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heyzel

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Jul 24, 2005
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Kelly Pavlik: "No Surprise if Roy Jones Beats Joe Calzaghe"

By Mark Vester

As the weeks go by, more and more people are jumping off the Joe Calzaghe boat and picking former four-division champion Roy Jones Jr. to pull off the win on November 8 at New York's Madison Square Garden. WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik holds a big interest in the fight, especially if Calzaghe wins. If he overcomes the challenge of Bernard Hopkins on October 18, and Calzaghe beats Jones - the two of them could end up fighting at some point in 2009.

While he doesn't outright pick Jones to pull off the upset and beat Calzaghe, Pavlik tells Steve Kim of Maxboxing that he wouldn't be surprised if Jones had his hand raised. Business is business, Pavlik will be rooting for Calzaghe to win, despite the fact that Calzaghe has said several times in the last few weeks that he plans to retire after the fight with Jones. He continues to call Jones his final career bout, but also says the possibility of returning for the right fight is not out of the question. Calzaghe has also downplayed Pavlik's challenge in the press, but Pavlik believes that Enzo Calzaghe, Joe's father and trainer, is the real person preventing their fight from happening.

"I want Calzaghe to win, I really do. I just want to fight him. Actually, I want to fight his dad first," Pavlik said. "His dad is doing everything possible to not have that fight happen. But with Calzaghe and Jones nothing is impossible in that fight. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if Roy Jones outpointed him. I'm being dead serious in that. I would not be a bit surprised."

"I'm hoping Calzaghe wins and I think he could win, but at the same time, if Calzaghe had a little bit of power with his pressure, then I'd say, 'Y'know what, Jones might end up like he did with Glen Johnson and Tarver,' but I just don't think Calzaghe has enough to really do that to Roy. I think Roy Jones might possibly drop Calzaghe in that fight."

Pavlik told Kim that the beating he gave Gary Lockett in June, another Enzo Calzaghe trained fighter, is probably the reason why Enzo is keeping his son far away.

“I think his dad is in his ear and his dad's still shaking from the beating his fighter took. I think he's still shaking the cobwebs right now. Boxing for him, thank God for Joe, because his dad’s the one who's behind all this - it ain't Joe," Pavlik says. "It's his dad. His dad is running his mouth and flapping away and his dad doesn't know a left hook from a fishing hook."
 
2-0-Sixx

2-0-Sixx

Sicc OG
#2,262
May 13, 2002
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#2,262
jesus christ this soap opera never ends




Oscar De La Hoya vs. Paul Williams Being Considered?


By Mark Vester

In what many are calling a direct slap in the face to WBA welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, the latest fighter in the running to land Oscar De La Hoya on December 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas - is none other than WBO welterweight champion Paul Williams.

Williams won a twelve-round decision over Margarito in 2007. While Margarito has been hunting for De La Hoya, Williams has been hunting for Margarito. It would be an ironic twist if now Williams and De La Hoya fought each other. Of course, WBC lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao is still the frontrunner to land De La Hoya in December, if the two sides ever come to terms, but if they don't - Williams is another option added to the mix.

Eric Gomez, VP and matchmaker for Golden Boy Promotions, told boxing writer David Avila, that Williams was being considered for the date, along with WBC junior middleweight champ Sergio Mora - if he beats Vernon Forrest on September 13.

“Paul Williams name has come up and we’re definitely thinking of a match between him and Oscar,” said Gomez. “He’s definitely being considered.”

Williams' promoter Dan Goossen told Avila that a fight with De La Hoya and Williams makes perfect sense.

“Oscar has said before that he wants to fight the best welterweight and that’s Paul Williams,” said Goossen. “Williams beat Margarito so it makes sense. Oscar is the biggest name in boxing without a doubt. Williams is the most feared fighter.”

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ [email protected]
 
2-0-Sixx

2-0-Sixx

Sicc OG
#2,265
May 13, 2002
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#2,265
Margarito Tells De La Hoya "Please Fight Paul Williams"


By Rick Reeno

After reading the recent news that Oscar De La Hoya is considering WBO welterweight champ Paul "The Punisher" Williams as the opponent for his career finale on December 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the "Tijuana Tornado" Antonio Margarito contacted BoxingScene.com to "call Oscar's bluff."

