"The Fight Doctor" Jerome Spears and I briefly talked about this on the last Post-Fight Wrap-Up show and now we have more information.
USBA Cruiserweight champion Darnell "The Ding-A-Ling Man" Wilson, along with his co-promoters Dino Duva of Duva Boxing and Sal Musumeci of Final Forum, have issued a formal challenge to WBO Cruiserweight titleholder Enzo Maccarinelli to defend his title against Wilson on the November 3 card at Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The bout would be a co-feature to the highly-anticipated super middleweight championship showdown between Joe Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler.
"The 'Ding-A-Ling Man' is the most exciting fighter in the division and one of the most exciting in all of boxing," said Duva in a press release. "If Enzo Maccarinelli is looking to make a worldwide name for himself on the Calzaghe vs. Kessler undercard, let him face the number-one challenger in the world on a high-profile stage."
In actuality, Wilson is currently ranked seventh by the WBO. However, number one contender David Haye is scheduled to challenge for Jean-Marc Mormeck's WBC title while number two challenger Marco Huck is next in line to face IBF titleholder Steve Cunningham. The next four names (Johnathan Banks, Vincenzo Cantatore, Gregory Drozd and Giacobbe Fragomeni) all raise a loud "WHO?" among the majority of the boxing community. Currently, Wilson is arguably the best-known of the cruiserweight contenders, especially with the recognition received from his explosive, nationally-televised 11th round knockout over Emmanuel Nwodo earlier this year.
Wilson said he is ready to realize his dream. "It's going to be a giant and rowdy crowd, but it boils down to just him and I in the ring. Whether it's there or in my backyard, or wherever, he's going to sustain the same type of beating, no matter where it is. I'm so hungry for the title I can taste it!"
"Enzo said in an interview that he's in it mostly for the glory; well this is his chance," Wilson continued. "I'm a highly revered cruiserweight with some big wins. He's talking about fighting some old washed-up guys; fight the hungry, strong fighter. That'll be a true fight for the glory."
"Darnell knows he'll knock this guy out, regardless of where they fight, so we'll fight him anywhere," Duva added. "Darnell is a true warrior who will fight anyone. He's been clamoring for a title shot for a very long time and now we have a champion looking for an opponent. Who better than Darnell? He's been a human highlight reel his entire career and now he's the most legitimate challenger to any of the belt holders."
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5 comments:
That'd be cool! Digital, would that be allowed by the rules though?
Get 'em Ding-A-Ling Man! Enzo would be a coward to not take this; after all, Enzo would have the hometown advantage.
Digital, 2 questions: Would this be televised; and what do you think would happen if this fight took place?
As we know with the Tony Thompson situation, champs are allowed to have a voluntary title defense. I believe Enzo has had his mandatory defense already, so he can basically take on anyone he wants at this stage.
Excellent. Let's see how tough Enzo is. How do you think Darnell'd fare vs. Enzo?
I've actually never seen Enzo box, but I've heard decent things about him.
Darnell is so confident, I think he has the ability to beat anyone at this stage.
I've heard Enzo is more of a boxer than a puncher.
I hope so. Man, I'd love to see him KO Enzo like he did Nwodo.
Then I can tell everyone I have a picture w/ the WBO world champion :)
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