by Dafs117With Arthur Abraham exiting the division, it was hard to see how lineal middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik would find a credible opponent to share the same ring at 160 pounds. Especially after the grand plans of Top Rank were quickly scrapped and re-mapped following Bernard Hopkins’ magical performance. But he wasn’t dethroned, or stripped of his titles, he is still the champion of the world. But his plans have still changed dramatically.
by Dafs117“9.79! Absolutely incredible! 1.1 wind, that’s legal!”
The ironic quote from a shell-shocked commentary team at Seoul 1988 will live long in the memory of any hardcore sport fan. Ben Johnson not only made the whole world stand still with his world record over the 100 meter dash, he also made the world take note of the lifestyle and pressures an athlete goes through, in preparation for the big stage.
No stranger to a big stage is Philippines icon, Manny Pacquiao. One of the best left-handed fighters in boxing history, Pacquiao has battled poverty from an early age to rise from the slums of General Santos City to boxing stardom. Pacquiao, similar to Johnson, carries the hopes of a nation to every event, consistently outperforming his latest feat with another spectacular performance from the top drawer.
The storyline that’s being portrayed, is again, very similar. A small town boy that struggled through childhood grows up to be one of the most influential figures in sport. The world is his oyster as he re-writes the history books, year after year after year.
The Cinderella story is something the public adore, and they bow to Pacquiao the same way they bowed to Johnson. As Johnson was victorious in Seoul 1988, his loyal Canadian fans jumped for joy, with the thought of enhancing drugs, never, crossing their minds.
As we always start at the positive end of the spectrum here at the BTBC, we’ll start with the young guns that have resuscitated the weight class. There’s the undefeated Chad Dawson, who has talent and puts sweet into sweet science. Sudden lapses of concentration make him vulnerable to the wiser operators in the division, so it might be wise that there’s been no mention of the top two facing off. Dawson failed to capitalize on his breakthrough year of 2008, with similar victories against the contenders put in front of him.
Jean Pascal made the jump up north from super middleweight and quickly made himself a force, winning a title in the process. The green belt has given Pascal another massive opportunity, thus being against Dawson, to really plant himself on the main stage of boxing. He’s a talented fighter, but his execution of simpler tactics is his downfall. His strengths are his boxing abilities, not his slugging nature. He could have easily outpointed Carl Froch last year, but decided to mix it up. The performance however, was promising.
Adrian Diaconu is hardly young, but as he’s a new face, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. He lost twice to Pascal, but kept it close to most importantly keep himself in the frame for another title shot later on in the year, not against Pascal though. Another fighter that is easily caught in transformation from defence to attack, we may have seen the best of Diaconu at 175 pounds. Still, he’s another fresh name at the bottom end of the table.
Patience is a virtue. Especially for Tavoris Cloud, who waited a year and a half to get his much deserved titleshot, capturing the IBF trinket with a unanimous verdict over Clinton Woods, who has since retired from the sport. Big things are expected from Cloud in 2010, but can the undefeated American deliver?
Yusaf Mack suddenly found himself in the high ranks of the division following his split verdict over Chris Henry. He could be another American with a big year ahead of him, with plenty of names seeing Mack as a beatable fighter. He has one punch power that his record covers up, but another relatively new name up there at 175 pounds.
British boxing froze midway through 2008 and somebody came along to press the F5 button that all stream-watchers have pressed countless times during the past 12 months. It gave British boxing, and the live stream, a refresh. We had a makeover, a transformation and many passing of torches.
Joe Calzaghe retired, and opened the door to Carl Froch. The first major passing of the torch in British boxing over the course of the year. Froch won the WBC Super Middleweight title in a scrap against Jean Pascal, before travelling to the States to stop Jermain Taylor late, and defending his title for the second time in the Super 6 Boxing Classic tournament, against Andre Dirrell, winning via close split decision.
Ricky Hatton’s retirement is inevitable. He might come back to be stopped by either Marquez or Cotto in a one sided affair, but he will leave a fan-base behind. Ricky Hatton passed his smouldering flame to King Amir Khan, who went 3-0 with wins over a one-eyed Marco Antonio Barrera, former paper champion Andreas Kotelnik and previously unbeaten Dimitry Salita.
by Paul Magno
by Dafs117Let’s get real. The 200 pound division is a bitch of a division. A tease. Whenever the division finds a talented titleholder, he bottles it to heavyweight. That’s been the case for years. Recently, newly crowned Cruiserweight king Tomasz Adamek made the move up to heavyweight, leaving the division in desperate need for a new champion.
