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Jul 24, 2005
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Guillermo Rigondeaux’s manager Gary Hyde has informed WBN that a previous rehydration agreement has been retracted by Vasyl Lomachenko’s manager Egil Klimas.

Tentative talks had been ongoing last week in a bid to make a massive featherweight clash between the two world champions and ex-amateur stars, although disagreements over the weight seem to be put the fight on hold - for now at least.

“Vasyl Lomachenko’s manager Egis Klimas initially agreed to the fight at 126 pounds with a rehydration clause of no more than 134 pounds on the day of the fight,” Hyde exclusively told World Boxing News on Thursday.

“Now, he has retracted having spoken with Lomachenko and he won't agree to the rehydration clause.

“I know Bob Arum wants the fight, so the fight could happen, but we can't give away so many advantages,” he added.

Rigo v Lomachenko had created quite a stir since Hyde revealed contact about a meeting, but with either side differing on their stipulations over the poundage, the super-fight faces being put on the backburner.

Without a fight in 2015, Rigondeaux has found it tough to nail down big-name opponents in the past due to his fearsome reputation of ripping through all comers at 122lbs. Last November, the 34 year-old Cuban took out Hisashi Amagasa in eleven rounds to improve to 15-0 with a tenth stoppage and holds impressive wins over Nonito Donaire and Joseph Agbeko.

Lomachenko, 27, halted Gamalier Rodriguez last May to successfully defend his WBO featherweight title for the second time having defeated current WBC belt holder Gary Russell Jr to claim the first major pro title of his career.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Marvin Hagler M @marvin HagIer

Hey A @adri enBroner you couldn't hold my gym bag my man. Get serious or get out, the fans are no fools.
10:46 PM - 23 Jul 2015

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Marvin Hagler M @marvin HagIer

Really I like the kid A @adri enBroner he wouldn't make it through one of my training camps I'm telling you guys, I went to hell and back!
11:03 PM - 23 Jul 2015

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Jul 24, 2005
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Demetrius Andrade has until end of July to find an opponent or be stripped of title
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By Tim Nielson: WBO light middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade (21-0, 14 KOs) is in bad shape right now after the World Boxing Organization sent him a letter saying that he’s got 10 days to sign for a fight or else they’ll be looking to strip him of his WBO title for failing to defend it in over a year.

Andrade had the opportunity to defend his WBO title against unbeaten contender Jermell Charlo last year in December, as Showtime was willing to televise the fight on their network. However, Andrade opted not to take the fight due to him not being pleased with the money that was being offered.

Showtime was ready to give Andrade a three fight option where his next three fights would be televised on their network. In hindsight, Andrade should have taken the deal because even if he does get a fight signed in the next eight days, the money likely won’t be good due to it being a rush job.

Andrade was recently trying to negotiate a fight against 40-year-old Anthony Mundine, but that fight fell apart after the WBO said that the fight couldn’t take place due to Mundine not being ranked in the top 15 by their organization.

As of now, Andrade hasn’t fought since last year in June when he defeated Brian Rose by a 7th round knockout.
“He needs the title,” Andrade’s promoter Artie Pellulo said via USA Today at Boxingjunkie.com. “He’s not to the point of his career where the title doesn’t mean anything. If he takes the Charlo fight and it leads to other fights, in time he doesn’t need the title after defending it three or four times. But they made some bad decisions.”

Andrade only fought once in 2014, and he still hasn’t fought in 2015. With the way that he’s running his career, he reminds one of how some of the big stars of the sport have run their own careers into the earth. When you’re as young as Andrade, you can’t afford to be missing a year or more out of your career by staying inactive. It doesn’t work that way if you’re not going to stay active. Andrade still hasn’t built his brand yet by fighting enough times to become a star. He needs to be fighting three to four times per year, even if it means that he takes on a lesser fighter.

Andrade’s promoters have very little time to try and find an opponent for him to fight next. They’re going to have to find someone soon or else they’re going to be stripped of the WBO title.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Marvin Hagler M @marvin HagIer

They know I speak my mind that's why the won't have me commentating, I call it like it is and guys like Broner are killing boxing, period.
10:54 PM - 23 Jul 2015

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Marvin Hagler M @marvin HagIer

Tim Bradley, Porter, Kovelev, Bernard and the Lightweight kid Crawford....few of the guys in this for LEGACY and not just money.
10:52 PM - 23 Jul 2015

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Marvin Hagler M @marvin HagIer

Tim Bradley is my guy. He'd fight anyone! He's the only one calling out GGG and he's really a Jr Welterweight.
12:41 AM - 24 Jul 2015

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Jul 24, 2005
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Marvin Hagler M @marvin HagIer

You guys may not want to hear it but Manny Pacquiao is the guy you can all thank for all these catchweights!
12:17 AM - 24 Jul 2015

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Props: CZAR and CZAR
Jul 24, 2005
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Terence Crawford's Return: Jean Emerges as Frontrunner

Posted by: Steve Kim on 7/24/2015 .

>>>Click Here For Tons of More Breaking Boxing News, Articles and Insider Information<<<

By Steve Kim

The return of Terence Crawford is slated for October 24th in Omaha, Nebraska. What hasnt been decided is who his dance partner will be that night.

According to a couple of sources, Dierry Jean has emerged as a leading candidate to land this assignment. Jean, who fights out of Montreal, has a record of 29-1 (20 KO's) unsuccessfully challenged Lamont Peterson in January of 2014 for the IBF junior welterweight title.


Jean has won four fights since that point, including a ten round decision over Jerry Belmontes on June 20th.

Other names such as Humberto Soto and Antonio Orozco were in the mix but it looks like they will be facing each other on October 3rd.

Crawford(26-0, 18 KO's) stopped Thomas Dulorme in six rounds on the night of April 18th in what has been his only appearance of the year.
 
