GETTING THE PREDICTION OUT OF THE WAY

Like every boxing pundit, I have a responsibility to make a prediction in Saturday’s fight. It is the single most important fight of the year so far, somehow, and it merits the attention. And by “somehow” I mean because the sport’s biggest names have been too busy accusing each other of steroid use and then not agreeing to the test that would end the discussion to prove it. Sure the complaints on the Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) side of the aisle can get irritating, but it takes two to do the work required to close the case on the steroid constroversy for a long enough time for fans to get a satisfying fight. As for my prediction? Pacquiao will win. Of course he will win—what’s to stop a man who, as Paul Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KOs) put it on Ringtalk Radio last weekend, keeps going up and up in weight and getting hit by bigger and bigger fighters with impunity? Certainly not a fighter like Clottey, who, while deserving of tremendous respect for his record so far, is not anywhere near the level of talent that many of Pacquiao’s recent fallen victims have been. Cotto, Hatton, and even an old Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) are far superior boxers, and yet they found themselves unable to respond to Pacquiao’s punches, as well as unable to get to the smaller fighter’s chin. Given his track record, I have to respectfully disagree with our own Jarrad Woods and say that Clottey really doesn’t stand a chance.

WIN-WIN FOR THE BOXER FORMERLY KNOWN AS ‘MUNCHKIN MANNY’

The Catch-22 here for Clottey is that Pacquiao will win even if he loses, because if he loses he will dispel the steroid rumors from the minds of many people, and if he wins, his core fan base, who care little about whether Pacquiao is pumping himself with steroids or gasoline at this point, will keep buying what he has to sell. In fact, should the pressure on him from the boxing community continue to snowball and his team continue to refuse the steroid testing, it may be in Pacquiao’s best interest to lose. But that’s not going to happen on Saturday night. It’s only recently that the voices in the community calling for Pacquiao to be tested have grown loud enough for the mainstream to hear, and it will take even more time for the clamor to bring about a serious investigation into the standard operating procedure at Pacman HQ. Except it to grow stronger as the pressure on Mayweather to make a move towards fighting Pacquiao grows, especially if he defeats Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) in May (not at all a certainty for the undefeated fighter).

YES, PACQUIAO IS BAD FOR THE SPIRIT OF BOXING

While we wait for the sanctioning bodies to make a move on this under-wraps steroid scandal, a part of possible boxing lore dies, and much more worthy and talented characters that are unfortunate enough to fight during the age of Pacman continue to lurk under the shadows, where we can’t see them. At least when Margarito cheated, he only took Kermit Cintron’s (32-2-1, 28 KOs) career with him down the drain. Pacquiao has left entire weight divisions in the dust, and now we’re so close to finding out he’s been cheating this whole time we can taste the deceit. It’s a tired metaphor, but it’s never been more appropriate to call a fighter a cancer on the game as it is today to describe Pacquiao in such terms. Many commenters here argued previously that Pacquiao is the only thing keeping the sport alive when, in fact, boxing has survived despite his existence, not because of it. Pacquiao is a hero because he makes movies and sings songs and has a colorfully scandalous love life—his work in the ring, while brilliant on paper, is under serious suspicion that Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach, refuse to acknowledge. He has very little discernable boxing skill, relying only on his chaotic punching and seemingly indomitable chin to get him through. And it does, but that shouldn’t be the example for upcoming fighters to follow. The sport should be generating more interest in the sweet science of it, not in the brawling. That’s what MMA is for.

San Francisco, CA- Former champion Paulie Malignaggi didn’t hold anything back while appearing on “Ring Talk Worldwide” with Pedro Fernandez this past Sunday night. Again he put forth his opinion that “Manny Pacquiao is a cheater!”

GRIZZLE, MERCHANT & “SUPER B” ON BOARD AS WELL

In addition, HBO’s Larry Merchant and writers Matthew Grizzle and Brian “Super B” Gorman appeared on the longest running fight show in history which emanates from the studios of XTRA Sports 860 AM in San Francisco, airs every Sunday at 6:05 PM PT on RingTalk.com & Justin.TV

Las Vegas, NV- Having spent almost a decade in law enforcement, I know first-hand about the racial double standards that are a way of life. It’s a factoid that people of color in this country get dumped on by the legal system because they lack the money and connections to make it all just go away! And with the exception of one Orenthal J. Simpson, who brought his fame and fortune to court, it’s a fact that Black men get longer sentences in California criminal courts than whites who commit comparable acts.

COMMISSIONER SAYS ARUM WILL GET PASS!

The reason I put that spin on the beginning of this story is that I’ve been told by somebody who had a long talk with an Athletic Commission member that indicated the public hearing set for next week in Las Vegas is nothing more than an exercise to try and appease myself and the public.

FREE CRIMINAL RIDES FOR RICH PROMOTER!

What he’s saying is that a deal has been struck between Bob Arum and the Nevada Commission regarding Arum’s bribing of ex-IBF Prez Bob Lee in 1994 and ‘95. And that there has been inter agency communication on the subject between officials in California and Nevada.

PROBATION AND A FINE FOR COMMITTING A FELONIES!

My source, again a commission member (Not Marc Ratner) has stated that the Top Rank CEO will be fined a whopping $250,000 and be placed on “Promoters Probation” for an undisclosed period of time. All this after committing what one Attorney says is 14 Federal and State crimes!

CRIME DOES PAY IN NEVADA II

Talk about hitting the White Mans Legal Lottery, Arum will pay $250,000 in Nevada, and $2,500 in California after MAKING over $5,000,000 from a criminal act. The California Attorney General is/was looking into the possibility of fining Arum $100,000, but he is said not to be going down that avenue with any real vigor.

CRIMES INCLUDED RIGHT OF FREE PRESS

And when Master Bob/Bribin’ Bob/Lieing Bob/Evil Bob went after me with everything he could after I reported in February that he was under investigation by the Nevada Attorney General, not one single (bunch of chicken shits) member of the Media offered any help.

SLAY THE MESSENGER

Here he was trying to keep the truth from the public! That alone should be an offense worthy of a long suspension as it surely would be in baseball or football had a team owner did me like Master Bob.

SEVERAL REASONS FOR NO PRESS

The first being the power of Arum as a person. One should never discount the clout that a vengeful and malicious former United States Attorney, and the tens of millions of dollars he carries with him. And because of this, 99 % of the Media don’t have the stones to take him on!

COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU LAZY BASTARDS!

The media as a whole had a lot on the line with Arum and I jousting, and yet they sat on their hands. It was all about the right to free speech and reporting the facts! And seeing that not one media person was willing to drop a line on the cruel and unfair treatment of a fellow press member by Arum, well this is just another indictment of the status quo media itself.

TO HELP WOULD HAVE

The problem with the boxing Media is that most of the writers are insecure dweebs who feel threatened by my show, this web site, and me. For day after day, I continue to be the provider of a paycheck for them, and to help me would be to legitimize the Net, something Newspaper writers fear worse than HIV.

WHY?

Simply put, it’s jealousy and envy prevailing here over the basic principles of right and wrong.

CRIME DOES PAY IN NEVADA III

The National Football League suspended S.F. Forty Niner’s owner Eddie Debartolo after it was revealed that he paid a bribe to Governor Edwards of Louisiana in an attempt to get a much sought after casino license.

TESTIFIED AND CHARGED!

Debartolo is so rich that he could snack on Bob Arum’s millions. And yet he was fined six figures after pleading guilty to not reporting a crime, placed on probation, suspended for two years from football, and was still forced to testify against Edwards.

SAME THING ONLY THIS GUY’S A FORMER “G” MAN!

Arum committed far more Criminal acts that Debartolo, and unlike Eddie D whose actions did not involve football, Arum’s acts were against the sport of boxing itself!

NEVER TAKE NEVADA BOXING SERIOUS FOLKS!

Seeing this is going down the way in which I figured it would, it’s time to let my opinions be known to all. The state, under the leadership of Governor Kenny Guinn and Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, is a bastion for rich white collar criminals much like Argentina was for Nazi’s.

IN CLOSING NEVADA LOOKS/SMELLS CROOKED!

How can those two elected officials, and the entire Nevada State Athletic Commission (Luther Mack, Amy Ayoub, Glen Carano, Flip Homansky, and chairman Elias Ghanem), how can give an admitted felon a free ride?

MONEY WILL BE RETURNED!

I will be mailing back unopened the envelopes that began rolling into the Ring Talk office beginning last week containing cash, checks, and money orders in order to buy full one-page ads in the Las Vegas newspapers in an attempt to sway the Commission.

WHY II?

The reason I am doing this is that after reading a note that accompanied a $25 donation, and getting the news on the apparent Arum deal, I realize a few things. That most of you who wanted to throw in some money were doing so out of your love for a bastardized sport.

CAN’T WASTE YOUR MONEY

And throwing away your money on newspaper ads when a backroom deal is apparently already done is a waste of your money that I cannot foster. But if this is the way things look when it’s all said and done, then it certainly appears to me that the Nevada statehouse and athletic commission are either FOR RENT or SALE! Which is it?

YOUNG FANS E MAIL SAYS IT ALL!

Dear Pedro.

I have prepared to send $25 to help you buy the newspaper commercials in order to help clean up boxing! I can only hope that it can help. I am 23-year old student at (With held) State University who loves boxing and was turned on to your radio show and web site through Yahoo.

My father told me that boxing has been crooked for 100 years and that I should never bet on a fight, especially in Las Vegas. And from the facts that you have meticulously presented, especially the statement of Arum and the like, it appears that boxing at least in Nevada will be crooked for another 100 years!

Sincerely,
J.C. Kaufman

2010: SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE!

Arum still controls boxing in Nevada, and now with more gusto than ever. Never want to wish for a man’s demise, but I figure if Arum was eliminated from the picture, just like a crack dealer from Compton, CA, he would soon be replaced by another cockroach-like figure. Boxing is doomed, it will never be straight!

Pedro Fernandez

New York, NY- When it was initially announced that Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) was going to face Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) instead of Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KO’s) on March 13th, I thought it made an interesting match up but believed (and still do) the pairing involves more risk than necessary for team Pacquiao.

PAC FACING MORE THAN HE ESTIMATES

Clottey is certainly one of the bigger and durable welterweights (147 lbs) and he is also the same guy that went blow for blow with in 2006 with Antonio Margarito. And while Clottey lost the fight, it was pretty close. In addition, an injury to Joshua’s right hand may have played a major role in the loss. Coupled with a solid defense, Clottey is tough and if he’s game won’t be easy to beat!
So in the end, Pac takes on a comparably difficult opponent (to Mayweather) with less appeal. For Pac, there is plenty of money as Clottey is getting the equivalent of “minimum wage” so said HBO’s Larry Merchant on “Ring Talk” this past Sunday.

PAULIE SAYS THAT PACMAN IS A CHEAT!

Many are picking Manny to beat Clottey based on activity alone. Then there’s trainer Freddie Roach’s assertions of a Pacquiao knockout, a spiel likely more spirited than reasonable. If you take the opinion of Paulie Malignaggi, who appeared on “Ring Talk” with Pedro Fernandez, there is no way Pac can be beat because he’s juicing (taking steroids)!

STEROIDS NOT ALWAYS WINNING FORMULA

But even if he is on steroids it won’t necessarily affect the outcome of the fight. Flash back to Fernando Vargas who was knocked out in the 11th round when he faced Oscar De La Hoya in 2002. Vargas was visibly ‘ripped’ with very little body fat in that fight and later tested positive for a banned substance. Although Oscar thought Vargas was possibly too strong for him early, he persevered and ended Vargas’ evening with a devastating left hook in round eleven.

IS CLOTTEY PROPER PREP FOR FLOYD?

The fact that Clottey closely mimics solid defensive fighters like a prime Winky Wright with a turtle shell like defense is a huge obstacle for Pac and should not be taken lightly. But if Pac can beat Clottey it will be the first time in a very long time (if ever) he has fought a solid boxer who uses defense just as much as offense to win fights. Floyd Mayweather is another guy who fits this mold and Clottey will serve as a litmus test, if Pacquiao chooses to take the steroid and EPO tests one-day and meet Floyd in the ring.

CLOTTEY NOT A “NO HOPER” HERE!

Although I find it hard to imagine Pacquiao losing, due to many obvious reasons, I do see this as a very winnable fight for Joshua Clottey. If he does what he failed to do against Cotto, and puts his foot on the gas in the late rounds, he has more than a punchers chance of pulling off the upset. And due to Freddie’s nonchalant attitude about knocking out Clottey, it may have become added motivation for the Ghanaian to do more than show up for a payday. I expect this fight to be a great one with plenty of drama and more then enough room for the upset.

Jarrad Woods

San Francisco, CA- Tonight at 6:05 PM PT, “Ring Talk Worldwide” hits the radio airwaves in a multitude of dimensions. First the guests, Paulie Malignaggi and HBO’s Larry Merchant will be featured on the longest running fight show in history, 25+ years. Listen via radio in San Francisco on XTRA Sports 860 AM. Hit the LIVE radio box at the top of this page OR tune into wwwJustin.tv and go the the ringtalkwordwide channel and see what we’re all about!

Rancho Mirage, CAIn front of a raucous pro-Armenian crowd at Agua Caliente Casino, Vic Darchinyan (34-2-1, 27 KOs) held onto his WBC & WBA super flyweight (115 lbs) titles with a hard fought unanimous decision over a gritty and determined Mexican challenger Rodrigo Guererro (13-2-1, 9 KOs).  Surprisingly the unknown Mexican applied the pressure throughout the entertaining contest bringing the fight to the champion from Austrailia by way of Armenia.  Vic was constantly backed up, but landed  many clean blows to the head of Guererro who possessed a granite chin.  The Mexican picked up the pace in the later rounds landing body shots and was able to absorb punishment, much of which was due to head clashes that produced a cut over his eye.  Guerrero put forth a game effort, but according to the judges the fight wasn’t even close as judges Max Deluca scored the fight 120-108, Marty Denkin 117-111, and Cynthia Ross 118-110 all for the defending champion.  The scores were nowhere near reflective of the competitiveness of this entertaining bout. Ring Talk’s ringside score was 115-113 for Darchinyan.  The relatively inexperienced Guerrero looks like he may be a future champion at 115 pounds and gave a valiant effort.