In the last month, De La Hoya has felt a backlash from the boxing fans for brushing away the numerous challenges made by Margarito - and his insistence on going through with a fight against the much smaller Manny Pacquiao, holder of the WBC lightweight title. According to Margarito, he doesn't think De La Hoya has any intention of fighting Williams, and is simply using his name to save face with the boxing public.

Margarito wants De La Hoya to prove him wrong. He says since De La Hoya won't accept his challenge, he wants him to go through with a fight against Williams. He doesn't think De La Hoya-Williams will ever happen, but he wants the public to know that he wants De La Hoya to take the fight.

"I thought Oscar would stop lying by now! Now he's trying to deceive the people into believing that he is considering Paul Williams as his next opponent. I can't wait to hear what his excuse will be as to why he decided not to fight Paul Williams," Margarito said.

"Oscar, all you're doing is burying yourself into a deeper hole. If I were you, I would take the Williams fight and hold onto whatever integrity you have left".
 
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heyzel

Sicc OG
#2,266
Jul 24, 2005
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Deontay Wilder - A Heavyweight To Look Forward To?

James Slater: In holding the distinction of being the only U.S boxer from this year's 26.08.08 - Olympics to capture a medal - any medal - heavyweight Deontay Wilder of Tuscaloosa, Alabama must be feeling quite special right about now. In winning a bronze medal in the 201 pound category, the 22-year-old saved his country from the embarrassment of coming home from Beijing without a single medal in boxing..

Now, having proven his talent and skill, the question will be asked; can Wilder become a pro heavyweight we will one day be very excited about? Yes, it's still embryonic days at the moment, and Wilder hasn't even announced a pro career yet. But surely he will do so soon. The heavyweight division is crying out for a new star hailing for the United States, and if there's any chance Wilder may be it he would be a fool not to go for it in the paid ranks as soon as he can.

Having said that, there is a chance Wilder may follow in the footsteps of Evander Holyfield, and box as a cruiserweight. "The Real Deal" also captured 'only' a bronze when he represented his country at the 1984 games - and down at light-heavyweight at that. Disappointed at the time to have been forced to settle for bronze (we all know what happened), Holyfield went on to become a true great at both cruiser and heavyweight as a pro. Sure, Wilder will have to go some to even come close to Holy's considerable achievements, but he certainly has a role model to look up to should he need one.

I do feel the heavyweight division is where Wilder will head to as soon as he turns pro, however. Standing an impressive 6'7" and possessing a powerful right hand, the heavyweight division seems to be his natural calling. He can bulk up from the approx 200 pounds he weighs now, and in time he may become the man to watch in boxing's biggest weight class. Sporting a good amateur record of 23-4, in which he was only stopped once, the easygoing Wilder clearly has all the tools needed to be able to box and fight well. Along with the Olympic medal he's just captured, Wilder has also won The National Golden Gloves and The U.S Championships at 201 pounds. Having only started boxing in late 2005, the could be future star has shown he is a quick learner/developer.

Who knows, Deontay Wilder just might be a future champion of the professional ranks in a few years time
 
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heyzel

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Jul 24, 2005
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Another Russian Giant Is Coming: Alexander Ustinov

By Paul McCreath, photo by Wray Edwards / ESB - As if the towering presence of Nicolay Valuev is not enough to scare off a lot of heavyweights now we have another Russian giant on the way. This one is not quite as large as Big Nic but at 6 foot 7and 1/2 inches tall and around 300 pounds he will do. At that size Alex Ustinov is probably the second biggest heavyweight in the world. There are probably several lower level heavies who are a bit taller and of course Butterbean is heavier but for all around size I think Alex is second only to Valuev.

Now of course size is not everything in boxing.We have had several really big men in recent years who fell considerably short in the skills department. The name Tye Fields comes to mind as one with which most of you will be familiar . The majority of big men have the same problems. They tend to be slow and usually don't punch their weight. If truth be told a lot of them can't fight a lick and rely only on their size and strength to roll through the soft touches before being flattened by their first talented opponent.. Still we have to admit that if all other things are equal that a good big man will usually defeat a good smaller one. Valuev proved to us that even with modest skills you can compete with the best in today's rather sad looking heavyweight division if you are big enough.

