Boxing News Thread
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At that time, Floyd would have easily put 100 million in his pocket with that offer he presented to Manny.
Props:
Tony
Floyd mayweather: "i'm very happy to have my
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: "I'M VERY HAPPY TO HAVE MY FREEDOM...EVERYTHING IS UP IN THE AIR"
By Ben Thompson | September 14, 2012
"I'm very happy to have my freedom, of course. I just feel that it was a minor setback for a major comeback, and when I say comeback, that doesn't mean just boxing. I'm saying life, period. I feel everything was just a learning experience. It's something that I don't wish on my worst enemy, but things happen. The only thing I did was, I did my time. It's all about moving forward, keeping a positive mind frame, and staying focused. And, you know, I'm ready to take it to that next level as far as more business ventures outside of the ring...If I would've been on house arrest, I would've fought again this year, but, you know, after the incident and that situation, I don't really know what I want to do anymore. After the Cotto fight, I was so motivated to get back in the gym, but now, after this, I really don't know what I want to do at this particular time. Everything is up in the air," stated undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, who returned to FightHype.com to give his fans an exclusive interview. You do not want to miss what he had to say. Check it out!
BT: Champ, it's good to hear from you again. I appreciate you taking the time to speak to me.
FM: You have always been fair and honest, Ben, so, you know, that's why I don't mind doing interviews with you. Like I said before, I just like to be treated fair, so that's why I'm always going to give you an exclusive.
BT: I definitely appreciate that. So how have you been, man?
FM: I'm very happy to have my freedom, of course. I just feel that it was a minor setback for a major comeback, and when I say comeback, that doesn't mean just boxing. I'm saying life, period. I feel everything was just a learning experience. It's something that I don't wish on my worst enemy, but things happen. The only thing I did was, I did my time. It's all about moving forward, keeping a positive mind frame, and staying focused. And, you know, I'm ready to take it to that next level as far as more business ventures outside of the ring.
BT: I know there were reports about you suffering from dehydration and losing weight while you were serving your time. Can you touch on some of the things you had to deal with?
FM: I was in administrative segregation, which is a professional way of saying the hole or solitary confinement. I was locked up 23 hours a day on the weekdays. On weekends, you don't come out at all; you're locked up 48 hours. You can't shower at all on the weekends.
BT: That's crazy.
FM: What happened was, when I first went in, the food and water was a major issue. Every now and then, there was something healthy like a orange on the tray, and I would eat that, but that's about it. I survived off my commissary list for the most part. It tells you your max limits for certain items that you can order. There was no max limit on waters, so when I first got in, I ordered 6 waters and they brought me 6 waters. Next time, I ordered 15 waters and thats when I started having problems with my water orders from that point. Then I was getting dehydrated. No matter how much water I drank, my urine was a very, very dark yellow. Then I started to get small. I said I wanted to be tested by a sports doctor, so Dr. Voy came in. He's one of the best sports doctors to ever live. He's been an Olympic doctor since the 80's, maybe since the 70's, I'm really not sure, but this guy has always been a phenomenal doctor.
BT: Being an elite athlete, I take it he diagnosed your situation and felt it could possibly have an impact on the future of your career.
FM: He said that I was very dehydrated and I needed to be eating properly and I needed to be working out. I wasn't even in there a month and I already started losing weight. The whole time I was in there, I lost 15 pounds. I think I went down to under 140. I had lost weight and was dehydrated, so Dr. Voy basically informed me, "It's unhealthy for you. You have to eat." I said, "I'm not eating that food." The food had a very bad smell. It's just food that I truly disapproved of. I didn't want to eat. So Dr. Voy ran tests on me and my blood pressure was real high because of everything I was eating. Ramen Noodles has a lot of salt; then you got Doritos. I would drink a Coca-Cola every once in a while, but then I stopped. He was saying it was bad and would hurt my career because I haven't been doing any type of physical workout or doing something to keep myself active, if I had plans of coming out and staying at that top level and competing against the top competition. You can't just sit for 90 days, dehydrated without eating, thinking you're just going to come back and compete with guys that are active.
BT: The way they portrayed it in the media was like you were complaining because you just didn't like the type of food it was.
FM: Yes, I refused to eat the food, not because it wasn't what I wanted to eat, but because it was nasty and unhealthy. So I knew I was better off with what was packaged on my commissary list. I have never known bologna to be purple, which was one of the things served for breakfast. You eat breakfast at 4:00 in the morning, you eat lunch at 9:00AM, and then you eat dinner at 4:00PM, and you don't eat again until 4:00 in the morning. You have guys that come in at 300 pounds and go all the way down to 170 pounds. I had gotten really upset, because I didn't like the fact that they didn't put everything out there. Even their medical staff said that my blood pressure was very high and I was very dehydrated and I had lost a lot of muscle mass. then I read in the newspapers how they were very rude and disrespectful to Dr. Voy, and he's a great guy, a very positive guy. With my situation, my attorney's job is to put me in the best situation as they could possibly put me in. If I would've been on house arrest, I would've fought again this year, but, you know, after the incident and that situation, I don't really know what I want to do anymore. After the Cotto fight, I was so motivated to get back in the gym, but now, after this, I really don't know what I want to do at this particular time. Everything is up in the air.
BT: How were you able to deal with that on a day to day basis?
FM: I really got upset, but what motivated me was the fans writing me. They didn't even give all of my...did you get my letter?
BT: Nah, I never got your letter.
FM: Yeah, because you wrote me and I wrote you back. See, I wrote a lot of people back. What they do is, everything that comes in, they go through. They didn't even give me all my mail. I think I got over 100,000 letters. They gave me what they wanted to give me and they let go out what they wanted to let go out. They controlled everything.
BT: When you got out, physically you looked pretty good. Were you able to maintain some kind of physical activity to combat the nutritional issues.
FM: I really couldn't do sit-ups. I didn't have nothing to hold my feet, so I said forget it. So I bought a deck of cards and started off with 430 push-ups a day. Then 870, and then about 1300. That's why my body looked like that. Basically, that's what I was doing, a whole bunch of push-ups every day, and reading fan mail; the Robb Report, DuPont Registry, automobile magazines, and that got me through. I had gotten on a regimen.
BT: Everything that you went through, has that changed your outlook on your career or just life in general?
FM: After the situation I've been through, you know, you gotta realize, I was facing 36 years. I'm happy to have my freedom. There's nothing more important than freedom. When you're out here in the world, you say the American dream is to be rich, but when you don't have your freedom, you don't care about being rich. You just want your freedom. With the position I'm blessed to be in, I don't have nothing negative to say about nobody. I don't have nothing negative to say about Manny Pacquiao or no one. I wish Manny Pacquiao nothing but the best. If the fight never happens, then that's how life is sometimes, but I don't wish nothing bad on nobody after what I went through. You know, 70 days in the hole, and not having contact with nobody, that was a rough situation for me, but I'm a strong individual and I can get through anything. I was so grateful when I got out and saw my family members, my friends, and my loved ones.
BT: Speaking of friends and negativity, there's been a lot of rumors floating around out there about you that I was hoping to clear up.
FM: 90% of the things that you hear is nothing but rumors and lies. Like the Michigan situation, $3 million, not true at all. Alabama is a much stronger and powerful team than Michigan...I mean, I don't even have to speak on that. I just didn't make the bet. It's not true. I think that people that are in the betting industry know that I bet a lot of money on games, and there was probably a lot of money going on Alabama, so they said, "We need to get a lot of people to bet on Michigan so we won't lose millions of dollars." Of course, that would only be smart because I'm always showing my tickets on the internet, so they said, "You know what? Let me say Floyd Mayweather bet $3 million." That's not true at all.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: "I'M VERY HAPPY TO HAVE MY FREEDOM...EVERYTHING IS UP IN THE AIR"
By Ben Thompson | September 14, 2012
"I'm very happy to have my freedom, of course. I just feel that it was a minor setback for a major comeback, and when I say comeback, that doesn't mean just boxing. I'm saying life, period. I feel everything was just a learning experience. It's something that I don't wish on my worst enemy, but things happen. The only thing I did was, I did my time. It's all about moving forward, keeping a positive mind frame, and staying focused. And, you know, I'm ready to take it to that next level as far as more business ventures outside of the ring...If I would've been on house arrest, I would've fought again this year, but, you know, after the incident and that situation, I don't really know what I want to do anymore. After the Cotto fight, I was so motivated to get back in the gym, but now, after this, I really don't know what I want to do at this particular time. Everything is up in the air," stated undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, who returned to FightHype.com to give his fans an exclusive interview. You do not want to miss what he had to say. Check it out!
BT: Champ, it's good to hear from you again. I appreciate you taking the time to speak to me.
FM: You have always been fair and honest, Ben, so, you know, that's why I don't mind doing interviews with you. Like I said before, I just like to be treated fair, so that's why I'm always going to give you an exclusive.
BT: I definitely appreciate that. So how have you been, man?
FM: I'm very happy to have my freedom, of course. I just feel that it was a minor setback for a major comeback, and when I say comeback, that doesn't mean just boxing. I'm saying life, period. I feel everything was just a learning experience. It's something that I don't wish on my worst enemy, but things happen. The only thing I did was, I did my time. It's all about moving forward, keeping a positive mind frame, and staying focused. And, you know, I'm ready to take it to that next level as far as more business ventures outside of the ring.
BT: I know there were reports about you suffering from dehydration and losing weight while you were serving your time. Can you touch on some of the things you had to deal with?
FM: I was in administrative segregation, which is a professional way of saying the hole or solitary confinement. I was locked up 23 hours a day on the weekdays. On weekends, you don't come out at all; you're locked up 48 hours. You can't shower at all on the weekends.
BT: That's crazy.
FM: What happened was, when I first went in, the food and water was a major issue. Every now and then, there was something healthy like a orange on the tray, and I would eat that, but that's about it. I survived off my commissary list for the most part. It tells you your max limits for certain items that you can order. There was no max limit on waters, so when I first got in, I ordered 6 waters and they brought me 6 waters. Next time, I ordered 15 waters and thats when I started having problems with my water orders from that point. Then I was getting dehydrated. No matter how much water I drank, my urine was a very, very dark yellow. Then I started to get small. I said I wanted to be tested by a sports doctor, so Dr. Voy came in. He's one of the best sports doctors to ever live. He's been an Olympic doctor since the 80's, maybe since the 70's, I'm really not sure, but this guy has always been a phenomenal doctor.
