Report by Francisco Salazar
Photos by Chris Cozzone

David Haye’s mouth and punching power may have been too much for the cruiserweight division. When he announced that he was moving up to the heavyweight, few took him serious about being a major playmaker in the division. Now that he has a portion of the heavyweight world title – the WBA belt – Haye can not help but call out top fighters in the division.

Are there any takers? Anyone?  . . . Click here for more

By Robert Hough
Photos by Laura De La Torre

Mikkel Kessler (42-1-0, 32 KOs) and Andre Ward (20-0-0, 13 KOs) are all but done preparing for their November 21 fight, but Ward knows too well, that sacrifices continue.

Ward’s close to his Oakland-area home in a training-camp environment, committed to the point that he missed a father-son activity days before the bout, for Kessler’s WBA super-middleweight title . . . Click here for more

Boxing Bob Newman

By Boxing Bob Newman

As the end of day one of the 88th annual WBA Convention drew a close on the meetings and presentations, the organization broke trends and held their awards dinner at the outdoor poolside restaurant. Legendary promoter Don King arrived just in time to join the festivities where he was greeted by some of his former charges, the press and fans alike. Continued »

Unversum Box-Promotion

Saturday night at the Sparkassen Arena in Kiel, Germany, signals the start of a hot year end spurt of boxing action presented by Universum Box-Promotion. In Vitali Tajbert and Dimitri Sartison, two German hopefuls are seeking to claim world championships. Four weeks later on December 19 in Schwerin, two more Germans, WBO light heavyweight champion Jürgen Brähmer and WBC interim world champion Sebastian Zbik will risk their belts. Universum promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl spoke about the upcoming “Festival of German Professional Boxing.” Continued »

Boxing Bob Newman

By Boxing Bob Newman

Former 4-belt undefeated world champion Ricardo “Finito” Lopez inspired the attendees at the 88th WBA convention in Medellin, Colombia this afternoon with his life story. A slide show of Finito’s life in pictures and music was first shown to the crowd, after which, the champion took the microphone… Continued »

Report by Andreas Hale
Photos by Chris Cozzone

As the debris of Manny Pacquiao’s destruction of Miguel Cotto still lingers, fight fans can already begin preparing for what could be another barn burner. On January 30, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, “Sugar” Shane Mosley will return from his year layoff to take on Andre Berto in a fight that will have major implications on the welterweight division . . . Click here for more

By Robert Hough

In preparing for his November 21 fight against Mikkel Kessler (42-1-0, 32 KOs) for the Dane’s WBA super-middleweight belt, Andre Ward (20-0-0, 13 KOs), faces a familiar scenario: international field, American boxers losing and a formidable fight in his future . . . Click here for more

Team Sauerland

WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler arrived in San Francisco in the early hours of Sunday morning. He left Sacramento after watching the Pacquiao-Cotto clash. “That was a great fight,” he said. “I have the utmost of respect for both fighters. They really put on a great show.” Kessler will take on Oakland hero Andre Ward in their hotly-anticipated Super Six World Boxing Classic opening clash next Saturday. On Sunday afternoon he caught a first glimpse of the Oracle Arena when he and his team attended the NFL Game between the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Coliseum. Continued »

Story by Andreas Hale
Photos by Chris Cozzone

There would have never been a Karate Kid if Mr. Miyagi didn’t show Daniel Son how to “wax on, wax off.” It took the Zen Master, Phil Jackson, to understand and accelerate the undeniable talents of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and mold the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant en route to claiming nine NBA championships in 18 seasons as a coach.

And then there’s “Master” Freddie Roach . . . click here for more

Manny Pacquiao worked out for the last time Thursday afternoon at the IBA Gym on Euclid Street, two days before his showdown with Miguel Cotto before an expected sellout crowd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The atmosphere was vibrant and top trainer Freddie Roach even allowed full media access to the training session. Continued »

Report by Andreas Hale
Photos by Chris Cozzone

Saturday night’s symphony of violence between Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao has had a stranglehold on the world of boxing since the megafight was announced months ago. It’s a sure bet that many fans of the sport will be willing to dump their hard-earned cash to watch what takes place when the two fighters clash at the MGM Grand Garden arena in Las Vegas, NV.