A man the size of Alex Ustinov is pretty hard to ignore but is he for real? It is impossible to say for sure at this early date but let us look at a few facts before we try to make a prediction on what his future may bring. Alex was born in Postovo in Russia in 1976 and will turn 32 in December.He now lives in Minsk in Belarus and has had 12 pro fights, all wins with 10 KOs. He is with the Klitschko brothers promotional team K-2 East but earlier in his career he fought under the guidance of the controversial Ahmet Oener for a time. Oddly enough although he is a Russian he has never fought as a pro in his homeland of Russia .He has appeared 4 times in Germany, 3 times in Belarus, twice in Ukraine, once in Czech Republic, once in Madison Square Garden in New York and this past weekend fought in China. He clearly gets around, thanks I am sure to his connection with the Klitschkos. Although 32 is a bit old for a prospect in this day of 40 year old contenders his age is unlikely to be a problem.

Unlike most big men who enter boxing Alex has a solid background in combat sports. He was an outstanding fighter in K-1 or Muay Thai and won both the IFMA and WFCA world championships in 2006 when he was already beginning his pro boxing career that started in May of 2005. He has also won several other major kickboxing tournaments. In MMA he has won all six bouts, 5 by KO. This is one tough guy. I have seen some of his fights and he appears to be much more aggressive than Valuev and packs good power. His chin seems very solid and he has been tested many times. This is one cause for worry. His defense definitely needs more work but he is faster than one would expect for such a big man. When hit with a solid blow he does not hold but goes on a furious attack.

Alex began his pro career with 8 strait KOs with the last one coming in New York against trial horse Earl Ladson in 1 round on the Wlad Klitschko-Ibragimov undercard. He followed that with an 8 round decision over tricky veteran journeyman Sedreck Fields in Ukraine. Next up was his toughest test so far,another undefeated Russian Rudolf Abramyan who came in at 11-0 with 10 KOs. This fight also went the full 8 with another win for Alex. In his last fight this past Saturday he disposed of Brazilian punching bag Daniel Bispo in 2 rounds in China.

It should be clear that Ustinov is not about to break into the top 20 any time soon. In spite off dissenting opinions by some experts I believe there are lots of heavyweights who could beat Alex right now. It is going to take some time before Alex is ready for world class foes. My guess is about two years but in the meantime it is going to be fun to watch his progress. Don't expect any quick miracles. Remember it took Valuev around ten years to make his breakthrough. With Alex it will depend a lot on his ability to learn new skills as he gains more experience. The next few years should be very interesting for Alex Ustinov and heavyweight boxing fans.
 
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heyzel

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Jul 24, 2005
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Kermit Cintron To Face Lovemore Ndou on November 15

By Rick Reeno

BoxingScene.com has been informed that former IBF welterweight champion Kermit Cintron (29-2, 27KOs) will more than likely square off with Lovemore Ndou (46-10, 31KOs), a former IBF junior welterweight champ, on the November 15 undercard to Jermain Taylor vs. Jeff Lacy. The fight is said to be an IBF eliminator for the number-two spot in the rankings.

Cintron is coming off a sixth-round knockout loss at hands of Antonio Margarito, which took place in April. Ndou was last seen in the ring in May, losing a split-decision to Paulie Malignaggi. The fight will be Ndou's first at 147-pounds. Ndou recently issued a public challenge to his countryman, Anthony Mundine, who last fought at 164-pounds. Cintron will look to be impressive to set up a potential fight with fellow Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in the near future.

There is also talk that Cintron will no longer use the services of trainer Emanuel Steward, and will now hook up with well-respected Ronnie Shields.

As previously reported by Mitch Abramson within his BoxingScene piece last week, heavyweight Chazz Witherspoon, also coming off his first pro defeat, to Chris Arreola, will appear on the Nov. 15 undercard against once-beaten Adam "Swamp Donkey" Richards
 
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heyzel

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Jul 24, 2005
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Roach: "De La Hoya Has Offered Pacquiao 65-35 Split"

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach says he heard that “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya gave up 5 percent on his original offer of a 70-30 revenue split for a planned showdown with Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao set in Las Vegas on December 6.

In an overseas telephone conversation with insidesports.ph, Roach said “Oscar gave up the five percent Manny asked for but for some reason the deal is not being closed.”

Pacquiao had stood firm on a 60-40 split while De La Hoya refused to back down from his original 70-30 offer. The latest information which Roach learned would set the sharing at 65-35 and effectively mean that De La Hoya gave in to some extent.

However, Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin “Jeng” Gacal told insidesports.ph from General Santos City shortly after the Roach interview, that he hasn’t heard anything up to now and has tried, but failed, to contact Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who was scheduled to have returned from a brief vacation in Paris on Tuesday (Manila Time).