BT: Being an elite athlete, I take it he diagnosed your situation and felt it could possibly have an impact on the future of your career.
FM: He said that I was very dehydrated and I needed to be eating properly and I needed to be working out. I wasn't even in there a month and I already started losing weight. The whole time I was in there, I lost 15 pounds. I think I went down to under 140. I had lost weight and was dehydrated, so Dr. Voy basically informed me, "It's unhealthy for you. You have to eat." I said, "I'm not eating that food." The food had a very bad smell. It's just food that I truly disapproved of. I didn't want to eat. So Dr. Voy ran tests on me and my blood pressure was real high because of everything I was eating. Ramen Noodles has a lot of salt; then you got Doritos. I would drink a Coca-Cola every once in a while, but then I stopped. He was saying it was bad and would hurt my career because I haven't been doing any type of physical workout or doing something to keep myself active, if I had plans of coming out and staying at that top level and competing against the top competition. You can't just sit for 90 days, dehydrated without eating, thinking you're just going to come back and compete with guys that are active.
BT: The way they portrayed it in the media was like you were complaining because you just didn't like the type of food it was.
FM: Yes, I refused to eat the food, not because it wasn't what I wanted to eat, but because it was nasty and unhealthy. So I knew I was better off with what was packaged on my commissary list. I have never known bologna to be purple, which was one of the things served for breakfast. You eat breakfast at 4:00 in the morning, you eat lunch at 9:00AM, and then you eat dinner at 4:00PM, and you don't eat again until 4:00 in the morning. You have guys that come in at 300 pounds and go all the way down to 170 pounds. I had gotten really upset, because I didn't like the fact that they didn't put everything out there. Even their medical staff said that my blood pressure was very high and I was very dehydrated and I had lost a lot of muscle mass. then I read in the newspapers how they were very rude and disrespectful to Dr. Voy, and he's a great guy, a very positive guy. With my situation, my attorney's job is to put me in the best situation as they could possibly put me in. If I would've been on house arrest, I would've fought again this year, but, you know, after the incident and that situation, I don't really know what I want to do anymore. After the Cotto fight, I was so motivated to get back in the gym, but now, after this, I really don't know what I want to do at this particular time. Everything is up in the air.
BT: How were you able to deal with that on a day to day basis?
FM: I really got upset, but what motivated me was the fans writing me. They didn't even give all of my...did you get my letter?
BT: Nah, I never got your letter.
FM: Yeah, because you wrote me and I wrote you back. See, I wrote a lot of people back. What they do is, everything that comes in, they go through. They didn't even give me all my mail. I think I got over 100,000 letters. They gave me what they wanted to give me and they let go out what they wanted to let go out. They controlled everything.
BT: When you got out, physically you looked pretty good. Were you able to maintain some kind of physical activity to combat the nutritional issues.
FM: I really couldn't do sit-ups. I didn't have nothing to hold my feet, so I said forget it. So I bought a deck of cards and started off with 430 push-ups a day. Then 870, and then about 1300. That's why my body looked like that. Basically, that's what I was doing, a whole bunch of push-ups every day, and reading fan mail; the Robb Report, DuPont Registry, automobile magazines, and that got me through. I had gotten on a regimen.
BT: Everything that you went through, has that changed your outlook on your career or just life in general?
FM: After the situation I've been through, you know, you gotta realize, I was facing 36 years. I'm happy to have my freedom. There's nothing more important than freedom. When you're out here in the world, you say the American dream is to be rich, but when you don't have your freedom, you don't care about being rich. You just want your freedom. With the position I'm blessed to be in, I don't have nothing negative to say about nobody. I don't have nothing negative to say about Manny Pacquiao or no one. I wish Manny Pacquiao nothing but the best. If the fight never happens, then that's how life is sometimes, but I don't wish nothing bad on nobody after what I went through. You know, 70 days in the hole, and not having contact with nobody, that was a rough situation for me, but I'm a strong individual and I can get through anything. I was so grateful when I got out and saw my family members, my friends, and my loved ones.
BT: Speaking of friends and negativity, there's been a lot of rumors floating around out there about you that I was hoping to clear up.
FM: 90% of the things that you hear is nothing but rumors and lies. Like the Michigan situation, $3 million, not true at all. Alabama is a much stronger and powerful team than Michigan...I mean, I don't even have to speak on that. I just didn't make the bet. It's not true. I think that people that are in the betting industry know that I bet a lot of money on games, and there was probably a lot of money going on Alabama, so they said, "We need to get a lot of people to bet on Michigan so we won't lose millions of dollars." Of course, that would only be smart because I'm always showing my tickets on the internet, so they said, "You know what? Let me say Floyd Mayweather bet $3 million." That's not true at all.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: "RIGHT NOW, I'M NOT FOCUSED ON FIGHTING...MY MIND IS ON MAYWEATHER PROMOTIONS"
By Ben Thompson | September 14, 2012
"After my incident, it made me look at life in a total different way. I'm well off. I'm comfortable. I'm happy to have my freedom. My children, you know, they're in school and doing good. Why sit back and talk negative or talk bad about a person? That's not what I'm about. I'm never going to speak on no one else's situation...Right now, I'm not focused on fighting. I'm focused on taking Mayweather Promotions to the next level with our top fighters...As of right now, my mind is not on my boxing career. My mind is on Mayweather Promotions. I'm focused on all of my fighters. We're building a dream team. We got Caballero, Gamboa, Dirrell, Billy Dib, J'Leon Love and Ishe Smith. The thing is, everybody always wants to know what's going on. Is it The Money Team? Is it Mayweather Promotions? At the end of the day, it's about the fighters," stated undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, who returned to FightHype.com to give an exclusive interview for his fans and put an end to all the recent rumors that have been circulating in the media. You don't want to miss what he had to say. Check it out!
BT: While you were gone, the game was kind of quiet, but now that you're back, it seems like all the rumors and buzz is starting to build up again.
FM: I've been gone, so I had to come home and take care of a lot things with my family, my different properties, and my business, but as far as the fighters, my main focus is the fighters getting fights. I'm not here to talk negative about anything. If I don't have nothing positive to say, then I won't say nothing at all.
BT: I know you've got your hands in a lot of different ventures, like your new website, memomemore.com, but obviously the main venture everyone wants to know about is your promotional company.
FM: Mayweather Promotions is proud to have the good fighters that we do, and we are working on giving the fans the best and the most exicting fights.
BT: So the media is saying that you and 50 are beefin'.
FM: It's not that we're beefin'. You gotta realize, 50, he travels a lot and he has other stuff. He's got his headphones, he has his energy drink, you know, he makes appearances overseas, so he's very busy, and I'm making a lot of appearances, so a lot of times, two people may not always be on the same page, but that don't mean it's a hate-hate relationship. Everybody wants to see me and 50 bump heads. Like I said before, no matter what he says about me in an interview, I'm always going to be positive. After my incident, it made me look at life in a total different way. I'm well off. I'm comfortable. I'm happy to have my freedom. My children, you know, they're in school and doing good. Why sit back and talk negative or talk bad about a person? That's not what I'm about. I'm never going to speak on no one else's situation. My thing is to keep my business in order and intact. If I can help anybody around me or any friend in any type of way, I'm going to help them.
BT: So with that said, I take it the rumors about your friendship with 50 being strained aren't true.
FM: Like I said before, all you do is hear rumors all day, but now you're hearing it from the horse's mouth. When you hear things, like they say, "50 Cent went out there and done an interview and 50 said this and said that," well, if he's my real friend, no matter what he says about me, I'm still going to conduct myself in an orderly fashion. It's not a real friendship if he's my friend in January, but he's not my friend in February. That means we were never really friends, because when you have a real friendship, that's an unbreakable bond. Real friends go through ups and downs and I don't believe in putting the media or the public in my business with my friends. So no matter what he said about me, I'm never going to speak negative about him.
BT: So you and 50 are not beefin'?
FM: When people say beefin', beefin' in my eyes is something that enemies go through. 50 and I are not enemies.
BT: No doubt. So have you been keeping an eye on the boxing landscape and some of the recent events that have been going on?
FM: Of course I'm watching the boxing game a lot closer because I'm looking for the next Floyd Mayweather. I want to congratulate J'Leon Love and Ishe Smith. They went out there and did a phenomenal job on Showtime. I think Ishe Smith and J'Leon Love will become world champions. There's another fight they just had. I didn't get a chance to watch it, but I seen the end of it; those two guys...
BT: Andre Ward and Chad Dawson?
FM: Yes, yes. Congratulations to Andre Ward, but if I was Chad Dawson, me myself, I wouldn't have lost that weight. And he went to Andre's hometown. It should've been on neutral turf and I feel that Ward should have went up to light heavy weight.
BT: Do you think Chad was in a situation where he was forced to do that?
FM: I mean, you're not forced to do nothing that you don't want to do. I don't want to take nothing from Andre Ward because he's a gifted and talented fighter. Chad Dawson is a gifted and talented fighter too, and I feel that it would've been a lot more exciting fight at light heavyweight. I don't think that was the same Chad Dawson the other night. I know the skills and the potential that Chad Dawson has. He didn't look like himself.
BT: Do you think Ward's performance put him in the top pound-for-pound conversation?
FM: Yes, I think he deserves to be on the pound-for-pound list. When these guys are ranking guys pound for pound, it's about making the major jumps and making things happen. Like when I was at 130, I moved up to 35 and beat the best at 35. I went to 40 and beat the best at 40. Then 47 and 54. I could've had Miguel Cotto come down to 147, but like I said before, I wanted the best Miguel Cotto. That's why I choose to go to 154. If I'm the best and I want to face the best, I believe in fighting on a neutral turf. A lot of times, people say, "Well, Vegas is your home," but my hometown is Grand Rapids, Michigan. I feel Las Vegas is a neutral turf for any and every fighter. You know, the ultimate goal is always to become a pay-per-view star. But I'm proud of Andre Ward and I want him to continue to win. I think an exciting fight in the future will be Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell.
BT: So what's the next chapter for Floyd Mayweather? I know we never know what the future may hold, but you know everyone wants to know if you're fighting again, when you're fighting again, who you're gonna fight, and all that stuff.
FM: Right now, I'm not focused on fighting. I'm focused on taking Mayweather Promotions to the next level with our top fighters.
BT: Do you see a scenario where you may just retire and never fight again?
