Puerto Rico vs. Philippines: Three Months, Three Title Fights- Round 1

by OneKrazyRican

Next Friday September 4th kick starts an unusual three months period in which three pinoy fighters will be challenging for world titles against Boricua champions.

Manny Pacquiao’s battles against the most recent crop of Mexican greats ignited a national boxing rivalry between Philippines and Mexico that has claimed a spot for the Philippines in discussions about boxing power houses. Is Puerto Rico up next?

Up to this day there had been very few notable title fights involving Puerto Rico and Philippines with Puerto Rico holding a comfortable lead.

Puerto Rican hall of famer Carlos Ortiz’ two knockout wins over late Filipino great Flash Elorde, Samuel Serrano’s win and draw against Ben Villaflor, Nelson Dieppa’s explosive 11th round ko over Andy Tabanas, Ivan Calderon’s 8th round ko over Noel Tunacao, Juan Manuel Lopez 10th round stoppage over Gery Penalosa and most recently Ivan Calderon’s technical draw against Rodel Mayol combine for a 6-0-2 (5 kos) record in favor of the Caribbean warriors. Can this new group led by pound for pound ruler Manny Paquiao turn the tide?

Round one of three starts matching 37 years old veteran Jose “Carita” Lopez 39-7-0 (32 Kos) against 19 years old rising prospect Marvin Sonsona 13-0 (12 Kos). It has been a rough journey for Lopez who holds the particularity of having won his first world title in his 5th attempt. The experienced and powerful boxer puncher has been in an impressive run since his last loss in 2001, a title fight in which he managed to score a knock down over defending champion Fernando Montiel.

During this time Lopez worked his way up the rankings ladder the old way. He has compiled a 15-0-1 (8 Kos) record including a mild upset knock out over Dominican young gun Juan Mercedes. After collecting most regional titles available Lopez finally got his world title via unanimous decision over 45-1-1 Pramuansak Posuwan last March.

In Sonsona he faces an explosive punching southpaw that many writers have gotten to compare with the great Manny Paquiao. Lopez’ camp pays no attention to the comparisons and has expressed to have trained as hard as he trains for any other fight. “I always come well prepared and this will be no exception. He’s young a little taller than me but we will do a good work. I will be prepared for anything he brings. I don’t think he can bring anything that I have not seen before but I'm sure he will be facing something new when he faces me due to his inexperience which can be a big factor. Nevertheless I can’t be overconfident and I am not,” were Lopez’ words when asked about his young challenger.

In preparation for this bout Lopez has accumulated a total of 140 rounds of sparring, including several encounters with fellow champion Ivan Calderon who by the way faces Rodel Mayol next month in the second round of this series. Lopez has been already close to the 115 pounds limit for several days so he expects to have no problems to comply with a contracted rare same day weight in. “It’s rare and unusual but its the same for both of them. “Carita” is making the weight comfortably. expressed Lopez trainer after revealing the strange agreement.

Round one comes up next Friday and many questions will be answered. Will experience prevail over youth? Will this be Sonsona’s coming out party as the next Philipino boxing sensation?

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Amateurs Sight London Glory

by Dafs117

It is a long road to London 2012, but the sports’ next stars begin that journey in Italy this week at the World Championships in Milan.

After Britain’s recent success at Beijing and the Olympics in London now less than three years away, a young group of seven faces their first international test at the 12-day competition which begins tomorrow.

Having tasted European glory last year, the GB squad now gets its first opportunity to test itself against the cream of the crop of amateur boxing with Cuba and China likely to prove the sternest competition of the 100 nations competing in Italy.

Every squad have been putting the finishing touches to their preparations at a training camp, with the GB team training in France. All are set to do battle in Milan.

This is the first time seeding will take place. The scoring system unfortunately is still in place.

Here are my picks for the tournament.

At 48 kg, Zou Shiming of China has dominated the category for a while, but is absent of this year’s tournament. Former European champion David Ayrapetyan of Russia should be challenging the top. Kaew Pongprayoon of Thailand and Olympic silver medalist Purevdorj Serdamba of Mongolia are the favorites, not forgetting about Daniel Matellon and last year's European champion Hovanes Danielyan of Armenia. My pick is Purevdorj Serdamba.
Prediction: Zhou Shiming (CUB)

At 51kg, Cuban Yampier Hernández is moving up from 48 kg looks to be the favourite but should be challenged by the junior European champion Russian youngster, Misha Aloyan, since he’s replaced three-time European gold medalist Georgy Balakshin in the Russian team for this tournament. Yampier Hernández should be favourite.
Prediction: Yampier Hernández (CUB)

At 54kg, Olympic silver medalist Yankiel León should get the long awaited gold in the absence of Mongolia's Olympic champion Enkhbat Badar-Uugan. Also trying to get the gold is Ukrainian European champion Georgy Chigayev but Yankiel León is my pick.
Prediction: Yankiel León (CUB)

At 57kg, it looks a cakewalk for the best boxer of the Beijing Olympics and the European champion Vasyl Lomachenko of the Ukraine. He will be challenged by the world champion of the 54kg class, Russian Sergey Vodopyanov, who has moved up from the lower weight category. Three years ago they clashed at the junior European Championships with Lomachenko being the winner. For that reason he should walk through the tournament.
Prediction: Vasyl Lomachenko (UKR)

60 kg -, Albert Selimov of Russia is the runaway favorite, the world champion of the 57kg finds himself challenged by home boxer Domenico Valentino and Cuba's Idel Torrente. Selimov is the odds-on favourite though.
Prediction: Albert Selimov (RUS)

