Chris, It's Your Own Fault

by Paul Magno

I guess enough time has passed so that what I'm about to say doesn't come off as a heartless attack on a good guy who tried his best in a championship fight.

But, Chris Arreola's shut-out loss to Vitali Klitschko was all his own fault.

As the likable Mexican-American heavyweight openly wept after the 10th round stoppage on Saturday night, I couldn't help but think back to a certain speech trainer Teddy Atlas gave to the sluggish Michael Moorer between rounds of his championship-winning bout with Evander Holyfield :

"You're lying to yourself. You're gonna cry tomorrow because of this. Do you want to cry tomorrow? Huh?"

While boxing fans were busy falling in love with the burrito-eating, beer-drinking slugger from Southern California, what they failed to realize was that Arreola was, indeed, lying to himself.

Arreola was convincing himself that he could live the life of an elite pro-boxer while maintaining an "average Joe" lifestyle. The "I'm a fat guy who likes to eat and drink" routine was real cute and endearing- Until he came up against someone who actually took the sport seriously.

Vitali Klitschko dominated their bout and forced an early ending. It was no contest as the brave, but inept Arreola clumsily chased after the defending WBC champ and caught leather whenever Vitali felt like connecting.

I'm of the opinion that Arreola never really had a serious chance of winning because of the vast difference in skill level and experience. However, Arreola, because of his lack of professionalism in training certainly made sure that any slim hope he had, would be made even slimmer.

Given Arreola's limited skill-set, he had to give himself the best possible chance to pull off the mega-upset. He had to hit the gym and get in the shape of his life while working on genius strategies to shock and awe the Heavyweight titlist from the Ukraine. It would've been a monumental upset, but stranger things have happened between 38-year old champs and their eager, aggressive challengers.

Instead, it was business as usual at Camp Arreola, with even a rumored ten day suspension of training in order to "party."

Sure, Chris Arreola is a tough guy- all fighters are "tough guys." But in the world of prize fighting, real, legitimate toughness isn't about being able to take a sustained beating for thirty minutes or even about giving that sustained beating; It's about being able to wake up early every morning and hit the road, it's about busting your behind in the gym to get in shape, it's about making personal sacrifices for your passion and it's about putting in the hard work to actually learn your craft.

So, excuse me if I don't get a lump in my throat when watching Chris Arreola cry after his loss. Like so many well-meaning losers, he just never took things seriously until it was too late.

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Dunne Defeat Makes Ugly Viewing

by Dafs117

Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym KO 3 Bernard Dunne

For a guy that doesn’t like to travel, Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym, 122 lbs, Sakon Nakhon, Thailand, looked like Alan Whicker last Saturday as he defeated Ireland’s only titlist to win the WBA Junior Featherweight title. As the noisy home crowd of Bernard Dunne, 121 lbs, Dublin, Ireland, were praying for another jaw-dropping contest reminiscent to the Irish brawler’s fight of the year contender victory against Panamanian Ricardo Cordoba last March, what they were about to witness was a quality if rugged performance from the all action Thai fighter.

Before I start with the fight report, the whole card was atrocious. Everything wasn’t ‘Hunky Dory’ as the card suggested. It was full of mismatches that saw heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury beat Tomasz Mzarek with one hand for 6 rounds and still giving the Czech journeyman a beating. This main event however, left a sour taste as referee Jean-Louis Legland refused to stop the contest after several opportunities.

Dunne started the bout counter-jabbing his slower opponent, but he never looked comfortable under the relentless pressure from Poonsawat. In the third round, the Thai fighter stepped up a gear and pushed Dunne to his limits. Dunne has always had a suspect chin since his 60 second knockout defeat to Spaniard, Kiko Martinez. It suggested to me that he punched himself out as he threw countless four-punch combinations to keep Poonsawat off balance. He looked tired as a left hook grazed his ear and he fell face first on to the canvas. There was about a minute and a half left of the first round and many officials would have stopped the contest right there and now. He looked senseless. Dunne got back up and looked more than a bit dazed but Legland allowed him to battle on.

The pressure continued as the challenger teed off with countless one-two combinations that found their mark consistently. Dunne’s defence, or lack of it, meant that his face was marked up. He had a cut over his left eye and the Irishman landed a solid left hook that wobbled his opponent. But it was to no avail, as a crispier left hook landed on the champion’s whiskers that saw him wobble for 5 seconds and after no evidence of a punch landing, Dunne fell to the canvas with half a minute left. At this point, Dunne was out. He wasn’t in the room and looked like he had just been on the Mari Joanna as his eyes were definitely not in the room. Bernard had a blood nose and his constant nodding meant that the referee allowed him to carry on.

Poonsawat didn’t even need to land a punch as Dunne fell to the floor for the third time in the round. No clean punch had been landed since the second knockdown but the strength of the Thai fighter, that was rumoured to be weighing no less than a 132 lbs on fight night, was enough to topple Dunne to the canvas for one final time. Dunne’s corner quickly threw in the towel and ran into the ring to save their fighter any more punishment. As the colourful gum-shield was pulled out, Poonsawat celebrated winning an alphabet title that could set up a major pay-day against Celestino Caballero, by bowing to every corner in the arena.

The former champion was on the floor for several minutes, being tended to by his trainers and ringside doctors. He required oxygen and his speech was more than a little slurred as he spoke to the Irish version of Max Kellerman.

Members of the crowd and the press were imploring the referee to act, but he carried on counting. It was disgraceful watching the referee not realizing that Dunne’s legs had been taken from under him.

