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Let The Games Begin: '08 Olympic Boxing Results, Day One
By Jake Donovan
East Los Angeles middleweight (165 lb/75 kg) Shawn Estrada scored the first win of the 2008 Summer Olympics for Team USA with a 10-2 points win over Ezequil Osvaldo Maderna of Argentina in the Preliminary round of 32 in Beijing, China.
Estrada, 23, sprinted out to an early lead, as he was up 3-0 less than a minute into the bout. He was up 7-0 before Maderna scored his first point. It didn’t come until midway through the second round, a straight right hand from the outside after coming up short and wide with the majority of his punches to that point.
With a third round marred by excessive clinching and very little clean punching. The 6’1” Estrada danced on his toes and boxed from the outside in the fourth and final round. The strategy worked, scoring two points early and spending the rest of the frame fighting behind a peek-a-boo defense as Maderna was unable to land another clean shot.
The bout was a rematch to their qualifying bout earlier this year, also won by Estrada though in a match that featured even less contact than Saturday’s return go.
“It was a big advantage, but he came on a little harder this time,” said Estrada of drawing the familiar foe for his opening round match. “I kept my composure to finish out the rounds.”
With the win, Estrada advances to the round of 16. He draws a less favorable matchup against slick Great Britain southpaw James Degale, who easily handled Mohamad Hikal of Egypt.
The switch-hitting Degale, who owns an amateur win over current unbeaten pro middleweight prospect Craig McEwan, fell behind early, down 3-2 midway through the opening round, but scored 11 straight points to cruise to victory by a 13-4 margin.
The scoring blows came from a variety of punches, including jabs and straight rights upstairs and looping right hands to the body while constantly flipping back and forth between orthodox and southpaw stance.
Estrada and Degale will square off Saturday, August 16 in the final bout of their upper bracket.
Team USA didn’t produce a qualifying member for the light heavyweight bracket (178 lb/81 kg), a weight class that provided the first stoppage of the competition as well as the most lopsided contest.
Ghanaian light heavyweight Bastie Samir scored a third round stoppage over Dauda Izobo of Nigeria in a strangely scored contest. The two African fighters let the leather fly early and often, but neither managed to register many points with the judges.
Samir was down 3-0 before sending Izobo to the canvas with a corker of a left hook midway through the second round. It would be the first of three official knockdowns credited to Samir before the bout was waved off at 1:28 of round three.
The win advances Samir to the light heavyweight round of 16, where he faces banger Washington Silva of Brazil, who was successful in his opening round bid with a 6-2 win over Azea Augustama.
At age 30, Silva is one of the older boxers in the Games, as well as among a handful of fighters returning from the 2004 Olympics. He lost in the opening round of the ’04 Games.
Moments after the first stoppage of the 2008 Games was in the books, Ireland’s Kenneth Egan produced the afternoon’s largest margin of victory with a 22-2 wipeout over Julius Jackson of the Virgin Islands.
The bout was a rematch to their meeting in the World Amateur Boxing Championships last October in Chicago. Egan dominated that bout, and did the same Saturday afternoon, as the southpaw was way too much for Jackson, the 21-year old son of former two-division world champion Julian Jackson.
Julius showed flashes of his father’s gifted power, sending Egan to the canvas in the second with a right hand. The knockdown was waved off, however, as the referee ruled it a slip. It was one of only two scoring moments enjoyed by Jackson, as Egan piled up the points including an 8-point third round that nearly drew a stoppage.
Egan advances to the round of 16, drawing Baram Muzaffer of Turkey, who won his opening round bout with an 8-3 decision win over Aziz Ali of Kenya.
While Julius bows out, the Olympic dream isn’t quite yet dead for the Jackson family. Younger brother John Jackson is a participant in the welterweight division (151 lb/69 kg), which along with the junior welterweight division (139 lb/65 kg) opens competition Sunday afternoon.
