Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Judah wants fight against Pacquiao, thinks he can beat him

By Jason Kim: Having failed at getting WBA/WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez to show any interest in fighting him, newly crowned IBF light welterweight champion Zab Judah (41-6, 28 KO’s) is now targeting former eight-time world champion Manny Pacquiao for a fight, and Judah believes he’s got what it takes to beat Pacquiao.

This is kind of hard to believe given how Judah had to struggle to a 12 round split decision win over Lucas Matthysse last year in November in a fight that many boxing fans felt Judah lost. And in Judah’s recent win over South African Kaizer Mabuza, Judah was knocked down and staggered in the fight before coming back to stop Mabuza in the 7th.

In interview by Michael Marley at examiner.com, Judah said “I think the people would love to see this because Manny fights so aggressively and I’m more the technician with my skills. Sure, Manny hits hard, we know this. But I can hit hard and box. I do not waste any punches. I’d like to get with Pacquiao and I will beat him, I know I can.”

I don’t know that there is a lot of boxing fans clamoring to see Judah vs. Pacquiao. Even with Judah now holding down the IBF title, I don’t know that anyone would want to see Judah fight Pacquiao. The problem for Judah is that he’s been a non-factor for so long and seen more as an opponent for champions to fight and beat that it’s kind of made Judah a non-relevant fighter unfortunately.

Judah has also hurt himself by not being active against quality fighters in the past couple of years until recently. That’s hurt Judah’s popularity in a big way. When you see Judah facing 2nd tier fighters after years of getting beaten by guys like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Carlos Balomir, Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey, you tend to just forget the guy. The Matthyse fight really didn’t help Judah any, because it was seen as a hometown decision by a lot of fans.

 

[heyzel]

DeGale looks sensational in stopping Kobal, Groves next up

By Sean McDaniel: Unbeaten British super middleweight champion James DeGale (10-0, 8 KO’s) easily handled Alpay Kobal (7-12-2) last Saturday night in an easy 5th round TKO at the Braehead Arena, Glasgow. DeGale, 25, was working a bloodied Kobal over in the 5th when the referee decided he’d seen enough and stopped the mismatch.

DeGale now is looking to fight Commonwealth champion George Groves (12-0, 10 KO’s) in April for what could be DeGale’s last domestic level fight before he steps it up against world class opposition.

DeGale looked incredibly smooth in dominating Kobal, throwing multiple hooks and uppercuts with relaxed ease and smoothly bending away from Kobal’s attempts to throw counter shots. Even with DeGale standing on top of Kobal, he was still able to get out of the way of the vast majority of the Frenchman’s shots.

It was like DeGale was putting on a clinic on how to hit and not be hit. His superb offensive skills are enough in itself to make him a pleasure to watch but his defensive skills make him so much better and put him head shoulders above a fighter like Groves.

DeGale still wants the Groves fight to prove that he’s better than him and the number #2 super middleweight in the UK. WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch is considered to be the best right now, but that could change very soon if DeGale keeps beating people and showing his stuff to the boxing world.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Martinez should wait for the MW tournament to be over if he wants big names.
Pirog isn't worth the risk.

dibella, martinez promoter, literally said "fuck pirog" so apparently they aren't interested. Very high risk, low reward I guess.

But I think by the end of the year Martinez will change his tune once he realizes floyd & pac aren't going up to 154. Felix Sturm is happy fighting bums in germany. There is no one else at 160 (besides up & comers). And at 154, without a belt what does Martinez have to offer the top guys there? Cotto & margarito are set to fight. Lara vs K9 are set. Kirkland probably fighting tune ups next couple fights. Angulo cant fight in the US. Eventually, they'll have to go to Pirog.

