Will a Loss for Kessler Kill The Super 6?

by Paul Magno

Whenever you're dealing with elite professional boxers, the best planning you can sometimes hope for is a pair of crossed fingers and a silent prayer.

The Super Six World Classic was supposed to be different.

Six top fighters in a highly competitive, but definitely non-glamor division. No HBO/Golden Boy/Top Rank politics...Just the best fighting the best until there was one elite superstar left. It was a beautiful concept and a testament to what can be accomplished when fighters want to fight and their management isn't afraid to let them.

Unfortunately, the Super Six tournament may be two fights away from falling apart and, if we really would've paid attention, the writing was on the wall all along.

As Mikkel Kessler prepares to take on Carl Froch in what promises to be a Fight of the Year candidate this Saturday, there has to be one simple question on the minds of Kessler and his team: "What if we lose?"

A loss for Kessler would mean an 0-2 mark in the tourney and almost no chance to make it into the final four. What would be the point in going on? What if there were a third loss? Kessler, who was the favorite to win it all, is facing the distinct possibility of having his career crushed.

"The Viking Warrior" has always demonstrated the same type of stiff caution outside the ring as he demonstrates inside of it. The best move, yeah, maybe even the smart move, would be to pull Kessler out and make a grab for a lesser title en route to a cushy Calzaghe-esque reign in his home country of Denmark with packed stadiums and the comfortable assurance that every other top super middleweight will be occupied with one another.

Another option for Kessler would be Lucian Bute and an attempted short cut back to the front of the 168 lb. line.

The other questionable piece of the puzzle is American, Andre Ward, but for completely different reasons.

A win against Allan Green on June 19th puts Ward up 2-0 and further cements his status as breakthrough fighter of the tournament. Things can only go downhill form there.

His next fight would be a supremely tough stylistic encounter against good friend, Andre Dirrell, but why risk it? An impressive win against Green will have HBO calling (if they haven't been ringing the phone off the hook already).

The Miranda, Kessler and Green wins will put the Olympic gold medalist in the perfect position to make some real money and HBO has the cash and a list of potential opponents, strong enough to give Ward a real push as "America's Next Big Thing."

Any way you slice it, Ward and Kessler pulling out after the second round would kill the credibility of the tournament and make it little more than a parody of what it was intended to be.

When you think about it, Andre Dirrell is no sure thing to finish the tourney, either. It's easy to envision a scenario where Dirrell, convinced of the fact that he should be 2-0, decides to explore the open market and see what's available for a flashy, yet inconsistent, Roy Jones substitute.

Froch, Abraham and Green are likely to stay in the Super 6; Froch and Green, because there's nowhere else to go...and Abraham, despite the loss to Dirrell, is still in the lead (at least until Ward fights).

Maybe all this is  just paranoia on my part...Maybe everybody stays put and completes their commitment to Showtime and the fans. But it sure would make business sense for some fighters to pack their things before the end of the tourney. And just how often does the good of the sport take precedent over a management team's personal interests?

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Dafs' Pound-4-Pound Update (Part 1)

The Ring have told us "to expect major shake-ups" in their pound-4-pound ratings in the coming months, so I thought I'd weigh-in with my personal mythical rankings. I'll rank twenty-five of the world's best fighters for you to agree, or most probably disagree and wave your fists at the computer screen in anger. Three of the best is the fighter's three best victories or draws from 2007 onwards and last ranking is self-explanatory. Without further ado, here's 25-11.

#25 Devon Alexander (USA) (20-0, 13 KO) [Junior Welterweight]

Three of the best: Jesus Rodriguez KO-9; Junior Witter RTD-8; Juan Urango TKO-8;
Last Ranking: Not Rated

Two impressive wins over former titlists have shot Alexander up to the top 25 and I expect Alexander's rise to continue if he keeps winning against high level opposition.

#24 Juan Manuel Lopez (PUR) (28-0, 25 KO) [Featherweight]

Three of the best: Daniel Ponce de Leon TKO-1; Rogers Mtagwa UD-12; Steven Luevano TKO-7;
Last Ranking: Not Rated

Lopez enters after a solid performance against Steven Luevano. His next fight is against Bernabe Concepcion on July 10 in Juanma's first defense of his WBO title.

#23 Chris John (IND) (43-0-2, 20 KO) [Featherweight]

Three of the best: Roinet Caballero RTD-7; Hiryoki Enoki UD-12; Rocky Juarez UD-12;
Last Ranking: #22

John keeps dropping down the rankings and it's his longevity that keeps him in my top 25. He needs to face a top 10 contender to solidify his position, and his next opponent Fernando David Saucedo doesn't qualify as a legit opponent.

#22 Celestino Caballero (PAN) (33-2, 23 KO) [Featherweight]

Three of the best: Lorenzo Parra TKO-12; Steve Molitor TKO-4; Jeffrey Mathebula SD-12;
Last Ranking: #21

The third featherweight in a row, Caballero drops but is still hunting down the big guns in search of a healthy payday. He faces Daud Yordan this coming Saturday in a tough fight for the Panamanian.

#21 David Haye (GBR) (24-1, 22 KO) [Heavyweight]

Three of the best: Jean Marc-Mormeck TKO-7; Nikolay Valuev MD-12; John Ruiz TKO-9;
Last Ranking: #23

Two-weight world champion Haye moves up two places following his impressive stoppage victory over John Ruiz. Hopefully, we can see Haye match-up with a Klitschko before the end of 2010.

#20 Vitali Klitschko (UKR) (38-2, 36 KO) [Heavyweight]

Three of the best: Sam Peter RTD-8; Juan Carlos Gomez TKO-9; Chris Arreola RTD-10;
Last Ranking: #20

Big bro' keeps his position and his next defense is against Albert Sosnowski, which is a fight that can only damage his ranking.

#19 Miguel Cotto (PUR) (34-2, 27 KO) [Junior Middleweight]

Three of the best: Zab Judah TKO-11; Shane Mosley UD-12; Joshua Clottey SD-12;
Last Ranking: #18

Miguel Cotto drops one place because of a new entry, and his scheduled fight against Yuri Foreman will guarantee movement for the two-weight world champion.

