Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Shaw: Darchinyan Running From Montiel is a 1000% Lie

By Rick Reeno

BoxingScene.com was advised by promoter Gary Shaw that an offer was never presented for a unification bout between IBO bantamweight king Vic Darchinyan and WBC/WBO champion Fernando Montiel. In an earlier report on BoxingScene, Montiel claimed that a lucrative offer was made to Darchinyan, and there was no response to the offer.

"I hope to get this fight with Darchinyan very soon. I have no idea why he entered the bantamweight tournament. We offered him double to fight me, but he never gave an answer," Montiel said.

According to Shaw, Montiel's version of the events are 1000% "not true."

"Either Fernando Montiel is lying or someone around Fernando Montiel is 1000% lying to him, as there has never been an offer made for Fernando Montiel, either orally or written, to fight Vic Darchinyan - this year, next year, or any other year. To the contrary, Fernando Montiel was offered a spot to be in the 118-pound tournament, and [promoter] Fernando Beltran, or [co-promoter] Top Rank, or both - turned it down, as [Showtime Sports VP] Ken Hershman can attest to," Shaw said to BoxingScene.com.

Darchinyan is scheduled to defend his IBO title against unbeaten Abner Mares on December 11 in Mexico as part of Showtime's bantamweight tournament. Once the tournament is finished, Shaw is open to making a Darchinyan-Montiel bout.

"The only two fighters who ran from Vic Darchinyan are Fernando Montiel and Nonito Donaire, who was also offered a spot in the tournament. That's the true story and the whole story," Shaw said.

"When the tournament is over, and if Fernando Montiel wants to make an offer to fight Darchinyan, his promoters know my telephone number and my email address."

 

[2-0-Sixx]

It's too bad Miguel Cotto pulled out and is sitting the rest of the year out, this would have been an awesome card with him headlining it. Now it's probably a streamer...



Humberto Soto To Fight on Chavez-Gomez Undercard

By Lem Satterfield

Top Rank is quickly filling up the Latin Fury undercard for December 4 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has confirmed that WBC lightweight champion Humberto Soto will make the third defense of his title on the card.

"We do have an opponent for him, but it isn't signed yet," said Arum. "So he will be on that Dec. 4 card."

The main event will feature WBC silver middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. taking on veteran Alfonso Gomez. In addition, WBA interim super flyweight champion Nonito Donaire will face former WBA bantamweight king Wladimir Sidorenko of Ukraine. Hard punching lightweight Brandon Rios has also been mentioned for the card, and junior middleweight Vanes Martirosyan.

 

[T-Rip]

thats wack, why is Cotto not fighting he hurt?

 

[2-0-Sixx]

well, he had minor shoulder surgery a few months ago but he says he's perfectly healed and fine and ready to go.

First, Chavez jr was supposed to be his opponent but Chavez people decided no and they're fighting Gomez.

Bob Arum then brought Cotto two fighters for that date - Kermit Cintron and Vanes Martirosyan. Cotto turned them both down and said he's going to wait until next year for bigger fights.

If anyone deserves a rest, it's cotto, but I'm a little disappointed because I thought him fighting Cintron would have been a entertaining match and Vanes would have been a solid defense of his title.

My guess is he's probably waiting to see what happens with Pacquiao/Margarito and will want to rematch either one of them.

 

[Johnny Truelove]

Ricky Hatton's license withdrawn

LONDON -- Former world champion Ricky Hatton was stripped of his boxer's license Thursday after he was found guilty of misconduct by the British Boxing Board of Control following newspaper revelations of drug use.

Hattan also was fined $31,000 at the board hearing Wednesday but kept his promoter's license.

The 31-year-old Hatton, who won four world titles across two weight divisions, recently was admitted to a rehabilitation clinic after a tabloid published pictures of apparent cocaine use in a Manchester hotel room.

"The board found Ricky Hatton guilty of misconduct in that his actions and behavior were detrimental to the interests of boxing and to the public interest and that he had brought the sport into disrepute," the board said in a statement Thursday. "Ricky Hatton is not an active boxer and his current physical condition is such that the board decided to withdraw his boxer's license."

Police have said they will be speaking to Hatton after he has completed his rehabilitation.

Hatton, who has not fought since losing to Manny Pacquiao in May 2009, has been diagnosed with depression and a drinking problem by a specialist.

Hatton said recently that he's had difficulty coping with retirement from boxing.