64kg - Russia's two-time Olympic champion, Aleksey Tishchenko has moved up to this category, but will be absent from Milan, just like the two finalists from the Beijing Olympic Games and the Englishman Bradley Saunders, who had his thumb broken recently. This might open the door to the experienced Gyula Káté of Hungary, silver medalist at last year's Liverpool European Championships and Cuban Olympic bronze medalist Rosniel Iglesias. Maksim Ignatiev of Russia and Alexis Vastine of France are also in contention for a medal.
Prediction: Gyula Kate (HUN)

At 69kg, two-time world champion Serik Sapiev of Kazakhstan is the favorite although Olympic silver medalist Carlos Banteur of Cuba and David Arustamyan from Russia might have different ideas. Hungary's junior world champion Balázs Bacskai has shown outstanding form this year, winning the European Community Championships.
Prediction: Serik Sapiev (KAZ)

75kg - Emilio Correa of Cuba is ready to swap his Olympic silver medal for a gold in Milan, however Venezuelan AIBA World Championship Chicago 2007 silver medalist Alfonso Blanco and Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan - the reigning 81kg world champion - cannot be discounted either.
Prediction: Abbos Atoev (UZB)

81kg – Here’s all the talent. Chicago World Championships silver medalist Artur Betierbiyev of Russia, junior world champion José Angel Larduet of Cuba and the experienced Imre Szello of Hungary will all vie for a medal. Olympic silver medalist Kenneth Egan of Ireland and Russian European Championship silver medalist Sergey Korneyev are worthy candidates also.
Prediction: Kenneth Egan (IRE)

91kg - Title holder and home favorite Clemente Russo is the big favorite along with Osmay Acosta of Cuba, the Olympic bronze medalist. Oleksandr Usyk of the Ukraine has moved up from 81kg where he was European champion to make life interesting for the favorites.
Prediction: Clemente Russo (ITA)

+91kg - Home town favourite Roberto Cammarelle of Italy will be out to repeat his gold medal from Chicago two years ago. Erislandy Savón of Cuba - the nephew of legendary Cuban boxer Felix Savón - could be challenging him, just like old guns Viktar Zuev of Belarus and Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria.
Prediction: Roberto Cammarelle (ITA)

Is this where we’ll see the future champions? Will America spring a couple of surprises? We’ll have to wait and see.

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FNF 8/28: The Return of TV Boxing or A One Shot Revival?

by Paul Magno

(Also Published on Eastsideboxing.com)

It was hard to believe, but I actually had butterflies in my stomach as the familiar Friday Night Fights intro kicked in.

I was anticipating the Cloud-Woods, Urango-Bailey championship double header all week and had even finished up my work a bit earlier to make sure I could be front and center with nothing on my mind other than boxing.

Friday Night Fights is always on my viewing schedule, but I can't remember one of their shows being this highly anticipated, at least by me.

The fights themselves were solid encounters with the young banger, Tavoris Cloud taking a Unanimous Decision for the vacant IBF Light Heavyweight title over the veteran ex-champ, Clinton Woods and the tank-like Juan Urango coming back from a hard knockdown to force veteran Randall Bailey's corner to throw in the towel 11 rounds into Urango's IBF 140-lb. defense.

These weren't over-publicized celebrity boxing exhibitions, randomly matching two name fighters in a barely relevant encounter, as is all the rage these days.

The two bouts we saw on Friday were evenly-matched pairings that actually meant something above and beyond a payday for the fighters and the promise of bigger paydays for even less risk next time out. There were no bogus catchweight clauses or magical diamond belts.

What we saw was just plain, old boxing...the boxing that every fan first fell in love with...Championship-caliber match-ups that made you want to tune in and solid matchmaking that guaranteed a satisfying effort regardless of who won.

I sure hope the ratings reflect the effort put into signing the Friday Night Fights season finale card because, from my vantage point, fight fans from around the globe greatly appreciated the change from the usual ESPN2 menu of mostly gross mismatches and meaningless filler.

Not every card has to feature two world title bouts, but all TV bouts should feature solid, known fighters in meaningful, well-booked showdowns.

There is plenty of talent, a notch below the mega stars, that could be utilized with minimal cost and huge potential benefit. The marginal PPV shows like Latin Heat, Pinoy Power, Hook City, etc. could all be co-opted into televised bouts that would draw very respectable ratings, build the fighters into bigger stars and be simpler for the promoters in terms of logistics and overhead.

Is there any doubt that Roy Jones Jr. fighting Jeff Lacy on ESPN would've drawn huge numbers? Jones would have been forced to take a pay cut to accept such a deal, but a win on "free" TV would propel him back into the land of "real" PPV shows and possibly double his Hook City payday next time out...and he wouldn't have to dress like a pirate to do it.

There was a time when all the super fights were on PPV, a step below was HBO and Showtime, then the other TV bouts and, finally, the club fights where young prospects and returning veterans battled for respect off-camera.

Nowadays, most everything is on PPV, HBO and Showtime bouts are mostly showcase fights leading to the PPVs, and other TV outlets are forced to pick through the decaying remains of divisions ruined by stars sitting on their belts and holding out for a spot on the celebrity boxing circuit.

There's nothing wrong with boxing that can't be corrected with proper matchmaking and ballsy promoting.

Let's hope that the August 28th edition of Friday Night Fights was the first shot fired in the war to bring the sport back to the fans.

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Bring Back Boxing On BBC

by dafs117

After the recent collapse of Setanta, British fans have struggled to find an affordable channel that shows live world class boxing. With ITV refusing to broadcast any live boxing on ITV1, has boxing disappeared off mainstream television for good?

Over the last two years, Britain’s main channel, BBC, hasn’t broadcasted any boxing live bar the Olympics. No Hatton. No Calzaghe. No Haye. No Witter. No Froch. A huge number of fans that could have been hooked have turned to other sports. Something has to be done or the fans won’t stick around. Can you imagine how football fans would react if they never had any football to watch? No Match of the Day. No Football Focus. We have so many world-class fighters in our country and they aren’t getting screen time in Britain.