UNDERCARD SAW MAJOR HEIST!

In the co-feature Australia’s Leonardo Zappavigna (23-0, 15 Kos) earned a gift 12 round decision over Venezuelan journeyman Fernando Angulo (22-7, 14 KOs). The Australian was basically dominated and outworked in the majority of the rounds. The scoring of the bout was horrendous to say the least.  In round nine Angulo lost a point for holding and hitting. However all three judges scored the round 10-9 for Angulo.  One might have been led to believe their scorecards were turned in ahead of time.  Jerry  Cantu scored it 116-111, Glen Hamada 116-111, and Johnny Davis scored it 114-113 all for the Australian.  Ring Talk.com’s scorecard was 116-112 for the loser Angulo.

Kevin Perry

Uncasville, CT- Devon Alexander, 139.25, St. Louis, MO TKO 8 Juan Urango, 139.75, Cooper City, FL.  (WBC/IBF 140 lb. titles)  Alexander, (20-0, 13 KOs) unifies the titles, after seemingly outboxing Urango (22-3-1, 17 KOs) the 1^st seven rounds, an easy decision seemed forthcoming. However a right dropped Urango in the eighth round and a follow up flurry from Alexander ended it at 1:12 of the said round. Alexander retains WBC belt and picks up IBF trinket.

VIC HAS EASY TIME ON SHOWTIME

Rancho Mirage, CA– Vic Darchinyan, 115, Sydney, Australia UD 12 Rodrigo Guerrero, 114, Mexico City, Mexico.  (WBC/WBA 115 lb. titles)  Darchinyan (34-2-1, 27 KOs) had his way with the inexperienced but tough as nails Guerrero (13-2-1, 9 KOs). There were no knockdowns after 12 rounds cards were 118-110, 117-111 and 120-108.

Friday, March 05, 2010

HONORIO PITCHES SHUTOUT  ON THE DEUCE ESPN 2

Temecula, CA– Martin Honorio, 129, Mexico City, Mexico UD 12 Wilton Hilario, 128.5, Saint Louis Park. MN  Honorio (28-4-1, 14 KOs) had his way in handing Hilario (12-1-1, 9 KOs) his first professional loss. Hilario loses, this after being floored twice in the sixth round, by scores of 119-107 twice and 120-106.

Edwin Ayala

San Francisco, CA- Having been putting things together for a look at the 2010 version of Don King, I was starting to think that the wirehaired wonder, now 78 and seemingly finished as a major player in sports en for all intents and purposes as a major force in boxing, I was wondering how would King, who burst on the scene with the Rumble In The Jungle, Ali vs. George Foreman, what would be his swan song? It turns out that Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield III is nearly certain to happen later this year.

DK MAKING NOISE IN UNCASVILLE!

King, who is in Uncasville, CT for a show in at the Mohegan Sun Casino sort of let the cat out of the bag in one of his media rants as he tries to stoke interest in Devon Alexander-Juan Urrango, the HBO Boxing After Dark main event tomorrow night. Tyson bit Holyfield in a 1997 rematch after losing a 1996 fight via TKO. At this point and time you may have either laughed real hard or shook your head in disgust. Either way one views this match up of the amateur class of 1984, it is certain to be a huge moneymaker for the principles, Tyson, Holyfield, and lest not forget DK himself. Where else could Mike or Evander make an easy $10 million each in this day and time?

TYSON NEED NOT LOOK LIKE TONEY SANS JUICE

In order to really sell this fight on PPV to a demographic beyond the boxing world via pay per view, Tyson will need to get himself in shape. If he shows up looking like James Toney, who is also in the news this AM, all fat and sloppy, nobody will take it seriously. We know Tyson still matters as this was proven when he made two appearances on the Oprah Winfrey show last year that were Oprah’s best ratings for 2009.

ONLY UNCLE SAM COULD STOP FIGHT

The only one who can stop this fight from happening is the IRS, to whom Tyson is said to owe a huge chunk of change in back taxes. In other words, Mike’s not going to fight for free. For the record, Tyson is 43 and last fought in 2005. Holyfield is 48 and saw some action in 2009.

WOULD YOU WANT TO WATCH THIS?

Having contacted a small number of the boxing populace, I found that while they were all talking smack, the overwhelming consensus was that that the “car accident” syndrome applies in that you can’t let it go by without taking a look. What about you? See you at Holyfield-Tyson III.

Pedro Fernandez

LIGHTWEIGHT CONTENDERS TOP ESPN FIGHT NIGHT FIGHTS

WBO contenders wage war for the right to fight for supremacy in the lightweight division (135) when Martin Honorio (27-4-1, 14 KOs) squares off against Wilton Hilario (12-0-1, 9 KOs) over 10 scheduled rounds at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA, live, Friday night on ESPN 2 at 10 PM ET.

ON THE RISE AFTER DEMISE

Since losing his third fight as a professional, Martin Honorio’s career has seen its ups and downs. Regardless of setbacks, Honorio managed to prove to be the better man over respectable lightweight fighters such as Rogers Mtagwa (W SD 12) and Steven Luevano (W UD 12). From those victories, Honorio landed a title shot showdown with Robert Guerrero. Against Guerrero, Honorio was wiped out in his bid at the IBF title in just one round. However, Honorio would go back to the drawing board and typify a three fight win streak with an upset victory over the highly regarded upstart John John Molina Jr. (W UD 10).

YOUNG BLOOD LOOKS TO DRAW BLOOD

Mostly fighting at local clubs in his adopted homeland of Minnesota, undefeated young pug Wilton Hilario has blasted out a legion of fighters with losing records. Hilario will now take a commendable step up in class and look to challenge his alleged knockout power against a seasoned veteran in front of the bright lights on a national stage.

RAGING BULL BACK IN LIMELIGHT ON SHOWTIME

WBC and WBA super flyweight (118) champ Vic “The Raging Bull” Darchinyan (33-2-1, 27 KOs) returns to action in defense of his titles against frivolous challenger Ridrigo Guerrero (13-1-1, 9 KOs) at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, CA, live, Saturday night at 9 PM ET on Showtime.

IS THE BULL JUST BULL?

Before being dropped by Nonito Donaire by a single shot in the fifth round of their championship encounter, vicious puncher Vic Darchinyan won his first 28 fights (22 by way of knockout) and was viewed by many experts to be “the real deal”. After the crushing set back at the hands of Donaire, a determined Darchinyan made changes in his game and went on to impressively win against formidable opposition. However, Vic fell short once again against former champ Joseph Agbeko (L UD 12). After the loss Vic would again mount a comeback, and look impressive by showcasing controlled aggression by dismantling Tomas Rojas in just two rounds.

MADE IN MEXICO

Pitted against over matched foes with losing records, Ridrigo Guerrero’s fight career has solely been contested in his homeland of Mexico. Guerrero now takes a trip to states to test his skills against one of boxing’s most entertaining and dangerous fighters.

HBO’s BOXING AFTER DARK PUNCTUATES THE WEEKEND

Devon “The Great” Alexander (19-0, 12 KOs) will put his newly claimed WBC light welterweight (140) crown on the line in effort to unify the belts against IBF strap holder Juan “Iron Twin” Urango (22-2-1, 17 KOs) over 12 rounds or less in an intriguing unification scrap, live from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT at 9:30 PM ET on HBO.

IS GREAT THAT GOOD?

Having gone perfect as a pro in facing descent opposition against the likes of DeMarcus Corley (W UD 12) and Junior Witter (W TKO 8), Devon Alexander now is presented with the greatest test of his career in a cross roads type of affair. Riding a four fight knockout win streak, in previous outings, Alexander has shown good boxing ability and spurts of devastating power, aforementioned characteristics he’ll call on and need against his battled test adversary.

LAST CHANCE AT THE DANCE

Juan Urango emerged on the scene creating a buzz in the boxing world with 10 straight knockout wins. After his early success, Urango continued to “work at perfect” accumulating a record of 17-0 (13 KOs) which earned him a shot at Ricky Hatton’s title. In a lackluster effort, Urango got outboxed by Ricky and lost on points. Urango would then go on to win five straight (4 KOs) but would again fail at the top level of the sport against Andre Berto (L UD 12). Urango regrouped and landed a title shot against Randall Bailey. In an entertaining back and forth battle where both combatants hit the deck, Urango prevailed by way of devastating 11^th round knockout. The stunning performance against Bailey catapulted Juan back to the spotlight and presented him with another opportunity at the big show on HBO.

John Signorella

Viv Darchinyan-photo by Tom Casino for SHOWTIME

Los Angeles, CA- Unfortunately Southern California boxing fans,specifically the Armenian community won’t get to see German based Armenian and ex-IBF middleweight (160 lbs) champion Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) and former Olympic Bronze medalist and Flint, MI native Andre Dirrell in the first bout of stage two of Showtime’s Super Six 168 lb. tourney at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, CA this Saturday. The bout was pushed ahead to March 27th due to a back injury Dirrell sustained while training.

FIGHT GOES TO MOTOWN, VIC NOW HEADLINES!

Ironically the fight will now be held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, thus giving Dirrell the home field advantage.  The co-feature has now been moved to the main event as Australian based Armenian Vic Darchinyan (33-2-1, 27 KOs) puts his WBC/WBA super flyweight (115) championship belts on the line against relatively inexperienced and untested Mexican Rodrigo Guererro (13-1-1, 9 KOs).  Saturday marks the fourth defense for the rugged slugger, whose first defeat was at the hands of Filipino boxer puncher Nonito Donaire (23-1, 15 KOs) who hit the jackpot on 7-7-07 with a one punch KO of the Armenian. 

ENCORE MATCH IS LONG OVERDUE

A rematch is being discussed by their promoters for a rematch hopefully by the end of the year.  First he must try to dispose of Guererro who will be fighting in the US for the first time against by far his most dangerous opponent. Also on the card is unbeaten Australian puncher Leonardo Zappavigna (22-0, 15 KOs) against Venezualan veteran Fernando Angulo (22-6, 14 KOs) for the IBO lightweight (135) championship.  Zappavigna’s most impressive win was a lopsided decision victory over one-time IBF super featherweight (130) world champion Gary St.Clair (42-10-2, 18 Kos). 

Kevin Perry

Las Vegas, NV- The recent confirmation by Governor Kenny Guinn of Dr. Tony Alamo Jr. as the head of the Nevada Medical Advisory Board has all the earmarks of yet another undeserving political appointee, and one who hasn’t even cut his teeth yet on boxing. If that’s the same as not ever working a fight, then we are talking about Dr. Tony Alamo Jr.

DAD ALMOST #1 CHEESE IN CASINO

Tony Alamo Sr. is the man that brought us Jr. As Senior Vice President of the Mandalay Bay Resort Group, he is within spitting distance of being the CEO. Seeing this same MB group is a quasi promoter of sorts holding fights in their fabulous Events Center, my Stanford law wiz says it is without question, “A conflict of interest.”

ALL ABOUT PUBLIC’S PERCEPTION

“Think about all the problems with this appointment, the baggage it carries is a load so great that I’m surprised a Governor would do it. First of all, Nevada is all about sports gambling. And with his father being that high up in a casino, I just think that if he were to make a critical decision, the perception could be that what he was doing might be affected by the fact of who his father is.”

ON THE GIG TRAINING

“Looking at this strictly from a Lawyer’s point of view. The fact that he has no experience in boxing medicine can end up being a liability for the State. I know I’d want an MD with more than just parental connections, and a medical license examining me if I were in the business of trauma, giving and receiving.”

ATTORNEY GENERAL QUIZZED

Asst. Attorney General Kirk Hendrick put it like this when I posed the conflict of interest question to him last week. “I’m sure the Governor thought about that before he made the appointment. Yes, I can see where the perception of some people thinking that there might be a conflict of interest.”

WHO THE HELL IS JOHN ENSIGN?

As I was gathering information up for the Arum Hearing next week, I kept running into the name of Ensign. First it was Mark Ensign, and when I searched the Internet and Nevada’s public files, I came up with the name John Ensign.

TONY SR.’S BOSS

It turns out that Mark Ensign is the CEO/Chairman of the Board for the Mandalay Bay properties. He is the father of John Ensign, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Nevada. And it was Mark Ensign who leaned on the Governor I’m told to appoint Tony Alamo Jr. to that of Nevada’s #1 medical person on boxing.

THE NEW MR. BIG?

No, Ensign cannot yet even put his toes in the shoes of a Sig Rogich, the most powerful man in the entire state of Nevada. But he is viable candidate for #2 with his title and political clout. Mark Ensign is said to be so controlling that I was told to not mention him in any negative manner, for that he has the wrath of Gangues Khan when he’s angry. Yeah, like I care!

2010 UPDATE ON JOHN ENSIGN

Today, Sen. John Ensign of Nevada is in mired in scandal. The aforementioned Mark Ensign, his daddy, paid over $100,000 to a former staffer of his son that the Senator was having sex with! Ensign, who lives in a Christian commune while staying in Washington, is just as I had alluded to a decade ago, a piece of shit! As for Tony Alamo Jr., another walking and breathing turd, he now runs the Athletic Commission in Nevada.

Pedro Fernande

New York, NY- It hasn’t been difficult to fall out of love with the technical expertise and calculating matchmaking that defines the Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) camp. Even the most loyal fan is, by now, happy with the prowess his career has made throughout the years and wouldn’t mind seeing him fade out of the boxing spotlight and do something more productive (and entertaining) with his time. Yet Mayweather is still here, and he’s still fighting some of the best, and there’s nothing we can do about it, because something about the way he presents himself is appealing to the world outside of the boxing one fans regularly inhabit. Mayweather is the biggest star our sport has today, and if only for his importance in the sport’s exposure will he refuse to make a silent exit.