FM: As of right now, my mind is not on my boxing career. My mind is on Mayweather Promotions. I'm focused on all of my fighters. We're building a dream team. We got Caballero, Gamboa, Dirrell, Billy Dib, J'Leon Love and Ishe Smith. The thing is, everybody always wants to know what's going on. Is it The Money Team? Is it Mayweather Promotions? At the end of the day, it's about the fighters. It doesn't matter what banner they're under. As long as the boxers are treated, not just good, but great, and make sure the boxers have comfort; it's about the fighters winning when it's all said and done. Not just having their hand raised, but having comfort.
BT: Like you said earlier, you just had J'Leon Love and Ishe Smith fighting on Showtime. Are you making plans right now for Billy Dib's next move, or Dirrell or Gamboa's next fight?
FM: Yes. I will have all that information for you probably next week; all their dates that I'm working on for them and then the places they're going to be fighting. You'll hear back from me soon.
BT: Good to hear. Before I let you go, I did want to ask you a quick question about another rumor floating around. Are you actually going to be in the next Wrestlemania or are you just going to attend it?
FM: I'm really not sure. You know, Triple H is The Money Team, of course, and he's my guy, and I think that Brock Lesnar got the best of him because hes been doing mixed martial arts. But I think if Triple H comes over here and works with me and my Uncle Roger, we got a game plan that can work for him if he ever faces Brock Lesnar again. I think we can help him out, because he's facing a guy that used to wrestle, but he went to mixed martial arts and learned some new stuff. That's how he ended up hurting Triple H's arm. We can show him some stand-up boxing skills and teach him some things about the sport of boxing that can help him. Triple H is my guy and the McMahon family has been great to me.
BT: Well Champ, I know you're busy, so I don't want to hold you up any longer. I'm glad you're out and I'm glad everything is back to normal. Is there anything else you want to say to the fans?
FM: I just want to apologize to my FightHype fans. As soon as I got out, I didn't get a chance to do an interview or speak to them, but of course, they're always my fans. I want to thank all my fans for their supportive letters they wrote me that helped make my time go by easier.
By Ben Thompson | September 14, 2012
"After my incident, it made me look at life in a total different way. I'm well off. I'm comfortable. I'm happy to have my freedom. My children, you know, they're in school and doing good. Why sit back and talk negative or talk bad about a person? That's not what I'm about. I'm never going to speak on no one else's situation...Right now, I'm not focused on fighting. I'm focused on taking Mayweather Promotions to the next level with our top fighters...As of right now, my mind is not on my boxing career. My mind is on Mayweather Promotions. I'm focused on all of my fighters. We're building a dream team. We got Caballero, Gamboa, Dirrell, Billy Dib, J'Leon Love and Ishe Smith. The thing is, everybody always wants to know what's going on. Is it The Money Team? Is it Mayweather Promotions? At the end of the day, it's about the fighters," stated undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, who returned to FightHype.com to give an exclusive interview for his fans and put an end to all the recent rumors that have been circulating in the media. You don't want to miss what he had to say. Check it out!
BT: While you were gone, the game was kind of quiet, but now that you're back, it seems like all the rumors and buzz is starting to build up again.
FM: I've been gone, so I had to come home and take care of a lot things with my family, my different properties, and my business, but as far as the fighters, my main focus is the fighters getting fights. I'm not here to talk negative about anything. If I don't have nothing positive to say, then I won't say nothing at all.
BT: I know you've got your hands in a lot of different ventures, like your new website, memomemore.com, but obviously the main venture everyone wants to know about is your promotional company.
FM: Mayweather Promotions is proud to have the good fighters that we do, and we are working on giving the fans the best and the most exicting fights.
BT: So the media is saying that you and 50 are beefin'.
FM: It's not that we're beefin'. You gotta realize, 50, he travels a lot and he has other stuff. He's got his headphones, he has his energy drink, you know, he makes appearances overseas, so he's very busy, and I'm making a lot of appearances, so a lot of times, two people may not always be on the same page, but that don't mean it's a hate-hate relationship. Everybody wants to see me and 50 bump heads. Like I said before, no matter what he says about me in an interview, I'm always going to be positive. After my incident, it made me look at life in a total different way. I'm well off. I'm comfortable. I'm happy to have my freedom. My children, you know, they're in school and doing good. Why sit back and talk negative or talk bad about a person? That's not what I'm about. I'm never going to speak on no one else's situation. My thing is to keep my business in order and intact. If I can help anybody around me or any friend in any type of way, I'm going to help them.
BT: So with that said, I take it the rumors about your friendship with 50 being strained aren't true.
FM: Like I said before, all you do is hear rumors all day, but now you're hearing it from the horse's mouth. When you hear things, like they say, "50 Cent went out there and done an interview and 50 said this and said that," well, if he's my real friend, no matter what he says about me, I'm still going to conduct myself in an orderly fashion. It's not a real friendship if he's my friend in January, but he's not my friend in February. That means we were never really friends, because when you have a real friendship, that's an unbreakable bond. Real friends go through ups and downs and I don't believe in putting the media or the public in my business with my friends. So no matter what he said about me, I'm never going to speak negative about him.
BT: So you and 50 are not beefin'?
FM: When people say beefin', beefin' in my eyes is something that enemies go through. 50 and I are not enemies.
BT: No doubt. So have you been keeping an eye on the boxing landscape and some of the recent events that have been going on?
FM: Of course I'm watching the boxing game a lot closer because I'm looking for the next Floyd Mayweather. I want to congratulate J'Leon Love and Ishe Smith. They went out there and did a phenomenal job on Showtime. I think Ishe Smith and J'Leon Love will become world champions. There's another fight they just had. I didn't get a chance to watch it, but I seen the end of it; those two guys...
BT: Andre Ward and Chad Dawson?
FM: Yes, yes. Congratulations to Andre Ward, but if I was Chad Dawson, me myself, I wouldn't have lost that weight. And he went to Andre's hometown. It should've been on neutral turf and I feel that Ward should have went up to light heavy weight.
BT: Do you think Chad was in a situation where he was forced to do that?
FM: I mean, you're not forced to do nothing that you don't want to do. I don't want to take nothing from Andre Ward because he's a gifted and talented fighter. Chad Dawson is a gifted and talented fighter too, and I feel that it would've been a lot more exciting fight at light heavyweight. I don't think that was the same Chad Dawson the other night. I know the skills and the potential that Chad Dawson has. He didn't look like himself.
BT: Do you think Ward's performance put him in the top pound-for-pound conversation?
FM: Yes, I think he deserves to be on the pound-for-pound list. When these guys are ranking guys pound for pound, it's about making the major jumps and making things happen. Like when I was at 130, I moved up to 35 and beat the best at 35. I went to 40 and beat the best at 40. Then 47 and 54. I could've had Miguel Cotto come down to 147, but like I said before, I wanted the best Miguel Cotto. That's why I choose to go to 154. If I'm the best and I want to face the best, I believe in fighting on a neutral turf. A lot of times, people say, "Well, Vegas is your home," but my hometown is Grand Rapids, Michigan. I feel Las Vegas is a neutral turf for any and every fighter. You know, the ultimate goal is always to become a pay-per-view star. But I'm proud of Andre Ward and I want him to continue to win. I think an exciting fight in the future will be Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell.
BT: So what's the next chapter for Floyd Mayweather? I know we never know what the future may hold, but you know everyone wants to know if you're fighting again, when you're fighting again, who you're gonna fight, and all that stuff.
FM: Right now, I'm not focused on fighting. I'm focused on taking Mayweather Promotions to the next level with our top fighters.
BT: Do you see a scenario where you may just retire and never fight again?
FM: As of right now, my mind is not on my boxing career. My mind is on Mayweather Promotions. I'm focused on all of my fighters. We're building a dream team. We got Caballero, Gamboa, Dirrell, Billy Dib, J'Leon Love and Ishe Smith. The thing is, everybody always wants to know what's going on. Is it The Money Team? Is it Mayweather Promotions? At the end of the day, it's about the fighters. It doesn't matter what banner they're under. As long as the boxers are treated, not just good, but great, and make sure the boxers have comfort; it's about the fighters winning when it's all said and done. Not just having their hand raised, but having comfort.
BT: Like you said earlier, you just had J'Leon Love and Ishe Smith fighting on Showtime. Are you making plans right now for Billy Dib's next move, or Dirrell or Gamboa's next fight?
FM: Yes. I will have all that information for you probably next week; all their dates that I'm working on for them and then the places they're going to be fighting. You'll hear back from me soon.
BT: Good to hear. Before I let you go, I did want to ask you a quick question about another rumor floating around. Are you actually going to be in the next Wrestlemania or are you just going to attend it?
FM: I'm really not sure. You know, Triple H is The Money Team, of course, and he's my guy, and I think that Brock Lesnar got the best of him because hes been doing mixed martial arts. But I think if Triple H comes over here and works with me and my Uncle Roger, we got a game plan that can work for him if he ever faces Brock Lesnar again. I think we can help him out, because he's facing a guy that used to wrestle, but he went to mixed martial arts and learned some new stuff. That's how he ended up hurting Triple H's arm. We can show him some stand-up boxing skills and teach him some things about the sport of boxing that can help him. Triple H is my guy and the McMahon family has been great to me.
BT: Well Champ, I know you're busy, so I don't want to hold you up any longer. I'm glad you're out and I'm glad everything is back to normal. Is there anything else you want to say to the fans?
FM: I just want to apologize to my FightHype fans. As soon as I got out, I didn't get a chance to do an interview or speak to them, but of course, they're always my fans. I want to thank all my fans for their supportive letters they wrote me that helped make my time go by easier.
Chavez Jr vs Martinez Rematch: Cowboys Stadium Possible Venue, Jerry Jones Wants Fight
206480_10150226708710923_747385922_9037192_4017321_n_tiny by Scott Christ on Sep 16, 2012 6:28 AM EDT in Boxing News Analysis
19 comments
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Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr might have a 2013 rematch, and Cowboys Stadium is being discussed as a destination. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
Jeff Bottari - Getty ImagesMore photos »
Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr might have a 2013 rematch, and Cowboys Stadium is being discussed as a destination. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says that if he and DiBella Entertainment do stage a rematch between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has already expressed interest in staging the fight at his enormous Cowboys Stadium next year.
[ Video Highlights: Chavez Jr vs Martinez ]
Martinez defeated Chavez Jr last night via decision, surviving a dramatic 12th round where he was knocked down, sending the sold-out crowd of 19,186 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas into a frenzy.
