Ward survives early crisis to outsmart Kovalev in Las Vegas.

In a highly anticipated fight, former super middleweight champion Andre Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) overcame a second round knockdown to outwit unified world light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) by unanimous scores of 114-113 across the board, to snare the Russian’s WBA, WBO, and IBF light heavyweight titles on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ward, (31-0, 15 KOs) found himself in hot water early in the bout, stunned by the Kovalev jab in the first then sent to the canvas by a quick right hand in the second. Kovalev seemed to shake Ward up frequently up until the third. Ward played a close physical game in the middle rounds, clinching often to nullify Kovalev's obvious power and physical advantages..  Once recovered from the early crisis, Ward started to land clean crisp shots often, while the frustrated Russian struggled to find the target..  Ward surprised Kovalev with a straight left hand in the seventh, and found further success in the next three sessions..   Wards confidence was evident by the tenth, Kovalev having rarely landing anything more than single shots since the fifth was being outsmarted down the stretch..  Both fighters had their successes in the championship rounds, each landing big punches, with Ward just looking the more sharper and boxing with more authority to edge the fight on the final scorecards.  The victory appears a career defining win for Ward, albeit by the slimmest of margins..  split opinions at ringside suggested that the bout could have gone either way.. Kovalev, disappointed in defeat made it clear that he will pursue the rematch, claiming that the fight itself is evidence of the true verdict, although defeated in the eyes of the judges, Kovalev walks away from this fight with his reputation in tact..  The bout lived up to the hype and both fighters emerge as victors after such a scintillating battle..

Bermaine Stiverne fails drug test ahead of Povetkin clash.

Former WBC world heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne has failed a drug test, but still looks set to face Alexander Povetkin in a WBC interim Championship fight on December 17 in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
Last Friday, 11th November, VADA made Stiverne aware that the test taken from his November 4 sample as part the WBCs Clean Boxing Program, had revealed traces of the banned substance Methylhexaneamine, a drug that is better known as Dimethyamylamine..
DMAA as it is commonly known, is widely available as a sports nutritional supplement and is a commonly used as an ingredient in a wide variety of nutritional products. DMAA was temporarily removed from military supply stores across the US, due to its link to reports of serious, life-threatening side effects, a move that looks to have alerted the World Anti-Doping Agency to follow suit, adding DMAA to its prohibited substances list 6 years ago. On the findings of Stiverne’s positive test result, the WBC immediately started an investigation of the circumstances surrounding the adverse finding and a further look into the history and properties of DMAA. The WBC considers those steps necessary to achieve a ruling consistent with their current rules and regulations in accordance to the CPB Protocol.
Stiverne has been open and cooperative since hearing of the results, and even informed the WBC that on the day of the test in question, in order to facilitate urination, he took a supplement by the name of SUPERPHARM in front of the sample collector. He reported the ingestion of that supplement in the Declaration of Medication Use section of the doping form he filled out in accordance to the testing.
Stiverne also reported that he ingested the supplement twice the same day and that he took it because the nutrition staff at EOS Gym in Henderson had recommended it to him. Stiverne was looking for a dietary aid that would help him with post-work out fatigue. Stiverne is fully aware of the enormity of his error, taking an off-the-shelf supplement without doing detailed research into its ingredients. Stiverne understands  he is solely responsible for anything that he ingests..  In hindsight, the former champion realizes his naivety in following a recommendation of an off-the-shelf supplement he was unfamiliar with. The WBC did say that there was no evidence that Stiverne intentionally took the substance with the purpose of enhancing his performance in any fashion..
The bout will go ahead as scheduled.
The WBC shall work with Stiverne to design a program consisting of 40 hours of community or social work in the area of doping prevention education to young athletes, Bermaine will also pay a fine of $75,000 to the WBC..

McDonnell gets out of jail with outrageous decision over Solis.