Is it time for the BBC to step forward and take priority?

This is what Boxing News think. They have set up a campaign demanding the BBC to show either the Super 6 Tournament or the Pacquiao-Cotto clash.

From a recent Boxing News article: "We have asked the Beeb (BBC) to come to the rescue in two areas; they can either pick up the Super Six (which seems destined to hit just the Five Live airwaves as far as the BBC is concerned) or they can go for the November 14 Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto superfight, quite possibly the biggest clash of the year but one which is yet to find a home on British TV. With the former they would have the longer investment (a two-year tournament), following Carl Froch all through a number of mouth-watering engagements to a final that is likely to be the best fight of an altogether stunning show. Of course, the benefit of that is the Beeb screens a British star (Froch), one who won two ABA titles on their channel, a World championship medal on their channel and his first pro title (the Commonwealth) on their channel. Plus he has made recent appearances on Question of Sport and the Weakest Link. The momentum is there. Into the bargain they get fights such as Jermain Taylor-Arthur Abraham, Mikkel Kessler-Andre Ward and the Froch fights versus Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham and Kessler. Pardon me but, wow! Or, if they would like an extra month to mull over this tidal wave of hope, they could take the other route and show Pacquiao-Cotto with some readymade story lines. Pacquiao is, of course, the man millions know as the fighter who so severely pancaked Ricky Hatton in May. Cotto, of course, is the pound-for-pound contender who buzzed through Shane Mosley, Zab Judah and a dozen other top light-welters and welters before running headfirst (repeatedly) into the questionable gloves of Antonio Margarito.

"As if that fanfare is not enough, why does the BBC not show the Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7 show to whet the appetite? With that model they have a made to order preview show to generate big (potentially huge) figures. The Beeb has dealt with HBO before. Remember Ward-Gatti II? Remember Toney-Jirov? Remember The Sopranos? All HBO products on the Beeb. This cannot be impossible. It surely is not impossible."

The BBC have enough experts of their own to work out what fights are worth covering and which are not. They provide excellent radio coverage in the form of Mike Costello, the passionate Ronald McIntosh and the irrepressible legend Steve Bunce.

Whoever gives boxing a proper home and treats it with respect will be doing themselves a favour. Past numbers support that. And the fight fraternity agrees. It’s not over-egging the situation to say good fights attract millions of viewers especially a thrilling heavyweight contest. Cherry-picking the best fights could make BBC the home of British boxing.

Let’s show the BBC what the greatest sport on the planet means to us.
http://survey.newsquestspecialistmedia.com/TakeSurvey.asp?PageNumber=1&SurveyID=mKIl8821988KG

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Mayweather vs. Marquez – Coming To a Theatre Near You?

by Dafs117

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez have most probably never dreamt of the opportunity to be on a big screen.

Their plan is to bring boxing back to the purists. With PPV prices soaring up in recent years, Richard Schaefer announced a unique opportunity to watch a fight of the year contender on high definition. At least 170 theatres in 78 major markets will be showing the fight. The admission fee is suggested at $15 per person.

The fight is being marketed in over 1,500 screens in a plan to reach a wider boxing audience. “I really think the younger audience, the fans that go to the theatre on Saturday night, they don’t want to stay at home.” Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said at the press conference. “I think it’s going to open up the sport of boxing to a new and younger audience.”

The card will take place at the MGM Grand. With a strong and competitive undercard, this is a PPV event that is worth watching for an avid boxing fan. But why have they suddenly changed their tune and market boxing to a wider audience?

Is Mayweather trying to prove a point? In an interview with Brian Kenny, he debated that he could pull in better figures with Juan Manuel Marquez than with Shane Mosley. Is he trying to prove that he’s a much bigger draw than Manny Pacquiao? As Pacquiao’s popularity has shot up, does Mayweather feel threatened by the Filipino? I wouldn’t think so. Mayweather is still a popular if controversial figure in the boxing world and would still keep his popularity as long as he keeps winning against worthy opponents.

Are they scared that the MMA PPV figures will steal more than the usual market share? Dana White, boxing sinner, is claiming that boxing is dead. Setting up an intriguing light heavyweight contest to rival Mayweather-Marquez, do they feel they need to do more to outsell their rival combat sport?

The last big fight to be shown live on a big screen was Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Duran. It was very successful and praised for the unique atmosphere that wouldn’t happen at ringside.

Have we finally turned a corner? Do promoters really care about the fans? I wouldn’t bank on it. But the more cards and fresh ideas promoters and producers put into action the more fan friendly the sport will become. The Super Middleweight Super 6 Boxing Classic Tournament is a great example of the promoters and fighters turning a corner. The best of the best will compete in an intriguing and very competitive field which will include four current and former titleholders and two Olympic medallists. This is what fans want. Hopefully boxing can change for the better and this is a first step in the right direction.

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Houston, We have rip-off

by dafs117

Earlier in the week, Paulie Malignaggi wasn’t happy. He had a gut feeling that he was going to be on the bad end of a poor decision against hometown favourite Juan Diaz. What he didn’t know was how much controversy was going to follow the fight.

Middleweight prospect Daniel Jacobs stated his claim as a contender with a comfortable unanimous decision over Ishe Smith. Kicking off the broadcast on HBO Boxing After Dark, Jacobs showed his potential in a messy scrap with scores of 96-93, 96-93 and 100-89. 100-89? How did that happen? How did Jacobs win every round against a determined Smith? Smith made it a much more competitive contest than was expected and he gets a score like that from Raul Caiz. This is something that has to change in boxing.

Junior Lightweight Robert Gurrero won the IBF Junior Lightweight belt with an impressive victory over Malcolm Klassen. Klassen showed no authority in the fight as was expected as he failed to cut down the ring and tee off his punches. Gurrero looked slick in a victory that propels Gurrero up the pecking order at 130 lbs. The scores were respectable and accurate as Gurrero won by unanimous decision with scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 116-113.