Cowboys Stadium has played host to two boxing cards since opening. In March 2010, Manny Pacquiao defeated Joshua Clottey in the main event, and in November 2010, Pacquiao demolished Antonio Margarito. In both cases, the attendance was a bit of a letdown, and fell short of public talk from the organizers.
Star-divide
Pacquiao vs Clottey drew 36,371 paid (41,843 total, and a bogus 50,994 announced) for a gate of $6,359,985. Pacquiao vs Margarito drew 30,437 paid (40,154 total), a major disappointment given that it was expected that the Mexican Margarito fighting in Texas would mean a better crowd than Ghana's Clottey drew, but the novelty of a boxing show at Cowboys Stadium didn't seem to stick, and the fight brought in a gate of $5,404,760.
These are not numbers to sneeze at, to be certain, but in the case of Pacquiao, they just don't make dollars or sense. Take Pacquiao's June 9 fight this year with Timothy Bradley, considered a pretty poor gate showing for Manny in Las Vegas. That fight sold 13,229 tickets for a total gate of $8.9 million.
Last night's Chavez Jr vs Martinez show was said to be somewhere around a $3 million gate, with far more economic ticket prices than you see for a Pacquiao show.
So would Sergio-Julio II be a good fight in Arlington? You could charge fairly low ticket prices for non-premium seats, and while Arum's stated belief that they could get 100,000 fans in the building is probably at least double even the high-end reality, if the fight was promoted properly, and the buzz is there coming out of this fight among the casual fans -- particularly the Chavez Jr fans, who need to believe their man was mere seconds away from the knockout so much that they'll buy the fight again, either with a ticket or on PPV -- then the fight could be a seller at the stadium.
Of course, there are a few things to consider:
Martinez is reportedly facing knee surgery, or at least it's a serious possibility;
Texas.
Look, let's not beat around the bush here: The Texas commission is not known for fair play or adherence to rules. In Texas, it's not actually required that one take a drug test, which many feel has favored Chavez Jr, particularly in February of this year when he fought Marco Antonio Rubio and there was a big stink about it after the fight.
Frankly speaking, Texas officials are also not held in the highest regard. From referee Laurence Cole (son of commission head Dick Cole) to judge Gale Van Hoy, Texas boxing officials have been fairly infamous over recent years.
The fight would have the cloud of perceived favoritism toward Chavez Jr hanging over it, and that's just a fact. Whether it's fair or not isn't even the question. Skeptics will go into the fight fearing the absolute worst.
The sad part of that is, it's not like Jerry Jones is trying to bring some shameful mess into his house. He wants a big fight there, and I think he sees this as that type of fight that he wants to have. Part of me would be psyched to see Sergio-Julio II in a venue like Cowboys Stadium. It would say a lot about where boxing is, if that could be done without involving Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather in 2013.
But I can't help but personally fear the commission and its history too much to really want it. If this rematch is going to happen -- and I'm not saying it should, but it might be Sergio's biggest money opportunity, and as he turns 38 in February, he's going to want only big fights -- then I'd rather it just be in Las Vegas again. The judges and referee Tony Weeks all did a great job last night.
Do you want to see a rematch right now? Or would you rather see Martinez try to move back down to 154 pounds, where possible money fights with Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez, and even Floyd Mayweather may be available? Keep in mind that Team Martinez have said many times they've got no interest in moving up to face Andre Ward, and that money is a major factor. Your choice is not really Martinez vs Golovkin or Geale -- that's just not going to happen, because Sergio's had a taste of the big time now, and usually those guys don't want to start taking short money again.
206480_10150226708710923_747385922_9037192_4017321_n_tiny by Scott Christ on Sep 16, 2012 6:28 AM EDT in Boxing News Analysis
19 comments
Story-email Email
Printer Print
Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr might have a 2013 rematch, and Cowboys Stadium is being discussed as a destination. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
Jeff Bottari - Getty ImagesMore photos »
Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr might have a 2013 rematch, and Cowboys Stadium is being discussed as a destination. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says that if he and DiBella Entertainment do stage a rematch between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has already expressed interest in staging the fight at his enormous Cowboys Stadium next year.
[ Video Highlights: Chavez Jr vs Martinez ]
Martinez defeated Chavez Jr last night via decision, surviving a dramatic 12th round where he was knocked down, sending the sold-out crowd of 19,186 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas into a frenzy.
Cowboys Stadium has played host to two boxing cards since opening. In March 2010, Manny Pacquiao defeated Joshua Clottey in the main event, and in November 2010, Pacquiao demolished Antonio Margarito. In both cases, the attendance was a bit of a letdown, and fell short of public talk from the organizers.
Star-divide
Pacquiao vs Clottey drew 36,371 paid (41,843 total, and a bogus 50,994 announced) for a gate of $6,359,985. Pacquiao vs Margarito drew 30,437 paid (40,154 total), a major disappointment given that it was expected that the Mexican Margarito fighting in Texas would mean a better crowd than Ghana's Clottey drew, but the novelty of a boxing show at Cowboys Stadium didn't seem to stick, and the fight brought in a gate of $5,404,760.
These are not numbers to sneeze at, to be certain, but in the case of Pacquiao, they just don't make dollars or sense. Take Pacquiao's June 9 fight this year with Timothy Bradley, considered a pretty poor gate showing for Manny in Las Vegas. That fight sold 13,229 tickets for a total gate of $8.9 million.
Last night's Chavez Jr vs Martinez show was said to be somewhere around a $3 million gate, with far more economic ticket prices than you see for a Pacquiao show.
So would Sergio-Julio II be a good fight in Arlington? You could charge fairly low ticket prices for non-premium seats, and while Arum's stated belief that they could get 100,000 fans in the building is probably at least double even the high-end reality, if the fight was promoted properly, and the buzz is there coming out of this fight among the casual fans -- particularly the Chavez Jr fans, who need to believe their man was mere seconds away from the knockout so much that they'll buy the fight again, either with a ticket or on PPV -- then the fight could be a seller at the stadium.
Of course, there are a few things to consider:
Martinez is reportedly facing knee surgery, or at least it's a serious possibility;
Texas.
Look, let's not beat around the bush here: The Texas commission is not known for fair play or adherence to rules. In Texas, it's not actually required that one take a drug test, which many feel has favored Chavez Jr, particularly in February of this year when he fought Marco Antonio Rubio and there was a big stink about it after the fight.
Frankly speaking, Texas officials are also not held in the highest regard. From referee Laurence Cole (son of commission head Dick Cole) to judge Gale Van Hoy, Texas boxing officials have been fairly infamous over recent years.
The fight would have the cloud of perceived favoritism toward Chavez Jr hanging over it, and that's just a fact. Whether it's fair or not isn't even the question. Skeptics will go into the fight fearing the absolute worst.
The sad part of that is, it's not like Jerry Jones is trying to bring some shameful mess into his house. He wants a big fight there, and I think he sees this as that type of fight that he wants to have. Part of me would be psyched to see Sergio-Julio II in a venue like Cowboys Stadium. It would say a lot about where boxing is, if that could be done without involving Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather in 2013.
But I can't help but personally fear the commission and its history too much to really want it. If this rematch is going to happen -- and I'm not saying it should, but it might be Sergio's biggest money opportunity, and as he turns 38 in February, he's going to want only big fights -- then I'd rather it just be in Las Vegas again. The judges and referee Tony Weeks all did a great job last night.
Do you want to see a rematch right now? Or would you rather see Martinez try to move back down to 154 pounds, where possible money fights with Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez, and even Floyd Mayweather may be available? Keep in mind that Team Martinez have said many times they've got no interest in moving up to face Andre Ward, and that money is a major factor. Your choice is not really Martinez vs Golovkin or Geale -- that's just not going to happen, because Sergio's had a taste of the big time now, and usually those guys don't want to start taking short money again.
Chavez Jr vs Martinez Rematch: Cowboys Stadium Possible Venue, Jerry Jones Wants Fight
2Adrien Broner vs. Antonio DeMarco on November 17th on HBO
Published September 15, 2012 | By eastside | 29 Comments
By Rob Smith: Adrien Broner (24-0, 20 KO’s) will be getting an immediate shot at a title in his first fight at lightweight on November 17th by fighting WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco (28-2-1, 21 KO’s) on HBO in a still to be determined venue, according to fightnews.com. The fight still isn’t quite a done deal but it’s close.
This is unfortunately is one of the few appealing options that Broner has by fighting at lightweight, because the division is essentially empty of big named fighters now that Juan Manuel Marquez and Brandon Rios both have moved up in weight. Broner would be wise to fight once or twice in this division and quickly move up in weight to the light welterweight division where there are much better fights for him. Ideally, Broner needs to wind up at welterweight if he wants to get the big money fights. Fighting at lightweight is a dead end for Broner, and hopefully he realizes this sooner rather than later.
DeMarco is a decent fighter with okay power and skills. He’s gotten a little better since he was blasted out by Edwin Valero in 9 rounds in 2010, but not a lot better. DeMarco has won his last five fights since his loss to Valero, beating Daniel Attah, Reyes Sanchez, Jorge Linares, Miguel Roman and John Molina. DeMarco took a ton of punishment in his win over Linares last year in an exciting fight. It’s good that DeMarco got the win, but it was a grueling fight.
Broner just hasn’t had anyone to fight at super featherweight. He’s effortlessly beaten the best guys that Golden Boy Promotions has fed to him and it was clear a long time ago that he needed to move up in weight. He destroyed Vincente Escobedo in his last fight and that fight told you that Broner has no business fighting at super featherweight anymore after he failed to make weight.
Broner should make easy work of DeMarco. This is another mismatch for Broner. DeMarco’s rail thin and there to be hit. That’s not going to bode well for him. Look for Broner to destroy DeMarco in seven or eight rounds.
You might like:
Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez early results
Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr might have a 2013 rematch, and Cowboys Stadium is being discussed as a destination. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says that if he and DiBella Entertainment do stage a rematch between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has already expressed interest in staging the fight at his enormous Cowboys Stadium next year.
[ Video Highlights: Chavez Jr vs Martinez ]
Martinez defeated Chavez Jr last night via decision, surviving a dramatic 12th round where he was knocked down, sending the sold-out crowd of 19,186 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas into a frenzy.
Cowboys Stadium has played host to two boxing cards since opening. In March 2010, Manny Pacquiao defeated Joshua Clottey in the main event, and in November 2010, Pacquiao demolished Antonio Margarito. In both cases, the attendance was a bit of a letdown, and fell short of public talk from the organizers.