 

[heyzel]

Lemieux vs. Rubio in WBC eliminator on 4/8

By Jason Kim: Middleweight knockout artist David Lemieux (25-0, 24 KO’s) faces Marco Antonio Rubio (49-5-1, 42 KO’s) on April 8th in a WBC middleweight title eliminator bout at the Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The winner of the Lemieux-Rubio fight will be the official challenger for the winner of the June 4th bout between WBC middleweight champion Sebastian Zbik and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

This still doesn’t mean that Lemieux or Rubio will get an immediate shot at the winner of the Chavez Jr. vs. Zbik fight, because the winner of that fight will likely take an optional fight against a weak opponent in their next fight, and depending on whether Chavez Jr. wins it or not, we could see Lemieux getting a step aside fee so that Chavez Jr. can go after someone else before he eventually has to fight Lemieux. In an ideal world, Chavez Jr. or Zbik would immediately fight the winner of the Lemieux-Rubio fight but that’s not likely to happen. Boxing fans are likely going to have to wait a while for this fight to come off.

Lemieux is taking a big step up in competition by facing the hard hitting Rubio, because up until this fight, Lemieux has been facing mostly B level fighters that he’s been able to steamroll over. Rubio is a big puncher and a good fighter when he’s fighting aggressively. He didn’t look good in his loss to Kelly Pavlik, but then again Rubio was fighting defensively for most of the fight. For him to do well, Rubio has to be able to plant and throw. He’s not able to fight on the run. Lemieux cuts off the ring well, so Rubio would be better off to stand and trade with the Canadian slugger and hope that he can get to him before he lands one of his big power shots.
Share and Enjoy:

 

[heyzel]

Haye still more like a cruiserweight than a heavyweight, stands no chance against Wla

By Scott Gilfoid: I’m trying to give WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (25-1, 23 KO’s) a small chance at beating IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO’s) in June or July when they finally meet up after all these years of talk. However, Haye is just flat out too small a fighter to do anything against Wladimir and his brother WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (41-2, 38 KO’s).

The more fights I see of Haye as a heavyweight, the more I realize that Haye just doesn’t have the size to win this fight. His opposition has been carefully selected for older heavyweights since moving up to the division in 2008, and he’s still looked tiny and beatable in all of those fights.

At 6’2″ 210-217, Haye is going to be a cruiserweight masquerading as a heavyweight champion in the Klitschko bout and he’s going to get found out quickly. You can’t have a paper champion like Haye, who has established his heavyweight legacy as a fighter that takes on guys that are pushing 40, taking on the best two heavyweights in the world and think that Haye is going to have any success. Sure, Haye will do a great job of promoting the fight and talking himself up, but that’s all he’ll do.

He’s a much better talker than either of the Klitschko brothers, but he is just too tiny, slow and weak to knock out either of the Klitschko brothers. Haye had hand speed as a cruiserweight, but as a heavyweight he’s slow and his power hasn’t traveled up with him. He just looks kind of blubbery now that he’s moved up in weight and is like a small guy chasing one of the champions to try and get a name for himself. He’s going to get pummeled by Wladimir, and he’ll never get a shot against Vitali. This is it for Haye. Hopefully he retires or at the very least moves back down to the cruiserweight division so he can chase the guys he made his name on – Enzo Maccarinelli and Jean Marc Mormeck.

 

[heyzel]

Andy Lee stops McEwan, looks horrible

By Dan Ambrose: Middleweight contender Andy Lee (25-1, 19 KO’s) ended up stopping contender Craig McEwan (19-1, 10 KO’s) in the 10th round last Saturday night on the undercard of the Sergio Martinez vs. Sergiy Dzinziruk bout at the Foxwoods Resort Casino, in Mashantucket, Connecticut. However, it was one of those kinds of wins where you look like a loser even in winning. The problem with the 26-year-old Lee is that he showed the exact same flaws as he did in his 7th round TKO loss to Brian Vera in 2008.

