Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Audley Harrison ruptures pectoral muscle, will need surgery

By Sean McDaniel: European Boxing Union heavyweight champion Audley Harrison (27-4, 20 KO’s) has reportedly ruptured his pectoral muscle on his right side of his chest in his last fight against Michael Sprott on April 9th, and will need surgery to repair the problem. This is the same injury that the 38-year-old Harrison suffered before eight years ago in 2002. Harrison says in an interview at Sky Sports, “I ruptured my pectoral, a total rupture. It ripped in the second round [against Sprott]. I couldn’t use it [talking about his right hand] from then on.” Harrison defeated Sprott by a 12th round knockout in an exciting come from behind victory at the Alexandra Palace in London.


For much of the fight, Harrison fought poorly, taking big shots to the head, not throwing enough punches and only being able to use his left hand. Harrison tried various different strategies to get around the injury, switching from southpaw stance to orthodox so that he could use his good hand, his left, to try and keep Sprott away from him. It didn’t work, though, and only made Harrison look uncoordinated. Harrison hadn’t toyed with fighting orthodox before and it showed.

Harrison seemed to have no idea how to fight using a different stance and quickly began to take big shots from Sprott without even attempting to block them. Harrison also tried to use movement to keep away from Sprott. That, too, failed badly, as Sprott proved to be very quick on his feet and good at cutting off the ring on Harrison to force him to fight. In the end, Harrison’s left hand is what saved him. Harrison started loading up with big left hand shots starting in the 10th and seemed to slow Sprott down until taking him out with a vicious left hook to the head in the 12th that sent Sprott down flat on his back on the canvas. Sprott was badly hurt from the knockout and was given oxygen as a precaution.

The pectoral injury will take a lot of time to recover from. Harrison is older at 38, and even for a young fighter you can assume this is the type of injury that would take an extensive amount of time to recover from. Harrison wants to fight World Boxing Association heavyweight champion David Haye and also wants to fight WBC title holder Vitali Klitschko.

There was talk that Harrison could possibly get a shot against Vitali later on in 2010, perhaps by December. The injury likely changes all that. Speaking of Haye, Harrison says “David Haye doesn’t want to fight me. I’ve spared many rounds with David Haye. David is a big puncher, but is open to getting knocked out. The history of British heavyweight boxing shows that the two heavyweights always collide at some point. Destiny is going to make me and David Haye fight. I will go and win a world title and then we’ll see how irrelevant Mr. Audley Harrison is.”

The chances of Haye fighting Harrison in the future is probably very slim at best. Haye has put a short timeline on his career and plans on fighting only four fights in defending his WBA title and going after unification bouts against the Klitschko brothers. If Haye gets destroyed by both Klitschko brothers, which is highly likely given Haye’s small frame, he could then look for a fight against Harrison to try and build his confidence back up. But if Haye beats both of the Klitschko brothers, then it’s probably not likely that Haye would want to fight Harrison. There would be no point to it unless Harrison was stepping it up and beating world class opposition himself.

Harrison says “Alexander Dimitrenko is the number one contender [to Harrison’s EBU title], so I have to fight him. He’s a tough guy from Ukraine, 6’7”. If I beat him, and I plan to, then I will be ranked in the top 10 by all of the organizations. I am one fight away from a legitimate world title challenge.” Harrison is correct. However, beating Dimitrenko might be a tall order for Harrison. Although Dimitrenko has been shown to have a weak chin and poor stamina in his fights against Timo Hoffmann and Eddie Chambers, he’s still a skilled heavyweight, moves well for a big man and is tough. I can see Harrison knocking him flat if Audley fights as aggressively as he did in the 12th round against Sprott. But if Harrison doesn’t show fire in a fight with Dimitrenko, then Harrison will likely be stopped

 

[2-0-Sixx]

By Mark Vester

During a recent conference call with the press, Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s adviser Leonard Ellerbe lashed out at the circulated rumors pertaining to Floyd's alleged use of the drug Xylocaine. There have been rumors circulating for months that Mayweather was using the drug to the numb any possible pain in his hands. Mayweather has been plagued with hand pain for several years. According to Ellerbe, Mayweather has not expereinced any hand problems in his last couple of fights.