May 13, 2002
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Seattle
www.socialistworld.net
Marvin Hagler M @marvin HagIer

They know I speak my mind that's why the won't have me commentating, I call it like it is and guys like Broner are killing boxing, period.
10:54 PM - 23 Jul 2015

18 18 Retweets
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Marvin Hagler M @marvin HagIer

Tim Bradley, Porter, Kovelev, Bernard and the Lightweight kid Crawford....few of the guys in this for LEGACY and not just money.
10:52 PM - 23 Jul 2015

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Marvin Hagler M @marvin HagIer

Tim Bradley is my guy. He'd fight anyone! He's the only one calling out GGG and he's really a Jr Welterweight.
12:41 AM - 24 Jul 2015

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Marvin Hagler M @marvin HagIer

You guys may not want to hear it but Manny Pacquiao is the guy you can all thank for all these catchweights!
12:17 AM - 24 Jul 2015

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You've been bamboozled! There is a capital "i" creating a "I" which of course looks like an L. In other words, thats a fake account, it's not Marvin Hagler.
 
Props: CZAR and CZAR
May 6, 2002
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Time for Mares to style on Santa Cruz.
This is going to be eye pleasing at first, but Mares is going to put a huge gap between himself and Santa Cruz once it's over. Not even in the same league.

Looking forward to it. Both so Mares can shine and so people can stop hyping Santa Cruz for more than a B level fighter. Get off the bus while you can.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Adonis Stevenson vs. Edwin Rodriguez possible for September 11th
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By Ed Baylor: WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (26-1, 21 KOs) could be back in the ring on September 11th against #6 WBC Edwin Rodriguez (27-1, 18 KOs), according to Dan Rafael. Rodriguez’s name is rumored to be the guy that the 38-year-old Stevenson will be facing next.

If this turns out to be the case, it’ll be a notable improvement over Stevenson’s last opponent Dmitry Sukhotskiy, who Stevenson stopped in five rounds last April in a mismatch. Stevenson hasn’t had a really tough fight since his win over Andrzej Fonfara last year.

Rodriguez would be a good opponent for Stevenson to test out his skills on. There are several other quality fighters working their way up the ranks in Isaac Chilemba, Eleider Alvarez and Artur Beterbiev who will soon be challenging for the WBC title unless one of them opts to fight IBF/WBA/WBO champion Sergey Kovalev or WBA “regular” champion Juergen Braehmer.

“Hasn’t been announced. I’ve heard rumors of Edwin Rodriguez,” Dan Rafael said on his chat on Friday on ESPN.com.

Rodriguez fought WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward in October 2013, losing by a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision. Rodriguez fought hard, but he didn’t have the hand speed or the inside game to ive Ward any real problems. However, Rodriguez tried really hard for the full 12 rounds and never gave up or got discouraged despite the fact that he was out of his class.

With Stevenson not showing much interest in facing Sergey Kovalev, it’s important that he faces the other top fighters in the division in order to show fans that he’s not the type of champion who ducks the best opposition in the division.

Lucas Matthysse vs. Viktor Postol could wind up in Ukraine

The Lucas Matthysse vs. Viktor Postol fight reportedly could wind up in Postol’s native country of Ukraine, according to Fight News. Postol’s promoters at Elite Boxing Promotions want to have the Matthysse-Postol fight staged in Ukraine if possible. Matthysse and the 5’11” Postol will be fighting for the vacant WBC 140lb title that was recently stripped from Danny Garcia. A wealthy company in Ukraine is interested in bringing the Postol vs. Matthysse fight to Ukraine.

Matthysse fought for the WBC title two years ago, losing to Danny Garcia by a 12 round decision in 2013. Matthysse fought well in the first six rounds, but after suffering an eye injury in the 5th, he seemed to go downhill in the second half of the fight, making it relatively easy for Garcia to win the fight.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Angel Garcia thinks Lamont Peterson was &#8220;on some s&#8212;&#8220; when he faced Danny Garcia
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By Ed Baylor: Angel Garcia, the trainer/father of former WBC 140lb champion Danny Garcia (30-0, 17 KOs), says he suspects that Lamont Peterson (33-3-1, 17 KOs) was on something when he gave Danny pure hell in the ring last April in a fight where Garcia took major punishment in winning a controversial 12 round majority decision in a catch-weight fight at 143lbs on April 11th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

&#8220;At the end of the day, Peterson never sat down [during the fight], okay. I&#8217;m not saying what the [expletive] he was on, I know it was no goddamn Red Bull. He looked like he was on some s&#8212;,&#8221; Angel Garcia said via Fighthype.com.

Angel Garcia appeared to be suggesting that Peterson was on the juice for the fight despite the fact that he and Garcia had both had undergone anti-doing testing. Angel even admitted that Peterson had done the testing. If Angel had sat down to watch some of Peterson&#8217;s past fights, he would have seen that he always looks sharp like this when taking the fight to his opponents. What was surprising about the Garcia-Peterson fight was how long it took for Peterson to amp up his game. If he turned on the gas on Garcia from the first round of the fight, I don&#8217;t think Garcia would have been able to go the full distance. Peterson was simply the much better fighter.

Peterson looked superb in his fights against Dierry Jean, Edgar Santana, Kendall Holt and Amir Khan. The only fight in which Peterson did not look good was in his 3rd round knockout loss to Lucas Matthysse in 2013. That was a case of Peterson being overpowered by a fighter who was just too strong for him.

After Peterson boxed for the first six rounds, he changed tactics in the second half of the fight and began to apply a massive amount of pressure on Garcia, walking him down and punishing him with body and head shots. In between rounds, Peterson stood up and chose not to take his stool. Even after the fight was over, Peterson was bouncing around, looking fresh, strong and without a mark on his face.

