Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Ricky Hatton: "I'm Not Quite Finished Yet

By Mark Vester

Former two-division champion Ricky Hatton is planning to make a statement when he returns to the ring on May 24 against Juan Lazcano at the City of Manchester Stadium. Speaking with The Telegraph, Hatton said that he's mapping out the remainder of his career, but refused to set a number of how many fights he's got left in the tank.

"It's my intention to come back strong and slam the door on to everyone who thinks I am finished," said Hatton. "I'm not quite finished yet. I'm not putting a number on how many fights I've got but I'm down the home straight of my career. It's all about ticking off those goals I have to achieve in my career."

"I've been talking for God knows how many years that I'd love one day to fight at City's ground. It was always a dream to come and fight at my beloved Man City and now the dream's come real. I've done so many things in my career: I've won six world titles, two different weight divisions, I've fought for the best pound-for-pound title in the world, I've topped the bill in Vegas - I've done so much."

Lazcano will be Hatton's first opponent since the Manchester fighter suffered defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. last December

 

[2-0-Sixx]

FIGHTS TONIGHT ON VERSUS!

The main event is Josue Blocus vs. the always horrible and plodding Tye Fields. Hopefully Blocus knocks him fucking silly .. but probably not. The REAL main event is the 21-0 Urbano Antillon taking a step up in competition against Mannys brother Bobby Pacquiao. If you have Versus check it out.

Tye Fields is the TRUTH!!! The most feared man in boxing. The one man in the sport that can unify the heavyweight division!!!

lol, on the real, Tye Fields is the biggest dope I've ever seen the sport. What a joke!! 40-1 record and not a single decent opponent!! lol I'd like to see him and Valuev fight just because they both are giants. Valuev would wreck him. I didn't know little pacman was on tonight as well, imma have to check this out (versus actually isn't all that bad either, they try to put on good cards)

And for comic relief (hopefully), read some of things I wrote on a different site regarding Fields:

when was fields in prison?

2006-2007. He was actually sentenced to life in prison but after one year he busted through the wall. Cops tried to stop him, but they were all killed. The National Guard was sent in to capture him, but they too were no match and all died horrible, painful deaths. Fields later threatened if anyone else tried to stop him, he'd destroy neighboring cities and kill every man, woman and child on site. As a result, George W. Bush pardoned him as the only way to end the carnage. This is the only known time that the US government had made a deal with a terrorist.

When you guys woke up today did you feel it, that sharp pain in your gut? I sure did. This happens every time the morning of a Tye Fields fight....the anticipation of absolute domination is so much for the universe that it releases simultaneous electrons faster than the speed of light with 1/16th the power of Tye Fields uppercut that shoots through the gut of every human being on the planet. It's the laws of physics perfectly in place. If the universe didn't release this awesome power, the entire universe would collapse as soon as Fields landed his first punch.

Tonight is the night Tye Fields kills.

Legend has it a group of nuns were watching a documentary about some prophets on PBS one night, when one of the nuns accidentally sat on the remote and turned the TV to the versus channel. What they witnessed was a terrific punch from Tye Fields, which instantly KO'd all of the nuns. When they woke several days later, they swore they witnessed the Devil himself, and thus the reason nuns oppose boxing and call it "the devils sport."

 

[naner12]

LOL @ the nuns post.

 

[naner12]

Man Pacquiao just got crushed with a body shot.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

fuck i just missed it. yeah lil pacman kinda sucks ass.

 

[naner12]

fuck i just missed it. yeah lil pacman kinda sucks ass.

You seriously need to watch Tye Fields post interview. They interviewed Bob Arum and his response to one of the questions about Fields was "He's big .. and he's white." Shit was great.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

LOL, I read that. I also saw the fight on Youtube. Next Ali!!!

Here is a picture I made of Fields kicking Ali's ass, if the fight ever went down (also it's the actual size differential):

(That's Ali falling by the massive wind of Tye's punch)

 

[heyzel]

Amir Khan Calls Out Nate Campbell

Amir Khan has congratualted new lightweight world champion Nate Campbell on beating Juan Diaz - but has warned him he is coming to get his titles.

Campbell pulled off a major shock when he out-pointed Diaz in Mexico at the weekend to land the WBC, WBO and WBA crowns.

And Khan says he'd be keen on a fight with the top American.

"No one gave Campbell much of a chance, so it's a great acheivement to have beaten Diaz and won those belts," said the 21-year-old from Bolton.

"But I don't think I'm too far off fighting the likes of Campbell - and hopefully by the end of the year I'll be challenging for the titles.

"He's a great fighter, but at the end of the day I want to test myself against the best.

"I'm improving every day in the gym, and I'm punching much harder now than I was just six months ago.

"I just need a little bit more experience and then I'll be ready for anyone in the world. I went 12 hard rounds in my last fight, and that's given loads more confidence."

Khan, unbeaten in 16 fights, put on a punch perfect display last time out in taking every round against former world champion Gairy St Clair in a defence of his Commonwealth belt.

Next time out he tackles Martin Kristjansen at the Bolton Arena, Bolton, on April 5 in an eliminator for the WBO World title.