Bernard Hopkins has hinted many times of jumping up to cruiser and fight Adamek. It would’ve energized the division, and brought much needed attention to a competitive division. Nothing came in the end. The boxing public cried out for a rematch between Adamek and Steve Cunningham, but they thought different. When good match-ups are thrown out by the media and fans alike, the Cruisers ride the wave of good karma and let the cry die out.
The thing that grips most followers of the division, all 36 of them, is that anybody in the Top 50 could beat each other. This makes the division almost unpredictable. Also, the tailend of any top 10 Cruiserweight ratings can be made up of thousands of different combinations, and still be regarded as credible. You can make a case for any 200 pounder to be in the Top 10, seriously.
Who could succeed Adamek as the Cruiserweight King? At the head of the class is Philadelphian Steve Cunningham, one of few cruiserweights who have boxing ability not just power. He took Adamek the full twelve and may have won it if there was another set of judges involved.
by Paul Magno
by Dafs117On Saturday, power-punching monster Edwin Valero will make his maiden defence of his WBC Lightweight belt against Hector Velazquez in front of a sell-out bumper crowd in his home nation of Venezuela, La Guaira.
As ‘Dinamita’ has a ridiculous knockout ratio, we list the top 10 belt-holders in order of knockout percentage.
#10 Giovanni Segura (MEX) (22-1-1, 18 KOs) 82%
The WBA Light Flyweight titlist has won all his title contests by stoppage.
#9 Vic Darchinyan (ARM) (33-2-1, 27 KOs) 82%
The WBC and WBA Super Flyweight titleholder made a stunning comeback from the Agbeko defeat with a two round knockout of Tomas Rojas.
by Dafs117Nobody knows if the brothers are good for boxing. They’re gentleman, icons and great sportsmen. But a champion won’t be crowned unless they get defeated or retire (together at the top sounds like the beginning to the fantasy game). Is there anybody good enough to beat a brother? Nobody screams out DANGER to all heavyweights like a 5 fight Mike Tyson did. One thing that’s really bugging me about their fights are people classing them as ‘boring.’ I don’t mind defensive sweet science, but if you can take him out of that ring, please do. It’s just too one-sided. Like Vitali said after his pummelling of Chris Arreola, “Boxing isn’t about proving you have a hard head.” True Vitali.
Since they will NEVER fight each other, no matter how many times ignorant reporter’s will ask them that same bloody question they’ve been fending and ducking for a decade, unless they are short of cash, they would turn to each other in a mega mainstream bout that would make them filthy rich. I wonder if Big Mama Klitschko will be ringside? Who will fill the void at the end of the Klitschko era?
The current hopes of breaking the Ukrainians’ stranglehold at the peak is former undisputed cruiserweight champion David Haye, a mouthy Brit that’s uniquely charismatic for a big guy, has a massive punch output, is fast and exciting. He has given the division the kiss of life with his mouth, not his fists, which is pretty impressive. Maybe he got the big fights because he has a personality, and isn’t the same old robotic contender that usually fits the Klitschko criteria. Can he avoid those jabs and right hands for 12 rounds, and then pluck up the courage to land something powerful in return? Let’s leave that for another series of Magno vs. Machine. If Haye breaks down, Alexander Povetkin (yes another Ukrainian), is just like Haye, has a massive punch output, is fast, exciting and a MASSIVE underdog against a Klitschko.
NORTH MIAMI BEACH (Dec. 14, 2009) – Undefeated IBF light heavyweight champion Tarvoris Cloud (20-0, 18 KOs) has become the Rodney Dangerfield of boxing – he can’t get any respect, especially from “Bad” Chad Dawson, allegedly the top dog in the 175-pound division.
“Chad Dawson won’t be able to run 12 rounds against me,” Cloud said. “My pressure will be unbelievable and I hit hard with both hands. He’ll have to stand and fight and that will be his ultimate demise. We’re totally different. If I went around saying I could beat the No. 1 contender, like Chad did when I was the No. 1, I’d fight him to prove it.