As to be expected, the crowd came alive for Zhang Xioping, the first member of Team China to step foot into the ring for the 2008 Summer Games. Four rounds later, the Chinese southpaw would register the first win for his squad with a 3-1 victory over Mourad Sahraoui of Tunisia.
His middleweight teammate Wang Jianzheng wasn’t as fortunate, dropping a 15-6 decision to Sergei Derevyanchenko of Ukraine.
Full results (as of 12:00PM EST):
Middleweight (165 lb/ 75 kg):
Matvey Korobov (Russia) UD-4 Naim Terbunja (Sweden), 18-6
Bakhtiyar Artayev (Kazakhstan) UD-4 Said Rachidi (Morocco), 8-2
James Degale (Great Britain) UD-4 Mohamed Hikal (Egypt), 13-4
Shawn Estrada (United States) UD-4 Ezequil Maderna (Argentina), 10-2
Andranik Hakobyan (Armenia) UD-4 Ahmed Saraku (Ghana), 14-8
Elshod Rasulov (Uzbekistan) UD-4 Jean-Michael Raymond (France), 8-2
Emilio Correa (Cuba) UD-4 Jarrod Fletcher (Australia), 17-4
Sergei Derevyanchenko (Ukraine) UD-4 Wang Jianzheng (China), 15-6
Carlos Góngora (Ecuador) UD-4 Konstantin Buga (Germany), 14-7
Georgios Gazis (Greece) UD-4 Herry Saliku Biembe (Congo), 7-2
Angkhan Chomphuphuang (Thailand) UD-4 Cho Deok-Jin (Korea), 9-3
Vijende Kumar (India) UD-4 Badou Jack (Gambia), 13-2
Light Heavyweight (178 lb, 81 kg):
Washington Silva (Brazil) UD-4 Azea Augustama (Haiti), 6-2.
Bastie Samir (Ghana) RSC-3 (1:28) Dauda Izobo (Nigeria)
Kenny Egan (Ireland) UD-4 Julius Jackson (Virgin Islands), 22-2
Baram Muzaffer (Turkey) UD-4 Aziz Ali (Kenya), 8-3
Zhang Xioping (China) UD-4 Mourad Sahraoui (Tunisia), 3-1
Artur Beterbiyev (Russia) UD-4 Kennedy Katende (Sweden), 15-3
Ramadan Yasser (Egypt) UD-4 Ramazan Magomedov (Belarus), +10, 10
Abdelhafid Benchabla (Algeria) RSC-3 (1:42) Dinesh Kumar (India)
Marijo Sivolija-Jelica (Croatia) RSC-3 (0:23) Farani Tavui (Samoa)
Dzhakhon Kurbanov (Tajikstan) UD-4 Abbs Atoev (Uzbekistán), 11-3
Carlos Negron (Puerto Rico) UD-4 Mehdi Ghorbani (Iran), 13-4
Yerkebulan Syhnaliyev (Kazakhstan) UD-4 Daugirdas Semiotas (Lithuania) 11-3
By Jake Donovan
East Los Angeles middleweight (165 lb/75 kg) Shawn Estrada scored the first win of the 2008 Summer Olympics for Team USA with a 10-2 points win over Ezequil Osvaldo Maderna of Argentina in the Preliminary round of 32 in Beijing, China.
Estrada, 23, sprinted out to an early lead, as he was up 3-0 less than a minute into the bout. He was up 7-0 before Maderna scored his first point. It didn’t come until midway through the second round, a straight right hand from the outside after coming up short and wide with the majority of his punches to that point.
With a third round marred by excessive clinching and very little clean punching. The 6’1” Estrada danced on his toes and boxed from the outside in the fourth and final round. The strategy worked, scoring two points early and spending the rest of the frame fighting behind a peek-a-boo defense as Maderna was unable to land another clean shot.
The bout was a rematch to their qualifying bout earlier this year, also won by Estrada though in a match that featured even less contact than Saturday’s return go.