With Khan already highly ranked by the WBO, and Kristjansen the current number two, victory will see him move a step closer a mandatory shot at either Campbell, or interim WBO champion Michael Katsidis

 

[heyzel]

Quintana-Williams Rematch Talks Progress

By Mark Vester

According to a report in El Nuevo Dia, a rematch between WBO welterweight champion Carlos Quintana and Paul Williams may come as early as May 24 with HBO televising. On February 9, Quintana upset Williams by unanimous decision to win the WBO title.

The May date is not official as the promoters are also looking at June 7. Showtime has an opening on that date, but HBO is already televising a big triple-header on the same day with Kelly Pavlik defending his middleweight title against Gary Lockett.

Quintana says that both of the proposed dates are a bit early and he would like the fight to happen in mid to late June.

"They spoke to me about May 24, and the date of June 7. I think that's a bit early. I would like for the rematch to happen in the middle or the end of June to have more time to train. I would love for the rematch to happen in Puerto Rico," Quintana said


hopefully paul will look better

 

[heyzel]

Alfonso Gomez: "100% Sure, I'll Beat Cotto"

By Mark Vester

"Contender" star Alfonso Gomez is planning for a war when he takes on WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto on April 12 in Atlantic City.

In a recent interview with El Nuevo Dia, Gomez was very honest with his underdog status, but still plans to go down swinging if necessary.

"I'm aware that I'm the underdog, but they didn't give me a chance on The Contender or against (Arturo) Gatti, so it's always the same story. It is not that I like to be the underdog, but I'm always fighting someone who is bigger or with more experience. But, I'm confident that I'm going to beat Cotto. I am 100% sure of that. If I wasn't, I wouldn't step inside the ring," Gomez said.

 

[heyzel]

Joe Mesi Injured, Withdraws From 4/4 Bout

PROVIDENCE – A shoulder muscle tear has forced “Baby” Joe Mesi to withdraw from his April 4th fight against Terry “Hurricane” Smith, headlining an ESPN2 Friday Night Fights pro boxing show, at Twin River Events Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Mesi is under doctor’s orders to rest his injured shoulder for three to four weeks.

Joe suffered a posterior and interior labral tear. The labrum is a cuff of cartilage, or thick tissue, in the shoulder joint that forms a cup for the end of the arm bone (humerus) to move within, allowing for a very wide range of movements. An injury like this restricts a boxer from throwing an effective punch with proper movement or without pain.

“Joe is terribly disappointed,” Mesi’s father/advisor Jack Mesi reported. “His promoter, Jimmy Burchfield, positioned Joe back on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, which is the plateau we hoped Joe would reach at this stage. This is just a temporary setback, that’s all. Joe will continue training to stay in good shape and keep his weight down, but he can’t do anything that involves using his shoulder. He’s still running and exercising. In three weeks he’ll be reevaluated and once the doctor clears him, Joe wants to get back in the ring as soon as possible.”

Buffalo sports icon Mesi (36-0, 29 KOs), former NABF heavyweight champion, currently rated No. 17 by the WBC and the WBC No. 1 contender in 2004, has beaten the likes of Vassiliy Jirov, Monte Barrett, DaVarryl Williamson, and David Izon.

“Joe’s shoulder injury isn’t too serious, but it’s a situation where he just couldn’t train because of it, and still be ready in time to fight April 4,” Burchfield, president of Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc., explained. “We’re thankful for the support and understanding at ESPN2 and Twin River. Next week, we’ll announce who’ll be fighting on the April 4th ESPN2 show. 2004 US Olympian Jason ‘Big Six’ Estrada is still fighting 6-foot, 8-inch ‘Mount’ Whitaker in a 10-round heavyweight bout. Joe’s worked so hard in his comeback and it’s a shame that he can’t fight April 4. His time will come, though. Joe Mesi is going to be heavyweight champion of the world.”

 

[heyzel]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: VIVIAN HARRIS

By G. Leon

Harris wants to get away from GSP

GL: What's the latest and greatest with you, Vicious? "I'm here, man, training, I'm working and my condition trainer is back. I have a new attorney, Arnold Joseph, I'm trying to put things together. The only problem that we have is my promoter. We're trying to get in contact with him, but he's not returning our phonecalls, he's not calling anybody back. Anytime I get him, he says his phone is in a bad area, and he hangs up. I respect him and what he's doing, but I don't respect all of that."

I know he has to take care of his family, but I have a family to take care of too. It seems like he doesn't care about me and my family, by not letting us do what we have to do. We want a release out of the contract, he's asking for a lot for the release. I'm willing to give to him, out of my pocket, to get out of the contract. After I made him that offer, he still hasn't answered his phone. He's stating that no one at 147 wants to fight me, I don't believe in that. That's old news that he was hearing from Main Events when they weren't trying to get me any fights. I think now, he's trying to wait until he gets a fight to put enough money in his pocket, or I'm not fighting.

I'm ready to go ahead and fight. We were supposed to do something in January, then February, everytime I get on the phone with my promoter, he says he's working on something. Nothing is being worked on, if he was working on something, I would have fought already. That's why I want to know why this man is not calling me back, or getting in contact with my attorney."

GL: Andre Berto's still looking for an opponent for his next fight. Would you fight Berto in your first fight at 147?

