Boxing News Thread
- Thread starter heyzel
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Man first Kessler's bitch ass, now this:
Marcos Ramirez Pulls out of Gamboa Fight!
The May 17th HBO bout between unbeaten super featherweight sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa (9-0, 8 KOs) and WBO #2 ranked Marcos Ramirez (25-0, 16 KOs) has been pulled simply because Ramirez has decided not to take the fight. Gamboa still will be fighting on the date and the search for a replacement is on. Gamboa's promoter Ahmet Öner/Arena Box-Promotion shared his thoughts on the situation. "Obviously it's disappointing but we have to move forward," stated Öner. "The one thing I take a lot pride in is that none of my fighters have to be moved carefully. We fight the best fighters out there regardless of how good their record is."
Marcos Ramirez Pulls out of Gamboa Fight!
The May 17th HBO bout between unbeaten super featherweight sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa (9-0, 8 KOs) and WBO #2 ranked Marcos Ramirez (25-0, 16 KOs) has been pulled simply because Ramirez has decided not to take the fight. Gamboa still will be fighting on the date and the search for a replacement is on. Gamboa's promoter Ahmet Öner/Arena Box-Promotion shared his thoughts on the situation. "Obviously it's disappointing but we have to move forward," stated Öner. "The one thing I take a lot pride in is that none of my fighters have to be moved carefully. We fight the best fighters out there regardless of how good their record is."
Quintana Holds Out on Paul Williams Rematch
By Mark Vester
WBO welterweight champion Carlos Quintana has not signed the fight contract for his rematch with Paul Williams. Quintana upset Williams on February 9 with unanimous decision win to capture the title, and a few weeks later Williams exercised the rematch clause of their original deal.
Quintana is upset with the money being offered and is unhappy with the date of the fight. He is not willing to fight Williams for the same amount of money as the first time (believed to be around 250,000). He also wants to fight Williams on June 14, and not on the advertised date of June 7.
"I'm supposed to make more money in this fight than what I what I made in the first where I won the welterweight title. They are not offering me a lot of money," Quintana said to Primera Hora. "They are offering me the minimum and the fight is worth a lot more. Besides, I want to fight on June 14 and not on the 7th."
By Mark Vester
WBO welterweight champion Carlos Quintana has not signed the fight contract for his rematch with Paul Williams. Quintana upset Williams on February 9 with unanimous decision win to capture the title, and a few weeks later Williams exercised the rematch clause of their original deal.
Quintana is upset with the money being offered and is unhappy with the date of the fight. He is not willing to fight Williams for the same amount of money as the first time (believed to be around 250,000). He also wants to fight Williams on June 14, and not on the advertised date of June 7.
"I'm supposed to make more money in this fight than what I what I made in the first where I won the welterweight title. They are not offering me a lot of money," Quintana said to Primera Hora. "They are offering me the minimum and the fight is worth a lot more. Besides, I want to fight on June 14 and not on the 7th."
Wladimir Klitschko Willing To Fight David Haye
By Mark Vester
In a recent interview with BBC Radio 5, WBC/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko made it known that he is very willing to meet the challenge of WBC/WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion David Haye, who plans to make a move to heavyweight in November.
"He's an exciting fighter so why not? I hadn't heard about David Haye at all until last month," said Klitschko. "But I've checked his record and he is a good fighter with a good record. If he wants to bring excitement then I wish him best of luck. He better get himself in the gym and get ready to fight.
"He is young and is trying to put attention on himself and that may work for him because he has to be very loud, but not only with his words but with his actions. I wish him the best of luck with that."
Following his unification win over Enzo Maccarinelli, Haye blasted Klitschko's performance against Sultan Ibragimov.
"I'd fight Wladimir Klitschko in my next fight if I could after his pitiful fight against Sultan Ibragimov. That was embarrassing and he wouldn't look forward to fighting someone with my kind of style - powerful, explosive and able to take him out with any shot," Haye said.
Haye will have to wait, Klitschko confirmed to radio show that he planning to fight WBO mandatory Tony Thompson in Germany this summer.
"Until the fight with David Haye I have to stay active as I am nervous and I have to get myself in shape," Klitschko said. "So I am going to fight in July against Thompson - he is the WBO's number one mandatory contender so I have chosen him."
By Mark Vester
In a recent interview with BBC Radio 5, WBC/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko made it known that he is very willing to meet the challenge of WBC/WBA/WBO cruiserweight champion David Haye, who plans to make a move to heavyweight in November.
"He's an exciting fighter so why not? I hadn't heard about David Haye at all until last month," said Klitschko. "But I've checked his record and he is a good fighter with a good record. If he wants to bring excitement then I wish him best of luck. He better get himself in the gym and get ready to fight.
"He is young and is trying to put attention on himself and that may work for him because he has to be very loud, but not only with his words but with his actions. I wish him the best of luck with that."
Following his unification win over Enzo Maccarinelli, Haye blasted Klitschko's performance against Sultan Ibragimov.