Then the main event included hometown favourite Juan Diaz in his first fight over 135 lbs against Paulie Malignaggi. Many expected Diaz to walk through Malignaggi and punish the ‘Magic Man’ and stop him late in the fashion Ricky Hatton did last year. But Malignaggi had other ideas.

Malignaggi started strong throwing the jab to keep Diaz at bay and off balance. Diaz took time to adjust to the tactics and couldn’t maul Malignaggi down. Diaz won the middle rounds in competitive rounds that could have gone either way. But Malignaggi finished the fight with style winning three of the last four rounds comfortably in my opinion. It looked to be a close decision which could go either way and I don’t think anyone bar Malignaggi would complain about a close decision that goes to Diaz. For the record, I scored it 115-114 to Malignaggi.

As the scores were read out, Malignaggi’s face was already in disgust. He knew that the judges had been swayed by the crowd. Raul Caiz scored it 115-113, David Sutherland scored it 116-112 and Gale Van Hoy scored the bout 118-110 all in favour of the ‘Baby Bull’ Juan Diaz.

As Max Kellerman did another lousy interview he read the panel’s scores. Harold Lederman scored it 115-113 to Malignaggi. “At least somebody scored the fight right. Raul Caiz had the closest scorecard and he’s golden boy’s gopher. Of course I’m not going to get a rematch. Boxing is full of sh*t. Diaz can call out Marquez again and I have to take anything that will come my way. Boxing is full of sh*t.”

The villain here is not Juan Diaz. He deserves more credit than he will get as he outpointed the Brash Brooklyn Malignaggi. He won the fight because he kept plodding forward when Malignaggi took a breather. His relentless pressure wins him rounds. It wasn’t his best showing but it was effective.

The villain isn’t Paulie Malignaggi either. The New Yorker put on an excellent display of courage against one of the toughest boxers in the sport. Mostly everyone on the forum scored the bout to Malignaggi. He has fallen out of love with the sport and wants to walk away from it. After that performance, he is still a top contender at 140 lbs.

The crook is Gale Van Hoy. We excuse Raul Caiz and David Sutherland because we respect that others can see close rounds go another way. But 118-110?? Are you serious? Did you have dogsh*t in your eyes when you watched that? Maliganggi gave everything he had and the Texan gives an awful score which is an insult to the sport, to his profession, to Malignaggi and to Diaz as it takes the limelight off a stunningly competitive match-up. The worst thing is Malignaggi knew it was going to happen. He complained about the weight, location, size of the ring and judges. He said “Raul Caiz practically works for Golden Boy and Gale Van Hoy is a Texan”.

Nobody can defend a score like that. Van Hoy needs to be thrown out of the top contests and he can’t be Texas’ #1 judge. As NASA prepare to send another space shuttle up in the sky, they might get a report: Houston, we have a problem with the scoring.

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The BTBC Spotlight

118-110 for Juan Diaz? Really? Gale Van Hoy is a fine judge...until he's asked to judge Golden Boy fighters in his own home state of Texas. Then, Van Hoy becomes a bumbling fool who gives the appearance of not even watching the bouts in the ring.

Before this latest debacle, Van Hoy scored Chris John-Rocky Juarez 114-114 in a bout that should've been a clear win for John.

Coincidence? Fine judge one moment...hometown puppet the next...Hmmmm...

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HBO BAD Recap: Golden Boy Strikes Back

The Toyota Center in Houston, Texas was the site of a big triple-header last night and it actually was playing out to be one of those rare, recent boxing events that didn't get bogged down in controversy...until the main event.

On the undercard, "The Golden Child" Daniel Jacobs beat Ishe Smith via UD in a bout that clearly highlighted Jacobs' rising stock against a solid second-tier fighter despite being stunned briefly in the fifth.

However, one got the feeling that had Smith been a little busier and more intent on consistantly causing harm instead of just looking like he wanted to cause harm, the 22-year old prospect may have struggled mightily. (scores: 96-93, 96-93, 100-89. The BTBC had it 97-92, also for Jacobs) Smith was penalized a point in the 9th round for hitting after the bell.

The second televised bout saw Fernando "The Ghost" Guerrero take South African Malcolm Klassen's title away via another UD.

With exactly 1,200 punches thrown over 12, Guerrero was way too busy for Klassen, who was highly effective whenever he actually threw punches...which wasn't too often.(scores: 117-111, 116-113, 116-112. The BTBC had it 117-111, also for Guerrero)

In the main event, Juan Diaz won a controversial UD over Paulie Malignaggi in a very close bout that could've gone either way.

Diaz came out strong, but eventually Malignaggi caught his rhythm and was winning the late rounds by boxing on the outside. Diaz suffered 2 cuts over his left eye and Malignaggi had a minor cut over his own left eye.

The controversy of the evening came as the scores were read: 116-112, 115-113 and 118-110 from Texas judge Gale Van Hoy. The BTBC had it 114-114.

After the bout, Malignaggi praised Diaz and the Houston crowd, but said that boxing "is full of sh*t...the only reason I do this is because it gives me a good payday."

Paulie may not have to worry about doing something he "cannot stand" for those paydays anymore...

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Paul Williams...Still the Champ Nobody Wants.

by Simon Garner

In the Summer 2007, Paul Williams took on Antonio Margarito at the Home Depot Centre in Carson California for the WBO Welterweight championship. It was Williams’ first shot at a world title belt. He defeated the now disgraced Mexican 147-pounder by unanimous decision and established himself as one of the top guys in the division.