Vivian Harris: I definitely would if the money's right, and everything is good, but I would never do it under these circumstances with Gary Shaw.

GL: Going into the fight with Rudder?? you were very happy with Gary and had nothing but nice things to say.

VH: Exactly, that's the kind of person I am. You do right by me, and I show you respect, you do wrong by me, I'll tell you do right. What he's doing right now is wrong, I'm telling you, it's wrong what he's doing. After the fight in England, we were supposed to be going up in weight. We were supposed to be fighting in January at 147, back home, I get put on the shelf. Fighters can lose, but fighters come back. I lost, already I came back. I lose again, but there's a lot more left in Vivian Harris. I should not be put on the shelf, not having a fight schedule, if I have a promoter like Gary Shaw. I didn't like a lot of things that happened in England, leading up to the fight with Gary Shaw. I tried to let all of that bypass me, and have a new start at 147. It seems that things are not going to change. I came to see that once it's not good for Gary Shaw, it's not good for Vivian, and that's not cool.

GL: When is Vivian ready to fight?

VH: Vivian is ready to fight at any time. I've been in training, training camp with my conditioning trainer, we are just working doing what we have to do. We're just waiting for a promoter to be a good promoter, to get in contact with us, and he's not getting in touch with us. He's not calling anyone back, he's not even calling the attorney back. He's just doing things his way, when people over here have families to take care of. He's doing what he does, and I have no power over that. He can't hold the next man back from doing what he has to do, and that's what he's doing.

GL: Basically, all you want is your release.

VH: I just want my release, the release that we talked about, and we go our seperate ways. I never thought Gary Shaw was like that. I hate so many things about him, and I never thought that of him. Now, going through the situation with him, makes me think these things about him. That he's the kind of person people was telling me he is. He never showed me that face until I lost, and now I'm getting that face. If the boxing world knows what I'm talking about, they're going to know exactly what I mean.

GL: Closing thoughts.

VH: I'm ready to fight at 147, I'm going up in weight. I would love to fight Andre Berto, if that's what he wants to do, but I will not do it with Gary Shaw. He's not being straight-forward with me, and he's not being a good person. I thought he was, but I guess he was just being a good person to get me to England to fight for the championship. After that, either way, win or lose, he still did good for himself. Whatever happened to Vivian Harris happened, it's not like he showed he's going to bring Vivian Harris back at 147. He's not showing any effort at all, by now he's not even communicating with my attorney, or anyone. That's what he's doing right now, giving interviews talking about fights. I don't have a problem with that. He's doing the UFC, and all this different stuff he's doing. I have no problem with that, but don't hold me back from what doing what I have to do. Your keeping me from taking care of my family, and doing what I do. All I need is that release, to get out of that contract, and go my way. Gary let me down, and I will never forgive him for that. I thought Gary Shaw was a good dude, and came to me like a good dude. Once I got to know him, I found he's a totally different person. I can't deal with that. I thought he was a real honest person, that he would never do anything to hurt me or my family. Now, that's exactly what he's doing, he's not a man that I would ever trust again

 

[naner12]

Fuck, apparently Odlanier Solis fought earlier today and it was streamed free on the internet from Germany. Gay.

 

[m.w.merlino]

Joe Mesi...you would think a brain hemorrhage might tell him "maybe i should go back to school".

 

[martin_07n]

You think Marquez vs Pacquiao is $50 PPV worhty?

 

[MOREBASS]

^ No doubt about it. Especially with the way Marquez has been fighting lately. He's been letting his hands go much more frequently. And you already know how Manny fights.


LOL @ Gomez comparing fighting Miguel Cotto to the Contender & Gatti...

 

[heyzel]

Campbell Blasts Juan Diaz Over Steroid Claims

By Ryan Songalia

The newly crowned Lightweight champion Nate Campbell had a lot on his mind Friday afternoon. Upset by Juan Diaz and his camp's steroid accusations, Campbell didn't hold back his emotions when speaking to BoxingScene.com . "I think that what Juan Diaz is doing is wrong. This is what's bad about the sport nowadays. It's so easy for these guys to throw around steroid allegations when they lose. I'm sick of these guys trying to defame what someone did with hard work and dedication. If it keeps going this way, I'm going to have all of them in court."

In a press release from Team Diaz, it is insinuated that Campbell used performance-enhancing drugs, writing "it seems ironic that this was the 36-year old Campbell's best performance in years and his team didn't rush him to get his drug test."

Campbell admits "no one came in the back and drug-tested us." He claims that he waited in the back for an hour to be tested, missing the Sam Peter-Oleg Maskaev fight in the process. Campbell drew parallels to his experience in the Robbie Peden rematch. "They didn't drug test us in Australia and I lost that fight. You didn't hear me say Robbie Peden was on steroids."

"The Galaxxy Warrior" denies having used drugs in this fight or any previous fight. "I don't need drugs to beat him because he's not that good. No fight is worth putting something in my body that is going to hurt me. I never drank or took anything to enhance my strength. I've never had to cheat to beat nobody in my life."

"He was bleeding an awful lot," Campbell returned, flipping the allegations back at Diaz. "Guys who take steroids and get cut bleed a lot." Campbell also added, "If he wants to do a drug test, we can do it." Campbell held another element accountable for Diaz's inability to coagulate. "His cutman sucked. He almost bled to death."

