Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Amir Khan: "I need to change my style as we don’t want to be knocked out or hurt again"


Jenna Jay: Amir you have a new fight set up, can you tell the fans about it and what’s been going on with you since we last saw you in the ring?

Amir Khan: I’m fighting Carlos Molina on 15th Dec in LA arena. I’m looking forward to the fight, it’s been a tough, tough journey over the last 12 months that I’ve had. Initially having the loss against Peterson, I still believe that I won the fight, and I didn’t get it. I tried to get it again, but it didn’t happen because of the drug tests, after the whole training camp, 10 weeks, the fight was called off. I took maybe a week or two off and then jumped in with Danny Garcia. I hold my hands up, I got caught with a shot I shouldn’t have got caught with. After winning the first couple of rounds so easily, my mind went off the game plan. I got caught with a big shot, to be honest, even though I got up from the first knock down, I didn’t recover. I still believe I could have carried on after the 3rd knockdown but it wasn’t the case. I’ve got a lot of respect for Danny Garcia, he beat me. But I would love to have a rematch with him, and hopefully settle the score.

Jenna: What are your thoughts on your next opponent, Carlos Molina, as a fighter?

Khan: He’s a tough fighter. He’s a lightweight moving up but I’ve had more lightweight fights than him anyway. Most of his fights have been just under or around the 140 mark. He’s undefeated so he has something to prove. I’m coming off a KO loss, whereas he’s undefeated and will be full of confidence. I’ve been KO’d before and I’ve come back, I’ve changed my trainer to Virgil Hunter so I’m no longer working with Freddy Roach. I know what I did wrong last time.

Jenna: You recently make a switch in trainers from Freddie Roach to Virgil Hunter, why did you feel you needed to make that change?

Khan: I think my style isn’t really being an aggressive fighter. My style is being the counter fighter, in-out, hit and move. Maybe it (the aggressive style) happened because I started to knock out opponents, started hurting my opponents, and I thought to myself – ‘Maybe I could hurt some of these guys instead of just boxing them’. I think I believed in my own power more than anything, and that was my downfall. I should go back to basics, do what I do best which is hit and move and don’t go looking for the knock outs.

Jenna: How hard was the decision to make that change in trainers?

Khan: It wasn’t too hard really, I need someone who is going to be with me 100%, people can say that because he has Andre Ward he’s not going to spend much time with me, but it’s not the case, Virgil has been spending day in and day out with me, telling me what to do right, and making me improve my mistakes. I need someone to advise me of that. I think I made the best move in leaving Freddy to work with Virgil, because Virgil has something that will take me to the next level. In just a few weeks I’m a changed fighter, I’m more focused, I’m thinking about what I’m doing, I take my time more. I see what I’m doing instead of just going in throwing shots. It’s about doing things right and doing things smart.

Jenna: Amir, one of the few criticisms you get is that you are a little to brave when you get hurt in the ring. Do you think so?

Khan: I think I have too big of a heart. I’m an exciting fighter, and when I get hurt I think I get into fight mode with my opponent. My style is ‘hit and move’ and if I am hurt, I need to think about that, and get back to basics instead of rushing in there and trying to knock my opponent out. That’s what we’re changing. If I get hit, I will regroup myself, and think about what attack I’m going to make next instead of just throwing anything. In previous fights, I’ve relied too much on my speed. Now I’m going to fight smart, and pick my shots at the right time. I need to change my style as we don’t want to be knocked out or hurt again. I’ve learned the hard way. Danny Garcia has a big KO percentage, and hit me with a huge shot on the side of the neck. I think that would have hurt anyone, so people who say that I can’t take a shot – I think that Garcia would have knocked out anyone with that shot. I’ll come back stronger, wiser and eventually come back a better fighter for it.

Jenna: Your next fight is at 140lbs, why did you decide to stay at that weight? Before the Garcia fight you were talking about moving up?