He should take a leaf out of Luigi Muratore’s book. The Italian referee stopped Matthew Macklin’s battering of Finnish superstar Amin Asikainen after judging that Asikianen was in no fit condition to carry on. It was the perfect call. Some called the stoppage premature, but it just stopped the inevitable, as the stronger Brit would have carried on punching the living out of Asikainen.

When does a referee stop a fight? When the fighter doesn’t look like he has the ability to fight himself out of a hole despite not being hurt? When the fighter shows true heart and battles on despite being thoroughly out-classed? The perfect stoppage is when the fighter is hurt and doesn’t want to be there but it’s difficult to get the balance spot on.

This is another controversial subject in the sweet science, but hopefully officials will learn from Legland’s mistakes. The biggest problem is that mistakes like that could leave a horrific mark on the sport. Hopefully, less controversial stoppages can help move the sport forward.

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Like it or Not, Klitschkos are Kings

by Dafs117

With a dominating performance forcing an opponent to submission, reminiscent of the red army’s recent disposal of Georgia, Vitali Klitschko, 252, Kiev, Ukraine but residing in Los Angeles, California, held his WBC belt up high and proud in front of Chris Arreola’s, 251, Riverside, California, home crowd at the Staples Center. Our admin Paul Magno, wrote on our board, “Talk about one sided.”

And the current heavyweight champion will be in no mood to argue after another emphatic demonstration of the class and composure contained within the Klitschko family.

Within minutes the gulf between the pretender and the consummate professional ensured the Ukrainian's superiority counted for his fourth defence of the WBC belt.

He returned to the summit of the heavyweight division, alongside his brother Wladmir after an emphatic victory over Chris Arreola, who was aiming to become the first ever Mexican-American heavyweight champion.

And if Klitschko’s managers were sending a message to those who deliver the first ballot award at the Hall of Fame, it was nowhere near as resounding as that sent by the champion to those hoping to strip him of his crown.

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Klitschko Dominates Arreola

Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA

Vitali Klitschko (38-2, 37 KOs) did his best Floyd Mayweather imitation and dominated the shorter, lesser-skilled Chris Arreola (27-1, 24 KOs) for almost every moment of their WBC Heavyweight title bout until referee Jon Schorle finally put an end to the mismatch after 10 full rounds.

Klitschko boxed on the outside all night, timing the game, but crude Arreola and slowly picking him apart with straight right hands.

Arreola had a brief moment of hope in the eighth, when a few of his wild, swings connected and Klitschko seemed to be in retreat, but the defending champ re-established himself with a dominant ninth.

After the fight, an emotional Arreola apologized to his fans and promised to fight on.

on the undercard:

Johnathon Banks (22-1, 15 KOs) MD 8 Javier Mora (22-5-1, 18 KOs)
John Molina (18-0, 14 KOs) KO 1 Efren Hinojosa (30-7-1, 17 KOs)
Cedric Boswell (31-1, 24 KOs) UD 8 Cisse Salif (23-15, 21 KOs)

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Sorry Dana, America Still Prefers Boxing

by Paul Magno

The recent confirmation that last Saturday's Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez pay per view reached one million buys once again proves that the five hundred monthly "Boxing is Dead" articles that originate from MMA websites and ignorant members of the mainstream press are way off base.

Dana White, the figurehead of the UFC and one of the principal causes of the bitter rift between many boxing fans and MMA aficionados, was telling every available microphone that nobody wanted to see Mayweather and that the boxing show was an event that "nobody asked for" featuring Mayweather against a "what's his name."

Now, after seeing the end result of the first ever UFC vs. Boxing face to face ppv war, the boastful anti-boxing stories should be rewritten and boxing's obituary should be shoved back into the top shelf of the desk, next to the silly, "whose fighters would win?" debate.

The fact of the matter is that boxing outsold UFC 103 by more than 2 to 1 with a main event that many were openly criticizing and "the theater option" which provided a cheaper alternative to the hefty ppv cost.

Of course, none of this absolves boxing of its sins or excuses the often archaic nature of its business policies. Boxing still has to do some serious house cleaning and is in dire need of reform in everything from the sanctioning bodies to its subservient relationship to the TV networks.

But, what September 19th proved was that America, still, when given a choice, chooses to believe in boxing and, overall, prefers it over any other combat sport option. The key is to simply make an honest effort to put on a good show.

Let this serve as a lesson to Dana White and his posse of true believers: Boxing is not dead.

Let this also serve as a lesson to the boxing hierarchy of power: People want to support your sport; They want to be won over...They want to believe.

Let's hope the fans have indeed been heard.

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Boxing Methadone: Fernando Vargas vs. Winky Wright

This edition of Methadone features the rarest of all fights: A showdown between two elite boxers in their primes.

On December 4th, 22-year old Fernando Vargas was set to defend his IBF Jr. Middleweight title against 27-year old Winky Wright. Vargas was coming off two of his biggest wins as he had beaten Raul Marquez and Yory Boy Campas into submission. Wright was coming from an international tour that saw him fight in 9 different countries over the course of 25 fights while managing to win the WBO Jr. Middleweight crown (and drop it, controversially, after 3 defenses.)

Enjoy this beautiful exhibition of two prime, world-class fighters going at it in a close-as-hell encounter. This is boxing at its finest.

Click here to see the fight: http://fight-films.blogspot.com/2009/09/winky-wright-vs-fernando-vargas.html

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The Boxing Truth Radio today at 9 pm Eastern

Listen Here:

http://www.btbc.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=links

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Pretty Impressive From Mayweather As He’s On The Money

by Dafs117

Floyd Mayweather Jr. UD 12 Juan Manuel Marquez

Juan Manuel Marquez never got going. He was never in the fight. It was his first fight at welterweight and he came out of his corner and tried to sustain a jab against the former pound-4-pound king who was making his comeback after 21 months sitting in his armchair. The questions had been asked. Was Mayweather ring rusty? Was Marquez’s size a factor? Did Marquez have the style to upset the odds? By the end of the night, they were all answered.