"The board is especially concerned to keep the sport of boxing free from drugs, whether taken for recreational or performance-enhancing reasons, and to be vigilant in identifying and dealing with cases of alcohol abuse," the statement added.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Paul williams: Mayweather wont fight me because I don't have a vagina





Paul Williams Blasts Floyd Mayweather: He Won't Fight Me

By Michael Marley

Paul Williams, in his 11th year in the professional boxing ring, is widely acknowledged as the world's third best fighter, pound for pound.

He's 6-3, freakishly tall and he's fighting WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, also a power punching lefthander, in a Nov. 20 Atlantic City (HBO, not PPV) rematch simply because neither could persuade any other opponent to step up.

Their first fight was wild and wooly. Martinez got floored in the opening round and then the Argentinian decked the coltish PWill.

They traded hurt, they traded pain the rest of the way and, when it was over, Williams was tabbed the winner on two cards (119-110 and 115-113) while the third judge saw it a 114-114 draw.

This natural rematch comes a week after the Antonio Margarito-Manny Pacquiao HBO PPV bout and it figures to be equally engaging.

But, aside from Martinez, foes steer clear of Williams.

"They call him the 'Punisher' but Paul is the one who gets punished because these other guys won't fight him," manager-trainer George Peterson said at a New York press conference Thursday.

At age 29, with 40 pro bouts behind him, Williams' patience is growing thin.

"I don't think Floyd Mayweather will fight me anytime," Williams said. "Manny Pacquiao, he might do it, he might step up but not Floyd. I guess Floyd won't fight me because I don't have a vagina."

That X-rated shot, obviously, is a reference to the Baby Mama drama which briefly sent Mayweather to jail and led to domestic battery charges in Las Vegas.

Williams and Peterson don't think that Al Haymon's status as adviser to them, and to Mayweather, is what keeps the fighters apart.

"I was in the barbershop in (Washington) D.C., the other day and the guys were talking about it. They respect Floyd's skills like I do but they were saying they know he won't ever fight me," Williams said.

"If Floyd went to Al and said, "Hey, I want to fight Paul Williams, what can Al do? But Floyd is not going to ever say that. Pacquiao, he fights bigger guys, he's different than Mayweather so maybe I will get to fight him."

Like many others, Williams thinks Mayweather's obsession is being undefeated.

"Floyd ranks himself with Ray Robinson, with Joe Louis, all these guys..but all those great guys, they all lost sometime. Mayweather won't take a hard fight, he won't take the chance of losing."

Peterson's assessment is similar.

"Pacquiao, he loves to fight. Mayweather is his own manager, he's a smart businessman. Paul is not old enough for Floyd to fight. Floyd likes to wait until a guy is old. Pacquiao is more gutsy than Floyd is," Peterson said.

Williams notes that the structure of boxing is that the best often don't fight the best.

"I can make 147 (pounds) for Floyd or for Manny if I have to and I would," Williams said. "But this isn't like baseball or football where the best teams are mandated to play each other. In boxing, these guys don't want to give me the shot."

Peterson said their frustration is that Williams is not yet a PPV attraction and that he hasn't been able to show his considerable skills against the upper echelon.

"If Paul could fight about every months, he would become a real monster in boxing. Then the fans would see how sensational he really can be.

"I think Paul, at this stage, is like Marvin Hagler was at one point. He is vicious, he strikes like a cobra but guys run away from fighting him like they did with Hagler," Peterson said.

With Pacman being almost 32 and Mayweather turning 34 next year, Williams feels he will get to the Number One P4P position without them.

But, instead of proclaiming himself as a ring great, he wants to prove it.

I"d like to be the best welterweight and the best middleweight. I'd like to be up there with Ray Leonard, with Tommy Hearns but I can't get there if I don't get the opportunity."

Williams understands the system.

"If the fans demand it, then HBO will hear them," Williams said. "Maybe HBO can make the top guys fight me. If it's demanded by the public, then maybe. But, when these guys fight and then take the microphone after they fight, who do they mention?

"You never hear them say my name, do you?"

Williams record is 39-1 with 27 KOs while Martinez is 45-2-2 with 24 knockouts.

 

[heyzel]

Dirrell vs. Ward – No fight this Saturday

By Scott Gilfoid: The talented Americans Andre Ward (22-0, 13 KO’s) and Andre Dirrell (19-1, 13 KO’s) were supposed to be fighting this Saturday in their semifinal Super Six tournament fight to decide who would be facing the winner of the Carl Froch vs. Arthur Abraham semifinal match. However, Ward and Dirrell’s promoters have been able to agree on a venue for this exciting fight. As such, we still don’t know when the Ward-Dirrell fight will be taking place.