#18 Sergio Martinez (ARG) (44-2-2, 24 KO) [Middleweight]

Three of the best: Saul Roman KO-4; Alex Bunema RTD-8; Kermit Cintron D-12;
Last Ranking: #17

Martinez could possibly enter the top 10 with a win against Kelly Pavlik in a fortnight at Atlantic City. His performance against Paul Williams is the reason he's ranked at #18.

#17 Andre Ward (USA) (21-0, 13 KO) [Super Middleweight]

Three of the best: Henry Buchanan UD-12; Edison Miranda UD-12; Mikkel Kessler TD-11;
Last Ranking: #16

Andre Ward is now the favourite to win the Super 6 Boxing Classic 168-pound tournament after he annihilated Mikkel Kessler to win his first world title. Allan Green is his next opponent.

#16 Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (THI) (75-3-1, 39 KO) [Flyweight]

Three of the best: Daisuke Naito D-12; Julio Cesar Miranda UD-12; Koki Kameda MD-12;
Last Ranking: Not Rated

Wonjongkam regained his WBC title with a victory over Koki Kameda where he also won The Ring Championship belt in the process. Plenty of big money fights on the table for Wongjongkam, and maybe he can rise further up the pound-4-pound stakes if he keeps defeating his rivals.

#15 Nonito Donaire (PHI) (23-1, 15 KO) [Junior Bantamweight]

Three of the best: Vic Darchinyan TKO-5; Raul Martinez TKO-4; Rafael Concepcion UD-12;
Last Ranking: #15

Donaire hasn't capitalised on his spectacular kayo victory over Vic Darchinyan, but an interesting rematch maybe on the cards. Can three pounds make a difference?

#14 Kelly Pavlik (USA) (36-1, 32 KO) [Middleweight]

Three of the best: Edison Miranda TKO-7; Jermain Taylor TKO-7; Marco Antonio Rubio RTD-9;
Last Ranking: #14

Pavlik would be edging near the top 5 had he not been humiliated by Bernard Hopkins, but now finds himself re-building a damaged reputation with Martinez next up.

#13 Carl Froch (GBR) (26-0, 20 KO) [Super Middleweight]

Three of the best: Jean Pascal UD-12; Jermain Taylor TKO-12; Andre Dirrell SD-12;
Last Ranking: #13

The highest rank Brit is at #13 and his impressive resume of opponents could feature Mikkel Kessler on April 17.

#12 Ivan Calderon (PUR) (33-0-1, 6 KO) [Junior Flyweight]

Three of the best: Nelson Dieppa UD-12; Hugo Cazares TD-7; Rodel Mayol TD-7;
Last Ranking: #12

Calderon was slated to face Brian Viloria before the 'Hawaiian Punch' lost to Carlos Tamara, and now the undefeated Calderon faces mandatory challenger Johnriel Casimero who's an up and coming dangerous Filipino.

#11 Lucian Bute (ROM) (25-0, 20 KO) [Super Middleweight]

Three of the best: Sakio Bika UD-12; Alejandro Berrio TKO-11; Librado Andrade KO-4;
Last Ranking: #11

The best super middleweight outside of Showtime's tournament will face Edison Miranda this month with one eye on the outcome of Pavlik-Martinez who fight in the co-feature on HBO.

UP - Devon Alexander NR to #25; Juan Manuel Lopez NR to #24; David Haye #23 to #21; Pongsaklek Wonjongkam NR to #16

DOWN - Fernando Montiel #25 to NR; Tomasz Adamek #24 to NR; Chris John #22 to #23; Celestino Caballero #21 to #22; Arthur Abraham #19 to NR; Miguel Cotto #18 to #19; Sergio Martinez #17 to #18; Andre Ward #16 to #17;

The rankings will continue tomorrow with part 2, ranging from 10-1.

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HBO's Cheap Shot Makes Super 6 Pointless

by Dafs117

When the Super 6 Boxing Classic tournament was launched, it received the same amount of good karma as Manny Pacquiao gets for feeding the homeless in General Santos City. Boxing forums were buzzing, fans ecstatic; HBO fuming.

Angry people at the top of the HBO tower attempted to devise different strategies to work around the tournament, even build something of the same stature. But they couldn't. Showtime had outthought HBO. 1-0 Showtime.

Angered by Showtime's unique approach to the sport that had befuddled everyone at the network, there was only one answer from HBO, screw it up.

Showitme carelessly let a jewel in Lucian Bute slip out of their grasp, and HBO duly took advantage. The 'Super Seventh' as he's known to many, Bute is probably the best fighter at 168 pounds. Why isn't he in the tournament is beyond me.

Surely, letting Bute go will hardly ruin the tournament. Wrong. Bute goes on to score a stunning knockout win over Librado Andrade to climb to the top of the super middleweight ratings, live on HBO.

So HBO are squaring up with its own take on the super middleweights.

The whole point of the tournament is to find out the best in the weight class. How are they going to do that when the #1 fighter is outside of the tournament?

Recent rumours suggest that Showtime are shifting the dates of their Super 6 doubleheader involving Andre Ward’s first defence against Allan Green and Carl Froch ‘s title fight versus Mikkel Kessler, back a week to April 24.

While the exact reason has not been confirmed, it seems pretty clear that HBO’s muscle flexing counter-programme has caused the shift. HBO will be airing a split-site doubleheader, opening with Lucian Bute defending his IBF championship against Edison Miranda in Canada, finishing in Atlantic City with Kelly Pavlik defending his middleweight championship against Sergio Martinez.

I think you've cracked it by now. HBO are hyping up a Bute-Pavlik showdown for the future, erasing all hopes for Showtime to crown the new super middleweight champion in Andre Ward. To make it doubly worse, Bute-Pavlik will be for the vacant RING super middleweight belt, yes, the holy grail for any fighter in the sport today.

The winner of Bute-Pavlik will be the real deal at 168, while the tournament contestants are battling for pride and position, not for #1 spot. Cue fist pumping from Ross Greenburg.

HBO have built their battle for #1 spot the HBO way. They will build Bute-Pavlik into a major attraction and put the fight on at the same time as it gets tense in the Super 6. After the tournament has ended, HBO will bully Showtime in negotiations to win the right to broadcast the biggest fight of them all; Bute-Pavlik winner vs. Super 6 winner.

