The BTBC Fight of the Week

Saturday, August 1st

Timothy Bradley vs. Nate Campbell

(WBO Jr. Welterweight Title)

Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage, California

The Breakdown:

Timothy Bradley: 24-0 (11 KO), Rated #1 at Jr. Welterweight by The BTBC


Age: 25

Height: 5' 6"

Reach: 69"

Stance: Orthodox

Career Achievements: WBC Jr. Welterweight Champ (2 Defenses), Reigning WBO Jr. Welterweight Champ

Notable Opposition: Junior Witter (Win via SD), Kendall Holt (Win via UD), Edner Cherry (win via UD)

Pre-Fight Quote: “Basically, to be the best you’ve got to beat the best. I consider Nate Campbell one of the best fighters at 140 pounds. That’s why I’m taking this challenge. I want to be the best fighter in the world at 140 pounds and I have to beat Nate Campbell to do that.”

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Nate Campbell: 33-5-1 (25 KO), Rated #2 at Lightweight by The BTBC

Age: 37

Height: 5' 7"

Reach: 72"

Stance: Orthodox

Career Achievements: IBF, WBA, WBO Lightweight Champion

Notable Opposition: Joel Casamayor (Loss via UD), Robbie Peden (Loss via KO 5, Loss via TKO 8), Kid Diamond (Win via TKO 10), Isaac Hlatshwayo (Loss via SD), Juan Diaz (Win via SD), Ali Funeka (Win via MD)

Pre-Fight Quote: “I’m going to bust Timmy’s ass! When the bell rings, I go out there to do damage. We can be cool and friends after round 12. From the first round to the last I’m going to take your head off. I’m going to bust his ribs. I don’t care. I’m going to hurt him, and he better be doing the same.”

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Paulie The Sicilian's Prediction: This is not the same scatter-brained Nate Campbell who underachieved his way through the first three-quarters of his career...The "Galaxxy Warrior" who steps into the ring on Saturday will be the confident, tough-as-nails veteran who spanked Juan Diaz in Mexico and put in the gutsiest effort of the year against Ali Funeka in February.

Bradley, on the other hand, looked vulnerable and a little sloppy in his last win against Kendall Holt.

Campbell will be pushing all night and Bradley will leave enough openings to exploit, but Bradley's speed will be the decisive factor. He will simply beat Campbell to the punch on the inside and be too fast on the outside.

Bradley takes this by MD: 115-112, 115-112, 114-114 with Nate knocking the champ down at some point early on.

This is gonna be one of those bouts where guys who don't know how to score fights will be complaining about the terrible scores

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Is This The Era For The Little Men?

by Dafs117

When was the last time you witnessed a nail-biting heavyweight contest for a world title with the pendulum is swinging every way possible like in a Rocky film?

Holyfield-Tyson or Bowe-Holyfield? Exactly about a decade ago. I hope everybody has figured out that the heavyweight division is crap. I would advise some fans to take a nightcap and a hot water bottle with them for the next Klitschko fight. Yahoo’s Kevin Iole ranks this current era as the worst in heavyweight history. You could argue that Valuev, Wladmir and Vitali could use their size to beat past heavyweight champions, but if a 46 year-old Evander Holyfield gets robbed of a decision I think a prime Joe Frazier could blow them all out in a couple of rounds. Another undisputable statement is that the big guys are boring. More boring than watching paint dry. More boring than queuing. We’re talking very boring here.

One of the first rules in boxing is that a jab must start every boxer’s offense. But if that’s where the offense ends, the nightcap will be out sooner than expected. Wladmir does throw a lot of right hands, occasional left hooks, and if your very lucky you might be treated to an uppercut once in a while. His fly-swatting technique against Sultan Ibragimov was unique. These days that’s heavyweight “action”. Watching a six foot six Ukrainian smashing the CompuBox records with the robotic arm technique and throwing jabs and occasional hooks. I also don’t remember a lean heavyweight competing for a title. Eddie Chambers has lost a lot of weight and will probably weight in 210 against Wladmir, who’s always in good condition. Fighters feel they have to weight in heavier against bigger men but they lose mobility, agility and speed, which is something that could trouble the larger heavyweights. Every heavyweight title bout this year, bar the Klitschko’s have entered the ring without extra trimmings on the side.

The pound-4-pound rankings confirm this. As the great Steve Bunce said on primetime television “Pound-4-Pound rankings are like a***holes, but some stink more than others.” Wladmir Klitschko might creep into a couple of rankings but the rest of the heavyweights are miles behind. I know that they’re not accurately correct but it’s a disgrace for the division to have so much coverage and funding and to have only one fringe contender.

There are always two sides to a story. The fighters who are bagging all the praise are the little men. They entered the ring weighing approximately the same as Chris Arreola’s left breast but Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz kicked off the year with a bang in a thrilling contest with the fighters involved in back and forth action. They don’t show up out of shape, and only throw a jab and an occasional hook as a combination. No. It was pulsating action with the younger, veteran counter-puncher Juan Manuel Marquez out-witting the younger more aggressive Juan Diaz. It took time for Marquez to work the “Baby Bull” out but the veteran stopped Diaz in the ninth round. The thing is they get more praise but a lot less money than a heavyweight. Sultan Ibragimov has retired this week after one big heavyweight fight. It’s enough to be a healthy pension for him and his family.

Another contender for fight of the year is Bernard Dunne vs. Ricardo Codroba. This is the kind of burning desire that’s severely lacking from the heavyweight division. Both fighters showed true heart and a will to win unlike anything in any other sports. Dunne was down twice in the fifth round. Memories of his 86 second defeat to Kiko Martinez were flowing through his head. The crowd were all waiting for the referee to step in to stop the fight. But the one guy that who hadn’t been convinced was the Irishman. He stayed with Codroba until his opponent was out on his feet and stopped him in the eleventh to capture his first world title. He might have been behind on the scorecards but he showed guts to come back and stop the Panamanian.

The most frustrating thing about the heavyweight division is that there has been a glimpse of the heart that was shown in the Dunne-Codroba fight. Wladmir had to come off the canvas three times against Sam Peter, to win a decision. Vitali didn’t stop slugging against Lennox Lewis even if his face looked like it been involved in a car crash. They can entertain and put on a show. But like the world’s better heavyweights (“better” being a more accurate term than “good”) they choose not to. They concentrate too much on tactics and about their faces. Maybe this is the reason that the brothers rule the roost. They show heart where others don’t. Tony Thompson was supposed to be a decent challenge for Wladmir but his heart wasn’t there on the night and he was stopped in the eleventh and went home with a healthy pay-check.

Maybe David Haye will be the start of something new, a more exciting heavyweight era as we move ever closer to 2010. But could we see a safety first, bigger heavyweight outpoint the mouthy Brit and continue the poor level in this era to the next? Boxing’s economy suffers badly with the lack of heavyweight entertainment and you could argue that it drives fans away towards MMA and WWE but I’ll save that until another rainy day.

At least we have the little men. From welterweight down, boxing is as entertaining as it has ever been. Laptops, mobile phones and iPod’s just keep getting smaller. It’s a small world after all and in boxing the little guys are proving the entertainers. The big guys give us more of a reason to watch the little men instead!


Discuss This Topic on The BTBC Message Board!

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Boxing's Prospects Fail to Make It to the Promised Land

by Paul Magno

Something's been happening to boxing's young prospects.

