Report: Bob Arum says Manny Pacquiao-Amir Khan not yet a done deal

Manny Pacquiao/AP, Las Vegas Sun photo by Steve Marcus

 

Even though Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan both tweeted over the weekend that they will tangle with each other April 23, it is not official.

Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s longtime promoter, has to sign off on any Pacquiao fight and he has not done that as of yet, according to BoxingScene.com

“No,” was Arum’s response, when asked if the deal is done.

Arum said he will be meeting with Pacquiao’s adviser, Michael Koncz, on Tuesday.

Keep in mind that Pacquiao had previously said he would next fight Jeff Horn of Australia.

 

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Gerald Washington will realize a dream by fighting Wilder for heavyweight title

Deontay Wilder, left, and Gerald Washington pose for the camera after Thursday’s news conference in Birmingham, Ala./Photo by Jennifer Hagler, Premier Boxing Champions

 

Gerald Washington boxed as a kid, but his size took him in a different direction – college football – where he played backup defensive end at USC. Washington couldn’t make it in the pro ranks, so he went back to the sweet science and turned pro at the tender age of 30.

Four years later, Washington (18-0-1, 12 KOs) finds himself in a spotlight he may not have envisioned he would ever experience – he’ll challenge Deontay Wilder (37-0, 36 KOs) for his heavyweight championship on Saturday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala. (on Fox).

“This is a dream come true,” Washington, of Vallejo, said at Thursday’s final news conference. “I started boxing as a kid, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I’ve had a long road, but now I’m here fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world. This just means so much to me.”
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Tickets are on sale for Canelo Alvarez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Las Vegas

Canelo Alvarez lands a right uppercut to the side of Liam Smith’s head during their junior middleweight title fight won by Alvarez via ninth-round knockout this past September in Arlington, Texas/Associated Press

 

Tickets for the May 6 super middleweight fight between Canelo Alvarez of Mexico and countryman Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas are now on sale.

Prices for the Golden Boy Promotions card are $75, $125, $200, $300, $400, $600, $800, $1,000, $1,250 and $1,500. They can be purchased by calling 888-929-7849 or by going online to www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.

Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) and Chavez (50-2-1, 32 KOs) will be fighting at a catch-weight of 164 1/2 pounds, 3 1/2 pounds under the super middleweight limit.

The bout will be available on HBO pay-per-view.

 

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Wait, former champion Adrien Broner is no longer going to talk trash?

Shawn Porter, left, knocks Adrien Broner off-balance during a welterweight fight on Saturday, June 20, 2015, in Las Vegas. Porter won by unanimous decision after a 12-round bout. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Adrien Broner, right, is knocked off-balance by Shawn Porter during their fight in June 2015 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Porter won a unanimous decision/Associated Press photo by David Becker

 

Adrien Broner has been a big-mouth during his career. But he swears those days are now behind him. No kidding. He said as much Thursday at the final news conference for his welterweight fight Saturday against Adrian Granados at Cintas Center in Cincinnati (on Showtime).

“I know everyone is used to me coming up here and being boastful,” said Broner, of Cincinnati. “That’s not me anymore. I have a lot of respect for Adrian Granados and he’s a great fighter.

“A businessman that can fight. That’s what I am nowadays. I’m not a (expletive)-talker anymore.”

That’s a heck of a turn-around, assuming Broner keeps to that credo. One thing’s for sure, he can fight. Broner (32-2, 24 KOs) has won titles in four weight classes, but Granados (18-4-2, 12 KOs) is confident he can hand Broner his third loss.

“People that think I’m an underdog, don’t know me,” said Granados, of Cicero, Ill. “They don’t know the tricks I have up my sleeve.”

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Adrien Broner, Adrian Granados make weight for their bout in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI, OHIO - OCTOBER 03: Adrien Broner leaves the ring after beating Khabib Allakhverdiev at U.S. Bank Arena on October 4, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Adrien Broner/Photo by Dylan Buell, Getty Images

 

Former four-division world champion Adrien Broner (32-2, 24 KOs) and Adrian Granados (18-4-2, 12 KOs) on Friday successfully made weight for their welterweight bout Saturday at Cintas Center in Broner’s native Cincinnati (on Showtime).

Both fighters weighed in at 146 1/2 pounds, a half-pound under the limit.

