Welterweight Dmitriy Salita is scheduled to face Gabriel Bracero on November 9 at the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, New York. Both men are from Brooklyn and both have only one career loss apiece. The winner could earn a fight against a contender.
Bracero marks Salita's toughest opponent by a good margin since his 2009 world title challenge against Amir Khan. Salita (35-1-1, 18 KOs) hasn't fought since last October 20. Dmitriy had two fights with Hector Camacho Jr. cancelled over the past year.
Bracero (22-1, 4 KOs) has fought three times since last October, winning all three against journeymen with winning records. His lone loss came at the hands of DeMarcus Corley, a former world champion who had lost his previous six bouts at that point. On paper, Salita will be the toughest opponent of Bracero's career.
Despite Bracero's paltry KO percentage, he's not a boxer. He prefers to come forward and pressure his man. He has more power than his knockout total suggests, but he doesn't have a finishing impulse. His best win came against Danny O'Connor, a good boxer who has less power than Bracero. In the loss to Corley, Bracero was confused by his opponent's southpaw stance. Int he second round of that fight, Corley hesitated in mid-punch freezing Bracero before landing a straight left that badly hurt the Brooklynite. Bracero was knocked down three times in the fight, but showed the courage and toughness to fight back in losing a decision.
Salita is the bigger man and the bigger puncher. While Bracero has never weighed in over 146 pounds for a fight, Salita has done so in each of his previous five bouts. Salita is also two inches taller and has more experience in the ring although he's a year younger.
Bracero will need to come forward, get inside, and be busier than he usually is to be successful in this fight. As long as Salita can keep Bracero away with his jab, his best punch, Salita will have a great chance to win. If Salita is then able to walk Bracero down, a stoppage could be in the works.
The fight is scheduled for ten rounds.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Groenteman to Face New Opponent
Barry Groenteman was originally scheduled to face Innocent Anyanwu on October 14 for the Ben Bril Memorial at Theater Carré in Amsterdam, Netherlands, but Anyanwu pulled out. Groenteman's new opponent is now slated to be Belgian Vango "The Greek" Tsirimokos.
Tsirimokos has far less experience than Anyanwu (21-10-3, 13 KOs), but in some ways, he's a tougher opponent for Groenteman. Anyanwu is 1-10-1 in his last 12 fights, the one win coming against a 2-24 fighter. Tsirimokos is 4-2 with one KO in his career. He lost his last two fights against opponents with a combined 15-2-2 record, but his wins came against opponents with a combined two victories, including the aforementioned fighter Anyanwu beat.
Groenteman (9-5-2, 2 KOs) and Tsirimokos have a common opponent. Both faced Andrea Carbonella and both dropped split decisions. The bout in October is scheduled for eight rounds.
Tsirimokos has far less experience than Anyanwu (21-10-3, 13 KOs), but in some ways, he's a tougher opponent for Groenteman. Anyanwu is 1-10-1 in his last 12 fights, the one win coming against a 2-24 fighter. Tsirimokos is 4-2 with one KO in his career. He lost his last two fights against opponents with a combined 15-2-2 record, but his wins came against opponents with a combined two victories, including the aforementioned fighter Anyanwu beat.
Groenteman (9-5-2, 2 KOs) and Tsirimokos have a common opponent. Both faced Andrea Carbonella and both dropped split decisions. The bout in October is scheduled for eight rounds.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
A Look Back: Al Friedman
In an effort to link the past with the present, The Jewish Boxing Blog will offer monthly a short biography of notable former Jewish boxers.
Heavyweight Al Friedman was something of a renaissance man outside of the ring. A contender, his life was tragically cut short.
Al Friedman was born on May 25, 1908 in Roslindale, Massachusetts. He lived most of his life in nearby Boston. Friedman turned to professional boxing at the age of 18 and the 5'10 1/2" fighter won his debut against Bull Mason on March 15, 1926 by second round KO. Al won his next six fights, all by knockout.
Four and half months after his debut, Friedman lost his first fight, a ten round decision against Joe Monte. Friedman had never fought passed four rounds before that fight. He dropped his next two fights, including a rematch against Monte.
On December 13, Friedman received a beating from 1924 Olympian Charles Peguilhan until the eighth and final round. Al needed a knockout to win and managed to knock Peguilhan to the ropes with body and head punches. The 1924 Olympian then fell to the canvas and couldn't beat the count. Friedman had won, but the price was his opponent's life. Peguilhan died the next day due to injuries suffered in the ring.