However, Bob Arum isn’t satisfied with just delivering a quality main event . . . click here for more

Report by Andreas Hale
Photos by Chris Cozzone

There’s something in the air about November 14th’s showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto that says fight fans are in for a historic fight with tremendous implications. The signs were all apparent as the final press conference took place at the Hollywood Theater inside the MGM Grand Garden on Wednesday . . . Click here for more

Photo: Universum Box-Promotion

By Wolfgang Schiffbauer

German amateur standout, Jack Culcay-Keth, signed a professional contract with Germany’s Universum Box-Promotion today. Keth and his manager Moritz Klatten alongside Universum president Klaus-Peter Kohl and Dietmar Poszwa announced the deal earlier today at Hamburg’s famous East Hotel. Culcay-Keth is well known for winning a gold medal at the 2009 amateur world championships in Milano, Italy, being the first German boxer to capture a world title since 14 years. The 24-year-old will be trained by Michael Timm and former lightweight world champion Artur Grigorian. His father, Roberto, will be in his corner, too. As an amateur, he won 95 out of 126 fights, with three bouts even. For more details and photos click here…

Former world champion Rafael Marquez declared himself ready to take on Israel Vazquez in a fourth fight and denied that he has made any unreasonable financial demands as the Vazquez camp has claimed. “They are lying to Israel. His manager had said that I’m asking for the moon and the stars to fight him again but that’s simply not true. I’m working with some people here in Mexico to get something clear with Gary Shaw, but I’m ready to fight him in February or March of 2010,” said Marquez. Continued »

Feature story by Mariano A. Agmi

One of the world’s best pound for pound talents returns home tonight when “Bad” Chad Dawson (28-0, 17 KOs) takes on the “Road Warrior,” Glen Johnson (49-12, 33 KOs), at the XL Center in Hartford, CT . . . click here for more

Story by Chris Cozzone

Never mind the Time magazine cover, or showing his sensitive side by belting out “Sometimes When We Touch” on TV, Manny Pacquiao, on the road to legendary pound-for-pound greatness, will hit a major road block on November 14. At least, that’s what a calm, collective and categorically confident Miguel Cotto is saying.

“What everyone is saying about him, doesn’t concern me,” Cotto said yesterday in a teleconference. “I know what I can do to him – he better be focused on who is in front of him . . . Click here for more

Feature story by Matt Richardson

For former light heavyweight champion Glen “The Road Warrior” Johnson, the path to significant, big money fights has been a rocky one. Filled with bumps and holes, bad decisions and worse luck, the 40-year old Johnson hasn’t had an easy road to the top . . . Click here for more

Report & photos by Emily Harney

The American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians (AAPRP) concluded their annual Medical Seminar on Ringside Safety on October 17th at the Mohegan Sun Resort Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.  Leading ringside physicians, fighters, trainers, managers, promoters, commissioners and media from around the world were in attendance. The meeting, which began on Thursday, October 15th, included lectures and presentations by the most experienced and respected ringside officials in boxing and mixed martial arts. Click here to read the full report, including the the recipients of the 2009 AAPRP Awards . . . click here for more

Story & photos by Felipe Leon

The coincidences are uncanny.

As the WBC No. 1 ranked lightweight Antonio DeMarco prepares himself for his first world title fight, when he faces Jose Alfaro on Saturday night at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, for the interim WBC lightweight belt, the circumstances are eerily similar to when another fighter trained by Romulo Quirarte was crowned, Raul “Jibaro” Perez . . . . Click here for more

Photo: Chris Farina-Top Rank

The near 90 degree Florida heat did not stop fans and media members from showing up in droves for Miguel Cotto’s Tampa training camp today for his final open workout before he heading to Las Vegas his November 14 fight against Manny Pacquiao. The Puerto Rican powerhouse celebrated his 29th birthday with the biggest media day of his professional boxing career reinforcing the magnitude of his pending date with Pacquiao. Cotto showed the crowd that he is ready to prove himself when he faces Pacquiao in the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and live on pay-per-view. Click here for more photos + quotes from Cotto and his team.