Actually, something's not happening to them: They're not winning.

The latest example was in this past Saturday's Latin Fury 10 PPV, which saw highly-regarded Lightweight prospect, Urbano Antillon, taste the canvas, and defeat, for the first time against the unknown Venezuelan stylist, Miguel Acosta.

On a personal note for Antillon, he failed in his attempt to win the vacant Interim WBA Lightweight title and failed to live up to the hype that had him regarded by Larry Merchant of HBO as a "can't miss" future superstar.

However, in the big picture, Antillon's inability to cope with simple lateral movement spoke of a greater problem behind the scenes of the sport. It spoke of a future generation of star athletes who are simply not being taught the skills to go along with their athletic promise.

The list of failed prospects in recent weeks is almost comical:

*Well-regarded amateur stand-out, Juan Carlos Velasquez, is defeated by Mexican journeyman, Jose Beranza, on Friday Night Fights. Velasquez actually seemed to be shocked and surprised that Beranza would fight back.

*Colombian banger, and destroyer of fellow prospect, Amir Khan, Breidis Prescott is outpointed by Miguel Vazquez, basically, because he had no idea how to deal with Vazquez's head movement.

*Golden Boy's Victor Ortiz is battered and psychologically torn down by Marcos Maidana, the first fighter with the nerve to actually keep fighting when confronted with the force of a "future superstar."

*Alfredo Angulo is bested by Kermit Cintron because of his utter inability to deal with lateral movement, even when that lateral movement comes from a non-speedster like Cintron.

*Deandre Latimore is out-slugged by, of all people, a flat-footed and immobile Cory Spinks.

One by one, the prospects are falling from contention and they're not being replaced by veteran stars like in the case of Bernard Hopkins' one-sided schooling of Kelly Pavlik.

Many of these young talents are being beaten by the products of hardcore boxing gyms in Latin America. They're being beaten by fighters who, 10 or 20 years ago, would've been little more than a snack for talented athletes on their way to titles.

So, what's the problem? What's happening to our young lions?

Part of the problem rests in the fact that "old school" boxing trainers are mostly a thing of the past in the United States. For every Freddie Roach, there are a couple dozen trainers who would be better-suited working an aerobics class.

Serious boxing gyms are disappearing and the quality trainers are literally dying off.

There simply aren't enough of the blood-and-guts Teddy Atlas-types who will take the time to teach their kids solid fundamentals and the value of being mentally prepared as a professional.

Instead, they are fed into an amateur system which now values arm-punches and "back-foot" fighting over a professional defense and a workable inside game.

In the modern amateur game, points are valued more than power and a light jab is a bigger asset than solid body punching.

It's no wonder young fighters seem to be lacking a certain degree of mental toughness these days.

The second reason for this apparent failure of the young prospects has to do with our culture.

We are in a culture of instant gratification where anything worth having better be had right now.

It takes a lifetime to become a fundamentally solid professional boxer. It's something that takes blood, sweat and tears. Hour after hour is spent going over one basic move, until it's perfected.

Unfortunately, in a prize-fighting world of flailing, crude UFC brawls and "extreme" instant gratification, many young people simply don't have the patience or dedication to sweat for hours at a time on something as mundane as learning how to walk the ring.

The scary part is that, at some point, those boxers who have taken the time to learn their craft, will retire, leaving behind this crop of talented, but not fundamentally sound pretenders.

Then, what will boxing look like?


Discuss This Topic on the BTBC Message Board!

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Can Somebody Please Stop Comparing Hamed to Frauds?

by Dafs117

When exactly did Naseem Hamed become the gold standard for fighters who turn out to be frauds or flops?

When Amir Khan got knocked-out spectacularly by Breidis Prescott in 54 seconds, everybody said that the Olympic silver medallist was a fraud, just like Hamed was. The only comparison I can see that their both Brits of Arab descent. Can anybody remember the Prince getting blown out in one round by a nobody? Actually, does anybody remember him getting knocked-out at all? Didn’t he unify the featherweight division by collecting all the alphabum belts before he flopped against Marco Antonio Barrera?

Khan has a title under his belt after being revitalised under Freddy Roach at the Wild Card Gym. But he’s not in the same bracket as Hamed at the moment. He has the talent but we’ll have to wait and see if he could ever achieve what Hamed did in his illustrious career.

A month later Yuriorkis Gamboa had beaten Marcos Ramirez in a two round thriller and Max Kellerman said “I sometimes wonder if Gamboa is going to be the next Roy Jones Jr. or the next Naseem Hamed.” As if having a career like Hamed is bad? A prime Roy Jones Jr. was a superman. A prime Naseem Hamed was considered an international superstar. Gamboa has been as familiar to the floor as a high school caretaker, so Gamboa should be over the moon to have half the career Hamed had. Gamboa is a talented kid but Kellerman needs to sort his word jumble that comes out of his mouth when he does a post-match analysis.

Maybe Kellerman should've asked Gamboa if he wanted to be Roy Jones Jr. or Gabe Brown. Maybe he should've asked Top Rank is they wanted a Hamed or a Tom Johnson who Kellerman rates?

Gamboa has a link with the WBA and he could secure the belt on September 26th on the Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rogers Mtagwa undercard.

As a Brit, I like to think that Hamed put us on the boxing map in the States and showed the world that we could put on a show. He was something new to boxing and he obviously didn’t read the boxing manual. He was a showman and an exciting fighter. Even those who disliked the Prince must admit that the brash puncher accomplished a lot and had a productive career. He might not have handled defeat very well, and he might have retired a bit early but Hamed was no flop. He was top of the 126 lbs weight-class for a few years and he was a big money fighter and always brought money to the table.

Let’s hope that these prospects can reach the heights of Hamed.

Discuss this Topic on the BTBC Message Board

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Joe Calzaghe...Nigga, Please!

“I see the guys fighting now and I know I could beat them all. That’s always the case. I’m Joe Calzaghe, I could beat anyone. I could step up and beat Wladimir Klitschko if I wanted." - Joe Calzaghe

Dedicated to the late, great Ol' Dirty Bastard, the heart and soul of the Wu Tang Clan, the "Nigga, Please!" award will be given to a fighter, event or situation that is just plain stupid enough to garner ODB's famous phrase of disgusted disbelief, "Nigga, Please!"

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RIP Vernon Forrest 1971-2009

This is almost getting like a weekly segment...Another boxer dead.

From ESPN.com:

Former two-division world champion Vernon Forrest was shot and killed Saturday night during an attempted carjacking, promoter Gary Shaw said.

"It's 100 percent confirmed. He's dead," said Shaw, who had two stints as Forrest's promoter. "I will say this about him -- he was a decent human being. His work with kids, I think people knew how much he cared for kids, underprivileged and mentally challenged people. He was a real decent human being outside the ropes."

WSB Radio in Atlanta first reported the shooting, citing a police spokesman. Forrest, who was 38, lived in Atlanta and was an Augusta, Ga., native. He was shot seven or eight times as he chased at least two men who had tried to steal his Jaguar as he put air in his tires at an Atlanta gas station, Lt. Keith Meadows said, according to the radio station.

David Livingston/Getty ImagesVernon Forrest, a recent WBC junior middleweight champion, was killed Saturday as he chased at least two men who had tried to steal his car, police said.
But Forrest had a gun and confronted the men, police said.