Is it only me that will find the run-up adverts about the major fight cringe-worthy? Imagine Max Kellerman rambling on about the Super 6 Tournament winner with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

I'm all for cutthroat competition between networks as fans benefit from it, but is this really competition? They're not trying to better Showtime, they're trying to demolish something that could've changed the shape of the sport. Because it's Showtime's product, it must be destroyed. I think fans should have a problem with that.

If HBO competed with Showtime by putting on rival cards that were matching up with theirs, I think I would be fine with that. That's not the case here. This is a sabotage operation to spew out any chance of Showtime success.

If they do eventually match-up the winner of Bute-Pavlik and the Super 6, what right do HBO have to broadcast the fight that's been hyped up by another network? It seems to me that HBO's goal here isn't to stay ahead of the game, but to eliminate the competition. HBO's response is not to improve it's own product, but destroy their rivals'.

Since 2007, Showtime have consistently put on better fights than HBO with a much smaller budget. This proves that HBO's marketing strategy isn't working, hasn't been working, and doesn't look like it will suddenly work.

Showtime is never going to back down. If you think this will jeopardize the chances of Showtime investing heavily in the sport, I would disagree. I think incidents like this will teach Showitme an important lesson, and ultimately, spur them on in their fierce battle with HBO. Remember, HBO can't host everything.

These broadcasters are behaving like sanctioning bodies, playing games with super champion statuses and interim farces. Again, the boxing world is reminded why the world tuned out of the sport many years ago.

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2009: The Boxing Tribune Year-End Awards

by Paul Magno

2009 resembled an Arturo Gatti fight.

Controversy caused by Antonio Margarito's loaded hand wraps and a weak economy had boxing on the ropes for a good portion of the year. To top things off, tragedy hit the boxing world hard as three hall of fame talents were lost: Arturo Gatti, Vernon Forrest and Alexis Arguello.

However, like any good Gatti fight, the underdog battled back and finished strong as quality contests and innovative ideas brought the live gate back in droves and encouraged millions to pay their hard-earned money to watch on TV.

From Plaster Gate to The Return of "Money" Mayweather to The Super Six Tournament to Firepower, here's a look at the best of the best (and the worst of the worst) of 2009:

Fighter of the Year: Manny Pacquiao

For the second year in a row, the Filipino Buzzsaw takes top honors with two outstanding performances. Pacquiao followed up a brutal second round knockout of Ricky Hatton with a slow and ugly destruction of reigning WBO Welterweight champ, Miguel Cotto. Things don't get any easier for Pacquiao as he's slated to face Floyd Mayweather Jr, in the first half of 2010 and that could either mean an end to his grasp on FOY honors or a sure 2010 win in this category.

Runners up: Paul Williams, Timothy Bradley


Fight of the Year: Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz

This one had it all. An experienced old pro looking to make his mark in a young lion's home division of 135; Pressure vs. Precision; Fury vs. Technique.

Marquez vs. Diaz exceeded all expectations in a bout full of ebbs and tides and harsh brutality in Diaz's own hometown. At one point, it looked like youth and aggression would prevail as Diaz seemed to be getting to the 36-year old Marquez. However, in the end, it was Marquez's gym-forged and rage-sharpened fundamentals that won out.

Marquez would end up stopping a bloodied Diaz in the ninth to top off a true classic.

Runners up: Bernard Dunne TKO 11 Ricardo Cordoba, Andre Berto UD 12 Luis Collazo


Event of the Year: Firepower

Nothing had boxing fans more energized in 2009 than the clash between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. The buzz was evident for weeks prior to the event and the internet was lit up with both sets of loyal fans making their cases and with an assortment of experts offering their individual takes on the match-up.

In the end, Pacquiao prevailed in a relatively one-sided bout, but that doesn't erase the energy generated by this event and the attention brought to the sport by way of over 1.25 million PPV buys.

Runners up: The return of Floyd Mayweather Jr., The Super Six World Classic Tournament



Knockout of the Year: Manny Pacquiao KO 2 Ricky Hatton

Take one perfectly-timed left hook and combine it with a defensively sloppy Ricky Hatton and you get the most devastating knockout of the year.

Hatton would be left in a heap in the middle of the ring for several moments while Pacquiao celebrated this most brutal of all endings. As surprising as it was crushing, this was a definite career-defining moment for Manny and a sure bet Knockout of the Year.

Runners up: Arthur Abraham KO 12 Jermain Taylor, Randall BaileyKO 4 Frankie Figueroa


Round of the Year: Marcos Maidana vs. Victor Ortiz (Round 1)

This was supposed to be Ortiz's coming out party and the first step in his path to becoming the next Golden Boy. Unfortunately for him, somebody forgot to tell Maidana that he was a stepping stone. Maidana established his will from the opening bell and, despite being knocked down with a hard shot, answered back by decking Ortiz just a few seconds later with a bullet right hand. Ortiz would end up quitting the war in the sixth, but it was the first round that established the fact that Maidana would not be broken by a junior league Golden Boy.

Runner up: Carlos Abregu vs. Irving Garcia (Round 4)


The Pernell Whitaker Virtuoso Award: Shane Mosley

Coming into his bout with Antonio Margarito, there were some smart boxing people who were even going so far as to worry about the 37-year old's safety. After all, Margarito was coming in as the beast who stopped Miguel Cotto.

Mosley would execute a brilliant game plan, devised by new trainer Nazeem Richardson, that made Margarito look impotent and absolutely amateurish.

The one-sided domination of Margarito was somewhat overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Margarito's loaded handwraps prior to the fight, but nothing should take away from Mosley's performance that night in The Staples Center. Mosley proved himself to be a true virtuoso.

Runners up: Floyd Mayweather Jr. (vs. Juan Manuel Marquez), Lucian Bute (vs. Librado Andrade)


The Oliver McCall Puzzling Non-Performance in a Prime Time Drama Award: Daniel Santos

Santos was fighting on the Pacquiao-Cotto undercard, the biggest card of the year, after more than a year of inactivity and he was up against an inexperienced and unproven Yuri Foreman. This would've been the perfect time for Santos to step back into the picture and re-establish himself as a force at 154. Instead he lumbered and slept his way through twelve dull rounds and even allowed himself to be out-muscled by the feather-fisted Foreman.