However, a points loss to Carlos Quintana followed by a vindictive 1st round knock-out in the rematch, left “The Punisher” with somewhat of a conundrum. No one wanted to fight him. He wasn’t a big enough name to bring in the big bucks. But at the same time, he was too risky a fight for a made fighter to take.

Since then he has been forced to move up the divisions to look for meaningful fights. First, with a one-round demolition of Andy Kolle, followed by an 8th round stoppage of Verno Phillips to claim the interim WBO Light-Middleweight title belt and a wide 12 round decision over former champion, Winky Wright.

Williams was then set up to fight Kelly Pavlik later this year, however, due to whatever reason, that bout has now been cancelled (official story from Camp Pavlik was that it was due to a knuckle injury, but it is well known that Pavlik recently checked into rehab due to alcohol dependency).

Therefore, Paul Williams has been left high and dry without anyone to fight…sound familiar?

He has two choices in my eyes. Hang around and wait for a big money fight, or cut his losses and fight a smaller name for less money, hoping that a household name is available in February/March.

Lets now look at some potential fights for “The Punisher”:

Welterweight:

For starters, I don’t think Williams can make welterweight easily. The last time he fought there was over a year ago. Now I’m not saying he’s an Eric Morales or a Ricky Hatton, but I imagine his body will have adapted to the higher weight – but hey, I could be wrong. And according to George Peterson, Williams’ trainer, he is currently around 150lb.
So, who’s available:

· Shane Mosley – seems like the obvious candidate. He’s a big name, if not a big money name, and is free either in the short term or later next year. He’s fought at 147lb and 154lb so could be flexible on that issue. The only problem for Williams is the obvious one – he might get beat! Mosley has been one of the most consistent performers over the last 10 years at least and has beaten some big names. If Carlos Quintana can outbox Williams, Mosley sure as hell can.
· Andre Berto/ Joshua Clottey – both up and coming names in the 147lb division and are available in October. However, they are not big names and their camps, especially in the case of Berto, are unlikely to risk their fighter against a man like Williams.

Light-Middleweight:

· Kermit Cintron – I think this would be a fairly easy fight for Williams and he’s a fairly big name fighter. Williams is currently the WBO Interim champ and Cintron is the no.1 contender so this could easily be billed as a title eliminator.
· Sergiy Dzinziruk – current WBO 154lb champ and free in October. Negotiations stalled between the two parties but given the cancellation of the Pavlik-Williams fight, a fight can now be made.
· Sergio Mora - ………anyway……….

Middleweight:

· Felix Sturm – current WBA Champ, but fought as recently as July. Any fight would probably take place later on in the year but due to Sturm’s reluctance to fight outside of his native Germany, it is unlikely this fight could be made unless the money was right.

Above Middleweight:

· Bernard Hopkins – a fight that has already been discussed heavily on the BTBC Forum. The news coming out of the Williams camp though is that the fight would have to be at 165lb for them to even consider fighting, so then it would depend on Hopkins. I imagine Bernard would sooner wait on the winner of Dawson-Johnson II or Thomas Adamek.

I believe that if Williams is to go above 160, he should only do it to fight Hopkins. The reasoning being, that if he beats Hopkins – there is no one left to fight at the weight because they are all tied up with the “Super Six” tournament.

Conclusion:

In my opinion, Paul Williams’ best option would be to go down to 147lb and get in amongst it. If he beats say…Shane Mosley, he’ll turn heads and could end up fighting one of the box office names like Pretty Boy Floyd.

A more realistic option maybe to go to 154lb, fight Dzinziruk and maybe unify the belts. By staying at this weight he leaves himself the option of taking fights at a lower weight or at 160lb later next year if Pavlik has picked himself up off the bar floor.

Taking a fight with Hopkins is always risky as “The Ghost” showed. I believe Williams would win due to the shear volume of punches he throws against an aging warrior like “The Executioner.” However, his biggest problem would be how he deals with his weight after the bout.

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BTBC Voodoo Curse on Paulie Malignaggi!

The Inaugural BTBC Voodoo Curse goes to Paulie Malignaggi and his management team for enthusiastically granting our interview request, giving us the runaround for 4 days and eventually leaving us hanging...all the while he so "graciously" made calls to every other media outlet.

For being the equivalent of a lying gold-digger, this is for you, Paulie:

May the restless spirits see this folly

And bring cruel justice

To Fly-Swattin' Malignaggi!

¡Booga-Booga!

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Roy Jones Jr.: Get Real or Get Out

by Paul Magno

It was almost too appropriate when Roy Jones Jr. assumed the identity of Peter Pan bad guy, Captain Hook, for the pre-fight publicity leading up to Saturday's PPV bout with Jeff Lacy.

Dressed as the hook-handed cartoon pirate, he was the very definition of irony since Jones, the one-time baddest man on the planet, has been a mere caricature of himself for the last six years.

There was a time when he would do to world-class fighters what he did to a clueless, hapless Jeff Lacy in the main event of the Hook City card from Biloxi, MS.

In Jones' glory days, the six and eight-punch combinations were flying at fighters like Bernard Hopkins and James Toney, not at a lifeless lump of flesh like Lacy, who was painfully out of his league, even against a fighter not even in his own league anymore.

...And here's a little secret about Lacy that most hardcore fight fans already know: He's always been slow, predictable and a very fortunate club fighter who managed to win a world title...He's never been much more and after being humiliated by Joe Calzaghe, beaten by Jermain Taylor and moving up from 168 to 175, not much was expected from him...

The Lacy fight was only the latest in a series of encounters, temporarily interrupted by a one-sided beating against Calzaghe, designed to give the impression that the legendary Roy Jones Jr. is still relevant.

Prince Badi Ajamu, Anthony Hanshaw, Felix Trinidad, Omar Sheika (!) and now Jeff Lacy; All assigned with the difficult task of looking just good enough to make RJ look like he's actually fighting, but not so good as to actually challenge him.