"I'd fight Wladimir Klitschko in my next fight if I could after his pitiful fight against Sultan Ibragimov. That was embarrassing and he wouldn't look forward to fighting someone with my kind of style - powerful, explosive and able to take him out with any shot," Haye said.
Haye will have to wait, Klitschko confirmed to radio show that he planning to fight WBO mandatory Tony Thompson in Germany this summer.
"Until the fight with David Haye I have to stay active as I am nervous and I have to get myself in shape," Klitschko said. "So I am going to fight in July against Thompson - he is the WBO's number one mandatory contender so I have chosen him."
FREE LIVE FIGHTS ON RIGHT NOW!
Cory Spinks Vs. Verno Phillips
Devon Alexander Vs. Miguel Callist
www.donkingnetwork.tv is hosting this for free. Pretty dope especially considering it's Don King.
Cory Spinks Vs. Verno Phillips
Devon Alexander Vs. Miguel Callist
www.donkingnetwork.tv is hosting this for free. Pretty dope especially considering it's Don King.
Cotto's Knee Won't Prevent Gomez Win
By Mark Vester
Miguel Cotto tells El Nuevo Dia that some ingrown hairs on his left knee, which has caused a slight limp, will not prevent victory when he defends his WBA welterweight title against Alfonso Gomez on April 12 in Atlantic City. Cotto told the paper that his training camp will not be affected. Cotto denied rumors that the injury came from training.
"All is well. It's a small inconvenience in the knee, but all is well, Cotto said. "It's already improved since yesterday. We leave for Atlantic City on April 6 and my plan is to continue working. An opponent is an opponent and you must respect him. I know he is being prepared in the best possible way to win the fight and we are training in the same fashion."
By Mark Vester
Miguel Cotto tells El Nuevo Dia that some ingrown hairs on his left knee, which has caused a slight limp, will not prevent victory when he defends his WBA welterweight title against Alfonso Gomez on April 12 in Atlantic City. Cotto told the paper that his training camp will not be affected. Cotto denied rumors that the injury came from training.
"All is well. It's a small inconvenience in the knee, but all is well, Cotto said. "It's already improved since yesterday. We leave for Atlantic City on April 6 and my plan is to continue working. An opponent is an opponent and you must respect him. I know he is being prepared in the best possible way to win the fight and we are training in the same fashion."
Roy Jones Jr.-Anderson Silva Talks Begin
By Mark Vester
It seemed like a fantasy, but representatives for UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, and former four-division champion Roy Jones Jr., have confirmed to the Associated Press that talks are ongoing for a possible boxing match between the two fighters. The reports notes that negotiations are in the preliminary stages, but both fighters are pushing for the clash to happen.
Alan Hopper, the PR director for Don King, informed the AP that talks are ongoing and Jones is interested in making the fight. According to a report by NBCSports.com, the fight will be an official boxing match and not an exhibition. They would likely meet at a catchweight between 170 and 185-pounds.
The report said a few big hurdles exist. The UFC would have to sign off on the fight, Silva would have to obtain a boxing license from the athletic commission of the hosting state, and both fighters would have to agree on the revenue split. No date or venue has been mentioned. The fight is a lock to land on pay-per-view.
The likely venue would fall in Las Vegas. The executive director for the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Keith Kizer, told NBC Sports that the commission would have to gather a lot of information about Silva's capabilities as a boxer in order to grant a license for a dream bout with Jones.
"It's [Silva's] burden to prove," Kizer said. "He'd be taking on a future Hall of Famer in Roy Jones. There's no question he can get licensed to box, the question is the matchup. We'd have to look at his training, his background, his history and gather the facts before a decision."
Silva has a mixed-martial-arts record of 21–4 (which includes a 6–0 run in the UFC). Jones has a career record of 52-4 with 38 knockouts. He's a former middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight champion
By Mark Vester
It seemed like a fantasy, but representatives for UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, and former four-division champion Roy Jones Jr., have confirmed to the Associated Press that talks are ongoing for a possible boxing match between the two fighters. The reports notes that negotiations are in the preliminary stages, but both fighters are pushing for the clash to happen.
Alan Hopper, the PR director for Don King, informed the AP that talks are ongoing and Jones is interested in making the fight. According to a report by NBCSports.com, the fight will be an official boxing match and not an exhibition. They would likely meet at a catchweight between 170 and 185-pounds.
The report said a few big hurdles exist. The UFC would have to sign off on the fight, Silva would have to obtain a boxing license from the athletic commission of the hosting state, and both fighters would have to agree on the revenue split. No date or venue has been mentioned. The fight is a lock to land on pay-per-view.
The likely venue would fall in Las Vegas. The executive director for the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Keith Kizer, told NBC Sports that the commission would have to gather a lot of information about Silva's capabilities as a boxer in order to grant a license for a dream bout with Jones.
"It's [Silva's] burden to prove," Kizer said. "He'd be taking on a future Hall of Famer in Roy Jones. There's no question he can get licensed to box, the question is the matchup. We'd have to look at his training, his background, his history and gather the facts before a decision."