"For the record, Floyd Mayweathter doesn't shoot anything in his hands. That was a nasty rumor that was spread out there just because people like to do those kind of things. Floyd is a clean athlete and he's been a clean athlete from Day One. Floyd Mayweather doesn't shoot or use needles in his hands," Ellerbe was quoted as saying by Lem Satterfield of AOL's Boxing FanHouse.

"For the record, Floyd hasn't had hand problems in a number of fights, especially in the last few. What this is is that people are always out there looking for reasons to take away from someone's accomplishment. The bottom line is that when it comes to Floyd's hands, he's not having any problems, and he doesn't shoot anything into his hands. And come May 1, Shane Mosley will see for himself what Floyd will be able to do with both of his hands."

Mayweather and Shane Mosley in a random drug protocol for their May 1 mega-fight. The United States Anti Doping Agency is handling the tests, but Xylocaine is not on their list of prohibited substances

Interesting, since there was an actual video of floyd getting his hands injected (I believe it was the first 24/7 with oscar).

Not that I think it's really cheating, but still, come on.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Not bad for two old geezers

Hopkins/Jones PPV is about 130,000, but expected to reach 150,000

From 'The Ring' website
Posted Apr. 13, 2010 at 12:45am
By Michael Rosenthal


Schaefer said the pay-per-view tally for the Bernard Hopkins-Roy Jones Jr. fight on April 3 is at about 130,000 but is expected to approach 150,000 after all the figures are in.

Golden Boy set 300,000 as its goal. However, some experts wondered whether it would exceed 100,000, which Schaefer said was overly pessimistic.

 

[trips]

Interesting, since there was an actual video of floyd getting his hands injected (I believe it was the first 24/7 with oscar).

Not that I think it's really cheating, but still, come on.

Mayweather uses it, thats the reason he fights all his fights in Vegas( the only place that allows him to inject that substance into his hands). Until he fights outside of Vegas thats how it is. Leonard Ellerbe aint doing a damn thing but running his mouth like all promoters do

its not cheating if you ask me tho

 

[2-0-Sixx]

yeah I don't really care as long as you don't do it the day of the fight.

 

[Johnny Truelove]

W. Klitschko: Fighting Haye is 'personal'

Wladimir Klitschko didn't appreciate David Haye's wardrobe during their last press conference.

Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko had a wish to hold a world title simultaneously with his older brother, Vitali Klitschko. It happened in late 2008, when Vitali came out of retirement and routed Samuel Peter to win one of the belts.

Now, Wladimir, who holds two sanctioning-organization belts along with the Ring magazine title, has another wish -- to destroy titleholder David Haye in a unification fight.

"I will break him apart," Klitschko said from Los Angeles in an interview with ESPN.com. "But I wish that David Haye will last for 12 rounds. I want to enjoy punishing him for 12 rounds and then knock him out at the last moment. I promise you, I will knock him out if he has the courage to fight me."

A little harsh, don't you think, especially coming from the usually very respectful Klitschko, who rarely has a bad word to say about anyone?

"I'm sorry. It's not sadistic; it's just a wish," Klitschko said. "That's the perfect fight, though. I'm serious about it."

n March in Germany, Klitschko retained his collection of belts by thoroughly dominating and punishing American Eddie Chambers before knocking him cold with five seconds left in the fight. It wasn't by design, but it was the precise scenario he envisions for a fight with Haye.

Klitschko does not have a deal to face the Brit. But he wants one, and he wants one badly. And he's on the offensive trying to get one, even producing a video calling out Haye on his YouTube channel.

The match would be the biggest heavyweight fight that could be made in boxing -- and one that perhaps could excite American fans, who have become increasingly apathetic to a heavyweight division dominated by Europeans.

"In Europe, they don't say the heavyweight division is desperate or it's down," Klitschko said. "Fourteen million watched my fight in Germany [against Chambers] and 51,000 were at the stadium, and 61,000 [for the fight] before that. It's packed. We are selling out stadiums in a few days. But a David Haye fight is a great fight for the American boxing fans, too. I think a fight with David Haye, even if he is not American, is going to give positive vibes about the heavyweight division for the American fans and fans worldwide."