Lee stood straight up for the entire fight with McEwan, and was easily hit by the Scottish fighter all night long. Lee is ranked #5 WBA, #12 WBC in the middleweight division but he hardly looked like he deserved that ranking. Much of the time, Lee would pull back going straight backwards with his head held high, just begging to be tagged. McEwan obliged him, tagging Lee with combinations one after another until tiring in the 7th.

Lee then took over the fight and controlled the action the rest of the way. Lee put McEwan down with a left hand near the end of the 9th. In between rounds, McEwan’s corner told him to hold onto Lee in the 10th. Instead of following that advice, McEwan came out trying to slug and was taken out with a single left hand to the head. The fight was halted at that point with McEwan seriously hurt.

Lee doesn’t seem to be progressing as a fighter and he doesn’t seem to be any different than he was in his loss to Vera. He may have got the win last Saturday night, but he wasn’t facing anyone dangerous like Martinez, Kelly Pavlik, Dimitriy Pirog, Gennady Golovkin or David Lemieux. Lee is going to have to fix his many flaws if he wants to beat those guys. I don’t think he can. Lee’s just too straight up in his fighting style and his lack of head movement is going to be a problem when he’s finally put in with one of those fighters. I see Lee as one of those career long gatekeeper fighters. He’ll serve a purpose of weeding out some of the lesser guys but I can’t see him ever winning a title. He’s just too flawed.

 

[heyzel]

Tommy Zbikowski to Fight March 26

Atlantic City, NJ (March 14, 2011) — Tommy Zbikowski, former Chicago Gold Gloves finalist, Notre Dame football team captain and All-American, third-round pick of and current Baltimore Ravens safety, improved his professional boxing record to 2-0 on Saturday night in Las Vegas with a first-round knockout. Minutes after the win it was announced that his next bout will take place on Saturday, March 26 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on “Featherweight Fury” headlined by Gamboa vs. Solis World Featherweight Championship.

Featherweight Fury! is promoted by Top Rank, in association with Arena Box and Caesars Atlantic City. The Gamboa vs. Solis and Remillard vs. Garcia title fights will be televised on HBO Boxing After Dark. Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $50, are available at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at ticketmaster.com.

Zbikowski recently increased his boxing training with the chance of the lockout looming resulting in his ring return. The NFL announced on Friday it is closed for business and “Right now, boxing is my number one sport,” Zbikowski said following Saturday’s fight.

Zbikowski (2-0, 2 KOs), 25-years –old from Arlington Heights, IL, entered the ring on Saturday night for the first time since his pro debut on June 10, 2001 – prior to his senior year at Notre Dame – when he knocked out Robert Bell in 49 seconds. His fight on Saturday night against Richard Bryant was stopped at 1:49 of round one. Bryant was floored with a vicious body shot and unable to catch his breath after returning to his feet.

 

[heyzel]

Brazilian boxer shot dead by police

Brasilia, March 14 (IANS/EFE) A 17-year-old youth, considered one of the most promising boxers in Brazil, has been shot dead by a police officer after an argument, officials said.

Tairone Silva was shot several times during an argument with a police officer in Porto Alegre, capital of Rio Grande do Sul state.

Silva's killing was a blow to the sport, the Brazilian Boxing Federation said.

'Brazil has lost an athlete of the future who dreamed of becoming a great boxer and competing in the 2016 Olympic Games' in Rio de Janeiro, the federation said in a statement.

Silva got into an argument Saturday with a police officer at a business in Porto Alegre, police said.

The officer fired at least four shots at him in front of several witnesses. The unidentified officer was arrested and taken to a police station.

Silva was Brazil's national champion in the 75-kg class for boxers in the 15-16 age group.

 

[heyzel]

ERIK “EL TERRIBLE” MORALES – RIGHT AT HOME

amp Location: Centro Ceremonial Otomí in Toluca Estado, Mexico

It’s back to the familiar for Erik “El Terrible” Morales, who is training at the Centro Ceremonial Otomí in Toluca Estado, the site where trained for many of his most memorable fights including his legendary trilogies against Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao. Morales ended his two-year retirement 11-months ago and has scored three consecutive wins. Now, he is preparing for one of the biggest tests of his 18-year career, 12 rounds against boxing’s “Master of Mayhem,” Marcos Maidana.