"The victim and suspect became involved in a brief foot chase," Meadows said. "At some point, gunfire was exchanged between the two of them. The victim was shot at least once in the head."
Forrest was fatally wounded by two semi-automatic weapons, according to police.

"At this point we have a general description of at least two black males driving a red Monte Carlo," Meadows said, according to the report.

Police said the suspects likely didn't know Forrest, whose girlfriend's young son was in the car when he was shot.

"What can you say? Alexis Arguello, Arturo Gatti and Vernon Forrest all leaving us within 30 days? I think it's a little much for our sport to handle," Shaw said, referring to the recent high-profile deaths of two other boxing stars. "The violence, the guns have to go. Violence belongs inside the ropes. Not outside them. It's just senseless. Maybe boxing ought to dedicate itself to keeping the violence inside the ropes and try to send that message out to the world.

Manager Al Haymon was too broken up to talk about Forrest, the first fighter he signed to what would become an all-star stable.

Forrest (41-3, 29 KOs), a 1992 U.S. Olympian, was a former two-time welterweight and two-time junior middleweight champion best known for his two decision victories against Shane Mosley in 2002.

Forrest had beaten Mosley to keep him off the 1992 Olympic team but when they met in January 2002 in New York, it was Mosley, then widely regarded as the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in boxing, who was a significant favorite.

Instead, Forrest knocked Mosley down and dominated the fight to hand him his first pro loss and win the WBC welterweight title. Forrest outpointed him in a closer fight in the July 2002 rematch in Indianapolis.

Forrest won the vacant IBF welterweight title in May 2001 with a lopsided decision against Raul Frank in New York. It was a rematch because their first bout ended in a three-round no contest nine months earlier. Forrest never defended that belt, instead vacating in order to facilitate the big-money first fight with Mosley.

"He was ready to come back and we were discussing fights for Vernon. ... I thought he still had a career in front of him. ” -- Promoter Gary Shaw

Forrest was also known for his charitable side because of his involvement in Destiny's Child, a group home that provides support and guidance for mentally challenged adults. Forrest had often talked about how the struggles of people he helped support provided him with inspiration when he fought.

After signing a multimillion dollar contract with HBO after the wins against Mosley, Forrest was stunningly upset in the first fight of the new deal when Ricardo Mayorga knocked him out in the third round in January 2003 in Temecula, Calif. In the rematch that July in Las Vegas, Mayorga won a majority decision to retain the title.

Forrest entered the rematch with Mayorga with nagging shoulder and elbow injuries, which required surgery and forced him into a two-year layoff after the bout.

Forrest returned in July 2005 and knocked out Elco Garcia; he was still troubled by his left arm, but continued to fight. After another one-year layoff, Forrest won a controversial decision against former welterweight titlist Ike Quartey in August 2006 before another 11-month layoff.
Forrest came back again in July 2007 and easily outpointed former welterweight champ Carlos Baldomir to win the vacant WBC junior middleweight title.

After knocking out Michele Piccirillo in the 11th round of his first defense in December 2007, Forrest was upset by former "Contender" reality series winner Sergio Mora via majority decision in June 2008.

But Forrest reclaimed the title Sept. 13 in Las Vegas by dominating Mora in the rematch in what turned out to be Forrest's final fight.

Forrest had been scheduled to defend against mandatory challenger Sergio Martinez on Aug. 1, but suffered a rib injury training for an April tune-up fight with Jason LeHoullier and withdrew from both matches.

With the mandatory defense long overdue against Martinez, Forrest was stripped of his title. But, according to Shaw, he was not quite finished.

"He was ready to come back and we were discussing fights for Vernon," said Shaw, who first promoted Forrest when the two were with Main Events in the early part of the decade. "I had told Al Haymon recently I would love to make a fight between Vernon and [middleweight champion] Kelly Pavlik. I thought he still had a career in front of him."

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The BTBC's Boxing Methadone: Arturo Gatti vs. Wilson Rodriguez

There's nothing better on a dull Summer day than a scorching hot Arturo Gatti fight.

The BTBC once again pays tribute to the fallen warrior with this version of Boxing Methadone:

From 1996, the fight that made Arturo Gatti a hero. One eye swollen shut, the other badly cut, the officials looking to stop it and Gatti being Gatti...Enjoy:

Arturo Gatti vs. Wilson Rodriguez

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RIP Marco Antonio Nazareth

From Fanhouse.com

Boxer Marco Antonio Nazareth died Wednesday at a hospital in his hometown of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, four days after suffering a brain injury in a technical knockout loss to Omar Chavez. He was 23.

Nazareth was standing when the referee stopped the fight, but he had been knocked down in the first and fourth round and collapsed in his corner afterward. He was taken out of the ring on a stretcher and hospitalized after the fight with a brain hemorrhage. Although doctors operated in an attempt to save his life, his condition deteriorated.

Nazareth had a 4-4 career record and had lost to Chavez once before. Chavez, who is 17-0-1, is the son of Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez.

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The Best of the BTBC Fan Forum

Here is a List of the Current Hot Topics on the BTBC:

* Pacquiao-Cotto is on for Nov. 14th

* Floyd Mayweather Jr. "MMA is for Beer Drinkers"

* Which boxing organization is most corrupt?!

* Is Juanma Ducking Caballero?

* Kelly Pavlik Blasts Super Middleweight Tourney

* Cotto Signs 2-Year Extension With Top Rank

* Top Rank Signs Samuel Peter

* Amir Khan: The New Face of Golden Boy?

Stop on by The BTBC Boxing Forum for all these topics and much, much more.

We also have "Anything but Boxing" and "Mythical Matchups" sections as well as Free Classifieds, The TV Boxing Schedule, A Predictor League, The BTBC Arcade, The BTBC Theater and The BTBC World Rankings:

The BTBC: Pound-for-Pound Boxing's Best Fan Forum

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Cotto vs. Pacquiao: It's Official!

The announcement was made today that the long-rumored bout between Pound-for-Pound #1, Manny Pacquiao, and the Puerto Rican Welterweight King, Miguel Cotto is definitely going to happen.

CEO of Top Rank, Bob Arum, announced that the bout is signed for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on November 14th and it will be broadcast on HBO PPV.

Although the buzz is that Cotto gained a moral victory by insisting the fight be made at 145 lbs., no details have been released regarding the agreement between both camps.

The official media campaign will kick off Labor Day with a multi-city, multi-country press tour.

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Discuss this Topic: Cotto vs. Pacquiao

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The Weekend Hangover (July 17th,18th,19th)

Friday, July 17th

Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, Redondo Beach, California, USA

Lance Whitaker UD 12 Danny Batchelder

Civic Center, Kissimmee, Florida, USA

Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. KO 2 Cecilio Santos

Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Guillermo Rigondeaux Ko 1 Robert Guillen (Please...)

Erislandy Lara UD 6 Darnell Boone (Lara is for real...)

Miguel Vazquez SD 10 Breidis Prescott (Prescott is not for real...)