Campbell lashed out at Diaz, calling him "a bitch" and questioning his character. "Now we're seeing the real Juan Diaz. The college boy, the crybaby. What makes him any difference than his brother, Jose Diaz? He got his jaw broken in his last fight and was exposed even worse. They're both kids, grow up. Move out of Mommy and Daddy's house.

"I'll come down to Houston and beat his fat ass for free. I have done everything I could to be nice to them. I'm not going to let him demean me as a man. Everytime I ever lost, I took my loss like a man. I made a mistake against Robbie Peden, I took it like a man. I felt I was robbed against Casamayor, but I didn't hide and say it. I said it right on the spot."

Nate Campbell also had harsh words for "The Baby Bull's" boxing ability. Deriding him as an "amateur fighter," Campbell remarked, "In all of his career he hasn't learned nothing."

Campbell expressed an interest in fighting the winner of Casamayor-Katsidis, but said of a rematch with Juan Diaz, "If he wants to fight, we can do it." He cautioned though, "he'll be paid sh*t for the fight because he made 4 times what I made for the first fight

 

[heyzel]

2008 U.S. Future Stars Final Results

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – The 2008 U.S. Future Stars National Championships concluded Friday night with the men's finals at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

The action started off with a back-and-forth contest in the light flyweight (106 lbs) division, featuring Louie Byrd (Denver, Colo.) and Fabian Cervantes (Ableta, Calif.). Byrd got out to a hot start, taking a 6-2 lead after the first round, but Cervantes was quick to bounce back, scoring eight in the second and evening the score at 10-10 after two rounds. Byrd became the aggressor once again in the third, and stopped Cervantes to claim the first championship of the night.

In the flyweight (112 lbs) championship, Randy Caballero (Coachella, Calif.) and Raul Lopez (Bronx, N.Y.) brought the crowd to its feet with a bout that went down to the wire. Lopez jumped out to a commanding 8-1 lead after two rounds before the momentum changed in the third. Caballero scored eight in the third round to close the gap to 10-9 heading into the fourth, and took the lead midway through the fourth. Sensing the urgency from his corner, Lopez tried to stage a comeback of his own, but Caballero held on to earn a 14-13 decision.

Defending bantamweight (119 lbs) gold medalist Ronny Rios (Santa Ana, Calif.) was next into the ring, looking to repeat as champion against Paul Romero (Phoenix, Ariz.). Things looked good for Rios early, using solid defense to earn a 4-2 advantage through two rounds. Romero would solve Rios' defense in the third, scoring seven points to take a 9-8 lead into the fourth. Rios would make the adjustment in the fourth, however, outscoring Romero 5-2 for a 13-11 decision and his second consecutive championship.

In the featherweight (125 lbs) title, Robert Rodriguez (Evans, Colo.) and Mercedes Manriquez (Houston, Texas) squared off in a match that proved to be closer than what the score may have indicated. Manriquez took a 4-2 advantage after the first round, but fell behind in the second after two penalties were assessed for holding, costing him four points. Rodriguez claimed the momentum from there, outscoring Manriquez in each of the final two rounds to earn a 16-10 decision.

In the lightweight championship, Miguel Gonzales (Cleveland, Ohio) squared off with Fidel Maldonado (Albuquerque, N.M.), who had advanced to the finals by winning two matches by one point and another by a tiebreaker. Gonzales made sure there would be no nail-biting finish in the finals, however, jumping out to a large lead before winning by disqualification in the fourth.

The men's light welterweight (141 lbs) title match was expected to be a hard-fought defensive contest, and Emanuel Taylor (Edgewood, Md.) and Dan O'Connor (Framingham, Mass.) delivered. The two boxers were tied at the end of each of the first three rounds, and O'Connor earned the big points when it counted, outscoring Taylor 3-1 in the fourth to earn a 9-7 decision and his first national championship.

O'Connor also received the Most Outstanding Boxer Award, which was presented to him at the end of the evening.

Javontae Sparks (Minneapolis, Minn.) gave an electrifying performance in the welterweight (152 lbs) title bout on his way to a national championship. Greg Carter (Waterbury, Conn.) came out strong to take a 6-1 advantage after the first round, but Sparks used some devastating combinations to seize the momentum as the second round came to a close. He would come out firing again in the third round, and the referee stopped the contest 47 seconds into the round, giving the match to Sparks.

The middleweight (165 lbs) title was awarded to Luis Arias (Milwaukee, Wis.), who won by way of walkover against Shawn Porter (Stow, Ohio).

The first of two tiebreakers came in the light heavyweight (178 lbs) division, featuring DeRae Crane (Marquette, Mich.) and Dorian Anthony (Lynwood, Calif.). After falling behind 6-2 after two rounds, Anthony came back to take the lead with a 6-1 third round, forcing Crane to respond. Needing two points to win, Crane outscored Anthony 2-1 in the final round, forcing a tiebreaker. When the first tiebreaker method left both boxers deadlocked, the five ringside judges were asked to select a winner, and the decision went to Anthony.