But the Ukraine's Klitschko, 34, doesn't want to face Haye just for lucrative business purposes. He wants the fight because he's sick of the mouthy Haye, 29, who has continually bashed the Klitschko brothers but refused to fight either of them.

Last summer, Haye (24-1, 22 KOs) had a deal to face Wladimir but pulled out less than three weeks before the bout, citing an injury few believed was legitimate. Klitschko flat-out said Haye was "a liar" when it came to the injury.

Klitschko (54-3, 48 KOs) instead went on to knock out substitute Ruslan Chagaev, one of the eight defenses (seven by knockout) he has racked up since he began his second title reign with a seventh-round destruction of Chris Byrd in 2006.

Later in the summer, Vitali thought he had a deal to defend his piece of the title against Haye, but Haye again backed out. Instead, Haye signed to fight Nikolai Valuev and went on to win a majority decision in November to claim a portion of the title.

"He bitched out on me and then he bitched out on my brother," Wladimir Klitschko said. "He lied about his injury, and then he lied to the last moment and pulled out of the fight with my brother to take the Valuev fight. That pissed me off. So I have decided to make a personal message to David Haye. I want him to fight me, to be a man. I wish there will be enough excitement, pressure and courage for David Haye to fight me.

"All the nonsense and then the lying about fighting us, I don't like how he handles his business. I really don't like anything about him. He lies. He's sneaky. But this is a personal issue to me. I don't like him."

Haye made his first title defense April 3, knocking out former titlist John Ruiz in the ninth round of a dominant performance. Klitschko said he saw some of it on the Internet and was glad Haye won, so he can get his mitts on him.

"I was disappointed watching Haye fight Valuev. That was boring," Klitschko said. "Valuev [who is 7-foot, 320 pounds] is a freak show, let's face it. But John Ruiz was an impressive win. But John Ruiz is 38 years old and not really a hot shot. I respect John Ruiz for what he has done, but he was a little over the hill. David Haye won the fight, dominated. He finished the guy. I give him credit. He did what he was supposed to do. Good for him. Now let him face me. Now I hope he is confident and will fight me."

Although Klitschko owes a mandatory shot to Alexander Povetkin, he believes the IBF will grant him an exception to unify titles with Haye if they can make a deal, especially because he thinks Povetkin's camp is in no rush to face him.

"I don't know if he will step into the ring with me," Klitschko said of Povetkin, a mandatory challenger for about two years, although the fight has not come off because of injuries on both sides. "Right now, his new coach [Teddy Atlas] is not really confident he is ready. How much time does he need to get ready? Two years ago he said he was ready."

Klitschko would rather face Haye anyway -- to punish him and to get his hands on the one notable heavyweight belt not already in the family.

"I respect the IBF obligation to fight Povetkin," Klitschko said. "But I would like the exception to fight David Haye. That is the only title the Klitschkos don't have. We have them all except the WBA, which is why Haye is such an interesting cookie for me to eat.

"I want to get this fight. He did terrible things the way he presented himself and how he displayed the cut heads of the brothers and then never delivered anything. Now I am going after him and his title."

Klitschko was referring to when Haye showed up at his news conference before his defense against Hasim Rahman in late 2008 wearing a T-shirt displaying art of him holding the severed, bloody heads of the Klitschko brothers.

"I didn't like that and neither did my brother," Wladimir Klitschko said. "Vitali got upset with the shirt and almost fought him in the hallway. Vitali said, 'I am going to fight this guy.' I said, 'No, no, no.' So we flipped a coin to see who gets him."

Wladimir was supposed to, but Haye backed out. Then Vitali thought he'd get him, and Haye backed out again. Now, it's back to Wladimir.

"I say to my brother, 'I will take Haye now. It's my turn after he pulled out on you,'" Wladimir said. "Vitali says, 'You have the titles, but I only have one, so I want Haye.' But I told him I want to fight David Haye because it's personal to me. I told him I want to fight him, I want to punish him and then I will carry the belt over and give it to you.'

"I told my brother, 'David Haye is mine. He is my opponent and not yours.' I respect my brother. He is giving me my way even if it's very difficult for him. He loves his younger brother and he understands."

