http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/players/felix_savon/74145 Recent articles about Felix Savon en-us Protective headgear has been the rule of the ring for more than 50 years in Cuba, which banned professional boxing shortly after the 1959 revolution. Back then, pro boxing was deemed corrupting and exploitative, and the big purses not in line with socialist egalitarian ideals. Now the island is on verge of relaxing the monopoly of amateur boxing by joining a semi-pro league in which athletes are paid by sponsors and fight pro-style bouts, but still retain the Olympic eligibility that's all-important to Cuban sports authorities. Boxers also would fight without the headgear they have grown accustomed to. While officials caution that no decision has been made yet, it could offer island boxers a chance to earn more money, gain more exposure in high-profile competitions and help staunch the flow of defections that has robbed Olympic delegations of some of Cuba's brightest talent and resulted in disappointing medal counts in recent years. ''It motivates me. It's something new. It's a chal Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:37:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/cuban_boxing_reborn/13210870 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/cuban_boxing_reborn/13210870 Cuban boxing reborn? http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/cuban_boxing_reborn/13210870 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Protective headgear has been the rule of the ring for more than 50 years in Cuba, which banned professional boxing shortly after the 1959 revolution. Back then, pro boxing was deemed corrupting and exploitative, and the big purses not in line with socialist egalitarian ideals. Now the island is on verge of relaxing the monopoly of amateur boxing by joining a semi-pro league in which athletes are paid by sponsors and fight pro-style bouts, but still retain the Olympic eligibility that's all-important to Cuban sports authorities. Boxers also would fight without the headgear they have grown accustomed to. While officials caution that no decision has been made yet, it could offer island boxers a chance to earn more money, gain more exposure in high-profile competitions and help staunch the flow of defections that has robbed Olympic delegations of some of Cuba's brightest talent and resulted in disappointing medal counts in recent years. ''It motivates me. It's something new. It's a chal Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:07:55 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/cuba_eyes_semi_pro_league_to_reinvigorate_boxing/13199728 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/cuba_eyes_semi_pro_league_to_reinvigorate_boxing/13199728 Cuba eyes semi-pro league to reinvigorate boxing http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/cuba_eyes_semi_pro_league_to_reinvigorate_boxing/13199728 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png I was at the Garden this past Saturday night to witness the inevitable outcome of Gennady Golovkin vs. Gabriel Rosado.  True, the Kazakh wasn't at his best, while the young Philadelphian proved even tougher than I had anticipated.  Golovkin nevertheless won handily, via seventh-round TKO, and it's now time (well past it, really) for the leading lights of the middleweight division to prove their mettle by stepping into the ring with the undefeated WBA titlist. Why haven't they?  Why won't they?  Because they know they can't beat him, that's why. While there are several boxers who could give Golovkin a warm welcome -- Felix Sturm and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. come most immediately to mind -- the three men he needs to defeat in order to unify the titles, to be recognized as undisputed Middleweight Champion of the World, are Peter Quillin, Daniel Geale, and Sergio Martinez. Let's take a closer look at the credentials of the Feared Man, as well as those of the Re... Fri, 25 Jan 2013 09:32:39 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/gennady_golovkin_has_the_makings_of_undisputed_middleweight_champion_if_3_fighters_step_up_to_face_him/12750835 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/gennady_golovkin_has_the_makings_of_undisputed_middleweight_champion_if_3_fighters_step_up_to_face_him/12750835 Gennady Golovkin has the makings of Undisputed Middleweight Champion; If 3 fighters step up to face him http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/gennady_golovkin_has_the_makings_of_undisputed_middleweight_champion_if_3_fighters_step_up_to_face_him/12750835 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Maybe it's because former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Hungarian Zsolt Erdei broke a couple of ribs and had to cancel Saturday's fight with Isaac Chilemba.  Maybe it's because I'm hungry and have a hankering for my mother's goulash.  Whatever the reason, Erdei's countryman and fellow pugilist, the shabbily treated and disgracefully neglected Laszlo Papp, has been much on my mind of late. Papp (27-0-2, 15 KOs) was the first boxer to win three Olympic gold medals in a row -- in 1948 as middleweight, and in 1952 and 1956 as light middleweight.  Only two other boxers (both heavyweights), Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon, can claim such successive victories. As an amateur, Papp scored 55 first-round knockouts.  