Runner up: Ruslan Chagaev (vs. Wladimir Klitschko), Nikolai Valuev (vs. David Haye)


UK Fighter of the Year: Carl Froch

Froch spent 2009 proving that his win over Jean Pascal in late '08 wasn't a fluke. He would struggle for large portions of his bouts with Jermain Taylor and Andre Dirrell, but he would ultimately prevail in both. The finish of his bout with Taylor was exceptionally thrilling as he stopped Taylor at the 2:46 mark while trailing on two of the three scorecards.

Runners up: David Haye, Amir Khan


Breakthrough Fighter of the Year: Andre Ward

Prior to 2009, Ward was a gold medalist with a "blah" career, fighting club fighters and looking just competent in his victories.

2009 would be Ward's breakthrough year as he would step things up, big-time, by winning his first world title against favorite Mikkel Kessler via the Super Six tourney. He would also claim dominant victories over Edison Miranda, Henry Buchanan and Shelby Pudwill.

Andre Ward has arrived and will be in the perfect position to build upon his outstanding 2009 by sweeping the 168 pound tournament.

Runner up: Timothy Bradley, Amir Khan


Upset of the Year: Juan Carlos Salgado TKO 1 Jorge Linares

Salgado was merely a stepping stone for WBA Super Featherweight champ, Jorge Linares. Golden Boy promotions had just signed Linares and was already counting the money that could be generated by the well-regarded Venezuelan technician. Unknown Mexican club fighter, Salgado, ruined plans by crushing Linares in seventy three seconds.

Runner up: Shane Mosley TKO 9 Antonio Margarito


Trainer of the Year: Nazim Richardson

Brother Nazim wrapped this prize up in the first month of the year as he devised the perfect game plan for Shane Mosley to beat Antonio Margarito and also uncovered Margarito's use of illegal hand wraps. It was Richardson's astute cynicism that led to his intense inspection of Margarito's wraps which thereby uncovered one of this era's most notorious cheaters.

Runner up: Freddie Roach




Robbery of the Year: Kermit Cintron D Sergio Martinez

It sure seemed as though the Florida state commission was determined to not let Martinez walk away with the win. After controlling the first half of the fight, Martinez sent Cintron to the mat hard at the end of the seventh and referee Frank Santore Jr. reached the count of ten. The fight was apparently over and then, a few minutes later and against all common sense, Santore waved the fight back on and ordered for both fighters to continue for the eighth. The rest time aided Cintron and allowed him to come back and take it to Martinez in the following three rounds. Then, in another shocking move, after a great round by Martinez in the eleventh, Santore took a point from Martinez for hitting behind the head. Still, even with the missed knockdown and bogus point deduction, Martinez seemed to be the clear winner...Surprise! The fight was ruled a draw.

Runners up: Ali Funeka D Joan Guzman, Chris John D Rocky Juarez


The George A Romero Gore Award: Miguel Cotto

Cotto's face took a real beating twice in 2009. First, a massive cut over his eye against Joshua Clottey and then a brutal pulverizing at the hands of Manny Pacquiao. There's one thing for sure when it comes to Cotto: his face shows the signs of a real beating. Last year he was the runner up to this award when he was beat by Margarito; This year, he takes top honors. Congrats Miguel, I guess...


Gutsiest Effort of 2009: Nate Campbell MD 12 Ali Funeka

Weight drained and having been stripped of his titles earlier on, the 37-year old Campbell walked into a 6ft 1, South African punching machine and had to literally fight for his life. Campbell came on strong early and even knocked Funeka down in the second. However, Funeka recovered and gained complete control in the middle rounds. Campbell, behind on the cards and seeing his career on the line, pushed himself through shear exhaustion and battled back to a Majority Decision win.

Runners up: Marcos Maidana TKO 6 Victor Ortiz


Comeback Fighter of the Year: Brian Viloria

At one time considered a top prospect and classy world champ, a couple of tough losses sent Viloria into such a tailspin that nobody in their right mind was giving him much of a chance against long-reigning IBF Jr. Flyweight champ, Ulises Solis. Viloria didn't win easily and Solis didn't go down without a major fight, but somehow, some way, "Hawaiian Punch" once again found the inner drive to push onward and he KOd Solis in the 11th, in front of a packed pro-Viloria card in Manila, the Philippines.

Runners up: Robert Guerrero, Rodel Mayol


The Rat F*ck Douche Bag Award: Antonio Margarito and Javier Capetillo

Prior to the fight against Shane Mosley, illegal hand wraps containing a plaster-like substance were discovered on the hands of Margarito. There were denials and ridiculous excuses made by Margarito, Capetillo and promoter Bob Arum...even charges of racism were leveled. However, the end result was a one year suspension for these scum bags who were willing to put the lives of their opponents in jeopardy to make up for their own flaws and inabilities

Runners up: The Texas and Florida State Commissions, All Boxing Promoters


The Chris Brown vs. Rihanna One-Sided Beatdown Award: Manny Pacquiao TKO 12 Miguel Cotto

This was being built-up as a real dangerous match-up for both fighters where both guys had an equal chance of being destroyed. The reality was that, barring a couple of shots in the early rounds, this was an easy, one-sided win for Pacquiao. By the last few rounds, Miguel Cotto was literally running from Pacquiao's punches.

Runner up: Floyd Mayweather Jr. UD Juan Manuel Marquez, Vitali Klitschko TKO 9 Juan Carlos Gomez


The Dr. Phil Non-Expert Analysis Award: R.A. The Rugged Man

Somehow, some way, this hard-luck, middle-aged rapper found his way on to internet boxing shows and websites as some sort of expert analyst. With the mentality of a message board troll, this failed Beastie Boy wanna be, is actually sought after as a voice of real analysis. His presence is a real kick in the head to all boxing analysts who actually do have a working knowledge of the sport, but lack the exposure. "Rugged Man" is to boxing analysis what Vanilla Ice was to Hip Hop.


The Transformers II Needless Sequel Award: Chad Dawson vs. Antonio Tarver II

What's worst than a relatively one-sided unanimous decision? Answer: A rematch of a relatively one-sided unanimous decision. Chad Dawson clearly proved himself to be the better fighter of the two in their first encounter, but a Tarver rematch clause forced the rematch. The yawner, his first on HBO, actually lowered Dawson's stock.

Runner up: Chris John vs. Rocky Juarez II


Paula Abdul Worst Judge Award: Gale Van Hoy

First, he turned in a ridiculous 114-114 score for Chris John-Rocky Juarez I. Then, he topped himself with a ridiculous 118-110 score for Juan Diaz over Paulie Malignaggi. Texas judge, Van Hoy, has proven himself completely inept at scoring fights featuring Texas' favorite sons.