“I’m baffled, I guess, more than frustrated. All my life watching boxing, I thought the champion had to fight the next available, most deserving challenger, or unify the title. I was the No. 1 contender and he was the champ, but that’s when all the politics of boxing came in – extensions and exceptions – and his promoter lobbied to duck this hungry fighter. I understand the promoter building a fighter and arranging puff fights for more money. At some point, though, a real fighter has to fight the best. You can’t be great just fighting hand-picked, over-the-hill guys.”
In the last Magno vs. Machine of the year, the trilogy was supposed to split the pair to make it a closer contest. But both predictors went the same way, and the right way, to get 3 more wins on their records. However, Machine scored 2 vital KOs to close the gap on Magno in the final stretch.
Both challenger, Adrian Diaconu (26-2, 15 KOs), and WBC Champion, Jean Pascal (25-1, 16 KOs), came into their bout Friday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with their trademark qualities on full display. Pascal utilized his athleticism while Diaconu fully showed his characteristic tenacity through 12 quality rounds that ended in a unanimous decision for Pascal.
by Dafs 117Haye know holds a market share at the top of the heavyweight division, and soon, surely, a title shot at Vitali Klitschko must be around the corner. He first defends against John Ruiz, then surely Vitali Klitschko could free up his schedule.
Dr Ironfist fights on Saturday, against Kevin Johnson, an American that possess a potent jab that could trouble the ever-aging Klitschko. He has a padded record that doesn’t really scream out worthy contender, but he has a nature that could trouble Vitali in the ring.
Round 7: Klitschko-Johnson + Bradley-Peterson + Diaz-Malignaggi II
Paul Williams got another win for both men last Saturday with a split decision victory over tough cookie Sergio Gabriel Martinez. And in the last Magno vs. Machine of the year,
Three fights this week must result in different opinions from Magno and Machine, surely? The heavyweight contest between Vitali Klitschko and Kevin Johnson will kick things off before a channel switch to Timothy Bradley’s defence against Lamont Peterson, then a return to HBO to watch another controversial moment in the tripleheader of Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi. Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.
by The Green MachineNo change in the standings as Magno still holds a one point lead over the Machine, with both contenders choosing a Williams victory. However, no kayo on the record keeps it close with a bumper three fights for to end the calendar year.
Round 7 will make both camps rack their brains, with a major re-shuffle expected. Vitali Klitschko defends his WBC belt against Kevin Johnson, Paulie Malignaggi hopes for some Sicilian justice against Juan Diaz and Timothy Bradley hopes to win the battle of the unbeaten Americans against Lamont Peterson.
by Paul Magno
by Dafs117There was much hype about November’s fan-friendly month, but did it deliver?
October finished with a Halloween treat from Yhonny Perez and Joseph Agbeko. A great fight and Perez deserved the win overall out-thinking Agbeko from Round 1. It was closer than I probably make it out to be, but still Perez won the fight. Don King said that he had sold the fight too over 200 countries on the web. Really? A bantamweight fight selling in over 20 countries would be something, but 200 sounds like an MMA figure to me.
Sam Sexton stopped Belfast cabbie Martin Rogan who was out of gas (that’s an awful pun) after the 5th round. It was still end to end stuff, but Sexton looked more relaxed in this fight. A third fight would just end up in the same result for British Boxing’s Balboa.
Alfredo Angulo is a beast... at club level. Flu or no flu, I highly doubt that El Perro can carry his extreme power and pressure to the not so bright lights of the light middleweight division. His stoppage over Harry Joe Yorgey was impressive, but not the war that it was promised to be.
If Angulo isn’t quite the finished article, Chad Dawson is. He’s on the top of his game who has amazing talent and discipline. Glen Johnson couldn’t live with him. He maybe another African American star who lacks a fanbase. Fans follow local fighters or fighters they can relate to. You don’t see Filipino fans following Wladmir Klitschko. Anyway, a talent that’s not likely to be defeated for a long long time.
At last, Nikolay Valuev is out of the WBA picture. David Haye made him look silly. Valuev was awful, slow, and when he was wobbled in the final round, I wanted to see him make a hole in the canvas. Nothing against the guy, I just wanted to see a 7ft mammoth of a man fall flat on his back and cause some movement on the Richter scale.
