Latest news with #Broadbeach
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
The cruiserweights who failed to make an impact at heavyweight
This weekend will see a bout for the IBF cruiserweight championship between Jai Opetaia and Claudio Squeo in Broadbeach, Australia. The pair will meet in a card, shown exclusively on DAZN, over twelve rounds at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. It will be Opetaia's third defence of his title, with the Australian being labelled in recent days as the top man in the cruiserweight division by former 200lb king Mairis Briedis. So far, Opetaia has shown little appetite for moving northwards into the heavyweight division. Back in December, the Australian told Boxing Scene that his present focus is on uniting all the belts at cruiserweight. 'At the moment,' he said, 'I'm fully focused on collecting the belts as a cruiserweight and then once I've done that, we can start talking about the heavyweight division.' If Opetaia does move to more than 200lbs – and, at 6'2', he would be at the shorter end of the cruiserweight division – the desire would be to follow in the footsteps of current heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk (who reigned amongst the 200lb-ers for years) and Evander Holyfield (the 'Real Deal' was the first undisputed cruiserweight champion before his mid-90s run among the heavyweights). All that in mind, there are many, many cruiserweight kings that opted to pack on the pounds but failed miserably in their attempts to go large. Jean-Marc Mormeck, 37-6 (23) In a just world, Jean-Marc Mormeck would have been a huge star in France. In 2006, he failed to unify the cruiserweight titles against O'Neil Bell in New York when he was stopped in the tenth round but defeated the Jamaican in their rematch fourteen months later. Both fights were tremendous. Mormeck, instead of pursuing a third match with Bell, instead took on David Haye in Paris and found himself being knocked out in seven rounds after putting the Hayemaker on the floor in the fourth. After that, Mormeck drifted up into the heavyweight division, taking on Vinny Maddalone, Fres Oquendo, and Timur Ibragimov. But, in truth, he never looked that great. At just 5'10', the added weight (and his age and the mileage) slowed Mormeck, and he seemed lucky to squeak out decisions against all three. In 2012, already advanced in age, Mormeck went to Dusseldorf to face Wladimir Klitschko. There was no great clamour for the match, but the location of Dusseldorf – close to the French border – swung the opportunity into Mormeck's favour. There was little Mormeck could do, however. He was dropped in rounds two and four, the latter for the count. Afterwards, he retreated back down to cruiserweight but a loss to Mateusz Masternak finished his career. Marco Huck, 43-5-1 (28) Few careers have gone so far astray as Marco Huck's. Huck won the WBO cruiserweight title in 2009 with a unanimous decision against Victor Emilio Ramirez in Halle, Germany, and then defended it thirteen times over the next six years. After leaving his management in Germany, he opted to take a cruiserweight fight in Newark, New Jersey, against Krzysztof Glowacki, thinking that this most-recent defence would make him a major international star. Unfortunately for Huck, Glowacki outlasted him in a war and stopped the German in eleven rounds. Huck returned to Germany, where he struggled to find meaningful venues and TV shows for his fights until his bout with Mairis Briedis in 2017. Another loss, and then Huck was back with his management to take on another cruiserweight fight – this time against Oleksandr Usyk. After losing in ten rounds, Huck has spent the last seven years trading off his cruiserweight fame amongst the heavyweights. Various 'comeback' fights have taken place, including against Dennis Lewandowski in a half-empty ice hockey arena in a small town in the German Harz mountains. Last year, the 39-year-old Huck fought ten rough rounds in Berlin against heavyweight gatekeeper Evgenios Lazaridis, winning 97-93 on all cards. Since then, despite teasing more 'comeback' fights, the Berliner is yet to return to the ring. Yoan Pablo Hernández, 29-2 (14) A Cuban who defected to Germany, Hernández won the IBF cruiserweight title in 2011 against Steve Cunningham, then successfully defended it three months later against the same man. He then defended it three more times against Troy Ross, Alexander Alekseev, and Firat Arslan before retiring in 2014 with a record of 29-1 (14). Six years later in 2020, Hernández came back at heavyweight. His first fight in the division was set against gatekeeper Kevin Johnson, 34-17-1 (18), who had fought (and lost) to Vitali Klitschko in 2009. Johnson had settled into a life on the road since then, fighting and losing to Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Nathan Gorman, Filip Hrgovic, Martin Bakole, Daniel Dubois, and Andy Ruiz. Johnson was not tremendously pleased with his assignment against Hernández. 'I've fought the best punchers in the world,' he told me at the time, 'and then they put a cruiserweight in front of me? That's disrespectful.' It was so disrespectful, in fact, that Johnson stopped Hernández in seven rounds. After that, Hernández retired once more. Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
What are the best nights in Australian boxing?