Showtime reportedly served legal papers to both Dirrell and Ward’s management team and are insistent that the fight still take place. It is hoped that the bout can happen next month in October. It would be unthinkable if this fight weren’t to take place because the winner of this fight is likely going to be the eventual Super Six winner. I mean there’s still the Froch-Abraham fight that needs to take place, but Dirrell already pretty handled both of those guys and Ward would likely do the same thing if given the chance. Gary Shaw, Dirrell’s promoter, had this to say to ESPN: “I don’t know, but as far as I know that Goosen and me have been put on notice that the fight has to go or we would be in breach.”


It’s a bad match-up with Dirrell and Ward fighting each other now. It should have been each of them taking on the European fighters with the winners of those fights going at it in the finals. But what can you say. You have to take what’s given to you. I see this fight still happening. They just need to have it take place in a neutral venue, like the Froch vs. Abraham fight. It’s difficult to pick the winner of the Ward-Dirrell fight because both of them have such amazing boxing skills. Ward has breezed through his two fights in the Super Six tournament but he’s had the benefit of fighting at home for both of his fights. Had Dirrell fought both of his fights at home, he’d likely be 2-0. But whatever the case, it doesn’t matter anymore. If Ward or Dirrell lose this fight, they’re out of the tournament. This is do or die time.

 

[heyzel]

David Haye is just laughing all the way to the bank

By Mark Hepplestall: On 8th of March 2008, David Haye did what the majority of the world thought would happen and beat Enzo Maccarinelli for the WBA Super World cruiserweight title, WBC cruiserweight title, WBO cruiserweight title and Ring Magazine Cruiserweight title. This was the last fight before he moves up to heavyweight, win or lose. Then Haye did the unthinkable and called out the Klitschko brothers before even fighting at heavyweight, he needed to be noticed, and this was the greatest way to make it happen. At this time before a punch had even been thrown the WBO had made Haye No.3 in their rankings. All of this was to create hype in a division that is filled with people who are not in the same league as the world champions and the WBO have awful rankings e.g. currently David Tua is No.2.


This is when David Haye started laughing all the way to the bank; his first fight at heavyweight was shown on a PPV channel called Setanta Sports. The opposition was Monte Barrett aka the Gate Keeper to the heavyweight division, his last 6 fight records include 3 loses to Cliff Couser who he then had a rematch with and beat him. Lost to Nikolay Valuev for the WBA title, many more people have failed at this stage so no disgrace. Lastly Barrett lost to Hasim Rahman for the WBC interim title via point’s decision. He did then win 3 fights on the bounce against Cliff Couser, Damon Reed and Tye Fields all by TKO/KO. David Haye then went on to destroy Barrett in 5 rounds and then recall out the Klitschko brothers, which got him publicity and loads of people compared the champions fights with Monte Barrett, this was the start of the Heavyweight Hype Job.

The Fight the people wanted was on, yet Haye was moaning about the terms of the contract he had with Wladimir, saying on Setanta sports that he had to fight Wladimir and if he wins he then has to fight either a rematch or take on Vitali, and then there was the money issue which was broke down to Wladimir taking all of Germany TV channel (terrestrial) money and ½ of the Setanta Sports money. Then Setanta went bust due to the Global Recession and Haye got an injury yet I assume he pulled out with a fake injury due to him not getting paid and Wladimir’s refusal to renegotiate terms. So point one blame the banks for the recession and the cancellation of Wladimir Klitschko Vs Haye.

Wladimir then decides he is not wasting his time with David Haye and all negotiations are cancelled for the foreseeable future and David Haye gets global condemnation. Enter Nikolay Valuev the WBA title holder, off topic but weird that Wladimir or Vitali didn’t enter negotiations to fight Valuev when he was WBA champion considering they want to unify all the belts.

On the 7th of November 2009 David Haye took on Nikolay Valuev for the WBA title in a fight that everybody outside UK thought Haye would lose via KO. Haye fought a smart fight, just like Roy Jones Jr did against John Ruiz 7 years ago. I had Haye win by 1 or 2 rounds but it was very close even though Haye didn’t land many punches Valuev landed less and missed horrifically. After the fight Valuev’s reputation went down the drain, he went from a power puncher with 65% KO rate to a pillow puncher, slow and amateurish. Truth is Valuev would give anyone in the top 10 a good matchup and beat atleast ½ of them. Also to fight Valuev Haye had to enter a contract with GBP and Don King to bypass other boxers for a world title fight and in return gives money to other boxers including John Ruiz and Ruslen Chagaev.