Turning professional in 1957, he defeated, among 26 others, Ralph "Tiger" Jones, who once scored a victory over the great Sugar Ray Robinson.  A southpaw with a devastating left hook, Papp became European middleweigh... Sun, 30 Sep 2012 11:46:17 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/lazlo_papp_3_time_gold_medalist_the_champ_that_never_was/11846530 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/lazlo_papp_3_time_gold_medalist_the_champ_that_never_was/11846530 Lazlo Papp: 3-time gold medalist & the champ that never was http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/lazlo_papp_3_time_gold_medalist_the_champ_that_never_was/11846530 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png After four fairly orderly days at the Olympics, perhaps the wacky world of amateur boxing was overdue for an eventful night. An Iranian heavyweight received a curious disqualification, a Japanese boxer protested a strange loss to a pratfalling bantamweight from Azerbaijan, and two British fighters delighted the home crowd with narrow victories Wednesday night. Iran's Ali Mazaheri left the ring without shaking hands and later cried conspiracy after a German referee disqualified him from his bout with Cuba's Jose Larduet, apparently for an accumulation of holding fouls. Japan's Satoshi Shimizu also filed a protest after he lost a 22-17 decision to second-seeded Magomed Abdulhamidov despite sending him to the canvas five times in the third round in what appeared to be an exhausted fighter's attempt to maintain a narrow lead. The British crowd jeered and booed those decisions, but stood in near-constant cheers for its home favorites, who still haven't been beaten in London. Bantamweight Luk Wed, 01 Aug 2012 21:32:30 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/british_boxers_win_on_wacky_night/11355082 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/british_boxers_win_on_wacky_night/11355082 British boxers win on wacky night http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/british_boxers_win_on_wacky_night/11355082 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Super heavyweight (91kg+/200.6lb+),Olympic boxing's glamour division, debuts at London 2012 Wednesday. Though the division was only split from heavyweight (91kg/200.6lb) in 1984, it would have been the home of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Teofilo Stevenson. In London it will be the division to watch, with a three way rivalry between three very different men, pictured above from left to right: England's Anthony Joshua, just 22, a powerful, flashy hometown fighter who exploded out of nowhere to win the silver medal at the 2011 World Championships in Azerbaijan; Magomedrasul Majidov, a fearsome puncher and the man who beat Joshua by a point to take the gold in front of his home crowd; And Italy's Roberto Cammerelle, the gold medallist from Beijing, a sharp, well-schooled southpaw veteran looking forward to his career as a policeman after the games. Despite being the favourite to take gold in many quarters, Anthony Joshua is a relative newcomer to the... Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:41:39 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/the_three_way_fight_for_gold_at_super_heavyweight/11347477 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/the_three_way_fight_for_gold_at_super_heavyweight/11347477 The Three-Way Fight For Gold At Super Heavyweight http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/the_three_way_fight_for_gold_at_super_heavyweight/11347477 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png (Team USA bantamweight Joseph Diaz, Jr., left, in action) With the draw completed on Friday, the stage is set for Olympic boxing to begin in London. In our first preview and guide we’ll take a look at the first round of the men’s competition, beginning on Saturday afternoon, London time. It all starts out with a bantamweight match-up between Team USA’s Joseph Diaz, Jr. and Ukraine’s Pavlo Ishchenko. After that there are a dizzying number of matches, so we’ll just give you the highlights and other notes.There haven’t been too many complaints about the draw compared to previous Olympics, though it’s always hard in smaller divisions like heavy, super heavy and the three women’s brackets. Some top fighters, like Brazilian junior welterweight Everton Dos Santos Lopes, will have very tough fights in the round of 16, but that’s just the way it is I guess. If only the top seeds fought then we’d be watching “the round of four” this weekend, and that wouldn’t be any fun. The Queensberry Rules, Sat, 28 Jul 2012 06:04:20 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_draw_and_the_mens_round_of_32/11318446 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_draw_and_the_mens_round_of_32/11318446 Olympic Boxing Guide and Schedule: The Draw And The Men’s Round Of 32 http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_draw_and_the_mens_round_of_32/11318446 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png With the draw completed on Friday, the stage is set for Olympic boxing to begin in London. In our first preview and guide we’ll take a look at the first round of the men’s competition, beginning on Saturday afternoon, London time. It all starts out with a bantamweight match-up between Team USA’s Joseph Diaz, Jr. and Ukraine’s Pavlo Ishchenko. After