LE MALAE SPORTS
IBF orders Joseph Parker vs. Carlos Takam title eliminator
By Jeff Aranow:
The International Boxing Federation order a heavyweight eliminator bout on Wednesday between #5 IBF Carlos Takam (33-2-1, 25 KOs) and #6 IBF Joseph Parker (18-0, 16 KOs). The winner of the Parker-Takam fight will be the new IBF mandatory challenger and will be facing the winner of the April 9 fight between IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin (23-0-1, 21 KOs) and #4 IBF Anthony Joshua (15-0, 15 KOs) at the O2 Arena in London, UK.
The #1 and #2 spots are currently unrated by the IBF, and No.3 contender is Erkan Teper, who is currently suspended.
Parker and Takam won’t avoid the IBF eliminator. Both are reportedly interested in taking that fight, according to ESPN. They’ll need to work quickly to negotiate the fight because they’ve got slightly less than a month to get the fight agreed and signed.
If the two fighters fail to agree to terms, then it’ll go to a purse bid. Parker, 24, had been scheduled previously to fight on April 17, but he can’t take that fight due to the IBF eliminator. He’ll now be focusing on just the Takam fight.
This makes it tough on the winner of the Joshua vs. Martin fight between they’ll at some point in time have to face the winner of the Parker-Takam fight, and that’s not going to be an easy fight. Even if they had to face the loser of that fight, it would still be a tough fight.
However, the Martin-Joshua winner will likely be able to buy some time before they have to face Parker or Takam, because they’ll likely look to take a unification fight next against either IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Tyson Fury or WBC champion Deontay Wilder. Those are big money fights and you could understand why the Joshua-Martin winner would want to fight either of those guys.
It’s unclear where the Parker vs. Takam fight will wind up. Parker mainly fights in New Zealand. Takam fights out of France. The fight could take place in May, according to Dan Rafael.
In his last three fights, Parker has beaten Daniel Martz, Jason Bergman, and Kali Meehan. Parker has knocked out his last seven opponents dating back to 2014.
Takam, 35, was knocked out in the 10th round by Alexander Povetkin in 2014. Since then, he’s won his last three fights against Michael Sprott, Marcelo Luiz Nascimento and George Arias. Takam gave Povetkin some problems, but he had problems with his skills. He matched up well in the power and work rate department, but Povetkin used a lot of different tricks to get the win.
Takam beat Tony Thompson by a 12 round unanimous decision in 2014. In the same year, Takam was arguably robbed of a win in his fight against Mike Perez. The fight was scored a 10 round draw, but many boxing fans felt that Takam had done more than enough to deserve the victory in that contest. Perez was badly outworked by Takam throughout the fight, especially in the second half.
The International Boxing Federation order a heavyweight eliminator bout on Wednesday between #5 IBF Carlos Takam (33-2-1, 25 KOs) and #6 IBF Joseph Parker (18-0, 16 KOs). The winner of the Parker-Takam fight will be the new IBF mandatory challenger and will be facing the winner of the April 9 fight between IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin (23-0-1, 21 KOs) and #4 IBF Anthony Joshua (15-0, 15 KOs) at the O2 Arena in London, UK.
The #1 and #2 spots are currently unrated by the IBF, and No.3 contender is Erkan Teper, who is currently suspended.
Parker and Takam won’t avoid the IBF eliminator. Both are reportedly interested in taking that fight, according to ESPN. They’ll need to work quickly to negotiate the fight because they’ve got slightly less than a month to get the fight agreed and signed.
If the two fighters fail to agree to terms, then it’ll go to a purse bid. Parker, 24, had been scheduled previously to fight on April 17, but he can’t take that fight due to the IBF eliminator. He’ll now be focusing on just the Takam fight.
This makes it tough on the winner of the Joshua vs. Martin fight between they’ll at some point in time have to face the winner of the Parker-Takam fight, and that’s not going to be an easy fight. Even if they had to face the loser of that fight, it would still be a tough fight.
However, the Martin-Joshua winner will likely be able to buy some time before they have to face Parker or Takam, because they’ll likely look to take a unification fight next against either IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Tyson Fury or WBC champion Deontay Wilder. Those are big money fights and you could understand why the Joshua-Martin winner would want to fight either of those guys.