Khan: The reason is because I think it takes a long time to move up to the next weight category. I’m thinking 6-9 months to move up, build up the muscle mass. I initially wanted to move up after the Garcia fight, but because I lost, I’m going back to basics, build up and have 1 or 2 more fights at this weight category and then move up.

Jenna: What have you been learning from Virgil Hunter?

Khan: Virgil Hunter is a great trainer, he’s a great guy. He’s not afraid to tell me that I’m making a mistake. He’s one of those guys who will say ‘you’re doing this wrong, do it right’ and he’ll be upset if I don’t do it right. He’s telling me straight. He’s not a nice guy about it, it’s the way you have to be taught. I like to be taught that way as well, he’s very strict – make them stick. I have to do it right, or I’m in trouble, and that’s in the ring as well as with Virgil Hunter. That what Virgil likes to bring to the table, he wants me to respect him and do things the right way. He only wants the best out of me. And looking at how he’s worked with other guys, like Andre Ward, I think he could take me to the next level. It takes two, I have to listen and learn, and Virgil is going to teach me.

Jenna: Well, besides your upcoming return to the ring, a fellow British fighter is also making his return as Ricky Hatton has a fight later this month, how do you see him doing in his comeback?

Khan: With Ricky, he’s a good fighter, but being out of the ring 3 years is a long, long time; and fluctuating in weight could be quite bad for you. I think it depends on the next fight, if he wins that fight and it’s a good win, and then it could maybe happen. There’s been a lot of talk over the last 4 years about that fight, and if it did happen it’d be one of the biggest fights that ever happened in the UK. I know Ricky well, I’m good friends with him, but boxing is a business and sometimes you have to fight your friend. I’m hoping he comes back with a good win, and blows the cobwebs off and he comes in for some big fights. Hopefully in the future there could be one for us both.

Jenna: Do you think Ricky winning is enough to get a fight with you, or do you think there needs to be a title on the line to make it happen?

Khan: It’s a fight that would sell regardless. In England there will be interest in that fight everywhere, because we’re both from the same country. Because of our proximity, and knowing each other – title or no title, it’s huge. We both have other people to worry about so there are things for us both to do before we can move on there.


Amir Khan: "I need to change my style as we don’t want to be knocked out or hurt again"

 

[heyzel]

Arum: There’s a possibility of a 5th Pacquiao-Marquez fight
Boxing news published November 20, 2012 | 5 Comments
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By Rob Smith: When asked if we could be seeing a future fifth fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum couldn’t rule it out, saying this during Tuesday’s telephone conference call: “There is a possibility. [Sugar Ray] Robinson and [Jake] Lamotta fought six time.”

Watching Pacquiao and Marquez fight for a fifth time is kind of scary because it seems like the fight has been played out too many times and is little more than just a money grab at this point. Both guys are showing signs of fading and it’s not nearly as interesting now to see them still fighting each other. It’s as if Arum has fought something that works and he doesn’t want to look to fight other bouts for his fighter Pacquiao.

For the hardcore fans there’s a sense of fatigue that has set in for watching the Pacquiao vs. Marquez fight. However, for the casual boxing fans they don’t seem to mind because it’s always new for them. They’re the ones that are keeping the Pacquiao-Marquez match-up alive by purchasing the fight on PPV in high enough numbers that Arum wants to keep going back to the troth over and over.

It makes it easier for Arum to keep putting Pacquiao in with Marquez in that he doesn’t have any other alternatives other than Miguel Cotto and Floyd Mayweather Jr. However, the Cotto fight is a difficult one to put together because he was burned once with a catchweight fight with Pacquiao and he’s not eager to get burned again. And Arum hasn’t had much luck in matching Pacquiao up with Mayweather Jr, and that’s something that will likely continue to be a problem for the remainder of Pacquiao’s career.

he only guaranteed big fights that Arum can match Pacquiao up with are Cotto and Marquez. We just saw Arum try to deviate from that course by putting Pacquiao in with Tim Bradley, and the results were less than impressive PPV numbers and a loss for Pacquiao. Now it’s back to Marquez as opponent.