Runners up: Pierre Benoist (119-110, Paul Williams over Sergio Martinez); Alan Davis, Benoit Roussel (114-114 Ali Funeka-Joan Guzman)


Dumbest Move of 2009: James Kirkland's Parole Violation

Kirkland was one of the brightest stars coming into 2009 and seemed to seal the deal as a legit power with his dominant performance over Joel Julio in March. Shortly after, Kirkland was arrested for parole violation in an attempt to purchase a firearm. He was sentenced to two years in a federal prison.

Runners up: Monte Barrett's attempt to jump over the top rope in his ring entrance vs. David Haye, Miguel Cotto caving in to every concession prior to the Pacquiao fight


The "Hey, That Guy Works at Footlocker" Award: Shelby Pudwill (vs. Andre Ward)

This is The BTBC's annual award given to the most pedestrian fighter who somehow finds his way on to a major network. Congrats on making the Showtime telecast, Shelby!




Tiger Woods Cheat Award: Antonio Margarito

Mrs. Tiger Woods Cheated-On Award: Ali Funeka

Should've Happened: Steve Cunningham vs. Tomasz Adamek II

The Jermain Taylor, All Messed-up Award: Jermain Taylor

The Nostradamus Award: Paulie Malignaggi (for predicting his own screw job against Juan Diaz)

Worst Pay Per View: March Badness

Stick a Fork in 'em, They're Done: Jermain Taylor, Jeff Lacy, Danny Williams, Jesus Chavez, Roy Jones Jr. (again), Carlos Hernandez, Monte Barrett

2010 is Their Year: Who knows? There's a lot of parity in the sport right now and not many clearly dominant forces...Let's opt out of this one and make an obvious choice: The Boxing Tribune and The BTBC Fan Forum will continue to grow and prosper in 2010, becoming a true force in the sport. Viva BTBC! Happy 2010!

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2009 Super Middleweight Report

by Dafs117

Andre Dirrell vs. Arthur Abraham, Andre Ward vs. Jermain Taylor and Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler. Over the course of a month and a half, six quality fighters are slated to step into the ring in three outstanding matches. How many of them are on PPV? None. Yes, that’s right, zilch. They compete in a revolutionary new tournament set-up by Showtime Sports to find out who is top dog at 168 pounds.

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The Return of American Swagger

by Paul Magno

At the beginning of '09, the big story among the boxing media was the apparent downfall of the American fighter.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. was still retired, Oscar De la Hoya had been humiliated by Manny Pacquiao and future Hall of Famers, Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins were on their last legs. Even Kelly Pavlik, the blue collar Cinderella story of 2007-2008 had been profoundly schooled by Hopkins at the end of '08.

2009 didn't look to be much brighter at all for the American fight contingent since, to kick things off, Mosley was going to be facing off against the new consensus #1 Welterweight in the world and widely-regarded beast, Antonio Margarito.

But "Sugar" Shane pulled off the upset in front of a partisan, pro-Margarito crowd at The Staples Center in Los Angeles and ushered in a year that would see the return of a strong American presence in the sport.

Of course, bringing in the headlines was Floyd Mayweather Jr., as he totally dominated Juan Manuel Marquez in his comeback fight in September and officially pushed for a return to his pound for pound throne with a proposed fight against Manny Pacquiao in 2010.

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Super 6 Boxing Classic Stage 2 All Set

March 6: Andre Dirrell vs. Arthur Abraham - Andre Dirrell will fight Arthur Abraham at the Rancho Mirage in California. This fight will open the second stage of the Super 6 Boxing Classic Tournament on Showtime, which Abraham tops at the moment. Could Dirrell make up for his split decision defeat to Froch?

April 17: Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler - Carl Froch will make his third defence of his WBC Super Middleweight belt against Dane Mikkel Kessler, in either the City Ground, Nottingham, or a venue in Copenhagen or Parken. The venue will be decided in the subject of a purse bid. Could Kessler get back on track or will the Cobra qualify for the semi-finals?

April 17: Andre Ward vs. Jermain Taylor - To finish off the live doubleheader on Showtime, Andre Ward will defend his WBA Super Middleweight belt for the first time against Jermain Taylor at Oakland. Ward suprised most by defeating Kessler in Stage 1, and should have enough in the tank for Taylor. Could Taylor roll back the years and outbox Ward?

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Super Ward Tears Kessler to Shreds

Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KOs) outclassed and outfought defending WBA Super Middleweight Champ, Mikkel Kessler (42-2, 32 KOs) to finally put the American portion of the Super 6 Tourney on the leader-board via Technical Decision with scores of 97-93, 98-92, 98-92 (The BTBC also had it scored 98-92).

Every round seemed similar as Ward's speed and reflexes seemed too much for the game, but stiff defending champion. Ward, fighting in his hometown of Oakland, CA, employed a distinct strategy of tying Kessler up on the inside and using his hand speed to potshot Kessler from the outside.

Kessler, on his part, never adapted and seemed a step behind the entire night.

Several headbutts occurred along the way with Ward rushing forward and Kessler slow to react and, ultimately, it was one of those butts that resulted in the fight being waved off and sent to the scorecards in the eleventh.

Up next in the tournament for Ward is a bout with Jermain Taylor, while Kessler will take on Carl Froch.

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Today They Make Weight, Tomorrow They Make War!

Mikkel Kessler: 167 lbs.
Andre Ward: 166.5 lbs.

From Oakland and as part of the Showtime Super Middleweight Tournament, defending WBA Super Middleweight champ takes on former Olympic Gold Medalist, Andre Ward.

Check the BTBC TV Schedule for details on when and where to watch it. Also, watch Part 2 of Fight Camp 360, chronicling the behind-the-scenes stories of the Super Six World Boxing Classic: CLICK HERE

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Magno vs. The Machine (Stage 4: Kessler vs. Ward)

After 3 rounds of competitive action, Magno and Machine can’t be separated. With both camps beginning to realize the importance of the contest, scheduled for 12/15, both are eager to get their noses in front as the battle heats up. With the comeback of the fan-friendly Super 6 Boxing Classic, both challengers will predict the outcome of Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward.

Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward

Magno: For better or worse, this may be the one the separates the man from the machine. There's no cold, hard logic to explain my pick in this one, no statistics back me up and I have no logical basis...this is based on a gut feeling.

I feel that Kessler's ultra-orthodox style will be relatively easy for Ward to deal with and that Ward, while having only shown this briefly as a pro against Miranda, has a championship presence that will push him to victory

My pick is Ward via close UD.

Machine: A gold medallist against an experienced Viking Warrior. This one could really go either way.

The calibre of opponents on the Dane’s record is far superior than the Oakland prospect. The names include Librado Andrade and Anthony Mundine, with a defeat to undefeated superstar Joe Calzaghe. Ward’s major win was a shutout decision against hard-hitting Edison Miranda.

With superior strength and power, the Dane will utilize his orthodox jab, to keep the speedy American at bay. Andre Ward will try and go in and out of range and trying to protect his weaker chin.

With the Europeans already 2-0 up in the Super 6 series, could Ward get the Yanks on the board. Or would Kessler ensure a first round whitewash to the Europeans?

Ward will easily win the opening rounds against the painfully stiff Kessler, but as the rounds wear on, so does Ward, and his speed and reflexes slow down dramatically. Kessler takes advantage, landing power shots frequently, and evening it up on the scorecards at the halfway mark. A ferocious uppercut dents Ward’s chin, and the American Olympian goes down in the eighth. He survives the round, but Kessler comes out banging, stopping Ward in the ninth.

Kessler the winner by 9^th round knockout.

Current Scores: Magno 4-1 (1 KOs), Machine 4-1 (1 KOs)

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Boxing's November to Remember

by Paul Magno

As boxing fans, we're the easiest sports fans to please. We're given so little that when a rarity like November, 2009 comes along, we are liable to become absolutely giddy.

Imagine the prospect of an entire month stacked with quality match-ups and nary a cancellation in sight...It's the stuff of legends; Boxing's equivalent to a winning lottery ticket.

After a very sparse Summer and a fairly lackluster 2009 overall, boxing is closing out the year with a bang and about to unleash one of the best months for the sport in my recent memory.

Just look at what awaits us:

Martin Rogin vs. Sam Sexton II (a UK rematch of the Heavyweight Fight of the Year)

Alfredo Angulo vs. Harry Joe Yorgey (Angulo's always fun and Yorgey will make it a war)

Chad Dawson vs. Glen Johnson (Best fight to be made at 175)

Nikolay Valuev vs. David Haye (More science experiment than fight, but will be fun)

Matthew Hatton vs. Lovemore N'Dou (Evenly-matched means evenly-fought)

Miguel Cotto vs. Manny Pacquiao (Mega fight...I will speak about this more next time)

Daniel Santos vs. Yuri Foreman (I don't care what anyone says, I think this might be interesting)

Alfonso Gomez vs. Jesus Soto Karass (Good action and maybe Karass' coming-out party)

Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward (Two prime, elite fighters in Super 6 Classic)

Edgar Sosa vs. Rodel Mayol (For sure FOY candidate)

Lucian Bute vs. Librado Andrade (A score to settle for both, plus crazy Canadian fans)

Ali Funeka vs. Joan Guzman (A real, major test for both)

Plus, Zab Judah, Joel Casamayor, Marcos Maidana, Jason Litzau, Jorge Barrios, Andy Lee, Alexander Dimitrenko, Mike Jones, "Gato" Figueroa, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr...

It's enough to make even the most bitter of fans take note...and only one PPV among the bunch! (okay, one and a half if you count the Valuev-Haye fight's PPV status in the US)

I hope that boxing's powers that be take notice and realize that by giving us actual fights, they aren't losing potential PPV dollars, they are reminding the loyal fan base of exactly why they are fans in the first place.

As fans, we don't need big-named mega-bouts and we don't even really need months as stacked as November '09.

What we do need is quality match-ups and fights that actually mean something.

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There Can Be Only One : Part 1

by Simon Garner

On the 5th February this year, the man considered the king at 168lb, Joe Calzaghe retired from boxing. In doing so, he left somewhat of a void in the super middleweight division. What we’ve been left with, is a number of good fighters with varying degrees of experience, but no one who stands out.

The best case that’s been made for the throne came back in April when Carl Froch dramatically stopped Jermain Taylor in the final round of the WBC title bout. A fight which Taylor largely dominated until the later rounds only for him to tire and for Nottingham based fighter to take advantage.

The likes of Andre Ward and his namesake, Andre Dirrell have both fought since the retirement of Calzaghe but neither has stamped a big impression on the boxing world. The same can be said for Mikkel Kessler, the current WBA champion, a man who fought well against Calzaghe back in 2007, but has only entered the ring to face the likes of Dimitri Sartison and Danilo Haussler in recent times.

The other big name left in the division is ‘King’ Arthur Abraham, who despite his regal title has yet to make significant inroads in the division, with his only win coming last year in a rematch against Edison Miranda. A man who was also recently defeated by Andre Ward

Therefore, due to the confusion in the division, a plan was devised by Ken Hershman, the head honcho of boxing at Showtime to make all of the aforementioned combatants fight it out to find out who is the best in the divison.

The concept devised is an ingenious and unique one, never tried to such an extent before in boxing: a modified round-robin tournament to create an undisputed divisional leader. The winner of each bout will receive three points for a KO victory and two points for a decision. One point will be awarded for a draw. The preliminary rounds will begin in October and each participant will engage in three initial bouts. From this, the top four highest points scorers will advance to the semi-finals in January 2011. The winners will then fight in the final in May/June 2011.

This tournament is similar to others of yesteryear that sought to establish lineage in a crowded divison. The most recent example of this came in a smaller game back in 2001 when the top middleweights fought to establish a champion. First, the Executioner, Bernard Hopkins outpointed Keith Holmes. Then Felix Trinidad knocked out William Joppy. And finally, Hopkins shocked the world by putting on a boxing masterclass and finally stopped the seemingly unbeatable Tito to become the first undisputed champion at 160 since Marvin Hagler.

In contrast the super-middleweight division hasn’t been without a leader for nearly as long. However, by bringing together the top fighters at the weight, all under different promoters, is something that should be applauded. The “Super Six” tournament will turn heads and as Lou DiBella put it recently, it will provided an “international jolt of adrenaline for boxing”

In Part 2, I will consider all the participants, their strengths, their weaknesses and their chances of victory. Finally, I will then state who I think will be crowned as champion in 2011.

