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Lem’s latest: Tyson on Ward

Fighters Network
12
Nov

Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson gave his take on Saturday’s super middleweight clash of unbeatens featuring  RING and WBA champion Andre Ward and Edwin Rodriguez on HBO.

During an interview with Jim Lampley, Tyson was asked if Ward (26-0, 14 knockouts) could become the sort of “lights out” star that Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have become, “or is that impossible because, No. 1, of his largely defensive style, and No. 2, because he’s a good guy — clean as a whistle?”

Click here for the Mike Tyson interview.



“I would agree that Andre Ward is an awesome fighter. You have to be a real fight enthusiast to appreciate him,” said Tyson. “When you hear him talk, he’s always talking about his higher power, and he believes in just being this good guy. In order to be the good guy and to be really successful, you have to beat a lot of bad guys. And we live in that era. You know, the bad guy era. We want the bad guy, and the bad guy should win, and we always remember the bad guy, so if anybody beats these guys, he’s big, too, but we still remember the bad guy.”

Click here for 2 Days: Andre Ward.

 

DOMINIC BREAZEALE, ODLANIER SOLIS,  RETURN ON GOLDEN BOY LIVE ON NOV. 26

Unbeaten 2012 U.S. Olympian Dominic Breazeale (7-0, 7 KOs) and Cuban Olympic gold medalist Odlanier Solis (20-1, 13 KOs) will be featured in separate heavyweight bouts on Golden Boy Live Nov. 26 on Fox Sports 1.

Breazeale will take on Nagy Aguilera (19-7, 13 KOs), and Solis, former title condender Kevin Johnson (29-3-1, 14 KOs).

Solis has won three straight since suffering his lone defeat by first-round knockout to Vitali Klitschko in 2011, while Johnson’s three losses were by decision to Klitschko, Tor Hamer and Tyson Fury.

In the main event, former light heavyweight titleholder Antonio Tarver (29-6, 20 KOs) will return to the ring for the first time since June of 2012 when he tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid drostanolone following a draw-turned-no-contest with Lateef Kayode.

Tarver will face West Virginia heavyweight Mike Sheppard (21-15-1, 9 KOs). 

“I’m looking forward to getting back into the ring and showing the world that the ‘Magic Man’ is better than ever and ready for the big fights,” said Tarver, who will face Sheppard five days after his 45th birthday. “This is the perfect opportunity to make a statement at home and I can’t wait.”

Also on the card is a light heavyweight bout between Thomas Williams, of Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia’s former title contender Yusaf Mack

 

MIKEY GARCIA-ROMAN ‘ROCKY’ MARTINEZ: EXPERT GETS IT RIGHT

Although all of the 21 boxing experts polled by RingTV.com selected Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28 KOs) to effectively dethrone Roman “Rocky” Martinez as WBO beltholder in his 130-pound debut, none were as dead-on as Ryan Maquinana of CSNBAYAREA/BoxingScene.com.

Garcia both droppped and stopped Martinez with a body shot in the eighth round, where the former titleholder failed to beat the 10-count of referee Laurence Cole.

Below is Maquinana’s pre-fight assessment of Garcia-Martinez:

Ryan Maquinana, CSNBAYAREA/BoxingScene.com

Mikey Garcia TKO8 Rocky Martinez: Unlike in his last outing, Mikey Garcia will be free of the weight problems that ended his run at 126 pounds.

I see him systematically wearing down a game Rocky Martinez — first to the body, then upstairs to the head — en route to the stoppage.

 

MANAGERIAL STABLEMATES DAMIAN WILLS JOHN QUIGLEY COMPETE ON SAME NIGHT

Los Angeles-based management team Sheer Sports has boxers competing on the same night in two different countries on Thursday. 

 

Heavyweight Damian ‘Bolo’ Wills (31-3, 24 KOs) will participate in Prizefighter: United Kingdom versus United States in London, live on Sky Sports, and undefeated Liverpool native John ‘Johnny Boy’ Quigley (9-0, 2 KOs) takes on Dominic Coca (8-5, 2 KOs) in a junior lightweight bout in Hollywood, Calif.

 

“Having Wills in the U.K. and Quigley in the U.S.A. is fantastic,” said Lyle Green of Sheer Sports. “We are looking forward to being victorious on both side of the ocean.”

 

 

Video / HBO

Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]

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