 

[heyzel]

Bob Arum cashing out on Kelly Pavlik?
Boxing news published November 20, 2012 | 66 Comments
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pav423728 boxingRobert Jackson – It was recently announced that Kelly Pavlik will be facing Andre Ward on January 26, 2013. Good fight for the fans, not so good a fight for Pavlik in this writer’s opinion. Pavlik from Youngstown Ohio – now fighting out of Robert Garcia’s fight academy in Oxnard California, best wins were against stationary, come forwards type fighters, who were there to be hit by Pavlik’s power shots.

Pavlik’s losses came against ring technicians who employed angles and movement to avoid being hit by Pavlik and then countered well. Losing to Bernard Hopkins who mugged, and outhustled Pavlik could be the fight that his January 26th fight may end up looking like tactically and outcome wise. Ward does everything Hopkins does better and with youthful vigor. In Ward’s last fight he even showed power by putting Chad Dawson down 3 times during that fight, even though Dawson’s weight loss played a part.

Even under Garcia’s watch, Pavlik hasn’t showed much improvement or change from what we’ve come to know since Pavlik’s middleweight championship run. Bringing the same technique and tactics into a Ward fight will carry Pavlik to a career defining loss in this writer’s opinion, and may even get him KO’d. Pavlik at this point in his career is not ready for Andre Ward but has only a punchers chance.

Pavlik had other options available to him before choosing to fight Ward, Edwin Rodriguez was available, he could’ve waited for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr to move up. But to his and Top Rank’s credit they chose to fight the top guy figuring that there’s ‘no shame’ and ‘more money’ in losing to Ward then losing to the other guys, who he can still fight afterwards. Unless Pavlik puts on a heck of a fight, after the Ward fight the big paydays and the prime TV dates will be few for ‘The Ghost’. Pavlik might well be relegated to ‘journeyman’ or ‘gate keeper’ status, the guy that young prospects have to go thru to become contenders. This time comes in every fighters career some sooner than later and most if not all promoters can see that the time is near and try to make as much money with fighter before the well runs dry.

 

[heyzel]

Adrien Broner Now The Most Must-See Boxer In the Sport


Written by Frank Lotierzo
Tuesday, 20 November 2012 09:49
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BronerDeMarco Hogan61This past Saturday night 23 year old Adrien Broner 25-0 (21) took apart Antonio DeMarco 28-3-1 (21) to capture the WBC lightweight title. Going into the fight Demarco sported the reputation as being a rugged guy who could really crack. However, if you never saw him fight prior to Broner, you'd think that he couldn't punch, couldn't defend a jab, cross, hook or uppercut, and you could time his punches better with a sundial than a stop watch. Sadly, as long as Broner is in front of him, all of that may be true.

Boxing fans, Broner is the real deal and he may even be better than you think. Not only has he mastered the "bad guy wearing the black hat" persona as Floyd Mayweather has, he's a more imaginative offensive fighter and is physically stronger pound-for-found. Oh, and he may just put his hooks and uppercuts together even quicker and more fast than Mayweather when he was at his best. They may be close regarding how quick they get off with their jabs and crosses, but Broner is quicker and commits more to his finishing and set up punches.

Then there's the boxing aptitude of Broner. Within the first half of the opening round of the fight, Broner saw that the only shots that Demarco could hope to get off with against him were his long straight shots and one-twos. However, Adrien seemed to keep his eyes on Demarco's's elbows, knowing that he couldn't cut loose without moving them, therefore, when he saw Antonio's elbows move, he moved off to his blindside ever so slightly and caused his punches to just miss him. This is a tactic that kept him in range without having to move his feet and enabled him to pepper and counter Demarco off the miss.