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USA! USA! America's 10 Best Boxers!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Five to Watch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Madcow's Standing 8 Count (5/17/09)

by Madcow

Hello Everyone! It’s another edition of Madcow’s Standing 8 Count featuring James Kirkland’s least favorite shooting buddy, Me! I wonder way Kirkland hasn't been on the range lately?

To say that this week has been a slow news week is like saying that your beloved Madcow likes his Jack and Water cold and strong…Duh! Other than Andre Ward finally acting like a real prospect and Edison Miranda quickly working his way back to eating roadkill, almost nothing of note has been happening.

So, rather than fill the rest of this column with filler about Mayweather-Marquez-Pacquiao and played-out debates on who’s better, I thought I’d take this opportunity to let everyone know what I absolutely hate about the sport of Boxing.

Here’s my list (in no particular order):

* Manny Pacquiao’s Fans (Especially the Filipino Fans)- I understand national pride- I felt the same way when the USA passed Mexico on the Swine Flu “Most Infected” list, but these Pac-fans are too much. In the past weeks I’ve read stories about Manny “easily” beating everyone from Cotto to Hopkins to Klitschko. Hell, at the Pac-land Forum, they aren’t debating about “whether” Manny can beat Mayweather, they’re debating about in which round he’ll knock Floyd out! Pacquiao is a great fighter, no doubt, but his fans need to bring things back to reality…Manny can’t beat the entire Indonesian Coast Guard and he probably would fare too well against the Nazi War Machine of World War II, either.

* Mayweather’s Mouth- If PBF could trash talk in an intelligent manner, I wouldn’t have a problem, but he sounds downright retarded sometimes and totally oblivious to the criticisms that come his way. So, Mayweather will go on and on about how a good little man will never beat a good big man despite the fact that critics are all over him for fighting Juan Manuel Marquez and, duh, Mayweather, himself, chose to fight the little man.

* Fighters from The Contender- Take a bunch of club fighters, slap them on TV and send them out into the real world with an inflated sense of self-importance and a mess of undeserved publicity. The result is crappy fighters in crappy fights wasting precious TV time that could be going to a legit class fighter.

* Catchweight fights- For crissake, fight in your own division and when you kill everyone around, then move up! If God had intended Juan Manuel Marquez to weigh 147 lbs., he would’ve given the guy a shoe size larger than single-digits.

* Strawweights- Any athlete weighing less than 105 lbs should be either on top of a horse or wearing a mask in Mexican Lucha Libre.

* Overweight Heavyweights- Any 200+ lb. athlete with rolls of fat around his belly should be wearing face paint or an Indian headdress and wrestling in the WWE.

* Interim titles, “Regular” Champs, “Super” Champs- Either you’re champ or you’re not, no in-betweens. That’s why I respect the BTBC World Rankings- They don ‘t recognize any of that BS. Being an Interim or Regular Champ is like saying that you’re just “a little” gay…No, it doesn’t work like that. You’re either a champ or a challenger…

* The Mora-Spinks Syndrome- Fighters, like Sergio Mora and Cory Spinks, who talk tough and walk to the ring with a swagger, but fight like little biaaatches.

* HBO’s Influence Over Boxing- I hate the way HBO has been allowed to dictate to fighters, promoters and sanctioing bodies. Imagine FOX telling the NFL that the Cardinals aren’t allowed to be in the Super Bowl! I just don’t trust HBO…After all, this is the network that built-up the best series ever, The Sopranos, and ended its run with the lamest ending ever!

* Every Boxing Forum, except The BTBC’s (http://www.btbc.proboards.com/) and every Boxing Blog except this one and The Blue Corner Blog (http://thebluecorner.wordpress.com/). Ok, will you get off my back now, Paul?

Well, my time is up here and I must be on my way. Cold drinks and warm ladies await.

Until next Sunday.

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Ward Outclasses Miranda

Unbeaten Super Middleweight Prospect, Andre Ward (19-0, 12 KOs), beat the game, but obvioulsy overmatched, Edison Miranda (32-4, 28 KOs) via Unanimous Decision by scores of 119-109, 119-109, 116-112.

It was a surprisingly easy fight for the Olympian as he managed to hit Miranda at will and was able to duck under or around most of Miranda's shots. The only difficult spot for Ward was in the very first round when a Miranda headbutt opened up a small cut over his left eye.

Other than a small trickle of blood in the first couple of minutes, it was clear sailing for Ward as he made Miranda look slow and dangerously one-dimensional.

On the Showtime televised undercard, Shawn Estrada (6-0, 6 KOs) disposed of Cory Jones (5-6, 1 KO) via TKO at 1:31 of the first and John Molina Jr. (17-0, 13 KOs) beat Frankie Archuleta (25-7-1, 14 KOs) via strange TKO 2.

Archuleta was putting on a game performance and may have even won the first 4 minutes of the bout before he was put down by a Molina shot. Archuleta walked back to the neutral corner, seemingly, unhurt and the ref waived the fight off.

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Madcow's Standing 8 Count (5/10/09)

by Madcow

Welcome to another week's worth of Boxing slaps and tickles with your favorite overweight booze hound-wh*re monger. In case you don't know who I am, my name is Madcow- I'm an independently wealthy Boxing expert and, quite often, the smartest guy in the room.

Chad Dawson beat Antonio Tarver, again, in an almost identical fight as their first one. Nothing was working last Saturday. The whole HBO telecast seemed off. Dawson looked flat, Tarver looked ancient and even the ring card girls looked skankier than usual. It was a bad night for all parties...especially us fans who had to sit through a snore-fest while thinking about just how many great fights we could've seen aired with the money they wasted on Dawson/Tarver 2.

The next step for Dawson is to find a decent fight among all the bums at 175. The only option for a money fight is to fly out to Wales, find out where Calzaghe's gone drinking, bring TV cameras and force Joe to fight him, ala Rocky V...Either that or invent a time machine so he can go back 8 years to fight a Roy Jones who could actually defend himself.

As for Antonio Tarver...Tarver goes back to doing what all marginally successful men with smoking hot wives do- Look over his shoulder and have a private detective follow Denise Tarver around all day.