Mayweather 146, Grand Rapids, MI, had looked unbeatable before his retirement from the sport and, against Marquez 142, Mexico City, the second best fighter on the planet, made Marquez look like a club fighter throughout their contest at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas.

In the second round, ‘Dinamita’ landed a sharp right hand which got Mayweather’s attention, but ‘Money’ was both unflustered and unscathed, and came back with a left hook himself that floored the Mexican. The instant Mayweather started to slip Marquez’s punches, the Mexican was helpless.

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The Weekend Hangover (9/18, 9/19)

Friday, September 18th

Chumash Casino, Santa Ynez, CA

Tony Grano Ko 4 Travis Kaufmann
Chris Avalos KO 4 Giovanni Caro

Fontainbleau Hotel, Miami Beach, FL

Guillermo Rigondeaux TKO 3 Giovanni Andrade
Yudel Jhonson UD 8 Frankie Santos

Saturday, September 19th

MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV

Floyd Mayweather UD 12 Juan Manuel Marquez
Chris John UD 12 Rocky Juarez (WBA Featherweight Title)
Michael Katsidis SD 12 Vicente Escobedo
Cornelius Lock TKO 5 Orlando Cruz
Erislandy Lara KO 1 Jose Varela


Jahnsportforum, Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

Sebastian Sylvester SD 12 over Giovanni Lorenzo (Vacant IBF Middleweight Title)
Francesco Pianeta RTD 8 Matt Skelton


Nomads Adventure Quest, South Windsor, CT

Matt Remillard TKO 4 Rafael Lora

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Press Release: Welterweight Showdown Hits The Big Screen!

MAYWEATHER VS. MARQUEZ: "NUMBER ONE/NUMEROUNO" WELTERWEIGHT SHOWDOWN HITS THE BIG SCREEN IN FIRST-TIME, LIVE, HIGH DEFINITION CINEMA BOXING EVENT ON SEPTEMBER 19

Undefeated Floyd Mayweather Faces Juan Manuel Marquez. Fight to Be Shown Live In More Than 170 U.S. Movie Theaters

Centennial, Colo. ­ Aug. 24, 2009

NCM Fathom, in association with Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions, will bring live world championshipboxing to the big screen in high definition for the first time ever with the showing of the highly anticipated 12-round welterweight fight between six-time world champion in five weight divisions Floyd "Money" Mayweather and five-time world champion in three weight divisions Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez and televised undercard on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET/ 5:30 p.m. PT in select movie theaters nationwide.

Tickets for Mayweather vs. Marquez: "Number One/Numero Uno" Fight LIVE are available at participating theater box offices and online at http://www.fathomevents.com/. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, please visit http://www.fathomevents.com/ (theaters and participants are subject to change).

"We are extremely pleased to welcome Fathom into the Golden Boy family of sponsors as their interest in the Mayweather vs. Marquez mega-fight is another indication of the sheer magnitude of the fight itself," said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden BoyPromotions."Having the fight in high definition in movie theaters throughout the country is unprecedented and gives boxing fans another outlet to watch the compelling action of a big-time fight."

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Number 1/ Numero 1: The BTBC Suggested Retail Price

Number 1 / Numero 1:

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez
Chris John vs. Rocky Juarez
Michael Katsidis vs. Vicente Escobedo
Orlando Cruz vs. Cornelius Lock


Before each major pay per view the members of the Boxing Tribune Blue Corner will make a bid on what they'd be willing to pay to see the event. The numbers will then be tabulated and the real value of the event will be established.

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The Project v.1 – Floyd Mayweather v Juan Manual Marquez

By Simon Garner

More than a year after officially retiring from boxing, Floyd Mayweather will step back into the ring on 19 September to face Mexico’s Juan Manual Marquez. This 12-round fight is seen as somewhat of a prelude to a potential megafight been Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, should he get past Miguel Cotto on 14 November. However, this is no warm-up bought for ‘Money’ Mayweather and is a serious test for a fighter that has been out of the ring since a knock-out win over Ricky Hatton in November 2007.

Mayweather’s time away from boxing is unlikely to have that much of an impact on his performance. As we have seen recently from HBO’s acclaimed 24/7 series, he is always in superb condition and always stays on or around the weight for his next fight. In fact, the time spent away from the ring will probably only have done some good. It will have allowed a body that has spent twenty-plus years fighting (especially his famously brittle hands) to recover and enabled the former pound-for-pound king to find out what he really wants to achieve in the sport.

Marquez though is not here for the taking. He is a fighter that puts his Mexican heart and blood into every performance. Despite the fact his last two fights have been at lightweight, he proceeded to knock-out two opponents who had never been stopped – Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz. Two fighters that look good on any fighters record and arguably make Marquez, at least in some fan’s eyes, the best fighter in the world. In recent fights he has turned from meticulous technician to boxer-puncher, which has certainly made for more entertaining viewing. However, this new style may also be his downfall. Casamayor was able to land clean shots and Diaz forced him to whether numerous barrages of punches. On 19 September, he will be facing arguably the biggest, strongest fighter he has ever faced who is capable of doing damage with both fists.