From a strategic perspective, DeMarco did the right thing. By trying to use his longer arms and force Broner to go around them should have presented Broner with some problems. In addition to that, if he did land any solid straight rights or lefts, Broner would be knocked back on his heels and be too far out of range to counter. Yes, that's what the cookbook would've called for going into the fight. The only problem with that was Broner could stay in front of him and wait until DeMarco's punches were on their way, and then react, a luxury of being blessed with natural and physical gifts that most athletes or fighters aren't usually born with.

When DeMarco feinted and didn't commit, Broner made him pay with flashy one-twos. And when he committed to his punches, he paid even worse. And that leads a fighter to become glove shy, which is what eventually happened to DeMarco. Once Broner sensed that, it was easy for him to take what ever liberties he wanted whenever he wanted and unloaded his full arsenal and punch assortment. Then it just became a matter of time before DeMarco was gonna end up being stopped.

The report above regarding Broner is quite glowing. So with that said, let me say what really stood out for me. And that was Broner's core physical strength. Knowing that DeMarco can punch a bit, and did so to the body when he realized it was senseless going to Broner's head, did you notice anything? I did. And that was Broner never once broke off one exchange and held his ground for as long as he wanted. And sometimes he did that without even punching. This is a true indicator that Adrien Broner is a very physically strong boxer.

By the way, aside from Mayweather (who's responsible for making it popular) and Toney (and maybe Chris Byrd, to a degree), nobody who uses or used that shoulder roll actually completely understands how it functions and transitions from offense to defense and back to offense like Broner showed he's capable of doing.

No, Broner may not be a life-taker when it comes to punching power--but he can hit. He probably couldn't throw a baseball through a carwash without it getting wet, but his strength is very ring applicable and that will be a problem for any lightweight or junior welterweight that he faces, just as much as his hand speed and punch variation.

Adrien Broner is now the most must-see boxer in the sport, not Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao. Broner is gonna fill out and grow stronger as he moves up in weight. He also seems less risk averse than Mayweather did 25 fights into his career, which of course will make for more compelling fights down the road for boxing fans. And that's a good thing.

Lastly, it looks like Broner is going to incorporate a lot of Ali and Mayweather antics into how he sells and markets himself, which will no doubt bring the fans out for his fights. Hopefully there will be some formidable challengers for Adrien down the road and just maybe he can deliver boxing an infusion of excitement that it so badly needs. At the end of the day it starts and end with the fighters, and Adrien Broner is a real fighter who just arrived and looks as if, like Andre Ward, he's on his way to realizing greatness.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

great post by someone on a different forum that brings up the question regarding scoring rounds even, and how it was common practice not long ago, whereas today it's almost never used.

Scoring Even Rounds
The Duran-Leonard talk on various threads got me thinking about one of the major contrasts between that fight and fights that we see nowadays, namely the scoring.

For Duran-Leonard I, the judges scored 19 out of the total of 45 rounds even, with Judge Angelo Poletti turning in what was referred to as a 'monument to indecision' where he scored the fight 3-2-10.

Obviously Poletti's card is an extreme case, but at the other end of the spectrum, you have the Pacquiao-Marquez trilogy.

Pacquiao and Marquez have fought 36 rounds, and despite the trilogy being widely regarded as extremely close, not a single round was scored even.

Obviously the judges are under instruction to act this way, but is this an appropriate way to score fights. In the prevailing scoring system, rounds which are absolute toss-ups end up being scored the same as rounds where one guy clearly dominated.

Should the difference between tow such rounds be acknowledged in the scoring?​

 

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So I guess 50 is serious about this. He purchased and opened his own gym. Floyd Mayweather Sr. will be coaching his fighters. Some pics of the new gym:

 

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Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Don House, and Rodney Crisler

 

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holy shit marquez looks like hulk

 

[CZAR]

Haha Marquez goin for the ko this time. He dont want the judges to have nuthing to do with fight lol. Got Em!!

 

[trips]

Marquez is beasting! Hes ready for war, ain't seen him that cut or big before. I'm sure Manny is doing the same tho. This fight is up in the air for me, I'm leaning towards Marquez. He looks hungry!