Star-divide
Pacquiao vs Clottey drew 36,371 paid (41,843 total, and a bogus 50,994 announced) for a gate of $6,359,985. Pacquiao vs Margarito drew 30,437 paid (40,154 total), a major disappointment given that it was expected that the Mexican Margarito fighting in Texas would mean a better crowd than Ghana's Clottey drew, but the novelty of a boxing show at Cowboys Stadium didn't seem to stick, and the fight brought in a gate of $5,404,760.
These are not numbers to sneeze at, to be certain, but in the case of Pacquiao, they just don't make dollars or sense. Take Pacquiao's June 9 fight this year with Timothy Bradley, considered a pretty poor gate showing for Manny in Las Vegas. That fight sold 13,229 tickets for a total gate of $8.9 million.
Last night's Chavez Jr vs Martinez show was said to be somewhere around a $3 million gate, with far more economic ticket prices than you see for a Pacquiao show.
So would Sergio-Julio II be a good fight in Arlington? You could charge fairly low ticket prices for non-premium seats, and while Arum's stated belief that they could get 100,000 fans in the building is probably at least double even the high-end reality, if the fight was promoted properly, and the buzz is there coming out of this fight among the casual fans -- particularly the Chavez Jr fans, who need to believe their man was mere seconds away from the knockout so much that they'll buy the fight again, either with a ticket or on PPV -- then the fight could be a seller at the stadium.
Of course, there are a few things to consider:
Martinez is reportedly facing knee surgery, or at least it's a serious possibility;
Texas.
Look, let's not beat around the bush here: The Texas commission is not known for fair play or adherence to rules. In Texas, it's not actually required that one take a drug test, which many feel has favored Chavez Jr, particularly in February of this year when he fought Marco Antonio Rubio and there was a big stink about it after the fight.
Frankly speaking, Texas officials are also not held in the highest regard. From referee Laurence Cole (son of commission head Dick Cole) to judge Gale Van Hoy, Texas boxing officials have been fairly infamous over recent years.
The fight would have the cloud of perceived favoritism toward Chavez Jr hanging over it, and that's just a fact. Whether it's fair or not isn't even the question. Skeptics will go into the fight fearing the absolute worst.
The sad part of that is, it's not like Jerry Jones is trying to bring some shameful mess into his house. He wants a big fight there, and I think he sees this as that type of fight that he wants to have. Part of me would be psyched to see Sergio-Julio II in a venue like Cowboys Stadium. It would say a lot about where boxing is, if that could be done without involving Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather in 2013.
But I can't help but personally fear the commission and its history too much to really want it. If this rematch is going to happen -- and I'm not saying it should, but it might be Sergio's biggest money opportunity, and as he turns 38 in February, he's going to want only big fights -- then I'd rather it just be in Las Vegas again. The judges and referee Tony Weeks all did a great job last night.
Do you want to see a rematch right now? Or would you rather see Martinez try to move back down to 154 pounds, where possible money fights with Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez, and even Floyd Mayweather may be available? Keep in mind that Team Martinez have said many times they've got no interest in moving up to face Andre Ward, and that money is a major factor. Your choice is not really Martinez vs Golovkin or Geale -- that's just not going to happen, because Sergio's had a taste of the big time now, and usually those guys don't want to start taking short money again.
2Adrien Broner vs. Antonio DeMarco on November 17th on HBO
Published September 15, 2012 | By eastside | 29 Comments
By Rob Smith: Adrien Broner (24-0, 20 KO’s) will be getting an immediate shot at a title in his first fight at lightweight on November 17th by fighting WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco (28-2-1, 21 KO’s) on HBO in a still to be determined venue, according to fightnews.com. The fight still isn’t quite a done deal but it’s close.
This is unfortunately is one of the few appealing options that Broner has by fighting at lightweight, because the division is essentially empty of big named fighters now that Juan Manuel Marquez and Brandon Rios both have moved up in weight. Broner would be wise to fight once or twice in this division and quickly move up in weight to the light welterweight division where there are much better fights for him. Ideally, Broner needs to wind up at welterweight if he wants to get the big money fights. Fighting at lightweight is a dead end for Broner, and hopefully he realizes this sooner rather than later.
DeMarco is a decent fighter with okay power and skills. He’s gotten a little better since he was blasted out by Edwin Valero in 9 rounds in 2010, but not a lot better. DeMarco has won his last five fights since his loss to Valero, beating Daniel Attah, Reyes Sanchez, Jorge Linares, Miguel Roman and John Molina. DeMarco took a ton of punishment in his win over Linares last year in an exciting fight. It’s good that DeMarco got the win, but it was a grueling fight.
Broner just hasn’t had anyone to fight at super featherweight. He’s effortlessly beaten the best guys that Golden Boy Promotions has fed to him and it was clear a long time ago that he needed to move up in weight. He destroyed Vincente Escobedo in his last fight and that fight told you that Broner has no business fighting at super featherweight anymore after he failed to make weight.
Broner should make easy work of DeMarco. This is another mismatch for Broner. DeMarco’s rail thin and there to be hit. That’s not going to bode well for him. Look for Broner to destroy DeMarco in seven or eight rounds.
You might like:
Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez early results
Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr might have a 2013 rematch, and Cowboys Stadium is being discussed as a destination. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says that if he and DiBella Entertainment do stage a rematch between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has already expressed interest in staging the fight at his enormous Cowboys Stadium next year.
[ Video Highlights: Chavez Jr vs Martinez ]
Martinez defeated Chavez Jr last night via decision, surviving a dramatic 12th round where he was knocked down, sending the sold-out crowd of 19,186 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas into a frenzy.
Cowboys Stadium has played host to two boxing cards since opening. In March 2010, Manny Pacquiao defeated Joshua Clottey in the main event, and in November 2010, Pacquiao demolished Antonio Margarito. In both cases, the attendance was a bit of a letdown, and fell short of public talk from the organizers.
Star-divide
Pacquiao vs Clottey drew 36,371 paid (41,843 total, and a bogus 50,994 announced) for a gate of $6,359,985. Pacquiao vs Margarito drew 30,437 paid (40,154 total), a major disappointment given that it was expected that the Mexican Margarito fighting in Texas would mean a better crowd than Ghana's Clottey drew, but the novelty of a boxing show at Cowboys Stadium didn't seem to stick, and the fight brought in a gate of $5,404,760.
These are not numbers to sneeze at, to be certain, but in the case of Pacquiao, they just don't make dollars or sense. Take Pacquiao's June 9 fight this year with Timothy Bradley, considered a pretty poor gate showing for Manny in Las Vegas. That fight sold 13,229 tickets for a total gate of $8.9 million.
Last night's Chavez Jr vs Martinez show was said to be somewhere around a $3 million gate, with far more economic ticket prices than you see for a Pacquiao show.
So would Sergio-Julio II be a good fight in Arlington? You could charge fairly low ticket prices for non-premium seats, and while Arum's stated belief that they could get 100,000 fans in the building is probably at least double even the high-end reality, if the fight was promoted properly, and the buzz is there coming out of this fight among the casual fans -- particularly the Chavez Jr fans, who need to believe their man was mere seconds away from the knockout so much that they'll buy the fight again, either with a ticket or on PPV -- then the fight could be a seller at the stadium.
Of course, there are a few things to consider:
Martinez is reportedly facing knee surgery, or at least it's a serious possibility;
Texas.
Look, let's not beat around the bush here: The Texas commission is not known for fair play or adherence to rules. In Texas, it's not actually required that one take a drug test, which many feel has favored Chavez Jr, particularly in February of this year when he fought Marco Antonio Rubio and there was a big stink about it after the fight.
Frankly speaking, Texas officials are also not held in the highest regard. From referee Laurence Cole (son of commission head Dick Cole) to judge Gale Van Hoy, Texas boxing officials have been fairly infamous over recent years.
The fight would have the cloud of perceived favoritism toward Chavez Jr hanging over it, and that's just a fact. Whether it's fair or not isn't even the question. Skeptics will go into the fight fearing the absolute worst.
The sad part of that is, it's not like Jerry Jones is trying to bring some shameful mess into his house. He wants a big fight there, and I think he sees this as that type of fight that he wants to have. Part of me would be psyched to see Sergio-Julio II in a venue like Cowboys Stadium. It would say a lot about where boxing is, if that could be done without involving Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather in 2013.
But I can't help but personally fear the commission and its history too much to really want it. If this rematch is going to happen -- and I'm not saying it should, but it might be Sergio's biggest money opportunity, and as he turns 38 in February, he's going to want only big fights -- then I'd rather it just be in Las Vegas again. The judges and referee Tony Weeks all did a great job last night.
Do you want to see a rematch right now? Or would you rather see Martinez try to move back down to 154 pounds, where possible money fights with Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez, and even Floyd Mayweather may be available? Keep in mind that Team Martinez have said many times they've got no interest in moving up to face Andre Ward, and that money is a major factor. Your choice is not really Martinez vs Golovkin or Geale -- that's just not going to happen, because Sergio's had a taste of the big time now, and usually those guys don't want to start taking short money again.
Cotto is the best option. He's got a fight against Trout though in December.
James Kirkland would be my personal, second favorite fight. But James may have some legal, contract issues for awhile.
Erislandy Lara is the toughest challenge, but I'm sure they stay clear of him because of the risk/reward is too great.
So I don't know. If no floyd, then either wait for Cotto/Trout winner or fight a lesser guy like Vanes/Molina/Angulo.
James Kirkland would be my personal, second favorite fight. But James may have some legal, contract issues for awhile.
Erislandy Lara is the toughest challenge, but I'm sure they stay clear of him because of the risk/reward is too great.
So I don't know. If no floyd, then either wait for Cotto/Trout winner or fight a lesser guy like Vanes/Molina/Angulo.
I'm sure some of you know of this website but for those who don't
http://sweetboxingvideos.wordpress.com/
There is video of most fights in case you missed them or want to rewatch.
http://sweetboxingvideos.wordpress.com/
There is video of most fights in case you missed them or want to rewatch.
Khan likely to be trained by Virgil Hunter
Published September 17, 2012 | By eastside | 44 Comments
By Rob Smith: Amir Khan’s next trainer could be Virgil Hunter. It’s still not official yet, but according to reports Hunter is the one that Khan has selected to replace trainer Freddie Roach. Hunter is a well respected trainer and is better known as the trainer for WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward.