FAIR AND BALANCED MAYWEATHER WITH GRETA VAN SUSTEREN

In fact, even when trying to avoid Mayweather, it seems he pops out everywhere. His ubiquity is not, as it is with, say, Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), limited to niche communities and boxing scribe hubs. Last night, for example, Mayweather’s stomping ground was Fox News, of all places. Watch his pleasant yet awkward interaction with the network’s sanest (read: most boring) host, Greta Van Susteren:

Click to watch Floyd v. Greta

FOX NEWS’ NEW NOVELTY ACT

It is abundantly clear that Van Susteren knows absolutely nothing about boxing. In fact, she seems only vaguely aware of who she is talking to, or why, asking questions like “does it make a difference that Shane [Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs)] is older?” and acting shocked that, as a welterweight, he is clocking in 147 pounds. And if Van Susteren is clueless, the fact that she has to explain to her audience that boxing is also “a mental sport.” From the perspective of someone who follows the sport, even casually, the entire interview is nothing short of cringeworthy. But Fox News, like any other media outlet, is ultimately a business— meaning someone at the company saw something in Mayweather that could make money with the average Fox News viewer. Now, the average Fox News viewer is the kind of person that takes Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity seriously (or, in Beck’s words, “idiots”). More importantly, even if they are rocket scientists, they are not your average boxing enthusiast, and even more rarely are they boxers. Despite this, the Van Susteren team saw an opportunity for ratings by bringing him on, something that distinguishes him from the average boxer. As much as we love them, imagine Yuriorkis Gamboa (17-0, 15 KOs) on The O’Reilly Factor or Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KOs) on Glenn Beck—it’s absurd. Yet Mayweather bringing the sport exposure to an audience so alien from it feels comfortable and proper.

MAYWEATHER: BOXING’S JOHNNY WEIR?

In this sense, even if his performances tend to be, if not unsuccessful, uninspired and dull, Mayweather is a wonderful character for the sport of boxing. He has, in many ways, become its spokesman in a way that fighters rarely do (these positions are often left to promoters like Don King, and even Oscar de la Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) attempted to assume this position unsuccessfully). For better or worse, he is the face of boxing to a nation of casual observers, and given his way with words and his colorful haughtiness, that’s not such a bad thing outside of the ring. Yet because he performs his sport in a way that many don’t have the patience to watch, Mayweather is shunned by a great number of boxing purists. Not that I won’t admit to falling asleep during his fight with Carlos Baldomir (45-12-6, 14 KOs), but the talent is still there, no matter the style. Mayweather will probably reel in horror at the comparison, but he is, in some ways, boxing’s Johnny Weir—an intelligent, skillful, colorful character that refuses to conform to the cultural demands of his sport and has positioned himself as its biggest face to the dismay of many fans and champions before him. Granted, he is neither as intelligent, eccentric, or influential (and no 24/7 series has approximated the greatness of the figure skating documentary Be Good Johnny Weir), but the effect on the sport is the same: we don’t want him because he doesn’t deliver the goods we seek, but the rest of the world wants him because he’s entertaining to them since they’ve never sat through his fights.

THE UPSIDE FOR SHANE MOSLEY, BOXING

But maybe, for the first time, they will. After a quite successful Dancing with the Stars appearance and some face time on Fox News, Mayweather’s charming behavior may have impressed some casual fans enough to lure them in. The American casual boxing fan is remarkably fickle and constantly demand eccentric personalities that fit their mold. A balance of wholesomeness and genuineness is key, which is why, respectively, the American public has rejected Malignaggi and someone like Calvin Brock (31-2, 23 KOs), the “boxing banker.” Mosley will benefit from Mayweather’s publicity, too, and the more public Mayweather goes, the bigger the victory will be for Mosley when he gives Mayweather his first taste of defeat.

Click For Chavez Jr. Story

Ogdensburg, NY- Although nearly every boxing fan in the United States is calling for his blood, it’s about time someone stood up to tell them a lifetime license ban is much too substantial a penalty for any infraction of the boxing rules Antonio Margarito may, or may not, have committed.

THE CASE & THE BACKGROUND

For those living on Mars, Antonio Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs) and Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) were scheduled to meet in a boxing ring January 24, 2009 at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, California. Prior to the match Mosley’s trainer, Naazem Richardson, entered Margarito’s dressing room to watch the wrapping of the boxer’s hands. One hand had already been wrapped previous to his entrance. As Richardson looked on, Javier Capetillo, Margarito’s trainer, began to wrap the second hand. To Richardson the pad being placed on Margarito’s hand appeared unusual. Upon Richardson’s inspection, he stated there appeared to be some sort of foreign material introduced to the pad. Margarito’s hands were then rewrapped with new materials, and the fight proceeded as scheduled. Shane Mosley won the battle by TKO in the ninth round of a scheduled twelve round match.

COMMISSION REVOKED BOXING LICENSE

On Tuesday, February 10, 2009 The California State Athletic Commission revoked the licenses of both, Capetillo and Margarito for a period of at least one year. At the end of the one-year period each can apply for renewal of his California license. Usually all United States boxing authorities honor each other’s decisions. This has been the case in this matter. Neither Capetillo nor Margarito have been allowed to ply his trade anywhere in the United States. This has certainly cost them a vast amount of money, as well as a loss of esteem among the boxing community.

GUILTY OF NOTHING?

Antonio Margarito declared, through an interpreter, at his hearing that he had no knowledge of anything illegal or wrong with his hand wraps. What more could he do? He couldn’t, nor should he be expected to, prove himself innocent. Any burden of proof of any possible wrongdoing should rest on the accusers, not the defense. Javier Capetillo stated at the same hearing that Antonio Margarito had no knowledge of anything different about his hand wraps. In reading the minutes of the California State Athletic Commission hearing on the matter, I saw no evidence that Antonio Margarito was proven guilty of anything. Commission Minutes Of Margariro Hearing

EVIDENCE PRESENTED AT COMMISSION

In the minutes of the above hearing it is not stated there was any evidence submitted of any kind to support the contention that an illegal hand wrap was used, or that there was an attempt to do so. Where was the hand wrap in question? Where was the laboratory report describing what the illegal substance was, if anything? Where were the documents stating that any possible evidence had not been tampered with prior to being analyzed in a qualified laboratory? Where was any documentation as to the effects any illegal wrapping material may have had, or was likely to have, on an opponent?

AND EVEN IF…

I submit Antonio Margarito was not proven guilty of anything, but more than that, even if he was guilty of an attempt at using illegal hand wrappings, it would not be justifiable to consider he should be banned from earning a living in his accustomed manner, anywhere in the United States, for the remainder of his life. That would be far in excess of equitable punishment for the accused infraction of rules. Short of murder, I know of no criminal activity that anyone can commit that leaves a person incapable of earning his living for a lifetime as punishment.

Leo Lawton

San Francisco, CA- And while most members of the boxing Media folks would like to use WBC president Jose Sulaiman as a “Pinata,” I’m in the minority on Jose-bashing! That being said, what in the puck was Sulaiman thinking by allowing Eddie Croft to partake in a featherweight title fight last week against WBC champ Erik Morales?

OBVIOUS RESULT AS EDDIE HAMMERED IN THREE!

Before I go any further, Croft, a San Mateo, CA native had NOT fought since January of 2000 & he got drilled by Fred Neil in Las Vegas. But the real slide began by being nearly shutout in an ill advised IBF 126 lb. title fight with the much bigger Tom Johnson for $30K in 1995 on CBS TV. From a toaster oven to the raging furnace, Marco Antonio Barrera would nearly behead Eddie the next time out (KO 3) a few months later.

THIS STUFF WILL BREED A FEDERAL COMMISSION!

Other than a decision over journeyman Frank Lizzaraga in 1998, Eddie Croft hasn’t won a fight since January 1995. And having been KO’d in three straight fights before the Morales fight, I repeat Sr. Sulaiman what the puck were you thinking? Was it cool to sanction a fight this life-threatening match up merely because it involved a revered Mexican champion?

ROY THREE DAYS AWAY FROM MAKIN’ HISTORY?

There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of middle ground when it comes to picking the winner of Saturday night’s main event on HBO PPV between ascending World light heavyweight (175 lbs) champion Roy Jones Jr. and WBA heavyweight title bearer John Ruiz. People such as writer Kevin Iole feel Ruiz wins this fight handily! “John is jus too big & Roy can’t run all night,” says the Las Vegas Review Journal columnist.

KEY WORDS HERE FOLKS ARE “SHOULD BE”

Iole must adhere to the saying, “A good big man beats a good little man!” When I threw that clique at Larry Merchant the other night on the radio, the “HBO Godfather” Larry Merchant scoffed. “But the big man here isn’t a good big man!” And there in lies the mystery of the fight. You see with his physical size and mass of Ruiz should be enough to enable him to run Roy out of the ring.

KRONK GOLDFATHER WEIGHS IN ON WEIGHT ISSUE

When the “Goldfather” of the Kronk Gym Emanuel Steward had weighed in on the matter earlier in the show, Emanuel Steward had this to offer. “Ruiz doesn’t have the mental toughness I don’t think. If he were to go out there and be a real heavyweight, the fight is his to win. But I don’t think he can or will and so I’m picking Roy to win the fight.”

FAVORED ROY TO REMOVE VITAL ORGAN?

From Roy’s point of view, I think the fight is right there for him to win. But in order to do so he will have to commit himself and throw combinations. The key I feel for Roy to win impressively is to go AT Ruiz from different angles with HARD-HARD shots. Because once Ruiz is even slightly rocked, his heart is so exposed that you can reach in and rip it right out of his chest!

Pedro Fernandez

PUG FROM MANNY’S HOME TOWN FALTERS

Bayamon, Puerto Rico- Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr., 122, Bayamon, Puerto Rico KO 4 Marvin Sonsona, 121.4, General Santos City, Philippines. (Vacant WBO 122 lb. title) Vazquez, Jr. (18-0-1, 15 KOs) wins his first world title by dominating former world champion Sonsona (14-1-1, 12 KOs) from the second round on. A tremendous left hook to the body by Vazquez put Sonsona down for the count at 2:01.

FILIPINO FIGHTER WINS IN MEXICO

Guadalajara, MX- Rodel Mayol, 107.8, Los Angeles, CA Technical Draw 3 Omar Nino, 108, Guadalajara, MX (WBC 108 lb. title). Mayol (26-4-2, 20 KOs) was hit by a low blow by Nino (28-3-2, 12 KOs) and after letting his guard down gets knocked cold by a left hook from Nino. A technical draw was called after much confusion in the ring after the low blow and punch by Nino.

LAS VEGAS EAST WAS ROCKIN’

Atlantic City, NJ- Mike Jones, 146.8, Philadelphia, PA UD 10 Henry Bruseles, 147, Gurabo, Puerto Rico. Jones (20-0, 16 KOs) outworked Bruseles (28-4-1, 15 KOs) over ten uneventful rounds by scores 97-92 and 98-92 twice.

HOLT REACHES CAREER LOW

Kaizer Mabuza, Gauteng, 140, South Africa TKO 6 Kendall Holt, 139.6, Paterson, NJ. Holt (25-4, 13 KOs) quits on his stool after six rounds having had enough of the more aggressive Mabuza (23-6-3, 14 KOs)

Friday, February 26, 2010

ESPN 2 AIRED FROM THE BORDER

El Paso, TX – Antonio Escalante, 126, El Paso, TX UD 10 Miguel Roman, 126, Chihuahua, MX. Escalante (23-2, 14 KOs) and old foe Roman (28-7, 20 KOs) waged a turf war over ten action filled rounds. Neither fight was willing to give ground until the eighth when Roman was dropped. In the end Escalante’s hand was raised with scores of 97-92 and 96-93 twice.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

FOX SPORTS NET WENT THURSDAY

Los Angeles, CA – Victor Ortiz, 143.75, Oxnard, CA TKO 10 Hector Alatorre, 143, Tulare, CA. Ortiz (26-2-1, 21 KOs) started slow but picked it up to beat down Alatorre (16-9, 5 KOs) at 51 seconds into round ten.

Luis Ramos, 135, Santa Ana, CA UD 4 Walter Estrada, 135.25, Monteria, Colombia. Ramos (14-0, 7 KOs) easily outworks Estrada (35-11, 24 KOs) and earns a decisive 40-36 on all cards.

Charles Huerta, 125.75, Paramount, CA MD 6 Guadalupe De Leon, 126.25, Mission, TX. Huerta (13-1, 7 KOs) pulls out a win over “opponent” De Leon (8-9, 4 KOs) by scores of 57-57, 58-56, 59-55.

Edwin Ayala

Lantana, FL- Having been writing a feature on promoter Don King and his failing empire set for print Monday, I was stunned to learn that Craig Jones, one of a few people still on the payroll of the wirehaired wonder, the 38-year old is by some accounts close to being charged with allegedly raping a 13-year old girl.

ALLEGED ATTACK IN KING’S HOME BAD P.R.

The attack was said to have occurred on February 11, this after Jones allegedly picked the teenager up off a Lantana street and drove her to the Donald’s house where the incident is said to have taken place. An exam of the teenager clearly stated she had sex recently. As a former police officer, it appears there was a condom involved or this case would have already turned one way or the other on DNA.

INDICATIONS JONES IS “FLIP FLOPPING”

According to sources close to the investigation, Jones has reportedly changed his story while being questioned by police.

IF CONVICTED, STRETCH WILL BE LONG

Should Jones be found guilty of raping a 13-year old girl, God knows how long the state of Florida would lock him up. Besides the rape charge, prosecutors like to “bundle” the charges to include false imprisonment, kidnapping, delinquency of a minor, etc, thus if Jones is convicted he could be looking at a double dime (20 years). Don King was not home at the time this incident is alleged to have happened.