that there are a dizzying number of matches, so we’ll just give you the highlights and other notes. (Team USA bantamweight Joseph Diaz, Jr., left, in action) There haven’t been too many complaints about the draw compared to previous Olympics, though it’s always hard in smaller divisions like heavy, super heavy and the three women’s brackets. Some top fighters, like Brazilian junior welterweight Everton Dos Santos Lopes, will have very tough fights in the round of 16, but that’s just the way it is I guess. If only the top seeds fought then we’d be watching “the round of four” this weekend, and that wouldn’t be any fun. It’s called the r Sat, 28 Jul 2012 00:26:57 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_draw_and_the_mens_round_of_32/11318011 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_draw_and_the_mens_round_of_32/11318011 Olympic Boxing Guide and Schedule: The Draw And The Men’s Round Of 32 http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_draw_and_the_mens_round_of_32/11318011 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png With just a few days to go until the biggest show on Earth gets underway in the British capital, we look at the men and women in each of the weight categories who can have a real impact at the London 2012 Olympic Games. In the third of this four part series, we examine the Middle (75kg), Light Heavy (81kg), Heavy (91kg) and Super Heavyweight (+91kg) men. Men Middleweight (75kg) 2008 Olympic Title holder: James DeGale (GBR) 2011 AIBA World Champion: Ievgen Khytrov (UKR) Ukraine's Khytrov was in irrepressible form in Baku last year and the word is that he will be even better this summer so he will start the tournament in London as favorite. However there are many pretenders to the Olympic title with Japan's Ryota Murata, who lost to Khytrov in the final in the Azeri capital, a serious threat to the 23-year-old Ukrainian. Tough Irishman Darren O'Neill, a 2010 European Championships silver medalist, has the experience to really influence the top of the podium... Wed, 25 Jul 2012 14:40:09 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/best_boxers_to_watch_at_the_olympics_part_3_middleweight_heavyweight_divisions/11297680 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/best_boxers_to_watch_at_the_olympics_part_3_middleweight_heavyweight_divisions/11297680 Best boxers to watch at the Olympics: Part 3 – Middleweight & heavyweight divisions http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/best_boxers_to_watch_at_the_olympics_part_3_middleweight_heavyweight_divisions/11297680 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The ranks of the big men always attract attention at the Olympics, and this year's slate of heavyweight and super heavyweight Olympians should provide plenty of action. Each division has three or four superb boxers, plus a slate of competitive, if slightly inferior contenders. Azerbaijan and Italy are particularly strong this year, since both teams are furnishing a top-ranked fighter for the 91 and 91+ kg tournaments. While London 2012 sees the return of several veteran, career amateurs, there are just as many new faces and professional prospects as well. A few of the names below could very easily be challenging for a world title in three or four years, moving right into the post-Klitschko picture. ---> Check out our complete London Olympic Boxing coverage Heavyweight London Olympic Boxing Preview Teymur Mammadov of Azerbaijan: Mammadov is a tall, lanky southpaw and a hot, rising star in the world amateur ranks. At only 19 years old, he has soared to very near t... Mon, 02 Jul 2012 09:53:18 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_previews_heavyweight_super_heavyweight_divisions/11134511 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_previews_heavyweight_super_heavyweight_divisions/11134511 Olympic boxing previews: Heavyweight & Super Heavyweight divisions http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/olympic_boxing_previews_heavyweight_super_heavyweight_divisions/11134511 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png At the Olympics, Azerbaijan is a middleweight country in a handful of manly sports, including wrestling, weightlifting and boxing. They typically field a large boxing squad, but the country is not the medal-earning powerhouse of Cuba or Russia. In the last three Summer Games, Azerbaijan has earned a respectable, but unremarkable four bronze medals. The London Games offers the Azeris their best chance for winning Olympic silver or gold yet. At the forefront of the team are its super heavyweight and heavyweight boxers, Majidov and Mammadov. Both are the top-ranked fighters of their divisions, having carried the gold and silver respectively at the 2011 Baku World Amateur Championships. The remainder of the team is made up of a mix of novices and second-tier amateur veterans, but even the novices have plenty of experience from having participated in the World Series of Boxing (WSB). It is a good bet that the entire Azeri team will advance to at least the Round of 16 (the ... Wed, 20 Jun 2012 09:56:29 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/azerbaijan_olympic_boxing_team_at_london_2012/11052122 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/azerbaijan_olympic_boxing_team_at_london_2012/11052122 Azerbaijan Olympic boxing team at London 2012 