This weekend, live and exclusive on DAZN, Jai Opetaia will defend his IBF cruiserweight title against Claudio Squeo in Broadbeach, Australia. Opetaia, 27-0 (21), recognised as the world's best cruiserweight, is having his second consecutive fight at the Gold Coast Convention Centre following three matches in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and one at Wembley Arena in London. Big-time boxing rarely goes to Australia but when it does, the Australians are some of the most-passionate, vocal fans. Tommy Burns vs. Jack Johnson, 1908 Perhaps the most significant boxing match on Australian soil happened 117 years ago when the heavyweight championship of the world changed hands between the Canadian Tommy Burns, 47-4-8 (35), and the American Jack Johnson, 53-11-8 (33). Burns is chiefly remembered today for two things – being the shortest heavyweight champion at 5'7', and for losing his title to Johnson at Sydney Stadium. Johnson had been chasing Burns all over the globe, following the Canadian to the UK, Ireland, France, and then Australia, goading and taunting the champion for seven fights. Eventually, Burns acquiesced and made Johnson the first black fighter to compete for the world heavyweight championship. It was over in fourteen rounds when, after a tremendous beating, Burns was rescued by the police from further punishment (the fear of a riot was also a factor). Johnson would go on the road afterwards and the racist plot to oust him end up giving the world the phrase 'Great White Hope'. Danny Green vs. Roy Jones Jr, 2009 Fast forward nearly a century and Roy Jones Jr, 66-10 (47), was shifting from being the sport's pound-for-pound king to being the visiting, expensive attraction. Jones's fortunes had been dimming for the previous five years following consecutive losses to Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson, and he was increasingly irrelevant within the US. So in 2009, Jones went to Australia to face Danny Green, 36-5 (28), in a match that looked like a lucrative, stay-busy engagement. Green had other ideas, knocking out the former superstar in one round. There was some noise afterwards from Jones about the gloves, but Green showed the world that RJJ was no longer the best fighter on the planet. Afterwards, Jones lost widely to Bernard Hopkins on points, then began a wandering world tour: Moscow, Russia; Lodz, Poland; Riga, Latvia; and Krasnodar, Russia. At one point, he was scheduled to fight in Liverpool but then pulled out. He sprinkled in a few US fights here and there, in places far, far under the radar from the boxing mainstream. Green would go on to lose to both Tarver and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk but won his final five fights before retiring after his 2017 match against Anthony Mundine. Anthony Mundine vs. Shane Mosley, 2013 It is always a shame when a fighter takes bouts at the end of the career that sell solely off their name. Such it was in 2013 when Shane Mosley, 49-10-1 (41), once one of the world's top pound-for-pound fighters, went to Sydney to face Anthony Mundine, 48-11 (28). Despite his age, Mosley was winning the fight until an injury in the seventh, a development that led to Mundine being declared the winner by technical knockout. Mosley fight three more times, including two victories, before hanging up his gloves after a 2016 defeat to David Avanesyan. Manny Pacquiao vs Jeff Horn He may have been retired for years (and is coming back in a few weeks), but many still remember Manny Pacquiao's ill-fated journey to Brisbane where he faced Jeff Horn, 20-3-1 (13), at the Suncorp Stadium. Fighting in the blazing sunlight, Pacquiao, 62-8-2 (39), was on the short end of a very contentious unanimous decision, losing by scores of 115-113, 115-113, and 117-111. Despite protestations and noises of a rematch, the pair never met again. Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
The Best Cruiserweights in the World Today
This weekend will see Australia's Jai Opetaia defend his IBF world cruiserweight championship against Italian Claudio Squeo, 17-0 (9), at the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach, Australia (the fight is to be shown exclusively on DAZN). While Opetaia holds the IBF title and comes in after a slew of impressive victories over Mairis Briedis (twice), Jordan Thompson, Ellis Zorro, Jack Massey, and David Nyika, he is but one of a host of impressive cruiserweights hovering at world level. Catch all the latest boxing action on DAZN Gilberto Ramirez, 47-1-0 (30) Ramirez, who is listed by BoxRec as the best cruiserweight in the world, actually won his first title down at super-middleweight when the tall man, seemingly impossibly thin, outpointed German-Armenian Arthur Abraham over twelve rounds in Las Vegas. That fight in 2016 was for the WBO super-middleweight crown, which Ramirez then successfully defended against Maksym Bursak, Jesse Hart (twice), Habib Ahmed, and Roamer Alexis Angulo. Despite the run of big names and being handsome, Ramirez has still not become a superstar on the level of Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (does anyone know why a fight between the pair has not been made?). Instead, he picked up the WBO cruiserweight championship last November, handily outpointing Chris Billam-Smith over twelve rounds in Riyadh. Next up for Ramirez is what could be a tough fight in California against the Cuban Yuniel Dorticos, 27-2-0 (25), on 28 June (in a card that will also be shown on DAZN). Chris Billam-Smith, 21-2-0 (13) After Ramirez and Opetaia sits Chris Billam-Smith, who returned in April following his lost to Ramirez. At the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, on the undercard of Eubank Jr-Benn, Billam-Smith won a comfortable twelve-round decision over Brandon Glanton. Billam-Smith, who headlined Selhurt Park Football Ground for his fight against Richard Riakporhe a year ago, is bubbling under for another run at championship level. Still