In contrast, Garcia&#8217;s looked exhausted, with his face badly swollen around his eyes and cheeks. Garcia got the victory by the scores of 115-113, 115-113 and 114-114. To this day, Garcia insists that he deserved to get the victory and believes he won by 8 rounds to 4. For this reason, Garcia feels that Peterson doesn&#8217;t deserve a rematch.

Danny Garcia will be fighting former two division world champion Paulie Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs) next week on August 1st at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The fight will be shown on Premier Boxing Champions on ESPN.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Pacquiao-Bradley III is a possibility
Victor Salazar
By Victor Salazar July 24, 2015 13:36
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Manny PacquiaoTo many, Tim Bradley is still the third best welterweight in the world behind Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Bradley is coming off a decision victory over Jessie Vargas where Bradley won a clear decision, but it wasn&#8217;t without controversy. Vargas landed a big right hand in the last round which had Bradley hurt. Referee Pat Russell heard the 10-second bell and thought it was the final bell, hence saying the fight was over. Vargas had around 8-10 seconds to knock Bradley out but wasn&#8217;t landing anything of note following the big right hand.

Joel Diaz, Bradley&#8217;s trainer, says there shouldn&#8217;t be a rematch because Vargas was losing the entire fight.

&#8220;I&#8217;m not going to take anything from Jessie Vargas,&#8221; Diaz told On The Ropes Boxing.

&#8220;Jessie Vargas really put in his whole body into that punch, and we could all see it. I see that punch in slow motion, and Jessie really, really wanted to hurt Tim. But you can&#8217;t win a fight; I mean you&#8217;re losing eleven and a half rounds and then one punch?&#8221;

Diaz says if Bradley recovered from a Provodnikov rally in the 12th round, he definitely would have recovered from the last 8-10 seconds that were left.

&#8220;It could change the whole thing, but Tim could have survived the few seconds that were on the clock. He survived against Ruslan Provodnikov, a heavy hitter. I don&#8217;t think just one punch made a difference in the fight. It gave people something to talk about, but it doesn&#8217;t deserve a rematch.&#8221;

So what&#8217;s next for Bradley? A possible fight with Sadam Ali is on the horizon for his new WBO title, but Diaz isn&#8217;t ruling out a third fight with Pacquiao.

&#8220;Anything can be possible. Anything can be possible, and don&#8217;t get me wrong because Tim at one point in his career after he lost to Pacquiao the second fight he said, &#8220;If I get that WBO title, Manny is going to come back to me again.&#8221; He doesn&#8217;t doubt it, and I don&#8217;t doubt it. They went at it twice and you know they had controversy in the first one, and he beat him the second time. Tim put up a hell of a fight in the second fight, and Bradley-Pacquiao II was a more exciting fight than Mayweather-Pacquiao. I don&#8217;t see why not go for a third one. I mean, Pacquiao fought Marquez four times.&#8221;
 
Jul 24, 2005
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George Groves: I just can’t wait to KO Badou Jack
date July 24th, 2015 | Post FB Comment - 21 Comments

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groves563257By Scott Gilfoid: It seems that #1 WBC 168lb contender George Groves’ recent wins over Denis Douglin and Christopher Rebrasse has gone to his head, because he’s now yapping about wanting to get in the ring with WBC super middleweight champion Badou Jack (19-1-1, 12 KOs) for him to fight for Jack’s newly won world title.

Groves believes he’s going to knock Jack out when he gets him inside the ring, and he can’t wait to make that happen. Like I said, I think Groves’ recent wins over weak opposition has gone to his head to the point where he’s talking like he can walk on water and turn water into wine.

“Patience isn’t one of my strengths. I just can’t wait to knock B @bad ouJack out and get my green belt. #SaintGG #Train2win,” Groves said on his Twitter. “Just done my WBC Boxing 30 day check weigh as requested and required by them… Not long now B @bad ouJack #SaintGG #Train2win.”

Groves will just have to put a sock in it and wait a little bit longer, because his fight against Jack won’t be taking place on August 22nd like what was originally thought. Showtime Championship Boxing doesn’t have a date for August 22nd, so the fight is expected to take place three weeks later on September 12th on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Andre Berto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. But there’s also a possibility that the Jack-Groves fight will take place on a different date.

I don’t think it’s a good thing for Groves if the fight takes place on Mayweather’s undercard on September 12th because there would be a lot of people seeing the fight on either Showtime pay-per-view or on CBS on free television. Either way, we’re probably talking about millions of people seeing the fight. If it goes badly for Groves, like I think it will, then all those fans will have seen him get beaten by Jack, and they’ll likely not forget about the loss for a long, long time.

Groves would obviously like to become well-known and a big star in the United States, but that’s going to be awfully difficult to make happen if Jack knocks Groves out in front of a huge audience. That’s why I think it would be a lot better for Groves if the fight against Jack is put on a different date without it being televised in the U.S.

Jack looked sensational in winning his last fight against Anthony Dirrell last April. Jack used a ton of pressure to pound out a 12 round decision in a close fight. It was a pleasure to watch the fight due to the different styles of the two fighters.

Groves has won his last two fights since being knocked out twice by Carl Froch. Shortly after Groves’ second straight knockout loss to Froch, Groves was put in a WBC title eliminator bout against Rebrasse. I’m not sure what the World Boxing Council’s qualifications were for Groves to get the eliminator fight, but I’m other losing fighters would like to know so that they too could get picked out by the WBC for future eliminator bouts.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Frampton: I&#8217;ll fight Quigg in Manchester, but I&#8217;m the A-side!
James Allen
By James Allen July 24, 2015 17:42
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Carl FramptonSeemingly welcome tidings have arrived from IBF World super-bantamweight Carl Frampton (21-0, 14 KO&#8217;s) on the back of a arguably career-best performance against Alejandro Gonzalez Jr.

