Tony Zale & Carmen Basilio Belts Stolen from IBHF in Canastota

Photo Source: Haley Zale

On Thursday, November 5th,  the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota in New York was burglarized and two championship belts of Tony Zale and four championship belts of Carmen Basilio were stolen.

Haley Zale, the niece of Tony Zale listed the belts and details of each belt on Monday afternoon:

"MISSING BOXING BELTS! Do not purchase! These were stolen from the International Boxing Hall of Fame on 11-5-15.

Tony Zale vs Georgie Abrams
NYSAC World Middleweight Title and National Boxing Association World Middleweight Title unified belt
Madison Square Garden, 1941

Tony Zale vs Rocky Graziano
National Boxing Association World Middleweight Title
Ruppert Stadium, Newark, NJ, 1948

Carmen Basilio vs Billy Graham
USA NY State Welterweight Title
Memorial Stadium, Syracuse, NY, 1953

Carmen Basilio vs Tony DeMarco
World Welterweight Title
War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, NY 1955

Carmen Basilio vs Johnny Saxton
World Welterweight Title
War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, NY 1956

Carmen Basilio vs Sugar Ray Robinson
World Middleweight Title
Yankee Stadium, 1957
— at International Boxing Hall of Fame.

We need a miracle! Tony Zale's championship belts have been stolen! MISSING!!!!"

If anyone has information, please contact Chief James Zophy at 315-697-2240 at the Canastota Police department.


Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

Jamie Cox Crushes Ferenc Albert: Calls Out The Best At 168 Pounds

By Peter Silkov

After a stop and start career, which saw him sidelined by injuries in 2012 and 2014, Jamie Cox (20-0, 12koes) is a man in a hurry, and proved it again last night when he successfully defended his WBO European super-middleweight title with a clinical 68 second knockout at Dublin’s National Stadium.  Hungarian challenger, Ferenc Albert (20-8, 9koes), barely got the chance to throw a punch before Cox’s punches had him on the floor.  The first knockdown came from a right hook to the head, which seemed to just clip Ferenc.  Ferenc bravely beat the count, but was then flattened by another right hook that caught him squarely on the jaw, and sent him down with a thud, with his head bouncing on the canvas.  It was a nasty knockout, and unsurprisingly, referee Mickey Vann abandoned the count at two.  This was Cox’s 3rd straight 1st round knockout since his return from his period of inactivity, which has seen him have just 4 fights in the past four years. 

Originally a light-middleweight and ex-Commonwealth champion at that weight, Cox has come back from his spells of enforced absence a more muscular and stronger fighter, whose mixture of speed and power at super-middleweight is fast making him one of the most talked 168-pound fighters in the country.  It’s not so much who he has beaten, but the way he has been beating them.  Albert was a respectable opponent who had won his last 10 fights, and in contrast to Cox, was having his 13th fight this year.  Unfortunately for Albert, it turned out to be unlucky 13 for him, as he never had a chance against Cox’s sizzling power.

At the age of 29,  Cox is in a hurry to make up for lost time, and says that he is ready for anyone now at 168 pounds. In Liverpool on the same night, Callum Smith produced a spectacular performance of his own, to stop his Liverpool rival, Rocky Fielding, in the 1st round, and claim the vacant British super-middleweight title.  There may well be a clamour now for a showdown between Smith and Cox, in what could be a huge domestic match. After his performance against Ferenc, Cox was in no doubt about his credentials, telling Box Nation, in his post fight interview:

“If that was Smith or Fielding in there tonight they’d have been knocked out as well.  The winner out of those two is not the best in the country and the public know it. I have too much power for them.  I’m the best and when I get my chance I’ll prove it.

After being out of the ring for a while, I’ve returned this year with three first round knockouts, I mean serious business at super-middleweight, and I’m going to win a world title. I’ll fight anyone at 168 pounds in the world right now, give me the opportunity and I’ll prove it! That’s a promise!”

Ironically, Cox’s biggest problem at the moment is his recent devastating success.  He has gone less than 3 competitive rounds in the past 2 years, and could do with more rounds under his belt before he challenges for a world title, but perhaps unsurprisingly, 168-pound fighters are not exactly lining up asking to fight Cox. 
The answer could well be a showdown with Callum Smith, if boxing politics allow it.  Yet, that too looks like a fight which could end early. 

Certainly Cox is an exciting addition to the 168-pound scene, which at the moment seems to be exploding domestically with possible world class talent. There is James Degale, who already holds a world title at 168-pounds (the IBF title) then a little way behind Degale is George Groves, who was very unlucky not to win the WBC title recently against Badou Jack, and Martin Murray, who challenges veteran WBO champion Arthur Abraham, on November 21st.   Now, both Callum Smith and Jamie Cox are vying to break through into world class in the very near future. 