The Project

For this project I have chosen to use Title Bout Championship boxing to simulate what will happen in this upcoming fight. I have updated both fighters to reflect their weight on the night and updated Marquez’s abilities slightly to reflect his recent successes. The simulation as on fight night, will take place in the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. As I do not know as yet, the judges for the fight. I have chosen to have random judging so to be impartial.

I will run six simulation fights and report my results. We will hopefully receive six results and then I will make notes on issues such as the scorecards, the styles of the fighters and conclude with the outcomes. We will then be left with a final result and an overall prediction from the fight. If the outcome proves to be accurate, or at the very least, close, I will run similar simulations for other upcoming fights with Cotto-Pacquiao being the obvious.

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The Boxing Tribune Fight of the Week

Saturday, September 19th

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez

MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada

The Breakdown

Floyd Mayweather Jr.: 39-0 (25 KOs), Unranked by the BTBC

Age: 32

Height: 5' 8"

Reach: 72"

Stance: Orthodox

Career Achievements: WBC Super Featherweight Champ (8 Defenses), WBC Lightweight Champ (3 Defenses), WBC Jr. Welterweight Champ, IBF Welterweight Champ, WBC Welterweight Champ (1 Defense), WBC Jr. Middleweight Champ

Notable Opposition: Genaro Hernandez (RTD 8), Diego Corrales (TKO 10), Jose Luis Castillo (UD 12, UD 12), Arturo Gatti (RTD 6), Zab Judah (UD 12), Oscar De la Hoya (SD 12), Ricky Hatton (TKO 10)

Pre-Fight Quote: "You can expect blood, sweat and tears on Saturday night. I predict one hell of a fight."

*********

Juan Manuel Marquez: 50-4-1 (37 KOs), Rated #1 at Lightweight by The BTBC

Age: 36

Height: 5' 7"

Reach: 67"

Stance: Orthodox

Career Achievements: IBF Featherweight Champ (2 Defenses), WBC Super Featherweight Champ (1 Defense), WBO Lightweight Champ, WBA Lightweight Champ)

Notable Opposition: Derrick Gainer (TD 7), Manny Pacquiao (D, SD Loss), Chris John (UD Loss), Marco Antonio Barrera (UD 12), Rocky Juarez (UD 12), Joel Casamayor (TKO 11), Juan Diaz (TKO 9)

Pre- Fight Quote: "Everyone knows I don't like talking outside the ring, but I want to say three things: First, I am prepared physically and mentally. Second, I want to thank all the Mexican people for supporting me and third, I want to dedicate this fight to the Mexican people who are going to be here and all of the Mexican people around the world."

Paulie the Sicilian's Prediction: Yeah, Mayweather's bigger, younger, fresher and faster...but he's also coming off a 2o-month layoff, fighting someone ranked no lower than #2 on any credible Pound-for-Pound list and he's going to find himself across the ring from the one style best suited to beat him.

A lot is made of Marquez moving up from Lightweight, but the weight issue is overstated. Mayweather is a small welter and Marquez may actually find some benefit from his Lightweight hand speed.

Marquez can take comfort from following the careers of Roberto Duran and Shane Mosley, two Hall of Fame Lightweights who beat Hall of Fame Welterweights (Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De la Hoya, respectively) after departing the 135 lb. division. He can also look back on other top Lightweights who made big splashes at 147: Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, Manny Pacquiao and even Mayweather, himself...

The fight will be a chess match for the first three and then the action will pick up as both fighters work on their timing. Mayweather will find success with lunging right hands, Marquez will counter with standard, textbook-perfect combinations and dogged body work.

By the 8th, Mayweather begins to pull away as he gets his timing together...He puts Marquez away in the 9th after some blazing shots at the end of the round. Nacho refuses to let Marquez come out for the 10th.

After the fight, Mayweather will call out the winner of Pacquiao-Cotto.

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Zab Judah Returns November on PPV

On his Ustream page tonight, Zab Judah revealed plans for his return...

Acording to Judah, he will return on a self-promoted PPV, November 6th...He will face Israel Cardona and the undercard will feature Hasim Rahman, Daniel Judah and one more fight...

Right now, the price is set at 24.99 and it will originate from the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

If this is 100% correct, this will be a Friday night pay per view.

Stay tuned for more details

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Sympathy for the Devil: Is Floyd Mayweather Jr. Being Treated Fairly?

by Paul Magno

It’s hard to defend anyone who “makes it rain” in night clubs or makes the kinds of ridiculous boasts that Floyd Mayweather Jr. does.

Yet, here I am, once again making the case for Floyd while leaving myself wide open for well-timed counters.

For me, likeability as a fighter and likeability as a human being are two very different things. I don’t need to see fighters as “Regular Joes” or “nice guys” in order to appreciate them. What Mayweather does and how he lives outside the ring is about as important to me as whether my butcher is a swell guy.

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¡Viva Mexico! Mexico's Finest!

by Paul Magno

With Mexican Independence Day approaching, it's only fair to give our friends from South of the border the same attention that we've given to our American friends and our members/readers from the UK and Puerto Rico.

Here are Mexico's Top 10 Active fighters:

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Edwin Valero: On the Road to Glory or On the Verge of a Wrong Turn?

by Dafs117

Everybody is getting excited about Edwin Valero and, on the Cotto-Pacquiao undercard, he'll face his biggest test.

He has been doing the right thing, knocking out everybody who has been put in front of him, but Humberto Soto is the first real test he will come up against on world level.

