weeks in jail, though, after violating that probation.
His wife also filed domestic abuse complaints against him twice before their divorce several years ago.
Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian
But family members are in disagreement on whether to take him off life support.
Dr Ernesto Torres said doctors have finished performing all medical tests on Camacho, who was shot in the face Tuesday night.
“We have done everything we could,” said Torres, who is the director of the Centro Medico trauma center in San Juan. “We have to tell the people of Puerto Rico and the entire world that Macho Camacho has died, he is brain dead.”
He said at a news conference that the family expects to say tonight (AEDT) if Camacho should remain on life support.
Torres said Camacho's father has already indicated that he wants the boxer taken off life support and his organs donated, but one of his sisters opposes the idea. “This is a very difficult moment,” he said.
Ismael Leandry, a longtime friend and former manager, told reporters that Camacho's mother also is wavering on taking her son off life support and would like more time with him. He said the family is waiting for Camacho's oldest son to arrive Thursday night before having a family reunion and making a decision.
“Let's remember him as a good man,” Leandry said. “He was a good father, a good son.”
Steve Tannenbaum, a friend and a former boxing agent for Camacho, said in a phone interview that he idolized Camacho as a boxer.
“He is one of the greatest small fighters that I have ever seen,” he said. “Hector Camacho had a legendary status.”
Tannenbaum said he initially believed Camacho would survive. “He was almost like the indestructible man. He had so many troubles with the law, so many altercations in his life. It's a great shame.”
The 50-year-old Camacho was shot as he and a friend sat in a Ford Mustang parked outside a bar Tuesday night. Police spokesman Alex Diaz said officers found nine small bags of cocaine in the friend's pocket, and a 10th bag open inside the car. Camacho's friend, identified as 49-year-old Adrian Mojica Moreno, was killed in the attack.
Doctors had initially said Camacho was expected to survive, but his condition worsened and his heart stopped briefly overnight Tuesday, Torres said.
The bullet entered his jaw and lodged in his shoulder after tearing through three of four main arteries in his neck, affecting blood flow through his brain, doctors said.
“That lack of oxygen greatly damaged Macho Camacho's brain,” Torres said.
Camacho was born in Bayamon, a city within the San Juan metropolitan area, but he grew up mostly in New York's Harlem neighborhood, earning the nickname “the Harlem Heckler.”
He won super lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight world titles in the 1980s and fought high-profile bouts against Felix Trinidad, Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard. Camacho knocked out Leonard in 1997, ending the former champ's final comeback attempt.
Camacho has a career record of 79-6-3.
In recent years, he divided his time between Puerto Rico and Florida, appearing regularly on Spanish-language television as well as on a reality show called “Es Macho Time!” on YouTube.
In San Juan, he had been living in the beach community of Isla Verde, where he would readily pose for photos with tourists who recognized him on the street, said former pro boxer Victor “Luvi” Callejas, a neighbour and friend.
Camacho battled drugs, alcohol and other problems throughout his life. He was sentenced in 2007 to seven years in prison for the burglary of a computer store in Mississippi. While arresting him on the burglary charge in January 2005, police also found the drug ecstasy.
A judge eventually suspended all but one year of the sentence and gave Camacho probation. He wound up serving two weeks in jail, though, after violating that probation.
His wife also filed domestic abuse complaints against him twice before their divorce several years ago.
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The mother of Hector “Macho” Camacho, the Puerto Rican ring great declared brain dead after being shot, said Friday he will be taken off life support, a move the ex-champion’s eldest son opposes.
Camacho’s mother, Maria Matias, said in a press conference that she has accepted the doctors’ verdict rendered Thursday that the three-time world champion was clinically brain-dead and could not recover.
She said the family would wait until Saturday, so that all of Camacho’s children will have a chance to say goodbye.
But Camacho’s eldest son, Hector Camacho jnr, insisted Friday night that “the fight is not over until the final round,” and that he believed Camacho should stay connected to the respirator keeping him alive.
