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+--- Thread: Parker vs Ruiz for WBO (/showthread.php?tid=185)
RE: Parker vs Ruiz for WBO - diehard - 11-25-2016
For our European posters:
http://www.boxnation.com/boxing-schedule/
RE: Parker vs Ruiz for WBO - Msreef - 11-25-2016
Cheaper alternative to watching it via Sky. Cost me $22 for a month of BoxNation, that includes the Parker v Ruiz fight, not sure if I get the undercard or not, but I don't really care as it's nothing great. Bit of a pain to set up properly but didn't take too long. Watched some boxing via it today, worked well.
RE: Parker vs Ruiz for WBO - Infern0 - 11-25-2016
Can we get the box nation app here?
RE: Parker vs Ruiz for WBO - Msreef - 11-25-2016
Not officially but there are ways.
RE: Parker vs Ruiz for WBO - cranky - 11-26-2016
(11-25-2016, 06:20 PM)diehard Wrote: For our European posters:
http://www.boxnation.com/boxing-schedule/
cheers Die
RE: Parker vs Ruiz for WBO - diehard - 11-26-2016
http://www.boxingscene.com/joseph-parker-andy-ruiz-title-fight-new-zealand--111053
RE: Parker vs Ruiz for WBO - diehard - 11-27-2016
From Ali to Ruiz .... Bob Arum is a true heavyweight of world boxing
DUNCAN JOHNSTONE/FAIRFAX
Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum stands beside a picture of his younger self with Mohammad Ali.
Bob Arum sinks comfortably into the leather sofa in his plush Las Vegas office with the contented smile of a man who has lived the good life.
And he has. The trappings of his endeavours surround him.
Over his right shoulder is a large photo, taken by his eight-year-old son in 1971 of Arum and Muhammad Ali, just after they purchased the land in Pennsylvania that would become the legendary Deer Lake training camp where boxing's most famous fighter honed his skills.
To his left hangs a Louis Vuitton punching bag, designed by Karl Lagerfield and one of only four in the world.
But it's the photo that tells his real story. "To Muhammad, the man who made it possible, all my love, Bob Arum" reads the wording on one side. "To Bob, love Muhammad Ali" reads the other.
Love and respect were the basis of an unlikely relationship that saw Arum guide Ali to become the most famous name in world sport.
Arum became Ali's first promoter, linking with him in 1966 and promoting 26 fights through the heydays of a boxer deservedly dubbed "The Greatest".
They were wondrous times, especially for a young Arum who initially had no interest in the sport and got into it by accident.
He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1956 and worked for a Wall Street firm as a tax expert. When John F Kennedy was elected president in 1960 Arum was recruited by the Justice Department.
"I ended up handling a big tax case which was the seizure of funds from the Floyd Patterson–Sonny Liston fight. The promoter of that fight was a scumbag lawyer named Roy Cohn, they were doing some crazy things with the money that was against the law and on that basis we got the order that we could seize the funds. We collected close to US$5m which at that time was an unheard of sum of money," Arum recalls.
"From there I met people in the boxing business. I'd never seen a fight, I wasn't interested in boxing."
But twists kept him entangled in the game. The television company promoting the WBA heavyweight title fight between George Chuvalo and Ernie Terrell in 1965 was struggling for leverage in the build-up. They came knocking at Arum's door and, typically thinking outside of the square, came up with a radical idea.
"At that point in time there had never been an African-American who had been a commentator on any TV programme in the US ever. So I said, 'let's get one'. They thought it was a great idea and I got them Jim Brown, the NFL's greatest running back ever."
Brown was endeared by Arum's charm and capabilities and soon suggested he he become a promoter.
Arum scoffed at the suggestion but quickly had his arm twisted by the well-connected Brown.
"I said I didn't care about boxing and there's only one guy that means anything and that's Cassius Clay. Jim said, 'I'll introduce you to him'. Two months later he did ... I flew to Chicago and we met and I became Ali's promoter and lawyer."
It coincided with Ali refusing to be conscripted to the Vietnam war. "I ain't going to go fight the Vietcong, they never called me the N-word," Arum says of Ali's stance that saw him stripped of his world title and jailed.
It brought out the lawyer in Arum: "I got hooked into this damn thing because of the whole political scene that went with it.
"Ali became my dear friend. We were lifelong friends."
He started Top Rank in 1973 and the company remains a powerhouse in the game. The 84-year-old has promoted 2000 fights and his long list of stars include George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Floyd Mayweather, Oscar de la Hoya and Manny Pacquiao.
He's done fights all over the world but never in New Zealand. So when Duco Events co-owner Dean Lonergan cheekily cold-called Arum about staging a WBO title fight in Auckland between Kiwi star Joseph Parker and Arum's Mexican heavyweight Andy Ruiz, he was intrigued.
He liked the feel of Lonergan and David Higgins, liked the feel of the fight and helped get it through the red tape towards its December 10 reality.
