Boxing News Thread
- Thread starter heyzel
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No need to if you have HBO. Should be cracking but I don't see how Diaz can win the fight. Marquez is probably one of the better counter punchers putting on gloves right now and I just don't see Diaz having the power to fuck with him.
.. as for the defecting Cubans I really hope they do well. Decorated amateurs don't always translate to good pros. You know I'll be rooting for them though.
.. as for the defecting Cubans I really hope they do well. Decorated amateurs don't always translate to good pros. You know I'll be rooting for them though.
Valero: “I Was Going To Slap Barrios, a Little B*tch"
By Brent Matteo Alderson
I’ve been surprised how quickly the boxing fraternity has embraced the validity of this non-official lightweight tournament because a number of the fighters on the April 4th card, which is supposed to be tantamount to the first round - don’t belong. Carlos Hernandez is 38-years-old and lost to an ancient Kevin Kelley in the fall of 2006 and has been in the sport for so long that he challenged Genaro Hernandez for the WBC 130 pound title in 1997.
Jesus Chavez’s immigration story has always been interesting, but the Matador is 36-years-old and already lost to Julio Diaz, another one of the event’s competitors, and hasn’t beaten a world class fighter since 2003. People have criticized Erik Morales’ desire to return to the squared circle but the Mexican legend would definitely be favored against both Chavez and Hernanez, if he fought them a second time around.
Plain and simple, Chavez and Hernandez don’t belong if this indeed is supposed to be a world lightweight tournament and having them involved is equivalent to having the seventh place team from the Mountain West conference - part of the NCAA’s 65-team basketball tournament in March.
This analysis of the tournament is what caused the scuffle between Edwin Valero and Jorge Barrios when the hard punching Venezuelan arrived to the podium at a press conference for Golden Boy Promotion’s April 4th pay per view card in Los Angeles and boldly stated:
“Seventy-five percent of the fighters on the card are on their way out. They are talented, but I’m here to make some changes,” when he was interrupted by Jorge Barrios who yelled out a couple of cat calls which prompted Valero to direct his verbiage towards the Argentinean strong man and say in the microphone, “Yes you’re going, you’re on your way out, you’re not useful anymore.”
As Valero was saying again and again, ”Yah you’re on your way out man,” Jorge Barrios was yelling, “You’re going to throw me out, you’re going to force me out?”
Then Barrios who was seated behind the podium stood up out of his chair and inched a step closer toward Valero and questioned him in an aggressive manner, “You’re going to take me out of this game? You are going to take me out? Nobody throws me out. I leave when I want to leave. Who are you talking to?”
Valero immediately turned around and pretended to throw a quick feint as Kenny Adams and Richard Schaefer got between the two and Valero returned to the podium.
In an exclusive phone interview with BoxingScene.com Valero explained how he perceived the incident.
“They don’t have that much time left in their careers. I wasn’t talking to him I was talking about Casamayor and Pitalua, they are older and on the way out and Barrios started acting like an ass. He was bothered by my statement. He didn’t let me talk so I said to him yah you’re on the way out, you don’t have it anymore you’re no longer useful," Valero said.
"And he just kept talking asking me, you’re going to take me out, you’re going to take me out, and I went over there and I was going to slap him across the face, but there was table between us and then he turned into a little bitch and some people prevented it from going any further. I told him, all these guys are at the end and I’m coming to clean up and reinvigorate the division.”
Valero added that it was Joel Casamayor’s initial remarks that sparked the incident.
“People didn’t hear, but it really started with that old man Casamayor. He’s ridiculous, he was saying in a low voice when I was up there that he was going to punch me in the face. Later I told him you’re crazy and asked why he would you say something that, and he was like you’re a communist. Venezuela is a socialist democracy. I told him you are you are just upset because you can’t go to Cuba. He called me a communist again," Valero said.
"Everyone has their own ideologies and he should respect that. Later on after we took pictures with Richard Shaeffer. I told him don’t tell me you are going to hit me. You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’m going to do. He said you’re a communist, you have your president on your chest and I told him I was proud to have it there. I’ve never met these guys before. I don’t understand, but their careers are almost over. They are in their late thirties it’s almost over for them. I would knock both of them out.”