The Belfast man battled back from two first-round knockdowns -his first as a pro- to put on a decisive, exciting and at times gutsy display against a valiant 22-year-old who looks set to replicate his father&#8217;s stellar career.

At times, there were dogged exchanges, and sickening body shots landed on both men, but it was Frampton who emerged the deserved victor with the overall cleaner work; his beautiful technique, and fitness carrying the day.

Now Frampton has reignited talk of a unification fight with the WBA champion, Bury&#8217;s Scott Quigg (31-0-2, 23 KO&#8217;s), whose two-round demolition of Kiko Martinez ran simultaneously with Frampton and Gonzalez&#8217;s war last Saturday night.

Speaking with BBC Radio and reported on World Boxing News Frampton said of/to Quigg:

&#8220;The message is bring it on if you want, but remember who the A-side fighter here is.&#8221;

&#8220;When you come to negotiate you can&#8217;t be making too many demands.&#8221;

&#8220;If he really wants the fight, I&#8217;m happy to fight him in his own backyard, but we just need to remember who&#8217;s the boss when it comes to negotiating.&#8221;

Some of you may be thinking this sounds reasonable enough, but most will remember that similar comments brought the last round of negotiation between the two camps to a screeching halt earlier this year.

Quigg&#8217;s Matchroom Sports and Frampton&#8217;s Cyclone Promotions have been unable to hash out a deal to bring these two great little fighters together. They just don&#8217;t see eye-to-eye on certain things, mainly who the A-side is, i.e. the fighter who dictates the terms of the contract that is signed in order to make a bout official.

On that subject not man fans really cares as long as the fight is made, and ironically it is they who will be missing out the most by not seeing two of the best 122-pounders around pit their belts and skills against one and other.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Dan Rafael chat wrap 7/24:

- There is medical concern around Katsidis, but he has been cleared and will unfortunately fight on.
- No new news on Crawford's next opponent. Orozco and Soto are out because they will fight each other.
- BHop says he will fight in early 2016 and then retire.
- Kovalev is very intense, but also is pretty funny.
- GGG vs. Lemiuex is in real negotiations right now. GGG-Ward will not happen this year. Along with weight being an issue, there is also money concerns as the purse is not big enough to satisfy both parties.
- GGG vs Lemiuex is being discussed to be put on HBO PPV.
- Lemiuex is a wicked puncher and legit top 10 MW. GGG's number one goal is to unify. Hopes this fight gets made.
- Kovalev tickets have been slow. They are trying to build him a presence in Las Vegas.
- PPV buys Mosley-Mayorga 2 will get? Less than 25,000. Price point at $49.95 is ridiculously high. It will take place at The Forum.
- No information, but just off opinion believes Canelo vs. Cotto will take place in Las Vegas.
- If Kovalev cannot get a Ward or Stevenson fight he will continue to stay at 175. He is not looking to move up to CW.
- The Rios vs. Brook fights are not entirely dead, but nearly are dead. Rios will fight in the fall, Provodnikov and Jessie Vargas are potential opponents.
- Arreola still could get the Wilder fight.
- Berto nor fighting on CBS are 100% set for Mayweather yet.
- Heard rumors that Stevenson's next fight could be Edwin Rodriguez.
- Would Berto KO'ing Mayweather be a bigger upset than Douglas-Tyson? No.
- What will happen first: Ward-GGG or Ward-Kovalev? Ward-GGG.
- Picking Shumenov to beat Flores by decision.
- Doubts we get Rigo vs. Lomachenko. The talks between them are not real.
- Walters vs. Gamboa at 130 is possible, but unlikely. A lot of risk and little payoff (money) for both fighters.
- Hopkins said he was interested in fighting Froch in England, Froch said he was interested as well. Nothing ever materialized.
- Froch is basically doing to DeGale what he thought Calzaghe did to him.
- Yunieski Gonzalez looks like a bad ass, very scary. He looked in good shape and has good size. It wouldn't be much of an upset for him to beat Pascal.
- Salido and Martinez are planning for a rematch in September.
- FOTY that was on PPV? Barrera-Morales 3, Bowe-Holyfield.
- Believes that if Kovalev wins, his next fight likely will be a homecoming in Russian and a rematch with Pascal is likely for early 2016.
- Jeff Mayweather's reputation (and what a lot of people call him), is the "normal Mayweather".
- RJJ will not be on the television card this weekend, Hopkins will and he was not part of Pascal's camp. Chris Byrd was and helped Pascal work on defense.
- Would Floyd vs. Berto break 1 million PPV buys? Doubtful.
- Mosley's admission of steroids makes it less likely he would vote for him as a first ballot HOF'er.
- Jack vs. Groves is not officially set, but likely Sept. 12 on Mayweather's undercard.
- Lamont Peterson likely will fight in Sept/Oct. at the Patriot Center.
- After Fury, Klitschko won't fight for the rest of the year. Glazkov is his IBF mandatory, but he could put it off if he were to fight Wilder. The IBF allows unification's to trump mandatories.
- He does not count interim belts as real championships. (ie, Donaire is only a 4 division champ, not 5 because the JBW belt was an interim).
- Believes Mosley is delusional in saying that the 3 big promoters are holding boxing hostage.
- Andre Ward is expected to fight again this year.
- Froch vs. Kovalev? Kovalev by KO.
- There will be two ShoBox cards in August.
- Wlad vs. Fury? Wlad by KO.
- Showtime announced Showtime International and put on a Kell Brook card. Other than that there has been no effort by Showtime to show any International fights. Abraham-Stieglitz would have been a good one.
- Crolla probably eked out a win with the two points Perez was deducted.
- Will Wlad ever fight Anthony Joshua? Wlad says he will fight 5 more times, it is possible Joshua could be ready by fight 5.
- Canelo vs. Cotto PPV prediction? It will not reach 1 million, but will do high 6 figures.
- Loves a Quigg vs. Donaire fight. It would be Quigg's best opponent.
- True or False: Vitali could train for 3 months and would KO Wilder? True.
- A young Mike Tyson was the most hostile fighter he has ever interviewed. Never had any problems with Tyson since that interview and the next time he interviewed Tyson, Tyson told him they were cool.
- GGG is the mandotory for Cotto/Canelo. To make the fight he will not have to give in to weight demands. If Canelo or Cotto do not fight him, GGG will be moved from interim WBC titleholder to full titleholder.
- All PBC's television deals are for at least 2 years. NBC is two years, Spike is three years, ESPN is 2 years with an extra six month option.
- Kovalev by mid round KO.
- Earl vs. Katsidis 1 is a classic fight.
- Top 3 punchers at LHW? Foster, Spinks...you could put Kovalev up there. Also, Archie Moore.
- Legit and marketable opponent for Pacquiao, besides Crawford? Matthysse.
- Canelo and Cotto would like to do a 5-6 city press tour. Likely NY, LA, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and at least one stop in Texas.
- LSC vs. Mares is the best fight on paper that PBC has put on, or will put on. Peterson-Garcia is right there too.
- Doubtful Frampton vs. Quigg is this year.
- Are the rumors of GGG handling Kovalev in sparring true? Yes. Abel says that Kovalev was young and new to the pro game, so yes he was schooled, but he is much better now.
- Stiverne's manager told him they are looking to fight again soon.
- 50 Cent will not return any calls, emails, or texts to his fighters. There careers are in limbo, prospect Ryan Martin has hired a lawyer to get 50 Cent to communicate.
- What are "options" in boxing? Promoters ask for them in case their fighter loses, they have the option to help be involved in the promotion of the other fighter's next fight to help recoup the lost income they incurred from their fighter losing.
- A Cuban fighter he does like? Luis Ortiz. Despite his failed steroid test...he is a big bull who comes to fight and crush.
- Canelo didn't demand the 155 lb weight in Canelo vs. Cotto.
- Matthysse vs. Postol will be at StubHub. The Ukraine rumors are not true.
- Matthysse vs. Postol is a very dangerous fight for both fighters.
- Who does Porter fight next? Believes it will be Thurman later this year.
- Stands by his story 100% that meetings for Floyd's fight took place (Espinoza says they did not).
- Was Tony Harrison all hype? No. He was winning and lost focus.
- David Price is a nice guy, big puncher, hard worker, and no chin.
- There are fighters who enjoyed being promoted by Arum and King. Hagler loves Bob Arum.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Duva relives moment she signed Kovalev
James Allen
By James Allen July 24, 2015 17:36
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Kathy DuvaCEO of Main Events Kathy Duva was almost gushing as she relived the moment she discovered her prize asset; WBA Super, IBF and WBO World light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (27-0-1, 24 KO’s).

