While I Was Away...

by Paul Magno

When I planned out my vacation several months ago I simply didn't know how much boxing action I'd be missing...As much as I needed time away from the day to day grind here in my Central Mexican fortress, I would've put off the festivities for another date...Maybe a few weeks earlier so I could conveniently miss the Pacquiao-Clottey Crapfest...

Well, I've just about caught up on the action I've missed...So, I guess, no harm, no foul...Here's a brief review of some of the action that took place during my swingin' vacation:


Andre Dirrell DQ 11 over Arthur Abraham: Brilliant boxing clinic given by Dirrell over the first 9 or so and 100% validation of my opinion that Abraham is way overrated...As for the fight-ending foul: When, I first saw it casually, I was of the opinion that Dirrell was acting. When I saw it again and actually paid attention, it was clear that Dirrell was legitimately hurt and the way he reacted, by pawing at his eye, was eerily reminiscent of Gerald McClellan's reaction after he suffered a brain injury in a bout with Nigel Benn. Plus, how could anyone watch Dirrell's punch drunk post-fight interview and say that he was play-acting the part of a hurt fighter?

Marcos Maidana KO 6 over Victor Cayo: Whether Maidana goes on to do something at 140, there's no doubt at this point that he belongs among the top jr. welters in the world...Cayo, on the other hand, does not.


Joan Guzman SD 12 over Ali Funeka: Guzman is in a lose-lose situation...He simply can't (or won't) make a weight below 147, but he will be devoured by the elite crew at 147. Unless he can find a way to motivate himself below 135, Guzman is finished. Funeka was also busted for using a diuretic to help make weight...So, what we had was two natural welterweights fighting for a lightweight title...Go figure.


Bernard Hopkins UD 12 over Roy Jones Jr.: I never thought I'd use the words "embarrassing" and "pathetic" alongside the Hopkins name, but this was a career-low for a fighter who deserves so much better. Poorly thought-out, poorly executed and just, plain tedious, this was the most cringe-worthy fight of the year so far.


David Haye TKO 9 over John Ruiz: Haye is for real...It remains to be seen whether he can hang with the Klits, but there's no doubt at this point that Haye belongs on the main stage.


Evander Holyfield TKO 8 over Frans Botha: Sadly, with a near win over Valuev and a TKO of Botha, Holyfield has a case for continuing on with his career...

Andre Berto TKO 8 over Carlos Quintana: Yes, Berto is legit and he's a deserving champion...shame on you if you thought otherwise.

Your Ad Here

Saturday Results: Berto Stops Quintana In Eight, Caballero Dominates Yordan

Sunrise, Florida - Andre Berto (26-0, 20 KO) successfully defended his WBC welterweight title for the third time against Carlos Quintana (27-3, 21 KO), starting slowly to eventually stop him in the eighth.

Berto struggled early with Quintana's spoiler tactics, before utilising his God given talents to overpower the game Puerto Rican, who lost a point for rabbit punching.

After the fight, Berto stated that he had injured his left bicep in the third round, therefore forced to use his right more often. He stunned Quintana early in the eighth, then chasing him for a minute or so before a stinging right hand landed for Berto forcing referee Tommy Kimmons to stop the fight.

As discussed on our forum, Berto is definitely in the elite class of 147 pounds. But with the welterweight division, there's also a super elite class, filled with Mayweather, Pacquiao and Mosley. Berto is better than your Quintana's, but is he good enough to challenge with the top of the division. Some still have their doubts.

Celestino Caballero (34-2, 23 KO) won a near shutout unanimous decision over Daud Yordan (25-1, 19 KO), knocking Yordan down in the second round and winning by scores of 120-107, 119-108 and 119-108. The BTBC scored the fight 119-108. Caballero was very impressive and looked right at home at 126 pounds, and his next opponent could be Yuriorkis Gamboa in the Summer.