At the end of the day, uncontrolled violence that has erupted at so many press conferences did not occur in this one, but the scuffle did plant the seeds for an exciting match in the second round of the tournament. A historical match of South American rivals that would follow a tradition of rivalries in that region established by Nicolino Loche-Antonio Cervantes, Carlos Monzon-Rodrigo Valdez, and the more recent classic between Barrios and Freitas in 2003.
Click Here for Barrios' take on the confrontation with Valero.
Notes:
Favorite Quote: Moments after 1988 Gold Medalist Ray Mercer brutally clobbered the previously undefeated Tommy Morrison, the Duke was sitting in his corner bobbing and weaving away from imaginary punches as his trainer told him, “The fights over Tommy.”
Again I like Juan Diaz this Saturday.
If you thought Toledo’s bite the other night was bad, watch this youtube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d50felTlUDI of Andrew Golota taking a vampire like bite into the neck of heavyweight Samson Pouha.
Check out the Kennedy-McKinney-Marco Antonio Barrera and the Riddick Bowe-Larry Donald pre-fight brawls.
I mistakenly wrote that Ronny Rios had three knockouts in three wins when in fact he has only scored one
By Brent Matteo Alderson
I’ve been surprised how quickly the boxing fraternity has embraced the validity of this non-official lightweight tournament because a number of the fighters on the April 4th card, which is supposed to be tantamount to the first round - don’t belong. Carlos Hernandez is 38-years-old and lost to an ancient Kevin Kelley in the fall of 2006 and has been in the sport for so long that he challenged Genaro Hernandez for the WBC 130 pound title in 1997.
Jesus Chavez’s immigration story has always been interesting, but the Matador is 36-years-old and already lost to Julio Diaz, another one of the event’s competitors, and hasn’t beaten a world class fighter since 2003. People have criticized Erik Morales’ desire to return to the squared circle but the Mexican legend would definitely be favored against both Chavez and Hernanez, if he fought them a second time around.
Plain and simple, Chavez and Hernandez don’t belong if this indeed is supposed to be a world lightweight tournament and having them involved is equivalent to having the seventh place team from the Mountain West conference - part of the NCAA’s 65-team basketball tournament in March.
This analysis of the tournament is what caused the scuffle between Edwin Valero and Jorge Barrios when the hard punching Venezuelan arrived to the podium at a press conference for Golden Boy Promotion’s April 4th pay per view card in Los Angeles and boldly stated:
“Seventy-five percent of the fighters on the card are on their way out. They are talented, but I’m here to make some changes,” when he was interrupted by Jorge Barrios who yelled out a couple of cat calls which prompted Valero to direct his verbiage towards the Argentinean strong man and say in the microphone, “Yes you’re going, you’re on your way out, you’re not useful anymore.”
As Valero was saying again and again, ”Yah you’re on your way out man,” Jorge Barrios was yelling, “You’re going to throw me out, you’re going to force me out?”
Then Barrios who was seated behind the podium stood up out of his chair and inched a step closer toward Valero and questioned him in an aggressive manner, “You’re going to take me out of this game? You are going to take me out? Nobody throws me out. I leave when I want to leave. Who are you talking to?”
Valero immediately turned around and pretended to throw a quick feint as Kenny Adams and Richard Schaefer got between the two and Valero returned to the podium.
In an exclusive phone interview with BoxingScene.com Valero explained how he perceived the incident.
“They don’t have that much time left in their careers. I wasn’t talking to him I was talking about Casamayor and Pitalua, they are older and on the way out and Barrios started acting like an ass. He was bothered by my statement. He didn’t let me talk so I said to him yah you’re on the way out, you don’t have it anymore you’re no longer useful," Valero said.
"And he just kept talking asking me, you’re going to take me out, you’re going to take me out, and I went over there and I was going to slap him across the face, but there was table between us and then he turned into a little bitch and some people prevented it from going any further. I told him, all these guys are at the end and I’m coming to clean up and reinvigorate the division.”