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McDermott’s Fury Over Tyson Decision

by Dafs117

Tyson Fury W 10 John McDermott

If you long for the days when beefy heavyweights such as Tony Tubbs and Tim Witherspoon wafted about the ring like plump zeppelins, Tyson Fury and John McDermott provided a touch of ‘80s nostalgia when they met at the Brentwood Centre, Essex. Fury won the 10-round bout via controversial decision, but the win was less of an announcement of Fury’s arrival on the British Heavyweight scene. This is a lesson that every boxer should take as they step up in class and opposition. NEVER take anything for granted.

McDermott (25-6, 16 KOs) weighed in at 253 lbs, and held his English Heavyweight belt proud as he walked down the stairs in front of his home crowed. He plodded forward through Fury’s 9’’ reach advantage and landed several right hands down the pipe in the opening exchanges. McDermott came into the fight 9/2 in the ringside betting where Tyson Fury was comfortable favourite at 1/6. Before the fight somebody had put £50,000 on Fury to win. Suspicions were raised but as both fighters are from travelling backgrounds, no inquiry has been made, yet. After the first minute, Fury realised that he was in for a rough night. As the bell sounded for the end of the round they squared up in the middle of the ring and it appeared that Fury attempted to head-butt McDermott but no point was deducted.

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In the Shadow of 9/11: When Boxing is More Than a Sport

by Paul Magno

9/11/01

I had just moved to Mexico weeks earlier and was still unpacking my things from cardboard boxes when September 11th came along.

My satellite dish was still new and I had yet to master the channel guide when I turned on the TV to take a break from the work of moving things into my bedroom. I was flipping through the channels when I saw the first tower come down. I sat in shock the rest of the day as the horror and insanity passed before my eyes.

There’s really not much to be said about those tragic events that hasn’t already been said and, quite frankly, a Boxing blog is not the right place to say those things anyway.

However, I will say that I don’t see the tragic events of September 11th in a socio-poltical light. Forget all the craziness that followed that day, 9/11 makes me think about the people who were caught up in something that never should’ve happened.

Every time I step onto a plane, I think about the poor people on those four doomed flights. I think about the people in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, just going to work and finding themselves under attack. I even think about the terrorists themselves who were so deceived and manipulated that they found themselves capable of such heinous acts.

September 11th, 2001 was a day that made me doubt everything I thought I knew about the world.

9/29/01

With chaos still in the air and the tears still wet in many eyes, Bernard Hopkins and Felix Trinidad prepared themselves for battle in the most important fight of their careers.

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Latin Fury 11: BTBC Suggested Retail Price

Latin Fury 11:

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Jason LeHoullier
Fernando Montiel vs. Alex Valdez (WBO bantamweight title)
Donnie Nietes vs. Manuel Vargas (WBO strawweight title)
Z Gorres vs. Cruz Carvajal

Before each major pay per view the members of the Boxing Times Blue Corner will make a bid on what they'd be willing to pay to see the event. The numbers will then be tabulated and the real value of the event will be established.

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Tyson Fury...Nigga, Please! (Again)

British Heavyweight prospect, Tyson Fury is back for his second "Nigga, Please!" award and, from the looks of things, this kid has many more such awards in his future...

Here's his latest:

"I'm bringing that fear factor back into boxing like Mike Tyson did...I'm looking at my opponents in their corner and they're scared of me before I even fight."

Check out the photo for yourself: Frightening or Mildly Amusing...You make the call.


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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US Heartland Beat Report (9/9/09)

by Russ Choate

Welcome to the first installment of Boxing in the Heartland.

The month of September is not highly televised, so I’ll give you some insight into what is going on.

The month gets started this Friday in Florida when Tyrone Brunson (19-0-1) tries to add another knockout to his resume. This time he has chosen an opponent with a winning record in Marcos Primera (20-19).

Brunson holds the record for most consecutive 1st round KO’s at 19. The record was previously held by WBC Lightweight Champ Edwin Valero.

Brunson’s biggest criticism has been his level of competition, of his 19 knockout victories only one had a winning record and six were making their debut. Some are even calling for an asterisk next to his name in the record books.

On July 9, 2007 he signed with Don King, later that year he also filed for bankruptcy.

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Puerto Rico vs. Philippines: Three Months, Three Title Fights- Round 2

by OneKrazyRican

Last Friday, September 4th, Philippine’s Marvin “Marvelous” Sonsona not only became one of the youngest Filipino world titlists in history, he became the first Filipino fighter to beat a Puerto Rican champion. After compiling a 6-0-2 (5kos) record in world title fight against the Philippines, Puerto Rico loses the first of this unofficial 3 fight series and gets to meet the latest pinoy boxing sensation in the explosive punching Sonsona.

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UK Beat Report (9/8/09)

by Dafs117

Welcome to the first UK Beat Report, a monthly wrap-up of the fight scene in the United Kingdom.

September is quite a busy month for British boxing, especially compared to the past few months.
There was a decent crowd at Middlesbrough watching the highly anticipated featherweight rematch between John Simpson (20-6, 8 KOs) and Paul Truscott (13-2, 1 KO). Simpson won via TKO in the 10th.

Gavin Rees (36-2, 31 KOs) the former WBA Light Welterweight Titleholder made his comeback with a comfortable stoppage of Johnny Greaves (2-37, 1 KO) Rees 29, will drop down to lightweight and hopefully get a world-title tilt. Bradley Pryce (28-7, 17 KOs) also fought on the undercard and was impressive as he comfortably won a shutout decision against Michael Monaghan (18-25, 2 KOs). Pryce is hoping that Enzo Calzaghe’s new strict regime can fire him up the rankings.

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Mexican Beat Report (9/7/09)

by Paul Magno

Welcome to the first Mexican Beat Report, a monthly wrap-up of the fight scene in Mexico.