Saturday, July 18th

Centro de Convenciones , Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Omar Chavez TKO 4 Marco Nazareth (Nazareth slips into a coma)

Tomas Rojas TKO 9 Everardo Morales

(Interim WBC Super Flyweight Title)

M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, Lancashire, United Kingdom

Kell Brook TKO 3 Michael Lomax

Anthony Small TKO 8 Matthew Hall

Kevin Mitchell TKO 8 Rudy Incarnacion

Frankie Gavin TKO 2 Graham Fearn

Billie Joe Saunders TKO 2 Matt Scriven

James DeGale TKO 1 Ciaran Healy (A Gold Medal beating for Healy)

Denis Lebedev TKO 3 Enzo Maccarinelli (Buh-bye, Mac)

Amir Khan UD 12 Andreas Kotelnik (Fine race horse vs. Sturdy donkey)

(WBA Jr. Welterweight Title)

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Amir Khan: Out of The Frying Pan, Into the Fire

It's party time in Manchester for Olympic Silver Medalist and the UK's favorite young idol/target, Amir Khan.

After decisively capturing his first world title, the WBA Junior Welterweight championship from Andreas Kotelnik, Khan has earned a few days off and a few days of partying.

However, beating a solid, but predictable Kotelnik was the easy part. The hard part is going to be keeping that title in a 140 lb. division that is absolutely stacked with quality fighters in a wide array of styles and levels of experience.

Looming on the horizon first are his #1 mandatory challenger, Dmitriy Salita, and the WBA Interim Jr. Welterweight Champ, fresh from his destruction of Victor Ortiz, Marcos Maidana.

Both Salita and Maidana are young and hungry pressure fighters who will jump on Khan from the opening bell and won't back down unless the likeable 22-year-old champion backs them down. Salita and Maidana will require a mental toughness and focus from Khan that he has yet to display in his professional career. Neither fight is an easy win.

It's precisely for this reason that Khan's promoter, Frank Warren, is trying to stir the pot and find a way to get around those tough fights.

It'll be a tough sell for Warren to avoid the mandatory with Salita without making some sort of huge "step-aside" payout to the Orthodox Jew brawler from Brooklyn. And even with step-aside money, it seems a little far-fetched that Salita would voluntarily walk away from a world title bout and a lucrative payday against a champion that many feel is very vulnerable.

But maybe Warren is counting on the WBA continuing its efforts to become the 90's WBO of the 21st century, running interference for a few preferred champions and rigging the ranking as to allow a steady supply of hapless club-level fighters as #1 challengers.

Barring the cynical protection of the WBA, Khan should buckle up soon and absorb more from Freddie Roach because the road to Jr. Welter dominace is paved with lighting-fast elite like Timothy Bradley and Kendall Holt, iron-fisted sluggers like Juan Urango, Ricardo Torres and Mike Alvarado; Hungry, young prospects like Maidana, Salita, Lamont Peterson and Devon Alexander; And veteran war horses like Ricky Hatton, Nate Campbell, Stevie Forbes and Randall Bailey.

And, of course, let's not even mention current lineal champ at 140 lbs., Manny Pacquiao.

So, now that Khan has taken the plunge on to the world arena by capturing a world title, the learning curve normally allowed for a 22-year-old fighter is out the window. Fans don't want to hear about a champion learning on the job, just ask Andre Berto.

With nowhere to slack off and a division full of class fighters, Khan will have take care of things the old-fashioned way: Fight his way through the best.

For his sake, I hope he's ready.

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Nikolai Valuev Sings!

From Pravda.ru:

Boxer Nikolay Valuev, whose image is now actively used in Russia’s social advertising and patriotic cinema (though badly), has recorded a song in RnB style.

A principal of Russian pop-quartet “Chelsea” helped the new-made rapper. The song by the world champion in boxing tells of the athlete’s hard life and his complicated inner world. The video to the new song will be made soon.

For the time being, the WBA heavyweight champion Valuev appears in the Russian advertising industry much more often than on the boxing ring. He made several came appearances in a number of films and played the leading part in the film “Stonehead” where he portrayed a boxer who lost his memory after a car accident.

Valuev’s decision to become the face of the advertising campaign aimed to help Russian public services collect utility payments from debtors became the most phenomenal. Billboards featuring the picture of the smiling heavyweight champion with a bunch of snowdrops asking to stop overdue payments appeared in six Russian regions. As the result of the campaign, the communal services managed to collect 102 percent of expected payments. The Russian Communal Systems collected 14.5 million rubles (about $454, 000) in the course of the campaign.

The idea to ask Nikolay Valuev to take part in the campaign came about simply because there were no real mechanisms of putting pressure on the debtors. Due to the crisis the Russian stopped making utility payments, having no fear of eviction.

The campaign was a great success. According to preliminary data, 1,780 people paid an advance payment for the total amount of 15.83 million rubles (about $495, 000). Essential rebates offered by Russian public services also helped to collect the debts. For example, the Russian Communal Systems gave rebate for advance payment for 2009 and promised to write off the penalties for the previous years for those who paid for utility services in March.

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The BTBC's "Picture This"

Former Super Middleweight Champ, Jeff Lacy (Right), in a publicity photo for his upcoming August 15th PPV bout with the Ghost of Rick James (Left).

The haunted remains of singer-songwriter, James, was a last-minute replacement for former mega-star and multiple division champ, Roy Jones Jr.

"Super Freak," Indeed.

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The BTBC Fight of the Week

Saturday, July 18th

Andreas Kotelnik vs. Amir Khan

(WBA Jr. Welterweight Title)

M.E.N. Arena, Manchester, Lancashire, UK

The Breakdown:

Andreas Kotelnik: 31-2-1 (13 KO), Rated #8 at Jr. Welterweight by The BTBC

Age: 31

Height: 5' 7 1/2

Reach: 69"

Stance: Orthodox

Career Achievements: 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist,

Reigning WBA Jr. Welterweight Champ (2 defenses)

Notable Opposition: Souleymane M'baye (Loss via SD, Draw), Junior Witter (Loss via UD), Gavin Rees (Win via TKO 12), Marcos Maidana (Win via SD)

Pre-Fight Quote: “If I win this fight it will open the road to further fights, especially in America. Every fight is very important to me and for every fight I train really hard. Nobody can make any predictions, it all depends on what opportunities my opponent gives me to do what I want to do.”

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Amir Khan: 20-1 (15 KO), Rated #20 at Lightweight by The BTBC

Age: 22

Height: 5' 10"

Reach: 72"

Stance: Orthodox

Career Achievements: 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist

Notable Opposition: Willie Limond (Win via RTD 8), Breidis Prescott (Loss via KO 1), Marco Antonio Barrera (Win via TD 5)

Pre-Fight Quote: “Kotelnik is a fighter who keeps his guard very high so I think the body shots are going to work as well as the angles, I’ve got to hit and move. In and out movement is also going to work, but he’s a counter fighter so I have to be one step ahead of him every time. The key to victory is being patient and using my brains, being careful in the fight and just not making the mistakes we made in the last few fights.”

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Paulie The Sicilian's Prediction: Make no mistake about it, Frank Warren intends this to be Amir Khan's coming-out party and if Khan stays conscious for the entire bout, he's getting the nod.

Khan'll come out, stickin' and movin' and Kotelnik will follow him around for the full 12, occasionally touching and buzzing Khan, but never really able to close the gap.

Kotelnik is the much better technical boxer, but he lacks the athleticism of Khan and he lacks the power and drive to keep the 22-year-old (and the judges) honest.

Amir Khan takes this via Unanimous Decision with scores of 117-111, 116-112, 116-112.

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Agbeko vs. Darchinyan Revisited

by Charlie 21er

A few fights back, when Vic Darhinyan was scheduled to fight Christian Mijares, I predicted that Mijares would shut Darchinyan out over the course of the fight. My reasoning for this was rooted in what we had seen in the Nonito Donaire fight: Darchinyan is a powerful, awkward, southpaw slugger, but also crude and predictable. It did not make sense that a superior boxer could not recognize the openings and exploit them.