Whether Jones' ego or his wallet is at the core of this charade is a mystery, but this "comeback" leads to the bigger question of when it'll stop. What's his ultimate goal? Money? One more title shot? Respect?

If the goal is money, this is all understandable, but if Jones is fighting for respect? One has to wonder how a Hall of Fame legend can earn respect by beating a collection of club fighters and faded, naturally-smaller opponents.

All stories are worthless unless they actually go some place and Jones' story, right now, is just one long run-on sentence with no real reason or purpose behind it. A proposed bout against another over-matched fringe contender, Danny Green, will not put a period at the end of Jones' career sentence.

The last three times Jones has faced world-class talent, he's been blown-out and/or blown away. Does he hope to eventually redeem himself? Or does he even care anymore?

Boxing is full of posers and pretenders...We don't need one of our modern day legends degrading himself by clowning and showboating against obviously inferior talents.

Roy Jones: Get Real or Get Out.

If you don't plan on fighting real, world-class fighters, then focus your energies on promoting fighters who actually do.

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The BTBC Fight of the Week

Saturday, August 15th

Steven Luevano vs. Bernabe Concepcion

(WBO Featherweight Title)

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada

The Breakdown:

Steven Luevano: 36-1-1 (15 KO), Rated #2 at Featherweight by the BTBC

Age: 28

Height: 5' 7 "

Reach: 69"

Stance: Southpaw

Career Achievements: Reigning WBO Featherweight Champ (4 Defenses)

Notable Opposition: Cristobal Cruz (Win via UD), Nicky Cook (Win via KO 11), Mario Santiago (Draw), Billy Dib (Win via UD)

*********

Bernabe Concepcion: 29-1-1 (16 KO), Rated #5 at Jr. Featherweight by the BTBC

Age: 21

Height: 5' 4"

Reach: 69"

Stance: Orthodox

Career Achievements: WBC International Featherweight Title

Notable Opposition: None

*********

Paulie the Sicilian's Prediction: There's no doubt that Luevano is the better, more accomplished pro boxer. He's not really outstanding in any one area, but he's well-schooled...and that goes a long way these days.

Concepcion is a ball of energy, but, on paper, doesn't even belong in the ring with Luevano.

However, this fight ain't just on paper...

Luevano doesn't like to be pressured; He has serious issues when fighters press him and don't give him the space and time to execute his gameplan. And, unfortunately for him, he just doesn't have the one-punch power to keep an aggressive opponent off him...

Luevano will go into the second half of the fight with a slight lead and Concepcion will be pressing the entire time. Eventually, Concepcion's pressure and the will of the pro-Filipino crowd will weigh on Luevano and he will tire.

Concepcion stops an exhausted Luevano in the 10th or 11th.

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Miguel Cotto: Boxing's Whipping Boy?

I've been racking my brain to remember a time when a defending world champion with as much credibility as Miguel Cotto has been treated so dismissively by his opponents, the sanctioning body he represents and the very promoter who is supposed to have his best interests in mind.

The disrespect tossed at Cotto has been a lesson for all those "good soldiers" in the sport who tow the company line and keep their mouths shut.

The first "dis" came following Cotto's brutal beatdown at the hands of Antonio Margarito.

As everyone knows, Margarito was found to be wearing hand wraps coated with a "plaster-like" substance prior to his bout with Shane Mosley. When people put two and two together many put a big question mark over all of Margarito's wins, most notably his brutal destruction of Miguel Cotto and the grotesque manner in which he battered Cotto's face.

Top Rank honcho and alleged member of Team Cotto, Bob Arum, spent most of the "Plaster Gate" scandal defending Margarito and denying the loaded wrap claims...at the expense of the feelings of probable victim, Miguel Cotto.

Cotto sat back and remained the strong silent type, only occasionally giving voice to the anger he felt inside for the possible cheat and the frustration of having his own promoter defend the fighter who may have, literally, stolen millions from him when his loss ruined the chance of a showdown with Oscar De la Hoya.

Then, after suffering a beating that may have been caused by an illegal substance and having his promoter turn his back on him, Manny Pacquiao jumps in and claims the glory that could very well have been his by knocking off Oscar.

Cotto is forced into a nothing fight with Michael Jennings and a tough battle with Joshua Clottey for a fraction of the pay he would've received from a De la Hoya bout.

All this leads to an eventual big money showdown with Manny Pacquiao where despite being the reigning champ, he is forced to give in to every one of Pacquiao's demands, including an arbitrary 145 lb. limit.

While the blame for this weak negotiating falls squarely on Team Cotto, it should be pointed out that the intermediary, Arum, never once lifted a finger to argue on Cotto's side of the table...despite having just lured Cotto to a two-year extension on his Top Rank contract.

Now, the latest indignity for Cotto is that he's being told to either put up his WBO Welterweight title for the Pacquiao fight or be forced to vacate.

Cotto's take on this and, in my opinion, the correct one, is that since a world Welterweight title is fought between 140 and 147, it is against the organization's rules to be forced to fight at an arbitrary catchweight for the title.

The WBO, of course, cares little about fair play and professionalism and decided to counter Cotto's correct assertion by making Pacquiao their number one contender at 147 despite only one win at Welter, against an unranked De la Hoya.

Like it or not, Cotto will put up his hard-earned title and, without a doubt, it should be made clear that he's being forced to. If Cotto balks, he will find himself without the title and it will be Pacquiao's to win, anyway.

How's that for respectful treatment of a veteran champion?

Beaten with illegal wraps, Your cheating conqueror defended by your own promoter, your promotional company allowing you to be raped in negotiations and the sanctioning body you represent forcing you to ignore their own bylaws and put the belt on the line...Geesh!

It's no wonder guys like De la Hoya and Mayweather opted to be on their own as soon as they reached the top...there's just no loyalty among thieves.