While Vitali is scheduled to defend his belt against D-level contender Albert Sosnowski on May 29, Wladimir holds out hope of a deal with Haye for a fight in the early fall (the earliest it could happen because of the World Cup, which will dominate the European sports scene this summer). Wladimir Klitschko said he would be happy to fight Haye in Germany, England or even in the United States -- wherever they can make the best deal.

"I want the public to know that I am ready and waiting," Klitschko said of a potential bout with Haye. "What are you waiting for? I don't know what he is waiting for. I think he is waiting for an excuse. Come on. Let's make it happen."

 

[heyzel]

it looks like haye got wlad acting out of character I never heard wlad talk shit before

 

[heyzel]

Loeffler: “I think 50-50 [Haye-Klitschko] is a little bit unrealistic”

By William Mackay: Tom Loeffler, the manager for K2 promotions, doesn’t think that it’s realistic that a fight can be put together between World Boxing Association heavyweight champion David Haye and IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko with Haye asking for a 50-50 cut of the revenue. In an interview with Boxing Fanhouse, Loeffler says “We’ve had contact with Haye’s people to feel them out to see where they’re at and see what kind of financial structure to see if it’s possible [to put together a fight between Haye and Klitschko]. Adam Booth [the trainer/manager for Haye] has come out and said they wouldn’t accept anything less than a 50-50 deal. From our perspective, Wladimir is certainly the more marketable fighter. Haye has one title. Wladimir has three plus the Ring title. Wladimir has been champion for six years and regularly sells out soccer stadiums, so I think 50-50 is a little but unrealistic for them. But as Wladimir says, there is a lot of money in the pot, so there should be enough money to make the fight happen.”


Loeffler is correct, Wladimir does have the more belts and is probably the more marketable fighter compared to Haye. However, I don’t think Haye and Booth believe that, and that could be a problem in putting together a fight. When you’re dealing with a fighter who has a big ego like Haye, it’s very difficult to put a fight together because he seems himself on par with Wladimir, even though he hasn’t proven it in the ring against enough opposition.

It will take time for Haye to prove whether he’s on the same level as Wladimir, but since Haye is in a big hurry to fight Wladimir without having shown that he’s at his level, we have to take Haye at his word that he’s worth getting a 50-50 deal. That’s like hiring someone with little experience and then giving them top dollar for them having done a good job for a short period of time rather than for a prolonged period like Wladimir.

Wladimir, in the meantime, really wants to get at Haye and beat him up. Wladimir, in describing what he wants to do to Haye, says “The best scenario…Have you ever seen a pizza with a lot of ketchup and salami on it. That’s David’s fight after the fight, but I would love to punish him for 12 rounds…Haye is trying to say that both brothers have to fight in my mother’s backyard and he’s going to fight the winner. It just shows how desperate he is and shows his attitude. He’s not willing to fight.”

In talking about Haye’s t-shirt that he had made that depicted him holding the severed heads of both Klitschko brothers, Wladimir said “He [Haye] was trying to promote himself in a cheap way.”
Wladimir thinks that Haye is afraid of him, saying “I think it’s a great business decision strategically for him [not to fight Wladimir]. From a business side, he’s probably right. He [Haye] better keep fighting..Maybe Hopkins is next.”

 

[heyzel]

Pavlik: “That wasn’t me in there [in loss to Hopkins] that night”

By Chris Williams: WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik seems to still be unable to come to terms with his lopsided 12 round unanimous decision against 44-year-old Bernard Hopkins in October 2008. In an interview with Greg Leon of Boxing Talk, Pavlik, 28, says “That wasn’t me in there that night. I think people know me well enough to know that I wasn’t myself that fight. I hope that’s the main film [Sergio] Martinez has been studying.” I hate to be the one to break this to Pavlik, but that was him in there that night with Hopkins.


If you look at Pavlik’s performance against Hopkins and compare that to Pavlik’s recent fights against Miguel Espino and Marco Antonio Rubio, you’ll see that Pavlik fought in the exact same way in those fights as he did in the Hopkins bout. The only difference is that Hopkins circled Pavlik for most of the fight and was able to jump inside, land with fast combinations and then clinch Pavlik. Hopkins showed that Pavlik doesn’t have much of inside game, has poor foot movement and even slower hand speed.