As we know now, this was not the case; but on Saturday night, there was some logic restored to the boxing world as Joseph Agbeko brought a hard fight directly to Darchinyan’s face, defending his bantamweight title.

It should be noted that Darchinyan was moving up in weight; also, Agbeko either possesses a dolemite chin or Darchinyan did not carry his power the three pounds north into the higher weight class. Without his power, Darchinyan has little to offer within the rules aside from his crouching, southpaw style.

Credit should be given to Agbeko, his previous two fights came against southpaws. He performed like a champion, and did everything right—right hands down the middle—all night long—right to a unanimous decision. Those right hands, when thrown the way Agbeko was throwing them are kryptonite to southpaws.

Prior to the fight, Showtime held a survey as to whether or not Darchinyan would capture the bantamweight title and perhaps go further…a surprisingly high percentage said that Darchinyan would win at least 5 titles before retiring. I have a feeling those ridiculous numbers came from the entire population of Burbank, CA. Darchinyan will have to find someone else to get his next title from, because Agbeko wouldn’t cooperate.

→I appreciate Darchinyan’s ability to talk trash prior to a fight. He does it like a pro. When he lost, he praised everything Agbeko did and honorably conceded defeat. Maybe he’s growing up…

→If Darchinyan’s promoter didn’t want anything to do with Donaire before this fight, they most definitely don’t want him now. Some things had been said about Donaire’s camp not wanting to fight Darchinyan; well why should they? They won. That’s like asking Pacquiao if he wants a re-match with Hatton. Unnecessary.

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The Paq-man Fever Post of the Week

How do the deaths of Arturo Gatti and Michael Jackson, the leadership style of North Korean dictator Kim Jung IL, the upset of Maidana over Ortiz, Kobe Bryant and a golf game between Oscar De la Hoya and Miguel Cotto all relate to Manny Pacquiao?

Well, we here at the BTBC aren't too sure either, but somehow, someway Boxingconfidential.com owner and Examiner. com writer, Michael Marley, found a way to tie them all together and file the Pinoy-heavy package under "M" for Manny.

To be honest, Mr. Marley has been writing from a "What would Manny think?" perspective for some time now and using gushing nicknames for Pacquiao like, "Megamanny," "The Pinoy Idol," and, a personal favorite, "Humble Superhero."

It's only fair that he finally get the recognition that he deserves:

This week we pay homage to the Grandfather of all Pac-man sack-swinging and present the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award in Pacquiao Nut-Huggery to Michael Marley!

Congrats!

In closing, we present Mr. Marley's epic pièce de résistance, "Michael Marley's Open Letter to Manny Pacquiao:"

Dear Manny:

It has come to my attention that I need to bring some things to your immediate attention. I do realize you were a little busy, particularly on Saturday night.

Why did you only batter Ricky Hatton for just five minutes 59 seconds, Megamanny?

Were you trying to get over to LA for a quick flight back to Manila?

How did your sainted mother enjoy her first trip to the US?

Please tell her the whole country is not as wild and whacky as Las Vegas.

I hear your religious Mom spent most of the fight on her knees. In that regard, she was just like the overwhelmed Hatton, eh? Your mother was praying and Hatton didn’t have one.

Listen, do not get upset by me calling you the Happy Hooker. It’s nothing tawdry but merely a reflection of your amazingly fast and powerful punches, which Paulie Malignaggi predicted would make Hatton look like a guy stuck in quicksand, and your smiling warrior persona.


For the Rest of the Article: http://www.examiner.com/x-5699-NY-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m5d4-Manny-Pacquiao-screams-I-can-whip-Floyd-Mayweather-Jr


Every week The BTBC will bring you the best in outlandish, hyperbole-filled posts made by Manny Pacquiao's goofiest nut-huggers.

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The BTBC's Boxing Methadone: Arturo Gatti vs. Gabriel Ruelas

To help fight this Summer's boxing withdrawal, here's a classic from the career of Arturo Gatti.

The BTBC presents to you Ring Magazine's Fight of the Year for 1997, Arturo Gatti vs. Gabriel Ruelas.

'Nuff Said...Just Watch and Enjoy:

http://fight-films.blogspot.com/2009/07/arturo-gatti-vs-gabriel-ruelas-october.html

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Adamek vs. Gunn...Nigga, Please!

After one of the biggest title mismatches in the history of the Cruiserweight division, one question remains regarding the Tomasz Adamek-Bobby Gunn bout on Saturday: Why?

Why did the IBF see fit to sanction this farce as a World Title bout? Why Bobby Gunn? Why has Gunn, a D- club fighter, received two shots at a Cruiserweight title (The other being a one round blow-out loss to Enzo Maccarinelli)? Why did Tomasz Adamek choose to tarnish an otherwise stellar reign with this garbage? Why did people pay hard-earned money to buy tickets or order the fight via online PPV?

So many questions...

What's gospel, though, is that this human sacrifice was peddled to the public as a World Title defense when there are literally dozens of fighters more deserving than Gunn, even as tune-up defenses.

Brothers and Sisters, security camera footage of senior citizens being mugged would've been less of a mismatch than what I saw on Saturday.

IBF, Team Adamek..."Nigga, Please!"


Dedicated to the late, great Ol' Dirty Bastard, the heart and soul of the Wu Tang Clan, the "Nigga, Please!" award will be given to a fighter, event or situation that is just plain stupid enough to garner ODB's famous phrase of disgusted disbelief, "Nigga, Please!"

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The Weekend Hangover (July 10, 11, 12)

Friday, July 10th

Reno Events Center, Reno, Nevada, USA

Matt Remillard Ko 1 Tyler Ziolkowski

Jesse Brinkley UD 10 Mike Paschall

Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Chris Henry TKO 6 Shaun George (George started strong, but couldn't take Henry's pressure)

Matt Godfrey UD 10 Shawn Hawk (World Class fighters shouldn't carry club fighters a full 10)

Saturday, July 11th

Nuerburgring race track, Nuerburg, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

Sebastian Zbik UD 12 Domenico Spada

(Interim WBC Middleweight Title)

Felix Sturm UD 12 Khoren Gevor (Another pedestrian performance against questionable opposition for Sturm. Still, a very close win.)

(WBA Middleweight Title)

Palenque de Gallos, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico

Julio Cesar Miranda KO 1 Eric Ortiz

(IBF Flyweight Eliminator)

Cristobal Cruz UD 12 Jorge Solis (Sloppy, Sloppy, Sloppy. A total of 6 points deducted!)

(IBF Featherweight Title)

Emperor's Palace, Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa

Lovemore N'dou UD 12 Phillip N'dou

Besiktas Cola Turka Arena, Istanbul, Turkey

Selcuk Aydin KO 9 Jackson Bonsu (Impressive performance. Is Aydin the best Euro Welter since Lloyd Honeyghan or just the best of a mediocre bunch?)

BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida, USA

Antonio DeMarco KO 9 Anges Adjaho (After a slow start, DeMarco gets the win and Adjaho gets the Oscar for his "he hit me when I was down" performance)

Steve Cunningham UD 12 Wayne Braithwaite

Joseph Agbeko UD 12 Vic Darchinyan (Agbeko was never thrown by Darchinyan's awkward ugliness)

(IBF Bantamweight Title)

Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, United States

Curtis Stevens TKO 3 Piotr Wilczewski (The Polish fighter was 22-0, Stevens made him look 0-22. Easy night.)

