Anthony Mundine outjabs Mosley but ending leaves fans unsatisfied

Anthony Mundine outjabs Mosley but ending leaves fans unsatisfied
Mark E. Ortega
Aus-boxing.com
November 27, 2013



Anthony Mundine became the first to officially stop Shane Mosley in Sydney on Wednesday, but it’s unclear whether or not the win should be credited to the Australian fighter or to Father Time after the fight came to an end after six rounds.

Mundine (45-5, 27 KOs) was no doubt in control of the bout at the time of the stoppage, due mostly to a simple jab. The best action took place in the fourth as both guys were rocked, but Mundine dominated nearly every minute of the fight simply because he could move. Mosley (47-9-1, 39 KOs) was in obvious pain almost from the outset, and at 42 years old, the first stoppage defeat of his career could, and hopefully will spell the end of an illustrious Hall of Fame career.

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Ward dominates Rodriguez in return

Ward dominates Rodriguez in return
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
November 19, 2013


ONTARIO, Calif. – Despite more than a year away from the ring, Oakland super middleweight champion Andre Ward returned to his dominant self, nearly shutting out the previously unbeaten Edwin Rodriguez over twelve lopsided rounds on Saturday night at the Citizens Business Bank Arena.

The bout was televised live by HBO and saw Ward (27-0, 14 knockouts) prove yet again why he is one of the two or three best fighters in the world.

When the first bell rang, Rodriguez (24-1, 16 KOs) charged hard at Ward in an attempt to catch him off guard. Rodriguez was aggressive throughout the contest, but Ward was always able to use that aggression against him as he landed clean counter punches on a regular basis.

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Andre Ward returns after layoff

Andre Ward returns after layoff
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
November 14, 2013


It’ll have been 14 months since Oakland’s Andre Ward (26-0, 14 knockouts) looked across the ring at an opponent looking to dethrone him from his position as the king of the super middleweight division when he meets Edwin Rodriguez (24-0, 16 KOs) on Saturday night in an HBO televised affair.

Oakland’s Ward, who also boasts being the last American boxer to win Olympic gold back in the 2004 Games, will meet a younger opponent for the first time in six years.

Rodriguez, a Dominican who hails from Worcester, Mass., is just a year younger than Ward but enters this weekend’s contest with less wear and tear than the favorite. Ward has faced the division’s top guys since first winning a 168-pound title four years ago, almost to the day. With that, Ward has accrued a number of injuries, including a recent shoulder injury that kept him sidelined all of 2013

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Cults a bit uneven at El Rey

Cults a bit uneven at El Rey
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com

November 13, 2013

Tuesday night at the sold out El Rey Theatre, burgeoning New York band Cults rifled through songs at a brisk pace in front of an enthusiastic Los Angeles crowd.

At times, vocalist Madeline Follist was difficult to make out, but the sound improved as the gig moved forward.

Coming off their critically acclaimed album Static, released just last month, Cults is midway through their tour to support it. Upon hearing them play a fourteen song set, it's clear to this writer they haven't yet been able to translate their indie pop sound from the studio to the stage. 

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Donaire returns to the ring

Donaire returns to the ring
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
November 7, 2013


San Leandro, Calif., boxer Nonito Donaire returns to the ring on Saturday in a new weight division, but will look across the ring at a familiar foe while doing so.

Donaire (31-2, 20 knockouts) is coming off an April defeat to Guillermo Rigondeaux, his first loss in almost a decade. Donaire was dealing with a slew of personal matters, including his wife Rachel being pregnant with their first child, who was born a few months ago.

Now refocused, Donaire will face Vic Darchinyan (39-5-1, 28 KOs) in a 126-pound fight that will be part of a triple header televised by HBO. These two last met in July of 2007, where the five-to-one underdog Donaire knocked out Darchinyan in the fifth round with a wicked check hook. That victory launched Donaire, who won 13 straight across four weight divisions prior to the loss to Rigondeaux.

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November East Coast Prospect of the Month: Karl Dargan

November East Coast Prospect of the Month: Karl Dargan
Mark E. Ortega
BehindTheGloves.com
November 1, 2013

Philadelphia lightweight Karl Dargan turned pro in 2007. It's safe to say after talking with him that he wished he had more than 13 professional fights over the last seven years, but the inactivity is just about the only thing that's held him back from breaking through.

East Coast based promotional company Main Events saw that Dargan was being undervalued and under appreciated and snagged him earlier this year. Dargan will fight Nov. 16 against unheralded but unbeaten Michael Brooks in a fight that will air on NBC Sports.

I saw Dargan early in his pro career as he fought in San Jose, Calif., in his third bout. Trainer Nazim Richardson was with him and spoke to me about Dargan, promising that he had the potential to be a future champ. Richardson did disclose that he is in fact related to Dargan, being his cousin.

Dargan made it clear their relationship is a close one, calling Nazim more of an uncle than a cousin when talking to Behind The Gloves on the phone while getting ready for his fight

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November West Coast Prospect of the Month: Jose Ramirez

November West Coast Prospect of the Month: Jose Ramirez
Mark E. Ortega
BehindTheGloves.com
November 1, 2013


It’s not a huge surprise that a former Olympian is able to sell out a 3,000 seat arena as the headliner of a card that will take place near his hometown.

It is surprising that the fight became a sellout three weeks before the fight is set to take place. Even more of a surprise is the fighter in question is only 6-0, Avenal, Calif.’s Jose Ramirez.

The 21-year old Ramirez will headline a Nov. 9 card at Golden Eagle Arena, located on the West Hills College campus in Lemoore, Calif. The card will be televised on UniMas’ SoloBoxeo and is being promoted by Ramirez’s handlers, Top Rank.

Ramirez has made headlines ever since turning professional last December following an appearance at the 2012 Olympic games in the lightweight division. It is evident that Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is very high on the kid. Whenever Ramirez fights on a major undercard, Ramirez always manages to have a spot on the dais at the press conference.

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