In the heavyweight (201 lbs) title match, Jeremiah Graziano (Lenexa, Kan.) came out firing, and overwhelmed Michael Bissett (Smyrna, Tenn.) for the victory. Graziano forced two standing eight-counts in the first round, and the referee stopped the contest 14 seconds into the second round.

The final match of the night, in the super heavyweight (201+ lbs) division, produced the night's second tiebreaker, as well as another great comeback effort. Tor Hamer (New York, N.Y) controlled the majority of the bout, taking a 7-3 lead into the final round, where Lenroy Thompson (Port. St. Lucie, Fla.) pulled out all the stops offensively, scoring nine in the fourth to force a 12-12 tie. This time, though, the first tiebreaker method determined the winner, and Thompson was awarded the title.

(To break a tie after four rounds, officials refer to the computerized scoring system, which looks at the scores given to each boxer by the five judges at ringside. From there, the highest and lowest scores received by each boxer are eliminated, and the remaining three scores are tallied, and the boxer with the highest total wins.)

For more information, please visit www.usaboxing.org.

MEN'S FINALS RESULTS

106 lbs/48 kg: Louie Byrd, Denver, Colo. stopped Fabian Cervantes, Ableta, Calif., RSC-3, 1:10
112 lbs/51 kg: Randy Caballero, Coachella, Calif. dec. Raul Lopez, Bronx, N.Y, 14-13
119 lbs/54 kg: Ronny Rios, Santa Ana, Calif. dec. Paul Romero, Phoenix, Ariz., 13-11
125 lbs/57 kg: Robert Rodriguez, Evans, Colo. dec. Mercedes Manriquez, Houston, Texas, 16-10
132 lbs/60 kg: Miguel Gonzales, Cleveland, Ohio won by disqualification over Fidel Maldonado, Albuquerque, N.M., DSQ-4, 1:48
141 lbs/64 kg: Dan O'Conner, Framingham, Mass. dec. Emmanuel Taylor, Edgewood, Md., 9-7
152 lbs/69 kg: Jovante Starks, Minneapolis, Minn. stopped Greg Carter, Waterbury, Conn., RSC-3, :47
165 lbs/75 kg: Luis Arias, Milwaukee, Wis. won by walk over to Shawn Porter, Stow, Ohio, WO
178 lbs/81 kg: Dorian Anthony, Lynwood, Calif. dec. DeRae Crane, Marquette, Mich., +9-9
201 lbs/91 kg: Jeremiah Graziano, Lenexa, Kansas stopped Michael Bissett, Smyrna, Tenn., RSC-2, :14
201+ lbs/91+ kg: Lenroy Thompson, Port St. Lucie, Fla. dec. Tor Hamer, New York, N.Y., +12-12

 

[heyzel]

10 fights for freaks

By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com

So when the bosses suggested that I make a list of the fights freaks should have in their collection, I thought about it. Where in the world to start?

There are some fights that are mandatory for any collection: Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier III. Sugar Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns I. Marvelous Marvin Hagler-Hearns. Riddick Bowe-Evander Holyfield I, II and III. Archie Moore-Yvon Durelle. George Foreman-Ron Lyle. Julio Cesar Chavez-Meldrick Taylor I. Salvador Sanchez-Wilfredo Gomez. Prince Charles Williams-Merqui Sosa I and II. Aaron Pryor-Alexis Arguello I. Pretty much any Jake LaMotta, Bobby Chacon or Matthew Saad Muhammad fight.

I could go on forever.

But for the sake of this list, I decided to limit it to fights that have taken place on my watch as a full-time boxing writer. That means anything from 2000, when I became the beat writer at USA TODAY, through last week's bouts are eligible.

I like action fights and there are some that just missed the cut -- Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales III, Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward III, Miguel Cotto-Ricardo Torres, Tomasz Adamek-Paul Briggs I, Ezra Sellers-Carl Thompson, James Toney-Vassiliy Jirov, Danny Williams-Mike Tyson, Juan Manuel Marquez-Manny Pacquiao, the Pacquiao-Morales trilogy, Felix Trinidad-Ricardo Mayorga, Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez I and II, Oscar De La Hoya-Fernando Vargas, Jorge Arce-Hussein Hussein I, Julio Gonzalez-Julian Letterlough, Injin Chi-Michael Brodie I, Hector Quiroz-Antonio Diaz II, Sakio Bika-Jaidon Codrington and others. I have watched those fights time and again.

But the following fights are my favorites from the time period I outlined. These are the fights I find myself going into my collection to retrieve more often than others.

If you don't agree with the list, or don't like the list, wonderful. Make your own. It's your collection.

Here are my top 10. Let's get it on:


. Michael Gomez TKO5 Alex Arthur

Michael Gomez, right, knocked Alex Arthur down three times in the fifth to reclaim the British junior lightweight belt.
When: Oct. 25, 2003. Where: Meadowbank Sports Center in Edinburgh, Scotland. Was I ringside? No. The Lowdown: Since his only defeat, Arthur has gone on to win the European junior lightweight title and an interim world title. But I became a fan after seeing his loss and Gomez's greatest win. They were fighting on Arthur's turf and the crowd noise was so intense, it sounded like it was bleeding through my TV speakers. The funny thing about this fight is that although I had read a few articles on the Internet in the UK media, I didn't realize how great it was until I got my DVD a couple of weeks later from my longtime trading partner in England. Gomez rocked Arthur in the opening moments of the fight and the brawl was on. Eventually, Gomez dropped him three times in the fifth round to reclaim the British 130-pound title. This is not the most well-known fight, but I love it.