“Doctors make mistakes. Men make mistakes. God does not make mistakes,” Camacho jnr said after visiting his father again at Centro Medico hospital in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. “He is a fighter and the fight will continue until the end.”
However, Camacho jnr acknowledged that the final decision would belong to Matias – “my grandmother, the woman who gave birth to my papa.”
Flanked by friends and family members, Matias told reporters that on Saturday she would do the only thing left she could do for her son.
“I lost my son three days ago,” she said in a firm and determined voice.
“He’s alive only because of a machine. My son is not alive. My son is only alive for the people who love him.”
She said that she had been told by one friend who had visited Camacho in hospital that he remained alive, that his legs had moved.
“But in reality, it’s electricity,” she said. “The reality is that my son has gone.”
Dr Ernesto Torres said Thursday morning that Camacho showed no sign of brain activity.
The 50-year-old ex-fighter was shot on Tuesday while in a car in San Juan outside a liquor store. The boxer’s driver, Alberto Mojica Moreno, 49, was killed in the shooting.
It was not immediately clear if they were deliberately targeted or simply caught up in a random act of violence. The bullet damaged three arteries in Camacho’s neck, crippling the flow of blood to his brain.
Camacho was one of the most colorful boxers of the 1980s, winning world titles at super lightweight, lightweight and light welterweight.
With a career record of 79-6-3 with 38 knockouts, he took on all comers, including big names Oscar De La Hoya, Julio Cesar Chavez, Sugar Ray Leonard, Felix Trinidad, Ray Mancini and Greg Haugen.
But battles with drugs and alcohol led to numerous brushes with the law outside the ring.
Earlier this year, US police charged him with child abuse for allegedly slamming his son into a floor at his ex-wife’s home in Florida.
Ismael Leandry, a friend and former manager and a key figure in Camacho’s ring career, told AFP that Puerto Rico’s secretary of recreation and sport, Henry Neumann, along with the boxing commission, were already preparing a tribute to the fighter.
While a public funeral could be held in Puerto Rico, some in the family have expressed a desire to see him buried in New York, where he spent much of his life.
Mother of boxing great Camacho says life support to end | Inquirer Sports
Camacho’s mother, Maria Matias, said in a press conference that she has accepted the doctors’ verdict rendered Thursday that the three-time world champion was clinically brain-dead and could not recover.
She said the family would wait until Saturday, so that all of Camacho’s children will have a chance to say goodbye.
But Camacho’s eldest son, Hector Camacho jnr, insisted Friday night that “the fight is not over until the final round,” and that he believed Camacho should stay connected to the respirator keeping him alive.
“Doctors make mistakes. Men make mistakes. God does not make mistakes,” Camacho jnr said after visiting his father again at Centro Medico hospital in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. “He is a fighter and the fight will continue until the end.”
However, Camacho jnr acknowledged that the final decision would belong to Matias – “my grandmother, the woman who gave birth to my papa.”
Flanked by friends and family members, Matias told reporters that on Saturday she would do the only thing left she could do for her son.
“I lost my son three days ago,” she said in a firm and determined voice.
“He’s alive only because of a machine. My son is not alive. My son is only alive for the people who love him.”
She said that she had been told by one friend who had visited Camacho in hospital that he remained alive, that his legs had moved.
“But in reality, it’s electricity,” she said. “The reality is that my son has gone.”
Dr Ernesto Torres said Thursday morning that Camacho showed no sign of brain activity.
The 50-year-old ex-fighter was shot on Tuesday while in a car in San Juan outside a liquor store. The boxer’s driver, Alberto Mojica Moreno, 49, was killed in the shooting.
It was not immediately clear if they were deliberately targeted or simply caught up in a random act of violence. The bullet damaged three arteries in Camacho’s neck, crippling the flow of blood to his brain.