Pedro Fernandez

New York, NY- Early 2010 has been in many ways a series of cold wars. While the action in the ring has been somewhat minimal (the fantastic double-header Yuri Gamboa/Juan Manuel Lopez night notwithstanding), fans have been getting their boxing fix through listening to various parties debate why they refuse fighting each other, and others still setting up dates in the ring. Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) won’t go near Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 28 KOs) unless he takes a steroid test. Kelly Pavlik (36-1, 32 KOs) hasn’t fought because of various health issues. Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KOs) will fight, but for now he has been confined to taking out his aggressions on Twitter. As empty as the ring has seemed all year, boxing has proven to be patient with its fighters as long as they keep entertaining us.

BOXING DON’T NEED SAVING FROM THE OLD GUARD

In other words, the world of boxing is fine. It needs no “saving” from itself or from any other sport. But the last thing it needs is the return of Bernard Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KOs), the now 45-year-old technician that bored his way through a legendary career that saw the defeat of such greats as Oscar de la Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs), Felix Trinidad (42-3, 35 KOs), Winky Wright (51-5-1, 25 KOs), and Kelly Pavlik. Hopkins is scheduled to return to the ring this year, much to the chagrin of everyone who loves and respects the sport, and the worst thing is that he is not even the most infuriating appearance on his fight card! Astoundingly, Hopkins is the lesser of two evils on his fight card; his opponent is Roy Jones, Jr. (54-6, 40 KOs), who has sabotaged his own shot at boxing immortality by outstaying his welcome for the past five years and fading away rather than going out with a bang. Jones, now 41 years old, has stayed around so long that there is a generation of boxing fans that know him exclusively for his losses against Antonio Tarver (27-6, 19 KOs), Glen Johnson (50-13-2, 34 KOs), and Joe Calzaghe (46-0, 32 KOs), and not four winning titles in four different weight divisions.

RAHMAN’S CRY FOR ATTENTION: WHAT ABOUT ME?

Nor are Hopkins and Jones the only peddlers of nostalgia that take to the ring for the money with little regard for entertainment value or damage to a legacy. I recently received a press release entitled “Hasim Rahman [45-7-2, 36 KOs] Asks: What About Me???” Well, I don’t know, Hasim: what about you? Rahman may be a spring chicken compared to Hopkins or Jones, but he’s still 37, and an old 37 at that. He hasn’t been a significant player in the heavyweight game since he was unable to solidify his win against Lennox Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KOs). He couldn’t even beat out James Toney (72-6-3, 44 KOs) two years ago.

BOXERS NEED A PUSH IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Boxers have proven notoriously stubborn in refusing to acknowledge when they should retire. It has caused an incalculable amount of pain and suffering to fighters that have given their all in the ring and the families and friends that stand beside them. The historical instances of fighters who simply do not understand why they need to call it a day are more than enough to suggest that, perhaps, the decision to stay in the ring should no longer remain in the hands of the fighters exclusively. While, to quote famous libertarian John Stossel, “the bias should always be towards freedom,” our community operates around a sport where life and death hang on the balance with every publicity stunt, every event, every round of every fight.

HOPKINS A DANGEROUS EXCEPTION

This is not to say that Hopkins is not completely capable of performing at the level which he seems to be pursuing against Jones. In fact, the odds that Jones will defeat him are rather slim, and Hopkins may be the exception that actually continues a career into his 40s and manages to snag a title and keep his head. Not everyone is George Foreman, but not everyone is Yory Boy Campas, either. But while Hopkins plays the role of exception, fighters like Jones tend to be more of the rule. The great fighters never tire of being called “champ”; they never tire of the adrenaline high in the ring. And like every addiction, they often don’t realize the harm they are causing themselves and their families. A decade ago, Jones was considered one of the savviest boxers regarding the handling of his career. Most who followed him admired him in part because he exhibited wise judgement in who he fought, how he trained, and how often he put himself at risk. His only true lapse of judgement was a foray into the hip-hop industry, but he wouldn’t be the first or the last boxer to make some truly atrocious music. Now, several years later, Jones is doing precisely what many predicted he wouldn’t: outstaying his welcome and putting his life at risk for the sake of some spare change and a round of applause.

WE NEED TO CARE FOR OUR FIGHTERS

If our fighters can’t take care of themselves, perhaps someone should step up and protect them from their own expired ambitions. The sanctioning bodies do all sorts of grandstanding to make the sport appear fairer and safer– why not have the audacity to tell a fighter past his prime that he should probably hang up the gloves, for his own good? Why not test fighters for pugilistic dementia in a more rigorous fashion, one that would catch the signs before they were so obvious that it’s clear it’s too late? It’s not like the boxing world will lose much revenue by preventing fans from catching such exciting spectacles as Hopkins/Jones anyway.

Frances Martel

ORTIZ LOOKS TO KEEP ACTIVE  IN “WORK” TYPE FIGHT

Coming off a win against a past his prime Antonio Diaz (KO 7), Victor Ortiz (25-2-1, 20 KOs) will face part time fighter Hector Alatorre (16-8, 5 KOs) over 10 rounds or less in the welterweight (147) division.

HEADED FOR BIG TIME, ORTIZ QUITS DURING TEST!

In a life or death battle against tough champion Marcos Maidana, Ortiz floored Maidana in the first stanza. Maidana recovered, beat the count and rose to the occasion as an over confident Ortiz moved in for the kill. A clear-headed Maidana railed sending Ortiz flat on his back to the canvas. Ortiz quickly got up and a memorable war ensued. After six back and forth action filled rounds Maidana hit the canvas once more, got up, and so did Ortiz. After rising to his feet, a weary Ortiz would get drilled a few more shots, go down on his own admission, and quit. A win on Friday for Ortiz secures him a spot back at the big time on HBO against Nate Campbell and a chance at clearing his name from committing boxing’s biggest sin.

HECTOR LOOKS TO GET PAID

Opponent Hector Alatoore had a six fight-losing streak before picking up a win in his last bout against a fighter with a record of 17-19-6.

CLUB REGULARS UNDERNEATH

Golden Boy prospects and Club Nokia “house” fighters Carlos Molina (10-0, 6 KOs) and Luis Ramos (13-0, 7 KOs) will be featured in separate bouts.

ESPN 2 HAS ANOTHER INTRIGUING NIGHT AT THE FIGHTS

Friday Night Fights continues its boxing coverage this Friday when Antonio Escalante (22-2, 14 KOs) takes on Miguel Roman (28-6, 20 KOs) over 10 rounds or less in the featherweight (126) division at the Don Haskins Convention Center in El Paso, Texas, live at 9 PM ET.

ESCALANTE ON THE RISE

Antonio Escalante’s most impressive career win came three fights ago with an upset over then undefeated prospect Mike Oliver. Escalante has been perfect since and has a current 8 fight win streak knocking out 5.

PUT UP OR SHUT UP FOR ROMAN

With a loss in his last effort against unbeaten Miguel Beltran, seasoned veteran Miguel Roman has continued to fail at the big dance as shown in previous encounters against world-class opposition. Roman seeks a career saving victory under the Friday night-lights.

FOX SPORTS BRINGS THE RUCKUS WITH A DOUBLE BILL

FOX Sports Net continues it’s jam packed schedule of boxing cards on Saturday when heavy handed welterweight (147) Mike Jones (19-0, 16 KOs) headlines in the main event against Henry Bruseles (28-3-1, 15 KOs) over 10 proposed rounds at Bally’s Park Place Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, NJ, live at 10 PM ET .

JONES IS NO JOKE FOLKS

Hailing from the storied fighting streets of Philadelphia accumulating a commendable perfect record consisting of mostly devastating knockouts over fighters he’s suppose to dominate, Mike Jones has done what ‘s asked of an upstart pug.  Having passed his early tests, Jones looks to gain more experience and accolade against a better grade of talent in facing former world title challenger Henry Bruseles.

BATTLE TESTED BUT HAS BEEN BESTED

Mostly known for losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. (KO 8), Henry Bruseles was undefeated in his first 16 fights before being knocked out in three rounds against unheralded scrapper Roberto Ortego. Since the loss to Mayweather, Bruseles is on a seven-fight win streak with 2 KOs.

HOLT ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL IN CO FEATURE

Former Jr. welterweight (140) belt holder Kendall Holt (25-3, 13 KOs) will throw hands with Kaizer Mabuza (22-6-3, 13 KOs) in a scheduled 12 round televised opener.

INTERGRATED SPORTS PPV HAS AN INTERESTING CARD TOO

On a split site PPV card ranging from Mexico to Puerto Rico, Filipino power puncher Rodel Mayol (26-4-1, 20 KOs) battles Mexican Omar Nino (28-3-1,11 KOs) over 12 slated rounds, live from Guadalajara, Mexico at 9 pm ET.

BIG LITTLE FIGHT

Finally removed from two odd encounters with Ivan Calerdron (D 6), (L TD 7) and fresh off an impressive win over tough Edgar Sosa (W TKO 2), WBC champ Mayol will attempt to defend his crown against his mandatory challenger and former WBC light flyweight (108) titlist Omar Nino. Boasting wins over Brian Viloria (W UD 12) and Janito Rubillar (W TD 8), proven distance fighter Omar Nino has beaten some top flight 108 pounders usually on points.

SOMEONE’S 0 HAS GOT TO GO

Action commences live from Reben Rodriquez Coliseum in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, when hometown hero Wilfredo Vazquez (17-0-1, 14 KOs), wages war on 19-year-old Philippine hopeful Marvin Sonsona (14-0-1, 12 KOs) for the vacant WBO junior featherweight (122) title.

John Signorella

Los Angeles, CA- The ‘best fighter pound for pound’ in boxing, Manny Pacquiao, Filipino and boxing icon that he is, has been here at the “Wild Card” gym now for over a month as he preps for a March 13 date with Joshua Clottey on HBO PPV emanating from Dallas, TX. A former champ at 112, 122, 126, 130, 135, 140, and now the king at 147 lbs, Pacman is a 3-1 favorite over the fighter from Ghana.

MANNY CAME TO CAMP LIGHT…SO…

Having arrived in L. A. at 149 lbs, trainer Freddie Roach has scaled back the sparring for Clottey as he feels the Pacman arrived in pretty good condition and is afraid of “burn out.” Sparring with guys like Shawn Porter, Mike Dallas, and Ray Beltran, Manny has had his good days and bad. The only ailment Manny has had to deal with in camp is that last week his legs cramped up on a couple of occasions.

Pedro Fernandez

Pittsburgh, PA- With HBO boxing floundering in many ways so far this year, Showtime will attempt to steal the spotlight between two of HBO’s few bright spots – the March 13 Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey and May 1 Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley welterweight (147 lb.) showdowns – with Stage 2 (of 3) of its Super Six Super Middleweight (168 lb.) Classic on March 27 and April 24. While HBO couldn’t force the highly anticipated Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather showdown, and more problematically won’t have one solitary significant card until Pacquiao-Clottey, Showtime continues its recent role as the industry leader, at least in terms of innovation. Will the Super Six change the way and amount we view boxing on television?

MEMO TO HBO: GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER

The failure to be first on the Super Six idea isn’t HBO’s only current flaw. Why does the network continue to approve “showcase” bouts? Here’s a suggested rule for the suits at HBO: If you know who the winner will be before the fight even starts, don’t agree to air it. Additionally, they give promoters leverage they don’t need to, pandering to Top Rank’s Bob Arum and, worse, dealing exclusively at times with Golden Boy Promotions. Their matchmaking is clearly subpar: Anyone can okay these Pacquiao and Mayweather contests or the April 24 Tomasz Adamek-Chris Arreola heavyweight (201+ lb.) slugfest; they still greatly lack the ingenuity of the Super Six, such as a featherweight (126 lb.) or junior welterweight (140 lb.) tournament. Instead, HBO’s playing defense by counter-programming against the Super Six.

IS THE SUPER SIX A SURE THING?

After the March 27 Arthur Abraham-Andre Dirrell bout competes against a relatively weak HBO card, the tourney will face its first major test on April 24, when its split card of WBC champ Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler and WBA champ Andre Ward vs. Allan Green goes up against the anticipated Adamek-Arreola bout and, for the first time, a WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting) pay-per-view show. With an interesting Stage 3 to occur later this year, followed by a semifinal and final next year, the Super Six should enjoy success while it’s going, but its long-term legacy may depend on the winner’s career arc afterwards. Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali in the “Fight of the Century” after winning the heavyweight tourney in Ali’s absence. Mike Tyson knocked out a half dozen opponents after winning the 1980’s version, and Bernard Hopkins also defended his championship six more times after stopping Felix Trinidad to win the 2001 middleweight (160 lb.) tournament. Should the Super Six winner then lose to a Kelly Pavlik or Lucian Bute in 2011 or 2012, its credibility will suffer.

SHOULD WE CALL IT THE SUPER THREE PLUS THREE?

Looking at the Stage 2 and 3 matchups, it’s entirely possible that Carl Froch can go 1-2 and still secure the fourth seed. In fact, if the favorites hold the rest of the way, that will happen. In Stage 2, Ward and Kessler should outbox their foes. If Green and Froch stand a puncher’s chance against them, then perhaps we should call Dirrell’s chance a “boxer’s chance” against iron man Abraham. (If any upset will happen in Stage 2 though, which I don’t see, I’ll call Dirrell over Abraham.) The “Super Three,” Ward, Abraham and Kessler, won’t face each other in Stage 3 either, and any other boxer invading the top three seeds at that point would come as a surprise. Expect a fantastic final of Ward unifying titles against the winner of Abraham-Kessler; I’ll predict Ward over Abraham in the final.

SHOWTIME, KEEP THESE TOURNEYS COMING

The Super Six (the absence of the mistakenly-overlooked Bute notwithstanding) overcomes and solves some of boxing’s biggest hurdles, including the lack of title unification; the failure of the best to compete against each other; and the mutual exclusivity of promoters’ stables. Showtime’s Ken Hershman has improbably convinced the WBA and WBC and a handful of promoters (notably, none of whom are Golden Boy or Top Rank) to agree to up to five bouts each against the best in the world, with no way to back out barring injury. Next year, do it again, Ken.

CARRYING ON THE “STEEL CITY” LEGACY!