Matthew Hatton is not world class, neither is Lovemore N’Dou. There fight wasn’t a thriller. They were evenly-matched. They evenly-fought. But they were evenly-awful technically. If Hatton wants to be considered around the top 10 welterweights in the world, I personally don’t count him as the top 10 in Europe, he needs to get a move on and beat figures such as N’Dou. Look Manchester fight fans, Matthew is no Ricky. Let the Turkish Tyson, Selcuk Aydin at him. That will prove if he’s in with the A crowd.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. failed a drugs test! Finally a reason for Bob Arum to drop him off PPV. Daniel Santos is a bum. Big talk, even thinking ahead, but Yuri Foreman was on his game, and even the feather-fisted Rabbi in waiting knocked down the underprepared, unprofessional Santos. Alfosno Gomez is up and down like a jack-in-a box. He’s class one day, he flops on another. Then, the main event. I’ll keep it short and sweet, as I don’t want to rub it in Bori’s face anymore, though I highly doubt he reads my stuff. Manny Pacquiao cruelly battered Miguel Cotto in something the RSPCA would have stopped earlier. He cemented his position as P-4-P #1. Yes, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is not the #1. He might be the best fighter, but Pacquiao’s achievement tops Mayweather’s talents in my rankings, and any reliable ratings.
If Rodel Mayol learned one thing from two Ivan Calderon fights, it was the way to head-butt. It took him two rounds to make Edgar Sosa uncomfortable, before dismantling a groggy Sosa who still hadn’t recovered from the head-butts. I later figured out that Andre Ward is America’s answer to Amir Khan, only with a chin that he can rely on. Athletic, fast and powerful, he is the real deal and will win the Super 6 tournament. There’s only one man that can stop him and that is Carl Froch, who I believe will dismantle Mikkel Kessler in the City Ground. Some might be aware of my far-fetched Super 6 set-up theory, but that’s for another day.
To finish off with a B.A.D card, that had BAD broadcasting to match. I understand that Ali Funeka won the fight, but if you watch the fight closely you can see how the judges scored it 114-114. I scored it 115-113 to Funeka, but HBO’s brainwashing remarks convinced the whole boxing world that Funeka won by a near shutout decision. Funeka won, and my scoring was probably tight on Funeka, but HBO needs to be fairer in their analysis of bouts, they can’t just go on and rip off officials. They need to consider how they saw it. It was closer than they made it out to be. I was very miffed by Joan Guzman’s performance, or the lack of it. I touted him as the poor man’s Floyd Mayweather. He was more the rich man’s Emmanuel Augustus. Lucian Bute stopped the best chin in boxing, Librado Andrade. He is #1 at Super Middleweight for now, but needs to face a big name to keep his stock up. Could Kelly Pavlik be the guy?
Thank you Danny Green. One less Celebrity Boxing match-up on HBO next year. That must be good, surely. What’s the big fuss about Bernard Hopkins only making $200,000 from his Enrique Ornelas win? He makes millions for standing next to Shane Mosley blabbing in Mayweather’s face how much of a pussy he is.
I respect Paul Williams. He’s a great fighter. But he can’t go crying because he can’t get a shot at the ego-driven welters. He’s not in the picture as he doesn’t contest at welterweight, not involved with anybody close to the ‘Top 4’. The fight was great. Sergio Gabriel Martinez should have earned a draw. That first round was his round, his knockdown had more effect than Williams’ and he dominated most of the round. Anyway, I scored it 114-114. What if Julie Lederman had scored it 115-113 to Martinez. Would a rematch be on the cards straight away? I highly doubt that a rematch would take place. If a rematch comes around, it’s a simpler task for Williams, a decision or late stoppage in ‘The Punisher’s favour.
Amir Khan is the real deal. I could have lasted longer than Dimitry Salita. I would have been pissed off if I had bought it on PPV. Something I detest is unworthy PPV. How Khan-Salita is PPV and Pacquiao-Cotto is free for all amazes me. Kevin Mitchell is not the real deal. Just because he tamed a monster in Breidis Prescott, I highly doubt that he would beat John Murray or Michael Katsidis for that matter. That’s the level were talking about, WBO Eliminators do have some talent sometimes.
Brian Minto is a man. Chris Arreola needs a new joke book.
