Lem’s latest: Jermain Taylor faces Candelo on Broner-Maidana card
Former middleweight champ Jermain Taylor (left) takes it to Kelly Pavlik during their non-title rematch in February of 2008.
Former undisputed middleweight champ Jermain Taylor, who has not fought since stopping Raul Munoz in the second round last October, will face Juan Carlos Candelo on the Dec. 14 undercard of Showtime’s Adrien Broner-Marcos Maidana card, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer announced on Monday.
Taylor (31-4-1, 19 knockouts), who turned 35 in August, was last in the ring prior to facing Munoz in April of 2012. In that fight, Taylor had to rise from a ninth-round knockdown for a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Caleb Truax.
In Candelo (32-12-4, 21 KOs), Taylor faces a 39-year-old veteran who was last in the ring for a sixth-round stoppage loss to Fernando Guerrero in November of 2012.
Also on the Broner-Maidana undercard, WBC junior featherweight beltholder Leo Santa Cruz will defend his belt against Cesar Seda, hard-hitting welterweight standouts Keith Thurman and Jesus Soto-Karass will face each other, and WBA light heavyweight beltholder Beibut Shumenov will defend his belt against unbeaten Tamas Kovacs.
GEORGE FOREMAN PICKS MANNY PACQUIAO OVER BRANDON RIOS
Among the various questions surrounding Manny Pacquiao entering his Nov. 23 clash with Brandon Rios in Macau is whether or not the fighting Filipino congressman can maintain his focus in the wake of the typhoon that has ravaged the Philippines and caused thousands of death among his countrymen.
Pacquiao has vowed to “send help to those who need it the most,” while asking for others “to pray for our country and people in these trying times.”
One who is a believer in Pacquiao’s ability to champion his people in the wake of adversity is former heavyweight champion, George Foreman, who was 45 when his 10th-round knockout of Michael Moorer made him the oldest man to win a heavyweight title in November of 1994.
“Just before I fought Michael Moorer, there was a big, tragic flood right here in Houston,” said Foreman, during a recent conference call touting Pacquiao-Rios. “I had to wade through waist-deep water to rescue my family. There were many deaths. But once it came time to put on the boxing trunks, it all disappeared.”
When all is said and done, Foreman believes that Pacquiao will prevail over Rios.
“I think that it’s going to be a 12-round decision,” said Foreman. “I give Pacquiao the hometown decision, or, how about a home-region decision.”
PUBLICIST KELLY SWANSON ‘CHAMPIONED THE CAUSE’ WITH FIRST ROUND KO
Publicist Kelly Swanson, known for handling the media for fighters such as Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Bernard Hopkins, scored a first-round technical knockout over Amy Handelsman at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, as part of a fundraiser that raised money for Gleason’s Give A Kid A Dream Foundation.
Nicknamed, “The Communicator,” Swanson ended the scheduled three-round amateur contest while being coached, in part, by Hopkins.
Click here for a video of Swanson-Handelsman.
Swanson was also supported by family members as well as boxers such as Peter Qullin, Danny Jacobs a and Marcus Brown. in addition to Showtime Sports’ boss Stephen Espinoza.
More importantly, Swanson raised $11,320, which was $2,000 more than the next highest fundraiser.
“I really championed the cause. It wasn’t so much the hitting someone as it was the accomplishment doing it all the way around. I trained for the last several months, not just for this fight, but going to the boxing gym on a regular basis,” said Swanson.
“I was going in the morning, waking up to get to the gym by 6:30 [a.m.] So I think that the overall accomplishment is the part that I appreciated the most . Of course, getting into the ring was exciting, too. It’s not until you get into the ring that you actually relax.”
Swanson began training on her own during the summer before the opportunity arose to participate in the fundraiser.
“I trained at Gleason’s gym, and actually started going to Gleason’s in July just for physical exercise, and then, about three weeks ago I decided that I would get into this event. So the last three weeks, it was a little bit more intense. It was really helpful to have Bernard there, talking me through the waiting. It was really the waiting and the anticipation. That was a lot more intense than it was after I actually got into the ring, so it was really good to have Bernard there as well as everybody else who came out,” said Swanson, who surpassed her goal of $7,500.
“All of my family was there. So many members of the boxing community. Stephen Espinoza came, Annie Kruger from Showtime, and the fighters Marcus Brown, Peter Quillin, Danny Jacobs. I felt so enveloped by all of the people who really mean something to me in my life. It was a nice way for kind of all of the aspects of my life to come together for one event. Having Bernard there, because of I’ve known him for so long, and because he’s such a practical thinker, it really helped when I was waiting right before the fight with my head gear on, your hands wrapped, and your gloves on, and my glasses off. That anticipation was really intense.”
DEMETRIUS ANDRADE TO HELP SHAWN PORTER IN ADVANCE OF DEVON ALEXANDER FIGHT
Southpaw junior middleweight Demetrius Andrade, who is coming off a split-decision over Vanes Martirosyan on Nov. 9, will train with welterweight Shawn Porter in advance of Porter’s bout with left-handed IBF beltholder Devon Alexander, according to a report.
Alexander is 25-1 with 14 knockouts, and Porter, 22-0-1 with 14 KOs. Andrade (20-0, 13 KOs) won a clash of unbeatens over Martirosyan.
DUSTY HERNANDEZ-HARRISON RETURNS AGAINST MARLON LEWIS ON NOV. 22
Washington, D.C.-based welterweight Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (18-0, 10 KOs), who turned 19 in May, will return to the ring on Nov. 22 at Dover Downs, in Dover, Del., against Marlon Lewis (6-2-2, 3 KOs).
Click here for a video of Hernandez-Harrison.
The popular Hernandez-Harrison was last in the ring on Nov. 2 for a unanimous decision over New Mexico’s Jose Torres to win the WBC’s Youth title in The Theatre at New York’s Madison Square Garden on the undercard of an eighth-round stoppage victory by WBA middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin over Curtis Stevens.
Lewis is 3-0-1, with two knockouts in his past four fights and is coming off a four-round draw with David Green in April.
CHASE CORBIN SIGNS WITH CAMERON DUNKIN
Undefeated welterweight Chase Corbin has signed with manager Cameron Dunkin, who also handles Rios, Nonito Donaire and Mikey Garcia.
Photo / Jed Jacobsohn-Getty Images
Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]