WBA bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell (29-2-1, 13 KOs) retained his title with a highly controversial twelve round unanimous decision over Liborio Solis (25-5-1, 11 KOs) tonight at the Salle des Étoiles in Monte Carlo. Solis started fast and dictated the action for most of the first half of the fight, huge right hands bloodied the champions nose from round 3 and opened a cut in round 6. McDonnell did regain  his composure by the 9th where he hurt Solis at the end of the round, but apart from rare glimpses of success, appeared to have fell far too many rounds behind to salvage his title..
Shockingly the judges somehow saw it 116-112, 115-113 and 117-111 for McDonnell..

Former world title challenger Martin Murray (34-4-1, 16 KOs) outpointed previously unbeaten Nuhu Lawal (23-1, 13 KOs) over twelve rounds in a clash for the vacant WBA Continental super middleweight title. Murray overcame the disappointment of two last minute opponent changes but did appear to make tough work of the relentless Nigerian..  
Scores were 116-111, 117-110 and 117-110.

Luis Ortiz fails to impress against a reluctant Malik Scott.

Unbeaten former WBA interim heavyweight champion Luis Ortiz (26-0, 22 KOs) failed to impress tonight as he plodded to a one-sided twelve round unanimous decision over an erratic Malik Scott 38-3-1, 13 KOs) in his European (Matchroom boxing) debut at the Salle des Étoiles in Monte Carlo. Ortiz started purposefully as he cut the ring off for the jittery Scott, who failed to throw a meaningful shot during the first 6 minutes..  Ortiz dropped Scott in round four  from what seemed like a rabbit punch and again early in round five. As the rounds wore on the crafty Philadelphian became comfortable with the pace and found sneaky openings to land single shots on the pedestrian and frustrated Cuban..  Scott was down again in round nine from a huge body shot but managed to go extend the much avoided Ortiz the full twelve. Malik Scott deliberately came to nullify the powerful reputation of the Cuban and succeeded with relative ease, Ortiz appears to impress when he's allowed the luxury of a standing target, but the mobility and unorthodox nature of Scott's performance failed to inspire a higher gear from Ortiz. The Cuban expressed a disappointment in Malik's approach to the contest, but himself must take blame for not applying more pressure to a fighter who at times looked reluctant to be in there..

Scores were 120-105, 120-106, 119-106.

Weights from The Liacouras Centre, Philadelphia pa.

Premier boxing champions card from The Liacouras centre in Philadelphia pa..
Televised on Spike Tv.

Danny Garcia 146.6 vs Samuel Vargas 145.7

Jarrett Hurd 153.1 vs. Jojo Dan 153.1

Javier Fortuna 132.9 vs. Omar Douglas 132.1

Titus Williams 126.3 vs. Antonio Dubose 127.2

Kyrone Davis 158.6 vs. Carlos Gabriel Ozan 155.7

Milton Santiago 137 vs. Claudio Rosendo Tapia 135.8

Christian Carto 118.6 vs. Leonardo Reyes 114.5

Thomas Velasquez 129.9 vs. Raul Chirino 134.2

Jeffrey Torres 137.7 vs. Joseph Serrano 136.9

Weigh in details from Salle des Etoiles, Monte Carlo.

Saturdays show from Monte Carlo will be shown on HBOs boxing after dark, live at 4.00 ET/PT..  also live in the U.K. On Sky..  Hosted by Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo and presented by Matchroom boxing the show is headlined by a heavyweight showdown between the unbeaten Luis Ortiz and Malik Scott, plus two WBA world championship bouts.

Weigh in results..
Luis Ortiz 239.5 vs. Malik Scott 246.4

Jamie McDonnell 118 vs. Liborio Solis 117.7
(WBA bantamweight championship)

Jason Sosa 128.8 vs. Stephen Smith 130
(WBA super featherweight championship)

Martin Murray 167.7 vs. Nuhu Lawal 165.5

Luis Ortiz and Malik Scott meet in Monte Carlo.