Camacho was one of the most colorful boxers of the 1980s, winning world titles at super lightweight, lightweight and light welterweight.
With a career record of 79-6-3 with 38 knockouts, he took on all comers, including big names Oscar De La Hoya, Julio Cesar Chavez, Sugar Ray Leonard, Felix Trinidad, Ray Mancini and Greg Haugen.
But battles with drugs and alcohol led to numerous brushes with the law outside the ring.
Earlier this year, US police charged him with child abuse for allegedly slamming his son into a floor at his ex-wife’s home in Florida.
Ismael Leandry, a friend and former manager and a key figure in Camacho’s ring career, told AFP that Puerto Rico’s secretary of recreation and sport, Henry Neumann, along with the boxing commission, were already preparing a tribute to the fighter.
While a public funeral could be held in Puerto Rico, some in the family have expressed a desire to see him buried in New York, where he spent much of his life.
Mother of boxing great Camacho says life support to end | Inquirer Sports
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Ricky Hatton said he felt "happy" in retiring again after the former world champion's comeback bout against Vyacheslav Senchenko ended in a ninth round knockout defeat on Saturday.
A tearful Hatton admitted at a press conference he had painfully discovered he was no longer a force at elite level after sinking to his knees from a left to the kidneys in a non-title welterweight bout at the Manchester Arena.
It was an outcome that became increasingly likely as the fight went on and the 34-year-old Briton was an easy target for his Ukrainian opponent.
Hatton, roared on by a passionate crowd of 20,000 in his home city, kept missing with air-shots whereas former World Boxing Association (WBA) world champion Senchenko hardly missed at all from the seventh round onwards.
Read more: Hatton quits after boxing comeback loss
A tearful Hatton admitted at a press conference he had painfully discovered he was no longer a force at elite level after sinking to his knees from a left to the kidneys in a non-title welterweight bout at the Manchester Arena.
It was an outcome that became increasingly likely as the fight went on and the 34-year-old Briton was an easy target for his Ukrainian opponent.
Hatton, roared on by a passionate crowd of 20,000 in his home city, kept missing with air-shots whereas former World Boxing Association (WBA) world champion Senchenko hardly missed at all from the seventh round onwards.
Read more: Hatton quits after boxing comeback loss
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Puerto Rican boxing great Hector “Macho” Camacho, shot in the head last week, was declared dead on Saturday after being removed from a respirator, a doctor said.
His death brings a tragic end to a career that saw Camacho triumph in three weight classes but struggle with drugs and alcohol.
Highlights of his career included wins over legends such as Roberto Duran of Panama and American fighter Sugar Ray Leonard, whom Camacho knocked out in five rounds.
Camacho, who was 50, suffered a heart attack overnight Friday and doctors later disconnected him from life support equipment, said Dr. Ernesto Torres, director of Centro Medico de Rio Piedras, where the boxer was admitted after being shot Tuesday.
“There was nothing else we could do for him,” Torres said.
Camacho had been declared brain dead on Thursday. His relatives were informed as soon as he was taken off life support Saturday, the doctor said.
Camacho’s mother, Maria Matias, said Friday she accepted the doctors’ opinion that the three-time world champion could not recover.
The ex-fighter was shot on Tuesday while in a car in San Juan outside a liquor store. The boxer’s driver, Alberto Mojica Moreno, 49, was killed in the shooting.
It is not known if they were deliberately targeted or simply caught up in a random act of violence. The bullet damaged three arteries in Camacho’s neck, crippling the flow of blood to his brain.
Camacho was one of the most colorful boxers of the 1980s, winning world titles at super lightweight, lightweight and light welterweight.
Camacho moved with his family as a child to Spanish Harlem in New York. He repeatedly got into trouble and ended in detention at the age of 15.
He discovered boxing, did well at the amateur level and eventually went pro.