In looking at Pavlik’s fights against Espino and Rubio, I didn’t see any improvement in hand speed. If anything, I thought Pavlik looked a little slower than he was in the Hopkins fight. After all,

This Saturday night, Pavlik will be fighting a Hopkins clone in 35-year-old Sergio Martinez at the Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This is Pavlik’s big chance to shine and show the world that the loss against Hopkins was just an aberration and not the norm for him. Martinez, 5’11”, isn’t as tall as Hopkins or as physical, so Pavlik won’t have to worry about being roughed up on the inside like he was against the stronger Hopkins.

However, Pavlik will have to deal with more hand speed and better movement from Martinez, because his punches come in faster, from the southpaw angle and there’s a lot more movement than what Hopkins showed in his fight with Pavlik. Hopefully, Pavlik has been training against fast fighters that move a lot while getting ready for this Saturday’s fight, because he has to move better and react quicker against Martinez or else Pavlik is going to get beaten to a pulp and humiliated by Martinez.

Hand speed is something that can’t be taught or developed. Pavlik will always be slow in that department. To compensate for his missing hand speed, Pavlik is going to have to try and time Martinez better to predict where he’ll be so that he can catch him with one of his big shots. Pavlik needs to vary his shots. He’s so predictable in what he does it’s not even funny. Pavlik always throws left-right combinations and the follows it with a double jab. It’s always like that and it makes him very easy to predict and counter. His style works against some fighters, but obviously not against Hopkins.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

This is the most Klitschko has ever talked shit in his entire career combined, lol. David Haye better step up to the plate or everyone is going to know he's a fraud. I like David Haye, he's exciting as hell, but he has no excuse whatsoever not to fight Wlad...




Klitschko: "David 'The Loser' Haye is Scared and a Liar"

By Mark Vester

WBO/IBO/IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko thinks David Haye is scared to take a chance by signing a contract for a unification bout. Haye, the WBA champion, was challenged by Klitschko on Monday. Klitschko wants to set all of his other possibilities aside to get Haye in the ring but he thinks the British fighter is running scared.

"I understand he's scared, but just get yourself together, and maybe you'll get a lucky punch or whatever,'' Klitschko said to the AP. "I think he's frightened and he won't be willing to take the chance, but it's important for me to say that nothing is in the way. There are no other fights. There will be enough money for everybody. He just has to do what he says he will.''

Klitschko doesn't hide his dislike for Haye, who talked a lot of trash about Wladimir over the last twelve months. The two were set to meet last June and Haye withdrew with a back injury. Klitschko thinks the back injury was bogus.

"I just don't like anything about the guy,'' Klitschko said. "How he talks, how he walks, anything. He's basically betraying the audience and the sport. Every division deserves a true champion, and how can he claim to be a champion if he won't fight me?''

"It's obvious now that his back injury was just garbage, and he's a liar. I want to be active, so I won't rely on the liar to fight me next. But when only one person talks, people will start to believe things that person tells them. I just decided I need to get over my conservative style of handling things. I need to make it as straight as possible: David 'The Loser' Haye won't fight me.''

 

[surcaliman]

this is for them 90's babys who never heard of the man.the fighter that juan manuel marquez got his style from..one of the greatest.

 

[surcaliman]

this for the raza..homie ''animal'' from eastlos,big hazard gang got a lil shine back in the day.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Dan Rafael:
"I was dismayed when I read a recent article in the Detroit News, which reported that Thomas Hearns, who made more than $40 million in his career, was facing foreclosure on his home and owed nearly $1 million in unpaid taxes and mortgage payments. Why is that most fighters are so bad at handling their hard-earned money? In a related note, here's a friendly reminder for Mayweather and all other fighters: April 15, tax day, is coming quickly."

 

[heyzel]

Emanuel Steward says a rematch between Pacquiao and Cotto is a possibility

By Chris Williams: Trainer Emanuel Steward believes a rematch between his fighter former World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao is a possibility. Cotto was stopped in the 12th round by Pacquiao last November in a one-sided defeat which saw Cotto get knocked down two times and totally dominated by the faster Pacquiao. Steward had this to say in an interview at Vocero, “It’s clear that it [a rematch between Pacquiao and Cotto] is possible. The fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. will never happen, and if Miguel wants revenge, then Top Rank [the promoter for both Cotto and Pacquiao] will do everything possible so that they can put together this super battle.”