The chances are that Britain will end up with at least one or two more world champions at 168-pounds in the next few months. 

Hopefully, Cox won’t have to wait long to prove his worth on a bigger stage, against a world class opponent. It may be too early to say just how good Jamie Cox is, but his speed and punching power alone, looks to give him a chance at just about anyone at the weight.  What he needs now though is more demanding opposition. The next year looks set to be an explosive one at 168-pounds.

Watch Full Fight:

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

Tim Bradley Breaks Ironman Rios in 9th Round: Rios Retires

Photo Source: HBO Boxing

By Peter Silkov

Timothy Bradley Jr. successfully defended his WBO world Welterweight Championship tonight with a conclusive 9th round stoppage of  Brandon Rios at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas . It was a lively performance by Bradley, who was having his first fight with new trainer, Teddy Atlas. After starting the fight looking as if he was going to go toe-to-toe with Rios, Bradley adjusted his approach. He began using the ring more, moving in and out, and giving Rios a lot of angles.

Bradley’s movement and hand speed troubled Rios from the beginning. Even when the two men were up close on the inside, the only place where Rios could hope to win the fight, Bradley was still having the better of things with his superior hand speed.  While Bradley looked sharp and focused through out the fight, Rios wore the look of a man who really wished to be somewhere else.  Never known for his self discipline outside of the ring, the news that Rios weighed as high as 171 on the night of the fight must pose grave doubts about his fitness going into the fight and the methods that were used to help him get down to the welterweight limit the previous day. 

After managing to stay with Bradley for the early rounds, Rios began to visibly wane with each passing minute, and by the 6th round, he had little left in the tank.  At this point, Rios’s main response to Bradley’s punches was a weak smile as if the shots were not hurting him, yet as the rounds went on it, it became obvious that Rios’s almost notorious punch resistance, was wearing down.  When the end came, it was Rios’s stomach that let him down, rather than his iron chin.  Several blows by Bradley had Rios crumpled up on his knees, and even though he beat the count, another sharp attack by Bradley sent Rios down again, and this time Referee Tony Weeks had seen enough, and mercifully waved the fight over. 

For the rejuvenated Bradley, the future holds the promise of several big fights in a division now seemingly free of Floyd Mayweather Jr., and full of a number of top boxers, whom over the next few months, will be seeking to prove that they are the new number one at 147 pounds.

For Rios the future seems much grimmer, certainly from the point of view of his boxing career.  Rios is a very marketable fighter because of his fan-friendly style, but tonight, after the first three rounds, he looked like a washed up fighter.  He had no snap in his punches, and no bounce in his legs.  Indeed, his demeanor throughout the fight was disturbingly detached.  Directly after the contest, Rios announced his retirement to HBO’s Max Kellerman, which is probably his wisest move after this showing.

Rios told Kellerman “"I don't wanna hurt my body, I don't wanna hurt my family, I don't wanna hurt my close friends around me, so I think it's time to hang up the gloves."

In all, it was great night for Bradley, but some of the shine will have been lost from his victory due to the dubious conditioning of Rios. The whole issue of weight making and the huge amounts of weight that are lost and gained by fighters in the run up to their fights, needs to be looked into urgently, before a fighter suffers a serious injury as a direct result of this dangerous game.  Tonight, Brandon Rios looked at times as if he was in danger of being seriously hurt.  Ironically, the body blows that stopped him in the 9th round, may well have saved him from a much more serious beating.

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

WATCH FULL FIGHT:

Ruslan Provodnikov Returns with a Four Round Demolition of Jesus Rodriguez

By Peter Silkov

Fan-favourite, ‘The Siberian Rocky’ Ruslan Provodnikov 25(18)-4 returned to action with an impressive victory over previously unbeaten Jesus Rodriguez 14(11koes)-1, in Monte Carlo.  It was Provodnikov’s first appearance in the ring since his April 18th point’s defeat by Lucas Matthysse, and also his first ring appearance since switching trainers from Freddie Roach to Joel Diaz.  On first impression, the switch to Diaz has already began to reap rewards for Provodnikov, Diaz’s voice could be heard shouting encouragement and instructions to Provodnikov during the action, which must be a welcome change for Ruslan, having gone through recent fights without his main trainer in his corner.  Before the fight, the talk was that Diaz was aiming to teach Ruslan a few tricks, most importantly, the ability to defend himself better, and not simply walk through punches that he should not be taking. The evidence tonight is that those tricks are working. 

Provodnikov is never going to be a defensive master, or a fancy-dan boxer, but he showed definite signs of paying more attention to his defence tonight. He showed the ability to move his head, and block and slip punches, in a way that he has not been doing in his most recent fights. Jesus Rodriguez was, despite his unbeaten record, a class below Ruslan.