Saturday night sees the debut of Cuban heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz as a Matchroom boxing fighter, as he meets the very capable Malik Scott over 12 for the vacant WBA intercontinental title at the classy Salle des Etoils resort in Monte Carlo..  Ortiz 25/0 (22) who recently jumped out of a contractual agreement with Golden Boy Promotions hasn't put a foot wrong since turning pro in 2010, but until 2014 had been flying relatively under the radar of the public eye..  in his 23rd outing Ortiz knocked out the awkward US based Nigerian Lateef Kayode in a round at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, the victory appeared to have earned him the lightly regarded WBA interim world title but it would be short lived as the Cuban would fail a drug test, resulting in the knockout victory being overturned to a No contest..   A year later following a blowout over trailhorse Byron Polley, Ortiz stopped highly regarded Matias Vidondo to once again pick up the interim belt, before pulling off his two more poignant wins, both stoppages, first over the crafty Bryant Jennings, followed more recently by a Tko of another former world title challenger Tony Thompson in what would be his most recent outing in march of this year..  Ortiz showed in both fights that he is more than ready for the next step and is much more advanced in ability that most of his heavyweight counterparts, the only drawback is probably his age, at 37 he needs to be moved fast..    Malik Scott however is a heavyweight from a different era, he turned pro back in 2000 alongside guys like Dominick Guinn and Davarryll Williamson, both of whom have hung up the gloves, yet despite having ten years more professional experience over Ortiz, he still comes into this fight the younger man by a year...  Malik, an accomplished amateur maintained a great start to his career, by 2008 he was undefeated in 32 with 11 knockouts..   but between his 32nd and 33rd outings, points wins over Raphael Butler and Kendrick Releford, Scott took 4 years away from the ring due to injuries..  The inactivity set him back and allowed less experienced fighters to steal ahead of him and receive title shots.. After a year back Scott faced unbeaten Russian Olympian Vyacheslav Glazkov 14/0 in New York..  Scott looked to have done enough in the fight, outjabbing and outmanoeuvring the smaller Glazkov throughout the bout, until a split verdict saw him come away with a draw..  5 months later the Philadelphian would receive his first loss at the hands of Derrick Chisora in London England, Scott looked in control of the fight before being caught with an overhand shot to the temple in the 6th.. Malik took a knee but rose to the referees count of 8, as Scott stood upright referee Phil Edwards waved it off at a 9 count, a decision that outraged Scott and still leaves a bitter taste in his mouth..  in 2014 an opportunity presented itself that couldn't be refused, a fight with the number 1 ranked heavyweight Deontay Wilder who was 30/0 at the time, all knockouts, a victory would almost certainly placed Scott as head of the class.. Malik stepped up and promised plenty, but was knocked out cold inside a round which to this day appears to be his only clear cut loss..   7 months after the loss, in his 40th fight, Scott would travel to Australia, to impressively outpoint the 30/5 Alex Leapai, followed in October of 2015 by a solid points victory over Tony Thompson 40/5, the very fighter to have faced Ortiz in his most recent display of power..  Malik is 38/2/1 (13) and possesses the fitness and natural ability to make life very hard for any heavyweight, he's taller at 6 foot 5, he's heavier and has by far the longer reach, but does however lack power..    it's an intriguing matchup but it's a fight that has the potential to throw the victor right into line for a title shot, something that in his 16 years as a professional has eluded Scott, this could be his final throw of the dice.

Jessie Magdaleno picks up a world title, beating Donaire over 12.

On the Vargas v Pacquiao undercard in Las Vegas, unbeaten Las Vegas super bantamweight Jessie Magdaleno (24-0, 17 KOs) won a twelve round unanimous decision over WBO champion Nonito Donaire (37-4, 24 KOs) on Saturday night at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, to pick up his first world championship..  The bout was action packed from the start with Donaire pressuring the younger Magdaleno, who maintained a busy workrate, holding his own. Magdaleno hurt Donaire in round nine, but was unable to sustain for a stoppage..  Donaire finished the fight impressively with a late surge, stunning Magdaleno in the final seconds, leaving it a little too late to make an impact..  In the end, scores were 116-112, 116-112 and 118-110.

Pacquiao champion again after outclassing Vargas.

37-year-old Manny Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs) is once again a world champion after scoring a resounding twelve round unanimous decision over WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas (27-2, 10 KOs) on Saturday at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas Nv. Pacquiao had the champion on the floor in round two with a solid straight left, which remained the only knockdown of the night. Vargas fought his way back gallantly into the bout, but was constantly playing second best to the razor sharp Pacquiao who on this night turned back the clock despite being 10 years Vargas senior. Vargas was cut over the right eye in round eight, the injury later ruled by the commission as being caused by a punch. Pacquiao closed the fight convincingly and won by scores of 114-113, 118-109 and 118-109.