“It was a big advantage, but he came on a little harder this time,” said Estrada of drawing the familiar foe for his opening round match. “I kept my composure to finish out the rounds.”
With the win, Estrada advances to the round of 16. He draws a less favorable matchup against slick Great Britain southpaw James Degale, who easily handled Mohamad Hikal of Egypt.
The switch-hitting Degale, who owns an amateur win over current unbeaten pro middleweight prospect Craig McEwan, fell behind early, down 3-2 midway through the opening round, but scored 11 straight points to cruise to victory by a 13-4 margin.
The scoring blows came from a variety of punches, including jabs and straight rights upstairs and looping right hands to the body while constantly flipping back and forth between orthodox and southpaw stance.
Estrada and Degale will square off Saturday, August 16 in the final bout of their upper bracket.
Team USA didn’t produce a qualifying member for the light heavyweight bracket (178 lb/81 kg), a weight class that provided the first stoppage of the competition as well as the most lopsided contest.
Ghanaian light heavyweight Bastie Samir scored a third round stoppage over Dauda Izobo of Nigeria in a strangely scored contest. The two African fighters let the leather fly early and often, but neither managed to register many points with the judges.
Samir was down 3-0 before sending Izobo to the canvas with a corker of a left hook midway through the second round. It would be the first of three official knockdowns credited to Samir before the bout was waved off at 1:28 of round three.
The win advances Samir to the light heavyweight round of 16, where he faces banger Washington Silva of Brazil, who was successful in his opening round bid with a 6-2 win over Azea Augustama.
At age 30, Silva is one of the older boxers in the Games, as well as among a handful of fighters returning from the 2004 Olympics. He lost in the opening round of the ’04 Games.
Moments after the first stoppage of the 2008 Games was in the books, Ireland’s Kenneth Egan produced the afternoon’s largest margin of victory with a 22-2 wipeout over Julius Jackson of the Virgin Islands.
The bout was a rematch to their meeting in the World Amateur Boxing Championships last October in Chicago. Egan dominated that bout, and did the same Saturday afternoon, as the southpaw was way too much for Jackson, the 21-year old son of former two-division world champion Julian Jackson.
Julius showed flashes of his father’s gifted power, sending Egan to the canvas in the second with a right hand. The knockdown was waved off, however, as the referee ruled it a slip. It was one of only two scoring moments enjoyed by Jackson, as Egan piled up the points including an 8-point third round that nearly drew a stoppage.
Egan advances to the round of 16, drawing Baram Muzaffer of Turkey, who won his opening round bout with an 8-3 decision win over Aziz Ali of Kenya.
While Julius bows out, the Olympic dream isn’t quite yet dead for the Jackson family. Younger brother John Jackson is a participant in the welterweight division (151 lb/69 kg), which along with the junior welterweight division (139 lb/65 kg) opens competition Sunday afternoon.
As to be expected, the crowd came alive for Zhang Xioping, the first member of Team China to step foot into the ring for the 2008 Summer Games. Four rounds later, the Chinese southpaw would register the first win for his squad with a 3-1 victory over Mourad Sahraoui of Tunisia.
His middleweight teammate Wang Jianzheng wasn’t as fortunate, dropping a 15-6 decision to Sergei Derevyanchenko of Ukraine.
Full results (as of 12:00PM EST):
Middleweight (165 lb/ 75 kg):
Matvey Korobov (Russia) UD-4 Naim Terbunja (Sweden), 18-6
Bakhtiyar Artayev (Kazakhstan) UD-4 Said Rachidi (Morocco), 8-2
James Degale (Great Britain) UD-4 Mohamed Hikal (Egypt), 13-4
Shawn Estrada (United States) UD-4 Ezequil Maderna (Argentina), 10-2
Andranik Hakobyan (Armenia) UD-4 Ahmed Saraku (Ghana), 14-8
Elshod Rasulov (Uzbekistan) UD-4 Jean-Michael Raymond (France), 8-2
Emilio Correa (Cuba) UD-4 Jarrod Fletcher (Australia), 17-4
Sergei Derevyanchenko (Ukraine) UD-4 Wang Jianzheng (China), 15-6
Carlos Góngora (Ecuador) UD-4 Konstantin Buga (Germany), 14-7
Georgios Gazis (Greece) UD-4 Herry Saliku Biembe (Congo), 7-2
Angkhan Chomphuphuang (Thailand) UD-4 Cho Deok-Jin (Korea), 9-3
Vijende Kumar (India) UD-4 Badou Jack (Gambia), 13-2
Light Heavyweight (178 lb, 81 kg):
Washington Silva (Brazil) UD-4 Azea Augustama (Haiti), 6-2.