Las Vegas, Nevada - Future hall-of-famer Evander Holyfield (43-10-2, 28 KO) stopped Francois Botha (47-5-3, 28 KO) in the eighth round of their heavyweight contest on pay-per-view. Botha began well, winning the opening two rounds by manhandling Holyfield. But Holyfield got back into the fight, frequently landing counter lefts and rights in the closer third and fourth rounds. The tempo of the fight rose, with Holyfield beginning to throw combinations which eventually wore Botha down. Holyfield knocked down Botha in the eighth, but the South African beat the count. The pressure Holyfield was piling on Botha allowed referee Russell Mora to stop the contest late on in the eighth. The scores of the fight at the time of the stoppage were 67-66, 67-66 in favour of Botha, and 69-64 in favour Holyfield.

Rancho Mirage, California - David Estrada (24-6, 15 KO) impressively stopped previously undefeated Orlando Lora (26-1-1, 18 KO) via eighth round retirement. Lora was game, but Estrada was a league above, constantly landing right hands that Teddy Atlas mentioned in his 'key to victory'. Lora didn't win a round and was cut around both eyes at the time of the stoppage.

Your Ad Here

The BTBC Fight of the Week

Saturday, April 10th

Andre Berto vs. Carlos Quintana

(WBC Welterweight Title)

BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida, USA

The Breakdown:

Andre Berto: 25-0 (19 KO), Rated #4 at Welterweight by The BTBC

Age: 26

Height: 5' 8 1/2

Stance: Orthodox

Career Achievements: Reigning WBC Welterweight Champ (3 defenses)

Last 5 Fights: Michel Trabant (Win via RTD-6), Miguel Angel Rodriguez (Win via TKO-7), Steve Forbes (Win via UD-12), Luis Collazo (Win via UD-12), Juan Urango (Win via UD-12);

Pre-Fight Quote:"I appreciate everyone coming out. I had a tremendous training camp and it's going to be a terrific night of boxing on Saturday night. Carlos Quintana is a former world champion and a crafty southpaw. This is my third straight southpaw so I'm pretty used to them by now and I had some great southpaw sparring in training camp. I'm excited to get back in ring and honestly, I wish the fight was tonight. I've never been this focused, hungry and motivated for a fight before and Carlos Quintana has a major task on his hands on Saturday night. I'm going to let everything loose for a good cause, and you are going to see the best of me on Saturday night. It's going to be a terrific night of boxing and I hope everyone will come out and support this very important cause."

*********

Carlos Quintana: 27-2 (21 KO), Rated 5 to watch at Jr. Middleweight by The BTBC

Age: 33

Height: 5' 19 1/2"

Stance: Southpaw

Career Achievements: Former WBO Welterweight Champ

Last 5 Fights: Christopher Henry (Win via TKO-4), Paul Williams (Win via UD-12), Paul Williams (Loss via TKO-1), Joseph Onyango (Win via TKO-4), Jesse Feliciano (Win via TKO-3)

Pre-Fight Quote:"Andre Berto is a great, young fighter with a lot of power, but I'm also a great fighter and I will prove it Saturday night. There can only be one winner on Saturday night and I will be the winner and the new WBC Welterweight Champion of the World. I trained very hard for this fight, for a world title fight and for Berto. I did everything necessary to take the belt from Berto. You might see Berto acting very calm and peaceful right now and this a great cause, but he's a fighter I'm prepared to see something different on Saturday night, and it will definitely be a fight."

*********

Dafydd 'The Pocket Rocket's Prediction: Stylistically, Carlos Quintana is hell for Andre Berto. People know that and have blended it into their predictions. Stylistically, Andre Berto is hell for Carlos Quintana. I don't think people have considered that. Quintana, doesn't have the heart or grit to keep going when it gets tough, and Berto will punish him in this fight for every mistake Quitana will make. Quintana struggles with speed and his defense has dropped since the Williams fight, being floored by Jesse Feliciano, who's a similar puncher but a lot slower than Berto. Quintana's smart, and a very good technician, but Berto will have too much here, way too much. Andre Berto TKO-8

Your Ad Here

2009 Welterweight Report

by Dafs117

If gray is the new black, and Macau is the new heights of Las Vegas, then welterweight is the new heavyweight. “If the heavyweight division goes, so does boxing” is another cliché that‘s just plain nonsense. It’s the glamour division filled with X factor fighters and marquee names that HBO executives live off. It’s no secret that the 147 pounds is star-studded, but the depth of the division is what makes the welterweight field the best of the lot, and one of the most intriguing fields in the open era. It’s right up there with the featherweight class of ’01, the welterweights of ’81, maybe even the middleweights from the early ‘50s.