Valero added that it was Joel Casamayor’s initial remarks that sparked the incident.
“People didn’t hear, but it really started with that old man Casamayor. He’s ridiculous, he was saying in a low voice when I was up there that he was going to punch me in the face. Later I told him you’re crazy and asked why he would you say something that, and he was like you’re a communist. Venezuela is a socialist democracy. I told him you are you are just upset because you can’t go to Cuba. He called me a communist again," Valero said.
"Everyone has their own ideologies and he should respect that. Later on after we took pictures with Richard Shaeffer. I told him don’t tell me you are going to hit me. You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’m going to do. He said you’re a communist, you have your president on your chest and I told him I was proud to have it there. I’ve never met these guys before. I don’t understand, but their careers are almost over. They are in their late thirties it’s almost over for them. I would knock both of them out.”
At the end of the day, uncontrolled violence that has erupted at so many press conferences did not occur in this one, but the scuffle did plant the seeds for an exciting match in the second round of the tournament. A historical match of South American rivals that would follow a tradition of rivalries in that region established by Nicolino Loche-Antonio Cervantes, Carlos Monzon-Rodrigo Valdez, and the more recent classic between Barrios and Freitas in 2003.
Click Here for Barrios' take on the confrontation with Valero.
Notes:
Favorite Quote: Moments after 1988 Gold Medalist Ray Mercer brutally clobbered the previously undefeated Tommy Morrison, the Duke was sitting in his corner bobbing and weaving away from imaginary punches as his trainer told him, “The fights over Tommy.”
Again I like Juan Diaz this Saturday.
If you thought Toledo’s bite the other night was bad, watch this youtube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d50felTlUDI of Andrew Golota taking a vampire like bite into the neck of heavyweight Samson Pouha.
Check out the Kennedy-McKinney-Marco Antonio Barrera and the Riddick Bowe-Larry Donald pre-fight brawls.
I mistakenly wrote that Ronny Rios had three knockouts in three wins when in fact he has only scored one
Margarito vs. Baldomir is Welcomed By Tijuana Commission
By Mark Vester
The athletic commission that oversees boxing, wrestling, MMA and kickboxing in Tijuana, Mexico, has opened their arms to a potential fight between Antonio Margarito and Carlos Baldomir. Top Rank's Bob Arum had recently mentioned that a Margarito fight was possible for the summer in Mexico, and Baldomir was mentioned as a possible opponent.
Margarito had his boxing license revoked by the California State Athletic Commission on February 10. The CSAC found Margarito liable for a foreign substance that was found in his hand wraps about 30 minutes before his fight with Shane Mosley on January 24. Margarito is banned from boxing in the United States for one year, but several cities in Mexico have offered their support and are willing to issue him a boxing license.
The secretary of the commission in Tijuana, Edmundo Hernandez Vergara, would like Arum to stage the fight in his city.
"Margarito is innocent. He never stopped being a fighter from Tijuana. We are giving him our support. Tijuana's doors are open to him because we believe in his innocence," Hernandez told Telavisa Deportes
By Mark Vester
The athletic commission that oversees boxing, wrestling, MMA and kickboxing in Tijuana, Mexico, has opened their arms to a potential fight between Antonio Margarito and Carlos Baldomir. Top Rank's Bob Arum had recently mentioned that a Margarito fight was possible for the summer in Mexico, and Baldomir was mentioned as a possible opponent.
Margarito had his boxing license revoked by the California State Athletic Commission on February 10. The CSAC found Margarito liable for a foreign substance that was found in his hand wraps about 30 minutes before his fight with Shane Mosley on January 24. Margarito is banned from boxing in the United States for one year, but several cities in Mexico have offered their support and are willing to issue him a boxing license.
The secretary of the commission in Tijuana, Edmundo Hernandez Vergara, would like Arum to stage the fight in his city.
"Margarito is innocent. He never stopped being a fighter from Tijuana. We are giving him our support. Tijuana's doors are open to him because we believe in his innocence," Hernandez told Telavisa Deportes
Mayweather Wants $20 Million For Pacquiao, Mosley Bouts
By Mark Vester
Don't expect a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao in the near future. Recently Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions had reached out to Mayweather's advisor, Al Haymon, and tried to put together a deal for a bout between Mayweather and Shane Mosley. Schaefer made an offer of $8 million dollars. Mayweather would respond with an extreme counter - a request for a guarantee of $20 million dollars.