Speaking to FightHub Duva said she knew in an instant she had to sign this man to her company, as she became aware of an inextricable quality in the Russian that would ensure he became successful.

“I don’t pretend to be the ultimate boxing expert by any means, I’m a marketer that’s my background, but I know it when I see it and I knew it the moment I laid eyes on Sergey.”

She went on to draw comparisons between Kovalev and ’Sugar’ Ray Leonard, citing the fact that their in-ring personas differ so greatly from how they behave outside the ring.

Leonard was the smiling gentleman with all the right lines at the right times but became an irrepressible punching machine unfit for defeat when faced with his greatest challenges. Kovalev transforms from a polite, somewhat shy individual into a snarling, taunting powerhouse once he steps between the ropes, a version of him that Duva called “scary, just scary.”

Kovalev will look to put the frighteners on Nadjib Mohammedi (37-3, 23 KO’s) this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada as he defends all three of his belts against the Frenchman.

This fight, whilst it is a mandatory defence, was made in the absence of a sought-after unification fight between Kovalev and the WBC champion Adonis Stevenson (26-1, 21 KO’s).

The Haitian-born southpaw Stevenson has the power to rival his European counterpart and a meeting between them would be explosive for as long as it lasts. For one reason or another though, all the relevant parties have failed to make it happen.

Duva was not hesitant to talk about Stevenson and almost began to goad him by mentioning certain truths (as she sees them) regarding his recent business decisions.

“He’s been fighting second-rate opponents and if he wants to continue to do that he can. Sergey, in his last two fights fought Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal; the number two and number three fighters in his division after Stevenson passed on those fights. So we can only do what we can do. The belief is that eventually Sergey will get that fourth title whether it’s Adonis Stevenson holding it or someone else.”

“Adonis is coming up on his thirty-eighth birthday, so he may go down in history as the guy who ducked the best fight he could be in, or maybe he’ll step up and take the challenge.”

If Stevenson is not behaving as a champion should, in Duva’s eyes her own man is the embodiment of a warrior, and she feels his achievements will echo past his active career and elevate him in to the pantheon of the all-time greats.

“I really do believe he’s gonna be one of the best light-heavyweights ever when this is over. I think he’s gonna be one of the top if not the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world before this is finished.”

Even with her promoter’s hat firmly on and a bit of hyperbole thrown in, it is clear to see the faith Duva has in Kovalev. She signed him in 2012 when he was performing in obscure venues in little-known areas of the US. After three fights together a WBO title shot against Nathan Cleverly was secured, and the demolition job he performed in that fight was the first significant step on the path he is now on; to becoming one of the best in the world. He is probably there already.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Kovalev: Stevenson not real champion; he got lucky
ThaBoxingVoice
By ThaBoxingVoice July 24, 2015 16:05
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Sergey KovalevLONDON (24 July) &#8211; Knockout king Sergey Kovalev has labeled Adonis Stevenson as &#8220;not a real champion&#8221; and dreams of capturing his WBC belt.

