Nonito Donaire, right, is still regarded as one of the top talents in the world (Photo: Chris Farina – Top Rank)
By Vitali Shaposhnikov
Once upon a time, there was a bantamweight boxing sensation Nonito Donaire (34-3, 22 KO’s).
The reason for the past tense, is because the new, current Donaire has been feeling like he is no longer the fighter that he used to be in the past. Knowing that, he is trying hard to get back to the old Donaire, the unstoppable one.
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Phil Lo Greco has stepped in to face Errol Spence on Saturday night (Photo: Chris Robinson)
By Chris Robinson
Hustle Boss was on hand inside of the MGM Grand Garden Arena’s Media Tent on Thursday, June 18, as Canada’s Phil Lo Greco took the dais.
While it’s not surprising to see Lo Greco around boxing circles, those in the fight game were caught off guard when they found out that the rugged Italian will be stepping in for Roberto Garcia to face off with undefeated upstart Errol Spence Jr. (16-0, 13 KO’s) on Saturday night from the MGM Grand as part of a “Premier Boxing Champions” telecast on NBC.
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Inside the final Adrien Broner vs. Shawn Porter press conference in Las Vegas (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)
By Chris Robinson
Hustle Boss was on hand inside of the MGM Grand Garden Arena’s Media Tent as former world champions Adrien Broner (30-1, 22 KO’s) and Shawn Porter (25-1-1, 16 KO’s) held their final press conference.
For Broner, it was yet another chance to sound off on Team Porter, as he continues to imply that father and trainer Kenny is the one running the show, even hinting that the star fighter’s father is keeping money from his son.
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Floyd Mayweather played host to the final Adrien Broner vs. Shawn Porter press conference on Thursday afternoon (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)
By Chris Robinson
Photos from the MGM Grand Garden Arena’s Media Tent as pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather plays host to the final Adrien Broner vs. Shawn Porter press conference ahead of their NBC on PBC collision this weekend.
Broner (30-1, 22 KO’s), the three-division champion from Cincinatti, Oh., has been anything but shy leading up to the match and continued to take parting shots at Shawn Porter as well as his father Kenny at the final presser.
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Super middleweight prospect Lanell Bellows inside of the Mayweather Boxing Club with trainer Otis Pimpleton (Photo: Chris Robinson)
By Chris Robinson
It’s about that time ago for super middleweight upstart Lanell “KO” Bellows.
Now into his fourth year as an active professional, Bellows (12-1-1, 7 KO’s) is eyeing a return to the ring this Sunday night, as he will be facing off with well-traveled veteran Marcus Upshaw (17-13-4, 8 KO’s), who he faces on Sunday night from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Undefeated Sammy Vasquez will face off with Wale Omotoso this weekend at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (Photo: Chris Robinson)
By Chris Robinson
On Sunday afternoon, July 21, unbeaten welterweight hopeful Sammy Vasquez will step into the ring in the biggest fight and perhaps stiffest challenge of his young career.
The 29-year old Vasquez (18-0, 13 KO’s) will be facing off with Wale Omotoso (25-1, 16 KO’s) in a CBS attraction as to be seen under the “Premier Boxing Champions” flagship.
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Floyd Mayweather, center, hosting the Shawn Porter vs. Adrien Broner media day in Las Vegas (Photo: Instagram)
By Chris Robinson
It was definitely a packed scene on Wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas inside of the Mayweather Boxing Club.
The facility typically fills up during most media days and with Floyd Mayweather making an appearance to help drum up what is already a big fight with this weekend’s Adrien Broner (30-1, 22 KO’s) vs. Shawn Porter (25-1-1, 16 KO’s) melee, there was quite a lot to take in.
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Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas (Photo: Chris Robinson)
By Chris Robinson
Hustle Boss and other outlets were on hand inside of the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas, Nevada on Wednesday, afternoon, June 17 for media day ahead of the June 20 Adrien Broner vs. Shawn Porter showdown from the MGM Grand.
The Broner vs. Porter fight is a fantastic matchup of former champions and with NBC airing the event, as part of the Premier Boxing Champions series, the fight is sure to attract several viewers.
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Floyd Mayweather and Adrien Broner in Las Vegas (Photo: Chris Robinson)
By Chris Robinson
Hustle Boss was on hand inside of the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas, Nevada on Wednesday afternoon, June 17,as undefeated Floyd Mayweather and his friend, three-division world champion Adrien Broner, caused a scene with Errol Spence Jr., Shawn Porter, and others ahead of the Broner vs. Porter fight this weekend.
Broner will face off with Porter, the former IBF welterweight world champion, in a high stakes showdown at the MGM Grand on Saturday night. PBC (Premier Boxing Champions) on NBC will host the card, which also features Spence in a big step up vs. tough contender Roberto Garcia.
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Amir Khan defeated Chris Algieri on May 29 (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)
By Vitali Shaposhnikov
The press, the boxing community, and even general sports fans, many of whom believe that Floyd Mayweather (48-0, 26 KO’s) is as boring a fighter as they get, are nonetheless always on their toes looking for who will challenge the technical virtuoso next.
When discussing Mayweather, the word blueprint seems to come up fairly often. Is there a way to beat Mayweather? Is there a specific style, or person to finally scrape that zero off of his record? No matter who enters the ring against Floyd, it always seems like an easy night for the champ.