The month of September is always a huge month for Mexican boxing, with many cards scheduled for dates in and around Independence Day (September 15th-16th).

There were mixed results from two prominant Mexican fighters in Panama on Saturday.

Daniel Ponce de Leon (36-2, 31 KOs) won a WBA Featherweight Title Eliminator via wide Unanimous Decision against Panamanian Roinet Caballero (27-8-1, 19 KOs). Ponce de Leon is now in line for a shot at "regular" WBA Featherweight Champ, Yuriorkis Gamboa or the winner of the "super" WBA title bout between champ, Chris John and Rocky Juarez.

On the same card, for the WBA Interim Flyweight Title, hometown boy, Luis "El Nica" Concepcion (18-1, 13 KOs) beat Mexican Omar Salado (21-2-2, 12 KOs) via TKO when Salado's corner waved off the fight in the 12th. Despite losing each round on this reporter's scorecard, Salado was game the whole night, but was hampered by two deep cuts over his left eye and swelling around both eyes.

Also Saturday, in Chihuahua, former world champ Jhonny Gonzalez (41-7, 34 KOs) KO'd Jose “Pegono” Mendoza (21-4-2, 17 KOs), of Columbia via liver shot in the first.

On the same card, hometown Marco "Dorado" Reyes (14-0, 12 KOs) won the WBC Youth World Middleweight Title via UD against Colombian, Beibi Berrocal (6-2, 6 KOs).

From contacts who frequent the Romanza Gym in Mexico City, Juan Manuel Marquez is walking around right now at about the Welterweight limit of 147 and has been absolutely brutal on his sparring partners in preparation for his September 19th clash with Juan Manuel Marquez.
Trainer Nacho Beristain is focused on targeting Mayweather's body and, based on inside sources, don't be surprised if Marquez switches over to southpaw at some point in their bout. Beristain and Marquez are doing lefty drills in sparring and on the mits.

On the verge of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.'s (39-0-1, 29 KOs) fight on the 12th against unranked Jason LeHoullier (21-1-1, 8 KOs), 19-year old, Mexican prospect, Saul "El Canelo" Alvarez (28-0-1, 21 KOs) is still intent on calling out the son of the legend.

The Jalisco-based Welterweight recently won the WBC Youth World Welterweight Title to go along with his NABF Welterweight strap and has issued public challenges via ring mic after his last several bouts. Alvarez will be fighting in Puebla, Puebla against Carlos Herrera (21-1, 8 KOs) on the same card that will see Edgar Sosa (36-5, 20 KOs) defend his WBC Jr. Flyweight Title against Puerto Rican, Omar Soto (14-3-1, 6 KOs)

On the undercard of Chavez's Jr.'s bout in Nuevo Vallarta, Fernando Montiel (39-2-1, 29 KOs) will take on southpaw, Alex Valdez (21-3-2, 15 KOs) and Manuel "Chongo" Vargas (26-3-1, 11 KOs) puts up his his WBO Interim Strawweight belt against "Full" WBO Champ, Donnie Nietes (24-1-3, 14 KOs).

September 11th will feature a bout for the vacant Mexican Flyweight Title pitting Alejandro Hernandez (22-6, 11 KOs) against Wilbert Uicab (25-5-1, 16 KOs). The fight will be held at the Salon Marbet Plus in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl in the state of Mexico.

On September 12th, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, plays host to a rematch of Venezuelan Nehomar Cermeno (17-o, 10 KOs) against Cristian Mijares (36-5-2, 15 KOs)

There will be a huge Independence Day card on September 15th in Leon, Guanajuato:

Jorge "El Travieso" Arce (52-5-1, 40 KOs) fights for the vacant IBF Flyweight title against South African, Simphiwe Nongqayi (15-0, 6 KOs); WBC Super Featherweight Champ, Humberto Soto (48-7-2, 31 KOs) will defend his crown against Colombian Aristides Perez (15-0-1, 8 KOs); Ulises Solis (28-2-2, 20 KOs), coming off his title loss to Brian Viloria, takes on journeyman, Gilberto Keb Baas (28-20-3, 16 KOs); Omar Chavez (17-0-1, 13 KOs), after his tragic win over the late Marco Nazareth in July, will fight Tennessee journeyman, Jessie Davis (11-14, 8 KOs) in a six round Welterweight bout.

Gutsy Featherweight Tomas “El Norteno” Villa (20-6-4, 13 KOs) has signed a promotional deal with Gary Shaw Productions.

Israel Vazquez (43-4, 31 KOs) is back in training for his October 10th comeback bout against Al Seeger (28-4, 22 KOs) at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California. Should he win, Vazquez has hinted at a desire to fight Rafael Marquez in a part 4.

To all of our Mexican friends and fans, Happy Independence Day... ¡Viva Mexico!

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Diaz-Malignaggi: The Story from the Stands

Charlie 21er

21 August 2009

Houston, TX

George Bush Intercontinental. Step outside and dig the heat. Thirty degrees of difference from Bush to the city. Thirty minute ride to the Toyota Center. 95 degrees and it’s only ten. Stop for a drink. Plenty of time to kill. Weigh in doesn’t start for another three hours. Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi to be victim to Juan “The Baby Bull” Diaz as he travels north on the scale. Golden Boy putting on the show.

The cab driver takes me out of the way to Lizzard’s Pub. The place reeks of the hip. Lizzard’s tries hard to look like it doesn’t belong to the Greenway Plaza. Lizzard’s averts its eyes from River Oaks. Lizzard’s caters to both. The bartender pins me for a tourist. “I’m here on business,” I tell him. “So am I,” he yukks. He pours a double shot on rocks. I let it sit for a minute. I like to taste my Scotch. “Who do you favor for the fight tomorrow?” He answers like a local, “Diaz all the way.”