 

[2-0-Sixx]

 

[heyzel]

Adrien Broner's mouth and hands could break the bank
If Golden Boy play it right, they could hit the jackpot with 'The Problem'
Thursday, 22 November 2012 | 0 comments
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Boxing News online | Adrien Broner's mouth and hands could break the bank
THE mantle of boxing’s new pound-for-pound star looks set to be Andre Ward for the foreseeable future but factoring in how a boxer can whet the general public’s appetite to watch fights and get the casual fans' tongues wagging, Adrien Broner could be the new face of boxing and the face it needs to keep the pay-per-view buy rates flying high.

Floyd Mayweather remains the biggest draw in boxing, not only because he is the best in the world but because he knows how to sell a fight.

Against Ricky Hatton in 2007, he whipped the British fans into frenzy with his provocative comments and wearing a Manchester United shirt to a press conference in that British city. Consequently the fight sold recorded a 920,000 buy rate, much more than most analysts suspected.

The ability to sell a fight is crucial if a boxer is to properly cross over into the mainstream consciousness and that is one quality that Adrian Broner has in abundance, so much so that he makes Mayweather look like a frightened puppy when it comes to the pre- and post-fight interviews.

Broner has never been one to shy away from proclaiming his undisputed greatness and many fighters need that arrogant streak to step in the ring in the first place. What separates Broner from the rest is his brain doesn’t understand the importance of modesty or timing. His almost total disregard of his weight against Vicente Escobedo when he effectively decided to move up to lightweight two months before the fight began and his dismissive comments post-fight alienated a huge number of boxing pundits and fans alike and showed that although he truly has fantastic skills inside the ring, his attitude still leaves a lot to be desired.

But unlike a lot of boxers with a motor-mouth, Broner can back his words with a vengeance. In his toughest fight - on paper - against Antonio DeMarco last weekend, in a division he’d never competed in, he made the WBC champion look ordinary. ‘The Problem’s’ hand speed and punch resistance was a wonder to behold against someone who was supposed to be the best puncher in the division. He may not be the elite fighter he inevitably claimed he was at the post fight press conference and was helped by DeMarco effectively fighting the American’s fight but his ability to either stand and trade or hit and flee show a fighter that is definitely very good at the tender age of 23.

Broner could now offer a unique opportunity for Golden Boy Promotions whose task it is now to guide Broner from a headliner to a box office star. Broner’s supreme arrogance and lack of humility is certain to mean that he isn’t going to be the most popular boxer in the world.

Depending on how far he takes his fabled razzmatazz he could indeed become one of the most hated boxers if he already isn’t one already.

Fans may tune into a Broner fight simply hoping to see him lose. Although it’s uncertain whether Broner will be as technically supreme as Mayweather, he just might become Mayweather Mk2 in his interaction with boxing fans.

 

[heyzel]

Hagler comments on Hatton’s comeback efforts
Boxing article posted on November 23rd, 2012 | Post Comment

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Hatton Senchenko Hatton vs. Senchenko vyacheslav senchenko ricky hatton marvin hagler By Scott Gilfoid: Boxing great Marvin Hagler doesn’t think fighters that are out of the sport for 2 or more years are the same when they do try and make a comeback attempt. Ricky Hatton is making a comeback on Saturday night against Vyacheslav Senchenko after being out of the ring for darn near 4 years. That’s a heck of a long time to be out of action, especially when you look all the fat that Hatton packed on during those lost years.

Hagler told the Telegraph.co.uk “I know when a fighter is out of the ring for more than two years, when he comes back he isn’t the same anymore…I can only wish good luck to Ricky Hatton after being away so long.”

It appears that Hagler thinks Hatton may have problems with his comeback, and I’m certainly in agreement with that. He looks heck of old in the face when you look at Hatton. Sure, his body still looks fairly youthful, but that’s from the outside appearances. When you’ve been out of the sport for as long as Hatton has been, you’re reflexes aren’t the same, the stamina also isn’t the same, and frequently the conditioning isn’t what it once was.