Tomasz Adamek RTD 4 Bobby Gunn (Made Cotto-Gomez look like Gatti-Ward. Ugly, horrible, hideous...Shame on You IBF and Team Adamek)

(IBF Cruiserweight Title)

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Arturo "Thunder" Gatti: A Career in Review

As strange details begin to emerge regarding the death of Arturo Gatti, I think it's only proper to spend the same amount of time talking about his life...and, in this case, his professional life.

So, here, in a nutshell, is a review of the Arturo Gatti we all came to know and respect inside the ring:

Gatti won his first belt, the USBA Super Featherweight Title, back in 1994 against the tough Pete Taliaferro via TKO in the first round. He would go on to defend the belt twice before moving into position to challenge for his first world title.

In his first ever try for a world title, he took on the well-regarded IBF Super Featherweight Champ, Tracy Harris Patterson, adopted son of Floyd Patterson, and scored the upset via UD.

Gatti's first defense came against tough Dominican, Wilson Rodriguez and it very nearly cost him the title on his first defense...With Gatti's right eye swollen shut, a huge gash over the left eye, and the referee looking to step in at any moment, Gatti fought on with little sight and eventually stopped Rodriguez in spectacular fashion via KO 6.

Following the Rodriguez war and a non-title tune-up, he gave Tracy Harris Patterson a rematch...This time he won more convincingly, opting to display his underrated boxing skills.

After the second Patterson win, Gatti fought a non-title affair with veteran former champ, Calvin Grove, winning via TKO 7. A title defense against the tough and tested Gabriel Ruelas followed. Once again, Gatti defied the odds and TKO'd Ruelas after 5 rounds of a back and forth war that was latered declared Ring Magazine's Fight of the Year for 1997.

Then, Gatti slid into a slump, losing his next three in a row- one against Angel Manfredy and two vs. Ivan Robinson (The first Robinson fight was named Fight of the Year and Upset of the Year by Ring Magazine in 1998). The fact was clear that while Gatti was game against everybody, speed was a huge thorn in his side and he simply struggled with quick-fisted movers.

Following the 3-fight slump, Gatti fought 4 tune-up bouts against mostly journeyman-level fighters, although his 2-round destruction of Joey Gamache was shrouded in controversy due to the fact that Gatti had put on 19 lbs. by the day of the bout- essentially turning the contest into a Middleweight vs. Jr. Welterweight bout. The violent KO of Gamache ended his career and resulted in him slipping into a coma for a day and having to stay in the hospital for a week. After this controversy, boxing commissions began to more closely monitor the amount of weight gained between the weigh-in and the day of the contest.

Then, in 2001, Oscar De la Hoya came calling and Gatti moved up to Welterweight to fight The Golden Boy. De la Hoya dominated the bout and won via TKO 5, but it was, by far, the biggest payday in Gatti's career up to that point.

After a tune-up, Gatti would meet the tough fringe contender, "Irish" Mickey Ward and the two would engage in one the greatest series of battles in the history of the sport. Ward would take the first bout via MD, but Gatti would take the series by winning the last two contests by UD. The Gatti-Ward Trilogy has since become legendary and a favorite among all fight fans. It also won both warriors the honor of being named Ring Magazine's Fight of the Year in 2002 for Gatti-Ward I and Fight of the Year in 2003 for Gatti-Ward III.

After the brutal trilogy with Ward, Gatti won his second world title by capturing the vacant WBC Jr. Welterweight title via UD against veteran Italian champ, Gianluca Branco in 2004.

Gatti would go on to make two successful defenses of the crown, against Leonard Dorin and another veteran toughman, Jesse James Leija, stoping them in the 2nd and 5th rounds respectively, before losing the title to Floyd Mayweather Jr. by TKO 6.

In the final stages of his career, Gatti moved up to Welter once again to beat Thomas Damgaard for the lightly-regarded IBA Welterweight Title. He would go on to lose that belt against WBC Champ, Carlos Baldomir, in his next bout.

In the final fight of his career, with Mickey Ward working his corner, Gatti was manhandled by club-level Alfonso Gomez and lost via TKO in the 7th. As evident in this last bout, Arturo Gatti had given his all to the sport and to the fans...he simply had no more to give.

Arturo Gatti would end his career with a record of 40-9 (31 KOs)...Two World Titles, 4 Ring Magazine Fights of the Year and an eternity of memories...Thank You.

RIP "Thunder"

A Tribute to Arturo "Thunder" Gatti:

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Arturo Gatti is Dead

Coming off the tragic death of Alexis Arguello, Boxing has suffered another tragedy.

Multi-time world champion, Arturo Gatti was found dead today in his condo in Brazil.

Here is the story from The Associated Press:

SAO PAULO — Officials say former world boxing champion Arturo Gatti has been found dead in a hotel room in northeastern Brazil.

A spokeswoman for the public safety department of Pernambuco state says the body of the former junior welterweight champ was discovered on Saturday morning in the posh seaside resort of Porto de Galinhas, where he arrived on Friday with his wife and one-year-old son.

She said it was unclear how the 37-year-old Canadian died.

"There were no bullet or stab wounds on his body, but police did find blood stains on the floor," she said, adding that his wife and son were unhurt.

The spokeswoman, who did not provide further details, declined to be identified because she was not authorized to comment on the case.

More info to come...

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Monthly Awards: June, '09

Hey, better late than never, right?

Fighter of the Month-

Marcos Maidana: He was being brought in as a stepping stone for Golden Boy's Victor Ortiz, one small obstacle on Ortiz's path to stardom. The Interim WBA 140 lb belt practically had Ortiz's name on it already and the 8,000 plus fans who came to the Staples Center were mostly coming to see the new phenom who would carry the Golden Boy banner into the future.

It would've been so easy for Maidana to give up. There were several opportunities for the tough Argentinan to take the payday, relish the memories and go back home.

The hard knockdown in the first gave Maidana his first chance to quit, but he came back strong and ended up knocking Ortiz down in the same round.

Two knockdowns in the second surely would signal the end. After all, he had already shown his toughness by surviving a tough first round and leveling Ortiz. But Maidana fought on and survived the round.

Then, while still absorbing punishment from the heavy-handed Ortiz, he fought on, grinding down Ortiz until he was able to seriously stun him at the end of the 5th.

Beaten down and demoralized, Ortiz was pushed around the ring by the aggressive Maidana in the 6th until he got knocked to the canvas. When Ortiz got up, he clearly wanted no part of Maidana and waved off the fight before the referee did the same, officially because of the cut that Ortiz had sustained.

For defying the odds and snatching the glory during another fighter's coming out party, Marcos Maidana is The BTBC's Fighter of the Month.


Bum of the Month-

Ruslan Chagaev: Now, imagine the exact opposite of Marcos Maidana.

Chagaev was regarded as the #2 ranked Heavyweight by the BTBC and no lower than #4 by all other sources. He was coming in as a replacement when David Haye pulled out of the fight and was thought to be a tough test for Heavyweight champ, Wladimir Klitschko.

Chagaev walked into Klitschko's home turf, among 60,000 fight fans, and promptly rolled over without even the slightest hint of defiance.