I can’t blame them for saying it. Diaz is a beast. Diaz moves forward. Dangerous Diaz digs the body. Baby Bull Bullied Marquez. Check It: 28 February 2009: Diaz takes on #2 Pound for Pounder Juan Manuel Marquez. Diaz comes forward with a purpose. Diaz fires hooks to the body. He backs Marquez to the ropes and punishes him. He brutalizes Marquez for 5 rounds. Marquez figures it out in 6. Marquez moves the fight to the center of the ring. He cuts Diaz with an uppercut in 8. He finishes it in 9. Diaz is on his back in the center of the ring. It’s the second knockdown of the round. The ref waves it off. We remember that Marquez is a great fighter. We remember that Diaz gave him a hell of a fight. We write off the knockout.

Malignaggi comes off of a win against a nobody. The fight is forgotten. We remember his TKO against Hatton. Malignaggi should have done better. Hatton has heart. Hatton has power. Hatton doesn’t have finesse. Malignaggi fights on the back foot. Malignaggi channels Prince Hamed. He digs Hamed. Hamed inspired him. He bobs and weaves. He spins out of the way. He throws punches from all angles. Hamed did all this. Hamed did things wrong and made them work. Hamed packed dynamite in his fists. Item: Malignaggi isn’t Hamed. Hatton, unHurt hands Malignaggi a hiding. Verdict: Malignaggi can’t handle the pressure. Fighting with feather fists fail to foil pressure fighters.

During the build-up, Malignaggi got his excuses in line. Expect a homecooked, hometown decision from Houston. Looking back: Chris John vs. local boy Rocky Juarez on the Marquez vs. Diaz undercard. John boxes smart and shows us he’s for real. Juarez fights hard. Juarez tries. Juarez is one dimensional. John wins it 116-114. All three judges score it a draw. Marquez was smart. He took it out of the judge’s hands. Malignaggi isn’t a finisher.

Malignaggi wasn’t born yesterday. He can smell a screwing. He wanted a larger ring. He wanted the fight at the Jr. Welter limit. He wanted neutral officials. Promotions ixnay on all demands. The ring will be small at 18ft. The fight will be at 138. The judges are from Oklahoma, California and Texas. One is of Mexican decent. Malignaggi says “I’m going to have to knock him out to win.” He says it like he can do it. We know he can’t.

The weigh in is the usual local who’s who. Diaz fans outnumber Malignaggi 10:1. Both fighters in their skivvies. Malignaggi starved down to a slim 138. Diaz plumped up to a big 137. Diaz sports the freshman fifteen to all his fights. Diaz has Golden Boy behind him. Golden Boy brings Bernard Hopkins to the weigh in. Golden Boy brings Shane Mosley. Malignaggi has one guy in his thick New York accent in the crowd. They face off for the photo op. The New Yorker yells “There’s your punching bag, Paulie!” The rest of the crowd cheer their boy. The rest of the crowd don’t expect it to go the distance.

Sometimes I go with the rest of the crowd. Malignaggi looked awful in his last big fights. I didn’t see him taking the pressure. He hadn’t showcased his footwork in a long time. Top guys made him look bad. B Level fighters made him look sloppy. He didn’t have what it took to work on top.

Diaz is what I look for. Diaz throws punches and punishes. Diaz makes men regret ever trying to hang. If Hatton can crack the Magic Man then so can Diaz…
The crowd got ready in the parking lot. The crowd worked around the high beer prices. They tailgated instead. They came in half drunk. They finished the job before Daniel Jacobs entered the ring to kick off the televised fights. They were already rowdy. It would get worse. The televised fights were going the distance.
Fans heckled. Fans howled. Jacobs wins convincingly over ten. Fans keep drinking. Fans fake fight. They throw air jabs. They land crosses on invisible opponents. High fives. Guerrero looks to redeems himself over twelve. Guerrero gets cut. Guerrero fights smart. Guerrero hangs on. He wins on the cards. He wins for real.

I go for another drink as I wait for the Diaz fight. The fans are loving it. It’s left field at Dodger’s Stadium. It’s Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The fighters are only contenders. These are hometown fans. They get like this for any reason.

The ring announcer echoes through the hallways. Fans flock for seats. Malignaggi gloms Arturo “Thunder” Gatti’s intro. Malignaggi got a call from Gatti after the Cotto fight. Gatti complements a durable warrior. The crowd boos. The crowd jeers. They throw drinks. Drinks fall short. Drinks douse dozens in the front.

Diaz starts his walk. His music is drowned out. A fan turns to me, “He’s gonna knock Malignaggi the f**k OUT!” I can’t disagree. The bell rings and they get to it. Diaz does what we expect and comes forward. Malignaggi does what we expect and moves back. Malignaggi is cut in the first round. Diaz disposes of dull jabs. Diaz fires off bombs. Diaz hits air. He glances the Magic Man’s face. He hits arms and elbows. It’s expected. It takes a round to figure it out.

Round two is the same. Diaz eats three jabs moving in. Diaz fires off hard shots. He lands one to every three. Malignaggi is moving quickly. Malignaggi boyishly bounces backwards. He patiently peppers Diaz with showers of shots. Diaz throws a monster left hook. Said hook only meets leather. Malignaggi fires off with a right uppercut. Said uppercut splits Diaz’s eye. Diaz doesn’t fight well through blood.