The Siberian Rocky was pressuring Rodriguez from the start, pushing him against the ropes, as Rodriguez attempted a rear guard action, using a useful jab, but little else.  After sizing his man up in the 1st round, Ruslan started to up the tempo in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, landing some vicious shots to the body, which visibly drained any offensive ambitions away from his opponent.  What punches that did come at Ruslan were mostly blocked or slipped.  In the 4th round, Ruslan opened up fully for the first time, and floored Rodriguez twice with a bombardment of body and head punches, with the referee wisely waving the match off after the 2nd knockdown. 

Undoubtedly, there will be harder challenges in the future for Ruslan, but the signs of improvement were visible, along with the feeling that Ruslan finally has the kind of support in his corner that every fighter is entitled to receive.

If boxing politics do not get in the way, it would be interesting to see Provodnikov take on the winner of tonight’s match between Timothy Bradley and Brandon Rios, for Bradley’s WBO world welterweight title.  As we know, Provodnikov and Bradley have already fought each other once, in what was a thriller, and a rematch between the two is something that most boxing fans, and Ruslan himself, have been  wanting for some time.  A second fight with Bradley also has the added spice of Ruslan now being trained by Joel Diaz, who Bradley recently dumped as his trainer after the two had worked together for 10 years.

On the other hand, if Rios was to pull off an upset and beat Bradley later tonight, then a possible Provodnikov vs Rios fight is also an enticing prospect.  Whatever happens, Provodnikov looks to be in a better place now than he was early this year, he looks sharp and refreshed and with a team that is 100% behind him.

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

Tim Bradley Jr. Vs. Brandon Rios: Last Chance in Vegas?

By Peter Silkov

Tonight, Timothy Bradley Jr. defends his WBO world welterweight championship against granite-chinned slugger Brandon Rios, at the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada.  It is a promising match up, with both men seldom in a boring fight. This is Bradley Jr’s first fight since he parted from his long time management team and trainer Joel Diaz, and taken on Teddy Atlas as his new trainer, and his wife as his new manager.  Bradley’s revamp of his team has provoked mixed reactions, with some criticizing him for his discarding of Diaz. But a fighter’s life is a short one, and sometimes fighters need a change of trainer to reinvigorate their career.  Against Rios, it will be interesting to see what impact Atlas has had on Tim as a fighter. Bradley has the better boxing skills than Rios, but is also prone to make his fights into brawls, which would suit Rios.  For Rios, this is a fight he really must win if he is to stay at the top level.  Rios has had only 2 fights in the past 2 years, and a win over Bradley would reinvigorate his career, while a defeat would perhaps spell the end of his time as an elite fighter.

This is a fight that Bradley should win, unless he allows himself to get dragged into the kind of street brawl, which would favour Rios.  It looks like being a grueling, entertaining, and sometimes scrappy, point’s win for Bradley.

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

Ruslan Provodnikov vs. Jesus Alvarez: A Night of Champions in Monte Carlo

Photo Source: The Ring

By Peter Silkov

Ruslan Provodnikov (24-4-0) returns to the ring tomorrow for what he has admitted is his last chance to reach the top of the boxing tree. The ‘Siberian Rocky’ is a hugely popular figure with boxing fans because of his all-action style, and the fact that he is never in a dull fight. Provodnikov will face Jesus Alvarez Rodriguez (14-0) at the Salle des Étoiles, in Monte Carlo, Monaco, at 6:30 p.m. CET or 12:30 p.m. ET.

Provodnikov’s 2013 war with Timothy Bradley Jr. will go down as one of the fights of the decade. In many ways, the Siberian slugger is a throwback to the rugged fighters of the past who ducked nobody, and fought every round, of every fight, as if it were their last. Yet, Provodnikov’s gung-ho attitude has come at a price for him. While it has made him hugely popular among fans, it has also meant that every fight he is in is a grueling battle of attrition, and eventually such wars will catch up with a fighter.

Since his two stand out performances in 2013, his defeat by Bradley (after a thrilling fight, which many thought he was unlucky to lose), and his impressively brutal victory over Mike Alvarado, the ‘Siberian Rocky’ has gone 1-2 in his last 3 contests.  First, there was the shock point’s defeat to Chris Algieri, which cost Provodnikov the WBO world light welterweight title he had won against Alvarado. The decision was highly debatable, and the fact that Provodnikov’s then promoter, Bob Arum, seemed to favour an Algieri victory before the fight, just added to the bad smell left behind in the fight’s aftermath.  Algieri went on to fight Manny Pacquiao in his next fight, the kind of match that  Provodnikov has been hoping to get for some time. 