The best revenge for Cotto is to come into the Pacquiao fight, saddled with every possible psychological disadvantage, and stop the insanity right then and there with a big win...but, even then, he has to contend with the officials, who are always up for a good screw job, especially if it's in favor of a fighter "about to make history" with seven titles in seven weight divisions.

Miguel Cotto deserves better.

- Paul Magno

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Debunking the Myth of UFC Dominance

by Paul Magno

Two weeks a month boxing fans have to withstand a barrage of attacks from fans and representatives of the UFC. The week before a UFC PPV and the week after, we'll hear: "Boxing is dead...Boxing is dying...Boxing is losing its ground to MMA...MMA is the combat sport of the future...etc, etc..."

Most of the so-called legit media take the story and run with it, not really knowing or caring whether the story is true or not. It just makes for a good headlines and it justifies their own ignorance when it comes to the sport of boxing..

Also, helping spread boxing's obituary is the ever-accessible, ever-outspoken Dana White, head honcho of the UFC and de facto voice of MMA. White is a soundbite machine and he spends a good portion of each interview ripping apart all things boxing while declaring MMA, and the UFC specifically, as the antidote to all that's ailing combat sports.

White will talk about the lack of star power in boxing, the corruption and the general degradation of interest in the sport. He'll talk until his segment is up and then post it all over the internet for even more to hear.

He'll never mention the fact that his company probably only has one or two fighters, to be generous, remotely recognizable to the average person on the street. One wonders who would draw more attention on a busy street corner in downtown Chicago, the threesome of Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Bernard Hopkins or the MMA trio of Georges St.Pierre, BJ Penn and Lyoto Machida...The answer to that is obvious.

White's claims of corruption in boxing are, unfortunately, not too far off. But what he fails to mention is that, while his own iron fisted control over his company prevents a lot of controversy in areas of scoring, it opens up just as many questions when it comes to proper fighter rankings and issues regarding fair wages and benefits.

The biggest fallacy in the "Boxing's Dead/MMA Rules" line of thought has to do with the very essence of the way both sports do business. And it's in this discrepancy that we truly discover that boxing is not dying at all and that MMA is not really ruling.

First, it should be made clear that MMA, as a sport, is most definitely not taking over the world. As a matter of fact, the UFC is the only Mixed Martial Arts company that is able to make a real profit and the attempts to branch off into Europe and Latin America have yielded mixed results, at best.

Boxing, on the other hand, has enjoyed great expansion in the international market.

Recently, over 60,000 fans packed into a soccer stadium to see Wladimir Klitschko defend against Ruslan Chagaev and a packed arena in the United Kingdom saw Amir Khan win his first world title. All across Europe and Asia stadiums and arenas are being packed for boxing shows; TV ratings are also through the roof. Even previously dead markets like Russia, Turkey and China have hosted boxing events with great success and are exploring future boxing-related events.

In the United States, boxing is not as prominent as it once was and stars do seem like they're harder to come by, but this is only because the rest of the world is catching up to the talent and skill level of US fighters. Now, it's just as likely to see a meaningful title defense in Europe as it is in Las Vegas.

However, it should be pointed out that attendance has generally been good at boxing events in the US. For instance, a weak card in Newark, New Jersey with the questionable Tomasz Adamek-Bobby Gunn main event, drew over 8,000 fans and the Vic Darchinyan-Joseph Agbeko card in Florida drew over 9,000 while, on the same night, the mega-promoted UFC 100 drew over 10,000 in Las Vegas.

A dominant UFC should've crushed two marginal boxing cards in secondary markets, but it didn't, at least not at the live gate.

But let's get back on track and look at the way the UFC does business compared to the way boxing does business. The myth of UFC dominance gets blown to pieces when we focus on just how small the UFC actually is in terms of ability and/or desire to create new, fresh programming.

The UFC has very little live action on TV. Most of their exposure is through their reality show or through various highlight and countdown shows. It's easy to give the impression of a high quality product when only highlight packages of the best fights are aired.

When you look at it, the entire TV presence of the UFC is aimed at promoting their upcoming PPV. Essentially, most UFC programming is along the lines of an infomercial, whipping their fans into a frenzy for the next show.

Now, as a way of comparison, let's take boxing and fit it into the UFC model.

Before doing enything else. we'd have to eliminate most of the live boxing programs from HBO, Showtime, ESPN, Versus and the Latino stations. Substitute the live shows with Boxing's Greatest Hits and endless Countdown shows.

Now, take all that live action that would've been on cable TV and put it on one mega PPV per month, making it so that if you want to see live boxing, you have to order the show.

Take the month of August as an example. The boxing PPV for August (We could call it Boxing #1: Heat Stroke, or something equally catchy) would feature the following televised bouts:

Roy Jones vs. Jeff Lacy
Timothy Bradley vs, Nate Campbell
Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi
Nonito Donaire vs. Rafael Concepcion
Juan Urango vs. Randall Bailey
Robert Guerrero vs. Malcolm Klassen

How many PPVs would that card sell if there were almost literally no way to see boxing aside from ordering the event? Would a card like this sell more than the average UFC PPV of 450-600,000? The answer would be a resounding "yes" and August is not even a particularly strong month this year in terms of competition.

The UFC churns out more PPV shows and they are very good at marketing their shows to the max, but only a media manipulator like Dana White could turn less product and a smaller demographic base into signs of the UFC's domination.

As the next UFC PPV approaches we will be forced to hear more cries of "Boxing is dead" and we will for sure see and hear Dana White on ESPN and on various sports talk shows across the nation. White will blather on about how boxing is dying and the UFC is taking over and the misinformed host will go along with the attack, not knowing enough about boxing to offer any sort of intelligent rebuttal.