From the very beginning, Klitschko used his outstretched arm to mark the distance at which he wanted Chagaev to stay...and Chagaev dutifully obeyed, staying at the perfect distance for Wlad and offering no desire to work his way inside.

Chagaev sustained a beating for 9 one-sided rounds until a cut over his eye forced his corner to throw in the towel.

For entering a ring with absolutely no desire to win the fight, Ruslan Chagaev is our Bum of the Month.


The BTBC Thread of the Month-

Pacquiao okays Cotto as next foe

by PHONETOOL

http://www.btbc.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1518


This was a debate involving Pacquiao, Cotto and Mayweather; Plus, Pacquiao's proper ranking at 140 lbs. How could this one not generate heated debate?

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The BTBC's Boxing Methadone

Have these Summer months been killing you? No boxing and the few fights that were scheduled were mostly postponed or cancelled...

Are you going through boxing withdrawal?

Well, we here at the BTBC feel your pain, so, in these hard times, we will be helping to ease your withdrawal pains with Boxing Methadone.

Each Tuesday and Thursday, we will offer up a memorable fight from boxing's glorious past for you to enjoy.

Today, we bring you a very entertaining Heavyweight brawl from 1995 featuring Andrew Golota and Samson Po'uha.

Before Mike Tyson took a bite from Evander Holyfield, Golota set the stage by gnawing on a portly Tongan...Enjoy:

http://fight-films.blogspot.com/2009/07/andrew-golota-vs-samson-pouha-may-16th.html

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Eddie Chambers Keeps Hope Alive

In a sterile German boxing arena, on The Fourth of July and with the total and complete indifference of his countrymen, Eddie Chambers was to be sacrificed to the next upcoming Eastern Block Heavyweight sensation, Alexander "Sasha" Dimitrenko in a WBO Title Eliminator.

It was to be a career-builder for the 27-year old Ukraine, 6'7", 253 lb. beast against a much smaller American who had come up short against Alexander Povetkin, the last time he fought an Eastern European prospect in Germany.

Unfortunately for Team Dimitrenko, somebody forgot to inform Chambers that he would be playing the role of cannon fodder.

The American underdog practically strutted to the ring with the look of someone who knew something the rest of the world would soon find out.

Chambers had obviously taken his training seriously, coming into the bout weighing 208 lbs, his lightest since 2003.

As the fight began, you could clearly notice the usual rolls around Chamber's mid-section were gone and he just looked lighter, quicker on his feet.

Dimitrenko took the first three or four rounds with black and white offense and sticking out a long jab a la Wladimir Klitschko.

Chambers, while not absorbing punishment, was obviously jockeying for position and working out a way to deal with the jab of a fighter six inches taller and 45 pounds heavier than him. He swatted hard at Dimitrenko's outstretched left arm and, in doing so, didn't allow Dimitrenko to use it as a way to keep distance.

Around the fifth round, Chambers found his rhythm and began working his way inside Dimitrenko's long reach and registering some major damage with solid body work and a wicked uppercut.

By the seventh, it was clear that Dimtrenko had bitten off a little more than he could chew and was being worn down by the American. Chambers was given credit for a knockdown in seventh, after a body blow that Dimitrenko insisted was a kidney shot.

The rest of the fight was a Chambers highlight reel with him picking the prospect apart and establishing his place among the Heavyweight elite.

Chambers scored another knockdown in the 10th with a wicked left/right combination that sent Dimitrenko's mouthpiece flying.

The last two round were characterized by Dimtrenko trying to rally with aggressive surges, but all of them ending with Chambers firing back and forcing the aggressor back into the ropes.

Two of the three judges were fair, 116-111, 117-109, with the other one, British judge Paul Thomas, scoring the fight a ridiculous 113-113 draw. The BTBC scored the bout 115-112 for Chambers.

With this victory comes the opportunity to fight Wladimir Klitschko for the WBO World Heavyweight Title and, also, the chance to finally bring a piece of the heavyweight title scene back to the United States.

It's just too bad that the American media, American boxing pundits and even the American fight fan couldn't be bothered to show the least bit of interest.

Sometimes it makes me wonder what disappeared first: The quality, American heavyweight boxer or the quality, American fight fan.

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USA! USA! America's 10 Best Boxers!

We've already explored the topic of Britain's and Puerto Rico's best. In the works are features on the best Filipino and Mexican fighters.

However, on this July 4th, it's only fitting to write about America's best active fighters.

So, grill another burger and open another cold one while we delve into the topic of who, exactly, are America's Finest:

10) Steve Cunningham- This former Cruiserweight champ with quick hands and sharp reflexes would still be sporting the bragging rights of being "The World's Best Cruiser" if not for, literally, four or five punches from Tomasz Adamek last year. Cunningham is working his way back to a rematch and wants nothing more than to avenge this tough loss.

9) Andre Berto- The reigning WBC Welterweight titlist gets little respect in the media, but he was good enough to beat a very tough Luis Collazo as well as a large handful of tough contenders ranging from Jr. Welter slugger, Juan Urango, to tough ex-champ, Cosme Rivera.

8) Nate Campbell- The Galaxxy Warrior shocked the world last year by beating up and out-classing the highly-regarded Juan Diaz. He followed that up with a gutsy win over the awkward and talented, Ali Funeka. At 37 years of age, there aren't too many more fights in Campbell's reserves, but he'll have the chance at another career-defining bout against Timothy Bradley in August.

7) Kelly Pavlik- While still no.1 at Middleweight, Pavlik's star has fallen considerably following his embarrassing loss to Bernard Hopkins and the recent postponement of his fight with Sergio Mora. However, Pavlik is still the iron-fisted slugger who beat Jermain Taylor and Edison Miranda into submission and turned the tough Marco Antonio Rubio into a a mid-fight pacifist.

6) Timothy Bradley- Bradley is the man at Jr. Welterweight, whether Ring Magazine says so or not. He went over to the UK to take the title from the awkward Junior Witter, completely dismantled veteran Edner Cherry, and beat fellow 140 lb. champ, Kendall Holt, in a thriller. Now, on August 1st, he takes on former unified Lightweight champ, Nate Campbell, in another tough and dangerous fight to add to the case for making him no. 1 at 140.

5) Chad Dawson- Forget the fact that he had a couple of dull fights with Antonio Tarver and consider the fact that he just beat Tarver twice...decisively. In addition to the Tarver fights, Dawson also holds exciting wins over Eric Harding, Tomasz Adamek, and Glen Johnson. The rematch of the controversial Johnson fight has been signed to once and for all prove that Dawson indeed deserved the nod.

4) Bernard Hopkins- Coming off his schooling of Kelly Pavlik, B-Hop is looking for just the right fight with which to close out a spectacular career. Whoever he fights last needs to be aware that they are fighting one of the smartest, toughest men in the game and that they are in for a very long night. If Hopkins doesn't make it into the Hall of Fame as soon as he's eligible, they should just close the place down.

3) Shane Mosley- With wins over Antonio Margarito, Ricardo Mayorga and Luis Collazo as well as a close contest with Miguel Cotto, Mosley has re-established his claim as one of the few active fighters who could be tagged with the "Legend" label. He has been in hot pursuit of a bout with Manny Pacquiao, but that looks unlikely to happen.