Check out my new site on fighters who have made a mark from the Steel City, Pittsburgh, PA at Click to go to Steel City Fighters

Brian Gorman

PRO’S
1) Boxing IQ
There is no fighter who adjusts to a style the way Floyd does. He fights in an improvisational manner, takes few risks and receives little if any punishment in fights. Oh yeah, did I mention he is unbeaten?

2) Conditioning
One way to determine a fighter or an athletes dedication to their sport is by how keep themselves in shape. In boxing, where an athlete must constantly make weight this is even more essential to success. To this day Mayweather has yet to show up for a fight less than 100%, unless he has had hand issues. In my humble opinion, Floyd does respect the sport in which he applies his trade.

3) Charity work
While known for his love of strip clubs, gambling and “making it rain” money also gives back to the community. His Floyd Mayweather foundation has programs such as Fight for Your Education, which will include various workshops in the Nevada area for K-12 students in financial literacy, life skills, and writing. Joi’s Diamonds is a mentoring program for young women. The foundation also feeds the homeless twice a month and is involved in supplying various resources for homeless shelters. While Floyd isn’t the most likable guy on the surface, with some research there seems to be a side that does exhibit some form of humanity.

CON’S
1) Attitude
For a guy that wants to teach youth about financial responsibility, it seems almost hypocritical when he gambles excessively, throws money around and creates a negative image of himself. The way he berates his opponents by putting them down and also his arrogance make him hard to like. He sometimes comes off more like a spoiled rich kid than the thug persona that he sometimes tries to exhibit. His interview with ESPN’s Brian Kenny and on satellite radio with underground rapper RA the Rugged Man are interesting to say the least as they provide insight into his character. If they are unfamiliar to you I have provided them below.

2) Selection of opponents
It is fair to say the dislike of Floyd for the part comes from former fans who got sick of the “risk vs reward” approach Floyd has taken with his career since his close battles at lightweight with Jose Luis Castillo (60-9-1, 52 KOs). His bouts against Sharmba Mitchell (57-6,30 KOs), Henry Bruseles (28-3-1,15 KOs) and Carlos Baldomir (45-12-6, 14 KOs) left fans far less than satisfied.

3) Style
Considering “Pretty Boy” is undefeated means his style is obviously effective. However the reason why Floyd is the best “boxer” pound for pound and not the best “fighter” is because he cares more about victory than entertaining fans. The Grand Rapids, MI native and Las Vegas resident has (and continues to have) hand problems and that has been a deterrent to him letting his hands go. I think it’s a general consensus that Floyd Mayweather is not an exciting fighter because he doesn’t possess punching power, fights defensively, and fights tactically. Whatever you’re doing Floyd keep doing it because at the end of the day people still pay to watch you fight.

Kevin Perry

… AND DIFFICULT LEFTIES ARE PAVLIK’S ONLY REAL CHALLENGERS

So the champ stands 3-0 in the middleweight division since winning the crown, albeit against the trio of Lockett, Marco Antonio Rubio and Miguel Espino. He recognizes that now’s the time to define his middleweight title reign, and as it stands, the timing for such an ambitious campaign may prove even more difficult than expected. Despite having faced only a few lefties in his career and only one at a high level (Bronco McKart back in 2006), the division over which he reigns features two excellent challengers followed by a steep drop off – and those two serious threats to his crown are southpaws: Williams and Sergio Martinez (44-2-2, 24 KOs).

FIRST UP: LEFTY SPEEDSTER SERGIO MARTINEZ

Because of the animosity rooted in Pavlik’s promoter Bob Arum’s disdain for Williams’ advisor Al Haymon, not much needed to occur to impede a Pavlik-Williams showdown, and much did occur, in the form of Pavlik’s medical problems. Pavlik-Williams just made too much sense, an American middleweight potential classic, two big middleweights with contrasting styles of power and technique versus volume and athleticism. However, with the sides deadlocked, team Pavlik has turned to Williams’ December 2009 foe Martinez, who could have easily been awarded the decision that Williams got. (I had it a draw.) On April 17 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, where Pavlik won his title and Martinez and Williams just competed in one of the fights of 2009, Pavlik faces his first major test as middleweight champ.

IF NO WILLIAMS, GO TO 168? OH WAIT, THERE’S LUCIAN BUTE

Martinez uses dazzling foot and hand speed to pounce in and out while firing combinations, a new technical challenge for Pavlik, who prefers his opponent to stand in front of him and cooperatively exchange. Should Pavlik be up to the task, he may find his blueprint for another upcoming opponent whose style looks a lot like Martinez’s, super middleweight (168 lb.) IBF champ Lucian Bute (25-0, 20 KOs), who fights that same night on HBO via Montreal against a former Pavlik victim, Edison “Pantera” Miranda. Bute may need a dance partner, having been unjustifiably left out of the Showtime “Super Six” super middleweight classic.

LEFTIES, LEFTIES EVERYWHERE

Perhaps Pavlik, with a 6’2” frame, will soon consider a jump all the way to light heavyweight (175 lb.)? Awaiting him there could be yet another lefty, “Bad Chad” Dawson (29-0, 17 KOs). We shouldn’t assume, though, that Pavlik will struggle with southpaws. His straight right, the best punch to use against a lefty, is simply devastating when he catches his man at the end of that punch. The problem he must encounter – one that may guide the outcome of this part of his career – is whether the champ can handle and defeat agile, skilled, world-class southpaws. There has to be someone else out there that Top Rank can match Pavlik against, right? Well, they just signed former junior middleweight (154 lb.) champ and possible Pavlik challenger Ronald “Winky” Wright (51-5-1, 25 KOs)…. another southpaw.

CHECK OUT MY PITTSBURGH BOXING SITE!

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Brian Gorman

Acapulco, MX- Giovanni Segura, 108, Bell Gardens, CA TKO 3 Walter Tello, 108, Puerto Armuelles, Panama. (WBA 108 lb. title) Segura (23-1-1, 19 KOs) and Tello (14-4, 6 KOs) went at each other with reckless abandon at first bell with Segura’s power stopping the gutsy challenger at 1:56 of round three.

Urbano Antillon, 136.5, Maywood, CA TKO 3 Luis Arceo, 136.5, San Ysidro, CA. Antillon (27-1, 20 KOs) takes care of business stopping trail-horse Arceo (22-10-2, 15 KOs) at 2:25 of the 3^rd round due to a cut to Arceo, which was ruled to be caused by a punch.

Friday, February 19, 2010

PACMAN SPARMATE TOPS ESPN 2 CARD

Cleveland, OH- Shawn Porter, 152 lbs, Akron, OH UD 10 Russell Jordan, 152, Rochester, NY. Porter (13-0, 10 KOs) fighting in front of his fans had all he could handle with the taller (by 7 inches!) but outmatched Jordan (15-7, 10 KOs). After ten competitive rounds scorecards read 97-92 twice and an outrageous 100-89. A point deduction for losing his mouthpiece in round nine made what should’ve been a close decision even worse.

Lanard Lane, 144, Philadelphia, PA UD 8 Martin Tucker, 144, Toledo, OH. Lane (11-0, 7 KOs) used his power and activity to clearly beat a durable Tucker (7-5, 3 KOs) by scores of 77-75, 78-74, and 80-71.

Edwin Ayala

AXE MURDERER BEATS BRITISH STAR

Wanderlei Silva, 205, Curitiba, Brazil UD 3 Michael Bisping, 205, Liverpool, England. Although it wasn’t done in his typical fashion, “The Ax Murderer” Silva (33-10-1, 23 KOs, 3 SUBs) still got the win over England’s Bisping (18-3, 12 KOs, 4 SUBs). Bisping had success with takedowns early, but Silva closed the rounds strong and had Bisping all but knocked out at the fights conclusion. Silva gets a much needed win and will look to continue to campaign at middleweight (185).

George Sotiropoulos, 155; Geelong, Victoria, Australia UD 3 Joe Stevenson, 155, Victorville, CA. Australia absolutely erupted when their countryman Sotiropoulos (12-2, 1 KO, 7 SUBs) dominated Stevenson (31-11, 6 KOs, 15 SUBs) with superior Jiu-Jitsu throughout the fight. Sotiropoulos should definitely be considered a serious contender at lightweight (155) and it was good to see him get exposure with this great win over a solid veteran.

“DEAN OF MEAN” GETS DRILLED
Ryan Bader, 205, Tempe, AZ KO 3 Keith Jardine, 205, Albuquerque, NM. Bader (11-0, 5 KOs, 3 SUBs) was able to dictate the first round with takedowns and pounding Jardine on the ground. The second round saw a much better round for Jardine (15-7-1, 7 KOs, 2 SUBs) as he was able to avoid Bader’s takedowns and seemingly frustrate the young wrestler. However, all this was moot as in the third round Bader wobbled Jardine with a short right and followed up with a crushing left hook that made Jardine fall limp to the ground as the ref called for the stoppage. Great step up win for Ryan Bader.

CRO COP BEATS FAT GUY!
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, 220, Zagreb, Croatia TKO 2 Anthony Perosh, 205, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Cro Cop (26-7-2, 20 KOs, 3 SUBs) spent the entire fight stalking Perosh (10-6, 3 KOs, 7 SUBs) like a lion stalking its prey and eventually opened a huge gash over Perosh’s eye that eventually caused the corner to stop the fight at the end of the second round. Cro Cop showed excellent take down defense as Perosh tried in vein to get it to the mat but simply couldn’t.

Matthew Grizzle

Roy Van Putten

San Francisco, CA- In a week in which the “negatives” seemed to have the run of things, word out of Aruba was that Roy Van Putten had passed away. A long time World Boxing Council official, Roy was always a man of calm and reserve. I find it hard to believe that it was 13 years ago that I spent one week on the Caribbean island Aruba for the first ever WBC Medical Congress with Roy and his lovely wife Edith being our hosts. From time to time I would see him at different fights and or functions. Each time our paths crossed, Roy was always inviting me back to Aruba. And while the boxing world will mourn his passing, the world at large needs to know that a good man has left us!

Sydney, Australia- From the Acer Arena, UFC 109 airs live only on pay-per-view with an incredible price tag of $44.99. The card will be headlined by the legendary Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, 240 lbs, of Brazil taking on the red hot up and comer in Cain Velasquez, 245, Yuma, AZ. Nogueira (32-5-1, 2 KOs, 20 SUBs) is coming off his impressive decision win over Randy Couture last August, will have a tall order in front of him when he steps in against the undefeated Velasquez (7-0, 6 KOs).

VELASQUEZ A VERY “LIVE” UNDERDOG!

Although Velasquez is undefeated and looked very impressive in his last fight; battering veteran Ben Rothwell (30-7, 17 KOs, 11 SUBs) and eventually getting the TKO, fighting Nogueira is a whole other ball game. Velasquez will have to fight a perfect fight to beat Nogueira. I think this is too big of a step up too quickly for the young Velasquez. It will be a valuable learning lesson for Vasquez win or lose. I see Nogueira surviving an early onslaught and eventually snag a submission when Velasquez makes a mistake.

THE “AX-MURDERER” IN CO-FEATURE

Co headlining the event will be another legend in Wanderlei Silva, 205, Curitiba, Brazil against former Ultimate Fighter winner Michael Bisping, 205, Liverpool, England. Silva (32-10-1, 23 KOs, 3 SUBs) has been up and down since coming to the UFC, but he has gotten back to his roots in training and opened up his own gym. This will be a make or break fight for the axe murderer. Bisping (18-2, 12 KOs, 4 SUBs) will be in for a rough ride if he isn’t careful and I would have to think Bisping’s chin either passes the test or gets shattered, and I am going with the latter; Silva by KO.

AUSSIE FANS WILL GET TO VIEW AN AUSSIE

The Australian crowd will get to see one of their own on the main card as George Sotiropoulos, 155; Geelong, Victoria, Australia takes on the always exciting Joe Stevenson, 155, Victorville, CA. Sotiropoulos (11-2, 1 KO, 7 SUBs) may be overlooked and is a sleeper in the lightweight division. He will no doubt have to be at his best when he takes on Stevenson (31-10, 6 KOs, 15 SUBs) but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Aussie pull out a tough decision win.

“DEAN OF MEAN” ALWAYS THE DANGEROUS ONE

You have to hand it to Keith Jardine, 205, Albuquerque, NM; he is always thrown in with the toughest guys around but in the process has become somewhat of a gatekeeper at 205 lbs. He is no doubt always dangerous, but will again be thrown to a rising star in Ryan Bader, 205, Tempe, AZ. Jardine (15-6-1, 7 KOs, 2 SUBs) has lost three of his last four and desperately needs this victory. As for Bader (10-0, 4 KOs, 3 SUBs), if he can get past Jardine and do so in impressive fashion as I think he can, he will move another step closer to an eventual title shot.

REMEMBER THAT “CRO COP” GUY?

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, 220, Zagreb, Croatia was originally slated to take on Ben Rothwell, but will now take on Anthony Perosh, 205, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia as Rothwell pulled out with an illness. Filipovic (25-7-2, 19 KOs, 3 SUBs) has also had an up and down tenure since joining the UFC, but this should be a pleasant gift fight for him. Perosh (10-5, 3 KOs, 7 SUBs) will likely not be prepared having only a couple days notice to get ready, and in all reality, isn’t on Cro Cop’s level. Cro Cop by however he wants in this one.

Matt Grizzle

ESPN 2 HAS BEEN ON FIRE OF LATE

With Ed Paredes skull crushing “knockout of the year” type drumming of Joey Hernandez (W Paredes KO 2), and a two month streak of crowd pleasing affairs including Glen Johnson’s war against Yusaf Mack (W Johnson KO 6), Ji-Hoon Kim and Tyrone Harris’s scorching display of pugilistic violence (W Kim TKO 6), Roman Karmazin’s classic come from behind dramatic 10th round knockout over Dionsio Miranda, Jesse Brinkley’s 12 round slug fest with Curtis Stevens (W Brinkley UD 12), and Guillermo Rigondeaux ‘s rib shattering first round knockout blow out over Adolfo Landeros, ESPN, without a doubt has been Boxing’s heart beat in the first quarter of 2010. Each installment of the popular series offers news, analysis on upcoming bouts, interviews, competitive scraps, and in studio celebrity guests offering insight into the world of pugilism.