Bastie Samir (Ghana) RSC-3 (1:28) Dauda Izobo (Nigeria)
Kenny Egan (Ireland) UD-4 Julius Jackson (Virgin Islands), 22-2
Baram Muzaffer (Turkey) UD-4 Aziz Ali (Kenya), 8-3
Zhang Xioping (China) UD-4 Mourad Sahraoui (Tunisia), 3-1
Artur Beterbiyev (Russia) UD-4 Kennedy Katende (Sweden), 15-3
Ramadan Yasser (Egypt) UD-4 Ramazan Magomedov (Belarus), +10, 10
Abdelhafid Benchabla (Algeria) RSC-3 (1:42) Dinesh Kumar (India)
Marijo Sivolija-Jelica (Croatia) RSC-3 (0:23) Farani Tavui (Samoa)
Dzhakhon Kurbanov (Tajikstan) UD-4 Abbs Atoev (Uzbekistán), 11-3
Carlos Negron (Puerto Rico) UD-4 Mehdi Ghorbani (Iran), 13-4
Yerkebulan Syhnaliyev (Kazakhstan) UD-4 Daugirdas Semiotas (Lithuania) 11-3
yeah it really sucks. The way it works is that there are 5 judges. Each judge has a clicker for each fighter. To score, 3 out of 5 judges have to click at the exact same time in order for a punch to be counted. So, one of the last fights I saw for example 2 entire rounds went by and the score was still 1 to 0, when obviously during those two rounds both fighters were landing clean punches. It's hella weak sauce. It's like kinda based on luck - if you're lucky the judges will score a punch you landed. And forget combinations it's impossible for all judges to click at the same time if lets say you do a hella fast 5 hit combo or some shit.
Every time a fighter lands a punch, your eyes immediately go up to the scores to see if it was counted and more times then not it isn't counted. So it really takes the fun out of it.
Every time a fighter lands a punch, your eyes immediately go up to the scores to see if it was counted and more times then not it isn't counted. So it really takes the fun out of it.
Paulie Malignaggi: "I'll Prove Myself Against Ricky Hatton"
By Mark Vester
IBF junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi says the bout with Ricky Hatton, scheduled for November 22 in Las Vegas, will be his career defining fight to put the boxing world on notice.
Speaking with Jose Aguirre of BoxingScene.com, Malignaggi said that he would be the regarded as the best junior welterweight in the world by the end of the year.
"I'm excited to be able to prove myself on the big stage and come November 22nd that's exactly what I'm going to do. I live for this big stage. I'm on it," Malignaggi said. Paulie Malignaggi will beat Ricky Hatton in November. At the end of the year, there will be no doubt who the best junior welterweight in the world is. You will be saying Malignaggi at the end of the year and you will be jumping on my bandwagon."
Malignaggi is still taking it easy in the gym, but should be back in full force within a few weeks. He broke a bone in his right hand in the sixth-round of his May title defense against Lovemore N'Dou. He told BoxingScene that his hand will not present a problem by the time of the fight.
"I'm out of the cast. It looks healthy, same as it did before. In a couple of weeks I'll start hitting in the gym. I'm already back in the gyms. It's just a matter of having full impact. Being able to have full impact, that will take another few weeks and then I'll have a full camp. Believe me I'll be ready," Malignaggi said.
