Tag Archives: Vitali Shaposhnikov

More than meets the eye with the WBO’s stripping of Floyd Mayweather’s WBO belt?

Floyd Mayweather is no longer the WBO welterweight champion of the world (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

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By Vitali Shaposhnikov

Aside from beating Manny Pacquiao for the WBO belt, there were a few more details that had to be respected in order for Floyd Mayweather to officially hold on to that 147-pound title.

It seems to be that the main culprit behind the decision made by the World Boxing Organization was a $200,000 sanctioning fee that was supposed to be paid in full by July 3, 2015.
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50 Cent Explains Why Floyd Mayweather banks on his disliked image

Floyd Mayweather, pictured here with 50 Cent, seems to be everyone’s favorite villain these days (Photo: WarmJello.com)

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By Vitali Shaposhnikov

With every hero, comes a villain. And if there are no true villains available, one of the heroes will have to become the antagonist to all that is good.

While there is sufficient proof that Mayweather is far from being the sinner that part of the boxing community believes him to be, due to his questionable behavior and career choices, many boxing fans crave his loss. Being the businessman that he is, Mayweather takes full advantage of the situation, making people pay a premium for the hope to see the villain fall.
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Oscar De La Hoya sends strong signals of a comeback

Oscar De La Hoya on Father’s Day. Will we see the champ in the ring again? (Photo: Instagram)

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By Vitali Shaposhnikov

The crowd effect, the motivation, the drive, the adrenaline that floods your body with unparalleled vigor, and the thousands of fans cheering for you when you emerge from below the arena, all are a champion’s addiction. Many retired champions make a comeback to the ring because its home, it’s something that endless sweat and dedication earned them.

For Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya, the man that had a very exciting boxing career as well as a turbulent retirement, these feeling are no different.
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Floyd Mayweather swats GGG, instead naming Mayfield and Berto as possible foes in September

Floyd Mayweather always causes a scene wherever he goes (Photo: Chris Robinson)

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By Vitali Shaposhnikov

With Gennady Golovkin now being in the mix of viable challengers for Mayweather, the boxing community has been talking. Is this fight actually possible? Would Mayweather agree to face one of the most feared fighters in the sport? If so, what would be the demand for such a fight?

According to Golovkin’s trainer, Abel Sanchez, “GGG” would be able to come down to 154 to face Mayweather. The fans would undoubtedly accept that fight with arms wide open, but unfortunately, Mayweather doesn’t see Golovkin as a challenge.
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Nonito Donaire Ready To Become Former Self

Nonito Donaire, right, is still regarded as one of the top talents in the world (Photo: Chris Farina – Top Rank)

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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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Are Amir Khan and Gennady Golovkin now Floyd Mayweather’s most ideal options?

Amir Khan defeated Chris Algieri on May 29 (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

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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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Antonio Margarito contemplating a ring return; eyes Cotto III or Canelo

Will we see Antonio Margarito in the ring again? (Photo: Chris Farina – Top Rank)

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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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Miguel Cotto pushing forward, could Canelo Alvarez be next?

Puerto Rican superstar Miguel Cotto is coming off of another big TKO victory (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

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By Vitali Shaposhnikov

Why do so many boxing fans respect Miguel Cotto? The answer is as simple and as direct as could be: because he always comes to fight.

Daniel Geale was a formidable challenge, anyone would agree, and Cotto knew that as well. But coming into their fight this past weekend in New York, Cotto was fighting for something that he had tasted before: a colossal event, a mega-fight.
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Alexander Povetkin vs. Deontay Wilder in late 2015?

What does the future hold for Deontay Wilder? (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

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By Vitali Shaposhnikov

The heavyweight boxing division, aside from having a dominant champion in Wladimir Klitschko, is suffering and suffocating from lack of excitement. Despite being an absolute king to the heavyweight throne, Klitschko brings a dull and emotionless feel to his title defenses. Now and then there are fights worth getting excited about, but they come sparingly, and generally tend to not involve the actual title holder.

According to Mauricio Sulaiman, a fight worth being excited for might be around the corner. He mentioned that once Deontay Wilder gets past (33-0, 32 KO’s) gets past Eric Molina (23-2, 17 KO’s) on June 13th in Birmingham, Alabama, they will begin discussing a potential showdown between Wilder and Alxander Povetkin (29-1, 21 KO’s).
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Mayweather vs. Pacquiao rematch in the works?

Will Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight again? (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

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By Vitali Shaposhnikov

After spending ludicrous amounts of money on the first Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight, and voicing mostly disappointment, would the fans be willing to do it all over again in hopes of the rematch being more entertaining?

Boxing is one thing, but Floyd vs. Manny is another. There are great matches happening virtually every week, with most not even being noticed. Even those fights that get the attention of international media as well as the top ranked TV networks, they are soon forgotten.
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Kenny Porter on Pacquiao’s defeat: ‘If it was me I would just take that loss and move on’

Manny Pacquiao in the ring following his defeat to Floyd Mayweather this past weekend in Las Vegas (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

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By Vitali Shaposhnikov

While it is impossible and unnecessary to ignore the opinions of dedicated Mayweather and Pacquiao fans about the conclusion of their bout, the insightful view of someone with more in-depth boxing experience adds a lot to the substance of the outcome of their fight.

Kenny Porter comes with a respectable amount of knowledge and experience when it comes to the sport of boxing, and in his interview with Hustle Boss’ Chris Robinson he talks about the fight, and what camp Pacquiao should have done afterwards.
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May 2 – Was It Worth The Wait?

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao during their fight on May 2 in Las Vegas (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

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By Vitali Shaposhnikov

This question does not call for an involved debate or a complicated answer. Aside from becoming the most financially successful sporting event in sports history, Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao was also the most discussed one as well.

#MayPac blew up Twitter, with the fight being mentioned over 5 million times during the actual bout, peaking at 150,000 Tweets a minute.
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Mayweather admits losing his fire, while Pacquiao is at full throttle

Floyd Mayweather during his media day in Las Vegas on Tuesday afternoon (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

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By Vitali Shaposhnikov

Have you ever heard that if a fighter spends too much time in the ring being hit, fighting war after war, they tend to slip out of the game much sooner than those that fight smart and avoid punishment?

This idea is not necessarily false, and from many standpoints makes perfect logical sense. Being hit a lot can cause physical and mental damage, leading to a higher chance of permanent and temporary injuries, as well as decline in the ability to simulate self-confidence.
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