Rances Barthelemy bloodies Denis Shafikov en route to claiming 135-pound world title
Turns out your girlfriend was lying: Size does matter. At least in the sport of boxing, where it pays to have arms as long as your opponent’s legs, especially when you’re trying to fend off a dude coming at you like a bowling ball destined for a strike.
Rances Barthelemy ready to put his skills to the test in 135-pound title fight against Denis Shafikov
A long piece of masking tape lines the floor, smudged in places from errant feet producing errant fists. You don’t want to step on the thing, and Rances Barthelemy never does, his shoes crisscrossing the partition without ever touching it. Back and forth his feet go, and where they land, his punches follow, fired in the direction his toes are pointed. This is the symmetry of knocking dudes stiff.
With his action-packed style, Rances Barthelemy is seeking to break the mold of the Cuban fighter
Music blares, but the man in the ring is dancing to a beat of his own, the rhythmic thwack of fist to mitt the percussion that soundtracks his movements.
Rances Barthelemy to take aim at 135-pound title when he battles Denis Shafikov on December 18
Rances Barthelemy knows the euphoria that comes with being a world champion, having claimed a 130-pound title 16 months ago. Now the undefeated Cuban is looking to experience boxing bliss again—this time at a higher weight class.
Rances Barthelemy fires all his guns in wide win over Antonio DeMarco
Fighting in his third weight class in as many fights, Rances Barthelemy showed no signs of any growing pains at all. And after an impressive walk over Antonio DeMarco on Father’s Day at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, that could be a scary proposition for the rest of the 140-pound division.
For Rances Barthelemy, journey to United States was more than 35 attempts in the making
When Rances Barthelemy smiles, you can’t help but catch the flash of his two front teeth capped in gold. The dental work came thanks to a chipped tooth in a fight, but his choice to go with gold was because it was on point with Cuban trends.
Rances Barthelemy gets the job done on the second try in his Greatest Hits
Every fighter has hurdles he'll have to clear in his career to keep progressing up the ladder. Sometimes, you have to get a running start. Rances Barthelemy thought he got the job done in his first shot at a championship. Turns out second time’s a charm in his Greatest Hits.
Left, right and long: Rances Barthelemy is ready to deploy all his weapons
In the days leading up to his fight against Antonio DeMarco, Rances Barthelemy is training in a makeshift garage gym in a residential neighborhood in Las Vegas. It’s 100 degrees out, and all the doors in the garage are open. Air conditioning? What are you, fancy?