http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/azerbaijan_olympic_boxing_team_at_london_2012/11052122 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The winding and political history of boxing in Cuba is well acknowledged, as is the island's tendency to spill greatness into its boxing rings. Being even simply among the best that Cuba has produced is an honor unto itself, but to have a name surrounded by an aura of greatness that transcends the amateur ranks when the fighter himself doesn't is a rare feat. According to the Associated Press, Teofilo Stevenson Lawrence passed away this week, a heart attack accomplishing what future heavyweight title holders John Tate, Tony Tubbs and Michael Dokes, among others, couldn't do in the amateurs. Last month, Stevenson told CNN, "Cubans like to box because of out temperament. Because of our idiosyncrasies and because we have needed to know how to defend ourselves." ******* Stevenson was one of only three men to win Olympic gold in boxing three times, alongside Laszlo Papp and fellow Cuban Felix Savon, but likely received a boost in notoriety from comparison... Wed, 13 Jun 2012 02:18:25 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/ave_atque_vale_teofilo_stevenson/11001155 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/ave_atque_vale_teofilo_stevenson/11001155 Ave Atque Vale, Teofilo Stevenson http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/ave_atque_vale_teofilo_stevenson/11001155 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png by Jorge Alarcon-Swaby It was 1999 and Felix Savon was the most famous a dominant Heavyweight fighter in the world, in the amateur that is. Savon has by far the best amateur record of all time and in 2000 he was headed to Sydney for his 3rd straight Olympic Gold Medal. Back then no one [...] Fri, 18 May 2012 15:11:10 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/odlanier_solis_road_back_to_heavyweight_contention_begins_this_saturday/10823630 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/odlanier_solis_road_back_to_heavyweight_contention_begins_this_saturday/10823630 Odlanier Solis, Road Back to Heavyweight Contention begins this Saturday http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/odlanier_solis_road_back_to_heavyweight_contention_begins_this_saturday/10823630 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/9/3/93d1707860ff64772358f47af381f0e34f2449a4/mini/GettyImage.ashx_url_http_3a_2f_2fcache.gettyimages.com_2fxc_2f52570928.jpg_3fv_3d1_26c_3dEWSAsset_26k_3d2_26d_3d404E195ABDEC2A9E9E5AA3B13AE2E6A4.jpg The Cuban Olympic boxing team at London 2012 is stacked, per usual. It features 8 members, making it one of the bigger squads in the London Olympic boxing tournament, although showcasing one less team member than the United States, which has 9. Cuba has the richest amateur boxing history of just about any nation, and therefore it's no surprise that they're locked and loaded for another huge medal haul, despite a string of defections from top fighters pursuing professional careers. Cuba's boxing performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was actually disappointing -- to a degree. They won four silvers and four bronze medals, but failed to capture any golds, a rare blemish. However, the Cuban boxing team performed very well at the 2011 World Championships, taking home two gold medals and one silver. Additionally, the only member of their current squad which hadn't already qualified for London did so at the American Qualifying Event by handily winning gold in his weight ... Wed, 16 May 2012 16:46:19 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/cuban_boxing_team_for_the_2012_london_olympics/10807382 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/cuban_boxing_team_for_the_2012_london_olympics/10807382 Cuban Boxing Team for the 2012 London Olympics http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/cuban_boxing_team_for_the_2012_london_olympics/10807382 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Referring to Cuba's boxing history as "rich" would be a weak cliché that doesn't quite do the concept justice. Cuba's boxing history is wealthy. Even in outlawing professional boxing in 1961, men like Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon became absolute legends without ever stepping foot in a ring for money. And thanks to Stevenson and Savon, Cuba is the only country with two three-time Olympic gold medalists. That's without mentioning the numerous prolific amateurs and post-ban defectors that have played significant roles in world class boxing over the years, notably "Sugar" Ramos, Joel Casamayor and Jose Napoles, though there are many others. The birth of professional boxing in Cuba, perhaps unsurprisingly, was just about as political as its end immediately following the Revolution. But in the beginning, Cuba needed a world champion to be legitimized on an elite level. That's where Kid Chocolate came in. ******* To suggest the ... Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:15:36 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/victoria_aut_mors_kid_chocolate/10619635 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/victoria_aut_mors_kid_chocolate/10619635 Victoria Aut Mors: Kid Chocolate http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/victoria_aut_mors_kid_chocolate/10619635 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png