Report by Ricardo Trujillo
Photos by Emily Harney

Hector Camacho, Jr. isn’t promising a slugfest victory over Ramon “Yory Boy” Campas, Friday night at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso – he’s promising a swatfest.. . . . Click here for more

“LATIN INVASION 2″ will be held at UTEP’s Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. The event will be on live on Pay-Per-View. Tickets for this event available at TicketMaster, or can be purchased at the Don Haskins Center box office, at 915-747-5234.

Sauerland Event

Three-time world cruiserweight champion David “The Haymaker” Haye is excited that his “David vs. Goliath” title fight Nov. 7 against World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Nikolai “The Russian Giant” Valuev is being broadcast in North America live on Pay-Per-View from Nuremberg, Germany. “This is very important for me,” Haye spoke about the fight airing in North America. “I’m looking to increase my fan base all the time. I hope a lot of American and Canadian fans know of me from what I achieved at cruiserweight, but I’m sure this will be the first time they’ve been able to watch me live since my cruiserweight unification clash with Enzo Maccarinelli.” Continued »

By Matt Richardson

Ed Mulholland

There was a time not too long ago when junior middleweight Sechew Powell was one of the brightest prospects coming out of New York City. 20 wins, no losses and 11 wins coming by way of knockout. A fixture on Lou DiBella’s monthly Broadway Boxing series, the well spoken Powell was starting to become a force to be reckoned with at 154 pounds. But then the results started to fluctuate: a decision loss to Kassim Ouma was followed by a less than scintillating win over Ishe Smith. Powell bounced back to win two in a row by knockout but then, shockingly, was stopped by Deandre Latimore in a seventh round technical knockout loss in the summer of 2008. He has only fought twice since and only one of those fights took place this year. But on December 12, Powell (now 25-2, 15 KO’s) returns to box Antonio Mesquita at the Paris in Las Vegas, Nevada. For the Brooklyn born and raised boxer, it marks a chance to get back to where he once was. Continued »

Story by Felipe Leon

It would be hard to find a style that would surprise a fighter with a career spanning over 20 years and with more than 100 professional bout, but on Friday, October 30th, Hector “Machito” Camacho Jr. (49-3-1, 27KO) plans to do just that when he faces former champion Luis Ramon “Yory Boy” Campas (92-14-1, 74KO) at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX, as the main event of “Latin Invasion 2″ presented by Zeferino Entertainment and Golden Boy Promotions . . . . Click here for more

“LATIN INVASION 2″ will be held at UTEP’s Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. The event will be on live on Pay-Per-View. Tickets for this event available at TicketMaster, or can be purchased at the Don Haskins Center box office, at 915-747-5234.

Universum Box-Promotion

The November 21 “Universum Champions Night” at the Sparkassen Arena in Kiel, Germany, will feature one of the year’s absolute boxing highlights when long-standing WBO light heavyweight champion Zsolt Erdei (30-0, 17 KOs) moves up a division to challenge WBC cruiserweight world champion Giacobbe Fragomeni (26-1-1, 10 KOs). The 40-year-old OPI 2000 fighter Fragomeni will be making the second defense of his world title against the unbeaten Universum star Erdei, who is five years younger. In this Boxing.de interview, he speaks about the upcoming collision of champions and much more. Continued »

Hector “Machito” Camacho, current WBC Caribbean Light Middleweight champion and son of former 4-time world champion, Hector “Macho Man” Camacho, is very bothered as he moves into the final preparation for his upcoming first defense of his title, which will take place on Friday, October 30 live on pay-per-view from the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX. at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT . . . . Click here for more

“LATIN INVASION 2:  REVENGE OF THE SON” is available LIVE on pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV and DISH Network, TVN Entertainment and Viewer’s Choice Canada beginning at 6pm PST/9pm EST at the affordable price of $24.95!   Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster (including online) or can be purchased at the Don Haskins Center box office (915-747-5234).

Story by David L. Hudson

Hector Camacho Jr. relishes the opportunity to fight former junior middleweight world champion Yory Boy Campos on October 30th in El Paso, Texas. Not only does the fight present a battle between a Puerto Rican (Camacho) against a proud Mexican warrior (Campos), but also it pits Camacho the speedier boxer against Campos the more powerful puncher. To make matters even juicier for fight fans, Campos’ last fight – earlier this year – was against Camacho’s famous father – Hector Camacho Sr. In May 2009, Campos and the elder Camacho battled to an eight-round draw  . . . . Click here for more

“LATIN INVASION 2″ will be held at UTEP’s Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. The event will be on live on Pay-Per-View. Tickets for this event available at TicketMaster, or can be purchased at the Don Haskins Center box office, at 915-747-5234.