Enter the Klitschko’s wanting to unify all the world titles again now “pillow puncher” Valuev was out of the way. This time the Klitschko’s called out David Haye even though he couldn’t fight them due to him having to fight John Ruiz or be stripped of his WBA title. So continuing to laugh his way to the bank thousands tuned into Sky PPV to watch Haye win or lose to John Ruiz putting millions in his back pocket. So on the 3rd of April 2010 John Ruiz stepping into the M.E.N Arena in Manchester and almost left on a stretcher 1 minute later, credit to Ruiz he kept coming at Haye even though that is suicide. Ruiz was knocked down in the 1st, 5th and 6th and hurt in almost every round bar one which I actually gave to Ruiz, John Ruiz was stopped in the 9th.

David Haye did say he wanted to be World Heavyweight Champion; he had now achieved this goal and didn’t really need the Klitschko’s. Haye then put together a fight with Audley Harrison; an all British Showdown that has got Haye worldwide criticism for not fighting a Klitschko yet will still get Haye another 5 million in the bank. What would be next, well Haye’s hands are forced to fight Chagaev next as he is the mandatory for the WBA and then Haye will laugh even more to the bank as more people watch Haye just to lose and put even more money in his pocket. Point is Haye can fight who he wants and global condemnation is only giving him more publicity and money. I expect Haye to fight either Vitali or Wladimir before he retires in a last big payday and a matchup that will not act as a career defining moment.

 

[heyzel]

Schaefer eyes John Murray vs. Victor Ortiz on December 11th on Khan vs. Maidana under

By Joe Mitchell: Unbeaten European lightweight champion John Murray could be handed a golden chance to fight on the undercard of Amir Khan’s world title defence in Las Vegas on December 11th against light welterweight star Victor Ortiz.

Richard Schaefer CEO at Golden Boy revealed at the Khan vs. Maidana press conference in London: “I will be speaking to Murray’s promoter Mick Hennessy to see if Murray is up to the task and if the fight can be done.”


John Murray has been looking for a big fight for a while and his time at lightweight might be up, because he is starting to struggle at that weight. It would be a great fight for Victor Ortiz who has been fighting washed up fighters since losing that great fight with Maidana. This is by no means an easy fight for Ortiz and is a good test. Many believe Amir Khan ducked Murray a few years ago, who is a tough fighter likened to Ricky Hatton with his aggressive style. I think HBO viewers will be in for a treat because this fight would show if Ortiz is back to his best and if Murray is a world class fighter. Let’s hope this happens it could be a FOTY candidate.

 

[heyzel]

Abraham questions Froch’s back injury

By Scott Gilfoid: Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KO’s) isn’t pleased with having to wait longer for Super Six tourney bout against former WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (26-1, 20 KO’s). Abraham wonders about Froch’s recent back injury, saying in an article at Sport.ru, “Froch is injured, but it is impossible to be assured about it. When a person does not wish to box, it will always be easy to find an excuse. Always its possible to go to a doctor and to receive an excuse.”


It’s hard to imagine Froch trying to use an injury to excuse to get out of fighting Abraham. What could Froch gain? He’s going to have to fight Abraham sooner or later anyway because that’s the only way Froch can make into the finals. The only thing I can see Froch getting from postponing the fight is more time to prepare for the Abraham fight. I can see that, but Froch would have to be really paranoid about fight for him to claim an injury just so that he could get an extra month or so to get ready for the Abraham fight.

It isn’t like Froch hasn’t had a ton of time to prepare for Abraham. Froch’s last fight was five long months ago, and if he needs even more time to prepare for Abraham, then he must be in really bad shape mentally and/or physically. Abraham does think that Froch’s loss to Mikkel Kessler messed Froch up mentally. But, god, it would be terrible if it messed Froch up to the point where he’s making fake back excuses to get out of fighting Abraham. That would be so bad. Froch needs to get the eye of the tiger. Andre Dirrell already showed how it’s done to beat Abraham. Froch should be studying Dirrell’s fight with Abraham like crazy, so he can try and somehow mimic what Dirrell in that fight.