The thought of a rematch between Pacquiao and Cotto doesn’t exactly interest me all that much, as the first fight was a horrible mismatch. It’s far too soon for Pacquiao to be fighting a rematch when Cotto hasn’t even redeemed himself since that loss. Cotto will be fighting World Boxing Association light middleweight champion Yuri Foreman on June 19th at Yankee Stadium, in New York. If Cotto beats Foreman, which is a big ‘if’, then Cotto will have another belt that he could use as Pacquiao bait to lure the Filipino star into taking the fight.

As it is, there’s probably no point whatsoever in a rematch between Pacquiao and Cotto aside from just Cotto getting another payday from his promotional company. For me, I don’t see this as a fight that’s good for the sport of boxing. It’s not serving up a fight that the boxing public is demanding. If the fight is put together, it would be serving a smaller niche in the boxing public who want to see Pacquiao and Cotto fight regardless of the circumstances. Pacquiao would be perhaps better off going after WBC welterweight Andre Berto, then maybe Mayweather or Shane Mosley.

A fight against Mayweather might not be possible, as Steward points out, but that’s the fight that Top Rank needs to be putting effort into making happen. If Mayweather-Pacquiao doesn’t materialize, then Berto, a rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez or a fight against Paul Williams should be next for Pacquiao. I think anyone of those fighters would be good. I don’t like the idea of an Antonio Margarito-Pacquiao fight because Margarito hasn’t been active and needs to rebuild his career before facing someone like Pacquiao.

Cotto needs to take on several top fighters, get back to winning and show that he’s not a shot fighter. I don’t want to see him in an in house Top Rank fight against Pacquiao at this point after seeing how one-sided their previous fight was. Even if Cotto beats Foreman, it’s still early for me to want to see Cotto thrown back in with Pacquiao because there would no suspense. It would be like how badly will Cotto lose this time.

He wasn’t really competitive against Pacquiao and I can’t see him improving enough over a one fight period to give him any chance against Pacquiao. Cotto could probably fight Pacquiao 100 times and lose all 100 of those times. If boxing fans want to see this, then more power to them but I don’t see this as being an appealing fight.

If Arum wants to match Pacquiao against one of his Top Rank fighters, then I would prefer him fighting someone like Matt Korobov. That would be interesting only because Korobov would have a chance because of his greater size, I don’t see any other fighter in the Top Rank stable that I find an interesting match for Pacquiao. That doesn’t mean that he won’t be matched against them, because Arum will likely put Pacquiao in with Margarito if he can get his boxing license back, but I don’t want to see that fight. Margarito and Cotto need more time to rebuild and pick up some good wins before being put in with someone like Pacquiao.

 

[heyzel]

Wladimir tells Haye “Maybe you’ll get a lucky punch”

By William Mackay: IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko thinks that WBA heavyweight champion David Haye is plain scared of him and thinks that Haye will back out of a fight with him. In an interview with AP, Wladimir says “I understand he’s scared, but just get yourself together, and maybe you’ll get a lucky punch or whatever.” Klitschko, 34, is tired of Haye and really wants to take him apart in the ring. Wladimir doesn’t just want to beat him. He wants to make Haye suffer for 12 long rounds and end up with what Wladimir calls a “Pizza face.”


Haye has been talking about Wladimir for ages it seems, but he’s letting his manager/trainer try and work out a deal with Wladimir’s management. But it’s unclear whether a fight can be put together unless Haye comes down from his request of a 50-50 deal.

Wladimir says “I think he’s [Haye] frightened and he won’t be willing to take the chance, but it’s important for me to say that nothing is in the way. There are no other fights. There will be enough money for everybody. He just has to do what he says he will.” Haye was supposed to fight Wladimir last year, but developed a back ailment weeks before the fight. Wladimir then decided to fight someone else rather than wait on Haye’s back injury to heal.