Top Rank's Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, spoke with BoxingConfidential editor Michael Marley and told him that a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight will never happen as long as Floyd is making unrealistic monetary demands.
“Look, Golden Boy went to Mayweather about fighting Shane Mosley and he wanted a $20 million guarantee,” Arum said. “He is so bleeping way out of line that it is ridiculous. Nobody and no fight, against Manny or anyone else is going to get him $20 million guarantee."
"Could he work hard and earn $20 million if a fight with Manny did well, yeah, that is possible but nobody is going to give Mayweather [that kind of money] to fight Pacquiao, Mosley or Jesus Christ. So is it possible that Mayweather will come back, I say yes but his expectations and aspirations are just too unreasonable
By Mark Vester
Don't expect a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao in the near future. Recently Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions had reached out to Mayweather's advisor, Al Haymon, and tried to put together a deal for a bout between Mayweather and Shane Mosley. Schaefer made an offer of $8 million dollars. Mayweather would respond with an extreme counter - a request for a guarantee of $20 million dollars.
Top Rank's Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, spoke with BoxingConfidential editor Michael Marley and told him that a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight will never happen as long as Floyd is making unrealistic monetary demands.
“Look, Golden Boy went to Mayweather about fighting Shane Mosley and he wanted a $20 million guarantee,” Arum said. “He is so bleeping way out of line that it is ridiculous. Nobody and no fight, against Manny or anyone else is going to get him $20 million guarantee."
"Could he work hard and earn $20 million if a fight with Manny did well, yeah, that is possible but nobody is going to give Mayweather [that kind of money] to fight Pacquiao, Mosley or Jesus Christ. So is it possible that Mayweather will come back, I say yes but his expectations and aspirations are just too unreasonable
Froch vs. Taylor is Likely For April 25 in Foxwoods
By Rick Reeno
BoxingScene.com has learned that Carl Froch's defense of the WBC super middleweight title against mandatory challenger Jermain Taylor is likely to take place on April 25 at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut. Showtime will televise the fight.
The tentative co-feature is still being pegged as a battle of super middleweight contenders with Allan Green going up against Carlos De Leon
By Rick Reeno
BoxingScene.com has learned that Carl Froch's defense of the WBC super middleweight title against mandatory challenger Jermain Taylor is likely to take place on April 25 at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut. Showtime will televise the fight.
The tentative co-feature is still being pegged as a battle of super middleweight contenders with Allan Green going up against Carlos De Leon
Former Boxing Champ Rahman Headed to MMA
Thursday, February 26, 2009
by Jason Probst ([email protected])
16349
Former boxing heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman is coming to MMA sometime this year, according to the fighter’s agent.
Rahman, who knocked out Lennox Lewis in 2001 to win the linear heavyweight title, has his heart set on a mixed marital arts career, said Sandros Gelke, who represents him. Now living in Las Vegas, Rahman, 45-7 (36 KO), is coming off a one-sided, Dec. 13 seventh-round stoppage at the hands of IBF/WBO champ Wladimir Klitschko.
In news sure to perk up the ears of both boxing and MMA fans alike, “The Rock,” whose boxing career was defined by some of the strangest twists of fate this side of Riddick Bowe, wants to step into the new sport. And fast.
Gelke said that the 36-year-old Rahman is “quite serious about fighting in MMA” and they are currently in negotiations with several promotions, hoping to line up a debut fight sometime in the next 2-3 months. The ex-champ -- whose boxing career went south after losing a rematch to Lennox Lewis -- built a reputation on a big right hand in the sweet science, though he was also inconsistent and at times seemed to lack the impetus to get in shape.
“He thought it would be an interesting thing. He’s seen Kimbo Slice fight on TV, and he’s like, ‘I’d like to fight some of these guys,’” said Gelke.
Rahman was not initially available for comment.