Honestly, I don’t think it’s possible for Froch to copy Dirrell, because what Dirrell did was based on his amazing physical tools and Froch just doesn’t have the same kind of abilities that Dirrell possesses. Froch is more of a basic plodder, whereas Dirrell is lighting quick and beats his opponents with his hand speed and cat-like reflexes. Froch is going to get hit in the Abraham fight, there’s no ifs and buts about it. The question is whether Froch’s steel chin will hold up under him for 12 rounds from the sledgehammer shots from Abraham. I don’t think it will. Abraham hits too hard and I don’t think it’s humanly possible to have a defense as wide open as Froch’s is and to take the kinds of heavy shots he’s going to be taking from Abraham for as long as it lasts.

 

[heyzel]

Haye-Harrison: 17,000 tickets already sold for their November 13th bout

By Matt Stein: With slightly less than two months to go before the November 13th clash between World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight champion David Haye (24-1, 22 KO’s) and Audley Harrison (27-4, 20 KO’s), there are a reported 17,000 tickets that have already been sold for the fight, which will be taking place at the M.E.N. Arena, in Manchester, England. This is an astounding number, because the Arena seats 23,000 at full capacity and it would be huge if the fight were to sell out this early on. It would be a big sign of how popular heavyweight champion Haye is, because Harrison doesn’t bring in big numbers like this in his fights.


It’s strange that the fans are scooping up the Haye-Harrison tickets, because outside of the UK, this fight is seen somewhat as a joke. Boxing fans outside of England see it as Haye cherry picking an easy opponent to try and milk his WBA heavyweight title for as long as he can before taking on and losing to one of the Klitschko brothers. However, if Haye is able to get these kinds of numbers fighting less than the very best heavyweight contenders in the division, it’s kind of telling.

It shows that Haye’s British fans will pay to see him in high numbers no matter who he fights. It’s kind of reminiscent of the Filipino fans attraction to watching Pacquiao’s fights. They purchase his fights in high numbers, even when he’s facing opponents that are less than popular and who are hopelessly over-matched. Outside of the UK, boxing fans pretty much only care to see Haye fight one of the Klitschko brothers. They’ve already see Haye take on a bunch of older heavyweights since moving up in weight from cruiserweight in 2008.

Fans are now interested in seeing Haye finally fight a good heavyweight for a change. They’re going to have to wait a little longer until Haye gets done with the “London championship,” which is the name that IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has given to Haye’s bout with Harrison. It’s hoped that once Haye gets a certain amount of milking down of his WBA title, that he’ll finally want to take on the Klitschko brothers. He doesn’t have a lot of time with Haye talking about retiring next year at 31. If he’s going to be fighting the Klitschko brothers, he needs to do it soon.

Harrison, 38, has a puncher’s chance of beating Haye. Harrison has to attack Haye early and look to take him out before Haye can stun Harrison with one of his pot shots that he likes to throw. Harrison has the power to take Haye out, but he’s got to get past his timid fighting style and look to take Haye out with one of his killer shots before Haye gets warmed up.

 

[heyzel]

Don King thinks Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is still possible

By Eric Thomas: Legendary promoter Don King thinks it’s still possible to put together the big money mega fight between unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao in the near future. Speaking to Usatoday.com, the 79-year-old King says “Yes, it would be bigger than ever if I’m involved. It’s a bright star, but you don’t know how to follow it, it’s like a lost ball in high weeds.” It would be great if King were to resume his talks with Mayweather and see if he can persuade him to enter talks with Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank for a fight with Pacquiao.


Mayweather will have to wait awhile, though, because Pacquiao has a fight scheduled for November 13th against Antonio Margarito at the Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. Once Pacquiao finishes with that fight, and provided that he wins it, that will leave Pacquiao with an opening slot that Mayweather could fill for a huge money fight. Arum has plans of matching Pacquiao up in a rematch with Miguel Cotto in early 2011.

That’s a fight that few people, other than diehard Cotto and Pacquiao fans, are interested in seeing. Pacquiao already proved that he’s better than Cotto when he stopped him in the 12th round last year. Arum would likely temporarily forget about the Cotto-Pacquiao rematch long enough to squeeze Mayweather in Pacquiao’s opening fight slot. King could really help matters if he were able to get Mayweather to bend on certain negotiating points with Pacquiao, such as the random blood testing.

 

[heyzel]

Khan says he’s going to “Unify the light welterweight titles” after the Maidana fight

By William Mackay: WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (23-1, 17 KO’s) has sprouted some big ideas about his future in the light welterweight division, because he’s already talking about unifying the light welterweight titles, when he hasn’t even beaten his next opponent WBA light welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana (29-1, 27 KO’s) yet. Khan, 23, faces the knockout artist Maidana on December 11th at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. In an article at thesun.co.uk, Khan says “I am taking a big risk with this fight [Maidana] but I am going to grab the opportunity with both hands and unify the light welterweight titles.” I’d like to see that happen, but frankly I tend to see Khan getting blasted out in two or three rounds by Maidana on 12/11.