It’s unclear where the Parker vs. Takam fight will wind up. Parker mainly fights in New Zealand. Takam fights out of France. The fight could take place in May, according to Dan Rafael.
In his last three fights, Parker has beaten Daniel Martz, Jason Bergman, and Kali Meehan. Parker has knocked out his last seven opponents dating back to 2014.
Takam, 35, was knocked out in the 10th round by Alexander Povetkin in 2014. Since then, he’s won his last three fights against Michael Sprott, Marcelo Luiz Nascimento and George Arias. Takam gave Povetkin some problems, but he had problems with his skills. He matched up well in the power and work rate department, but Povetkin used a lot of different tricks to get the win.
Takam beat Tony Thompson by a 12 round unanimous decision in 2014. In the same year, Takam was arguably robbed of a win in his fight against Mike Perez. The fight was scored a 10 round draw, but many boxing fans felt that Takam had done more than enough to deserve the victory in that contest. Perez was badly outworked by Takam throughout the fight, especially in the second half.
Samoans in New Zealand are as excited with the All Blacks playing the Manu Samoa as are the Samoans in Apia. Great turn out for their arrival in Faleolo Airport. Photos by NZ HeraldBy STEVE McMORRAN - Associated Press - Monday, July 6, 2015
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - For New Zealand and Samoa, the long journey to this year’s Rugby World Cup in England and Wales starts Wednesday with a one-off rugby test thousands of miles away - at palm-fringed Apia Park in the Samoan capital. The All Blacks are making history by playing their first-ever test in the Pacific islands, but the squad has a more important goal in mind - the defense of its 2011 World Cup title. Wednesday’s test will be the first of five matches New Zealand plays before its opening match against Argentina at Twickenham on Sept. 21. For Samoa, the test is of much greater magnitude - it’s not just the first step toward the team’s own World Cup opener against the United States on Sept. 20, but the biggest sporting event for the nation since it achieved independence from New Zealand in 1962. Only 8,000 tickets have been made available to spectators at Apia Park - many at prices well beyond the reach of average Samoans - but Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi has declared a half-day holiday to allow others to leave work and school to watch the match on television at home. Samoa has long wanted to host a match against the All Blacks, but New Zealand Rugby has resisted for commercial, logistical and scheduling reasons. Pressure steadily grew on the All Blacks last year, with a television campaign and the prime ministers of both New Zealand and Samoa calling for a Pacific test to be played. After New Zealand finally found a gap in its schedule this month, Samoa then had to allay concerns over the quality of the playing surface in Apia, spending $30 million to prepare the stadium and re-turf the field to ensure it’s at least as good as it was when Samoa played Scotland in 2012. Now, with the match set to begin, Samoa is in a festive mood. Islanders have decorated houses and public buildings in the colors of the teams and erected statues of All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and his Samoa counterpart Ofisa Treviranus. Some coconuts have even been painted to resemble rugby balls. When the All Blacks arrived in Apia late Monday, hundreds of people were waiting for them at the airport and many others lined the roads between the airport and city. All Blacks flanker Jerome Kaino, who was born in neighboring American Samoa, said he understood the emotions of locals who have waited so long to see this match take place. “It means a lot to the people and the country and it means a lot to us,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of Samoan boys in the team and (playing a test in Samoa) was always a dream when I made the All Blacks.” New Zealand is favored to win the match, having never lost to Samoa in five previous tests. Their most recent match in 2008 was a blowout - the All Blacks prevailed 101-14. But All Blacks coach Steve Hansen expects Samoa to be a much more formidable team at home, which is the reason he’s brought as strong a team as possible to Apia, given recent injuries and the unavailability of 17 players who took part in last weekend’s Super Rugby final.
“You’ve got a whole nation who are going to be lining the streets and from what I’ve read already, the place is going off and that emotion can really lift a player,” he said. “And when you are a talented player, like they are, we are going to have talented opposition.” “We’re going to have to play really well because it’s going to be an emotional occasion. If we allow them to score too many points the crowd will go nuts.” Samoa has also named a strong team, made up primarily of players based in New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, England and France. “The All Blacks are coming at full strength and I think that’s the respect they’ve given us,” Samoa coach Stephen Betham said. “We need to gauge ourselves before the World Cup and we want to gauge ourselves against the best.” |
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