Corruption in the IBF, a lesson learned..

Federal prosecutors filed charges in 1999 against the IBF and requested a full in depth investigation in an attempt to uncover them as a corrupt boxing organization.
The civil racketeering lawsuit against the governing body came nearly three weeks after prosecutors indicted IBF president Robert Lee Sr on criminal bribery charges. Lee and others in the IBF were indicted on charges they solicited $338,000 in bribes over the past 13 years to fix IBF rankings. They pleaded innocent, and their trial continued into 2000..
IBF ratings committee chairman Doug Beavers knew for a long time how flagrantly they had flaunted with the law..

When the FBI called at Beavers house asking if he could talk to them about bribery within the boxing organisation (The IBF) he invited them into his home with the line "What took you so long?"  Beavers agreed to cooperate with the Feds, on the condition that he would escape prosecution..   Beavers agreed to wear a wire and engage in a close encounter stakeout at a regular meeting.. Federal investigators would film the meeting through a keyhole of an adjacent hotel room. Beavers explained to the FBI, it worked like this..   If promoter 'A' wished to have their fighter shoved up the rankings, I would ensure that Bob Lee gave the go ahead and named a Price..   we'd talk in code, with various major players having pseudonyms..   Fuzzy Wuzzy was a code name for a well publicised Promoter, The Fat man was another (Cedric Kushner) the money that changed hands was known as 'Ginseng' , 'Christmas Turkey'  or 'Christmas Cheer.'  It wasn't a case of how good or accomplished a fighter was to get a ranking with the IBF, it was how connected you were or how much you were willing to pay..  
The prime example of how ruthless Bob Lee sr was came in 1995. Cedric Kushner had kept the IBF sweet with regular cash payments via Bob Lee, offerings that were rewarded with his heavyweight Axel Shultz being awarded a shot at the title held by  Big George Foreman..  Shultz was largely unknown and it was hugely unlikely that he'd trouble the champion. Shultz went on to outwork George but lost via some scandalous scorecards..   The IBF had ordered many rematches in its history, in fights that weren't nearly as badly officiated as this, yet Bob Lee offered no sympathy to Cedric and Shultz..  Beavers knew it wasn't right and questioned Bob Lee on the matter..  Lee agreed to allow a rematch to take place, on the condition that Cedric payed Lee $100.000..  Beavers thought the amount was scandalous and voiced his opinion..  Lee told Beavers, its $100.000 or nothing..  Kushner was told of the offer and under duress made the $100 Grand payment..  assured that they'd rank Shultz #1 for Foremans title..   however a month later George sent word that he'd never face Shultz again..    Lee never repaid Cedric his money..    Kushner said..   "It was as if I'd just bought an ice cream and returned it because I didn't quite like the flavour..".

Astonishingly IBF president Bob Lee was eventually cleared of bribery charges in court, yet found guilty of tax evasion and money laundering, the 67 year old receiving a 22 month jail sentence and a fine of $25.000..

WBA announce.. Browne v Briggs.. for vacant regular title.