FNF BRINGS AWESOME PROSPECT TO LIGHT

This weeks edition of Friday Night Fights features top prospect Shawn Porter (12-0, 10 KOs) battling Russell Jordan (15-6, 10 KOs) over 10 rounds or less in junior middleweight (154) division at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, live, Friday at 9 pm ET.

PORTER ISN’T SHY ON BRINGING THE PAIN

Since emerging on the scene with a stunning first round knockout win in his pro debut, decorated amature champion Shawn Porter has been perfect as a professional. During his campaign as a prize fighter, Porter has shown a furious style of controlled aggression which has rendered him TV friendly. Shawn will look to emulate his recent triumphs by articulating his colorful arsenal of blistering combinations and relentless attack against his seemingly over matched foe.

EXPERIENCE AT HITTING THE DECK

Having suffered knockout losses at the hands of James Kirkland (KO 1), Luis Callazo (KO 8), Sergio Martinez (TKO 4), Oscar Diaz (TKO 5), and Allen Conyers (KO 1), Russell Jordan is no stranger at getting put to sleep when stepping up in competition. However, with 10 whacks in his 15 wins, albeit against limited opposition, Jordan can punch some and can possibly test the somewhat hittable style Porter brings to the table.

PROSPECT SHOWCASED IN THE CURTIAN RAISER

Undefeated power punching welterweight (147) Lanard Lane (10-0, 7 KOs) will box Martin Tucker (7-4, 3 KOs) in an 8 round co featured attraction.

TOP RANK LIVE HOSTS ANOTHER NIGHT AT THE FIGHTS

Giovanni Segura (22-1-1, 18 KOs) will attempt to defend his WBA light flyweight (108) title against challenger Walter Tello (14-3-1, 6 KO’s) over 12 scheduled rounds in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, live, Saturday Night on Fox Sports Net at 10 pm ET.

CHAMPION ON THE RISE

Segura was 19-0 with 16 KOs before losing his first fight as a professional against Cesar Canchila. Quickly thereafter, Segura was able to secure a rematch with Canchila and knocked him out in just four rounds. Since, Segura has controversial TKO (6) win over former WBA champ Juanito Rubillar and a first round KO slaughter over Sonny Boy Jaro.

STREAKY CHALLENGER

After losing his first pro bout to Ivan Gallardo (UD 4), Walter Tello went on to to win 11 straight (5 KO’s) and during that span avenged his lone loss to  Gallardo (UD 4). However, Tello has gone 3-2 (1 KO) in his last 5 bouts and has recently been blasted out by upstart Luis Rios (TKO 4).

ONCE PROMISING CONTENDER ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL IN THE OPENER

After suffering his first loss to the heavy-handed brawler Miguel Acosta (KO 9), Urbano Antillon (26-1, 19 KOs) will look to get some “work” in against vapid scrapper Luis Arceo (22-9-2, 15 KOs), a fighter who has lost 8 of his last 10. This bout is a scheduled for 10 rounds at lightweight (130).

John Signorella

San Francisco, CA- That six word subtitle best describes Marvelous Marvin Hagler today even though yesterday was the 16th anniversary of his split decision loss to “Sugar Ray” Leonard. The April 7, 1987 outdoor fight at Caesars Palace was one in which Marvin gave away four of the first five rounds. With that being certain, all Ray had to do was win three more stanzas to get the nod. I had Ray up by a deuce after 12 rounds in a fight that really exposed Hagler’s bush league corner.

“KEEP DOIN’ WHAT YOU’RE DOING MARV”

Sadly that was the only advice that flowed from the mouths of Pat & Goody Petronelli in a fight that for the most part saw Hagler vainly trying to out box Ray Leonard instead of imposing his middleweight will against the smaller man. And while some say it was the movement of Leonard that befuddled him, I think that Hagler whose age has always been questioned, that Marvin simply got old right before our eyes that night.

ARUM PULLS KING OUT OF RING

This WBC middleweight title fight was promoted by Top Rank’s Bob Arum. And as the late ring announcer Chuck Hull was getting the scorecards from the late as well NSAC Executive Director Chuck Minker, Don King tried to get climb into the ring. Arum saw this and immediately grabbed King. A minor scuffle ensued and the Donald was removed.

SNOW GIVES CEDRIC ANOTHER REPRIEVE?

Even though promoter Cedric Kushner is scheduled to undergo that “Al Roker” operation today which is supposed to turn “The Walrus” into a svelte “Greyhound,” the stomach stapling procedure may be delayed for what would be a third time! The reason being is the snowstorm that has socked NYC might postpone any non-emergency AKA “Elective” surgery scheduled for today.

ENGLISH CORRECTS MY ENGLISH

I wrote on Monday that house Attorney Pat English was a 10% shareholder of Main Events. He says he is not! And when I tried to give him an opportunity to respond to the comments of former Main Events COO Gary Shaw, the Rutgers grad put it like this. “No, that’s OK. I wouldn’t want Gary to think I’m living in his shadow,” which was a shot at Shaw who was not kind in his comments regarding both Pat & the “Duva Diva” Kathy Duva in the “Monday Morning Ring Talk” column of yesterday.

SPEAKING OF THE “DUVA DIVA”

A group of five of us were discussing Kathy Duva at a fight of late in which the Main Events CEO was on hand. It seems some guys have got a problem with her because she’s a chick! I asked Kathy about it and she laughed and said, “Not any of the fighters.” By the way for being beyond her 30’s, the “Diva” who is also a Mom of three looks hott!

“GODFATHER” LONGEST HBO EMPLOYEE EVER?

Larry Merchant, who was hired by current HBO Sports CEO Ross Greenburg in the 1970s, is of the opinion that talk of Jones-Tyson is being fanned by promoter Don King. “Jones and Tyson is like background music I would say. The real talk is Roy fighting Evander Holyfield. Don King would like to make Jones-Tyson because it will solve some huge problems for him.”

TYSON SUES DON & KING NEEDS LEVERAGE

The Donald is on the defense in a lawsuit lodged by ex-client Tyson who is now being guided by Shelly Finkel after Tyson bolted the Don soon after the “Bite Fight” with the aforementioned Evander Holyfield. After filing the case years ago Finkel told me, “Mike simply cannot lose. Our Audit and the material we were able to get with our filing of the suit prove that and more.”

WOMENS BOXING ACCORDING TO OLD RALPH

“The real truth of the matter is that there are three, maybe four women in all of professional boxing that can really fight. The others, they just want to.” Ralph is an old timer that goes back to the 1940’s & the gyms of New York City.

HEY YOU DAN BIRMINGHAM!

Watching “Winky” Wright try and punch with his left hand out of the southpaw stance is excruciating for a lefthander like myself. Wright’s feet are so misaligned when he throws the left cross that it turns into a left slap! For proof of this, all Trainer Dan Birmingham needs to do is look at Wright’s last fight. Anytime Wright threw a left cross, his back (left) foot seems to pivot (And is pointed) in the wrong direction. I’m willing to bet you the “Goldfather” Emanuel Steward could make the Floridian a decent puncher if he only had two months with him!

Pedro Fernandez
April 2003

Dallas, TX- Having gone back and forth over this subject, there will now be an MMA column each and every Wednesday, this in addition to our weekend/event coverage. That being said, let’s get started. The World Extreme Cagefighting, (WEC) is the Triple AAA farm club of the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) that has fighters from bantamweight & 125 to middleweight at 185 lbs. They will return to Sacramento, CA on April 24 with Jose Aldo Jr. vs. drawing card Uriah Faber for the WEC featherweight (135) belt, while Ben Henderson-Donald Cerrone (WEC 145 belt) and Mike Brown-Manny Gamburan. Three great fights that I’d like to see LIVE. I think the Dana White and company (Zuffa Sports) that run both UFC & WEC, that their charging $44.95 on PPV is NOT even slightly cool! HEY, REMEMBER FREE TV? There is a darn good chance Strikeforce will go on that same date on free CBS TV. If that happens, the PPV #’s are doomed, if they aren’t already! SPEAKING OF STRIKEFORCE: Herschel Walker was blasted by UFC head Dana White in a Las Vegas radio interview. Saying Walker, who at 47 won his MMA debut a fortnight ago on Strikeforce Miami, an ex-NFL great who won the Heisman Trophy in 1982, to call him worse than a fraud was way over the line, even for the bombastic White. This is pure BS and jealousy for if Dana had Walker, he’d be saying what a great example Walker is seeing he donated his entire six figure purse to “Project Turnaround,” a Dallas, TX charity for street kids. The card, held in Sunrise, FL did 4,927 paid, 2000 in comps, and 1,100 in the luxury boxes for $317,000. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, they only sold $8,000 in merchandise. Two things come to mind here 1) No real star power on the Strikeforce roster. 2) Horrid salespeople as that’s about $2 bucks a head. The UFC and WWE, they get about $35 bucks a head in merchandise sales…MMA LADY CHAMP ABUSED!GROAN TIME AS COUTURE TO GET TITLE BID: Randy Couture’s victory at UFC 109 over Mark Coleman, who at 45 wasn’t much of a barometer of sorts to determine what Randy has left, means he will get another title shot at either 205 (light heavy) or heavyweight (over 205). To see Couture face Brock Lesnar at heavyweight might bring us the first major MMA death, the same one that Dana White tried to attribute to Herschel Walker. MAS STRIKEFORCE: Cris Cyborg, who beat Gina Carano to within an inch of death last year, is clearly the best female MMA fighter in the world. She only got $35,000 for a tough fight on STRIKEFORCE MIAMI, man is she getting ripped off! Lyoto Machida, the 205 lb. champ is the likely target for the soon to be 47-year old, but that’ll be after the May card in Montreal in which Machida (16-0) must face Shogun Rua (22-4) who beat Lyoto in their first encounter but wuz robbed by judging that reminded you of boxing…WRESTLING NOTES: TNA Wrestling is moving to Monday nights on Spike TV at 9 PM ET to go toe to toe with Vince McMahon’s WWE…The signing of Hulk Hogan, not as a wrestler but a major player in the theme of the company along with Eric Bishoff is a plus for wrestling fans. Speaking of WWE, they just released 3.5 million of their video game “Smackdown vs. Raw 2010.” Although this is early, that puts them slightly ahead of the UFC’s video game which should surpass the WWE numbers by the end of the year.

Pedro Fernandez

TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTIONIZES RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAN & BOXER

The first point of success he can thank in equal measures his own ingenuity and that of technology for. In many ways, boxing has never been a healthier, more accessible sport.  This may seem counterintuitive given that most fans spent the entirety of the past decade complaining about boxing being “dead.” But think back to a time when there was more available information on the sport and all its participants than there is now, especially in the age of social networking. The logical evolution of a boxer’s website and MySpace profile, fighters are now able to engage directly with their fans in a way they have never been able to before via Twitter: with no publicist, no editors, no promoters getting in the way of what they have to say. It is arguable that the lack of information before this helped keep it more interesting; perhaps we bought into the pre-fight propaganda selling us the fighter as a larger-than-life figure with which we could never relate. But more likely than not, spectators can appreciate fighters like Malignaggi more because the direct contact makes their superhuman effort to become champions all the more impressive because we can further understand how human they initially are. Celebrity boxers: they’re just like us! They have trouble proving their identity and get frustrated by newfangled technology!

CYBER TRASH-TALKING FROM KHAN, MALIGNAGGI

This does just as much for the image of the fighters as it does to build anticipation for upcoming fights. It’s also revolutionizes pre-fight trash talking. Amir Khan has a Twitter, too, you see, which is where the negotiations for the fight first began. As for that fight, it’s a business win-win for both parties. Khan, who barely has an audience in the United States, will receive the exposure he needs at an extremely early place in his career. Even if he loses, he will still have fought on enemy ground and won at least some fans over. For Malignaggi, who has everything but his punching power going for him, he has a payday in his hometown to look forward to, the glory of his fans, and a woefully inexperienced opponent. For a many who Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) couldn’t bring down, this doesn’t sound like such a big challenge.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES FOR KHAN IN UPCOMING BOUT

What Khan does have working for him is the fact that his only loss was a first-round knockout, and no matter how brittle his chin, the chances of getting knocked out by Paulie Malignaggi as a trained prize-fighter are slim to none. Malignaggi may have the moves, the speed, and the skill, but he is quite possibly the least powerful puncher in the major leagues of boxing today. This means Khan can attack mostly with impunity, as long as he doesn’t let Malignaggi put on a show for the audience. On the other hand, we are unaccustomed to seeing Malignaggi fight someone so young. Even Juan Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs), who was considered potentially to green for Malignaggi (the latter proved this, dramatically, twice), is three years older than Khan. Khan will probably expect to enter the fight and, by virtue of Malignaggi’s notorious lack of power, be able to make quick work of him. Nothing will be further from the truth—Malignaggi is tough to beat. It’s ultimately an uphill battle for the rookie, fighting experience, speed, footwork, and a probably blistering crowd energy he has rarely, if ever seen.

All we know for certain is this: if we get to see the fight—an undeniably exciting young pair who we know will deliver, at least in post-fight interviews— we’ll have the internet to thank as well as promoters and fighters. The competition for control of the boxing world has just gotten tighter, and we can all thank Twitter for that.

(p.s. I have a Twitter, too. Follow me @francesmartel)

San Francisco, CA- On March 14, promoter Bob Arum, he of Top Rank, a promotional endeavor he has run since the mid 60s, the old master will know if Manny Pacquiao can deliver on his own. Currently the hottest boxer punching a clock today, Pacquiao will face the nondescript Joshua Clottey in a little less than four weeks. With the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys playing host, the arena can hold 80,000 for football, thus an easy 100,000 for boxing, without a “name” opponent of Hispanic or Latino origin, can the Pacman deliver at the gate and on pay per view?