Four rounds in and it’s two to two. Diaz pressured forward. Diaz clipped Malignaggi good. Malignaggi clowns shaky legs. His legs really are shaky. It’s round five and the crowd goes nuts. Diaz throws a series of hooks. One, two, three, four--all against a high guard. The crowd cheers anyway. Diaz is cut bad and keeps fighting through it. If anything he proves he can fight through blood.

Diaz finds his distance. Diaz digs deep. Malignaggi’s has trouble getting back to plan A. Malignaggi loses six and seven. He leans back with his hands down. Diaz wings shots and they clip the Magic Man’s face. His head bobbles like Hamed’s. Houston cheers. They smell blood. It’s going well.

Malignaggi rethinks his strategy. Malignaggi can’t trade. He needs to get on his toes. He needs to weave low, he needs to circle again. The bell rings. He comes out and fires jabs. Throw three and land one. Keep Diaz thinking about jabs. Sneak in a right. Move lateral and stick a hook. Throw three jabs and back off. Rinse. Repeat. Malignaggi is back in a groove. He’s durable at least. Diaz can’t get in close like Hatton. A fight breaks out behind me. Beer is thrown. Furious fans fumble through the seats. Meanwhile Malignaggi takes eight through eleven.

Last round. The crowd stands. The crowd tries to rally their man. Malignaggi wants to slug it out. Diaz always wants to slug it out. They both exchange. Diaz’s punches look like they hurt. Malignaggi hangs close. He flurries and backs off. He comes back for more. Diaz obliges. Diaz takes the round. The crowd cheers.

I have Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi taking it 115-113. I had him controlling the action with his jab. I had him moving away. I had him avoiding flush shots. I felt bad for Houston. Houston hates a loss. The cards are read. 115-113, California. 116-112, Oklahoma. 118-110, Texas. At 116 to 112 I already know the outcome. All to the winner, Juan “The Baby Bull” Diaz. The fans cheer. The fans go nuts. I wonder if the fans know he lost. A look around and I can see they don’t care.

I finish my drink.

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Promoting Boxing Incest

by Paul Magno

While the general boxing public cries and gnashes its teeth about the rotten sanctioning bodies, I have always held to the belief that the real culprits are the ones with the smiles, the posed publicity photos and the flowery language...The Promoters.

The "alphabet soup" boys deserve their fair share of abuse, but let's not forget that, like in most criminal organizations, the real devils can be found by simply following the money. The sanctioning bodies are merely props playing the role of dim-witted Fredo Corleone to the major promoters' Godfather.

In the case of boxing, the promoters have the checkbooks and it's their ultimate call as to which fights get made and where we'll be able to see them. The promoters have their fingerprint on every aspect of the game, even when it comes to the officiating.

For those unfamiliar with the behind-the-scenes mechanisms of boxing and just how incestuous the relationships are, Mitch Abramson of the NY Daily News wrote an outstanding article on the subject over the weekend. It sheds a lot of light on just how whacked-out the situation really is:

After scoring a fight last Saturday in Houston, Gale Van Hoy, a 75-year-old professional boxing judge, got off his stool and huddled with his boss, Dickie Cole of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

In a private meeting that night, Cole presented Van Hoy with an envelope. Inside the envelope was a check for $1,800.

The check was signed by Golden Boy Promotions, which promoted the fight between Brooklyn's Paulie Malignaggi and Houston's Juan Diaz.

If someone didn't know any better, the act of Van Hoy collecting a paycheck from Golden Boy Promotions might be considered a bribe. After all, his scorecard helped advance the career of a Golden Boy fighter, as Diaz has an exclusive contract with the company.

...In the dense world of boxing, judges who score these fights are on the payroll of the event's promoter.

For appearances sake, the promoter hands the check over to the commission, who then delivers it to the judges.

But the result is the same: The promoter is paying the judge to make a decision in a fight the promoter has a financial stake in.

The relationship doesn't end there. In California, if a judge lives more than 100 miles from the fight venue, he receives lodging and a per diem of $25, all courtesy of the show's promoter. Van Hoy told me he was given $80 for meals over two days while staying in a hotel for the night, courtesy of Golden Boy Promotions.

This is outrageous. In no other major professional sport is a team owner responsible for the salary and housing of its officials.

You don't see Yankees owner George Steinbrenner pulling up in a golf cart and cutting a check for "Cowboy" Joe West, or any other umpire. Major League Baseball handles that fiduciary duty. You don't see James Dolan, who oversees the Knicks, waiting in a Garden corridor to pay Dick Bavetta.

There is also no review process in most states after a controversial decision in boxing. Van Hoy said that Dickie Cole "was not unhappy at all," by his scorecard. That was the extent of Cole's evaluation of his performance. This is incredible. The NFL reviews every single play of a game and assigns a grade to the officials based on the number of correct and incorrect calls made.

If an official receives a number of failing grades, he is put on notice. No such scrutiny exists in boxing.

"Someone like Van Hoy, he'll be back in a couple weeks judging another show," Malignaggi said. "He doesn't get fined, nothing."

Without a national commission to police the sport, boxing is subject to the whims of the commissions of each state. The Texas commission didn't assign one neutral official for Diaz-Malignaggi, stacking the deck against the kid from Bensonhurst.

And the result? You get an uncomfortable decision for the hometown kid and the sport of boxing is the night's biggest loser.

Actually, given the abundance of nefarious types with shady dealings, it's a minor miracle that boxing isn't even more corrupt.

Right now, in the vacuum created by the absence of a real commission, the promoters are the only ones with the money and power to run the day-to-day operations of the sport...and the asking price, in return, is that their investments be protected.

Honestly, I'd rather have Fredo Corleone in charge.

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