With a career record of 79-6-3 with 38 knockouts, he took on all comers, including big names Oscar De La Hoya, Julio Cesar Chavez, Sugar Ray Leonard, Felix Trinidad, Ray Mancini and Greg Haugen.
But battles with drugs and alcohol led to numerous brushes with the law outside the ring.
In 2005, he was arrested in Mississippi for allegedly trying to rob an appliance store and for carrying the drug Ecstasy. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and served some time, but eventually got out on probation.
Earlier this year, US police charged him with child abuse for allegedly slamming his son into the floor at his ex-wife’s home in Florida.
Torres said Camacho’s organs cannot be donated because of the length of time he was kept on life support.
Puerto Rico’s sports and recreation department director Henry Neumann said a wake for Camacho would start on Tuesday at 11:00 am local time, at the department’s Nilmarie Santini field in Santurce.
The event will wrap up by early Wednesday, when Camacho’s remains were to be returned to New York where he will be buried, said Betsy Rivera, a coroners’ spokeswoman.
Puerto Rican boxing great Camacho dies - Sport LIVE
His death brings a tragic end to a career that saw Camacho triumph in three weight classes but struggle with drugs and alcohol.
Highlights of his career included wins over legends such as Roberto Duran of Panama and American fighter Sugar Ray Leonard, whom Camacho knocked out in five rounds.
Camacho, who was 50, suffered a heart attack overnight Friday and doctors later disconnected him from life support equipment, said Dr. Ernesto Torres, director of Centro Medico de Rio Piedras, where the boxer was admitted after being shot Tuesday.
“There was nothing else we could do for him,” Torres said.
Camacho had been declared brain dead on Thursday. His relatives were informed as soon as he was taken off life support Saturday, the doctor said.
Camacho’s mother, Maria Matias, said Friday she accepted the doctors’ opinion that the three-time world champion could not recover.
The ex-fighter was shot on Tuesday while in a car in San Juan outside a liquor store. The boxer’s driver, Alberto Mojica Moreno, 49, was killed in the shooting.
It is not known if they were deliberately targeted or simply caught up in a random act of violence. The bullet damaged three arteries in Camacho’s neck, crippling the flow of blood to his brain.
Camacho was one of the most colorful boxers of the 1980s, winning world titles at super lightweight, lightweight and light welterweight.
Camacho moved with his family as a child to Spanish Harlem in New York. He repeatedly got into trouble and ended in detention at the age of 15.
He discovered boxing, did well at the amateur level and eventually went pro.
With a career record of 79-6-3 with 38 knockouts, he took on all comers, including big names Oscar De La Hoya, Julio Cesar Chavez, Sugar Ray Leonard, Felix Trinidad, Ray Mancini and Greg Haugen.
But battles with drugs and alcohol led to numerous brushes with the law outside the ring.
In 2005, he was arrested in Mississippi for allegedly trying to rob an appliance store and for carrying the drug Ecstasy. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and served some time, but eventually got out on probation.
Earlier this year, US police charged him with child abuse for allegedly slamming his son into the floor at his ex-wife’s home in Florida.
Torres said Camacho’s organs cannot be donated because of the length of time he was kept on life support.
Puerto Rico’s sports and recreation department director Henry Neumann said a wake for Camacho would start on Tuesday at 11:00 am local time, at the department’s Nilmarie Santini field in Santurce.
The event will wrap up by early Wednesday, when Camacho’s remains were to be returned to New York where he will be buried, said Betsy Rivera, a coroners’ spokeswoman.
Puerto Rican boxing great Camacho dies - Sport LIVE
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Controversial Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper has announced he has put his rugby union career "on hold" while he pursues a stint in boxing.
Cooper, who is unhappy with a downgraded, incentive-based contract offered by the Australian Rugby Union, will feature on the undercard of the Sonny Bill Williams fight at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
The fight is expected to be held on February 8.
Cooper's manager Khoder Nasser said the ARU has given the Queensland fly half no choice but to make a career change.