LOOKS LIKE MARGA-CHEATO HAS BEEN VANQUISHED!

The original Top Rank scheme seemed to include the “suspended” Antonio Margarito, the disgraced Mexican fighter who was caught with a plaster of Paris-like pad inserted into his hand wraps, this as he was about to battle Shane Mosley in January 2009. The thought was that Mexicans would come to see Marga-cheato, that Pacquiao would bring a certain number of his peeps from various locales in the United States, in addition to the folks with a few bucks from the Philippines, but fill a stadium outside of the Philippines by himself, this is a stretch.

NEITHER SOTO NOR DIAZ CAN DRAW FLIES!

The multi-million dollar site fee Arum procured from the Texans is significant, but the Dallasites are going to want something for their bucks, and something doesn’t mean a miniscule crowd in their huge arena. Most of the Filipinos I know in the San Francisco Bay Area, they are going to watch the fight on TV. That and the horrible economy, this fight card looks like a tough sale from here. Humberto Soto-David Diaz, that’s the main supporting bout now that “we” eliminated Margarito from the Texas picture, does this look like a loser all the way around?

THE “BEATING THE MAN” SYNDROME APPLIES?

After this one is over and the numbers support my contention that this fight will die at the gate and struggle to make 500,000 PPV buys. As Manny Pacquiao is about to find out, “Beating the man, it doesn’t always make you the man.” A classic example of that was Shane Mosley beating Oscar De la Hoya, and then not drawing well on his own.

Pedro Fernandez

Pittsburgh, PA- I was just a sophomore in high school, hanging out in our basement TV room and planning to watch Dominique Wilkins, Larry Bird and others at the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk and Three Point Contests, back when those activities featured the game’s best and were must-see TV. The plan was to flip on HBO and catch “the Baddest Man on the Planet” (and that wasn’t just a nickname at that time) Mike Tyson (then 37-0, 33 KOs) quickly knock out James “Buster” Douglas, whom some generously referred to as an underdog, since that implied that he had a chance. After that brief respite, I would return to the All-Star festivities. Little did I know that I wouldn’t watch anymore basketball that night.

HINDSIGHT’S 20/20: NO ONE SAW THIS ONE COMING

In retrospect, the signs were there: Tyson’s mentor and father figure Cus D’Amato had passed away, and he’d replaced his under appreciated trainer, Kevin Rooney and the rest of his team with hacks that seemed to spill over from his entourage and, infamously, Don King. His marriage had fallen apart, and personal problems mounted. He undertrained for Douglas and, though he still looked great, he seemed just a little soft and a lot distracted; clearly, he wasn’t taking Douglas seriously, but then again, did he need to?

“BUSTER” DOUGLAS: “I JUST WHIPPED HIS ___”

As it happened, the contest showed us the amazing possibilities when an uninspired, unmotivated favorite faces and inspired and motivated underdog, no matter the odds. (How any fighter can take another “lightly” – one of the false or ridiculous excuses we hear from sour grapes losers nowadays – makes you wonder after what happened in Tokyo that night.) A lean, conditioned Douglas kept his jab pumping in the champ’s face all night, repeatedly drilling “Iron Mike” with chopping rights behind it, round after round. A short Tyson uppercut in the eighth nearly bandaged the situation, though damage at that point had already been irreparably done. The Tyson puzzle had already been solved. More importantly, the fear factor had been vanquished. Bully the bully. Take the fight to him. Douglas regained control in the ninth, as Tyson barely survived the round.

TENTH ROUND: THE END OF TYSON AS WE KNEW HIM!

Six years ago, I sat in shocked silence, watching “Mr. Unstoppable” Roy Jones, Jr. suffer his first real defeat with breathtaking suddenness at the hands of Antonio Tarver. Stunning as that was at the time, it couldn’t even compare to the absolute amazement of watching a fallen Tyson. Punctuating this drama, Douglas landed a cinematic three punch combination to drop the champion, beginning with the uppercut now etched in all boxing fans’ memories. That compelling image was followed by the unforgettable vision of the great Tyson pawing for his mouthpiece, then shoving it in his mouth sideways after struggling to his feet as the count reached ten and the fight was waved off by referee Octavio Meyran. And with that, we witnessed the biggest upset boxing ever saw.

FALLOUT FROM THAT MOMENTOUS NIGHT

It wasn’t just two lives that were forever changed. Without his air of invincibility, Tyson assumed the role of the sport’s villain, multiplied when he lost four years of his career and his liberty after a rape conviction. He would return in 1996 and was never the same. Douglas, meanwhile, also stayed away from the sport in the early 90’s after acceding his title to Evander Holyfield later in 1990. Perhaps Douglas had nothing to inspire him anymore, knowing that he would never outdo his accomplishment in Tokyo. It wasn’t just about Tyson and Douglas, though. Boxing fans learned – perhaps were reminded – that terms like “invincible” and “unbeatable” shouldn’t be taken literally, especially by fighters who are at their most vulnerable when they start believing the hype.

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Brian Gorman

TOP RANK PPV A LITTLE RANK!

Las Vegas, NV- Nonito Donaire, 115, San Leandro, CA KO 3 Manuel Vargas, 114, Jalisco, Mexico Donaire (23-1, 15. KOs) takes care of business as expected. Vargas (26-5-1, 11 KOs) a natural 108 pounder was late replacement of Gerson Guerrero, who failed an eye exam three days ago, was in preparation for a title at 108 and took his opportunity but was outgunned at 1:33 of the third.

Fernando Montiel, 118, Sinaloa, MX KO 1 Ciso Morales, 118, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. (WBO 118 lb. title) The matchmaker of Montiel (40-2-2, 30 KOs) and Morales (14-1, 8 KOs) should be arrested for assault as a left hand to Morales’ body put him down for the ten count at 2:06.

Eric Morel, 117, Madison, WI SD 12 Gerry Penalosa, 118, Manila, Philippines
(Interim WBO 118 lb. title
“Styles make fights” was in play as Morel’s (42-2, 21 KOs) style didn’t mesh at all with Penalosa’s (54-8-2, 36 KOs). Uneventful until the sixth round when two inadvertent headbutts opened two different cuts on Penalosa’s aged skin. Morel owned the first 5 rounds slightly while Penalosa came on strong with shots to the fading Morel’s body. The Filipino’s activity and aggression should have made the difference on the cards which read 115-113 and 116-112 for Morel. The final card was 115-113 in favor of Penalosa.

Bernabe Concepcion, 126, Rizal, Philippines UD 10 Mario Santiago, 126, Ponce, Puerto Rico. Concepcion (28-3-1, 15 KOs) used superior speed as well as natural boxing skill to hand Santiago (21-2-1, 14 KOs) his second loss. Santiago, down in the sixth round, dominated the ten round but it was too little too late. Scores were 98-91, 97-92 and 96-93.

Friday, February 12, 2010

FRIDAY NIGHT ESPN 2 MAIN EXPLOSIVE

Temecula, CA- Ji-Hoon Kim, 133.75 lbs, Goyang City, South Korea TKO 5 Tyrone Harris, 132.5, Lansing, MI. Raw power was the deciding factor as Kim (20-5, 17 KOs) stopped a competitive Harris (24-6, 16 KOs) at 1:52 of the fifth round. Harris controlled the 1^st three rounds but after being cut in the fourth round, he was a different fighter. After a knockdown in the 5th a defensive minded Harris was saved by the referee as he complained.

ESPN ERUPTS WITH FURY

Tyrone “Fist of Fury” Harris (24-5-2, 16 KOs) goes to war against Ji Hoon “Volcano”  Kim (19-5, 16 KOs) in a proposed 10 round encounter of veteran super featherweights (130) at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA on ESPN 2, live Friday night at 10 PM ET.

“FISTS” ON THE UPSWING

In a “fight of the year” candidate for 2009, Tyrone Harris pulled off an incredible upset win against Marvin Quintero over 8 back and forth rounds of brutal action. Prior to the win over Quintero, Harris seemed to be on the decline losing 3 of his last 8 fights. Harris will look to call on his newly found determined spirit when he scraps against his power-punching Korean foe.

EXPLOSIVE POWER

Despite losing 5 bouts (one by knockout) dynamic powerhouse brawler Ji Hoon Kim has won 11 straight since his last loss and has been on a violent knockout campaign by whacking out 9 of his last 10 opponents in stunning highlight reel fashion.

FILIPINO FLASH FEATURED IN TOP RANK  MAIN EVENT

Nonito Donaire (22-1, 14 KOs) takes on Manuel Vargas (26-4-1, 11 KOs) in a scheduled 12 round junior bantamweight (115) main event distributed by Top Rank Pay-Per-View, live from the  Hilton in Las Vegas, NV at 9 PM ET.

TAMING THE BULL

Bursting on the scene with a sensational one punch knockout win over the then undefeated Vic Darchinyin (W KO 5), Nonito Donaire’s slaying of the “Raging Bull” propelled his status as challenger to champion overnight. Conventional wisdom would lead one to believe that a win of such magnitude would open doors to more marquee fights and lucrative pay days, however that wasn’t the case.

FLASH OR PHANTOM?

In a victory that was suppose to introduce Donaire to the boxing world as “the next big thing” and elevate him into the upper stratosphere of 115 pounders, Nonito, oddly enough, has only fought 4 times over the last 2 years and had been featured mostly on independent PPV broadcasts with limited televised access to viewers in the United States.

DESPITE “LOOSE” SCHEDULE DONAIRE CAN FIGHT

Nonito possesses a highly exciting TV friendly style and in knocking out 6 of his last 10, he packs one  hell of a punch. A win over his opponent Saturday night opens up several options for Donaire; a highly anticipated rematch at 115 with Vic Darchinyan, an exciting clash at 118 with Fernando Montiel, or a possible move up to 122 against top “pound for pound” world ranked warrior Isreal Vazquez, all of these potential bouts hang in the balance should Donaire be victorious.

LAST MINUTE REPLACEMENT NOT MUCH OF A THREAT

Originally scheduled opponent Gerson Guerrero had to withdraw from the bout due to him failing his pre-fight eye exam. In having over 30 professional fights under his belt, stand in opponent Manuel Vargas may have acquired some decent skill during his ring activity. However Vargas seriously lacks power in his shots and has never experienced trading bombs against anyone as talented as Donaire, especially at this level of the game.

FIREWORKS EXPECTED IN THE THE CO FEATURE

Always exciting bantamweight (118) Fernando Montiel (39-2-2, 29 KOs) looks to bring his feverish tempo of furious exchanges to the dance against undefeated tough young pug Ciso Morales(14-0, 8 KOs) in the co featured bout scheduled for 12 rounds or less.

MORE EXCITEMENT UNDERNEATH

Eric  Morel (41-2, 21 KOs) squares off against Gerry Penalosa (54-7-2, 34 KOs) in a battle of former world champions scheduled for 12 rounds in the bantamweight division

The opening bout of the evening will show case a 10 round featherweight (126) contest between battle tested gladiators Bernabe Concepcion (41-2, 21 KOs) and Mario Santiago (21-1-1, 14 KOs).

John Signorella

San Carlos, CA- These are quotes sent to me by Victor Conte, formerly of BALCO Labs, now the man running SNAC.com, the following quotes are from Shane Mosley. “I’m not afraid of needles,’’ Mosley said, grinning. “I’m not afraid of blood tests. They can show up at my doorstep in Big Bear (the mountain retreat east of L.A. where he will train) at 3 a.m. I have no problem being tested. I think it’s a good thing, to tell you the truth. There are track people and baseball players (using). These (strength and conditioning) trainers come in and act like they’re doing something for the athletes. We don’t need them. Boxing needs to stay with the old (training) style. The worst part of my career was when I had a sports trainer. I lost five times.’’

He also beat Oscar De La Hoya and in his preparation for their second fight later learned he’d used EPO (blood doping) as well as “the clear’’ and “the cream,’’ two nearly undetectable forms of steroids provided to him by his former strength and conditioning trainer Darryl Hudson and Victor Conte, who ran the notorious BALCO Lab that was the center of the Barry Bonds and Marion Jones steroid controversies.

Mosley admitted under oath to a Federal grand jury that he’d injected himself with EPO and used both the clear and the cream but claimed he had no knowledge these were illegal PEDs. Conte and Hudson have disputed that and the story has lingered for six years, never seeming to go away. Click to read more from SweetScience.com

San Francisco, CA- Having watched Erik Morales since his days of fighting preliminary bouts at the Tijuana Auditorium, “El Terrible” or “The Terrible One” in English, Erik was something special from the get-go. When Erik ventured into Las Vegas, the stage that would make him an international superstar, he was 17 & 0 with 14 whacks! Appearing underneath Oscar De La Hoya’s dismantling Genaro Hernandez in August 1995 at Caesars Palace, Erik manhandled veteran Alberto Martinez inside of four fistic frames.

GREEN BUT EYE CATCHING WAS MORALES

It was obvious that Morales was not your normal skinny kid from a border town. Working with a perfect torso for prizefighting, the elongated Morales who stood 5′8 fighter and weighed 121 lbs. for his “Sin City” debut, Erik would mow through 26 foes before taking on and stopping the aging WBC 122 lb. champ Daniel Zaragoza in 11. From that point forward, Erik was headed to pugilistic super stardom. The fight that everybody wanted to see, Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera, was made for February 2000. This pairing did not disappoint as the two Mexican warriors warred for 12-3 minute rounds.

MYOPIC VEGAS JUDGING HAS TO INCLUDE DALBY SHIRLEY!

When it was over, most people were of the opinion that Barrera had won a close-but convincing decision. Two people that were not of that mindset, judges Dalby Shirley and Carol Castellano, they gave the fight to Morales with scores of 115-112 & 114-113. Duane Ford went the other way with a 114-113 card for Barrera. Morales would fight five more times before losing to Marcoin a 2002 rematch. Having already reached his zenith, Erik would again face Barrera and again list, this time in 2004 and win..but lose. This time the judges, Chuck Giampa, Duane Ford, Mike Glienna, they gave Barrera a call that probably was not warranted.