Rahman, who has zero grappling background, last scored a takedown while scuffling with Lewis on the ESPN set while promoting their November 2001 rematch. Gelke said that his client plans to keep his boxing career going as well, but has yet to locate an MMA-based gym. But they’re looking around, he added.
“He hasn’t wrestled. He was actually quite a streetfighter (in Baltimore) so people said he should box,” Gelke said of Rahman, who took up boxing at the relatively late age of 20. “He’s like Quinton (Jackson) and Kimbo in that sense. We’re talking to quite a few different organizations, from small promotions up to the big ones. We’re looking to fight name fighters like Kimbo, Butterbean [Eric Esch], James Thompson, someone to bring a name to the table.”
There’s no long-term plan in place, Gelke added, as Rahman gets his feet wet in MMA -- they’re not making noise about challenging the top dogs just yet.
“We’re just taking it one fight at a time and see what comes to us,” he said. “We want to get a few smaller fights under our belts before we take on a Lesnar or Fedor or someone like that. There’s nothing solid right now. But we’re already talking with promoters about shows in April or May.”
Gelke said that he knows how vexing the transition will be given the added combative aspects of MMA. Other boxers such as Butterbean and Ray Mercer found out the hard way, along with a spate of early-day MMA competitors; but those were far less accomplished boxers than Rahman. The question long-asked by fans of both sports could get at least a quasi-relevant answer with Rahman’s journey that those other entries never really supplied -- what would happen if a world-class boxer with MMA training entered the sport? Shannon Briggs’ flirtation with it never materialized, but the reports out of American Top Team were certainly encouraging. It’s still a question that elicits heated debate from virtually any combat sports fan you ask.
“I understand how difficult it is,” Gelke said. “That’s why I’m looking to not put him in with any big grapplers at first. I don’t think Rock really understands how hard it will be to fight these guys with a grappling and wrestling background. So I’m looking to put him in with someone like Tank Abbott, or James Thompson.”
Rahman’s weight fluctuated greatly during the latter half of his boxing career. Best suited in the mid 230-pound range, he ballooned up in the 250s during a tour of tune-ups in recent years, and was a lackluster 253.5 prior to being dismantled by Klitschko in December.
“I’m talking to a Strikeforce, [a] lot of big promotions,” he said. “Some in Japan, like Sengoku and Dream. Hasim would love to fight over in Japan. Also some smaller promotions, like Wargods. I’m trying to get him into an MMA gym, work with some top trainers, there are some great gyms out here in Vegas. So that’s still kind of a work in progress. I think he’s waiting to see that I have a fight set. Then he can focus on training.”
Along with Marcus Davis, Chris Lytle is one of the most accomplished MMA fighters with a pro boxing career under his belt, going 13-7-1 (7 KO) in the squared circle. Better known in MMA as a UFC regular, Lytle gave his take on what Rahman will face
Thursday, February 26, 2009
by Jason Probst ([email protected])
16349
Former boxing heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman is coming to MMA sometime this year, according to the fighter’s agent.
Rahman, who knocked out Lennox Lewis in 2001 to win the linear heavyweight title, has his heart set on a mixed marital arts career, said Sandros Gelke, who represents him. Now living in Las Vegas, Rahman, 45-7 (36 KO), is coming off a one-sided, Dec. 13 seventh-round stoppage at the hands of IBF/WBO champ Wladimir Klitschko.
In news sure to perk up the ears of both boxing and MMA fans alike, “The Rock,” whose boxing career was defined by some of the strangest twists of fate this side of Riddick Bowe, wants to step into the new sport. And fast.
Gelke said that the 36-year-old Rahman is “quite serious about fighting in MMA” and they are currently in negotiations with several promotions, hoping to line up a debut fight sometime in the next 2-3 months. The ex-champ -- whose boxing career went south after losing a rematch to Lennox Lewis -- built a reputation on a big right hand in the sweet science, though he was also inconsistent and at times seemed to lack the impetus to get in shape.
“He thought it would be an interesting thing. He’s seen Kimbo Slice fight on TV, and he’s like, ‘I’d like to fight some of these guys,’” said Gelke.