The unified WBA, WBO and IBF light-heavyweight world champion has conquered all before him, including wins over the legendary Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal, but a showdown with 175-pound rival and current WBC champion Stevenson, has eluded him.

A clash has been much talked about over the past year, but the 32-year-old Kovalev is now set to do battle this Saturday night, live and exclusive on BoxNation, against Frenchman Nadjib Mohammedi, but his ambition is still to complete his title haul by adding the WBC belt.

&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to speak about him [Stevenson] at all because he&#8217;s not a real champion. He got lucky once against Chad Dawson when Dawson dropped his title against Andre Ward.

&#8220;Andre Ward destroyed him and he didn&#8217;t recover for the fight against Stevenson. He got lucky and right now is still &#8220;champion&#8221;. It&#8217;s smart for the business, but it&#8217;s not good for boxing,&#8221; said Kovalev.

&#8220;I&#8217;m ready for any fight, but I keep in my mind to win the WBC title, first of all, but I&#8217;m open for any fight. I think I&#8217;m a regular world champion, but I have three world titles, the WBO, WBA, and IBF, but my dream is to get a fourth.

&#8220;We&#8217;ll see what happens in the future. I hope somebody beats Stevenson and gets the WBC title, and then we can make the fight. Even if it is a harder or tougher boxer, it&#8217;s no problem. I just need an agreement for a fight for the WBC and a unification,&#8221; he said.

The formidable Russian, who is undefeated in 28 bouts with 24 knockouts, is well aware however that a tough task lies ahead this weekend against Mohammedi.

The 30-year-old, a ten year professional, knows his way around the ring with 37 wins and only three losses, goes into the fight on a four-year winning streak with a chance of hitting the big-time should he upset the odds, something which Kovalev is well aware of.

&#8220;Mohammedi is not a puncher, but he knows how to box. He&#8217;s smart, sets traps and improvises a lot in the ring. He doesn&#8217;t just come forward but has good movement and angles,&#8221; said Kovalev.

&#8220;He&#8217;s also ready for 12 rounds and has good stamina and conditioning. He&#8217;s a very good opponent and is dangerous because he&#8217;s very motivated.

&#8220;I know what motivation can do for a fighter and when a man is motivated he can do a lot of things and is very dangerous. I&#8217;m prepared for 12 rounds because you never know what is going to happen in boxing,&#8221; he said.

The man who Kovalev overcame in his last fight, Canadian ace Pascal, will also be on the card when he takes on unbeaten Cuban Yunieski Gonzalez in a ten-round contest at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

&#8220;There is no place like home. I have been fighting at home my whole career. I am glad to be in Vegas; it is my first time fighting here. Every fighter on my level wants to fight at least one time in Vegas,&#8221; said Pascal.

&#8220;This is my chance to make a statement on Saturday night. I know I am still among the best in the world and best in my division. I know Yunieski Gonzalez is hungry, and he wants to make a statement. I want to give a great show on Saturday night,&#8221; he said.

Prior to Saturday&#8217;s big Las Vegas show, BoxNation will also have some thrilling live domestic action tonight from 7 p.m. when super-middleweight star Frank Buglioni takes on Fernando Castaneda.

The Enfield boxer was set to face WBA world champion Fedor Chudinov, but the Russian was forced to delay the fight due to a broken nose sustained in training.

26-year-old Buglioni, however, will be looking to stay busy and get a win under his belt against the tough Mexican before eyeing up his shot at world title glory in the Autumn.

Another top name will feature on the Wembley Arena show with Billy Joe Saunders, who will fight Andy Lee for the WBO middleweight world title on September 19 in a major showdown in Limerick, facing France&#8217;s Yoann Bloyer in a crucial must-win fight.

Undefeated super-featherweight Mitchell Smith is also back in action this evening against Dennis Tubieron for the WBO Inter-Continental title.
 
Jul 24, 2005
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To Catch-Weight or Not To Catch-Weight?
Victor Salazar
By Victor Salazar July 24, 2015 13:01
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To catch-weight or not, that is the question. Using a Shakespearian tone, it seems that much of the debate in boxing lately has been about the use of catch-weights. Catch-weights have been used throughout the history of the sport. It was usually deemed as a meeting point between a smaller fighter moving up in weight to fight a bigger fighter. In this modern era of boxing, it&#8217;s more about using leverage.

Let&#8217;s take for instance Manny Pacquiao. He has been a proponent of such a catch-weight in the past. When he fought Oscar De La Hoya in 2008, he was making the move from 135 to 147. At that point, De La Hoya had long left the welterweight division but for the two to meet, it would be at 147. De La Hoya was drained, and Pacquiao destroyed him. Pacquiao&#8217;s next fight at welterweight would be against Miguel Cotto at a catch-weight of 145. Pacquiao was the A-side and even though they were fighting for Cotto&#8217;s title at 147, Cotto had to submit to the demands. Pacquiao also won a vacant title at 154 using a catch-weight of 150 against Antonio Margarito.

Fast forward to recent times and you find that the same Miguel Cotto, who was the champion in 2009 and had to give in to demands, is now in the position that Pacquiao was in, the catch-weight king of the middleweight division.

Cotto first used a catch-weight in his 2011 revenge rematch against Antonio Margarito when they fought for a 154 lb. title at 153. In 2014, Cotto lifted the lineal middleweight title from Sergio Martinez at a catch-weight of 159. Cotto then faced Daniel Geale this past June defending the belt at 157. Cotto is likely on a collision course with Canelo Alvarez at a catch-weight of 155 for the lineal middleweight title.

Cotto isn&#8217;t a middleweight and quite frankly might not have been a sizeable jr.middleweight, so he is holding the lineal title hostage. Maybe so but in 2009, he dealt with being on that end of being the B-side and for those who fight him they will have to deal with a catch-weight unless they are bigger draws than him. At the moment, only Mayweather, Pacquiao, and maybe Canelo are bigger draws in the sport than he is.