Story & photos by Chris Cozzone

Antonio Escalante, the border’s biggest hope for a world champion, is playing the waiting game.

Ranked No. 1 by the WBA, No. 2 by the WBO and No. 9 by the IBF, the Golden Boy-promoted super bantamweight is on the verge of big things. If all goes as planned, he just may become the first world champion El Paso has ever had. . . . . Click here for more

“LATIN INVASION 2″ will be held at UTEP’s Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. The event will be on live on Pay-Per-View. Tickets for this event available at TicketMaster, or can be purchased at the Don Haskins Center box office, at 915-747-5234.

Story by David Robinett

Through his first 15 fights, spanning just over four years, there was nothing remarkable about heavyweight Manuel “El Toro” Quezada.

Although an accomplished kickboxer, he had no amateur boxing experience and was well into a journeyman’s career, a few more wins than losses against mediocre opposition. A little bit of good fortune landed Quezada a regular-paying gig as one of the house fighters at the upstart Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California, but there wasn’t anything to suggest that Quezada would make a name for himself beyond that dusty central California town . . . Click here for more

Story by Chris Cozzone

If Melissa “Huracan” Hernandez’s gift of gab is as good as her gift of jab, Holly Holm may be in trouble.

But if the “Huracan” proves to be a bag of wind – like the last one who flew into Albuquerque, N.M. blowing smoke – Holm, the bigger, taller, heavier opponent by a couple of divisions, should breeze through another ten rounds when she defends her WIBA welterweight belt . . . Click here for more

Story by Chris Cozzone

There’ll be no chance of a decision, close fight or piracy at Treasure Island come Halloween. At least, that’s what Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko says, about his IBF bantamweight title defense against undefeated Colombian Yonnhy Perez.

“There is going to be a knockout,” vows Agbeko. “I’m going to be the first one to beat him – the first to knock him out.” . . . Click here for more

By Nick Giongco

Freddie Roach has a gut feeling that Miguel Cotto is not going to press the action against Manny Pacquiao but will resort to being a counter-puncher in a bid to mess up the Filipino’s all-out attacking style when they meet on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas. Roach’s eyes lit up when told about reports about Cotto utilizing a 24×24 ring instead of the standard 18×18 that fighters normally use in preparing for fights. “Cotto will try to be a counter-puncher and be like (Juan Manuel) Marquez,” Roach told Fightnews Wednesday afternoon as he was awaiting the arrival of Pacquiao at the Gerry Penalosa Boxing Gym in Mandaluyong, putting sense into reports that Cotto is indeed using an oversized ring to prepare for Pacquiao. Continued »

Photo courtesy WBC

By Robert Coster

Is Edwin Valero the man nobody wants to face? The unbeaten, dynamite punching WBC lightweight champion with 25 knockouts in 25 fights is calling out for the big name boxers, Pacquiao, Mayweather or any other fighter in the face of the planet, to dare step into the ring and face his murderous fists. Yet, there are many pundits who feel that Valero has yet to face a real, stern test by facing a truly elite boxer. The fact is that Valero remains an enigma to many and even more so because the southpaw destroyer has been fighting outside of the USA. First Edwin was denied fights in American rings for over five years for allegedly having failed an MRI test. After finally getting OK’d to fight in Austin, Texas in April, Valero has subsequently been denied a US visa. Fightnews sat down with the brazen, supremely confident champion to discuss the visa controversy, his hopes for the future and his real frustration at not being given the opportunity to fight those marquee name boxers who he feels are evading him. Continued »