About Haye’s back injury, Wladimir says “It’s obvious now that his back injury was just garbage, and he’s a liar.” Wladimir is hoping that he can get Haye to fight him this time and make it to the bout without pulling out for one reason or another. The negotiations will be the key. Unless Haye comes down from his request of parity with Klitschko, there likely won’t be a fight. Haye will have to accept taking less, but even if Haye does take 30%, there’s still so much money to be made in this fight that it won’t really matter. He’ll do well regardless. Haye has a lot to lose, though. He’s the one that’s most likely going to be beaten and if he gets knocked out badly or dominated by Wladimir, it could hurt Haye in getting a huge money fight in the future. Haye has to look good winning or losing the fight.

Share and Enjoy:

 

[heyzel]

Freddie Roach says "Scottish" Craig McEwan could beat World Champ Pavlik

Unbeaten Scottish Middleweight Craig McEwan has been given a huge vote of confidence by his coach Freddie Roach. Roach, who has schooled numerous world champions such as Oscar dela Hoya, Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao, this week told Boxing News that his stylish, Edinburgh born prospect could beat the current World Middleweight Champion, Ohio`s Kelly Pavlik. Speaking after McEwan`s 8th round stoppage of Canadian Champion Kris Andrews in Las Vegas last week, Roach indicated that he was looking to step McEwan up sooner rather than later. "I`d like a World Title shot at the end of the year.."

McEwan was flattered by his mentor`s confidence but was typically modest about such high praise. "I am confident that I will win a world title some day soon and a bout against a legend like Kelly Pavlik would be a dream come true. But there are many good fighters ahead of me in the queue and I expect to have at least a couple of victories against top prospects before I get a shot at a title.

Asked about who his first choice opponent for his next bout would be, Craig replied " I would like Golden Boy Promotions to put me in with someone of the stature of England`s Matthew Macklin. He has recently expressed interest in fighting in America. If that fight was to happen, there would be massive interest in Britain especially with the Scotland v England thing."

 

[heyzel]

Shane Mosley's EPO Admission Video is Leaked Out

By Mark Vester

The ongoing legal battle between Shane Mosley and Victor Conte, founder of the BALCO lab, is taking some wild twists and turns. The two sides were unable to reach any type of settlement at a conference held on Thursday in a Manhattan court. Mosley was using drugs from the BALCO lab prior to the 2003 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. The fighter has always claimed that he was never informed about the dangerous and illegal nature of the drugs he was injecting during training camp. The lawsuit erupted in 2008 after Conte told reporters in several interviews that Mosley knew exactly what he was taking and the nature of the drugs were clearly explained to him.

A video was posted on Youtube several days ago by Conte, where Mosley admits, during a video deposition, that he knew Conte had provided him with EPO, a banned performance enhancer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JMIB7g1mq0

"You knew it was EPO that day, correct?" asked Conte's attorney, Tom Harvey.

"Um, I, yeah, I guess, I knew it was something, yeah," said Mosley, nervously.

Since Mosley had maintained Conte tricked him, Harvey asked Mosley for clarification.

"Prior to going to the grand jury, in December of 2003, did you know that you were taking EPO, yes or no?"

Mosley eyes darted back and forth for a few seconds. Then he shrugged and said, "Yes."

Mosley then stole a quick glance at his own counsel, who couldn't have been thrilled with the response (elsewhere in the deposition Mosley claimed he learned he took EPO months later, when a BALCO grand juror told him).

"Mosley admits under oath he took EPO," said Conte to the New York Daily News. "He admits I explained how dangerous it was. He admits it would help for performance-enhancing purposes. And he admits that he took it before anyone could have checked with the boxing commission. Shane Mosley knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs."

Mosley's attorney Judd Burstein told the NY Daily News that he's very, very confident the legal battle will be won by Mosley.

"Half of me is disappointed that I can't just put all this behind for Shane," Burstein said. "But on the other hand, destroying Mr. Conte in a courtroom is something I would almost pay to do. I can hardly think of an activity that would be more fun to do, and easy. He'd be slinking off the witness stand trying to see if he can wear Groucho Marx glasses to disguise his identity. There's a very good chance that my dog could win this case. It's a toy red poodle."

And Conte fired back at Burstein. Sprinter Marion Jones had also sued Conte in 2004. Jones claimed she never knew Conte had supplied her with illegal drugs. She later changed her story, lost the case and was sent to prison.