"I think the ARU has made its point and let that be known," Nasser said.
"The way they value Quade gives Quade no choice."
Cooper said boxing had been a release for him during his time out recovering from knee surgery and this new career direction is an opportunity he would love to take.
"Boxing has been used as a bit of a release, a bit of a way to work on my cardio," Cooper said.
"As it stands now, I'm still contracted until the end of December. "I don't really have an option to continue with rugby at the moment, so for now I'm just focussing on getting my body right.
"I'm still training with the Reds, I'm still contracted with them. I'm just putting my full focus on getting my body right for the upcoming boxing fight."
With speculation mounting ahead of Monday's announcement that Cooper would be walking away from rugby, the Reds fly half turned up to preseason training with his Queensland team-mates.
Cooper's participation at Reds training at Ballymore looked to be a sign that he would remain playing Super Rugby with Queensland, whose 2013 season kicks off on February 16 against the Brumbies.
Recovering from knee surgery, Cooper underwent physiotherapy before taking part in a weights session at the Ballymore gym.
Despite putting his union career on standby, Cooper says his heart remains with the code and was thankful for the support from his Super Rugby side.
"Rugby's the game I love. I was brought up playing rugby union and rugby league. It's something I hold very close to my heart," he said.
"I've got great support [at the Reds], great mates, I very much value that. Every time there's been something, an issue I've had, they've come to help and work things out right away.
"My desire for rugby will never fade. I very much love it, but it's out of my hands at the moment."
Cooper has a three-year deal with Queensland Rugby, but is yet to sign a deal with the ARU.
The press conference had already been scheduled to announce the rearranged date for fighting Francois Botha in a heavyweight boxing contest.
Cooper has a long-held interest in boxing and has often been seen at bouts in the company of Anthony Mundine, who until recently was represented by Cooper and Williams' manager Khoder Nasser.
Once his ARU contract expires, Cooper could have his pick of opportunities from both rugby codes, with European unions and rugby league clubs both potentially interested.
While Cooper said he will have a lot to reacquaint himself since last playing league as a 17-year-old, Williams backed the fly half to make a splash in the NRL if he chose to do so.
"I've been one of his big supporters even before we joined up as a team," Williams said.
"I've got no doubt that he's got that ability to succeed in the 13-man game.
"I'll probably go as far as to say I'd give him half my pay packet [at the Sydney Roosters] to get him across, because I think that he'd be great not just for the game but great for our club as well."
Cooper puts rugby on hold for boxing - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Cooper, who is unhappy with a downgraded, incentive-based contract offered by the Australian Rugby Union, will feature on the undercard of the Sonny Bill Williams fight at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
The fight is expected to be held on February 8.
Cooper's manager Khoder Nasser said the ARU has given the Queensland fly half no choice but to make a career change.
"I think the ARU has made its point and let that be known," Nasser said.
"The way they value Quade gives Quade no choice."
Cooper said boxing had been a release for him during his time out recovering from knee surgery and this new career direction is an opportunity he would love to take.
"Boxing has been used as a bit of a release, a bit of a way to work on my cardio," Cooper said.
"As it stands now, I'm still contracted until the end of December. "I don't really have an option to continue with rugby at the moment, so for now I'm just focussing on getting my body right.
"I'm still training with the Reds, I'm still contracted with them. I'm just putting my full focus on getting my body right for the upcoming boxing fight."
With speculation mounting ahead of Monday's announcement that Cooper would be walking away from rugby, the Reds fly half turned up to preseason training with his Queensland team-mates.
Cooper's participation at Reds training at Ballymore looked to be a sign that he would remain playing Super Rugby with Queensland, whose 2013 season kicks off on February 16 against the Brumbies.
Recovering from knee surgery, Cooper underwent physiotherapy before taking part in a weights session at the Ballymore gym.
Despite putting his union career on standby, Cooper says his heart remains with the code and was thankful for the support from his Super Rugby side.
