Irish Boxing

there is a undefeated "irish" fighter in action this weekend...

 

Ill be heading to the Stadium show...... Might try push my luck with the missus and head to Belfast one too......

 

nice:good im heading to the stadium alright gutted im missing the 1 sat my own fault do

 

Gonna miss it myself, am away on a stags weekend.....

 

i thought sky said that gavin would be fighting dean harrison

 

He is a LMW in the latest rankings

http://boxing-ireland.com/100704_irish_weight_rankings_15.html

 

i personally think paulie would handle willy quiet easily with the boxing styles they both bring, willys not a devastating puncher as every1 thinks! willy casey has had an excellent start to his career and is a nice lad but paulie deserves a crack of whatever title comes their way first!and to throw it in the mix i think carl's the best out of the 3 guys

 

Frampton Hoodies finalised.

The mock ups are in grey but they will come in Black and Gold.

We are doing a run of 20 only - first come first served. £25 each.

(the fists are missing the knuckle detail but that will be put on tomorrow)

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(Photo © Miguel Salazar)

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By

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A few months ago, I visited Los Angeles and met up with the Sandoval brothers, two local fans who know their boxing. The topic du jour was the division that has historically served as a steppingstone between 175-pounders and full-fledged heavyweights.


“The last time cruiserweight was interesting was when David Haye cleaned it out,” Danny Sandoval opined as he shook his head in disappointment upon examining an old Antonio Margarito vs. Miguel Cotto promotional poster in his garage.


The names of Steve Cunningham and Guillermo Jones briefly entered our discussion until Miguel Sandoval, the older of the two, tipped up his cap and interjected, “What about that prospect from the Wild Card Gym, Lateef Kayode? He’s got some good skills and power.”


Great question. Here’s the answer.

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we featured the 27-year-old Kayode in March, he had just signed with promoter Gary Shaw. Under the tutelage of Young Dick Tiger and, later, Freddie Roach, the 200-pounder amassed a spotless 10-0 record, with the last nine of his victories coming by knockout in three rounds or less.


“If people get to see you and touch you and smell you and watch you, that’s what makes someone fan-friendly,” said Shaw. “Lateef, like Alfredo Angulo, has a very fan-friendly style. He swings for the fences, has spectacular power, trains hard in the gym, and when he gets the ring, he lights it up.”


Five months later, the 6’2” Nigerian with a sledgehammer of a right cross has accumulated two additional stoppage wins and now finds himself on the verge of his first belt, when he makes his television debut this Friday on “ShoBox: The New Generation” from the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota. Kayode will face Puerto Rico’s Alfredo Escalera Jr., for the vacant NABO cruiserweight title.


In only a short span with Shaw, Kayode has the opportunity to crack the WBO’s top-ten and his promoter wasn’t shy about making me aware of the fact. “The other fighters will soon realize that I move fighters possibly better than anyone in the business. My track record speaks for itself. Lateef’s last knockout was in Sports Illustrated and, in a short time, he’ll be fighting for the world title at cruiserweight.”


“By the grace of God, I’ll win the fight,” declared the chiseled cruiserweight, the humility in his voice still evident from our last conversation five months ago. “I’m not looking for a knockout but if it’s there, I’ll go for it.”


The bout represents more than a labor of love for Steven Feder. Kayode was the first fighter who inked with Standing Eight Management, a stable Feder co-manages with Roach. “You try to not get caught up in it,” said Feder, his voice rising with very word. “But I’d be lying to say that this fight doesn’t have a certain level of sentimental value for us. We started him from ground zero, turning pro, and built him without a promoter for the first eight fights. It’s been a journey and we’ve been through a lot together.”


In contrast with Kayode’s last two matchups with Chris Thomas, a 6’4” tall boxer, and Jose Luis Herrera, a 6’1” slugger, Escalera, son of former WBC super featherweight champ Alfredo Escalera Sr., presents a different type of challenge. “I saw some of his fights on YouTube and a DVD from Steve,” shared Kayode. “I want to keep my distance for this fight, so if he wants to box, I can box. But if he wants to fight, I can fight.”


Feder agreed with his client’s appraisal of the situation. “Lateef’s got a dangerous right. We’re looking for [Escalera’s] habits and what he favors. He likes to crowd, but that’ll be difficult for him with Lateef. He’s got a lot more experience and rounds than Lateef but we’ll be ready.”


Kayode’s training regimen has also increased in intensity. “I’ve been running in the [Santa Monica Mountains] eight miles a day, three times a week. I’ve done more bag work, more pad work, everything.”


Roach confirmed his approval. “This is the best he’s looked. It’s been a great camp. Lateef’s trained very hard and he’s ready to bring home the belt.”


Kayode hasn’t lacked quality sparring partners either, going ten rounds on almost a daily basis toward the end of camp. “He’s been sparring guys like [THE RING’s number nine-rated cruiserweight] Ola Afolabi,” shared Feder. “We’ve been throwing all kinds of styles at him and rotating up to six fighters a day.”


Based on his ledger to date, it is clear that Kayode personifies his “Power” nickname. However, the question for this bout is how he adjusts if Escalera can withstand the early onslaught and attempts to box. “The jab will be a key for this fight,” said assistant trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. “We’ve also been working on making sure he doesn’t loop his punches and he’s been coming along nicely.”


With a top-ten ranking at stake and the implicit pressure in pleasing the television executives at Showtime, the onus will be on Kayode to perform to the best of his abilities. While he’s aware of what hangs in the balance, he’s just as intent on satisfying some very important people across the Atlantic Ocean.


“My family at home in the Surulere province [in Lagos] will be watching the fight,” said Lateef, who misses his family and has been burning through phone cards to stay in constant contact with them. “They’ve been wishing me the best.”


If Kayode continues his rise through the cruiserweight division this Friday, he might make things interesting for ardent fans like the Sandovals once again. If he can accomplish that, we might have to start calling him Oba.


In the fighter’s native tongue of Yoruba, the word translates to “king.”

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WEST COAST WATCH: OVERTIME

On

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, 140-pound Wild Card regular Dean Byrne, 12-0 (5), was last seen in the United Kingdom. It turns out he’ll fight this Saturday in the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, Ireland, possibly against Juris Ivanovs of Latvia, according to Boxing-Ireland.com. Byrne has been sparring former amateur lightweight world champion Frankie Gavin, as “Irish Lightning” looks forward to his first pro fight on home soil. Dolphil Promotions will handle the card, entitled “The Homecoming.”

Sorry bout the copying and pasting but I aint sure what sites we can post links to. Theres your mention Slappy. The main article, Lateef Kayode is managed by Dean and Jamie kavanaghs manager , Steven Feder too

 

http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=392396&cat=boxer


the fellas byrnes fighting

 

I will be honest here. I think they are a bit tacky looking and the prominence of sponsor names overpower the star.

 

Actually i think the balance is about right and to be honest I aint changing them again as I've made loads of amendments already.

We got them cheap £25 instead of £45 because of havin the BellatorGero at the bottom so I'm quite happy with that.

Five of the twenty have already gone and thats before Frampton has even put it on his facebook so will be gone quick.

If anyone wants one just left me know.

http://boxing-ireland.com/20100804_frampton_gear_63.html

 

I'll have one slappy. Also, which of you fine gents is volunteering to pass on my maximum banjo banner to the Frampton contingent at the Ulster Hall?

 

what size mate?

If you are going to the CityWest bring it along then as I think Frampton might be in attendance - he can bring it back up to Canada with him.