9. Micky Ward W10 Emanuel Augustus

When: July 13, 2001. Where: Hampton Beach Casino in Hampton Beach, N.H. Was I ringside? No. The Lowdown: Throw two journeymen (who had a combined 27 losses going into the fight) together and sometimes you get a classic like this one. It's the best fight in the history of ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" and I called it the 2001 fight of the year in USA TODAY. This junior welterweight slugfest set the stage for Ward's more well-known battles with Arturo Gatti as Ward and Augustus (then still going by the name Emanuel Burton) combined to throw 2,100 punches. The one thing I always remember about this fight is that just as I was calling up one of my buddies at the end of the fourth round to make sure he was watching, ESPN analyst Teddy Atlas uttered a prophetic quote: "Anybody watching this fight at home, in between rounds, call your friends up. You're seeing something you don't see too often." Thankfully, this fight has become a staple of the fight library on ESPN Classic. A classic indeed.

8. Acelino "Popo" Freitas TKO12 Jorge Barrios

When: Aug. 9, 2003. Where: Miami Arena in Miami, Fla. Was I ringside? No. The Lowdown: Yes, I am an unabashed Popo fan. I even named one of my cats Popo after him. I instantly became a fan of his after seeing a tape from France of his bone-chilling first-round annihilation of Anatoly Alexandrov to win his first junior lightweight title in 1999. By the time Freitas met Barrios in defense of his now-unified 130-pound titles, he had become a staple on Showtime and this is the most exciting performance of his career. Freitas was down in the eighth and 11th rounds. Barrios was down in the 11th and 12th rounds. The entire fight -- a classic nationalistic rivalry between Brazil's Freitas and Argentina's Barrios -- was action-packed. And who could forget Barrios, a bloody mess from the sixth round on, so desperate to stay in the fight that he wiped the blood gushing from the cut over his left eye onto the shirt sleeve of the referee? Popo fan or not, this is one of the most thoroughly entertaining fights in Showtime's 25-year history of televising boxing.

7. Shane Mosley W12 Oscar De La Hoya I

After falling behind early in the fight, Shane Mosley, left, rallied in the later rounds to take a split decision win over Oscar De La Hoya.
When: June 17, 2000. Where: Staples Center in Los Angeles. Was I ringside? Yes. The Lowdown: This was my first trip to California, and earlier in the day, I had gone to see an ABC "Wide World of Sports" card -- remember those? -- headlined by the first Jose Luis Castillo-Stevie Johnston lightweight title fight. I didn't realize the fight was outside. That was a bad mistake. I sat ringside in a casino parking lot and got brutally sunburned. By the time I got to the Staples Center for the big show, I wasn't feeling so good. Fortunately, the fight was so good, I made it through the night on adrenaline. It was such a star-studded Hollywood crowd that I, along with Associated Press reporter Beth Harris, kept a list of the dozens of movie stars, sports stars and politicians we saw at ringside. I sat maybe 10 feet from Pamela Anderson. I even met Mel Gibson at this one. But I digress. This was a terrific action battle fought at a supremely high skill level between two elite fighters at their best. Mosley took over in the second half of the fight and wound up winning the welterweight title on a tight decision. De La Hoya, rueful of the mistake he had made by easing up against Felix Trinidad when he thought he had the fight in the bag, fought like a warrior in the toe-to-toe 12th round. So did Mosley.

6. Lennox Lewis TKO6 Vitali Klitschko

The Lennox Lewis-Vitali Klitschko gem literally happened by accident.
When: June 21, 2003. Where: Staples Center in Los Angeles. Was I ringside? Yes. The Lowdown: Best heavyweight fight I've ever covered. It was action packed. It was significant. And it happened by accident. If you recall, Lewis was supposed to fight Kirk Johnson and Klitschko was supposed to be on the undercard hoping to set up bigger business with Lewis down the road. But Johnson suffered an injury about two weeks before the fight and a deal was cut in short order to bump Klitschko into the main event to challenge Lewis for the heavyweight championship. Lewis, who was coming off his huge knockout win of Mike Tyson a year earlier, obviously wasn't taking Johnson very seriously and came into the fight in less-than-perfect condition. It was life and death for Lewis, who was rocked repeatedly in the all-out slugfest. Lewis also landed some huge punches, including one that tore open one of the nastiest cuts I have ever seen: a gash over Klitschko's left eye that forced the fight to be stopped after the sixth round. It turned out to be the final fight of Lewis' Hall of Fame career, and, despite the loss, Klitschko's finest hour. The heavyweight division still hasn't recovered from Lewis' exit and when I want to remember "the good old days," I reach for the tape of this one.