What more could you want than to have the two best pound-4-pound fighters and two of the most marketable fighters, challenging each other for the pleasure of millions of hardcore fanatics across the world’s surface, and grabbing the attention of many casual fight fans in the major boxing nations. At the top of the division, there are two faces that have made their case for the fighter of the decade, followed by a revitalized future hall of famer, an exciting Puerto Rican, a undefeated heavily hyped titlist, and a seemingly unending list of recognizable faces that includes a balanced mix of veterans and youngsters, punchers and boxers.

Your Ad Here

Read more »

The Best of the Rest: A Recap of Saturday's Other Action

Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico

Saul Alvarez UD 12 Lanardo Tyner

Montreal Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Joachim Alcine UD 12 Christophe Canclaux
Troy Ross KO1 Daniel Bispo

Arena, Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Marco Huck UD 12 Ola Afolabi (WBO Cruiserweight Title)
Alexander Povetkin KO 3 Leo Nolan

National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland

Matthew Macklin PTS 10 Rafael Sosa Pintos

Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States

Tony Thompson TKO 9 Chazz Witherspoon
Carlos Quintana TKO 3 Jesse Feliciano

Your Ad Here

Welterweights Beware! Can the division survive the fast approaching black hole?

by dafs117

As the talent rich, money making welterweights relax before the festive vacation, none of them will predict the turmoil that could eventually see the division collapsing, as one of the main money sources in 2011.

Star after star, the galaxy of welterweights will drastically fade in 2010, with retirements, defeats and weight jumping, destroying the near perfect atmosphere within the weight class.

And when Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather finally turn towards each other, they would create the biggest buzz ever created in the modern era of the sport. The 147 pound division will be the centre of the universe as both red giants collide in a battle of the supernovas.

Win or lose, retirement beckons for both fighters. Boxing would be dealt a massive marketing blow, as two of the brightest stars quickly shoot off the scale. But what about the welterweight division? The loss of Pacquiao and Mayweather cannot be put into words as the welterweight division would lose the elite class.

Where does that leave Shane Mosley? If he loses to Andre Berto, there’s no-one to fight at 147 pounds, as Miguel Cotto wouldn’t dare cross paths with Sugar Shane again. In his hour of need, will Paul Williams be his knight in shining armor and battle him at the 147 limit? Highly unlikely.

Welterweight could lose three superstars in half a year. Three pound-4-pound ranked fighters. Three legends that have truly left their mark on the sport with outstanding, but all different legacies which stand out from the rest.

And if Miguel Cotto had anything left after last year’s loss to Antonio Margarito and his split decision victory over Joshua Clottey, Manny Pacquiao would either bring it out of him, or beat it out of him. He duly delivered, and probably smashed Cotto’s half life into smithereens. That’s another slightly more faded welterweight star, gone.

Can the icons make another impact, such as Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez and Jose Luis Castillo? They might even turn to each other, in a true crossroad elimination process that would see the loser retire, for good.

With Joshua Clottey and Carlos Quintana likely to move up in weight, and once-great Zab Judah scampering down south, the depth of the division is quickly deteriorating. Names like Luis Collazo and Carlos Manuel Baldomir are simply stepping stones in the asteroid belt, waiting for a young rocket to dent.

Is the division’s superhero and savior Andre Berto? He’s hardly impressed in his recent performances against immobile Juan Urango and a post-prime Luis Collazo. Can he step up to the thrown and take over the reigns as the leader of the new welterweight revolution?

By 2011, Saul Alvarez would surely have stepped up his level of competition, and maybe young Brit Kell Brook can cause a stir among the HBO missionaries. Could Mike Jones be the next great American welterweight?