Shorn of his world title, Provodnikov scored a stoppage victory over a extremely battle-weary Jose Luis Castillo at the end of 2014, and then in his only fight so far of this year, he lost a point’s decision to Lucas Matthysse. The Matthysse defeat, though competitive, left some with the feeling that at 31 years old, the wars had began to take a toll upon Provodnikov.  Against Matthysse, the ‘Siberian Rocky’ looked at times painfully predictable.  For all his heart and strength, Provodnikov looked like a fighter in need of some new tricks to fall back on when his aggressive attacking style proves to be not enough.  A change was needed. 

Provodnikov and his management saw themselves that a change was needed, or else Provodnikov was in danger of slipping out of world title contention.  Since the Matthysse defeat, Provodnikov has switched trainers, leaving behind Freddie Roach in order to team up with Joel Diaz. It is well known that Roach, for all his ability as a trainer, has been unable to provide the kind of one-on-one attention that Provodnikov has needed.  Tomorrow, Novemeber 7, Provodnikov faces the unbeaten Jesus Pridencio Alvarez Rodriguez in Monte Carlo.  Rodriguez is a mystery man, with his record of 14-0 (11koes).  Can Provodnikov rekindle his career tomorrow? And perhaps show us that he has leaned some new tricks from new trainer Joel Diaz.


Fighthub interviews Provodnikov leading up to bout on Saturday:

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

The Nonpareil: The Original Jack Dempsey

Remembering…Nonpareil Jack Dempsey
December 15, 1862 - November 2, 1895

By Peter Silkov

Long Before the ‘Manassa Mauler’ Jack Dempsey reigned as World heavyweight champion in the 1920s, there was ‘Nonpareil’ Jack Dempsey. This Dempsey was considered one of the greatest boxers ever seen, pound-for-pound. Fast and clever, with a good punch, Dempsey was a boxer-puncher who was decades ahead of his time in his ring generalship. Dempsey could adapt to any style of opponent, and in his prime, he ranked only below heavyweight champion John L Sullivan in fame and popularity. Technically, he was a far greater fighter than Sullivan, and many boxing followers at that time believed that he would be able to beat Sullivan if he was just a stone or so heavier than the 152 pounds, which he weighed at his prime. Fans gave him the name "Nonpareil" because he was considered unrivaled in his fistic prowess.

Nonpareil was the first internationally recognized World Middleweight champion, and helped bring acceptance and recognition to the middleweight division at a time when the heavyweights dominated boxing.

Dempsey was born in Curran, County Kildare, Ireland, on December 15, 1862, but grew up in Brooklyn, New York, after his family moved to America while he was still very young. Dempsey’s real name was John Edward Kelly, and it is not clear why he changed his name to Jack Dempsey, but it is likely to be because he did not want his family to know that he was boxing. After training to be an apprentice Cooper, Dempsey began to box for pay in 1883. 

In just over a year, Dempsey had picked up the Lightweight championship of New York and then the Lightweight Championship of America. On February 3, 1886, Dempsey knocked out John Forgarty out in the 27th round to win the Middleweight Championship of America. One month later, The Nonpareil knocked out George Lablanche in the 13th round, and gained recognition as the World middleweight champion. Dempsey was to hold this title until 1891. In August 1899, Dempsey was knocked out in the 32nd round by George Lablanche, but retained his status as the World middleweight champion as Lablanche had weighed in for the fights at 161 pounds, over the middleweight limit. Lablanche had also knocked Dempsey out with the illegal ‘pivot’ punch. Other than this dubious setback, Dempsey reigned supreme at middleweight until January 14th, 1891, when Bob Fitzsimmons shockingly beat him in 13 rounds. In what was a sensational result at the time, the gangling and freckled Fitzsimmons handed Dempsey a terrible beating, and the Nonpareil gave a great exhibition of courage to last as long as he did, before he was finally pulled out by his corner-men in the 13th round.

Fitzsimmons would go on to become one of the greatest fighters in the ring, and the first man to win world titles at 3 weights, however for Dempsey, it was all tragically downhill after his defeat by Fitzsimmons. After he lost his world championship, Dempsey’s life went into a downward spiral, he started to drink heavily, and then contracted Tuberculosis. He would fight just 3 more times, winning once. His last fight was on January 18 1895, against the Welterweight world champion, Tommy Ryan. Dempsey’s condition and display in the ring was so poor that he was unmercifully jeered and booed from the ring after the fight had been mercifully stopped in the 3rd round. Nine months later, on November 2 (some sources say Nov 1st) 1895, the Nonpareil died of tuberculosis, at just 32.

Nonpareil Jack Dempsey’s final record was 54(23koes)-4-11.

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com