“Everything in the gym has been great,” said Morales. “I am preparing for a battle. I am doing everything according to Maidana’s skill level.”

Training over 3,000 meters above sea level over an hour away from the hustle and bustle of Mexico City has its advantages, as Morales is able to concentrate on getting in championship fighting shape away from the distractions of everyday life. However, during his down time he catches up on his emails, reading books and playing dominos with members of his team.

Morales’ team includes his father, Jose “Olivaritos” Morales, who has been in his son’s corner his entire career as well as other returning members of his camp Fernarndo Fernandez and Tiburcio Garcia, who help Morales with mitt work in the gym.

“I am confident in my preparation for this fight,” Morales continued. “I am looking forward to establishing an unbeatable plan and a great strategy to get the victory I know I can get on April 9.”








MARCOS “EL CHINO” MAIDANA – THE SIGHTS AND HEIGHTS OF MEXICO CITY

Camp Locations: Mexico City, Mexico (until March 15), Las Vegas, Nev. (March 16 to April 8)

In preparing to face one of Mexico’s greatest boxing legends, Marcos “El Chino” Maidana has immersed himself in Mexican culture, society and atmosphere. He is not only training in Mexico City for the first time in his career spanning 31 professional fights, but has also teamed with veteran trainer Rudy Perez, who knows a thing or two about defeating Erik Morales. Perez successfully trained Marco Antonio Barrera to beat Morales in two of their three epic battles; Morales vs. Barrera II and III taking place on June 22, 2002 and November 27, 2004 respectively.

“I am not training in Mexico to spite Morales in any way,” said Maidana. “I feel comfortable with the Mexican people. I feel accepted by them and if I knock Morales out like I know I can, it is my hope that the Mexican fans will adopt me as their own. I have been told many times that I have a Mexican fighting style and I hope to develop that more as I train in Mexico.”

In addition to surrounding himself with all-things Mexican, Maidana is taking advantage of the altitude in the capital city (2,200 meters above sea level). He rises early (5:00 a.m.) and starts the day off with intense roadwork as he adapts to the high altitude. He then returns to his apartment to eat breakfast and rest. In the afternoon he heads to either the Boxeo de Gala gym or Pino Suárez gym for sparring, strength training and to work on his technique.

Maidana, who has trained in Las Vegas for several of his recent fights, will depart his new-found Mexican home and head to the familiarity of the desert on March 15 as his strength and conditioning coach, Cruz “Pensa” García, believes that five weeks is enough time for Maidana to spend training at high altitude.

“Working out in Mexico has been a great experience so far,” said Maidana. “But a combination of the altitude in Mexico City and the familiarity of Las Vegas is what I need to get the result I want in the ring on April 9.”

 

[heyzel]

Lange ‘Schools’ Holmes /Joppy Retires After Win FULL REPORT

By Tri Nguyen at ringside: Jimmy Lange earned his fourth straight victory with a unanimous 10-round decision victory over Jimmy Holmes at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA. On Saturday evening.

It didn’t look easy at first for Jimmy Lange (35-4-2, 24 KOs). His opponent Jimmy Holmes was a tall rangy fighter with a sneaky counter left hook. He used his height well and was busy. In the early rounds, Holmes’ left hook consistently caught Lange as he was opening up to fire combinations. It was Holmes (19-2, 10 KOs) who forced the action against Northern Virginia’s hometown boxing hero. Lange and Holmes traded jabs as each tried to set the pace and create openings.