Granados hails from Cicero, Ill.

Also on the card, Lamont Peterson (34-3-1, 17 KOs) of Washington D.C. will challenge David Avanesyan (21-1-1, 11 KOs) of Russia for his welterweight title. Peterson tipped the scales at 146 1/2 pounds with Avanesyan coming in at 147.

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Claressa Shields to take on Szilvia Szabados in historical bout in Detroit

 

 

Claressa Shields/Photo by Harry How, Getty Images

 

Claressa Shields, who won gold medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, will make history March 10 when she becomes the first female prize-fighter to headline a card that will be televised on a premium channel.

Shields will take on Szilvia Szabados of Hungary in the middleweight main event from MGM Grand in Detroit (on Showtime). Shields (1-0) is stoked.

“It is a dream come true to be the first woman to headline a boxing card on premium television,” said Shields, of Flint, Mich. “March 10 will be a historic night for boxing and all of the women who give so much to advance our sport.”

Szabados (15-8, 6 KOs) was equally thrilled.

“Fighters always say their next fight is the most important one of their career, but you get an opportunity like this and it really is,” she said. “This is an unbelievable dream. I am very happy to be receiving this opportunity.

“I know this fight is important for Claressa also, and I don’t really know what will happen in the ring. We both want to win. Claressa has more amateur experience, but I have more experience as a professional.”

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Canceled bout between Miguel Cotto and James Kirkland never should have been a pay-per-view event – period

Canelo Alvarez delivers a blow to Miguel Cotto as he wins unanimously for the middleweight title.

Canelo Alvarez lands a left hook to the jaw of Miguel Cotto during their November 2015 bout in Las Vegas/Associated Press photo by John Locher

 

We never like to hear about a fighter having to pull out of a scheduled bout because of an injury, so it was therefore somewhat of a bummer to hear that James Kirkland had to withdraw from his scheduled Feb. 25 junior middleweight fight against Miguel Cotto in Frisco, Texas.

Roc Nation announced Thursday that Kirkland had sustained a fractured nose. The news release did not say how it happened, but it doesn’t really matter. If he can’t fight, he can’t fight.

That said, this probably saves HBO a bit of embarrassment. See, the longtime boxing giant had for whatever reason decided to make this a pay-per-view bout. That was just ridiculous.

Cotto has not fought in nearly 15 months and is coming off a decision loss to Canelo Alvarez. Kirkland has not fought in 21 months and is coming off a third-round knockout loss to Alvarez.

Again, to think of this as a pay-per-view event was just absurd. If it is re-scheduled down the road, we’re hopeful HBO will realize that this belongs on its regular channel, not its pay-per-view arm.

Even if the promoters for the respective fighters somehow forced HBO’s hand – and we don’t know that – HBO needs to be in control. It must stay away from making obvious non-pay-per-view fights into pay-per-view. No one should push this company around, after all it’s done over the decades.

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Anthony Joshua, Wladimir Klitschko spread their news in old New York

Anthony Joshua, left, and Wladimir Klitschko were in New York City on Tuesday to promote their April 29 heavyweight title fight in London/Photo by Ed Mulholland

 

Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua of England has an objective – to be the best ever.

“That’s my obsession,” he said Tuesday in New York City, where he and former champion Wladimir Klitschko hosted a news conference promoting their April 29 fight at Wembley Stadium in London, where a sellout crowd of 90,000 is expected.

“I’m a man who likes to perform and entertain and that’s always been there. I’ve always wanted to take on the best,” Joshua said.

Since Klitschko will be 41 by the time this fight happens – his birthday is March 25 – Klitschko may not be “the best” at this point. That’s not to mention he’s coming off a loss to Tyson Fury that took place in November 2015. That’s another thing. Klitschko will have some 17 months out of the ring by fight night.

“I believe this man has a lot of skills,” Klitschko said of Joshua. “Maybe yes, maybe not he will be the biggest star in boxing. I know there are plans to fight (Deontay) Wilder after me.

“It’s good to be young and ambitious, but I believe this fight has a lot of questions. Is it too early for him, too late for me?”

Joshua, 27, is 18-0 with 18 knockouts. Klitschko, of Ukraine, is 64-4 with 53 knockouts.

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