Overall, the November month was a success. Not short of controversy, high PPV buys and spectacular performances. One of those spectacular performances was from yours truly, on the Forum’s Prediction League. Ok, I know I’m blowing top C on my trumpet, but I’ve lasted the whole of the November schedule. Mind you, I did get over half of my predictions wrong, but so did the challengers. Hopefully, the luck of the Welshman will continue, but my recent form makes me more vulnerable than Austria during the Second World War.
Are HBO producers in love with light middleweight?! They haven’t had this much coverage on HBO even when De La Hoya was fighting in the weight class! Angulo, Santos, Foreman, Kirkland, Martinez, Williams, all fighters (were) backed by HBO that make their trade at 154 pounds. Greenburg has picked a wildcard of a weight class there!
Does someone have a time machine? I want to fast forward to March 13, I cannot wait!
Laters, from the very wet land of my fathers.
by Paul Magno
Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico 
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?
In a thrilling back and forth war at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Paul "The Punisher" Williams (38-1, 27 KOs), beat fellow southpaw, Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez via Majority Decision.
Amir Khan KO 1 Dimitry Salita
Mayweather had already agreed...the ball was in Pacquiao's court. Bob Arum flew to the Philippines for Pacquiao's ok...and, apparently, he got it!
Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,
All the king’s horses,
And all the king’s men,
Couldn’t put humpty together again
Comparing nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty and Roy Jones Jr. was not something I ever thought of doing.
Roy Jones Jr. sat on the wall,
Roy Jones Jr. had many great falls,
Two to Tarver,
One was insane,
Prime Jones Jr. never seen again
So Roy Jones Jr. has suffered another massive fall, this time to the hands of Danny Green, a likeable character but not a world class operator.
And hats off to him for landing a punch, a punch that not only shook me, but most probably the boxing world as a whole.
In my humble opinion, it was the worst experience of the boxing year so far. Worse than the July deaths, worse than the March Badness PPV. This was the lowest of the low.
How does a fighter go from being the best fighter of the decade, to losing by a humiliating spanking to the hands of a club fighter, who to be honest, didn’t deserve to share the same ring as Roy.
It’s the same situation if Floyd Mayweather Jr. smashed Manny Pacquiao to smithereens next year, and then losing to Joshua Clottey before getting dropped several times against Cosme Rivera in a one-sided affair.
Roy is a deserved Hall of Famer, a remarkable fighter in his day, only ruined by one bad piece of match-making. His two knockout defeats to Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson have ‘What If’ all over them, the story of Roy’s downfall.
Roy was a fighter that defied the laws of speed. His performances against James Toney and John Ruiz will live long in the memory. But so will this one. Green’s victory showed how shot Jones really was. We all knew he was finished at world level, but not at club level. This only makes me wonder how much damage Bernard Hopkins would have handed out to him in four months time, when Jones’ reflexes had nearly slowed down to a halt.
The sad thing is that Jones will leave the sport on a low. The last memory of Jones’ in a ring will be referee Howard Foster breaking the clinch between Roy and Green, with Jones wobbling like a drunk.
Danny Green didn’t beat Roy Jones. He beat the shadow of Jones.
by The Green Machine
by dafs 117Firstly, we estimate that Bute’s goal is to get pound-4-pound status or to set himself up to fight the winner of the Super 6 Boxing Classic. We then looked at who’s called out Bute, who’s in the Super 6 and who Bute needs to get his pound-4-pound ranking.
Headhunters:
Allan Green: The American has never quite lived up to his knockout of the year winner in 2007 when he smashed previously unbeaten Jaidon Codrington to sleep in sixteen seconds. Since then, the only world class performance has been his dismantling of never great Carlos De Leon Jr. With Green being nurtured nicely by Showtime, it came as a shock to everyone that he wasn’t included in the Super 6 Boxing Classic. But maybe he wasn’t ready, or even good enough for that matter, as Ward and Dirrell have more than held their own against the big boys. Could this be Green’s turn? Could he upset the odds and take Bute’s belt as extra luggage? It would set Bute in a nice position if he beats Green, who has looked poor in his recent 10 round bout. Possibly, a wise move.