Khan will need a chin to beat Maidana, because this isn’t the light punching Paulie Malignaggi or Dmitri Salita that Khan will be facing. Maidana isn’t just going to crumble like the mostly British opposition that Khan has faced during his career. Khan is going to have to take some major league shots to beat Maidana. He won’t be able to run and flurry his way to victory.

Maidana is going to corner Khan and tag him with a big shot. I see this fight as being very much like the Kostya Tszyu vs. Zab Judah fight, in which Judah, with his fast hands, was giving Tszyu all kinds of problems in the opening round, but was stopped in the 2nd round after getting tagged by one hard right hand from Tszyu. Khan is probably going to look really good until Maidana tags him his first hard shot of the fight.

At that point, I see Khan staggering around the ring like a drunk and Maidana chasing after him to brain him with one final right hand. I think this fight is going to further expose Khan once and for all as a weak-chinned fighter who can handle the light punchers but who crumbles when taking on any kind of fighter with power.

 

[heyzel]

Mike Jones vs. Jesus Soto Karass added to Pacquiao-Margarito undercard

By Jason Kim: Undefeated welterweight contender Mike Jones (22-0, 18 KO’s) has been added to the December 11th Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito undercard at the Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. Jones, 27, will be matched against fellow Top Rank fighter Jesus Soto Karass (24-4-3, 16 KO’s) in a 10 round bout to bring some more excitement to what appears to be a card filled with a lot of mismatches. This fight likely be a mismatched as well, because Karass , ranked #8 WBC, 12 IBF, is a pretty limited fighter and was recently handled by Alfonso Gomez in a 6th round technical decision.


Both of these fighters are flawed. Jones can punch a little, but is slow in terms of hand speed and fights as if he has no flexibility in his upper body. He reminds me of a weight lifter in the ring because he’s really tight and has limited range of motion. Thus far, Jones has been matched against beatable opponents and hasn’t had too many problems against the limited opposition that he’s faced. At 27, Jones should pick up a title in the welterweight division sooner or later by default, because Floyd Mayweather Jr. isn’t active and only selectively fights popular fighters when he does fight.

Shane Mosley is getting near the end of his career, and Manny Pacquiao is fighting mostly Top Rank fighters that have a little bit of a name. Jones won’t likely get fights against those guys, but he should be able to pick up a title in the near future and control it for awhile over the limited opposition in the division.

As for his November 13th fight against Karass, Jones should beat him up and either take him out or win a lopsided 12 round decision. Technically, Karass is ranked in the top 10 by the WBC but I see him as bottom 17 fighter and not better than that. Jones should beat him without too many problems. This fight isn’t really enough to overcome some of the mismatches on the expensive card, however.

Kelly Pavlik is facing Brian Vera, Guillero Rigondeaux vs. Ricardo Cordoba, and prospects Jose Benavidez vs. Winston Mathis and Mike Lee vs. Keith Debow. None of those fights are particularly interesting for me. Cordoba will get slaughtered, Vera will get mowed down by Pavlik and Debow will be crushed by Lee. The main event will see Pacquiao easily beat Margarito. The Jones-Karass fight will likely be the only interesting fight, but it won’t be as interesting as it should be because Jones should be facing a better opponent.

At 27, Jones’ career is flying by and he’s still fighting guys that middle of the road. Top Rank needs to push him a little faster because by the time Jones wins a title, he could be nearing 30, the way they’re bringing him along. And I don’t think he can beat Saul Alvarez, who fights for Golden Boy Promotions.

 

[heyzel]

John Murray wants the Marquez vs. Katsidis winner

By Scott Gilfoid: Unbeaten lightweight contender John Murray (29-0, 17 KO’s) is really looking past this Saturday’s fight against Ukrainian Andriy Kudryavtsev (34-7, 15 KO’s) at the Robin Park Centre, Wigan, Lancashire. Murray, 25, is hoping to fight the November 27th clash between WBA/WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez and WBO lightweight interim champion Michael Katsidis. My advice is for Murray to stick to the guys that he’s been fighting and be happy that he can hold onto his unbeaten record for a little while longer.


I don’t see Murray as measuring up against either Katsidis or Marquez. Murry is likely to end up getting blown out quickly against either of these guys, just like Kevin Mitchell was slapped down when he tried to step up and take on Katisdis recently.