Arum laments the demise of the American heavyweight and says he hasn't had a decent big man on his books since George Foreman. But he believes Ruiz has the fastest hands he's seen since Ali and is genuinely enthused at his potential.
He senses a renaissance in the heavyweight division now that the Klitschko brothers – "nice guys but sort of boring fighters" – have been supplanted.
"It's an open division now and the winner of this fight has a real big future. If Parker wins, he's such a charming kid with a big punch, he could be a major, major star in the world picture. If Andy wins he's the first Mexican to be a world heavyweight champion, so there's a lot riding on this fight.
"There are so many good young fighters, so many good competitive matches that can be made."
But he also sees the WBO – "the sport's most prestigious and honest organisation" – sanctioning a title fight in New Zealand as a further globalisation of a sport he believes is booming.
"We are on the cusp of boxing really exploding on a global basis. That's what I like. For so many years it was limited to one country, the United States. Now the boys in the UK have done a great job – it's bigger than it's ever been there. Now we have Chinese partners - we go there like it's our own country – as well as many other areas in Asia.
"Someone was in the office the other day with an Indian fighter ... they want us to do a fight in India.
"The thing with boxing is it's a sport that is so easy to understand."
Arum has little time for mixed martial arts and the rise of UFC and doesn't seem threatened by its growing popularity. In fact he questions that.
"The UFC and MMA has not had a big rise internationally other than Brazil. They struggle in China ... it's not a sport that has taken hold around the world," he claims, before adding a political undertone.
"It's been very popular in the US because we have demonstrated in this country what nationalistic pricks we are by electing Donald Trump. UFC caters for the same sort of white male group ... that's a terrible undercurrent."
He keeps on swinging uppercuts, believing the UFC's new owners were "insane" to pay $US4 billion for the business.
He points to December 10, a historic date in New Zealand sporting history, as being significant date on the wider calendar and further proof of boxing global dominance.
"Look what's happening ... we start off in New Zealand with Joseph Parker v Andy Ruiz going for the WBO belt, then the scene shifts to England with Anthony Joshua and Eric Molina fighting for the IBF title, and then it ends in Omaha, Nebraska with Terence Crawford and John Molina fighting for the super lightweight title
"To me that sounds like boxing is alive and well."
And so is Arum, a true heavyweight of boxing, who rises from his couch, beams a smile like he's your favourite grandfather and declares: "Your age is only a number."
ARUM'S TOP 5 FIGHTERS
1. Muhammad Ali. "He was a world figure. People loved him wherever he went. But he was also a great fighter."
2. Manny Pacquiao. "His life story is amazing. He came from virtually nothing to captivate an entire country."
3. Marvin Hagler. "He was the most loyal, standup guy I ever worked with. A tremendous fighter with great resolve."
4. George Foreman. "He changed his persona and had such a big impact on our culture. He became the most loveable guy."
5. Floyd Mayweather Jr. "He had extraordinary ability and he backed it up in the ring."
ARUM'S TOP 5 PROMOTIONS
1. Sugar Ray Leonard vs Marvin Hagler, 1987, Caesars Palace. "It was the Yuppie (Leonard) vs. the Blue collar guy (Hagler.) It was a great fight that did extremely well."
2. Marvin Hagler vs Thomas Hearns, 1985, Caesars Palace. "The first time we did a cross-country tour. We had two planes and made 26 stops. By the time they got in the ring, they were so sick of each other they literally wanted to kill each other."
3. Oscar De La Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad, 1999, Mandalay Bay. "It was the first major Mexico vs Puerto Rico fight, even though Oscar was American and from East LA. Don King had Trinidad and we had Oscar ... there was a lot of back-and-forth."
4. Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier II, 1974, Madison Square Garden. "Ali got his revenge for losing the first fight. I remember the two of them getting into it while being interviewed on TV by Howard Cosell. That helped sell the rematch."
5. Floyd Mayweather jnr vs Manny Pacquiao, 2015, MGM Grand. "We never had anything like it. The numbers were incredible, even though the fight wasn't."
- Stuff
RE: Parker vs Ruiz for WBO - diehard - 11-27-2016
No rematch clause for Joseph Parker's heavyweight boxing title fight with Andy Ruiz
Joseph Parker's WBO title fight on December 10 against Andy Ruiz is an all or nothing scenario.
No second chances. Win or you are back in the pack. That's the scenario facing Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz ahead of their December 10 showdown for the WBO heavyweight title in Auckland, with no rematch clause included in their contract.
Parker and Ruiz get their chance to contest the WBO's top prize after heavyweight champion Tyson Fury was stripped of his belts following cocaine and mental health issues.
The winner-takes-all script for the vacant title raises the stakes further. The victor will be free to plot their next step while the loser - no matter what the definitive or controversial circumstances - faces a potentially crippling setback and period of struggle to regain their status.
Both contenders are yet to suffer defeat in 50 combined fights. While Parker, 24, and Ruiz, 27, are young challengers, a loss could set them back anywhere between 12 months to two years.