young, with only 23 professional fights on his record, there is no reason to think Billam-Smith is no longer at his peak. In fact, he may just be getting started. Michal Cieslak, 27-2 (21) Poland's Cieslak might have flown a little under the radar, but he has a big, winnable fight at the end of the month when he travels to Montreal, Canada, to face Jean Pascal. Pascal, 37-7-1 (21), may be a big name, but he is considerably older at 42 and tends to blow hot and cold. The former policeman won his last fight, against Terry Osias in Montreal, but lost widely to Germany's Michael Eifert, 13-1-0 (5) in 2023. In fact, one has to go back nearly six years to Pascal's last great victory, which was over Badou Jack in Atlanta in 2019. Pascal also has plenty of wear-and-tear. His fight with Carl Froch, a minor classic, took place in 2008, and he has shared the ring since with Bernard Hopkins (twice), Chad Dawson, Lucian Bute, Sergey Kovalev (also twice), Yuniesky Gonzalez, Eleider Alvarez, Dmitrii Bivol, and Marcus Browne. There has been a clear sense in recent years of Pascal's career winding down. It may be that Cieslak, who has lost only to Lawrence Okolie and Ilunga Makabu, might be that final piece that finishes the Pascal jigsaw. Badou Jack, 29-3-3 (17) He may be tied up with an ordered rematch against Norair Mikaelian, but Jack would also seem to be circling the end of his career, much like old opponent Jean Pascal. At 41 years old, the Stockholm-born fighter won the WBC cruiserweight title against Mikaelian in May, but a controversy stoked by his management has led to an ordered rematch. Should Jack come through this one – and he should, given Mikaelian is not a great cruiserweight - there is every chance that he could aim for one last big fight in the division before retirement. Chris Billam-Smith, anyone? Honourable Mentions There are a few old timers still hanging around the division who are always able to put on a good show. · From Poland, we have Mateusz Masternak and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. Masternak, 49-6 (32), may be best known for losing to Tony Bellew and Chris Billam-Smith, but he was competitive in the first and seemed to push Billam-Smith into difficulty in the second. At 38 years old and as tough as teakwood, it is not beyond possibility that we see Masternak make up the b-side in one last burst of sunlight. · That Wlodarczyk, 66-4-1 (45), is still hanging in the division at the age of 43 is something of a testament to his resilience. While Wlodarcyzk has not fought anyone of note since 2017, when he was stopped in three rounds by Murat Gassiev for the IBF title, he still holds a victory over Norair Mikaelian. However, he has fought exclusively in Poland since the Gassiev fight, so it looks more like he is happy to wring some money out of his name for local crowds rather than step out of his comfort zone. · Not quite an old timer, but the Cuban-Irish Mike Perez, 30-3-1 (21), is about to hit 40 and, despite fighting at Portman Road this weekend (on the undercard of Wardley-Huni), his career has been so far that of an underachiever, given his extensive amateur experience. But Perez remains a dangerman in the division. Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Woman is found dead at a Broadbeach park
The body of a 57-year-old woman has been found by police in a family-friendly Gold Coast park. Police officers were called to Cascade Gardens in Broadbeach at about 4pm on Tuesday after they received reports that a woman's body had been found. A crime scene has been established and the investigation is ongoing.
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Demolition to begin within days for $150m beach development
Construction works are soon to begin on a new luxury complex in the Gold Coast, which inspired its developers to get their own homes on the $150 million site. Developer Graya will start demolition work on June 2 for its new Broadbeach development, 'Enclave': a 24 storey building and the company's tallest yet - with a two year construction time-frame. With at least $80 million in sales so far, around half the project's 24 luxury residences have already sold. Graya Associate Director Shaun Mets said they built Enclave with an approach towards wellness in a suburb with easy access to both Brisbane and the Gold Coast. 'That level of accessibility is really valuable to our customer base,' he said. 'It's a suburb on the Gold Coast that is really maturing … [with] those little amenity nuggets that our residents really look for in a place to call home. And there's just gonna be more of that as Broadbeach comes into its own.' The project includes offerings such as eight half-floor apartments from 140 – 160 sqm. Ranging from two to three-bedroom homes, these smaller luxury offerings within the complex sold out shortly after sales began. The majority of the residences in the building are the 15 full-floor units at 305 sqm. Each of the full-floor units feature a 7 metre-long kitchen island, made from a stone feature marble Mr Mets described as 'unique' to the development. But the best (and priciest) spot in the building is the penthouse: a three-level residence estimated to be worth more than $25m. 'The master suite is basically the same size as our three-bedroom apartments below,' Mr Mets said. 'There's nothing else quite like that, being a three level house in the sky; it really is a sky home.' Everyone within the building will also have access to a private rooftop pool with views across Broadbeach, along with a comprehensive concierge service accessible through residents' smart phones. Both of Graya's founders, Rob and Andrew Gray, have purchased full-floor residences within the tower. 'Our remit for choosing a development site is based around somewhere we would want to live,' Mr Mets said. 'For us, it just made a lot of sense to retain something within the building, and Rob and Andrew wanted to both keep something they could keep with their families.'