2) Paul Williams- Williams has been given the nickname of "The Most Feared Man in Boxing" and it's hard to dispute. Most of the big names from 147 up to 160 simply refuse to even mention his name. Being an unusually tall and freakishly active southpaw has a lot to do with it...victories over Antonio Margarito and easy wins over tough veterans like Carlos Quintana, Verno Phillips and Winky Wright may also be a big factor in the fact that Williams' phone isn't ringing off the hook with fight offers.

1) Floyd Mayweather Jr.- Mayweather gets the top spot before he even officially makes his return from a 20 month "retirement." Mayweather may be the most gifted fighter of this generation and is doubly-blessed with one of the sharpest boxing minds in the sport. While getting gang-hated for having the nerve to talk about business decisions in boxing interviews, few can doubt that Mayweather is one awesome fighter.

Five to Watch

* Andre Ward- Olympic Gold Medalist who just outclassed Edison Miranda. He just may be the next big, American star.

* Andre Dirrell- In the same Super Middleweight division as Ward, Dirrell has a better resume at this point and has all the tools to beat anyone in and around the division.

* Rocky Juarez- No longer a prospect, but definitely someone with the skill and one-punch power to shock the world. He's blamed his recent tentative performances on an eye injury...He's a hundred percent healthy now...

* Chris Arreola- Arreola has two things lacking in the current crop of American Heavyweights: Massive power in either fist and the will to push ahead when things get rough.

* Daniel Jacobs- Still a baby in the sport, but few prospects have displayed the maturity and technique that Jacobs has shown so far against limited opposition.

So, there you have it! Cheer up America and light another bottle rocket. The world may be producing some great talents these days, but The USA is still capable of holding its own...

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The BTBC's "Picture This"

Journeyman Bobby Gunn is in training for his title fight against Cruiserweight king, Tomasz Adamek on July 11th. From this photo we can see that Gunn is going all out for this one...Apparently in a bid to be the bottom half of the most spectacular knockout of all-time. Keep reaching for the stars, Bobby!

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RIP Alexis Arguello, 1952-2009

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Former world boxing great and Managua Mayor Alexis Arguello was found dead at his home Wednesday, prompting three-days of official mourning for a rising star of the Sandinista party who once bitterly opposed the leftist movement.

Coroners were conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Sandinista Party Radio Ya and other local media were reporting it appeared to be a suicide. The La Prensa newspaper reported that Arguello — elected mayor of Nicaragua's capital last year — was found with a gunshot wound to the chest.

Arguello had spoken publicly of his struggle with depression, alcohol and drug use.

Presidential spokeswoman and first lady Rosario Murillo called Arguello "an example of forgiveness and reconciliation."

When Sandinista revolutionaries seized Arguello's bank accounts and homes in Managua in the 1980s, the boxer threw his support behind U.S.-backed Contra rebels and did not return to live in Nicaragua until after the 1990 electoral defeat of President Daniel Ortega.

Ortega called in 2005 to offer Arguello a spot on the Sandinista ticket as vice-mayor of Managua. He accepted and won. Relying heavily on his fame as a boxer, he went on to win November's mayoral election, though opponents alleged the vote was fraudulent.

On Wednesday, President Ortega announced he was canceling a trip to Panama's presidential inauguration because of the death.

Nicknamed "The Explosive Thin Man," Arguello retired from boxing in 1995 with a record of 82-8 with 65 knockouts and was a champion in three weight divisions. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992, where flags were flying at half-staff in his honor Wednesday.

Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran, a former welterweight world champion, expressed disbelief.

"I can't believe it. He was my friend, my brother," Duran said. "His death is a great loss for world boxing and a much greater loss for Nicaragua."

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Can Golden Boy Survive the Decade?

You could feel the tension in the air as the tide started turning against Golden Boy prospect, Victor Ortiz, this past Saturday at the Staples Center.

And, when Ortiz eventually caved in under the pressure of Marcos Maidana in the sixth, the frustration exploded as Shane Mosley gave Ortiz a few tense words, shortly followed by a second tongue lashing from Golden Boy boss, Oscar De la Hoya.

But you could hardly blame them for their frustration. The Ortiz loss was just the latest in a series of unfortunate turns for De la Hoya and his promotional company.

2009 began in outstanding fashion for GBP as Shane Mosley shocked the boxing world by easily handling Welterweight kingpin, Antonio Margarito.

Now, just about six months later, momentum has shifted away from the promotional company that, at one point, boasted veteran legends such as Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton and De la Hoya himself.

The Golden Boy of the recent past was on top of the world, snatching up as many veteran names as boxing headlines and brokering a deal with HBO which would essentially give them carte blanche to fill a lion's share of the available TV dates with fights and fighters of their choosing.

The boxing world, literally, was thrown at their feet and they most definitely had a plan for world domination.

Even with De la Hoya having been retired by Manny Pacquiao at the end of '08, the strategy would be simple: Mosley and Hopkins would build off of their remarkable wins against Margarito and Kelly Pavlik respectively while the entire promotion crossed its fingers that Ricky Hatton could somehow find a way to beat Pacquiao.

In the downtime between headline-grabbing fights by future Hall of Fame inductees, Golden Boy would satisfy the fans by highlighting their next generation of stars, all on the verge of greatness...or so they would have you believe.

Leading the GBP surge for future dominance were James Kirkland, Victor Ortiz, Robert Guerrero and Abner Mares.

Unfortunately, the boxing world is often not the most predictable and in a matter of just a few months, GBP would find the heavy-handed Kirkland behind bars for parole violation, Mares being nursed back to health following eye surgery and Ortiz and Guerrero being tagged with the label of being quitters in what was to be their "coming out" parties on HBO.

And to make matters worse, their "bankable" talents, Mosley and Hopkins, have not been able to find the type of fight they feel they need at this stage of their careers. Mosley has been desperately searching for a fight with an indifferent Pacquiao while Hopkins' only legit attempts at a fight were a half-hearted offer to Cruiserweight champ Tomasz Adamek and a rumored bout with the UK's Super Middleweight world champ, Carl Froch.

In the meantime, HBO has been saddled with mostly luke warm events that generate mediocre ratings and cost a relative fortune to stage. With the exception of Mosley-Margarito and Golden Boy/Top Rank promoted Pacquiao vs. Hatton, you'd be hard-pressed to find any positive Golden Boy events on HBO.

Don't think this fact is lost on HBO executives and don't think it's lost on Golden Boy's promotional rivals, either.

“They [HBO] gave their dates to one promoter, who's stable has now been wiped out. They made a bad mistake. They are not evil people, and I can't blame Golden Boy for grabbing those dates, but it shows that it wasn’t the wisest thing for them to do,” said Bob Arum of Top Rank.

Another blow to GBP is the fact that, in order to make the marquee fights for their established stars, they will need the cooperation of the other promoters who, at this point, have been driven to resentment by Golden Boy's perceived status as HBO's pet promotion.

So, with their best and brightest pretty much taken out of the equation and legit future stars, Erislandy Lara and Danny Jacobs, still too far away to be a factor, questions about the immediate future of Golden Boy have to be raised.

Will HBO grow frustrated with the poor showings and make Golden Boy go back to booking dates on a fight by fight basis?

And if HBO does this, will GBP be able to compete with a company like Top Rank who has a much deeper roster and a keener matchmaking eye at this point?

Can Oscar's company survive the decade? Probably, but expect a major re-tooling of the promotion and a reluctant admission from them that they do indeed need to co-exist with the other promotional companies in order to stay afloat.

2010 will be an interesting year for the sport and a crucial one for Golden Boy.

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