Allan Green: CHALLENGE
Kelly Pavlik: The reigning undisputed middleweight champion has done nothing much since dropping a lop-sided defeat to old Bernard Hopkins. With a stoppage win over Marco Antonio Rubio and another one over Miguel Espino coming up, Pavlik might need a gut check to get back on track. And who better than Lucian Bute to give Pavlik the motivation and the wake-up call that he desperately craves. With the Williams negotiation stalling, and a reoccurring staph infection resulting in pull-out clauses, both Americans are likely to avoid each other next year. Just imagine how nasty the negotiations between Bute and Pavlik would be! Bute would want it in Canada, Pavlik would want it in Atlantic City. Both would demand over half the cut and we could be left with Pavlik-Espino II. Pavlik is vulnerable at the moment and a perfect catch for Team Bute.
Kelly Pavlik: CHALLENGE
Adrian Diaconu: An all-action Romanian who is loved by his adopted nation of Canada. Sounds familiar!? Yes, Bute and Diaconu sell stadiums in Canada and would serve up a treat for the Canadians. Diaconu was outpointed against Jean Pascal earlier this year in a great bout, but his reputation wasn’t damaged by the defeat. It most probably grew as the hooks were slugged in. The only thing is that his “0” has gone. But it was only a matter of time if he wanted to be taken seriously at world level. Bute and Diaconu would be a marketing success in Canada, and the fight would be something the public would relish. However, with Diaconu’s title now with Pascal, a Canadian, it might turn Bute’s head toward ‘The Mongoose’. Looks a decent fight at light heavyweight.
Adrian Diaconu: AVOID
Jean Pascal: As stated above, Pascal has a title. He’s Canadian. He sells stadiums. He’s exciting and he talks. Marketing heaven for Bute, but a much tougher fight than Diaconu, but with more reward at the end. If Froch can outbox Pascal, I would imagine that Bute can do the same thing. Now position yourself in the Super 6 Boxing Classic winner’s shoes; your invincible and there’s a two-weight undefeated world champion and a one handed middleweight champion to add to your record. So Pascal would enhance Bute’s reputation, but what are the chances that Pascal uses his brain in the fight and gives Bute a skill set contest. It will be an even tougher fight for Bute, with Pascal a quick and powerful fighter but not the most agile. A great fight for the fans.
Jean Pascal: CHALLENGE
Paul Williams: Paul Willia
ms is a great fighter, maybe a bigger Manny Pacquiao, but he’s had a hard time recently because of the danger he possesses to the front-men of the Welterweights and Middleweights. Taking that Williams defeats Martinez this Saturday, and Pavlik avoiding Williams at any cost, a fight with Bute might be Williams’ only reliable option. But the chances of him winning are small, as Williams’ skills are greater than Bute. Everything Bute does, Williams does better. Nobody knows how good Williams will be at 168 pounds, so if he loses an asset, Bute might capitalize and punish the ‘Punisher’. If Bute does emerge victorious over Williams, his reputation would be huge inside the underground of boxing. He would be considered as the best non-welterweight on the planet. I’m getting ahead of myself here, but the reward is massive. Be careful what you wish for, Bute.
Paul Williams: AVOID
The Boxing Tribune Pathway Too Success: Firstly, avoid anything to do with the Super 6 Boxing Classic as a late replacement. It would mess up Bute’s freedom and plans, and the chances of him qualifying would be very little anyway as the other fighters would already have points on the table. So to enhance Bute’s bank account, a fight with Jean Pascal would be a good start to 2010. If Bute was very successful, a move back south to fight Kelly Pavlik in a winnable bout with a victory ensuring Bute a P-4-P spot, and finally, to wait for the Super 6 winner, another easy seven figure salary by out-boxing Adrian Diaconu in Canada.
If you're waiting for the tape delayed broadcast of this contest tonight on the Hopkins-Ornelas show and don't want to know what happened, please don't click on the "read more" prompt.
by dafs117According to industry sources, HBO is pushing for a fight between super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute and middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in 2010. Bute knocked out Librado Andrade in the fourth round last night in Quebec City, while Pavlik is set to fight lightly-regarded Miguel Espino on December 19 on Top Rank pay-per-view.