Khan is looking for a good defensive trainer that can fix his leaky defense that has caused him to lose his last two fights. Whether Hunter can fix Khan’s defense to the point where he can beat the top fighters in the sport is open for debate. Hunter definitely knows his stuff but he’s not a miracle worker.
Khan will have to be able to take an occasional solid shot to the head even with the best training instructions from Hunter. That’s the whole problem. Khan has starched in fights against Breidis Prescott and Danny Garcia, and he barely dodged getting knocked out in against Marcos Maidana in 2010.
Up until now, Khan’s defense has been his offense and legs. He moves really well and he’s got excellent offensive skills. However, he seems to blow it by standing in front of his opponents too long looking to throw fancy combinations. He doesn’t have the chin to throw sustained flurries and that’s what has gotten into trouble at times.
Hunter has done a great job with Ward, but he had a lot to work with. Ward is a gifted athlete. Khan has some gifts as well, but he’s not in the Ward class in terms of his chin.
Khan plans on fighting on December 15th against an opponent still to be determined. He says he’s looking for an opponent with a name and has already said no to a fight against Joan Guzman.
Published September 17, 2012 | By eastside | 44 Comments
By Rob Smith: Amir Khan’s next trainer could be Virgil Hunter. It’s still not official yet, but according to reports Hunter is the one that Khan has selected to replace trainer Freddie Roach. Hunter is a well respected trainer and is better known as the trainer for WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward.
Khan is looking for a good defensive trainer that can fix his leaky defense that has caused him to lose his last two fights. Whether Hunter can fix Khan’s defense to the point where he can beat the top fighters in the sport is open for debate. Hunter definitely knows his stuff but he’s not a miracle worker.
Khan will have to be able to take an occasional solid shot to the head even with the best training instructions from Hunter. That’s the whole problem. Khan has starched in fights against Breidis Prescott and Danny Garcia, and he barely dodged getting knocked out in against Marcos Maidana in 2010.
Up until now, Khan’s defense has been his offense and legs. He moves really well and he’s got excellent offensive skills. However, he seems to blow it by standing in front of his opponents too long looking to throw fancy combinations. He doesn’t have the chin to throw sustained flurries and that’s what has gotten into trouble at times.
Hunter has done a great job with Ward, but he had a lot to work with. Ward is a gifted athlete. Khan has some gifts as well, but he’s not in the Ward class in terms of his chin.
Khan plans on fighting on December 15th against an opponent still to be determined. He says he’s looking for an opponent with a name and has already said no to a fight against Joan Guzman.
Josesito Lopez moving back down to 147, could fight Maidana or Ortiz next
Published September 16, 2012 | By eastside | 40 Comments
Saul Alvarez Josesito Lopez Alvarez Lopez Alvarez vs. Lopez boxing news (Photo credit: Leopoldo Gonzalez) By Rob Smith: WBC Siver welterweight champion Josesito Lopez (30-5, 18 KO’s) will reportedly be moving back down to 147 after losing by a 5th round TKO in his title challenge against WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) last Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lopez, 28, will be fighting either a rematch against Victor Ortiz or a bout against Marcos Maidana. Of the two, Lopez would probably stand a better chance of beating Ortiz. Maidana hits too hard and the chances would be high that he would basically the same thing that Alvarez did to him by blasting him out with hard power shots.
Lopez moved up from welterweight to take the fight after being selected by Golden Boy Promotions to be the lucky guy to get the payday fight against the young 22-year-old Alvarez. However, things didn’t go well for Lopez, as he was knocked down three times by Alvarez and stopped in the 5th when he was getting snowed under by a heavy storm of punches from Alvarez in the corner.
Lopez made a huge mistake by trying to punch with Alvarez instead of trying to box with him. Why he did this it’s hard to say. Lopez has good boxing skills, but he chose not to use them for some reason. After fighting a fairly competitive first round, Lopez was then knocked down in the 2nd from a hard left hook to the body from Alvarez.
This was repeated in the 3rd with Alvarez again going back to the same punch and same spot to put Lopez down on his backside. Lopez did land a lot of good shots against Alvarez but the problem was his punches didn’t have any real affect in slowing the young Alvarez down.
Lopez should have realized that he needed to start boxing Alvarez in order to survive, but instead he continued to slug it out with Alvarez. In the 4th, Lopez’s nose bled badly as he took some ferocious head shots from Alvarez. It’s a credit to Lopez that he was able to take those big punches, but it wasn’t smart to have put himself in that position by trying to trade. Late in the round, Lopez was knocked down by a short right hand from Alvarez.
It was good thing the knockdown came at the end of the round because Lopez would have likely been finished in that round. In the 5th, Alvarez cornered Lopez and unloaded a short flurry of shots that ended with referee Joe Cortez stepping in to stop the fight. You can make an argument that the fight was halted a little prematurely, but with the way that Lopez bending over at the time of the stoppage, he would have been in trouble had Cortez not stepped in to save him from getting tagged to the back of the head by Alvarez.
Published September 16, 2012 | By eastside | 40 Comments
Saul Alvarez Josesito Lopez Alvarez Lopez Alvarez vs. Lopez boxing news (Photo credit: Leopoldo Gonzalez) By Rob Smith: WBC Siver welterweight champion Josesito Lopez (30-5, 18 KO’s) will reportedly be moving back down to 147 after losing by a 5th round TKO in his title challenge against WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) last Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lopez, 28, will be fighting either a rematch against Victor Ortiz or a bout against Marcos Maidana. Of the two, Lopez would probably stand a better chance of beating Ortiz. Maidana hits too hard and the chances would be high that he would basically the same thing that Alvarez did to him by blasting him out with hard power shots.
Lopez moved up from welterweight to take the fight after being selected by Golden Boy Promotions to be the lucky guy to get the payday fight against the young 22-year-old Alvarez. However, things didn’t go well for Lopez, as he was knocked down three times by Alvarez and stopped in the 5th when he was getting snowed under by a heavy storm of punches from Alvarez in the corner.
Lopez made a huge mistake by trying to punch with Alvarez instead of trying to box with him. Why he did this it’s hard to say. Lopez has good boxing skills, but he chose not to use them for some reason. After fighting a fairly competitive first round, Lopez was then knocked down in the 2nd from a hard left hook to the body from Alvarez.
This was repeated in the 3rd with Alvarez again going back to the same punch and same spot to put Lopez down on his backside. Lopez did land a lot of good shots against Alvarez but the problem was his punches didn’t have any real affect in slowing the young Alvarez down.
Lopez should have realized that he needed to start boxing Alvarez in order to survive, but instead he continued to slug it out with Alvarez. In the 4th, Lopez’s nose bled badly as he took some ferocious head shots from Alvarez. It’s a credit to Lopez that he was able to take those big punches, but it wasn’t smart to have put himself in that position by trying to trade. Late in the round, Lopez was knocked down by a short right hand from Alvarez.
It was good thing the knockdown came at the end of the round because Lopez would have likely been finished in that round. In the 5th, Alvarez cornered Lopez and unloaded a short flurry of shots that ended with referee Joe Cortez stepping in to stop the fight. You can make an argument that the fight was halted a little prematurely, but with the way that Lopez bending over at the time of the stoppage, he would have been in trouble had Cortez not stepped in to save him from getting tagged to the back of the head by Alvarez.
Props:
Johnny Truelove
Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez: Top Rank should have better weight regulations
September 17th, 2012 | Post Comment
Chavez Jr Martinez sergio martinez julio cesar chavez jr By Hector Gonzalez: So here is the golden question: was Julio Chavez Jr’s bigger size an advantage or disadvantage in his fight with Sergio Martinez this weekend? Chavez Jr. weighted in at 158 the day before the fight and unknown but estimated weight of about 185 during the fight.
That’s at least a 25 pounds difference, and quiet frankly in regards to the question if it was an advantage or disadvantage it could be argued from both sides. The question would be if Chavez Jr. was in fact weight drained and slow and sluggish or if his strength alone gave him the advantage. Freddy Roach is on record saying that Chavez Jr would do better if he fought at 168lbs not at 160lbs during an interview a few days before the fight.
Here is where it gets jaded, lets look at Cotto/ Paquiao and Chavez Jr/ Martinez. In the case of Chavez Jr. many people were critical towards Chavez Jr. saying that he was the bigger guy fighting the much smaller guy, using this same argument, then we would have to assume that Cotto also had the advantage against Pacquiao.. The problem now is that many folks, including some insiders are accusing Pacquiao of weight draining fighters such as Cotto and De La Hoya. If that’s the case, then I’m assuming that it would be unfair to not apply the same logic with Chavez Jr vs Martinez. Did Cotto and De La Hoya have the advantage vs Pacquiao for being much bigger fighters, or did Pacquaio have the advantage for weight draining their fighters. Using this logic it would be understandable to say that Chavez Jr. was weight drained, I guess that no one could say for sure, but having fighters fight in their appropriate weight classes would clear up much of the fog.
The best way to avoid having these conflicts is to have better regulation controls regarding size, for example, in the case of Cotto vs Pacquiao, it almost seems unrealistic that a fight for the WBO welterweight championship belt would take place at 145lbs and not the standard 147lbs official welterweight size. In my opinion, even if Cotto came in at 147 and Pacquiao decided to come in at 145, Pacquiao still would have won but at least it would have made things less controversial.
With all due respect, I see the trend of fighters winning championships in inappropriate weight classes mostly in the Top Rank camp. For example,
· Donito Donaire was fighting at 118 (he’s at 122 now) but walking in at 135. Donito Donaire should actually be fighting the likes of Salido, Gamboa, or even Lopez, fighting at 126lbs or 130lbs seems the most appropriate weight for a fighter that walks in at 135lbs during fight night.
· Brandon Rios is a very powerful fighter being forced to fight at 135, when he is clearly walking into the ring weight drained. I honestly do not even see the point, I guess that I could see the power and his ability to walk through punches, but he also looks extremely slow for a lightweight. His body frame does not even look natural for a lightweight.
· Chavez JR. I honestly believe that Chavez Jr, is more talented then he is getting credit for, I agree with Roach, Chavez Jr would look better at 168 not 160.
· Manny Pacquiao along with the list of fighters that have fought him at weight classes that don’t even exist- catch weights. For example, Cotto at 145lbs and Marquez at 143lbs. I understand that there is bigger money to be made at the higher weight classes but it would be more realistic for Manny to fight at 140 or 147 with no catch weights.