It was announced today that WBC interim super featherweight champion Humberto Mauro Gutierrez (26-1-1, 19 KOs) will defend against WBC #3 rated Vitali Tajbert (18-1, 6 KOs) on November 21 at the Sparkassen Arena in Kiel, Germany. The “Universum Champions Night” event will be a world title twinbill with unbeaten WBO lightweight champion Zsolt Erdei (30-0, 17 KOs) challenging WBC cruiserweight champion Giacobbe Fragomeni (26-1-1, 10 KOs) in a much anticipated main event. The Gutierrez-Tajbert winner could be WBC super featherweight champion Humberto Soto’s successor, as Soto is considering moving up in weight. The 2004 Olympic bronze medal winner Tajbert has vowed to take Gutierrez’ belt. “I will show everyone in this fight and get that title,” said Tajbert. “At age 20, the Mexican is still very young, but he already has 24 fights and won 19 times by KO. His victory over Gulyakevich shows his dangerousness. This is the biggest challenge of my career and I’m going to fulfill my dream of becoming the first German world champion in the super featherweight division!”

WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch and challenger Andre Dirrell have weighed in on their Super Six World Boxing Classic encounter on Saturday night. “It was close but I had no doubt in my mind that I had won the fight,” stated Froch. “He’s a slick, fast, counter puncher and when you combine that with the negativity he showed in there it made it a very difficult night. I don’t know how he expected to come to the Champions hometown and take the WBC belt fighting like that. Nobody likes to see someone running and being negative and I think people recognized that I was trying to make a fight of it but it takes two to tango. I like to stand there and have a fight and give the fans and the TV viewers a real show but Dirrell wasn’t interested in that kind of fight.” Continued »

King Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) opened the Super Six World Boxing Classic in style on Saturday night when he knocked out Jermain Taylor (28-4, 17 KOs) with six seconds to go in the 12th round. Fighting in front of a boisterous sell-out crowd of 14,200 fans at the famed o2 World in Berlin, Abraham connected with a huge right to the head to send the former undisputed middleweight champion down and out. “He was good, but I was better,” Abraham said. “It was a great fight in front of a great audience. Now I look forward to returning to America.” Continued »

Share in the wit and wisdom of legendary Hall of Fame boxing publicist Bill Caplan, whom we cornered in Pete Fernandez’ Fight Factory office in Tampa this week.

By Ray Wheatley–World of Boxing

World rated featherweight Billy Dib talks to Fightnews and explains how he is chasing a return world title bout with WBO champion Steve Luevano, how his win in the USA over Rogers Mtagwa helped him achieve a goal to box in Madison Square Garden, how he would be keen to fight the WBA champion Chris John and a shot at IBF champion Cristobel Cruz is also on his radar. Continued »

By Matt Richardson

Ed Mulholland

It was one of those nights when nobody seemed ready to leave. 15, 20 even 30 minutes after WBO junior featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez beat Rogers Mtagwa by unanimous decision in the theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday night, there was still a significant contingent of fans and media on hand, almost standing in disbelief at what they had just witnessed. For 12 brutal and sensational rounds, Lopez and Mtagwa traded wild shots in what has to be considered one of the best fights of 2009, if not the best. Continued »

By Dennis Principe

Legendary trainer Freddie Roach wants one specific but stricter rule implemented in the 12-round face-off between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. Interviewed by Fightnews at the upscale Manor Hotel, Roach said he will insist during the rules meeting that an automatic disqualification be imposed for the first intentional low blow thrown during the match. “Cotto tends to get dirty when the going gets tough in most of his fights and I don’t want that to happen. I will make sure the referee will be very strict about it,” said Roach. Continued »

Feature story by Kevin Rooney, Jr.

On June 27th 1988, Kevin Rooney was in the corner of undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, “Iron” Mike Tyson. It was Tyson’s 35th fight as a professional, and all of them had Rooney in his corner.