There’s also problems that can occur with a fighters ability to take hard shots when coming off of a long retirement. George Foreman wasn’t affected in that regard after a 10-year retirement from boxing, but he was one of the rare cases. Foreman also was wise enough to ease himself back into the ring by facing weak opposition for four years before stepping it up against Evander Holyfield in 1991. Foreman didn’t do what Hatton will be trying to do by coming off of a long retirement and then taking on a world class fighter straightaway. My guess is Foreman wouldn’t see this as a smart thing to do in a first fight back

 

[heyzel]

Dawson vs. Pascal II: Jean a tough match-up for Chad
Boxing article posted on November 22nd, 2012 | Post Comment


Dawson Pascal II Dawson vs. Pascal II jean pascal chad dawson By Allan Fox: It’s been two years since Chad Dawson (31-2, 17 KO’s) suffered an 11th round technical decision loss to Jean Pascal (26-2-1, 16 KO’s) in a fight that was halted after Dawson suffered a bad cut over his left eye from a clash of heads in the 11th.

The fight was stopped and it went to the cards and Dawson lost. The defeat has really bugged Dawson ever since then, and he’s decided to try and avenge it against Pascal by fighting him on March 23rd in Canada in a still to be determined venue.

Dawson recently picked up the World Boxing Council 175 pound title after beating Bernard Hopkins by a 12 round majority decision earlier this year in April. However, Dawson’s good luck ran out in his next fight when he was badly beaten in a 10th round knockout loss to WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward last September. Dawson was over-matched in that fight and possibly weight-drained from moving down in weight from 175 to 168. However, in looking at differences in talent between the two fights it’s pretty clear that Ward would have beaten Dawson even if the fight had taken place at 175. Dawson had no answer to Ward’s jab, speed and left hook in that fight.

Dawson is going to be experiencing the same kinds of problems against Pascal that he he did the last time he fought him. Simply put, Pascal is just too fast and explosive for Dawson. That’s not going to change in the rematch. Pascal may have lost since the last time they fought but he still has the game to beat Dawson. I don’t think Dawson can change his game around to slow the fight down or let his hands go enough to beat Pascal.

Hopkins was able to beat Pascal by keeping the action on the outside and landing hard combinations and moving away. Hopkins also gave Pascal a lot of problems with his inside skills. Dawson doesn’t have those skills, so he won’t be able to rely on that part of his game to beat Pascal like Hopkins did

 

[2-0-Sixx]

funny to see some of these pics.

boxers when they were young...

Donaire/Andre Ward

Valuev

Golota

Margarito

Holyfield

Maidana (lmao)

Floyd

Floyd & Andre Dirrell

Pac

David Haye

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Bowe

Canelo lol

Hearns & Emanuel Steward

Freddie Roach

Tua

John Scully & Teddy Atlas

Hopkins

Klitschko bro's

Canelo

Wach & Wlad Klitschko

 

[heyzel]

ROY JONES ON CAMACHO: "ONE OF BOXING'S FINEST"
By James Alden | November 24, 2012

Upon hearing the news of the death of three-division world champion Hector Camacho, future Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. expressed his condolences to the family, friends, and fans of the talented and entertaining boxer. "I am shocked and deeply saddened by the news of Macho's passing. One of boxing's finest tragically lost his fight for life. My thoughts and prayers are with Hector Camacho Jr. as well as all of his family and friends. It is truly one of boxing's darkest hours," he commented.

Though their paths never crossed inside the ring, both Jones and Camacho shared a knack for showmanship and the ability to entertain fans with their theatrics. In fact, some say Jones even adopted certain elements of Camacho's flamboyant style. Even to this day, fans still debate a fantasy matchup between the two charismatic fighters, a testament to the staying power of Camacho's influence on the sport. Indeed, boxing has lost another iconic figure. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of Hector Camacho.