He believes that despite winning a major title in 2007 on a nationally televised card, he was still being overlooked and not given the same opportunities as other fighters. He wants to take those frustrations out on Hatton.
"I made it when I won the title last year. I just wasn't given the opportunities. I wasn't given the credit that I deserve. Maybe I had a few lackluster defenses, but a lot of that has to do with me just not getting my credit. I just get disgusted with this sh*t. I'm tired of it. I want the big fights and now I got the big fight. Believe me, I'm going to show what I'm made of come November," Malignaggi said
By Mark Vester
IBF junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi says the bout with Ricky Hatton, scheduled for November 22 in Las Vegas, will be his career defining fight to put the boxing world on notice.
Speaking with Jose Aguirre of BoxingScene.com, Malignaggi said that he would be the regarded as the best junior welterweight in the world by the end of the year.
"I'm excited to be able to prove myself on the big stage and come November 22nd that's exactly what I'm going to do. I live for this big stage. I'm on it," Malignaggi said. Paulie Malignaggi will beat Ricky Hatton in November. At the end of the year, there will be no doubt who the best junior welterweight in the world is. You will be saying Malignaggi at the end of the year and you will be jumping on my bandwagon."
Malignaggi is still taking it easy in the gym, but should be back in full force within a few weeks. He broke a bone in his right hand in the sixth-round of his May title defense against Lovemore N'Dou. He told BoxingScene that his hand will not present a problem by the time of the fight.
"I'm out of the cast. It looks healthy, same as it did before. In a couple of weeks I'll start hitting in the gym. I'm already back in the gyms. It's just a matter of having full impact. Being able to have full impact, that will take another few weeks and then I'll have a full camp. Believe me I'll be ready," Malignaggi said.
He believes that despite winning a major title in 2007 on a nationally televised card, he was still being overlooked and not given the same opportunities as other fighters. He wants to take those frustrations out on Hatton.
"I made it when I won the title last year. I just wasn't given the opportunities. I wasn't given the credit that I deserve. Maybe I had a few lackluster defenses, but a lot of that has to do with me just not getting my credit. I just get disgusted with this sh*t. I'm tired of it. I want the big fights and now I got the big fight. Believe me, I'm going to show what I'm made of come November," Malignaggi said
Delahoya Offers 70-30 Split But Pacquiao Wants More
By Abac Cordero
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Give us more or the fight is off.
Manny Pacquiao’s legal counsel sent this message across yesterday amid reports that Pacquiao is being offered only 30 percent of everything for him to fight Oscar dela Hoya.
“If it’s 30 percent, then it’s off,” said lawyer Franklin Gacal yesterday.
He said 30 percent was the initial offer made by Dela Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions to Pacquiao who is being represented in the negotiations by his own promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank.
“That’s the offer. But we’re not taking it,” said Gacal.
Pacquiao, the best pound-for-pound fighter today, definitely wants more, and a 60-40 share, according to his adviser, Wakee Salud, should be the better deal.
A good deal should give Pacquiao close to $20 million.
“We can’t settle for 30 percent. Otherwise, we go to Humberto Soto,” said Gacal on behalf of Pacquiao who just arrived yesterday morning from the Beijing Olympics.
Soto, the Mexican fighter who knocked out the younger Pacquiao, Bobby, last year at the Madison Square Garden, is on standby, just in case the Pacquiao-Dela Hoya talks fall off.
If it’s against Soto, then Pacquiao will return to the ring in November at the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. A fight with Dela Hoya, if it happens, will take place on Dec. 6 at the MGM Grand.
Negotiations between Arum and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaeffer got off last week, and are scheduled to resume today at the GBB offices in Los Angeles.
“They are still working on the money; Oscar wants to keep all of it, it seems. I heard he wants a 70-30 split,” Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, told Boxing Herald.
Aside from the revenue split, concerns have also been raised on the weight limit, the size of gloves or even the local TV network that would bring the fight to the Philippines.