In the Golden Boy camp there is Adrien Broner who has been looking really good beating up little guys, with the exception of Ponce De Leon (just my opinion), but at least Golden Boy is moving him up now against a real threat in Antonio Demarco at a more appropriate weight class.
September 17th, 2012 | Post Comment
Chavez Jr Martinez sergio martinez julio cesar chavez jr By Hector Gonzalez: So here is the golden question: was Julio Chavez Jr’s bigger size an advantage or disadvantage in his fight with Sergio Martinez this weekend? Chavez Jr. weighted in at 158 the day before the fight and unknown but estimated weight of about 185 during the fight.
That’s at least a 25 pounds difference, and quiet frankly in regards to the question if it was an advantage or disadvantage it could be argued from both sides. The question would be if Chavez Jr. was in fact weight drained and slow and sluggish or if his strength alone gave him the advantage. Freddy Roach is on record saying that Chavez Jr would do better if he fought at 168lbs not at 160lbs during an interview a few days before the fight.
Here is where it gets jaded, lets look at Cotto/ Paquiao and Chavez Jr/ Martinez. In the case of Chavez Jr. many people were critical towards Chavez Jr. saying that he was the bigger guy fighting the much smaller guy, using this same argument, then we would have to assume that Cotto also had the advantage against Pacquiao.. The problem now is that many folks, including some insiders are accusing Pacquiao of weight draining fighters such as Cotto and De La Hoya. If that’s the case, then I’m assuming that it would be unfair to not apply the same logic with Chavez Jr vs Martinez. Did Cotto and De La Hoya have the advantage vs Pacquiao for being much bigger fighters, or did Pacquaio have the advantage for weight draining their fighters. Using this logic it would be understandable to say that Chavez Jr. was weight drained, I guess that no one could say for sure, but having fighters fight in their appropriate weight classes would clear up much of the fog.
The best way to avoid having these conflicts is to have better regulation controls regarding size, for example, in the case of Cotto vs Pacquiao, it almost seems unrealistic that a fight for the WBO welterweight championship belt would take place at 145lbs and not the standard 147lbs official welterweight size. In my opinion, even if Cotto came in at 147 and Pacquiao decided to come in at 145, Pacquiao still would have won but at least it would have made things less controversial.
With all due respect, I see the trend of fighters winning championships in inappropriate weight classes mostly in the Top Rank camp. For example,
· Donito Donaire was fighting at 118 (he’s at 122 now) but walking in at 135. Donito Donaire should actually be fighting the likes of Salido, Gamboa, or even Lopez, fighting at 126lbs or 130lbs seems the most appropriate weight for a fighter that walks in at 135lbs during fight night.
· Brandon Rios is a very powerful fighter being forced to fight at 135, when he is clearly walking into the ring weight drained. I honestly do not even see the point, I guess that I could see the power and his ability to walk through punches, but he also looks extremely slow for a lightweight. His body frame does not even look natural for a lightweight.
· Chavez JR. I honestly believe that Chavez Jr, is more talented then he is getting credit for, I agree with Roach, Chavez Jr would look better at 168 not 160.
· Manny Pacquiao along with the list of fighters that have fought him at weight classes that don’t even exist- catch weights. For example, Cotto at 145lbs and Marquez at 143lbs. I understand that there is bigger money to be made at the higher weight classes but it would be more realistic for Manny to fight at 140 or 147 with no catch weights.
In the Golden Boy camp there is Adrien Broner who has been looking really good beating up little guys, with the exception of Ponce De Leon (just my opinion), but at least Golden Boy is moving him up now against a real threat in Antonio Demarco at a more appropriate weight class.
A dark cloud persists over trainer Roach: Chavez Jr. schooled by Martinez
September 17th, 2012 | Post Comment
Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez Chavez Jr Martinez sergio martinez julio cesar chavez jr freddie roach By Babatis Banda: We witnessed a one sided battle over the week-end where Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was taught a very good lesson by the veteran Sergio Martinez. It was simply a one sided match from round one until the twelfth round when Martinez was decked, but survived the scare. It was clear that speed, a set of good legs and a superior boxing ability reigned supreme over sheer size and power.
Even if Martinez had been counted out, it could have made very little difference to the fact that Martinez is at a higher level than Chavez Jr. In fact, in my own opinion, Chavez junior does not even deserve a re-match, at least not in the immediate future until he proves himself again by winning his next fight, and against a competitive opponent.
That said, this whole episode added misery to the legendary trainer, Freddie Roach. Roach has seen all his ‘top-cream’ boxers reduced and converted to some semi-cheap cheese in a very short time. It all started with Amir Khan, who is now reported to have left him. This was followed by Pacquiao, who lost to Bradley, and had narrowly survived a split decision against Marquez, the man he will meet for the fourth time on December 8, 2012. The same cloud that hangs over Roach as coach, seems to hung over his fighters as well, especially Pacquiao who risks another loss against Marquez and if that happens, we may see Pacquiao retire.
The development over the week-end is extremely good for Floyd Mayweather junior. It offers him a solid opportunity to cement his legacy by either beating Martinez or Saul Alvarez, another young and dangerous Mexican who had a good showing over the week-end. The two are super substitutes if the fight with Pacquiao fails to take place. Perhaps, if Floyd’s last two fights are against Alvarez and then Martinez, he will have cemented his legacy beyond expectation of even his serious critics.
One thing is for sure, the legendary future ‘hall of famer’ trainer Freddie Roach has a dark cloud over his head that may need to be exorcized.
September 17th, 2012 | Post Comment
Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez Chavez Jr Martinez sergio martinez julio cesar chavez jr freddie roach By Babatis Banda: We witnessed a one sided battle over the week-end where Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was taught a very good lesson by the veteran Sergio Martinez. It was simply a one sided match from round one until the twelfth round when Martinez was decked, but survived the scare. It was clear that speed, a set of good legs and a superior boxing ability reigned supreme over sheer size and power.
Even if Martinez had been counted out, it could have made very little difference to the fact that Martinez is at a higher level than Chavez Jr. In fact, in my own opinion, Chavez junior does not even deserve a re-match, at least not in the immediate future until he proves himself again by winning his next fight, and against a competitive opponent.
That said, this whole episode added misery to the legendary trainer, Freddie Roach. Roach has seen all his ‘top-cream’ boxers reduced and converted to some semi-cheap cheese in a very short time. It all started with Amir Khan, who is now reported to have left him. This was followed by Pacquiao, who lost to Bradley, and had narrowly survived a split decision against Marquez, the man he will meet for the fourth time on December 8, 2012. The same cloud that hangs over Roach as coach, seems to hung over his fighters as well, especially Pacquiao who risks another loss against Marquez and if that happens, we may see Pacquiao retire.
The development over the week-end is extremely good for Floyd Mayweather junior. It offers him a solid opportunity to cement his legacy by either beating Martinez or Saul Alvarez, another young and dangerous Mexican who had a good showing over the week-end. The two are super substitutes if the fight with Pacquiao fails to take place. Perhaps, if Floyd’s last two fights are against Alvarez and then Martinez, he will have cemented his legacy beyond expectation of even his serious critics.
One thing is for sure, the legendary future ‘hall of famer’ trainer Freddie Roach has a dark cloud over his head that may need to be exorcized.
Carl Froch: “Manny Pacquiao is past his best. He’s had long career, he’s got few ring wars out there, maybe you’ve seen the best of him”
By Jenna Jay, OnTheRopes Boxing Radio, Doghouse Boxing (Sept 17, 2012) Doghouse Boxing
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Freddie Roach - On The Ropes Boxing Radio
Click to listen to the Carl Froch interview in its entirety now!
By Jenna Jay (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J, Doghouse Boxing). In a recent edition of my boxing radio show “On The Ropes”, I had a chance to catch up with reigning IBF super middleweight champion Carl “The Cobra” Froch. He is considered by many to be one of the best p4p fighters in the world due to his success in the ring and his willingness to take on the very best every time he enters the ring. Carl gave me his thoughts on a variety of topics, including his views on his upset victory over Lucian Bute, how it felt to once again be a world champion, thoughts in his former opponent Arthur Abraham winning a title, his prospective on former boxing great Joe Calazghe, and his views on a Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao super fight. Here is what he had to say in part 1 of my 2 part interview. You can also click the audio button on the right hand side of this page and listen to the full interview now.
Jenna: Carl, before I talk about what’s next for you, let’s take a minute to discuss the last time we saw you in the ring, that being your impressive TKO5 victory over Lucian Bute. Having had a few months to reflect on that it, what are your thoughts today?
Froch: It was a very good performance by myself obviously, it was one sided, it was very dominating by myself, I dominated from round 2 to round 5 to the stoppage, basically brute force power and work rate. Basically he wasn’t tough enough to withstand the onslaught I gave him. I really sort of broke him down and hurt him early and he was never ever able to recover from the first big few shots and then I capitalized on it and closed the show. I mean what can I say the performance speak for itself. A quite devastating loss by Lucian Bute that’s for sure.
Jenna: People were counting you out going into that fight, and the critics and odds makers had you as the underdog. How did it feel prove all those people wrong?
Froch: You know, people always have there critics. The sport wouldn’t be the same without them. I was coming off a back of a loss with Andrew Ward, so maybe they were looking into that fight and thinking that was the end of Carl Froch and people there entitled to there opinion. Bute was undefeated 30 fights 24 Knockouts, everyone had him rated very highly and had him ranked #1 world by a lot of governing bodies. They looked and looked at that Carl Froch just lost to Andre Ward and maybe his getting old and maybe his ambitions are gone, I don’t know what people are thinking it's hard for me to try to know what’s going through critics mind but he was the bookies favorite and he was the most boxing pundits favorite so, but it shows how wrong people can be, but I am not going gloat about it I am not going to say it I told you so. I am just happy I did what I could do. And sometimes this sport surprises a lot of people and I think a lot of people were surprised and shocked by the way in which I dominated Bute in the fight. I always knew I was going to beat him and beat him in style, but I didn’t do too much talking in about it before hand. Just got in there and did my business in the night.
Jenna: Well Carl, I actually picked you to stop Bute, but you still impressed me with how quickly you did it, as I picked you to end things in the 9th, and you did it in only 5.
Froch: You were one of the very few that thought I could win than.
Jenna: Carl, how did it feel to win a title belt one fight after you lost the one you previously held?