But, just one time, it would be refreshing to see a host fire back at White and touch on the points that this article has touched upon. It's time boxing started standing up for itself because a lie told often enough, one day, may become reality.

Boxing is not dying and the UFC is not killing it.

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Daylight Robbery

by Dafs117

There’s nothing worse for a boxer than being on the wrong side of a hometown decision. Just ask Emanuel Augustus. The journeyman has grown a cult following because he’s been on the wrong side of many hometown decisions more often than the number of stitches Chris John received after being head-butted for several rounds against Hiroyuki Enoki. He’s frequently the unhappy beneficiary of terrible decisions none worse than his split-decision defeat to Courtney Burton.

At the end of the fourth round, Augustus landed two clean body blows sending Burton to his knees. But referee Dan Kelley had other ideas. He judged that Augustus’ punches were low and gave Burton a five minute rest. Augustus’ confidence was sky high as the underwhelming underdog was comfortably in front, though he frequently punctuated his success with showboating and constant taunting. He might have pranced around the ring like a batty but what followed could be one of the worst decisions witnessed on television. Every time Augustus clinched he was warned for a clash of heads. Referee Dan Kelly was searching for reasons to penalize Augustus but he couldn’t find any. He was warning him for imagined fouls. Then referee Dan Kelly inexplicably deducted a point from Augustus for spinning away from a clinch. Despite the point deduction, Augustus continued to outbox Burton and looked like he was going to win an easy decision.

The scores were announced. 98-94 to Augustus. Sounded fair enough. 97-92 to Burton. One judge might have perceived a fight differently. 99-90 to ..... Burton!? Was he serious!? 9 rounds to 1 to Burton! The Michigan Athletic Control Board received hundreds of hate mail from angry fans. The ESPN broadcast team went crazy. The time when Teddy Atlas had to correct a commissioner on live TV is unforgettable.

Last Saturday, Timothy Bradley met Nate Campbell for Bradley’s WBO belt at the Agua Caliente Casino in Bradley’s backyard. At the end of the third round, Nate Campbell complained that he couldn’t see due to a cut over his left eye that resulted from an accidental head-butt. After the head-butt, Bradley followed up with a barrage of power punches as Campbell argued with referee David Mendoza.

The doctor stopped the bout and they announced Bradley the winner via TKO. The unified rules state that any fight that’s stopped because a fighter cannot continue due to an accidental illegal shot that caused an injury is declared a no decision. David Mendoza was perfectly placed to see that the cut was caused by a head-butt. After the stoppage Mendoza issued his side of the story. He claimed that both fighters were head-butting and that he didn’t see blood straight after the head-butt only after Bradley threw a combination. On the replay it didn’t seem that Bradley had landed a punch near the cut.

It’s no wonder boxing fans get annoyed with bad officials. If officials don’t understand how to score or how to referee, they shouldn’t be thrown in at the deep end in a title fight. It leaves fans questioning if they could have done a better job than a qualified official. Then it leaves the, what if’s? What if Augustus would have had the decision over Courtney Burton? Would he still have as many followers? Would he have put himself in contention for a title eliminator? What if Mendoza would have given the fight a no decision? Would Bradley be ordered to a rematch by the WBO?

As boxing is judged to be a ‘dying sport’ this might be one of the reasons that’s driving fans away from the sport. Boxing needs to become more aware of these problems and solve them quickly if it wants to survive against expanding combat sports such as MMA. A national commission might solve the problem but nobody seems interested to make the first move.

The quicker we can get rid of the Mendoza’s from the sport the more fan friendly the sport will become.

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Bradley, Alexander Win in Controversial Night of Boxing

BY GEORGE WILLIS (NY Times)

At a time boxing needed something to lift its spirits, it got nothing but disappointment in Palm Springs Saturday night where two championship fights ended in unsatisfying controversies.

Devon Alexander captured the WBC super lightweight championship when Junior Witter of England failed to answer the bell for the ninth round. Witter quit on his stool despite trailing but just a couple of points on the scorecards. He later said he injured his elbow in the fourth round and it got progressively worse as the fight went on.

"I wasn't able to box the way I wanted to," Witter (37-3, 22 KOs) said. "We just decided it was time to let this one go. It's not that I wanted to quit. I wanted to win. I still had a chance to win the fight. I just wasn't able to."

Alexander, 22, didn't argue. The St. Louis native captured his first world title. "I trained hard every day, and I stayed dedicated," Alexander (19-0, 12 KOs) said. "Now I have the green belt. God is good."

In the main event, Timothy Bradley retained the WBO junior welterweight title when his fight with Nate Campbell was stopped after three rounds because of a cut over Campbell's left eye.

Bradley, fighting in his hometown, was declared the winner, but Campbell felt the cut was caused by a head butt and the bout should have been ruled a no contest. "I'm not mad at Timmy, but this is wrong," said Campbell, the former lightweight champion.

Replays clearly showed a clash of heads as the two exchanged punches. Campbell instantly retreated into a corner, pawed his eye and complained about the head butt to referee Dave Mendoza. But Bradley followed in pursuit unleashing a barrage of punches as Campbell covered up on the ropes.

When the round ended and Campbell, 37, went to his corner his eye was covered in blood and he complained he couldn't see. "I have spots in my eye," he told a ring side physician, who stopped the bout.

Campbell (33-6-1, 25 KOs) was angry Mendoza didn't rule the cut was caused by the butt. But Mendoza said the last thing he saw before blood was a punch. "They both were head-butting each other when they were fighting," Mendoza said. "I had to go by the last thing I saw which was a punch."

Bradley (25-0, 12 KOs) didn't apologize. "It didn't matter he was going to get beat anyway," Bradley said. "As the rounds went on he was getting older and older."

Campbell and Bradley had dedicated the bout to the memories of Arturo Gatti and Vernon Forrest, former champions who died in the month of July.

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