Canelo Alvarez has used catch-weights in the past; His past three fights have been at 155. He won his first world title at a catch-weight of 150, even if he did miss weight against Matthew Hatton. Canelo&#8217;s catch-weights are less vigilante because titles aren&#8217;t on the line.

Then there&#8217;s the curious case of a Danny Garcia, who was the champion at 140, yet his last two fights were above 140 even though his fight with Lamont Peterson should have been a unification bout. Garcia will not test the waters at 147.

Recently we had a bout between Adrien Broner and Shawn Porter contested at 144 when both men had fought at 147. Porter&#8217;s dad said that if there was no catch-weight, Broner wasn&#8217;t taking the fight and as the A-side, Broner took advantage of it.

In a potential bout between Vasyl Lomachenko and Guillermo Rigondeaux, Rigondeaux side had initially wanted a catch weight of 124 with a rehydration clause of 134. Lomachenko&#8217;s side declined.

Rigondeaux side then said they would do 126, but needed the 134 rehydration clause. Lomachenko&#8217;s side declined again. Lomachenko isn&#8217;t what you would call a household name, but in this instance he has been on HBO more, while Rigondeaux has been relegated to fighting in Japan on U.S. television, so in that instance Lomachenko is the A-side and using his leverage.

Then there&#8217;s Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. who is the A-side against many and almost seemingly decides the weight of the fight at the final weigh-in.

Gennady Golovkin is a man looking for a major fight. For years, his team has said that they are willing to go up to 168 for big fights or down to 154. Golovkin is the best middleweight to many and wants a crack at the winner of Cotto and Canelo. However, his team has made statements that they wouldn&#8217;t fight Canelo at 154, only Mayweather.

Golovkin&#8217; team had also recently come out this week and stated vehemently that they would only entertain a fight with Andre Ward if it were a catch-weight of 164. Here&#8217;s where there&#8217;s a problem.

A lot of pundits and pugilists have criticized Cotto for stipulating catch-weights for his lineal world title at 160. Andre Ward is still the lineal 168 lb. champion. So in an instance that there&#8217;s a bout between Golovkin and Ward, is the lineal title on the line? If so, then those that are up in arms at Cotto for stipulating such a catch-weight for a lineal title should be up in arms at Golovkin in the same manner.

Golovkin is the A-side versus Ward, and the catch-weight is nothing more than using his leverage, which is fine by me. But in the same instance, you can&#8217;t fault Cotto or anyone else for doing the same, especially when Golovkin&#8217;s side has said they would move up to 168 for Carl Froch or Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.

Like my fellows at @3BMBoxing have said, &#8220;Everyone hates catch-weights until your favorite fighter uses them.&#8221; Catch-weights now are used as leverage and to gain an advantage, no matter how you want to slice it. If you&#8217;re A-side in the equation you can demand what you want and the B-side, it up to you whether you accept or not. So to catch weight or not? You make the call boxing fans
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Ariza: Mayweather is waiting to kick Berto&#8217;s behind
date July 25th, 2015 | Post FB Comment - 18 Comments

Share the post "Ariza: Mayweather is waiting to kick Berto&#8217;s behind"

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arizaBy Chris Williams: Floyd Mayweather Jr&#8217;s strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza says that Mayweather is training hard for his potential fight against former IBF/WBC welterweight Andre Berto (30-3, 23 KOs) on September 12th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ariza says that Mayweather can&#8217;t wait to whip Berto&#8217;s backside when he gets him inside the ring.

Mayweather is taking his training as serious as he always does even though he&#8217;s facing a lesser opponent than what he&#8217;s become accustomed to. Berto may in fact turn out to be a tougher opponent than Mayweather&#8217;s last opponent Manny Pacquiao, who looked like he gave up after the 1st round after tasting Mayweather&#8217;s right hand.

Berto couldn&#8217;t possibly do worse than Pacquiao. The bar is really low for Berto to outdo what Pacquiao did.

&#8220;It&#8217;s great to see such a work ethic because I too am learning different things from the greatest,&#8221; Ariza said to the New Standard/Boxingmirror.com. &#8220;Floyd is training non-stop because he never takes chances. [Mayweather] is waiting to kick Berto&#8217;s behind.&#8221;

Berto is a good opponent for Mayweather as far as him being someone who will make it an interesting fight for as long as it lasts. I don&#8217;t think Mayweather will try to knock Berto out. I think he&#8217;ll go the full 12 rounds with him, and for that reason it should be really interesting to see how the fight winds up.

I think Berto will make it more exciting than guys like Amir Khan, Keith Thurman, and Shawn Porter would make it. Berto comes to fight, and he won&#8217;t be running around all over the ring like those fighters would. Porter wouldn&#8217;t run, but he&#8217;d make it messy by attacking Mayweather on the inside and making it really sloppy from start to finish. I don&#8217;t think it would be a fun to watch fight.

For Mayweather, &#8220;It&#8217;s personal,&#8221; with him and Berto, says Ariza. They have some history with one another and Mayweather will be looking to take it out on him when he gets him inside the ring.

Ariza says Mayweather is looking good in sparring with &#8220;young, big aggressive kids&#8221; and that Mayweathern &#8220;allows at least a hundred people to come in and watch him perform.&#8221; Mayweather doesn&#8217;t care if a large group of people watch him spar, unlike Manny Pacquiao&#8217;s trainer Freddie Roach, who Ariza says has made Pacquiao&#8217;s sparring sessions closed off to the public.

