Diamond Boxing goes one on one Daniel Edouard the current WBA Fedelatin Champion:

P.G. Congratulations on your win in your last bout against Panamanian champ Edouardo Dela Cruz. You won a title in that fight. Which belt was it?

D.E. Thanks. Cruz was a tough fighter and really pressed me from the onset of the fight. I hit him with a straight right which he basically couldn’t recover from. I won the WBA Fedelatin Championship in that fight which is sort of a fringe title but a definite stepping stone. Winning my last three fights impressively have moved me up in the rankings also.

P.G. How was it fighting in Panama? The fans are very knowledgeable over there aren’t they?

D.E. It was an awesome experience fighting in Panama. Boxing is one of those unique sports that will take you around the world and visiting other countries, experiencing the beauty of other cultures is truly a dream come true.

P.G. Did you get to experience any of the Panamanian culture or was it strictly business?

D.E. You never get to experience as much as you’d like because you have to maintain your focus on your fight but I was able to see a lot of the city. Hopefully the next time I go I can visit some children’s organizations. I would love to do that.

P.G. You have a solid amateur background. Can you elaborate on your amateur experience?

D.E. I had 100 amateur fights. I think my record was 84-16-0. Most of the 16 was because of my hard head not listening to my trainers (laughing). It was a pretty good amateur career. I lost to Jeff Lacy in the Olympic Trials. Though I would’ve loved to represent the United States in the Olympics if I had known that I could have represented Haiti I would’ve done so. I don’t mean that as disrespect to USA boxing just the opportunity to be an Olympian is rare.

 P.G. How did you get into boxing?

D.E. That is a funny story. I was sitting in a barber shop waiting to get a haircut and there was a guy talking about a recent fight that he lost. So me with my big mouth started ragging the guy. I was saying stuff like he must be sorry since he lost. Luckily he was mature and didn’t get pissed. He simply gave me a phone number to a trainer and said call him and come to the gym and see if I still talk that much when I get in the ring. So next day I did and let’s just say that boxers are very well conditioned (laughing). It’s history from there.

P.G. I’ve noticed that the date of your next bout isn’t solid. Do you know when your next bout will be and who your next opponent will be?

D.E. I’m not sure when my next bout is or who my next opponent is. I’ll keep you posted on that one but I did hear that there are fighters from Australia and Panama calling out my name. We’ll see what happens. I hope they know what they’re asking for (laughing).

 

P.G. You’ve continued to change weight throughout your career. Is this an issue for you or are just trying to find your favored weight?

D.E. It’s not an issue. I made an effort to get down to 154 thinking that it would give me some physical advantages but it caused a major strain on my body going down so quickly. When I was fighting Eromosele Albert I dominated the first round buy when I went back to the corner I was out of energy. That’s not to take anything from Eromosele, he did an excellent job but that fight and my struggles to get to 154 prompted me to abandon the junior middleweight division at that moment.

P.G. Which weight do you feel most comfortable at and why?

D.E. I prefer fighting at 160 because I feel more comfortable but I wanted to give 154 a try to see how it felt and to know if I could make the weight. So I know that if I absolutely had to I could get to 154. I would just need a little more time to get there effectively.

 P.G. Is your training and weight on schedule?

D.E. I stay in shape. I’m never more than 5 or 10 pounds over my fight weight. You never know when you’re going to get that call and I don’t want to get caught off guard and out of shape. I’m training right now, staying in shape and waiting for the next opportunity to strike.

 P.G. I’ve been hearing a buzz that you are starting your own boxing promotion company?

D.E. Yes I am starting a promotion company. It’s named Haitian Sensation Promotions. There are many reasons behind it but the major one is I want to have more control over my future inside and outside the ring. There is a lot missing in boxing and I feel my company can fill a void. There is a gap in boxing promotions. It goes from club shows to major shows.

P.G. Why start your own company at this stage in your career?

D.E. There’s no middle ground for fighters to acclimate to the upper levels. I experienced that when I took on Jermaine Taylor. There is a major difference from fighting in front of hundreds of people and 10 or 20,000! We want to prep fighters for the next level. It’s sort of like visiting Orlando. Disney isn’t the only thing there. We want to be attraction that is smack in the middle. Not middle in talent but middle in terms of what has been achieved by the fighter thus far. We want to be the company that you can see 10-0 and 13-0 fighters head to head. We want to be the proving ground for fighters.

P.G. Who works with you on Haitian Sensation Promotions?

D.E. We have a small staff that is headed up by Tim Walker who sits as the CEO, smart guy; Very knowledgeable.

P.G. So charity work is a significant part of who you are. What inspires you to give back?

D.E. I don’t really look at it as charity. My inspiration is simple. That’s what is required of each of us, to help each other. So I do all I can to give hope to the hopeless. If we all took the time to help out another the world would be a way better place. I’m just doing what Jesus asked of us to do and I’m not just saying that. I feel that we are required of God to show love.