5. Erik Morales W12 Marco Antonio Barrera I

Erik Morales, left, and Marco Antonio Barrera fought two more times after their epic first battle.
When: Feb. 19, 2000. Where: Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Was I ringside? No. The Lowdown: This junior featherweight unification bout between two of Mexico's greatest warriors just barely meets the eligibility standards I set for the list. Although technically I wasn't yet covering boxing, I included it because I had already been hired by USA TODAY as the beat writer a couple of weeks before the fight. I just wasn't due to actually start for a few more weeks. But I can vividly recall sitting on the floor of my apartment in Vestal, N.Y., packing my dishes for my move to Virginia while watching this incredibly savage fight unfold and thinking to myself, "Damn, I wish I had started the new job a few weeks ago because if I had, I would be there." Watching it on HBO wasn't so bad though. What a fight. Morales eked out the split decision in the epic battle that began their unforgettable trilogy. I was fortunate enough to be ringside for their second and third fights, and as exciting as they were, neither compares to the first (although No. 3 was also a classic and named 2004 fight of the year). How much do I love the first fight? I used to have the bulk of my tape collection spread over numerous bookshelves in my old living room. But I turned this tape backwards in its position so I always knew exactly where it was when I wanted to watch it.

4. Felix Trinidad TKO12 Fernando Vargas

Felix Trinidad figured he had Fernando Vargas beaten the second time he knocked him down in the first round. He was wrong.
When: Dec. 2, 2000. Where: Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Was I ringside? Yes. The Lowdown: It's perhaps the greatest junior middleweight title fight in history and was the centerpiece of a huge week for me. I went to five boxing cards in four days followed by my sister-in-law's wedding at the Venetian. But the trip was all about Trinidad and Vargas, exciting undefeated champions in their prime, and the buzz in Vegas was awesome throughout the week. Everybody just knew this was going to be a classic fight and it was just that. I was very confident in my pick: Trinidad by a knockout. Then, swayed by the fact I had spent a lot of time around Vargas in the days leading up to the fight, I stupidly changed my pick -- on national TV during a guest appearance on "Friday Night Fights" the night before the fight. Even if my changed pick was awful, the fight was sensational. Trinidad floored Vargas twice in the opening moments and it looked it was going to be a blowout. But the game Vargas survived and rallied to knock Trinidad down in the fourth round. Finally, in the 12th, Trinidad scored three more brutal knockdowns to unify 154-pound titles in the fight I eventually named fight of the year in USA TODAY. I could watch this fight all day.

3. Micky Ward W10 Arturo Gatti I

Arturo Gatti, left, and Micky Ward traded bombs on mostly even terms for 10 full rounds.
When: May 18, 2002. Where: Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. Was I ringside? No. The Lowdown: As you read earlier on this list, I have a cat named Popo in honor of Acelino Freitas. Well, I also have one whose official name is Arturo Thunder Gatti. We call him Thunder. So, yeah, I'm a Gatti guy also. What Fight Freak isn't? As many sensational action fights as he was in, this is the one that will be talked about more than any other. And he lost. Granted it was a questionable majority decision, but looking back, had he won we might not have seen his incredible trilogy with Ward. This junior welterweight brawl, the obvious fight of the year in 2002, was a remarkable action battle. When I watch the tape, I still wonder how Gatti survived being knocked down by the monster left hook to the body that Ward blasted him with in the ninth round. Now for an admission: I was supposed to be ringside for the fight, but the day I was supposed to leave for Connecticut, I came down with a bad case of the flu. I was barely awake as I watched the fight from my guest room bed with a cold washcloth on my head. Of all the fights I've covered, how could I have gotten sick for this one? At least I have the fight in my collection, and so should you. If you don't you should be banned.

2. Somsak Sithchatchawlan TKO10 Mahyar Monshipour
Somsak Sithchatchawlan, left, and Mahyar Monshipour won fight of the year accolades for their epic battle.
When: March 18, 2006. Where: Palais des Sport Marcel Cerdan in the Paris suburb of Levallois-Perret. Was I ringside? No. The Lowdown: It's quite amazing that a fight between a fighter from Thailand and one from France could gain such a cult following, but this one did thanks to whoever it was that loaded the fight in four parts onto YouTube for all the Fight Freaks of the world to see. It's pure action from start to finish, a mesmerizing battle that is on par with any slugfest you want to talk about. I don't understand French, but I know exactly what the announcers mean each time they exclaim, "Oooooooooooh la la la la la! Oooooooooooh la la la la la" during the rocking action. Eventually, Sithchatchawlan, who I like to call "The Sith Lord" (no relation to Darth Vader), stopped Monshipour to win a junior featherweight title. Fortunately, I was able to trade for a mint DVD of the French telecast and have watched it over and over and over again. There was a period of time where I probably watched at least part of this fight every single day for about six weeks. I've been known to watch it in the dark at 3 a.m. just for the hell of it. How in love with this fight am I? I campaigned for it among my fellow Boxing Writers Association of America members to vote it as fight of the year. I urged as many as I could to just take the time to watch it on YouTube or, if they wanted, I would send them a DVD. It worked and the fight won the award (and, of course, I picked it as ESPN.com fight of the year, too). In addition, I tried to spread the gospel of the fight to the Fight Freaks, sending it on my own dime to dozens of the Fight Freaks who asked for copies it my weekly chats. A postscript: The Sith lost the title in his first defense seven months later and Monshipour retired. But Monshipour was so proud of the fight, even though he lost, that he traveled all the way from France to New York to pick up his fight of the year award at the BWAA dinner in June. He speaks a little English and had a translator with him, so I had a chance to meet him and talk with him. Naturally, I mentioned that I had seen the fight on DVD a few times.