Ariza thinks that Pacquiao trained better when his sparring sessions were open to the public rather than sessions that are only attended by Roach and a small group of people. This was &#8220;a very essential part of Manny&#8217;s life, sparring in front of so many people.&#8221;

Ariza believes that Pacquiao was hurt by Roach making his sparring sessions private. Roach apparently is worried that one of Pacquiao&#8217;s opponents could get something from the sparring sessions somehow, even though Pacquiao fights the same way each time he fights. The sparring sessions are just like Pacquiao&#8217;s normal fights. If Roach is teaching Pacquiao new things in the sparring sessions, then we&#8217;re not seeing it in his fights because Pacquiao always fights the same
 
Jul 24, 2005
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Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy: Al Haymon carried out &#8216;fraudulent plan&#8217;

By Paul Gift

@MMAanalytics on Jul 24, 2015, 11:00a 10
Jeff Bottari/Getty Images

New court documents allege that boxing&#8217;s mystery manager, Al Haymon, talked a big game in settlement negotiations with Golden Boy then ripped &#8220;premium fighters&#8221; from under their nose.
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In early January, the world learned that enigmatic boxing advisor/manager Al Haymon had brokered a settlement agreement with Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy, releasing most of Haymon's fighters from the latter's promotional clutches. The deal also settled the ongoing employment dispute between Golden Boy and former CEO, Richard Schaefer, who had resigned in June 2014 and was facing an arbitration case.

On Jan. 9, Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports reported, "Golden Boy Promotions settled its lawsuit with former CEO Richard Schaefer on Friday and surrendered its promotional rights to a number of top boxers who are signed with powerful manager/adviser Al Haymon, a source familiar with the deal told Yahoo Sports." Five days later, ESPN's Dan Rafael appeared to corroborate, "As part of the deal, multiple sources said De La Hoya also cut ties with the numerous top fighters he had been promoting from the stable of powerful adviser/manager Al Haymon."

We now know that this might not be how things actually went down. New documents filed yesterday in Los Angeles federal court allege that Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy were victims of fraud on the part of Al Haymon.

The story stems from the settlement agreement, signed last year on Dec. 18 and 19 by Haymon, Schaefer and De La Hoya. According to De La Hoya, in the process of negotiating the settlement, Haymon communicated "affirmative statements" about working with Golden Boy to promote his fighters in the future. Yet according to a declaration of Al Haymon, 20 days later on Jan. 8, 2015, he "exercised a discretionary right" to end his business relationship with Golden Boy (and presumably buy out his fighters).

De La Hoya claims Golden Boy never would've made the agreement had they known Haymon would buy out his fighters so soon and, therefore, have been damaged in excess of $100 million.

Excerpts from De La Hoya's counterclaim to an arbitrator state:

In entering into the Settlement Agreement, the Haymon Entities were well aware that Golden Boy's opportunity to promote these premium fighters and to announce and capitalize on its promotion of those fighters was extremely important to the development and continuity of Golden Boy's business and was an immensely valuable right, worth far in excess of the relatively modest sums that could, in the future, allow the Haymon Entities to terminate those relationships. Indeed, the opportunity to promote those premium fighters was the most important benefit Golden Boy received from the Haymon Entities under the Settlement Agreement. In making the Settlement Agreement, however, the Haymon Entities knew and fraudulently concealed their knowledge that Golden Boy would never have that extremely valuable opportunity...

In the negotiation of the Settlement Agreement, the Haymon Entities communicated to Golden Boy affirmative statements about working with Golden Boy on the promotion of those premium fighters, even going so far as to include in the Settlement Agreement that Golden Boy's matchmaker, Eric Gomez, would be the point man with whom they would regularly communicate about such fighters and their bouts. In fact, the Haymon Entities had no intention whatsoever of having continuing communications with Eric Gomez or anyone else at Golden Boy about these premium fighters or anything else, because the Haymon Entities knew, and fraudulently concealed that, within days after making the Settlement Agreement [redacted]...

Only a few days after signing the Settlement Agreement, the Haymon Entities carried out their fraudulent plan, by giving notice ending the term of the Settlement Agreement and additionally terminating the relationship between Golden Boy and every one of the premium fighters listed in the Settlement Agreement...

But for the opportunity to promote the premium fighters listed in the Settlement Agreement, the affirmative statements made by the Haymon Entities about working with Golden Boy, and the acts of fraudulent concealment alleged hereinabove, Golden Boy would not have entered into the Settlement Agreement and would not have given the Haymon Entities the right to buy fighters out of their binding agreements with Golden Boy.

While heavily redacted, Haymon denies Golden Boy's claims stating, "Haymon did not fraudulently conceal anything from Golden Boy... [redacted] This was a material and bargained-for term in the Settlement Agreement. Golden Boy was fully aware of this term and agreed to it." Haymon denies committing fraud but doesn't dispute the timing of events. It appears the two sides executed a settlement on Dec. 19 and Al Haymon ended the term of the agreement 20 days later, buying out every fighter in which he was contractually allowed.

In the past, many of Haymon's fighters have worked with Golden Boy without being under an official promotional contract. Yet Golden Boy claims it had "binding agreements" after the settlement. Did Al Haymon strike a deal to release Richard Schaefer and bind many of his fighters to Golden Boy only to buy them out 20 days later?

By their own admission, this would be a monumental blunder on the part of someone in the Golden Boy front office. But it sure would give context to Golden Boy's antitrust lawsuit against Haymon. Haymon is presently claiming that the settlement agreement releases him from any claims, including antitrust, up through Dec. 19, 2015 and argues that Golden Boy starting its antitrust claim on Jan. 1, 2015 is "artful pleading."

Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy watched the late-night infomercial and bought the miracle book with life-changing information everyone needs to know, only to realize it was just expensive, useless paper. This doesn't necessarily mean their antitrust lawsuit is without merit. In certain respects it's stronger than the ongoing antitrust case against the UFC. But we've all been hoodwinked at some point in our lives. We've all probably wanted a little payback, too.