Murray is just too slow of hand and foot. He’s really slow. I actually think Mitchell would easily beat him. Murray is good enough to beat Kudryavtsev on Saturday, but it’s not going to be any fight for him. Kudryavtsev, 33, is going to take Murray deep and really push him. But that’s as far as Murray goes. Guys like Brandon Rios, Katsidis, Marquez, Robert Guerrero, Humberto Soto, Miguel Vasquez, Ali Funeka, Miguel Acosta, Mike Alvarado, Juan Diaz, Antonio DeMarco, Marco Antonio Barrera, Urbano Antillon, Anthony Peterson, Paulus Moses and Mitchell are all a step above Murray in my view.

I see Murray getting slaughtered against any of them. I hope Marquez or Katsidis don’t waste their sweet time with Murray after they finish fighting. I don’t want to see Murray get destroyed in two or three rounds. I want to see Katsidis and Marquez matched against good lightweights, not ones with inflated records and inflated rankings. I wouldn’t mind Murray looking for a fight against the Katsidis-Mitchell winner if Murray had actually fought some good guys, but he’s been matched pretty carefully up to this point and has not been put in with the fighters that I listed above.

I consider those the best fighters in the lightweight division and for some reason Murray hasn’t been put in with them. I can kind of see why after looking at Murray’s last fight against Gary Buckland in May. Murray looks too slow and limited.

Share and Enjoy:

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather says he’s going to knock Pacquiao out

By Dave Lahr: Speaking to Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Floyd Mayweather Jr. had this to say about Manny Pacquiao, says Jackson on his Twitter page: “Floyd just called and woke my a** up. I’m still half asleep. That’s my boy anybody want to do something to him get me first. Floyd told me I ain’t gonna beat him [Pacquiao], I’m going to knock that motherf***** out. For what they been saying about me. Hahaha. he gonna kill Pac Man. Pacquiao gonna get his a** beat and his retarted a** trainer Freddie Roach know that. You like to gamble, like to lose bet agents Floyd.” There it is, people. Pacquiao really stepped in it this time. He went and made Floyd angry and now it looks like Pacquiao is going to take a major beating once Mayweather gets him in the ring. Mayweather has been shamed and he’s angry now and out for blood. You know it is when someone has been shamed?


Mayweather has been too nice and with everyone dumping on him, he’s now ready to tear Pacquiao’s head off. I bet you Pacquiao won’t fight Mayweather now, because he’s going to get his backside handed to him by Mayweather. God, I can’t wait for Mayweather to give Pacquiao his just deserts. This is going to be great. Mayweather is going to knock Pacquiao off his high horse and all of Manny’s fans are going to be in mourning. I can only picture the kind of beating that Mayweather is going to give little Pacquiao. What kind of god awful catch weight and/or weight penalty will Pacquiao’s team dream up for this fight?

 

[heyzel]

Chavez Jr. vs. Gomez to headline the December 4th Latin Fury PPV card

By Chris Williams: Believe it or not, the bout between middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) and welterweight Alfonso Gomez (22-4-2, 11 KO’s) will be headlining the December 4th Latin Fury pay per view card. First of all, this is a card that you’ll to pay for and secondly it’s going to have what appears to be a mismatch between the much bigger Chavez Jr. against the welterweight Gomez.


I haven’t checked what this card will run you, but I know that some of the other Latin Fury cards have gone for around $40. Man, that’s a lot of money to see two non champions in the main event. I guess you really got to like Chavez Jr. to want to fork over that kind of cash to see him fight Gomez. I’ve seen Gomez fight more than a few times. He does a good job against 2nd tier opposition and older fighters, but he got stomped by Miguel Cotto when he tried to step it up a level a couple of years ago.

Okay, so the main isn’t looking good. Humberto Soto is also on the card. He’s a decent fighter, but he never seems to be matched up against thrilling opposition, and I’m not interested in seeing Soto beat up on yet another opponent that I’m only vaguely familiar with. Having him on the card isn’t enough for me to want to pay big bucks unless they match him against someone like Roberto Guerrero, Ali Funeka, Miguel Acosta or Miguel Vazquez. In other words, against someone that can beat him. I don’t want to see Soto matched against someone that he can clearly beat. I’ve seen too many fights with Soto way over the heads of his opposition in terms of talent. So, I’m expecting another mismatch and I’m not interested in paying to see him beat up on a scrub.