Roach conceded that while his role is that of Pacquiao’s trainer he wants the fight to take place but said “I am tired of trying to make this happen. He’ll blow a $20 million fight.“

Roach said that its not only about Pacquiao winning but “what it does to his career and his life is going to be unbelievable.” Roach said “I can’t believe its not happening but its out of my hands.“

The two-time “Trainer of the Year” regarded as one of the best in the business and someone who has honed Pacquiao’s skills to near perfection reiterated that he wants the De La Hoya fight to happen and would train Pacquiao “for free because I know he will win that fight.“
 
MOREBASS

MOREBASS

Sicc OG
#2,273
Dec 9, 2005
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#2,273
^ Who isn't though ? He'll probably make more money from this fight than he did in the Oscar-Floyd fight. I understand where he's coming from, and he has trained both fighters, but I'm not sure if he really feels that Manny, with his huge physical disadvantages in the fight can still pull off a win, let alone a KO...or whether he's just throwing gas on the flames.
 
MOREBASS

MOREBASS

Sicc OG
#2,276
Dec 9, 2005
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#2,276
Its a mismatch, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going to try and get tickets the minute they dropped. I don't know, I think theres a lot of work to do @ 135 for Manny before even considering moving up.

I understand that there are a lot of people in his circle that can capitalize off of this possible major payday. But there are better, more competitive fights out there for Manny. And I'm SMH @ Oscar for trying so hard not only to make this fight happen, but to try and justify it.
 
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heyzel

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Comparing the All-Time Greats: Namely, Why You Can’t

25.08.08 - By Jason Peck- Ever wonder who would win in a fight: Prime Mike Tyson or Ali? Hagler or Hopkins? How about Salvador Sanchez versus Willie Pep? Lightweight Roberto Duran versus lightweight Floyd Mayweather?

Matching up history’s greatest champions is a popular topic for most boxing fans, so it’s no wonder the boxing publications follow suit. In fact, I was just reading the current issue of Ring Magazine, when the magazine’s claim that current WBO welterweight champ Paul Williams could take a prime Leonard Hearns really rubbed me the wrong way..

Now, I’m actually taking the high road here. I’m just going to assume that everyone sees the commonsense argument here: It’s rather premature comparing one of the great welterweights (Hearns) to a fighter who has yet to make a successful title defense (Williams). But I took a deep breath and scrapped that in favor of a deeper look.

Other sports are games of numbers; scores are measured out coldly and objectively. That’s why we can say without controversy that Michael Phelps is the fastest swimmer that ever lived. Namely, because he is – his times are the fastest in recorded history. Place him against a prime Mark Spitz, and Phelps still rules him.

Boxing is different. Comparing fighters from different eras is a matter of opinion and fuzzy logic. But it’s also inherently flawed from the start. Because by doing so, you make the assumption that winning world titles has held the same gravity in every era of modern boxing. Which is totally wrong.

Boxing Monthly recently featured an essay on the subject, which more or less validates my argument. And the argument is, boxing sure ain’t what it used to be.

We no longer live in an era when lacing up a paid of gloves was a rite of passage, when a sizable portion of the public actually had ring experience. Back then, fighters had no shortage of challengers. A rising star could fight dozens of times before his first title shot, and against a wider range of opponents than today’s pugilists. He might even (gasp!) lose a fight or two.

Now we ran into a problem that was exceedingly rare a few decades back. More often than not we see promoters who match their prospects against tomato cans with no chance of winning, thus building a nice-looking – but hollow – resume. Then they move them up before anyone finds what’s going on. And naturally, the prospect can’t handle himself. He’s never been in a situation where the chips were down, where he was being outworked or out-landed. Subsequently, he crumbles.

It’s quite amazing when you think of it – fighters can now win world titles without actually being tested at the world level. Go a few decades back, and you can be reasonably certain that both combatants knew their way around the ring. Hell, most of these guys fought more in a year than some modern fighters do in their entire careers!

There are exceptions to the rule: Some modern fighters could probably take their predecessors, but they’re far and few. Overall, the warriors of yesteryear were more seasoned, more ring-savvy, and tougher than fighters we’ll run into today. Merely qualifying for a world title meant beating a lot of contenders on the way up. By contrast, today’s pugilists have maybe a fight or two against a worthy challenger with a winning record.