Froch: I’ve done that before. I lost to Mikkel Kessler in a very close decision in Denmark so in my next fight I boxed Arthur Abraham and a lot of people thought I would lose that fight and I was the underdog, what did I do. I went in there and dominated for 12 rounds, did the business, so it felt great but nothing new for me to be honest.
Jenna: Speaking of Arthur Abraham, he recently returned to the ring and won a super middleweight title belt. Were you are at all surprised he was able to Robert Stieglitz and become a world champion again?
Froch: No, I think Abraham did well actually in beating Stieglitz. I didn’t see the fight, but from what I’ve heard it was quite close, and that Abraham deserved to win, and he’s done well. I’m proud of him to win that fight and become WBO super middleweight champion, he’s done himself proud. We will see how long he holds on to that tile for, but it’s not massive a title the WBO, it’s not sort of belt I regard very highly personally, the 3 main belts for me are the WBC, IBF, and WBA. It’s a belt, a world title, you know one of them ones that sometimes stay in one place for too long. Top fighters don’t always challenge for it. But he is WBO super middleweight champ, he’s done well, I am not surprised he is a good fighter.
Jenna: You mention that you don’t regard the WBO belt very highly. Is that at all a shot at Joe Calazghe who held that belt for a long time?
Froch: No, no Joe Calazghe is a good friend of mine. He is a gentlemen and he has retired graciously. He retired undefeated and he was one of the best super middleweights or he was the best super middleweight in the world when he retired, so there was nothing intended at all. But it’s a good example he had the belt for 10 years and defended the tile 90% of the time in Wales, so it down values the belt little bet when that happens especially when you’re not defending it in next in line, the 1, 2 and 3 in the world, your defending against mandatory opponents, or I am sorry, not mandatory opponents you have voluntary defenses against people who are not ranked top 10 in the world, so it down values the belt, so when Floyd Mayweather has the belt and he defends the belt against the next best opponent in the division, it becomes a good belt and a good title to win, so it always different and it depends on which weight and the fighters name make the belt become more prestigious, it’s my personal opinion of the WBO it’s not something I strive to become a WBO champion, but that’s just my personal opinion, a lot people might disagree or have something to say, if they want a number to ring, just give them my number and will have a talk about it.
Jenna: Speaking of Mayweather, recently there has been talks for a fight between him and Pacquiao, and again it seems that fight will not be happening. I’m just wondering Carl, do you think boxing fans still even want to see that fight being that it’s already been 3 years and those to still have not met in the ring?
Froch: Of course the fans want to. Shame, because Pacquiao got that loss on him, obviously lot of people think he won, which is fare enough, it was one of those you could call a bad decision, but Mayweather is p4p best in the world, he is the best fighter in the world, he seems to be untouchable, but pacquiao might be on the slide, he’s past his best, he’s had long career, he’s got few ring wars out there, he’s ageing himself, maybe you’ve seen the best of him. Floyd Mayweather might be getting towards his later years, his twilight years, you never know, but of course the fans will want to see, where it will take place, it will sell out, and it will net million it’s a big fight. Will it happens who knows.
Jenna: Carl, since you mention age, you are 35 years old now. Do you think the fans have seen the best of "The Cobra" or do you believe the best is still yet to come?
Froch: It’s always hard to say isn’t it. I am 35 years old but I feel like a young man depends a lot on my fights, too see how good performance you going to see, I’ve had some performances at 25 years old, and had some fantastic performances at 34 and 35 years old, so you know age is in the prime, age doesn’t really mean anything until a certain point, and I feel very much in my prime and you know I am peaking at the minute, so I am not really thinking of age you know or if I am over the hill or if I’ve pass my best and nobody else should really at age 35 year, the stage I feel at the minute, the moves that I am doing physically, I feel in my peak. Age has nothing to do with it as far as I am concerned.
By Jenna Jay, OnTheRopes Boxing Radio, Doghouse Boxing (Sept 17, 2012) Doghouse Boxing
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Freddie Roach - On The Ropes Boxing Radio
Click to listen to the Carl Froch interview in its entirety now!
By Jenna Jay (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J, Doghouse Boxing). In a recent edition of my boxing radio show “On The Ropes”, I had a chance to catch up with reigning IBF super middleweight champion Carl “The Cobra” Froch. He is considered by many to be one of the best p4p fighters in the world due to his success in the ring and his willingness to take on the very best every time he enters the ring. Carl gave me his thoughts on a variety of topics, including his views on his upset victory over Lucian Bute, how it felt to once again be a world champion, thoughts in his former opponent Arthur Abraham winning a title, his prospective on former boxing great Joe Calazghe, and his views on a Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao super fight. Here is what he had to say in part 1 of my 2 part interview. You can also click the audio button on the right hand side of this page and listen to the full interview now.
Jenna: Carl, before I talk about what’s next for you, let’s take a minute to discuss the last time we saw you in the ring, that being your impressive TKO5 victory over Lucian Bute. Having had a few months to reflect on that it, what are your thoughts today?
Froch: It was a very good performance by myself obviously, it was one sided, it was very dominating by myself, I dominated from round 2 to round 5 to the stoppage, basically brute force power and work rate. Basically he wasn’t tough enough to withstand the onslaught I gave him. I really sort of broke him down and hurt him early and he was never ever able to recover from the first big few shots and then I capitalized on it and closed the show. I mean what can I say the performance speak for itself. A quite devastating loss by Lucian Bute that’s for sure.
Jenna: People were counting you out going into that fight, and the critics and odds makers had you as the underdog. How did it feel prove all those people wrong?
Froch: You know, people always have there critics. The sport wouldn’t be the same without them. I was coming off a back of a loss with Andrew Ward, so maybe they were looking into that fight and thinking that was the end of Carl Froch and people there entitled to there opinion. Bute was undefeated 30 fights 24 Knockouts, everyone had him rated very highly and had him ranked #1 world by a lot of governing bodies. They looked and looked at that Carl Froch just lost to Andre Ward and maybe his getting old and maybe his ambitions are gone, I don’t know what people are thinking it's hard for me to try to know what’s going through critics mind but he was the bookies favorite and he was the most boxing pundits favorite so, but it shows how wrong people can be, but I am not going gloat about it I am not going to say it I told you so. I am just happy I did what I could do. And sometimes this sport surprises a lot of people and I think a lot of people were surprised and shocked by the way in which I dominated Bute in the fight. I always knew I was going to beat him and beat him in style, but I didn’t do too much talking in about it before hand. Just got in there and did my business in the night.
Jenna: Well Carl, I actually picked you to stop Bute, but you still impressed me with how quickly you did it, as I picked you to end things in the 9th, and you did it in only 5.
Froch: You were one of the very few that thought I could win than.
Jenna: Carl, how did it feel to win a title belt one fight after you lost the one you previously held?
Froch: I’ve done that before. I lost to Mikkel Kessler in a very close decision in Denmark so in my next fight I boxed Arthur Abraham and a lot of people thought I would lose that fight and I was the underdog, what did I do. I went in there and dominated for 12 rounds, did the business, so it felt great but nothing new for me to be honest.
Jenna: Speaking of Arthur Abraham, he recently returned to the ring and won a super middleweight title belt. Were you are at all surprised he was able to Robert Stieglitz and become a world champion again?
Froch: No, I think Abraham did well actually in beating Stieglitz. I didn’t see the fight, but from what I’ve heard it was quite close, and that Abraham deserved to win, and he’s done well. I’m proud of him to win that fight and become WBO super middleweight champion, he’s done himself proud. We will see how long he holds on to that tile for, but it’s not massive a title the WBO, it’s not sort of belt I regard very highly personally, the 3 main belts for me are the WBC, IBF, and WBA. It’s a belt, a world title, you know one of them ones that sometimes stay in one place for too long. Top fighters don’t always challenge for it. But he is WBO super middleweight champ, he’s done well, I am not surprised he is a good fighter.
Jenna: You mention that you don’t regard the WBO belt very highly. Is that at all a shot at Joe Calazghe who held that belt for a long time?
Froch: No, no Joe Calazghe is a good friend of mine. He is a gentlemen and he has retired graciously. He retired undefeated and he was one of the best super middleweights or he was the best super middleweight in the world when he retired, so there was nothing intended at all. But it’s a good example he had the belt for 10 years and defended the tile 90% of the time in Wales, so it down values the belt little bet when that happens especially when you’re not defending it in next in line, the 1, 2 and 3 in the world, your defending against mandatory opponents, or I am sorry, not mandatory opponents you have voluntary defenses against people who are not ranked top 10 in the world, so it down values the belt, so when Floyd Mayweather has the belt and he defends the belt against the next best opponent in the division, it becomes a good belt and a good title to win, so it always different and it depends on which weight and the fighters name make the belt become more prestigious, it’s my personal opinion of the WBO it’s not something I strive to become a WBO champion, but that’s just my personal opinion, a lot people might disagree or have something to say, if they want a number to ring, just give them my number and will have a talk about it.
Jenna: Speaking of Mayweather, recently there has been talks for a fight between him and Pacquiao, and again it seems that fight will not be happening. I’m just wondering Carl, do you think boxing fans still even want to see that fight being that it’s already been 3 years and those to still have not met in the ring?
Froch: Of course the fans want to. Shame, because Pacquiao got that loss on him, obviously lot of people think he won, which is fare enough, it was one of those you could call a bad decision, but Mayweather is p4p best in the world, he is the best fighter in the world, he seems to be untouchable, but pacquiao might be on the slide, he’s past his best, he’s had long career, he’s got few ring wars out there, he’s ageing himself, maybe you’ve seen the best of him. Floyd Mayweather might be getting towards his later years, his twilight years, you never know, but of course the fans will want to see, where it will take place, it will sell out, and it will net million it’s a big fight. Will it happens who knows.
Jenna: Carl, since you mention age, you are 35 years old now. Do you think the fans have seen the best of "The Cobra" or do you believe the best is still yet to come?
Froch: It’s always hard to say isn’t it. I am 35 years old but I feel like a young man depends a lot on my fights, too see how good performance you going to see, I’ve had some performances at 25 years old, and had some fantastic performances at 34 and 35 years old, so you know age is in the prime, age doesn’t really mean anything until a certain point, and I feel very much in my prime and you know I am peaking at the minute, so I am not really thinking of age you know or if I am over the hill or if I’ve pass my best and nobody else should really at age 35 year, the stage I feel at the minute, the moves that I am doing physically, I feel in my peak. Age has nothing to do with it as far as I am concerned.