Speaking of Denise Tarver...Denise, drop me a line, ok? You can send all e-mails to boxing_times@yahoo.com. Put "Madcow" in the title and it'll be forwarded to me...Later, pumpkin.

Hector Camacho and Yory Boy Campas went ahead with their ridiculous PPV on Saturday. Florida played host to these geezers since Jersey wouldn't license Camacho. I was pulling for the show to be named "When Swollen Prostates Collide," but they went with "Nations Collide" or something silly like that. There's no word on the buy rate yet, but it has to be at least "1" because of the guy who was airing the illegal stream that I watched on the internet.

As for the show itself, if you enjoy the feel and production value of Sunday morning UHF Pro-Wrestling shows, you would've loved this one. Dim lighting, grainy color, cheap effects...you had to know that any PPV featuring a 47-year old felon in the main event had to be all class.

By the way, the fight was declared a draw...and there's no truth to the rumor that the pre-fight physical used carbon dating technology.

Next week, Andre Ward and Edison Miranda mix it up. I have to admit that Miranda is the type of blow-hard bully that I hate with a passion. But, Ward is the type of good-looking arrogant jock I also hate with a passion. So, I'm torn. Maybe I'll root for a double knockout or a collapsing roof.

Roy Jones wanted to fight in the UFC Octagon against Anderson Silva and the fight would've been made if Dana White hadn't vetoed it. White says that a Jones fight is meaningless and that he doesn't want to be responsible for a legend like Roy Jones getting hurt. Yeah, right...and the only reason I'm not nailing Scarlett Johansson is because I don't like busty blondes.

The Kelly Pavlik-Sergio Mora fight, scheduled for June 27th, has been cancelled. On the surface this is good news, but all this means is that we're still going to have to co-exist in the same universe as Mora until Pavlik's staph infection of the hand is better.

Ok, I have to run, I gotta get a massage and if I show up late for my appointment, the "happy ending" becomes an "inconclusive session-ender."

If you're reading this at: http://thebluecorner.wordpress.com/ , be sure to check out the latest addition to the BTBC universe: The BTBC...Boxing With a Bite! http://www.btbc-boxing.blogspot.com/.

If you're already reading this at our boxing news blog, be sure to check out our original blog for longer feature stories and analysis: http://thebluecorner.wordpress.com/

And if I pissed you off and you want to tear me a new one, hop on our message board: http://www.btbc.proboards.com/.

I'll see ya next Sunday, ladies.

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Madcow's Standing 8 Count (5/3/09)

by Madcow

Welcome back to another edition of my weekly bovine dose of reality. And a special welcome to the new readers generated by The BTBC's newest addition- The BTBC...Boxing With a Bite! The new blog will be for hard news and analysis while the wordpress blog will be for our usual essays and such. I will have a more active role in the new blog, so if I've picked on your favorite fighter and made you as an enemy, you probably might want to stay away from it. Otherwise, rely on The BTBC to be a trusted news source for all things boxing-related. For awhile, at least, this column will be published on both blogs.

So, All Hail Boxing's Hooker-Lovin', Beer-Guzzlin', Spare Change-Stealin' Anti-Dan Rafael...Me!

Honorable PPV buyers: How long after Ricky Hatton stumbled back to the dressing room did the reality fall on you? Yep, 50-60 bucks for less than 6 minutes of one-sided action. Hell, even the 3 National Anthems lasted longer! With a weak undercard and a short-as-hell main event, your money would've been better spent on a pizza, a six pack and an evening of illegal stream-hopping on the internet. That's how I spent my evening.

Seriously, though, how is it possible for Manny Pacquiao to look even more impressive each time out? The guy almosy literally ripped Hatton's head from his body!


But as new readers will soon find out, I'm The BTBC's official turd in the punch bowl. Here's the reality about Manny Pacquiao:

* No matter what his fans say, Manny lost to Juan Manuel Marquez in their second fight.

* Beating David Diaz is no huge accomplishment.

* The Oscar De la Hoya that showed up against Pacquiao was a weight-drained shell of his former self.

* Ricky Hatton has been among the most overrated stiffs of this generation- A good 2nd-tier fighter and nothing more.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. tried to upstage the Manny/Ricky Show by announcing his official comeback against Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18th. I see this fight kinda like how I see having a new smoke detector: I'm glad to have it, but not too jazzed about seeing it implemented. Just as I said that Pacquiao/Hatton would be a mismatch, so is Mayweather vs. Marquez. But as my "ladies" must do when they see this 300 lb. body lunging at them- Marquez should just take his screwing and keep counting all the loot in his head.

Chad Dawson and Antonio Tarver will be fighting this coming Saturday in the most pointless sequel since Blues Brothers 2000. Unfortunately, this may be the last fight for Dawson against anyone even remotely marketable at Light Heavyweight. Dawson may be forced to drop in weight and wade through the fall-out at 168 for some better matches. On the plus side, we get another chance to visually fondle Tarver's HOT wife.

Apparently, the Wladimir Klitschko/David Haye encounter is a big-ticket item in Europe, selling out a soccer stadium in Germany and sending fans scrambling to scalpers for tickets to the Heavyweight Title bout. Well, guys, save your money and just re-watch the second round of Pacquiao/Hatton. The part of Ricky Hatton will be played by Mr. Hayemaker Haye.

In "real" fight news: I can't wait for the next six weeks or so: Andre Ward vs. Edison Miranda, Alfred Angulo vs. Kermit Cintron, Miguel Cotto vs. Joshua Clottey...Plus, the comeback of Rafael Marquez!

Bob Arum is dispelling any notion of a Pacquiao/Mayweather fight by promising Pacquiao/Cotto in December. Arum has wanted nothing to do with Mayweather for the longest time, despite stories to the contrary. But pay no attention to the man with the grey chest hair and boxing glove-shaped liver spots, Arum's playing kissy face with Cotto to make up for backing the man who beat his face in with bricks back in July '08 (aka Margarito).

Ok, that's all for this week. Those spicy buffalo wings I ate this afternoon are dying to take a swim in my porcelain pool. So, with Ring Magazine in hand, I'll close this out with my favorite sound bite from Saturday's Mayweather/Marquez press conference, See ya ladies next week:

“I beat fighters and turn them into bitches and they go out and put on fish-nets.” - Floyd Mayweather Jr.

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