"Rugby's the game I love. I was brought up playing rugby union and rugby league. It's something I hold very close to my heart," he said.
"I've got great support [at the Reds], great mates, I very much value that. Every time there's been something, an issue I've had, they've come to help and work things out right away.
"My desire for rugby will never fade. I very much love it, but it's out of my hands at the moment."
Cooper has a three-year deal with Queensland Rugby, but is yet to sign a deal with the ARU.
The press conference had already been scheduled to announce the rearranged date for fighting Francois Botha in a heavyweight boxing contest.
Cooper has a long-held interest in boxing and has often been seen at bouts in the company of Anthony Mundine, who until recently was represented by Cooper and Williams' manager Khoder Nasser.
Once his ARU contract expires, Cooper could have his pick of opportunities from both rugby codes, with European unions and rugby league clubs both potentially interested.
While Cooper said he will have a lot to reacquaint himself since last playing league as a 17-year-old, Williams backed the fly half to make a splash in the NRL if he chose to do so.
"I've been one of his big supporters even before we joined up as a team," Williams said.
"I've got no doubt that he's got that ability to succeed in the 13-man game.
"I'll probably go as far as to say I'd give him half my pay packet [at the Sydney Roosters] to get him across, because I think that he'd be great not just for the game but great for our club as well."
Cooper puts rugby on hold for boxing - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
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2006/12/07
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The thought still worries Andrew Flintoff.
And it would be enough to send shudders down James Cracknell's spine.
But Quade Cooper reckons he already knows the answer to the question that nags any high-profile sportsman who takes up boxing - can he take a punch?
Eyebrows - along with safety concerns - were raised when Cooper confirmed he would make his professional debut on the undercard of another boxing convert, good friend Sonny Bill Williams, in Brisbane on February 8.
The controversial Queensland Reds five-eighth - in rugby limbo due to stalled ARU talks - has copped a few on the chin from critics over the years.
And now Cooper claims he has footage to prove he can do the same in boxing - but he doesn't appear anywhere near a ring.
The budding cruiserweight points to video of him wearing a big right jab from hulking Brumbies prop Salesi Ma'afu during a Super Rugby altercation in March, 2011.
'He gave me one when I wasn't looking. He's a big bopper and I got up from that,' Cooper said.
However, the likes of Flintoff and Cracknell are living proof that wearing one while in the ring is very different.
Former England cricket captain Flintoff makes his professional debut on Saturday (AEST) and admits he still fears being punched despite months of training.
'All the stuff you do in the gym...it doesn't really get you ready for trying to take a punch,' Flintoff told Sky Sports.
Just ask Cracknell.
The double Olympic rowing gold medallist was knocked out cold in the first round of his boxing debut five years ago - and critics fear the same fate awaits Flintoff.
'Giving Flintoff a professional licence with no experience of boxing is a joke,' leading English fight promoter Frank Maloney said.
'It gives our sport a bad name.'
However, Cooper reckons his nimble footwork that appears in so many Super Rugby showreels will ensure he is a hit in boxing.
'I found it helped me when sparring, the way I could evade punches,' Cooper said.
'But boxing has a lot to do with hard work and desire.
'You can't hide anywhere.
'I am a bit nervous but excited at the same time.'
Of course, it may all become a moot point.
Revived ARU talks will all but ensure his fight set eight days before the Reds' season opener against the ACT will be abandoned.
And if it isn't, Cooper faces a smooth transition into boxing judging by his manager Khoder Nasser's track record with fellow star charge Williams.
Williams made his boxing debut in Brisbane three years ago against fellow Kiwi Gary Gurr who lived up to his nickname The Baboon' by trashing a pre-fight press conference before making a monkey of himself in their fight.
Sky News: Cooper confident of his boxing chances
And it would be enough to send shudders down James Cracknell's spine.