"In modern boxing rematch clauses are like an insurance policy meaning you can cover and hedge against losses both financially and opportunity," Duco Events co owner David Higgins, one of Parker's promoters, said. "There is no rematch clause here. That makes it more exciting in that it's all on the line and the loser has no guarantee of anything and the winner will have total licence to proceed as they wish."
The WBO has ordered the winner of Parker-Ruiz to square off against David Haye early next year but the former cruiser and heavyweight champion, who returned from a three-and-a-half year absence in January, has now agreed to fight fellow Briton Tony Bellew on March 4 in London. Bellew is the WBC cruiserweight champion but the fight will be held at heavyweight.
Complicating matters further, Fury has also been told he will be given a shot at his old belts when he is fit to return.
Haye's decision to fight Bellew may rule him out of the next WBO challenge.
"It proves Haye is looking for the easy route; easy money," Higgins said. "That's the character of the man.
"We believe Andy Ruiz is a far tougher opponent than David Haye. Haye has been out of the ring for some time. His last two opponents were muppets and against [Wladimir] Klitschko he looked average.
"We regard Haye as an easier fight - and if we were to fight him in the UK we would almost have home advantage because so many people don't like him up there."
Before any of that plays out Parker must first get past Ruiz.
"There's numerous options and things change every day. December 10 is what matters. The day after that we get a whiteboard out and write up A, B C, D and assess them based on risk return and merit."
Ruiz's promoter, Bob Arum, also confirmed there was no rematch clause and conceded Parker deserved his favouritism.
"Joe is a big guy; a heavy handed puncher and in Andy he is fighting a guy who probably has the quickest hands in the heavyweight division. It's going to be very competitive," Arum said.
"We have great match makers and they say it's quite right that Joe should be the favourite but both of them give Andy a helluva shot to win the fight because of his speed and the fact Andy takes a tremendous punch."
- Stuff
RE: Parker vs Ruiz for WBO - diehard - 11-27-2016
I'm in Joseph Parker's corner, says former heavyweight David Tua
David Tua heads the list of hard-hitting Samoan sports stars who are lining up to support Joseph Parker.
The Tua-minator has spoken - and he's right behind Joseph Parker's bid to become a world champ.
David Tua, who fought for the world championship in 2000, heads a knockout parade of hard-hitting Samoan superstars who are lining up to get in Parker's corner ahead of the December 10 showdown for the WBO title.
And he's quick to back the 24-year-old, who's undefeated through a 21-fight professional career.
"I support what he's doing," Tua said. "I think he's doing a fantastic job.
"He knows what's at stake and I'm sure he'll do well."
Plans are well under way for a fight-night tribute to Parker's fellow Samoan-heritage sporting greats including Tua, Mark Hunt, Ray Sefo, James 'Jimmy Thunder' Peau and Hollywood hunk Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
Duco Events co-owner David Higgins says the greats have also been invited as VIP guests to the fight at Auckland's Vector Arena. "We're just reaching out to them now. And Mark Hunt's on board already," he said.
Tua hopes to attend, saying he expected to know "hopefully next week some time".
Higgins said the film of the fighting sports superstars' spectacular career highlights will be screened at Vector during the fight-night.
"You've got the heavyweight championship of the world in New Zealand for the first time in history. A New Zealand-born boxer of Samoan descent could well win it," he said.
"Polynesian athletes are arguably the best in proportion to population in the world for contact sports. And for a tiny nation, there's some very prominent and successful boxers and fighters. So we thought the right thing to do would be to pay tribute to some of those who have paved the way."
Tua lost on points after going the distance in a 12-round bout against defending champion Lennox Lewis in 2000. Hunt is one of the heaviest hitters in MMA and was the winner of the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix. Sefo is a six-time Muay Thai world champion and kickboxing legend. Thunder won gold for New Zealand in the heavyweight division at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. Johnson, one of Hollywood's biggest stars and People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive", is a multiple-time professional wrestling world champion.
Higgins said it would "be a nice promotion for Samoa" if the stars' highlights-video could be worked into the international broadcast of the title fight.
The Samoan government is financially supporting the bout, and the nation will receive extensive promotional coverage during the broadcast that will go worldwide.
"It will go to more than 100 countries, and so the potential viewership stretches well into the hundreds of millions," Higgins said.
"And so for people watching around the world – whether you're a businessman or investor in Switzerland or Germany, the States, Australia, around the world – what you will see is, Invest Samoa promotion. And promotion vignettes of various tourist attractions in Samoa will be put into the editorial time of the broadcast, including before the main event.
"And then you have the Prime Minister of Samoa welcoming and opening the event."
Parker, who fights tough undefeated Mexican-American Andy Ruiz for the WBO title, arrived back in New Zealand on Friday from his Las Vegas base.
Higgins said Parker was on track with his training and "in a very good headspace. He's mentally tough, very mentally tough".
- Sunday News
RE: Parker vs Ruiz for WBO - diehard - 11-27-2016
Heard that Tony Weeks will be reffing the fight. Also, Top Rank is making a play for Parker, win or lose.