But Lange’s ability to adapt allowed him to take the fight to Holmes. He held his left hand up to catch the left hook and attacked Holmes’ body relentlessly. Holmes’ left side was red as a result of the onslaught. Towards the latter half of the fight, Lange was in firm control, trapping Holmes against the ropes several times. There were no knockdowns in the fight but both men were bleeding from small cuts as the fight ended. All three judges scored the fight 97-92 in favor of Lange.

In the co-main event, William Joppy (40-7-2, 30 KOs) retired from the ring at age 40 after beating Cory Cummings (17-5-1, 13 KOs) in a rematch of their draw in November 2010. Joppy has been a top Middleweight for the past decade and held a version of the title through much of the 1990’s. He has fought such ring legends as Bernard Hopkins, Felix Trinidad, and Jermain Taylor. He is also remembered as the man, who finally retired Roberto Duran after their fight in 1998. Joppy had a final title shot in January of this year against Beibut Shumenov in Kazakhstan but lost via sixth round KO.


Joppy seemed more prepared against Cummings this time around. He used his superior reach and boxing ability to keep the hard-charging Cummings at bay. Joppy was able to pick off Cummings with shots as the shorter fighter tried to bob-and-weave his way into punching range. It was certainly not an easy night though, as Cummings proved durable and tough, occasionally landing hooks and right hands while in close. The final scorecards had it all in favor of Joppy 96-94, 98-92, 97-93 for a unanimous 10-round decision.


ALL PICS SUPPLIED BY TRI NGUYEN

Other Results:
8 Rounds, Light Heavyweight
Larry Pryor (7-8, 4 KOs) wins a UD (79-73, 79-73, 78-74) over Mark Tucker (15-1, 7 KOs)
6 Rounds, Jr. Welterweight
Todd Wilson (10-0, 3 KOs) wins by disqualification over Dean White (15-11-7 KOs)
6 Rounds, Middleweight
Tony Jeter (11-2-1, 9 KOs) wins by UD (60-53, 60-53, 60-53) over Mike McFail (12-42-2, 4 KOs)
6 Rounds, Middleweight
Scott Sigmon (15-2, 6 KOs) wins by 4th Round TKO (1:16) over John Terry (3-19-3, 1 KO)
4 Rounds, Heavyweight
Abodurin Akinyanju (4-1, 3 Kos) win by split decision (39-36, 38-37, 37-38) over Ron Gamble (1-1, 1 KO)
6 Rounds, Middleweight
George Rivera (12-6, 4 Kos) wins by UD (59-55, 59-55, 49-46) over Shakir Ashanti (16-10, 4 Kos)

 

[heyzel]

Cedric Boswell-Bert Cooper Clash This Friday On ESP

By James Slater: A short while ago, I wrote a piece entitled, How Far Can Bert Cooper’s Comeback Possibly Go?” Well, that was after the 45-year-old former heavyweight title challenger had just beaten the useful if overweight Gabe Brown via decision, and now, as has been confirmed on Fightnews.com, “Smokin’” Bert will fight again this Friday, on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.

Less than a month after the second win of his unlikely comeback (one that has followed an eight-year inactive spell), Cooper will face fellow veteran Cedric Boswell over a scheduled ten-rounds at The Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida.

Okay, this news is hardly massive or of interest to the general boxing fan, but the heavyweight match-up about to take place just might be a fun fight to watch. Certainly, it will be interesting to hear what Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore have to say about the unfolding action!

Cooper is 38-22(31) overall and he is 2-0(1) in his latest comeback. “The Bos,” four years younger than Cooper at age 41, is 33-1(26) overall and his only pro loss came way back in 2003, at the hands of the huge Jameel McCline.

Boswell scored two decent stoppage wins recently, against Owen Beck and Dominique Alexander. Hoping to, at long last, get himself either a title shot or a big-money fight at least, the tough, experienced, skilful old campaigner will be in the mood to score a KO on national T.V and put an end to the comeback of the one-time Joe Frazier protégé at the same time.