WENT DOWNHILL AFTER SECOND LOSS

The Mexican’s would meet one another once more in 2004, the end result being Barrera nabbed a close majority decision. Now 47-2 and just 28 years old, Erik would fight five more times from 2005 through 2007. He would win just one, a razor close win over Manny Pacquiao on March 19, 2005. Besides losing twice in succession to Pacquiao, there was the “tune up” loss to Zahir Raheem, who should have gotten the shot with Manny, but didn’t. And finally, there was the somewhat disputed loss to David Diaz in 2007.

HERE AND NOW!

After going 47-2, Erik slid to 48-6 and announced his retirement. Fast forward to February 11, 2010, and today Morales, now 34, is back in the gym with a comeback fight set for March 27 vs. Jose Alfaro (23-5, 20 KOs) in Monterey, MX. Looking at the resume of Alfaro, I see that he has a thin beard and has been stopped thrice. I’m thinking Nacho Huizar, the promoter at the helm of the Morales comeback, he sees that as well.

SHOULDN’T NEED THE MONEY….ANY MONEY!

Having made somewhere in the area of $15 million, Morales is married to a wrestling promoters daughter and unless he was “robbed” by his handlers, should be on solid financial ground. Apparently bothered by his two losses to Manny Pacquiao, Morales plays with the fantasy of fighting Manny a fourth time. Fiction aside, Erik Morales should resists the temptation of a comeback and face the reality that his day has passed. Revered for many years as “The Terrible One,” should Erik embarrass himself, people will just call him, “Terrible!”

Pedro Fernandez

New York, NY- In his most recent effort, New Jersey’s most recent favorite adopted son, former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion, Tomasz Adamek (40-1, 27 KOs) defeated Jason Estrada (16-3, 4 KOs) over 12 less then spectacular rounds before a strong pro-Adamek crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

ADAMEK MAY NEED TO RECONSIDER OPTIONS

Without being able to secure lucrative bouts against Bernard Hopkins or Roy Jones Jr., and by not landing a much desired rematch against his only loss to Chad Dawson (L UD 12), Adamek has moved up the the heavyweight ranks. With a beat down win over a very faded Andrew Golota (w TKO 5) and a lackluster points decision win against Estrada, as a heavyweight, Tomasz now has two bouts with two wins under his belt. Judging by these two outings, Adamek, seems to be caught in the balance of deciding what style to bring to the dance. Against an old Golota, Adamek seemed to maintain his speed and strength, however against the younger, fresher, but very limited Estrada, Adamek lacked confidence in his attack, had issues finding his rhythm, and never seemed to seriously hurt Estrada.

ADAMEK LOOKS TO FOLLOW HOLYFIELD’S FOOT STEPS

Evander Holyfield successfully moved up from light heavyweight to dominate the cruiserweight division and ultimately wreck shop at heavyweight. Evander was able to accomplish this by keeping his famous combinations in his arsenal while maintaining excellent hand and foot speed. Holyfield was also known for bringing his tremendous boxing IQ, chin of granite, and determined filled heart to the heavyweight division while adding power to his punches. All of these aforementioned attributes are required by Adamek to prevail as a serious threat to the heavyweight division.

ADAMEK APPEARS TO HAVE NO INTEREST IN FIGHTING THE KLITSCHKOS

After answering a question from the media in regard to his next proposed fight against Cris Arreola at the post fight conference, a very tired Adamek offered that he (with a win over Arreola) wanted to scrap with David Haye, and thereafter suggested that he maybe done with sport. Next, when asked (by me) “what fight do you feel is most meaningful fight for you at heavyweight and what active fighter in any division would be the most accomplished win for your legacy, if you could pick and choose anyone to face”? He responded “David Haye”.  Not being satisfied with the answer, I asked “who’s the best heavyweight in the world that you’d like to box” after a slight pause, he responded that “David would be best fight for fans.”

IMPRESSIVE RESUME STILL IN NEED OF DEFINING FIGHT

Having beaten former champions Steve Cunningham and O’Neil Bell, Adamek, to his credit, in the wake of his triumphs has called out the biggest names in his former weight classes and now appears to be gunning for a career final heavyweight championship showdown against WBA belt holder David Haye. A battle against Haye (I feel) would have been a more entertaining and action packed fight at cruiserweight, a division were both fighters were able to use their strength and abilities to the fullest regard.

UNDERCARD HAD SOME THRILLS

Ismayl Sillakh (10-0, 8 KOs) met Larry Pryor (6-6, 4 KOs) and fought a fast pace slug fest until Sillakh sent Pryor down two times in the third and a final time again in the forth, prompting one of boxing’s best officials Steve Smooger to wave off the carnage at the :47 mark

Local favorite Patrick Farrell (5-0, 3 KOs) was involved in an all out war with Jon Schneider (7-5-1, 5 KOs). After 4 highly entertaining rounds, Farrell got the nod 40 -34 across the board…the only thing that could have made this bout better was more scheduled rounds!

John Signorella

Ogdensburg, NY- The youngster asked the tired old reporter, “Why do you suppose he wouldn’t just let them go ahead and take the samples and test for the drugs if he was clean”?
The old man spoke slowly and thoughtfully, “Son, do you suppose the entire thing was only the first act of the play.”
“But old-timer,” he returned, “If that’s just the beginning then where do we go from here”?
“Well son, it’s like this. What if you always wanted to be the biggest thing that boxing has ever known? How would you go about it? Possibly the best way, and certainly a good way, would be to win the biggest boxing event of all time. What’s that you say? Why you’d have to create it, it wouldn’t just happen by accident.”
The young man then asked, “Do you mean you think that was just a smoke screen to something that’ll be an even bigger event than what the match was going to be? It was already thought of as the most sought after match in history”?
“You’re learning son, you may make a reporter yet, if you keep thinking like that. Now think a little more. In order to become the superstar of boxing, beyond all who came before you, you must win the perceived biggest event of all time. Before you can win it, it has to exist, and before that, you have to create it. To create an event that will be thought the greatest boxing match of all time there has to be a bit of mystery to it. Everybody likes a good mystery whether it’s a book or a TV show.”
“But old-timer, how can you make a mystery of a boxing match? It’s usually quite a simple thing. Two men get in the ring and duke it out to see which is better at the sport.”
“Son, you got to work at this trade. If you were that boxer wanting to be the superstar, you got to think up some sort of mysterious way to really draw attention to, not yourself particularly, but to the entire event. Then, once the event is established as the greatest fight of all time, all you got to do is win it. That’s the easy part. The hard part is establishing the event in the first place.”
“So then, old-timer, you’re saying that the drug screening fiasco was no more than a huge publicity event”?
“I didn’t say that, you did.”
“But, old-timer, you implied it.”
“Yes, I did, and maybe that’s exactly what our want-to-be-superstar could have been doing also. He didn’t say anything, he merely implied it, and now that everyone is talking about it, think how big of an event it’ll be somewhere down the road after each of the fighters has had a match or two with others in between.”
“But old-timer, what if either one of them gets beaten in the meantime”?
“That’s where the mystery comes in son, that’s where the mystery comes in.”

Leo Lawton

San Francisco, CA- Listen to Sunday’s show featuring “house” writers John Signorella, Kevin Perry and Matthew Grizzle. Listen by clicking on “Listen to Ring Talk Radio Now!” or by using the audio broswer near the top of the page.

Las Vegas, NV- Randy Couture, 205, Corvallis, OR SUB 2 Mark Coleman, 205, Columbus, OH. For a guy who is 46 years old, Couture (18-10, 7 KOs, 3 SUBs) showed he is still an accomplished striker. The former UFC light heavyweight (205 lbs) and heavyweight (over 205 lbs) Randy exhibited excellent traditional boxing and dirty boxing in the clinch. Coleman (16-10, 4 KOs, 8 SUBs) had no answer for Couture’s superior striking. After dazing Coleman in the second, Couture took him down and pounded on him until Coleman gave him his back which allowed “The Natural” to secure the choke which put his 45 year old opponent to sleep.

MILD UPSET IN SEMI MAIN EVENT

Chael Sonnen, 185, Portland OR UD 3 Nate Marquardt, 186, Aurora, CO. Sonnen (24-10-1, 7 KOs, 3 SUBs) pulled out another unexpected win in besting Marquardt (29-8-2, 7 KOs, 15 SUBs) by dominating throughout much of the fight. Sonnen, a relentless wrestler, utilized effective an ground and pound attack throughout the majority of the three-five minute rounds. Marquardt was able to bust up Sonnen in the second with an elbow and had a very tight guillotine choke hold in place in the third, but was unable to finish as Sonnen somehow willed his way out of the submission. Sonnen is now in line to face UFC middleweight (185 lbs) champion Anderson Silva in Dubai on April 17.

DRAWN SWICK GETS LICKED!

Paulo Thiago, 170, Brasilia, Brazil SUB 2 Mike Swick, 171, San Jose, CA. After a rather lackluster opening round that saw both men feeling each other out, Thiago (13-1, 2 KOs, 8 SUBs) was able to drop Swick (14-4, 7 KOs, 2 SUBs) with a counter left hook and follow up with a Brabo choke hold that put Swick to sleep. Thiago gains another impressive underdog victory while Swick drops his second in a row. I still think Swick should go back up to middleweight (185) as he looks very weak and drawn at welterweight (170).

Demian Maia, 186, Sao Paulo, Brazil UD 3 Dan Miller, 185, Sparta, NJ. Maia (12-1, 2 KOs, 8 SUBs) was able to take a rather lackluster decision over fellow submission fighter Miller (11-2, 1 KOs, 7 SUBs). The bout was stale throughout, but Maia was more active and was able to maintain better position on several occasions. This fight won’t win Maia many fans, but it will at least help erase the memory of his KO loss to Nate Marquardt in his previous fight.

TRIGG HAS NO FUTURE IN MMA

Matt Serra, 169, Long Island, NY TKO 1 Frank Trigg, 171, Rochester, NY. Serra (9-6, 2 KOs, 4 SUBs) was able to make quick work of the fading Trigg (19-8, 8 KOs, 6 SUBs). Serra was able to catch Trigg with a counter right sending him to the mat where Serra followed up with punches until referee Josh Rosenthal called a halt to the action. For the second fight in a row Trigg protests the stoppage better than he fights! Frank should go back to TNA pro wrestling.

Matthew Grizzle

MR. VALERO REMAINS MR. PERFECTO!

Monterrey, MX- Edwin Valero, 135 lbs, Las Vegas, NV TKO 9 Antonio DeMarco, 135, Tijuana, MX. (WBC 135 lb. title) Valero (27-0, 27 KOs) was cut on the right cheek in the opening round followed by a huge gash high on the left side of his forehead courtesy of an accidental elbow from DeMarco (23-2-1, 17 KOs). DeMarco for his part stood his ground but only fought in spurts. Between rounds 8 and 9 an exhausted DeMarco had the look of a beaten fighter and after the ninth he had enough and opted out.
Carlos Abregu, 147, Salta, Argentina UD 10 Richard Gutierrez, 147, Miami, FL. Abregu (29-0, 23 KOs) was down in the second round only to return the favor as Gutierrez (24-4-1, 14 KOs) hit the canvas in the third frame. Both fighters were cut over the left eye, with Abregu’s being the more serious. Abregu’s superior skill claimed scores of 97-91 twice and 98-90 in what was an entertaining battle.
Marvin Quintero, 136, Tijuana, MX TKO 2 Luis Gonzalez, 132, Monterrey, MX.
Quintero (19-2, 15 KOs) makes it three knockouts in a row in dispatching Gonzalez (14-2-1, 8 KOs). Gonzalez was down in the second round, got up only to receive a storm of punches from Quintero causing the 2:59 stop.

TOP RANK LIVE ON FOX SPORTS NET

McAllen, TX– Brandon Rios, 135, Oxnard, CA TKO 3 Jorge Luis Teron, 135, New York, NY. It was all Rios (24-0-1, 18 KOs) against Teron (23-2-1, 15 KOs) in one of the most one-sided fights in recent memory. Rios cut Teron under his left eye in the first stanza after a series of power shot to the head. The onslaught continued until finally the referee stepped in to stop it at 1:13 of the 3rd.

Tomas Villa, 126, Midland, TX DQ 10 Juan Ruiz, 124, Santa Clara, CA
Villa (22-6-4, 14 KOs) was focused and calm as his opponent Ruiz (23-6, 7 KOs) fouled him at will. Though coming on in the later rounds, inexplicably Ruiz pushed Villa prompting the referee to disqualify him at 2:08.

ADAMEK BEATS THE SNOW & ESTRADA

Newark, NJ- Tomasz Adamek, 220.5, Jersey City, NJ UD12 Jason Estrada, 237, Providence, RI. It wasn’t all that easy for Adamek (40-1, 27 KOs) but the vastly more experienced former light heavyweight (175) and cruiserweight (200) champion defeated Estrada (16-3, 4 KOs) by scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 118-110. Note: Look for a ringside report from John later here at RingTalk.com

Friday, February 5, 2010

“ROAD WARRIOR” THWARTS YOUTH ON ESPN

Miami, FL– Former Ring magazine fighter of the year Glen Johnson, 173.75, Miami, FL TKO 6 Yusaf Mack, 175, New York, NY. Johnson (50-13-2, 34 KOs), who should be nicknamed “the ageless wonder” as he at 41 turned back the 30 year old Mack (28-3-2, 17 KOs) Johnson systematically broken him down by Johnson until being dropped three times in the sixth round ending matters at 2:21 of said round.

SHOWTIME MAIN HAS PREDICTABLE ENDING

Santa Ynez, CA- Freddy Hernandez, 148, Mexico City, Mexico KO 5 DeMarcus Corley, 143, Washington, D.C. Hernandez (28-1, 19 KOs) and Corley (36-13-1, 21 KOs) fought at a fast pace and competitively until the end. That came at 1:48 of the fifth after a big right hand from Hernandez dropped Corley for a count of ten.

Edwin Ayala