Rahman was not initially available for comment.
Rahman, who has zero grappling background, last scored a takedown while scuffling with Lewis on the ESPN set while promoting their November 2001 rematch. Gelke said that his client plans to keep his boxing career going as well, but has yet to locate an MMA-based gym. But they’re looking around, he added.
“He hasn’t wrestled. He was actually quite a streetfighter (in Baltimore) so people said he should box,” Gelke said of Rahman, who took up boxing at the relatively late age of 20. “He’s like Quinton (Jackson) and Kimbo in that sense. We’re talking to quite a few different organizations, from small promotions up to the big ones. We’re looking to fight name fighters like Kimbo, Butterbean [Eric Esch], James Thompson, someone to bring a name to the table.”
There’s no long-term plan in place, Gelke added, as Rahman gets his feet wet in MMA -- they’re not making noise about challenging the top dogs just yet.
“We’re just taking it one fight at a time and see what comes to us,” he said. “We want to get a few smaller fights under our belts before we take on a Lesnar or Fedor or someone like that. There’s nothing solid right now. But we’re already talking with promoters about shows in April or May.”
Gelke said that he knows how vexing the transition will be given the added combative aspects of MMA. Other boxers such as Butterbean and Ray Mercer found out the hard way, along with a spate of early-day MMA competitors; but those were far less accomplished boxers than Rahman. The question long-asked by fans of both sports could get at least a quasi-relevant answer with Rahman’s journey that those other entries never really supplied -- what would happen if a world-class boxer with MMA training entered the sport? Shannon Briggs’ flirtation with it never materialized, but the reports out of American Top Team were certainly encouraging. It’s still a question that elicits heated debate from virtually any combat sports fan you ask.
“I understand how difficult it is,” Gelke said. “That’s why I’m looking to not put him in with any big grapplers at first. I don’t think Rock really understands how hard it will be to fight these guys with a grappling and wrestling background. So I’m looking to put him in with someone like Tank Abbott, or James Thompson.”
Rahman’s weight fluctuated greatly during the latter half of his boxing career. Best suited in the mid 230-pound range, he ballooned up in the 250s during a tour of tune-ups in recent years, and was a lackluster 253.5 prior to being dismantled by Klitschko in December.
“I’m talking to a Strikeforce, [a] lot of big promotions,” he said. “Some in Japan, like Sengoku and Dream. Hasim would love to fight over in Japan. Also some smaller promotions, like Wargods. I’m trying to get him into an MMA gym, work with some top trainers, there are some great gyms out here in Vegas. So that’s still kind of a work in progress. I think he’s waiting to see that I have a fight set. Then he can focus on training.”
Along with Marcus Davis, Chris Lytle is one of the most accomplished MMA fighters with a pro boxing career under his belt, going 13-7-1 (7 KO) in the squared circle. Better known in MMA as a UFC regular, Lytle gave his take on what Rahman will face
^^^So boxing and MMA trade two equally shitty fighters? Rahman to MMA and Tim Silva to Boxing (to fight 47 year old Ray Mercer who was a boxer but lost to Kimbo in MMA and now is boxing again?)?? lmao, what a joke.
Bad Idea Department: Tim Sylvia boxing Ray Mercer
In what is setting up to be an epic fail, former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (you know, the guy Fedor took out in like 30 seconds on the first Affliction show) is going to fight former WBO heavyweight champion 47 year-old Ray Mercer (you know, the guy who got choked out by Kimbo Slice in an MMA bout). Having seen the names one would assume that at this point in their respective careers it would be an MMA match. That would be incorrect...
Sylvia vs. Mercer will be headlining the May 30 event at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.
In what is setting up to be an epic fail, former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (you know, the guy Fedor took out in like 30 seconds on the first Affliction show) is going to fight former WBO heavyweight champion 47 year-old Ray Mercer (you know, the guy who got choked out by Kimbo Slice in an MMA bout). Having seen the names one would assume that at this point in their respective careers it would be an MMA match. That would be incorrect...
Sylvia vs. Mercer will be headlining the May 30 event at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.