Boswell lives in the gym, hoping that the call for a decent fight will arrive; Cooper remains a dangerous puncher. The action, though unlikely to appeal to the purists who have had enough of ageing, former names clogging up the heavyweight division, could appeal to the T.V fans who tune in hoping to see an entertaining slugfest.

Also on the card will be unbeaten Cuban heavyweight Yasmay Consuegra, 4-0(2). While the headliners will be Demetrius Hopkins, against the unbeaten Brad Solomon, in a big and important light-welterweight meeting. Further heavyweight action will be provided by another Cuban, in Yan Barthelemy, who goes up against Chris Avalos.

A mixed bag of a show to be sure, but some good old fashioned value for money looks to be on the horizon for fans of fun fights. I for one will have more than a passing interest in the Boswell-Cooper fight

 

[heyzel]

David Tua vs. Demetrice King in a Backyard Brawl

David Tua returns to boxing and his roots this Saturday March 19th (NZ time). Rick “Diehard” Whiteside catches up with Tua at the end of his sparring sessions.

RW: You have a number of new Team Tua members in camp with Chris Martin, trainer, and Malu Mainu'u, conditioning coach.

DT: Chris and Malu are awesome. They've studied Demetrice's boxing style and adjusted my training to suit, as well as conditioning me for success.

RW: This fight is being promoted by your cousin, Inga Tuigamala as David Tua's "Backyard Brawl." Does the event have special meaning to you?

DT: Yes definitely. It's really humbling to fight with so many talented NZers, Samoans, a Tongan and Aussies on the undercard - I've got a lot of respect for them. Finishing off such a good fight card makes me feel really privileged to be a Samoan, a Kiwi and a boxer. And we're doing it all in South Auckland - 'my place'. As for Inga, well he's family so I'll try to be modest and put it like this - he's as good at being my promoter as he was as an All Black .

RW: In your last two fights, against Friday Ahunanya (unanimous decision) and Monte Barrett (majority draw), you have proven that you can go the distance. Are you looking to make a statement by knocking Demetrice King out, given the fact that he has only been stopped twice by Shannon Briggs and Fres Oquendo, and likes to trade?

DT: I’m really looking forward to fighting Demetrice. Yeah he likes to trade and can do it well. I'm sure we'll both go hard and test each other in the ring. At the end of the day, me and Demetrice have to be satisfied with ourselves - that we kept to our game plan, gave it everything we've got and can hold our heads high when we leave the ring.

RW: After your last fight with Monte Barrett, you mentioned that you injured your shoulder flipping tractor tires in training. In the fight, you were as explosive as ever for the first four rounds to the point that Vinny Maddalone, Barrett's sparring partner and commentator for the fight, said that you were having your way with him. In the fifth, you changed your style, seemed to conserve your energy, and started stalking him the rest of the fight. Could you shed some light on whether something triggered the injury during the fight?

DT: Man, those tires! Yeah I knew I was doing well through round 4. I threw a jab and all of a sudden I felt something give way in my shoulder. I had to change my game plan which meant laying back for the rest of the fight jabbing here and there as much as I could so that I could land that one punch.

RW: It is rumored that you have a fight scheduled for New Zealand in June. When will you make an announcement as to who the opponent will be?

DT: You’ll have to wait and see. I'm hoping to get another fight but nothing's confirmed

 

[heyzel]

Roy Jones on Pacquiao vs. Mosley 2009-2011

By Vitali Shaposhnikov: Between 2009 and 2011 a lot of significant things have occurred in boxing. Some fighters retired, while others elevated their careers to new highs. For Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2), this two year gap has been nothing but triumphant. Starting with the brutal knockout of Ricky Hatton (45-1-0) in mid 2009, and ending with a dominating win over Antonio Margarito (38-6-0) at the end of 2010, Pacquiao went through Miguel Cotto (34-1-0) and Joshua Clottey (35-3-0) in-between like butter.