"Even Judd Burstein's poodle could figure out Shane Mosley knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs," Conte said. "The Mosley case is simply the Marion Jones case with boxing gloves. It didn't turn out too well for Marion Jones either

 

[heyzel]

Ellerbe: Mayweather Did Not Know About Rematch Clause

By Mark Vester

According Leonard Ellerbe, the adviser for Floyd Mayweather Jr., the fighter didn't know about the rematch clause with Shane Mosley until the contract was finalized for their May 1 mega-fight. Ellerbe is speaking out in response to the comments which were made a few days ago by Naazim Richardson, the trainer for Mosley.

Richardson explained a possible scenario where Mayweather would fold in a few rounds, mentally giving up because he knows a rematch clause is there, and another payday.

“We could get through five rounds of this thing up 5-0. At that point, Mayweather may just say, ‘Forget it, I've got a rematch guaranteed. Try again next time,’” Richardson said to the Los Angeles Times .

Ellerbe claims the rematch clause was put in the contract at the request of Team Mayweather - and not the fighter himself.

"As a whole, is a normal piece of business. Operating at this level, if you don't have the procedures in place to protect your fighter, you shouldn't be operating at this level, because there are variety of issues that arise during the course of a fight that can cause you not to be declared the winner, such as an injury, a cut, a no contest or a disqualification,” Ellerbe said to the Grand Rapids Press.

“Those are unforeseen circumstances that can happen in a fight and you have to be able to protect against those kinds of things. Floyd didn't know about the rematch clause when the fight was made, nor did he have to. He takes care of what happens inside the ring."

 

[heyzel]

Pavlik’s Cleveland Golden Gloves, Days of Legend continue

Pavlik won the Cleveland Golden Gloves back in 1999 in an unforgettable match against an established nationally ranked senior division fighter, Henry White. Kelly had just come up from the juniors and had just reached the minimum age of 17. Henry, 22 years old, was a constant local champion and a national stand out. Kelly seized the match with relentless flurries and repeated power shots. It was a boxing contest of legendary proportions even before Pavlik made a name for himself in the pros.

On Saturday April 17th at the North Hall of Browns Stadium the tradition continues. 2008 US Olympian Raynell Williams fights a hometown rival for the city’s most coveted amateur boxing title. Also on the card, 2009 USA Middleweight Champion Terrell Gausha, #1 141lb Zeddie Adams, #2 152lb Eddie Alicea. Heck, this might be a good portion of the 2012 US Olympic Team. Just 2 weeks ago,Terrell, Zeddie and Eddie were the premiere representatives of USA boxing against the Italian National Team.

Later in the night, one of the Cleveland Golden Gloves Alumni, Kelly Pavlik, will be at the center of the boxing universe on International TV. He defends his Universally Recognized World Middleweight Championship against Sergio Martinez.

Pavlik visits the Cleveland Golden Gloves tournament almost every year. It’s a reunion of sorts. Back in 2007 before he fought Edision Miranda he couldn’t walk 10 feet without someone yelling comments of encouragement, “Kelly, please shut Miranda up!”

A few weeks later he did just that. Within a few months he captured the World Middleweight Championship in dramatic form.

On April 17 his proteges, the kids that used to watch him with awe in his final amateur days and thereafter, will be chasing their Olympic dreams. They fight and then a couple hours later, they get to see one their own fight on the world stage.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Klitschko: 'David Haye is a Pussy, Take The Challenge'

By Mark Vester

WBO/IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko doesn't want to hear any excuses from WBA champion David Haye. Speaking with AOL's Boxing FanHouse , Klitschko once again dared Haye to accept his challenge. For the last couple of days, Klitschko has turned the tables on Haye. Haye, known for his trash talking nature, has been attacked by Klitschko's trash talk at every turn.

"David Haye, you're bitching out. Just take the challenge and do it," Klitschko said.

Once Klitschko gets him in the ring, he wants to create the infamous masterpiece - the "pizza face." Klitschko gives Haye no chance of victory. He plans to punish him all night long.

"In the best scenario, have you ever seen a pizza with a lot of salami and ketchup on it? That's what I want to see [with] David Haye's face after the fight. I want to punish him for twelve rounds," Klitschko said.

"He is a pussy. After all that he's done in the last year, challenging the Klitschko brothers and then bitching out of the fights, it's enough now. He has to put his courage and the pants together, and get in the ring."