Bute (25-0, 20 KO) and Pavlik (35-1, 31 KO) may well find themselves without any other attractive options, though I'd expect that negotiations could be tough. Bute may be loathe to leave Quebec, where his fights sell out big arenas and make a lot of money. Pavlik has travelled well to Atlantic City for past fights, and would surely object to yielding a home field advantage to Bute, given that Bute has a large audience in Quebec. The money split, the location, the promoters working together, all of that could be a chore.
I also think Pavlik will still want to get in the ring with Paul Williams first, should Williams win on December 5 against Sergio Martinez. Pavlik says he's not ducking Williams, but the only way to prove that for sure is to fight him. They've already had a deal worked out, only for Pavlik to pull out of two dates.
If Pavlik were, in theory, to fight Williams after Espino and win both bouts, then it would almost surely be time to fight Bute. The middleweight money fights simply aren't there. The other titlist Felix Sturm and Sebastian Sylvester, are small names in America and it doesn't appear Sturm is in any rush to leave Germany, where Pavlik would surely not head for a fight.
At the end of it all, Bute-Pavlik just might make the most sense, and if semi-promoter HBO pushes hard enough, it could surely happen. It could also be a terrific fight, much more competitive than Williams-Pavlik. Bute has developed into a fantastic fighter, and Pavlik has stagnated. Then again, a fight with Bute could be just what Pavlik needs to get his groove back.
But does Pavlik deserve another payday? If he doesn’t fight Williams, who must have had enough of Pavlik by now, I don’t think Bute should award him a fight. It benefits Bute financially and it would be a good name on his CV, but if the fight with Williams or Bute doesn’t happen, Pavlik will struggle to find a competitive fight for the fans.
Has Thomas Hauser’s rant at HBO changed the way they set out to matchmake? HBO are carefully choosing fan-friendly fights, which must boost the broadcast popularity. If they can find a good fight for Dawson, HBO might overtake Showtime as the fan-friendly broadcasting team, as Showtime’s Super Six has supposedly changed the face of boxing.
To be honest, it already has. Not in a way that more tournaments will be scheduled, but HBO now consider Showtime to be major competitors. With the opportunity of losing a massive market share to Showtime too much to bear, the big bosses at Home Box have realised that you don’t need a blown-up legend to sell a fight, only a competitive mouth-watering fight.
After a disgraceful draw in last week’s bout between Joan Guzman and Ali Funeka, the Machine’s protest of an extra KO was denied. An upset Machine is threatening legal action against Alan Davis and Benoit Roussel by taking them to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Anyway, back to the important stuff. Magno will go into the halfway point with a victory on his side, but a KO could be vitally important as the next week’s dreaded triple header comes around. Can the two challengers pick the right result for the middleweight bout between Paul Williams and Sergio Gabriel Martinez?
Paul Williams vs. Sergio Gabriel Martinez
Magno: Martinez is good and I think he'll present more of a problem, stylistically, than Kelly Pavlik, but he's not as good as some are making him out to be. He's a southpaw who aspires to a slick style that's a little beyond his physical ability. He got screwed in his bout with Kermit Cintron and looked like a real stud against Alex Bunema, but there's nobody else on his resume that would suggest that he can live up to the acclaim he's received in some circles.
Against Williams, he'll find himself in against his toughest opponent by far and, by the middle rounds, he should find himself well over his head.
Williams might take a few rounds to find Martinez, but when he does, the ending will be just a formality. I think Martinez is mobile enough to stay on his feet, but he won't be able to do enough to win many rounds at all.
Williams takes this via Unanimous Decision, with scores around 117-111.
Machine: After a torrid last week, the machine predicts an easy run out for Paul Williams on Saturday.
The greater skill set, power, tactics and opposition make Williams a firm favorite going into the fight. Both have faced Margarito, with Martinez’ only defeat coming to the hands of Margarito. Williams outpointed the Mexican in an intense fight.
Williams will spice up the early rounds moving a lot and cutting down the ring. Williams will lead the first four rounds comfortably when Martinez begins to hold. By the fifth, Williams is throwing punches at will, firing from all different angles.
Martinez drops a point in the seventh for excessive holding and is dropped in the ninth. By this time, Martinez has blood pouring from his right eye and looks a contender for the George A. Romeo Gore Award. The referee rescues a very brave Martinez in the tenth. Williams the winner by tenth round stoppage.
Current Scores: Magno 6-2 (2 KOs), Machine 5-3 (1 KOs)