In a surprise announcement this week, the WBA have ordered the unbeaten Lucas Browne 24/0 (21 Ko's) to face former WBO champion and two time WBC title challenger Shannon Briggs 60/6/1 (53 Ko's) on or before December 31 of this year for the vacant WBA regular title, on the condition that the winner defends against Fres Oquendo within 120 days..  Browne appeared to have pulled off a fabulous dramatic upset, when he knocked out former champion Ruslan Chagaev in Grozny earlier in the year, but failed a drug test following the victory. Browne has since pleaded his innocence and now has a great opportunity to reseal his grasp on the belt that he came so close to owning..  Shannon Briggs is no pushover, a powerful heavyweight from another era..  in 1996, Briggs looked like the new future force of the division, he had amassed 25 straight knockouts before suffering a damaging loss to Darroll Wilson.. after 5 straight knockout wins, in 1998 Shannon got a shot at the then WBC champion Lennox Lewis, going out on his shield in an epic battle, proving how dangerous he really could be..  however Briggs dragged his feet, and for the next 8 years he'd beat mediocre opposition and drop decisions to Jameel McCline and Cedric Fields, before landing a shot at Serhei Liakhovick and his WBO title..  in a long tedious bout, Serhei looked comfortably ahead, but as the rounds went on, Briggs looked patiently unmoved, and with a final 12th round rally did the unthinkable in stopping the Belarusian in the dying seconds to win the title..  Briggs would lose his first defence to Sultan Ibragimov and literally disappear until his 2010 defeat to Vitali Klitschko in Hamburg..   Briggs never boxed due to a severe depression and lack of opportunity for 4 years until a return in 2014, the product, 9 fights later at the age of 44 is here..   it's an intriguing matchup and a potentially exciting one between two guys with 74 knockouts in 84 victories between them..   Browne is happy to be facing Briggs and has even voiced his distain for David Haye who appeared to duck Briggs after an earlier agreement to meet him in the uk..   No site or official date has been announced..

Anthony Joshua v Eric Molina.. Dec 10.

Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17 KOs) will make the second defence of his IBF World Heavyweight title against Eric Molina (25-3, 19 KOs) at the Manchester Arena on Saturday December 10. The bout will be televised live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and on Showtime in the U.S.
Molina who a year ago challenged WBC champion Deontay Wilder doesn't seem phased in the least.
“When it comes to fighting Joshua, many of his opponents were done long before they stepped into ring..  everyone saying hits harder than Wilder! he’s this, he’s that. They weren’t ready mentally for Joshua or not ready for the event. I’ve never had this kind of problem. I was slugging with Wilder in his home state, in Alabama. I was fighting Adamek in front of 15,000 fans in Poland. I proved my mental strength before, and I will prove it again in Manchester!”
Anthony who was unfortunate to miss out on an impromptu superfight with Wladimir Klitschko on this date, seems content with the selection of Molina, of all of the available ranked opponents, Molina looks to be the most sensible choice..   David Price was muted as a possible opponent several weeks ago, and even halted negotiations of a recent proposed comeback fight, ironically against Molina, But with Molina having the more recent activity at the higher level, including an upset knockout win over Tomasz Adameck in Poland, he appeared the popular choice..
Former Joshua victim and amateur rival Dillian Whyte will face former British, European and Commonwealth Champion Derrick Chisora on the undercard in a fight dubbed as battle of the bad boys, for Whyte's British title.
Also appearing is the dangerous unbeaten Cuban heavyweight Luis Ortiz..

Introducing.. Leland Hardy.. a visionary.