Cus D’Amato had guided Tyson through the amateur ranks and his first 11 fights as a professional before dying from a rare case of pneumonia. Even though Cus was Tyson’s mentor, it was always Rooney who was seen working Tyson’s corner. Even for “the baddest man on the planet,” during his first few fights, when Cus was still alive, Rooney would coach Tyson in his corner, then hurry back into the dressing room to get ready to compete as one of the boxers in the main event of that evening’s show . . . Click here for more

Universum Box-Promotion

Reigning WBA Intercontinental heavyweight champion Denis Boytsov (25-0, 20 KOs) faces the challange of Jason Gavern (18-5-3, 8 KOs) on Saturday in Rostock, Germany. The unbeaten Boytsov (23) is currently rated WBA #5 and WBO #6. Here’s what the Universum heavyweight KO Artist had to say about the fight and much more. Continued »

Saturday, October 10, marks the much anticipated return of one of the most explosive fighters of the decade, former WBC super bantamweight champion Israel “Magnifico” Vazquez, who will step into the ring after an 18 months hiatus . . . click here for more

Story by Bob Hough

Jermain Taylor knows, all too well, that there’s truth in the belief that hard work can earn great success, but with losing focus, that person suffers.

Taylor beat Bernard Hopkins twice, and stood among boxing’s best. He ate more, took life easier, then lost three out of four fights, getting bludgeoned in two of the losses . . . Click here for more

By Matt Richardson

Ed Mulholland

Finally. That was the one word that seemed to echo in the head of junior welterweight Dmitriy Salita this week. After years of waiting and negotiating and more waiting for a title fight, the unbeaten 140-pounder from Brooklyn, New York finally secured his dream: a shot at WBA title-holder Amir Khan. Salita (30-0-1, 16 KO’s) will box Khan on Saturday, December 5 at the Metro Radio Arena in the United Kingdom. It’s a moment of validation for Salita. That now, finally, he has a chance to prove he is among the elite. Continued »

By Nick Giongco

Top trainer Freddie Roach sent Manny Pacquiao through the wringer on Tuesday as the Filipino fighter traded bombs for a total of six rounds—three rounds each—with super-welterweight Shawn Porter and super-lightweight Urbano Antillon in his training camp in Baguio City. Since kicking off with the sparring sessions exactly a week ago yesterday, Pacquiao has now logged a total of 18 rounds, still a hundred or so short of the usual target of 130-plus rounds by the time he and his team motor to Las Vegas during the week leading to his Nov. 14 clash with Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

Pacquiao spars every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and will do just that possibly until a week or even five days before the 12-round welterweight match at the MGM Grand. Team Pacquiao is also awaiting the arrival of Mexican Jose Luis Castillo, who is set to plane in Thursday morning. If he arrives in time, Roach will ask him to begin sparring with Pacquiao on Saturday. Continued »

Photo: Eroll Popova

Things got a little testy at the final press conference five days before the big “Universum Champions Night” on Saturday at the Stadthalle in Rostock as the combatants faced off for the first time today in the Hanseatic city. With two double female world championships, three heavyweight fights and four other high-profile fights, this card is will be an October boxing highlight. Continued »

Ed Mulholland

By Craig Watt

Roy Jones Jr touched down in Australia last week for a two week promotional tour ahead of his challenge to IBO cruiserweight champion Danny Green inked for the 18,000 capacity Acer Arena in Sydney on December 2nd. He has already visited Sydney and on Friday came to Green’s hometown of Perth, Western Australia to meet both fans and assembled media. Both fighters were involved in the Telethon in Perth which is a 24 hour charity event for needy children in Western Australia and which raised $3m over the weekend. Both auctioned boxing memorabilia and hosted a charity lunch on Friday and discussed their upcoming fight, the biggest in Australian boxing history on Saturday at a packed Perth Convention Centre. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was also an interested guest in attendance and donated $1.5m to the appeal on behalf of the Australian government. Continued »

By Dennis Principe

Famed American trainer Freddie Roach is heaving a sigh of relief after prized ward Manny Pacquiao assured him they will leave for the United States earlier than expected. Roach said Pacquiao has agreed to fly to Los Angeles on October 24 which will give them more time to recover from jet lag. “That’s the plan. We will have our final training here the morning of the 24th then will take the flight back to LA later that day,” Roach told Fightnews. Continued »

Story by Robert Hough

Andre Dirrell said Wednesday he’s been to the mountain top in a literal sense, and he’ll go to hell and back to get there professionally.

Dirrell (18-0, 13 KOs), who joined WBC Super Middleweight Champ Carl Froch (25-0, 20 KOs) for an at-times testy teleconference to discuss their 12-round fight on Saturday, Oct. 17, said a long run during training in Big Bear, Calif., took him to a breathtaking view . . . Click here for more