If the stars of today hang up their gloves in 2010, the welterweight division would be in a transition period. As the greedy, inflated egos of Mayweather, Pacquiao and Mosley disappear into the black hole, they would be replaced by the hungrier bright stars of tomorrow. Could the 2010 black hole be good for the division?

Your Ad Here

5 Fights That Define Miguel Cotto

Miguel Cotto L TKO 11 Antonio Margarito, 7/26/2008

Cotto suffered a brutal beating at the hands of "The Tjuana Tornado," Antonio Margarito in the biggest fight of his career up to that point.

The controversy exists about whether Margarito was using loaded hand wraps, but there's no controversy about the fact that Cotto absorbed a tremendous amount of punishment that may still be weighing on his psyche.




Miguel Cotto UD Shane Mosley, 11/10/2007

Cotto might have been catching Shane Mosley at the right time, but "Sugar" showed that he still had plenty of life left in his 36-year old body.

Mosley fought an extremely close fight and finished very strong to lose a close decision.

But Cotto proved two things with this win: He could box as well as slug and, most importantly, he belonged among the elite of the sport.


Miguel Cotto TKO 11 Zab Judah, 6/9/2007

A bloodied and severely tested Cotto was pushed to the brink by the supremely talented Zab Judah. After being buzzed early on, Cotto pushed forward with the full support of a Madison Square Garden crowd and eventually wore Judah down.

Despite some controversy regarding several low-blows, Cotto took care of business and established himself as a real force at 147.

Miguel Cotto RTD 5 Carlos Quintana, 12/2/2006

In his first real fight at Welterweight, Cotto unleashed a savage attack on Quintana to capture the vacant WBA Welterweight title.

A game and talented Quintana appeared to be overmatched against a highly motivated and mean-spirited Cotto.




Miguel Cotto TKO 5 DeMarcus Corley, 2/26/08

Far from "Just Another Defense" of his Jr. Welter title, Cotto's adventure with "Chop Chop" saw him meet, and overcome, his first real test.

Despite being knocked down in the first, Corley came back strong in the third and severely wobbled Cotto.

The Puerto Rican champ would survive and eventually stop the quick-fisted southpaw.

Your Ad Here

Quintana vs. Clottey on Pavlik-Williams Card, 12/5

HBO broadcasters have unanimously agreed that the co-feature bout between Paul Williams – Kelly Pavlik on December the 5th in Atlantic City, should be Joshua Clottey vs. Carlos Quintana. With rumours of a Juan Diaz – Paulie Malignaggi rematch, and speculation that Timothy Bradley and Lamont Peterson will be fighting for Bradley’s WBO belt, they have finally decided to host a contest between two former welterweight belt-holders, Ghanaian Joshua Clottey and Puerto Rican southpaw Carlos Quintana at a catchweight of 149 lbs. Both struggled to hit the big time in the inflated ego division and will compete in a 10 round fight on the live broadcast.

Quintana, 32, was the first to defeat Colombian icon Joel Julio, and is the only guy to have beaten Paul Williams in the professional ranks, before suffering a devastating first round knockout defeat in their second contest. He has also been stopped by Miguel Cotto in 5 rounds. Clottey, also 32, has dropped competitive and controversial decisions to Antonio Margarito and more recently Miguel Cotto. He won the vacant IBF welterweight title against Zab Judah last year, before vacating the belt to fight for a bigger pay-check, Miguel Cotto. The ‘Grand Master’ who fights out of Bronx, New York, thought he had a big money fight on December 26 against Shane Mosley, but when HBO pulled the plug, he found a spot as the chief support for the middleweight contest.

Both fighters are still regarded as world-class technicians, despite recent setbacks and difficult defeats. The winner of the bout will probably move on to bigger and better things, Andre Berto perhaps, while the loser is likely to permanently move up to junior middleweight. Whatever happens, it’s still another great fight coming our way in December.

Your Ad Here

Paul Williams...Still the Champ Nobody Wants.

by Simon Garner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Welterweight:

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

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

Light-Middleweight:

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

Middleweight:

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

Above Middleweight:

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

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

Conclusion:

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

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

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

Your Ad Here