Leland Hardy is not your usual heavyweight fighter, in fact his less than stellar career record of 4 wins 4 losses and a draw doesn't do him justice, he is far more than just that..  Leland's roles vary, from sports agent, stockbroker, translator, and international business advisor. His real story starts in 1993, Hardy was the recipient of Indiana University of Pennsylvanias Distinguished Alumni Award, a fabulous achievement for a man who openly admitted that he didn't fully apply himself in high school.. while at Indiana university Leland committed himself to his study's, earning a bachelors degree in Marketing, while mentoring less than capable students to achieve their own high standards..  Hardy would also steer himself in another direction, the Critical languages program, a system that would pair students with partners native in the students chosen language..  Hardy had realised a flair in acquiring languages back in high school, where he picked up French and Spanish at an advanced level, winning a national Spanish speaking competition and was now studying both Japanese and Chinese..  Whilst at University Hardy accidentally stumbled upon boxing, taking part in an boxing exhibition he found himself quite adept inside the ropes, so much so that in 1983 after training at the Indiana county boxing club, found himself winning the Pennsylvania Golden Gloves heavyweight championship alongside guys like Vincent Bouleware and Jerry Owens. This opened up the opportunity to box for a place on the much heralded 1984 Olympic squad, unfortunately the level of competition was high and Hardy wouldn't qualify, so instead of heading to Los Angeles for the 1984 games, Hardy would enroll in the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The program involved a solid 2 years of course work to earn an MBA and a second master’s degree, requiring fluency in a foreign language and, in Hardy’s case, involved studying at the Beijing Foreign Languages Institute of which he would appear in the programs first graduating class.
Leland Hardy continued to box alongside working at 245 park avenue New York at the Bear Stearns brokerage firm, as was working in finance, he earning himself the colourful nickname as the fighting stockbroker and in 1989 his epic victory over the then unbeaten Ike Padilla, was heralded as the greatest prelim fight in MSG Boxing history..  Despite the scintillating display, the victory would only life Hardys boxing record to 2/2/1, it was obvious that with his many impressive academic attributes , his future lay in more lucrative areas..
Fate struck in 1985, while watching the James Broad v Tim Witherspoon bout, Hardy overheard the commentator announcing the fight mention an upcoming good will tour by Muhammad Ali over in China, then joke about being the tour interpreter, Hardy saw an opportunity and called his friend and boxing journalist Elmer Smith of the Philadelphia daily news and told him of the Ali tour, emphasising that he had to be on that trip..  Smith didn't fully understand why, but after later finding out that Leland was completely fluent in Chinese and himself a proficient heavyweight boxer, pulled some strings to put Hardy in touch with the Ali people..   Hardy would meet Ali at the Chinese embassy in DC and later prove himself invaluable in negotiating visas for Ali and his while entourage..  Leland would act as interpreter for Ali for many years, developing a bond and friendship with the former champion, later accompanying Ali to the funeral of his great rival Joe Frazier in Hardy's hometown of Philadelphia..  Hardy would later work alongside Evander Holyfield and Don King on consecutive visits to China, along with acting as international business interpreter for General Motors in China..
Hardy had flirted with becoming a single player sports agent but was a visionary, always looking one step ahead, and in the mid 1990s he saw meteoric rise of rap music into the main stream and wanted to marry that success with the world of sports.. However when Hardy's conversations with high profile artists LL Cool J and Sean Coombs fizzled out, along came Percy Miller, better known as Master P..   Miller had taken a $10.000 enterprise in his No Limits enterprises to a $400 Million industry which now had 6 divisions, including real estate, movies and now Sports management..  Miller saw Hardy's drive and potential and embraced him as the face of No Limits Sports management ..  Miller knew that Hardy had the raw tools for the job, but realised that to add more leverage to his status, the No Limits branding offered him more weight to negotiate with..   In their first year No Limits secured a contract with Heisman trophy winner Ricky Williams along with several other high profile young NFL standouts..
Leland Hardy's other more prominent sports clients were tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams. Their father, Richard Williams, read about Hardy as a sports agent in a Sports illustrated issue when the girls were just six and seven years old. Impressed by Hardy’s focus on academics in conjunction with his sports and business interests, Williams hired Hardy as the family’s business advisor, a role he kept for close to 16 years while the sisters climbed to the pinnacle of women’s tennis. Hardy's financial background helped him to start to cultivate a system to help prevent vulnerable athletes from being taken advantage of by managers and agents. Hardy referred to Joe Louis and Kareem Jabarr as examples of high profile athletes who ended up broke from poor investment deals despite lucrative careers. Hardy was responsible for launching BICEPS, the Business Institute for Continuing Education in Professional Sports, at the Wharton School in 2002. He developed a curriculum that focused on basic academic fundamentals: reading financial statements, investing in real estate and the stock market, the principles of accounting, saving for retirement, and Understanding yourself as a brand.Another project that engages Hardy's time these days is 'Very Pretty Skin', a line of cosmeceuticals he has created with his long time wife and plastic surgeon Rosetta Garries, along with owning the rights to more than a thousand domain names including his most valuable purchase, the domain name www.newyork.com. He is the original registered owner having purchased the URL in 1994, and has turned down reported multimillion-dollar offers to sell..  Hardy still trains as often as he can as boxing lies close to his heart, he was more recently working with Philadelphia heavyweight Fast Eddie Chambers.  Leland Hardy is that rarest of creatures who is never satisfied with mediocrity, and will more than likely constantly reinvent himself until he can no longer function..  you'd be hard pushed to find a more interesting or engaging man in any walk of life..  Leland Hardy is an incredible character.