Pacquiao wants the weight limit set at 147, but Dela Hoya reportedly wants 151 lbs; and that Pacquiao would use 8 oz gloves, and Dela Hoya 10 oz gloves, but the latter now wants 10 oz for both.
Who gets to air the fight for local TV, whether it’s ABS-CBN (which holds the right to air Dela Hoya fights in the Philippines) or GMA-7 (where Pacquiao belongs) is another weighty issue.
“We expected all these issues. The gloves alone will be an issue, the weight, and then the revenue split,” said Gacal.
By Abac Cordero
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Give us more or the fight is off.
Manny Pacquiao’s legal counsel sent this message across yesterday amid reports that Pacquiao is being offered only 30 percent of everything for him to fight Oscar dela Hoya.
“If it’s 30 percent, then it’s off,” said lawyer Franklin Gacal yesterday.
He said 30 percent was the initial offer made by Dela Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions to Pacquiao who is being represented in the negotiations by his own promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank.
“That’s the offer. But we’re not taking it,” said Gacal.
Pacquiao, the best pound-for-pound fighter today, definitely wants more, and a 60-40 share, according to his adviser, Wakee Salud, should be the better deal.
A good deal should give Pacquiao close to $20 million.
“We can’t settle for 30 percent. Otherwise, we go to Humberto Soto,” said Gacal on behalf of Pacquiao who just arrived yesterday morning from the Beijing Olympics.
Soto, the Mexican fighter who knocked out the younger Pacquiao, Bobby, last year at the Madison Square Garden, is on standby, just in case the Pacquiao-Dela Hoya talks fall off.
If it’s against Soto, then Pacquiao will return to the ring in November at the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. A fight with Dela Hoya, if it happens, will take place on Dec. 6 at the MGM Grand.
Negotiations between Arum and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaeffer got off last week, and are scheduled to resume today at the GBB offices in Los Angeles.
“They are still working on the money; Oscar wants to keep all of it, it seems. I heard he wants a 70-30 split,” Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, told Boxing Herald.
Aside from the revenue split, concerns have also been raised on the weight limit, the size of gloves or even the local TV network that would bring the fight to the Philippines.
Pacquiao wants the weight limit set at 147, but Dela Hoya reportedly wants 151 lbs; and that Pacquiao would use 8 oz gloves, and Dela Hoya 10 oz gloves, but the latter now wants 10 oz for both.
Who gets to air the fight for local TV, whether it’s ABS-CBN (which holds the right to air Dela Hoya fights in the Philippines) or GMA-7 (where Pacquiao belongs) is another weighty issue.
“We expected all these issues. The gloves alone will be an issue, the weight, and then the revenue split,” said Gacal.
PAUL WILLIAMS: "I SPANKED HIM LIKE A GUY THAT HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE"
We trying to get that fight so bad it's a shame because we know we can't get it. We know he ain't going to fight us. He ain't got nobody to fight and we ain't got nobody to fight so why is he calling out Zab and Clottey. We already know what it is. They trying to say Margarito's looking for money fights or whatever, but they ain't going to let me jump on him again," stated WBO welterweight champion Paul Williams and he talked about his strong desire to give newly crowned WBA welterweight champion Antonio Margarito an opportunity for a rematch. You definitely don't want to miss what else he had to say as Williams, who doesn't seem too impressed with Margarito's win over Cotto, shares his thoughts on Margarito, Cotto, Berto, the possibility of fighting at 168 for one fight and coming back down to 147 for his next fight and much, much
http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content3226.html?PHPSESSID=626f745c0aa0bed76620a6f437a84653
We trying to get that fight so bad it's a shame because we know we can't get it. We know he ain't going to fight us. He ain't got nobody to fight and we ain't got nobody to fight so why is he calling out Zab and Clottey. We already know what it is. They trying to say Margarito's looking for money fights or whatever, but they ain't going to let me jump on him again," stated WBO welterweight champion Paul Williams and he talked about his strong desire to give newly crowned WBA welterweight champion Antonio Margarito an opportunity for a rematch. You definitely don't want to miss what else he had to say as Williams, who doesn't seem too impressed with Margarito's win over Cotto, shares his thoughts on Margarito, Cotto, Berto, the possibility of fighting at 168 for one fight and coming back down to 147 for his next fight and much, much
http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content3226.html?PHPSESSID=626f745c0aa0bed76620a6f437a84653
Pavlik vs. Hopkins: Not What The Fans Want To See
By Mark Vester
Thousands of boxing fans participated with the latest poll on BoxingScene.com. The poll took a survey, asking the boxing public who they would like to see Kelly Pavlik fight next. Among the choices were Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr., Arthur Abraham, Paul Williams and Winky Wright.