But Quade Cooper reckons he already knows the answer to the question that nags any high-profile sportsman who takes up boxing - can he take a punch?
Eyebrows - along with safety concerns - were raised when Cooper confirmed he would make his professional debut on the undercard of another boxing convert, good friend Sonny Bill Williams, in Brisbane on February 8.
The controversial Queensland Reds five-eighth - in rugby limbo due to stalled ARU talks - has copped a few on the chin from critics over the years.
And now Cooper claims he has footage to prove he can do the same in boxing - but he doesn't appear anywhere near a ring.
The budding cruiserweight points to video of him wearing a big right jab from hulking Brumbies prop Salesi Ma'afu during a Super Rugby altercation in March, 2011.
'He gave me one when I wasn't looking. He's a big bopper and I got up from that,' Cooper said.
However, the likes of Flintoff and Cracknell are living proof that wearing one while in the ring is very different.
Former England cricket captain Flintoff makes his professional debut on Saturday (AEST) and admits he still fears being punched despite months of training.
'All the stuff you do in the gym...it doesn't really get you ready for trying to take a punch,' Flintoff told Sky Sports.
Just ask Cracknell.
The double Olympic rowing gold medallist was knocked out cold in the first round of his boxing debut five years ago - and critics fear the same fate awaits Flintoff.
'Giving Flintoff a professional licence with no experience of boxing is a joke,' leading English fight promoter Frank Maloney said.
'It gives our sport a bad name.'
However, Cooper reckons his nimble footwork that appears in so many Super Rugby showreels will ensure he is a hit in boxing.
'I found it helped me when sparring, the way I could evade punches,' Cooper said.
'But boxing has a lot to do with hard work and desire.
'You can't hide anywhere.
'I am a bit nervous but excited at the same time.'
Of course, it may all become a moot point.
Revived ARU talks will all but ensure his fight set eight days before the Reds' season opener against the ACT will be abandoned.
And if it isn't, Cooper faces a smooth transition into boxing judging by his manager Khoder Nasser's track record with fellow star charge Williams.
Williams made his boxing debut in Brisbane three years ago against fellow Kiwi Gary Gurr who lived up to his nickname The Baboon' by trashing a pre-fight press conference before making a monkey of himself in their fight.
Sky News: Cooper confident of his boxing chances
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2006/12/07
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Klitschko will need to make up four centimeters (1½ inches) when he defends his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight belts against the formidable two-time Polish champion, who also has a longer reach.
“The big challenge for me is Wach’s height,” Klitschko said when the bout was announced. “He is unbeaten, a big puncher and has an irrepressible will.” Perhaps only the 7-foot-2 Nikolai Valuev could have posed a greater physical challenge for the 36-year-old Klitschko, but the ”Russian Giant” retired in 2009 after losing his WBA title to British fighter David Haye.
Klitschko defeated former cruiserweight Haye in his previous fight in Hamburg, in July 2011, and will be fighting for the fourth time in his adopted hometown.
The 32-year-old Wach, who has won all 27 of his bouts, 15 by knockout, since turning pro in 2005, is aiming to become Poland’s first world heavyweight champion.
Klitschko, meanwhile, is 58-3 (51 KOs) going into his 22nd world championship fight — the first since the death of his longtime coach and friend Emanuel Steward last month. As if he needed extra motivation.
“I will defend the titles that I won together with Emanuel Steward,” the 36-year-old said at Monday’s press conference. “He wasn’t just a coach. Emanuel Steward was a genius, a genius in the ring.” It will be Klitschko’s third defense this year after knockout wins over Jean-Marc Mormeck of France in March and American challenger Tony Thompson in July.
Actor and director Sylvester Stallone, famous from his role in the Rocky series of films, will attend the bout, part of the promotional campaign for the Rocky musical.
Klitschko and his older brother Vitali, together with Stallone, had a hand in the production of “Rocky: Fight from the Heart,” which opens in Hamburg on Nov. 18.