Friedman was initially arrested for manslaughter, but the charges were soon dropped. He wouldn't fight again for three months when he took on another Jewish heavyweight, Jack Gross. A southpaw from Philadelphia, Gross defeated his co-nationalist by way of six-round decision. Friedman faced contender Ernie Schaaf in two of his next three bouts and lost them both. He'd lose another three times to Schaaf, who beat the likes of Max Baer, James Braddock, and Tommy Loughran.
In addition to boxing, Friedman was an intellectual. He was a bible scholar familiar with Talmudic lore who was fluent in eight languages. In 1929, he defeated a man named Chuck Wiggins who had been arrested two days before the fight for driving drunk into a police car and then knocking down the arresting officer with a punch. It is rare to see two opponents of such different character.
That same year, Friedman won a fight against Tony Two-Ton Galento in the first of two bouts they would split. After a couple of years of limited success, Friedman fought for the last time in January 1932, a decision loss to Jack Roper.
According to Ken Blady, Friedman set the record for most fights in a one-year span with 54. But BoxRec has his record as 35-36-6 with 14 KOs and 3-6-1 in newspaper decisions, although his true record likely will never be known. Two years later, at the age of 26, Friedman was struck by a car in Los Angeles and died from his injuries.
Bibliography
Blady, Ken. The Jewish Boxers Hall of Fame. 1988.
Heavyweight Al Friedman was something of a renaissance man outside of the ring. A contender, his life was tragically cut short.
Al Friedman was born on May 25, 1908 in Roslindale, Massachusetts. He lived most of his life in nearby Boston. Friedman turned to professional boxing at the age of 18 and the 5'10 1/2" fighter won his debut against Bull Mason on March 15, 1926 by second round KO. Al won his next six fights, all by knockout.
Four and half months after his debut, Friedman lost his first fight, a ten round decision against Joe Monte. Friedman had never fought passed four rounds before that fight. He dropped his next two fights, including a rematch against Monte.
On December 13, Friedman received a beating from 1924 Olympian Charles Peguilhan until the eighth and final round. Al needed a knockout to win and managed to knock Peguilhan to the ropes with body and head punches. The 1924 Olympian then fell to the canvas and couldn't beat the count. Friedman had won, but the price was his opponent's life. Peguilhan died the next day due to injuries suffered in the ring.
Friedman was initially arrested for manslaughter, but the charges were soon dropped. He wouldn't fight again for three months when he took on another Jewish heavyweight, Jack Gross. A southpaw from Philadelphia, Gross defeated his co-nationalist by way of six-round decision. Friedman faced contender Ernie Schaaf in two of his next three bouts and lost them both. He'd lose another three times to Schaaf, who beat the likes of Max Baer, James Braddock, and Tommy Loughran.
In addition to boxing, Friedman was an intellectual. He was a bible scholar familiar with Talmudic lore who was fluent in eight languages. In 1929, he defeated a man named Chuck Wiggins who had been arrested two days before the fight for driving drunk into a police car and then knocking down the arresting officer with a punch. It is rare to see two opponents of such different character.
That same year, Friedman won a fight against Tony Two-Ton Galento in the first of two bouts they would split. After a couple of years of limited success, Friedman fought for the last time in January 1932, a decision loss to Jack Roper.
According to Ken Blady, Friedman set the record for most fights in a one-year span with 54. But BoxRec has his record as 35-36-6 with 14 KOs and 3-6-1 in newspaper decisions, although his true record likely will never be known. Two years later, at the age of 26, Friedman was struck by a car in Los Angeles and died from his injuries.
Bibliography
Blady, Ken. The Jewish Boxers Hall of Fame. 1988.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Groenteman Wins By Decision
Junior welterweight Barry Groenteman defeated Patryk Wolke by six round unanimous decision at Wellness Profi Center in Purmerend, Netherlands on Saturday night. This was Groenteman's fifth fight at the Wellness Profi Center in six fights. He's 4-1 in his last five fights at that venue.
Groenteman told The Jewish Boxing Blog on Twitter, "It was a good test for my title fight in October. I'm in great shape." Barry is scheduled to defend his Dutch junior welterweight title against Innocent Anyanwu on October 14.
Groenteman moves to 9-5-2 with 2 KOs; Wolke falls to 1-8 with one KO.
Groenteman told The Jewish Boxing Blog on Twitter, "It was a good test for my title fight in October. I'm in great shape." Barry is scheduled to defend his Dutch junior welterweight title against Innocent Anyanwu on October 14.
Groenteman moves to 9-5-2 with 2 KOs; Wolke falls to 1-8 with one KO.
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