Hopkins is scheduled to face Pavlik on October 18 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, but he was far away from the popular vote among the people. It was no surprise to see Abraham run away with the vote, coming in first place with a solid 41.6% of the overall tally. Wright managed to come in second place with 17.6% of the vote, which was still less than half of what Abraham received.
The third place spot went to Roy Jones Jr., scheduled to face Joe Calzaghe on November 8 in Las Vegas. Jones managed to grab 16.2% of the count. WBO welterweight champion Paul Williams, who came close to being the opponent for Pavlik, came in fourth with 13.2%.
The last position on the poll went to Pavlik's current opponent, Hopkins, who only managed to get 11.1% of the overall count. The last place positioning of Hopkins would send a clear message that boxing fans are not thrilled with Pavlik's next fight.
Joe Calzaghe, another viable opponent, was omitted from the poll after he turned down a fight with Pavlik in order to fight Roy Jones. Calzaghe's absence is irrelevant. If he was included, there would have been five names positioned ahead of Hopkins instead of four.
Pavlik is not the person to blame for the selection of Hopkins. Calzaghe turned him down. Jones accepted Calzaghe. HBO would not put out enough money to make a Williams fight happen. Abraham defends against Raul Marquez on October 4 and Golden Boy pushed Hopkins ahead of Winky Wright during their negotiations with Pavlik's promoter, Top Rank. In the end, Hopkins was the only road for Pavlik to take
By Mark Vester
Thousands of boxing fans participated with the latest poll on BoxingScene.com. The poll took a survey, asking the boxing public who they would like to see Kelly Pavlik fight next. Among the choices were Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr., Arthur Abraham, Paul Williams and Winky Wright.
Hopkins is scheduled to face Pavlik on October 18 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, but he was far away from the popular vote among the people. It was no surprise to see Abraham run away with the vote, coming in first place with a solid 41.6% of the overall tally. Wright managed to come in second place with 17.6% of the vote, which was still less than half of what Abraham received.
The third place spot went to Roy Jones Jr., scheduled to face Joe Calzaghe on November 8 in Las Vegas. Jones managed to grab 16.2% of the count. WBO welterweight champion Paul Williams, who came close to being the opponent for Pavlik, came in fourth with 13.2%.
The last position on the poll went to Pavlik's current opponent, Hopkins, who only managed to get 11.1% of the overall count. The last place positioning of Hopkins would send a clear message that boxing fans are not thrilled with Pavlik's next fight.
Joe Calzaghe, another viable opponent, was omitted from the poll after he turned down a fight with Pavlik in order to fight Roy Jones. Calzaghe's absence is irrelevant. If he was included, there would have been five names positioned ahead of Hopkins instead of four.
Pavlik is not the person to blame for the selection of Hopkins. Calzaghe turned him down. Jones accepted Calzaghe. HBO would not put out enough money to make a Williams fight happen. Abraham defends against Raul Marquez on October 4 and Golden Boy pushed Hopkins ahead of Winky Wright during their negotiations with Pavlik's promoter, Top Rank. In the end, Hopkins was the only road for Pavlik to take