1. Diego "Chico" Corrales TKO10 Jose Luis Castillo I

When: May 7, 2005. Where: Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Was I ringside? Yes. The Lowdown: How could this fight, one of the greatest of all time, not be No. 1? If you don't have it No. 1 on your list, your Freakhood is in jeopardy. Owning this fight on tape or DVD is one of the 10 commandments for boxing fans. Even before Corrales' mind-blowing comeback from two knockdowns in the 10th round to stop Castillo in their lightweight unification bout, this was already the best fight I ever covered, or seen for that matter, as Corrales and Castillo cemented their place in history with a bloody slugfest that will never be forgotten. This is quite simply an action fight without peer, and it was obviously named fight of the year. No exaggeration: I have probably watched my DVD more than 100 times and I'm proud to have the honor of having been one of Showtime's press row scorers for the historic bout. So every time you watch your DVD, you will know how I was scoring the match; I had Castillo up 86-85 going into the 10th round. Even though the crowd was pretty weak -- only 5,168, believe it or not -- there was more media than normally would have been at the fight because it came the night after the annual Boxing Writers Association of America awards dinner, and what a treat it was. Although neither fighter would ever be the same again after inflicting so much damage on each other, and Corrales would die in a motorcycle crash two years to the day after the fight, the fight will live forever

 

[heyzel]

Ricky Hatton-Paulie Malignaggi Deal is Close

NEW YORK – IBF junior welterweight champion Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi hopes to ink a pact early next week to confirm his dream deal: a two-fight arrangement culminating with a showdown against the world’s recognized No. 1 junior welterweight, Ricky Hatton, The Ring magazine and IBO title-holder.

“I’ve got to admit that, after the Cotto fight,” Malignaggi said, “I never thought that I’d get the chance to fight another great champion again. I believed in myself, but it was almost like I proved too much to everyone, that I had skills, but most of all, that I’m as tough as anyone who ever laced on gloves. I’m really grateful that Team Hatton looks like they’ll give me the opportunity to fight on Ricky’s big card in Manchester in May and then against him in the Fall in the United States.

“Ricky and I have a lot in common. Both our fathers were soccer players – his in England and mine in Italy – and we’ve both paid our dues and earned the respect of the fans and other fighters. The only marks on our records came against two great fighters, Mayweather and Cotto. What makes it so exciting is the big difference in our fighting styles. Ricky is rough and tough; an all-action fighter who takes advantage of everything he can to get the win. You’re never going to see a Hatton fight that doesn’t keep you on the edge of your seat. Most of my fights have been boxing matches. The excitement was dictated by how aggressive the other guy wanted to be. If they brought it, they got it back times 10. I know I’m at the top of my game right now and that’s what it takes to have a chance against a great champion like Ricky Hatton.”

Malignaggi (24-1, 5 KOs) captured the IBF title last June, defeating champion Lovemore N’dou (45-8-1) by 12-found decision, and Paulie successfully defended his belt in January with a 12-round decision against No. 1 contender Herman Ngoudjo (16-1).

“Everyone was blown away when they heard Ricky was going to fight at City of Manchester Stadium,” Paulie continued. “It’s going to be crazy over there! They’ve had a lot of quality fighters in Great Britain - Joe Calzaghe, David Haye, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank. They also had Lennox Lewis, but nothing like what Ricky means to them. Vegas was crazy last December and I know we can bring that atmosphere back when we go at it in the Fall. This won’t be a Friendly, more like a World Cup match, wherever we fight.

“My goal has always been to make the biggest and best fights, just like my great friend, Floyd Mayweather, has told me to do. A match-up between me and Ricky will be a Super Fight, one talked about for as long as there is boxing. No other fight at 140 matters. And before the fight, well, everyone knows that I talk a lot of smack, so Ricky’s not going to get any breaks there, either. Like with Floyd, me and Ricky can save seeing if we’re cool until once we’ve earned each other’s respect at the only place it counts – in the ring. There is no one, I repeat, no one I want to fight more than the No. 1 guy in the division - Ricky Hatton. Forget the money, forget the titles, this is about being the best. I know that if I get in the ring with Ricky Hatton, I’ll show him and everyone else what I’m made of, that I am the best 140-pound fighter in the world.

“I want to thank Ricky, his father, Ray, his lawyer, Gareth, who I met in Vegas, my team and everyone at Golden Boy and DBE for working so hard on this. I know I’m not always the easiest guy to deal with because I get so emotional over stupid stuff and open my mouth. I want to hype things up and get my chance to prove to everyone that I can walk the walk with the best. I’m ready to sign on the dotted line and prove to the Hattons and everyone else that Paulie Malignaggi is ready and up for the task of making this the biggest and best promotion that it can be. The best versus the best! If Ricky Hatton can beat me, then he can close the book on the 140-pound division. But no one’s beating the ‘Magic Man’ ever again. Me and Ricky are both professionals and know we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We both know that if we don’t win in May, our fight can never happen. Let everyone know that Paulie Malignaggi will do his part to make this happen and I’m counting on Ricky to do the same.”