 P.G. Okay. This is a no nonsense question. Who do you most want to face in the ring at this minute and why?

D.E. Who do I want to fight? I’m not in the business of calling out fighters and it really doesn’t matter as long as it’s a fight that fans will enjoy. My two goals are to have awesome fights and bring awareness to the foundation. As my success grows so does the foundation’s presence and impact. Champions need guys to fight.

P.G. Where do you see your career going after your upcoming bout, what is your ambition?

D.E. After my next bout I see myself winning a title shot somewhere in the next two or three bouts. Provided I get the shot. My goal is to get a world title shot this year. That is my ambition and that’s what I’m going to attain.

P.G. Good luck in your upcoming bout and in the rest of your career, any last words?

D.E. I’d like to thank you for taking the time to do this interview and the fans of boxing for giving me a forum to present my talent because without you and the fans it would just be two guys fighting in the parking lot (laughing). You all bring the buzz and the hype that is so needed in the business. If anyone wants to learn more about the foundation you can get in touch with us at www.myspace.com/officialhaitiansensation or www.myspace.com/hspboxing Thank you again and God bless.

BOXING NEWS www.diamondboxing.com

Well, the New Year is here and we are all getting back to the gym. I am sure one resolution we have all made for the New Year is to put a little more snap in our punches. Wouldn’t we all like to be able to hit a little harder, throw a little faster and decrease our shoulder injuries? I have a few tips to help accomplish just that.

 

As 2008 wound down I noticed something among amateur boxers, and even pro boxers, like Kelly Pavlik. While, most workouts seem to concentrate on pushups, bench press and dips, something is lacking. We have all forgetting to train our backs. Yes, we spend countless hours training to increase traps, and pecs, but we are totally missing our rhomboids.

 

This small muscle is one of a few muscles that helps stabilize and hold the shoulder blades to the spine. Weak rhomboids lead to shoulder instability which may cause rotator cuff injuries. Also, weak rhomboids will lead to a sloppy stance. It may even lead to an inability to keep your elbows tucked in while trying to block body shots. And the biggest thing which this weakness may cause, adding to the reason I find this so important, is a decrease in the motion of your punches.

 

Think of your arm as a whip. If you crack a whip and it’s to short it will not have the ability to hit its target or if it does will have little impact. This is what happens when as boxers we only train our pecs and traps. Stand there and put your arm straight out. Now, using just your shoulder blades, move your arm all the way forward and then all the way back. Like a seated row, but with arms never bending and only the shoulder blades moving closer to each other. Do you see that you have 6 to 12 inches of movement you’re not utilizing when you throw your punches? That’s the difference between a long whip and a short one.

 

Next, walk up to a mirror and stand relaxed. No cheating now. Look at your arms from fingers to shoulder. Do you see the top or side of your hand? If your shoulders are evenly balanced you should see the side. If you see the top of your hand, once again you have tight pecs and weak rhomboids. This is going to decrease the rotation in your punches. It’s the rotation that adds a little more power to each punch. Now, go up to the punching bag and throw a few jabs and straight punches. Do it with and without the corrections I just mentioned. Do you see a difference? Great. Now we have to work on and strengthen those rhomboids so you can maximize what you have.

 

First we can start with a few chest stretches. If the pecs are tight you’re not going to be able to get the most out of your rhomboid training. Find a corner or door way. Put your arms out to your side and bend our elbows so you make a 90 degree angle between your upper and lower arms. Now lean into the wall or into the door way. Remember to keep your shoulders down. You should feel a nice stretch across your chest. Hold it for 15 seconds. Move your arms just a little up the wall, half way between the start position and arms straight up. It should be a 45 degree move. This helps get the different muscle fibers of the chest. The next stretch is very simple and also similar to the first. Find yourself a weight bench. Lie face up on the bench. Hold your arms straight out to your sides and turn your thumb so it points to the floor and you see your palms. Let your arms just hang in this position for 15 seconds. I’ll warn you that you may feel numbness in your hands with these stretches. That just goes to show you how tight your chest is and that you need to be stretching.

 

Along with tight pecs we also have tight traps. We can stretch they trap by standing or sitting. Hold a weight that is comfortable yet heavy enough for you to feel a pull in one hand. Then gently grab your head with the free hand and pull away from the weighted hand. Hold for 15-30 seconds and repeat.

 

Now we can get to strengthen those rhomboids. We all now what a seated row looks like. When you get to the gym find an easy weight so you can get used to doing the exercise properly. Have a seat with your legs slightly bent, and back up straight. Now grab the bar with your arms straight out and begin to row. Concentrate on using only the shoulder blades. If you have a partner have them place their finger in the middle of your back. Squeeze your shoulder blades together so you pinch your partner’s finger in place. Remember to keep your shoulder blades down during the exercise. Your partner can help push them down if you find that to be a problem. Do 15-20 reps and 3 sets with a 15-30 second rest between sets.