 

[heyzel]

Maidana hair looks crazy as shit

 

[heyzel]

Hatton: It’s not there anymore
Boxing article posted on November 24th, 2012 | Post Comment


Hatton Senchenko Hatton vs. Senchenko vyacheslav senchenko ricky hatton By William Mackay: Former two division world champion Ricky Hatton (45-3, 32 KO’s) summed up perfectly what his problem was in losing tonight to Vyacheslav Senchenko (33-1, 22 KO’s) by saying “It’s not there anymore.” Hatton is talking his deteriorated skills after his 9th round knockout loss. Hatton was hit with a left to the body and he couldn’t get back tonight in his comeback fight at the Manchester Arena, in Manchester, England.

Hatton said after the fight at the post-fight press conference “It’s not there anymore. Too many hard fights, burning the candle at both ends, I lost 4 1/2 stones preparing for this fight. I’m not going to put myself through that torture again. I had to find out if I could mix it at the world level, but I can’t.”

Hatton didn’t look much worse than he did in his previous fight before that against Manny Pacquiao back in 2009. Hatton was a little bit faster in that fight, he was a little stronger, and a little more active, but for the most part Hatton was pretty much the same fighter he was back then. Not much had changed.

Hatton was still easy to hit, and still plodding forward without much defense. Senchenko had problems hitting Hatton because he didn’t have the head movement to get out of the way of Senchenko’s jabs and power shots. Once Senchenko started turning up the heat on Hatton in the 6th round it was only a matter of time before he got a stoppage.

Hatton said “I thought I was four rounds up.”

I had Hatton up by a round at best, but four rounds is a bit much.

The thing that was missing from Hatton’s game tonight more than anything was his accuracy. He was so far off the mark with many of his power shots, and this had to contribute to wearing him down because Hatton continued to miss with his punches all the way to the 9th round when he was stopped by a body shot from Senchenko. Hatton could have helped himself if he had fought some tune-up bouts because they at least would have helped sharpen his accuracy and helped his stamina.

 

[heyzel]

Berto loses again: Will HBO keep televising his fights?
Boxing article posted on November 25th, 2012 | Post Comment


Berto Guerrero Berto vs. Guerrero robert guerrero andre berto By Allan Fox: Former IBF/WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (28-2, 22 KO’s) looked bad last night in losing by a fairly wide 12 round unanimous decision to Robert Guerrero (31-1-1, 18 KO’s) in a fight televised by HBO. For Berto, this was his second loss in his last two fights, and his second poorly fought fight.

That’s not good especially given that HBO is televising his fights to American audiences nationwide. The question that some boxing fans might have now is how much longer will HBO choose to show Berto’s fights with him losing frequently now, and not looking good.

Even in his fight that he won last year in September over Jan Zaveck, Berto didn’t look good in that fight and appeared that he was tiring at the time of the stoppage. And in Berto’s losses to Guerrero and Victor Ortiz, Berto has fought with his back against the ropes like an aging fighter typically does.

Berto isn’t old at 28, but he’s not fighting like he used to back in 2008 when he had an exciting fighting style in which he threw a lot of blazing fast shots and stayed in the center of the ring. We haven’t seen that version of Berto for quite some time, and it could be that he’ll never be what he once was.

In that case it’s debatable whether HBO should keep showing his fights. There are other fighters that the U.S fans could be seeing who are more interesting to watch, and who are actually winning instead of losing.

If an HBO fighter is losing his fights then fans should at least be seeing an exciting fighter that is going toe to toe with his opponents in the center of the ring like Marcos Maidana. But it’s not interesting to see Berto with his back perched against the ropes fighting from that position for 12 rounds. That’s really dull and not a good way to be seen losing a fight.

If HBO wants to keep televising Berto’s fights then that’s on them, but I think they might want to cut their ties with him if he can’t fight in a more exciting manner and stay in the center of the ring instead of hanging on the ropes and getting out-worked.