Going up in weight and facing the top opposition proved to be something that the “dream team” of Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao had no trouble dealing with. Now, on May 7, Manny Pacquiao will attempt to claim another win over a living legend in Shane Mosley (46-6-1). Probably a few years back the odds would have been very different, but today, after Pacquiao’s “Pacman-style” progress, having him as an underdog is simply implausible.

Even the veteran and former pound for pound king Roy Jones Jr. (54-7-0) changed his mind between this two year spread.

In 2009, Jones advised Pacquiao to steer clear of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley. He saw both of them as being too big and too fast for Pacquiao. (http://www.boxingnews24.com/2009/06...uiao-to-steer-clear-of-mosley-and-mayweather/)

The latest news from Jones on this very same topic came about in early 2011, where Jones seems to have shifted his views. Now Jones seems Pacquiao as a clear winner in his bout against Mosley on May 7, 2011. “Pacquiao has been beating guys in bigger weight classes, and he’s hot right now,” said Jones in a recent interview. (http://www.boxingnews24.com/2011/01...ut-thinks-shane-could-give-him-some-problems/)

Jones still thinks that counting out Mosley is not wise, as veteran boxers are almost always able to make adjustments in the ring. I find it very interesting, and see it as a big deal that Jones Jr. modified his opinion about the Filipino superstar. Jones Jr. and Mosley have always been friends, and have spoken mostly good things of each other. For Jones Jr. to pick Pacquiao to win, shows the tremendous respect and admiration for his boxing skills.

At first I was skeptical of this match-up, siding with the “Mosley is too old for this” crowd. But lately, my excitement had been steadily building up. At this point, I am simply thrilled to see this fight, and think that it has the full potential to be a blockbuster event.

 

[heyzel]

Chavez Jr. doesn’t see fight with Alvarez happening soon

By Eric Thomas: Unbeaten middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (42-0-1, 30 KO’s) doesn’t see himself fighting WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez anytime soon due to the different promoters that promote the two fighters.

Chavez Jr. also thinks that the 19-year-old Alvarez is scared to fight. That’s kind of surprising because Alvarez appears to be fighting on a higher level right now compared to the 24-year-old Chavez Jr. despite being five years younger. Alvarez looks powerful and shockingly good for someone as young as him.

In an interview at examiner.com, Chavez Jr. said “I don’t think we could even make the fight because of the difference in promoters and difference in television. Alvarez can’t fight with me. Not yet. It’s a good fight but I think Saul Alvarez is scared.”

Indeed, Chavez Jr. seems to believe that he’s fighting better than Alvarez at this point in his career. Chavez might find more than a few boxing fans that would disagree with him on this because he certainly didn’t look all that impressive in his recent win over Billy Lyell. Chavez had problems in that fight and was hit a lot by the light hitting Lyell. If that Alvarez in there with Chavez Jr., he could have been getting hammered.

Chavez, 6’0″, is bigger than the 5’10″ Alvarez but not stronger. He might have problems with Alvarez’s heavy hands when they do eventually fight in the future.

On June 4th, Chavez Jr. will be challenging WBC middleweight champion Sebastian Zbik in a fight that will be taking place in Los Angeles, California

 

[heyzel]

Pirog vs. Macial on March 26th

By Eric Thomas: WBO middleweight champion Dimitry Pirog (17-0, 14 KO’s) will finally be making his first defense of his World Boxing Organization belt on March 26th at the DIVS, in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Pirog, 30, has sat idle since stopping highly respected contender Daniel Jacobs in the 5th round last year in July to capture the vacant WBO belt. It was hoped that Pirog would take on a well-known opponent so that boxing fans could see Pirog in action against someone that they’ve seen before.

Instead, Pirog is opting to take on one of his lower ranked contenders in #9 ranked Javier Francisco Maciel (18-1, 12 KO’s), who comes from Argentina but hasn’t yet faced anyone on the world stage. We’re going to see Pirog face a guy that’s taking a big step up and all we can hope is that Pirog gets Maciel out of there quickly so that Pirog can fight again really soon against a more notable opponent.