Add in all the rule changes in boxing since then, and you’re not looking at two different fighters. You’re looking at two different sports.

Hell, all this is without me even getting into the fragmentation of titles. By far, the most imbecilic argument comes when people compare the champions by the number of title defenses they made.

On paper we can say that Bernard Hopkins has more title victories than any other middleweight, but you’re comparing the IBF with the World Middleweight Title of yore. Likewise, Dariusz Michelcheski has 23 title defenses of his WBO light heavyweight title, more than any other LHW. But these titles aren’t the same as the old-school “World” titles, where everyone had to come through a single champion.

Could Hopkins therefore have stood his ground against “less accomplished” middleweights like Carlos Monzon, Marvin Hagler or either Sugar Ray? Absolutely not! The best he could hope to do is frustrate them before getting clobbered. And could ol’ Darisz stack up against the great light heavies like Michael Spinks or Archie Moore? Somehow, I think that his career stats wouldn’t count for much. By contrast, Joe Louis’s record 25 title defenses looks all the more impressive with each passing year.

In short, “great” is a word that’s tossed around way too often. People compare fighters without making some commonsense comparisons of the eras that produced these fighters. By all means, have fun and imagine Marciano vs. Holyfield. But for your own safety – don’t take it too seriously.
 
2-0-Sixx

2-0-Sixx

Sicc OG
#2,278
May 13, 2002
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#2,278
just fuckin great........it's official. ESPN News.


Sources: De La Hoya, Pacquiao agree to Dec. 6 fight in Vegas

Oscar De La Hoya, boxing's biggest star, will announce Thursday that he will meet pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao on Dec. 6, two sources close to the fight told ESPN.com.

Top Rank's Bob Arum, whose company promotes Pacquiao, would not confirm a deal was in place for what would be the year's biggest fight, but he did tell ESPN.com that De La Hoya would host a media teleconference at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday to announce his opponent.

"We'll know who is he is fighting tomorrow," Arum said Wednesday from Youngstown, Ohio, where he was attending a promotional event for the Kelly Pavlik-Bernard Hopkins fight that he is co-promoting with De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. "I made a commitment that I wouldn't say anything and that tomorrow there would be an announcement. I'm not allowed to make any comments. Everything will be clear on Thursday."

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer would not confirm the deal, either, but sounded positive when asked about it.

"Last week the deal was 90 percent dead, but we were able to revive it. The fact that it has been so quiet is a good sign," Schaefer said from Mexico, where he was traveling on business with De La Hoya. "It's been a lot of back and forth and skillful negotiating and to try to get each side to soften their stance. If the fight was Arum vs. Schaefer, it would have been made awhile ago."

Schaefer dismissed reports this week that welterweight titleholder Paul Williams was under serious consideration to meet De La Hoya. Schaefer said that although Williams' name was thrown out during an internal meeting, it was quickly dismissed, and no contact was ever made between the De La Hoya and Williams camps. Williams promoter Dan Goossen confirmed that as well.

De La Hoya (39-5, 30 KOs), who has repeatedly said the December fight would be the last bout of his storied career in which he's won world titles in six weight divisions, has been in talks with Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs) for weeks. But negotiations got bogged down when the sides could not come to an agreement on how to split the revenue, which is expected to exceed more than $100 million.

De La Hoya stood firm for weeks on a 70-30 split in his favor; Pacquiao was demanding a 40 percent slice of the pie.

The rest of the major issues, from the maximum weight to the size of the gloves, were agreed upon, with Pacquiao getting his way on a 147-pound weight limit and 8-ounce gloves.

The percentage split that De La Hoya and Pacquiao have apparently agreed to is unclear.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer and one of De La Hoya's former trainers, has been an outspoken advocate of the fight, going so far as to say he would train Pacquiao for free because he was so confident he would win.

Roach told ESPN.com on Wednesday that Pacquiao, whom he hadn't spoken to much recently, left him two voice mails about 7 a.m. ET.

"He left me the messages and at the end of one of them, he said, 'Thanks for all your help.' I read that as the fight is done," Roach said.

Pacquiao, a lightweight titleholder who has won belts in five weight classes and is the national icon of the Philippines, would move up to welterweight for the showdown with De La Hoya.

The fight is expected to take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where De La Hoya has fought five of his past six bouts and seven of his past 10.

Dan Rafael is ESPN.com's boxing writer.
 
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