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Hustle Boss stepped back inside the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas. (L to R) Jamir Lee, LaDarius Miller, and Andrew Tabiti (Photo: Chris Robinson)
By Chris Robinson
It had been a few weeks since Hustle Boss had swung through the doors of the Mayweather Boxing Club and it was good to catch up with everyone on Monday afternoon.
With the Adrien Broner vs. Shawn Porter showdown looming this weekend inside of the MGM Grand, there is a special Fight Week buzz in the city already and it krept over into the gym.
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Will we see Antonio Margarito in the ring again? (Photo: Chris Farina – Top Rank)
By Vitali Shaposhnikov
It has been three and a half years since Antonio Margarito (38-8, 27 KO’s) has entered the ring as a fighter. On December 3 2011, he fought and lost his rematch with Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden in New York. Since then, he has been hiding out, staying out of the spotlight of the press, and enjoying family life.
For Margarito, boxing came not only with the financial rewards of being a champion, but also with the embarrassment of trying to hide an illegal attempt at victory via his hand-wrapping debacle. Boxing is the kind of sport where cheating doesn’t just put your opponent at a risk of losing by points, but possibly permanent physical injury. Being a part of something like that will most likely result in banishment from the sport.
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WBC USNBC lightweight champion Rashad Ganaway faces off with upcoming amateur prospect Joseph Macedo inside of Johnny Tocco’s in Las Vegas (Photo: Chris Robinson)
By Chris Robinson
As Hustle Boss previously reported, Rashad Ganaway recently got his career back on track by winning the WBC USNBC lightweight title with an eight-round unanimous decision over Leon Spinks III in Salt Lake City, Utah.
A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Ganaway now calls Las Vegas his home and could recently be spotted putting in some rounds inside of Johnny Tocco’s during the famed gym’s First Friday Exhibition Sparring earlier this month.
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Deontay Wilder is still undefeated (Photo: Stephane Trapp – SHOWTIME)
By Chris Robinson
Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (34-0, 33 KOs), may have had to work harder than expected before dismantling Eric “Drummer Boy” Molina (23-3, 17 KOs) on Saturday night inside of the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala., but he still managed to come away with a ninth round knockout and a successful first defense of his WBC heavyweight title.
Check below for ringside photos from SHOWTIME’s Stephane Trapp.
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Ron Johnson is getting ready for a ring return this August (Photo: Chris Robinson)
By Chris Robinson
There is no denying true talent and that’s why I’ve always had a soft spot for former WBC USNBC light heavyweight champion Ron Johnson.
Sporting an 11-1 record with 3 knockouts, it’s hard for me to believe that we haven’t seen the Cleveland, Oh. inside of the squared circle competing as a professional for more than five years. Johnson’s last match took place in November of 2009 inside of the Palms Casino in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, a 2nd round “No Contest” vs. Dumont Welliver.
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Nicholas Walters defeated Miguel Marriaga this weekend in New York (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)
By Chris Robinson
This past weekend, inside of the Madison Square Garden’s Theater, former WBA featherweight champion Nicholas “Axe-Man” Walters surrendered his title on the scales after coming in weighing 127 pounds, one over the featherweight division limit.
And while he may be returning to his native Jamaica without his title, not was all lost for the powerful prizefighter.
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Antoine Powell aka ‘Narley’ is one of the more positive souls you will meet out in Las Vegas (Photo: Chris Robinson)
By Chris Robinson
Las Vegas is a city full of a little bit of everything and I’ve met some interesting characters since moving here in late 2009.
One of the things that you get to learn about Las Vegas when you become situated is just how many transits come and make the city their new home in an effort to change their life.
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WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and his team celebrate following his victory over Eric Molina (Photo: Instagram)
By Chris Robinson
In front of a sold out crowd of 8,500 inside of the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala., WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (34-0, 33 KO’s) scored a successful first defense of his title vs. tough Eric Molina (23-3, 17 KO’s).
Wilder was a huge favorite heading into the fight but actually had some rocky moments when he was caught in the third round. Following that stanza, Wilder regrouped and scored a knockdown in the fourth, two in the fifth, before finishing the match off with a big overhand right that put his opponent out and on his back.
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Joseph Macedo and Rashad Ganaway working inside of Johnny Tocco’s (Photo: Chris Robinson)
By Chris Robinson
As I walked inside of Johnny Tocco’s Boxing Gym this past Friday, I knew something good was in store.
The famed facility began hosting Exhibition Sparring matches on the first Friday of every month and thus far the action has been top notch. This was exactly the case when I saw lightweight veteran Rashad Ganaway and upstart amateur prospect Joseph “El Bandito” Macedo facing off and trading blows.
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Cameron Kreal training inside of the Las Vegas Fight Club (Photo: Chris Robinson)
By Chris Robinson
A high-stakes junior welterweight bout appears to be a go for July 24 in Las Vegas, as it looks like undefeated “Dangerous” Don Moore (17-0-1, 11 KO’s) will tangle with tough Cameron Kreal (7-7-1, 1 KO) inside of the Sam’s Town Hotel and Casino.
Both Moore and Kreal are known well in the Las Vegas area and the fight is sure to answer a lot of questions about each man.
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