 

The next exercise had you either lying on your belly on a bench, on the floor or on a stability ball. Start out with 2 lb. weight or no weight just so you get used to the movement. Arms out to your sides. Thumbs straight up. Palms towards your head. Shoulders down, towards your feet. And once again squeeze your shoulder blades together. Do 15-20 reps 3 sets and 15-30 seconds rest.

 

We can finish the rhomboid training in the same position as the last, lying on your belly. This time arms straight out like superman. Thumbs up and palms facing each other. Raise and lower your arms. Remember that the bottom of the movement should be the start position. Don’t expect large movements, because the rhomboid is not a large muscle.

 

Hope these tips help everyone start out with a knock out year. Let me know how this helps with training. Even better let me know how this helps with your next fight. For anyone who has read and utilized any of my training tips feel free to get in contact with me. Love to know how all of www.diamondboxing.com’s readers are utilizing my training and nutrition tips. Email questions to

Dr. B PBaio_DC@yahoo.com

 

 

BOXING NEWS www.diamondboxing.com

 

 

Dr. Pietro Baio DC

Performance Edge Chiropractic, P.C.

7315 Ave U

Brooklyn, NY 11234

(917)-309-5464

PBaio_DC@yahoo.com

myspace.com/performanceedgechiro  

 

BY: Rota Em www.diamondboxing.com

2009 needs to be a year in which boxing is revived. I disagree with Joe Calzaghe, the sport isn’t dying but on the other hand it isn’t living in luxury either. We’ll leave it at hungry, not yet starving. One fight that can help to rejuvenate the sweet science is the “Hitman” going against the “Pacman”. No, it’s not a game although some children might confuse it for such and rightfully so. But it’s really a showdown to lay claim to the 140 pound division. Ricky Hatton has held his stake at the junior welterweight level his entire career and is set to face the current p4p kingpin Manny Pacquiao on May 2nd of next year. His two vacations outside his 140-lb home in the 147-lb division were lackluster performances, at best. 147 pounds is just too heavy.

Pacquiao is looking for a fourth victory in as many divisions. He’s already solidified his place in the hall of fame, but this win will surely add extra bragging rights– not to mention an open window to a ‘fight of the decade’ against Floyd “Money” Mayweather.

In “The Dream Match” it was speed that factored in most for the Pacman. For Oscar, it should’ve been his reach. You knew it, you called it. In this match-up, reach will play the biggest role. And by reach I’m referring to Manny’s left hand lead. In fighting David Diaz, who has a 69″ reach, Manny utilized his speed to chop down the, then, champion. In comparison, Pacquiao has a 5′6″ frame with a 67″ reach. Hatton is an inch taller but loses two inches in reach to Pacquiao. Now two inches isn’t much, just ask Diaz, but two inches with lightning in the form of the left hand behind it will do considerable damage. The last time Manny had a reach advantage was when he was mugged by Agapito Sanchez in a super bantamweight title fight in which I felt Sanchez should’ve been disqualified, this was 2001 and two months after 9/11. Or put it this way that was when Manny Pacquiao was not the consensus pound for pound king. So add a couple great trilogies and genuine championship experience, and you’ll be worried if you are a Hatton fan (like myself). I followed Hatton throughout most of his career and I felt he has always been a crisp puncher. He always seemed small, physically, in the ring but he sure had some pop behind his punches. The diving hook that put Carlos Maussa to sleep came straight out of the classis Nintendo game “Punch Out”. And the swirling sound your opponent made on his way to the canvas was what I heard when Maussa was draped across the ropes, helpless. Reach will do well for Manny, but Hatton has a good chance if he fights Pacquiao like he did Jose Luis Castillo. In that fight the “Hitman” stalked his opponent and slowly worked on the body. It took him only four rounds to stop the highly durable Castillo. The result: a one punch knockout to the body. It can happen. It has happened. It might happen again. Body shots are well a part of today’s sweet science.

Which “Hitman” will show up? And how will his rough-house tactics work against a speed driven brawler like the “Pacman”? We can answer this question through facts, past fights, and fighter comparison but it all comes down to styles. I cannot think of one opponent that Manny has faced that remotely compares to Ricky Hatton, in stat or in size. The closest would have to be Diaz but there was no power behind those cannonballs of his. Ricky has power. And I can see Manny doing exactly what he did against Diaz to Hatton, and that’s because the Tasmanian devil himself wouldn’t last in a fist fight with Pacquiao. He’s just too fast. You can’t hurt what you can’t catch.

It will be another great battle for the sport.

BOXING NEWS www.diamondboxing.com