Once Macial is out of the way, Pirog has a number of appealing contenders he can take on next like Fernando Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, and Gennady Martirosyan. Pirog may have problems getting Pavlik to fight him because he’s now fighting in the super middleweight division and he likely won’t want to take on a tough boxer/puncher like Pirog. The same applies to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

He’s more of a plodder and would have problems with Pirog’s boxing ability and power. Pirog needs to make sure he doesn’t sit out for another long stretch if he wants to get some big fights. He can’t afford to stay out of the ring for stretches at a time if he wants to establish a legacy and get better known in the U.S.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

And Sergio Martinez next likely opponent for July is...

drum roll......

DiBella promotes Martinez and former "Contender" star Peter Manfredo. He would love to get Manfredo, whose financial struggles are not a secret, a money fight. Manfredo is a good draw in New England and is coming off an exciting and solid win against Daniel Edouard in a January ESPN2 fight. - dan rafael​

 

[heyzel]

damn I know Martinez can do better than this ,I hope that cotto vs Margarito is not a done deal because I would rather see cotto fight martinez

 

[2-0-Sixx]

well, HBO is giving Martinez two more dates this year. A fight in a July and a PPV in November. So ideally, and I think this is the plan on all sides, is for the winner of Cotto-Margarito to fight Martinez in November on a pretty damn good HBO PPV card.

I think this works out the best as well, because there are A LOT of people who still want to see Cotto-Martarito rematch. Cotto vs Martinez will obviously sell because Cotto is a big name and in the event Margarito wins, well he BEAT Martinez some years ago, so that is very sellable as well.

But yeah, Manfredo as a July opponent is a joke hope it doesn't happen.

 

[heyzel]

instead of Manfredo, martinez should fight pirog it may not be a big money fight but it will be a damn good fight

 

[heyzel]

Khan vs. McCloskey: Amir says he’s not looking past this fight

By William Mackay: It must be hard for WBA Super World light welterweight champion Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KO’s) to stay motivated for his upcoming April 16th bout against the inexperienced Paul McCloskey (22-0, 12 KO’s) for their fight at the M.E.N. Arena, in Manchester, England. If Khan wins this fight, he has a hugely important unification bout against WBC/WBO champion Timothy Bradley in July. It won’t prove who the best fighter is in the division, because the winner of that fight will still haven’t faced guys like Lucas Matthysse, zab Judah and Victor Ortiz.

McCloskey doesn’t have anything really significant about him that you can look at that would make you think he has a chance of winning against Khan. The only thing I can see that McCloskey has going for him is his inflated #5 ranking by the WBA. He’s slow, weak, fights with his hands down below his waist, has short arms and is completely inexperienced against upper level fighters. He’s basically been chosen over guys that would have really given Khan a test like Breidis Prescott, who knocked Khan out in one round, and Lamont Peterson.

Khan says Prescott hasn’t done anything recently to make him want to fight him. But he did do something – he knocked Khan out in one round. I’d say that’s something. But you can turn that around and say what has McCloskey done? In McCloskey’s last four fights he’s beaten the following fighters: Dean Harrison, Daniel Rasilla, Giuseppe Lauri and Barry Morrison. Last time I checked, those guys aren’t world class fighters and I can’t I don’t think wins over those guys are reasons for McCloskey to get a shot against Khan. He might as well have given Prescott a rematch rather than taking on this guy.

Khan said this in an interview at Sky Sports: “A lot of people are saying I’m overlooking McCloskey, but I know I’ve got a big task in front of me. I want to beat him and him him good style.”

A big task? McCloskey? Khan is really building this guy. Khan already said that McCloskey is just as tough as Marcos Maidana. I wonder what Khan will say next about how great McCloskey is.