Also on the card is World Boxing Association super flyweight champion Nonito Donaire fighting former WBA bantamweight champion Wladimir Sidorenko. That’s really not interesting. Sidorenko has lost two out of his last three fights. What’s the point of Donaire fighting that guy? I don’t want to see Donaire beating up on a guy that was just beaten up twice already by Anselmo Moreno.

Why doesn’t Donaire fight someone like Omar Narvaez, Hugo Cezares, Jorge Arce, Vic Darchinyan, Moreno, or Fernando Montiel? I’d pay to see him fight any of those guys, but I’m not holding my breath waiting for him to do that. And I’m not interested in paying to see Donaire beat up on Sidorenko, when he’s already been pounded twice recently. So, forget that fight.

Junior middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan is also on the card, but doesn’t have an opponent yet. The last time I checked, Martirosyan wasn’t a champion. I don’t pay to see a guy that’s not a champion and who I think isn’t good enough to be one. I see Vanes as a career-long contender but not a champion. I think he may become a paper champion some day, as weak as he junior middleweight division is. But I can’t see this guy ever beating fighters like Miguel Cotto, James Kirkland or Sergeii Dzinziruk. So, I don’t want to pay to see him fight. Put him on ESPN and I’m cool with that, as long as he’s matched up with someone with a pulse.

At any rate, I see this card as not being worthy of PPV. If it was steeply discounted to the point of subtracting $40, I’d watch it. Other than that, forget it.

 

[heyzel]

Chavez Jr. Eyes Golden Boy Move? Leaving Top Rank?

By Lem Satterfield

During a recent video interview with AOL FanHouse, Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya expressed his interest in an all-Mexican mega-fight between superstars Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Chavez Jr. is promoted by De La Hoya's business competitor, Top Rank.

The Golden President dropped a bombshell when he disclosed that Chavez Jr. is claiming to be a free agent and already reached out to Golden Boy to discuss a possible working relationship. Before De La Hoya's company actually speaks with Chavez Jr., they will verify his free agent status. Chavez is headlining a Top Rank Latin Fury pay-per-view on December 4.

"I believe that it's a possibility, absolutely. I believe that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. made some comments about him being a free agent in Mexico. He has no more contract with Top Rank. He has no more contract with [manager Fernando] Beltran. Obviously, if that's the case, then Julio Cesar Chavez has reached out to us already, saying that we can talk to him," said De La Hoya.

"Well, obviously, we will talk to him and we can talk to him if he has no contract -- if that's the case. But we respect every other contract that every fighter has with every promoter," said De La Hoya. "But if that's the case, then that would be a very special project that we would put together over the next two, three years. Because a fight like that between [Alvarez] and Chavez Jr. would be huge. If Chavez Jr. wants to sit down and talk to us, we're more than happy to talk to him if he has no contract."

 

[heyzel]

Amir Khan: British Board Was Too Harsh on Ricky Hatton

By Mark Vester

WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan is defending his good friend Ricky Hatton. He felt the recent decision by the British Boxing Board of Control was too harsh on Hatton. During a Thursday hearing, the BBBoC stripped Hatton of his license to box and his license as a boxing manager.

Hatton was punished for the recent video which showed him snorting several lines of cocaine. The Manchester fighter has since entered a rehab to clean up his life. The BBBoC allowed him to keep his license as a promoter. Hatton runs regular shows in the UK with his Hatton Promotions company.

"I bet there are footballers and cricketers who have done the same silly things, made the same mistakes as Ricky but they are still playing their sports," Khan said to ESPN UK. "It all seems very harsh and it makes the situation around Ricky look 100 times worse than it is. It's a real shame what happened and I am 100 percent behind him.

"He knows he has done wrong, the likes of Ricky and Joe Calzaghe know they have done wrong. After a few drinks we might all do stupid things."

 

[heyzel]

Andre Berto vs Freddy Hernandez on November 27

By Jhonny Gonzalez

Multiple sources in Mexico are reporting that Freddy Hernandez (29-1, 20KOs) is under serious consideration to fight WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (26-0, 20KOs) on November 27. Hernandez returned last week to stop Mike Anchondo in four rounds. Hernandez has not been beaten since a split decision loss to Golden Johnson in 2005.

Hernandez is said to be the backup opponent if a deal is not reached for a fight between Berto and mandatory challenger Selcuk Aydin. One report suggests that Aydin is once again being resistant to the idea of taking the fight in the United States. He would rather fight Berto in Turkey.

Berto's next fight will be on the Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Michael Katsidis undercard at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Celestino Caballero will also appear on the card, moving up to super featherweight to face Jason Litzau.