Silva has a mixed-martial-arts record of 21–4 (which includes a 6–0 run in the UFC). Jones has a career record of 52-4 with 38 knockouts. He's a former middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight champion
Verno Phillips Upsets Cory Spinks, Wins Title
By Mark Vester
Scottrade Center, St. Louis - Mandatory, veteran challenger Verno Phillips (42-11-1, 21KOs) won the IBF Junior middleweight title with an upset twelve-round decision over Cory Spinks (36-5, 11KOs).
The split-decision scores were 115-113 for Phillips, 115-113 for Spinks, and 116-112 for Phillips. The fight appeared to be a one-sided affair for Spinks and very few ringside observers scored the fight in favor of Phillips. Spinks appeared to have too much speed and defense for the 38-year-old challenger.
Phillips was outboxed for the majority of the fight while landing an occassional decent right hand. Phillips tried his best to turn the fight around in the last three rounds, but Spinks would never let him establish a good rhythm. A right hand or two appeared to shake Spinks up, but nothing major and Phillips did little to follow-up either time.
In the co-feature, unbeaten junior welterweight Devon Alexander (15-0, 8KOs) won an easy twelve-round decision over Miguel Callist (24-7-1, 17KOs). Callist was dropped in the twelfth and final round, the only knockdown of the fight. The scores were 120-105, 120-106 and 120-106
By Mark Vester
Scottrade Center, St. Louis - Mandatory, veteran challenger Verno Phillips (42-11-1, 21KOs) won the IBF Junior middleweight title with an upset twelve-round decision over Cory Spinks (36-5, 11KOs).
The split-decision scores were 115-113 for Phillips, 115-113 for Spinks, and 116-112 for Phillips. The fight appeared to be a one-sided affair for Spinks and very few ringside observers scored the fight in favor of Phillips. Spinks appeared to have too much speed and defense for the 38-year-old challenger.
Phillips was outboxed for the majority of the fight while landing an occassional decent right hand. Phillips tried his best to turn the fight around in the last three rounds, but Spinks would never let him establish a good rhythm. A right hand or two appeared to shake Spinks up, but nothing major and Phillips did little to follow-up either time.
In the co-feature, unbeaten junior welterweight Devon Alexander (15-0, 8KOs) won an easy twelve-round decision over Miguel Callist (24-7-1, 17KOs). Callist was dropped in the twelfth and final round, the only knockdown of the fight. The scores were 120-105, 120-106 and 120-106
Hatton-Lazcano, Malignaggi-N'dou II Official
The Empire Casino in London, promoter Frank Maloney officially announced Ricky Hatton's next fight, an IBO defense against ex-world title challenger Juan Lazcano at City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England on May 24, 2008.
Maloney also unveiled a Commonwealth welterweight title clash between reigning champion Craig Watson and challenger Matthew Hatton, younger brother of "The Hitman" as well as IBF Light Welter Champion Paulie Malignaggi defending his crown against former titlist Lovemore N'dou in a rematch.
Ricky Hatton declared the event would be a family occasion occurring between 6 and 11PM as a thank you to the many thousands of fans that have supported him in both the UK and America. With 51,000 tickets already being sold for the May 24 date, only 4,000 seats remain at City of Manchester Stadium.
On hand were Ray Hatton of Punch Promotions and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, co-promoters with Maloney of the Hatton vs. Lazcano bill.
Also announced at the conference was Ricky Hatton's intention to face Floyd Mayweather again next spring, this time in England, following Hatton's only career loss which occurred against Mayweather in Las Vegas last December.
But first Hatton must come through not only the Lazcano bout but also a proposed clash with Malignaggi should the New Yorker turn away the rugged N'dou. For his part, Mayweather must see off his other conquest of 2007, Oscar de la Hoya, again before a Hatton match can be made a reality.
If these hurdles can be cleared, Maloney sees no problem selling out the 100,000 seat Wembley Stadium in London.
The Empire Casino in London, promoter Frank Maloney officially announced Ricky Hatton's next fight, an IBO defense against ex-world title challenger Juan Lazcano at City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England on May 24, 2008.
Maloney also unveiled a Commonwealth welterweight title clash between reigning champion Craig Watson and challenger Matthew Hatton, younger brother of "The Hitman" as well as IBF Light Welter Champion Paulie Malignaggi defending his crown against former titlist Lovemore N'dou in a rematch.
Ricky Hatton declared the event would be a family occasion occurring between 6 and 11PM as a thank you to the many thousands of fans that have supported him in both the UK and America. With 51,000 tickets already being sold for the May 24 date, only 4,000 seats remain at City of Manchester Stadium.
On hand were Ray Hatton of Punch Promotions and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, co-promoters with Maloney of the Hatton vs. Lazcano bill.
Also announced at the conference was Ricky Hatton's intention to face Floyd Mayweather again next spring, this time in England, following Hatton's only career loss which occurred against Mayweather in Las Vegas last December.
But first Hatton must come through not only the Lazcano bout but also a proposed clash with Malignaggi should the New Yorker turn away the rugged N'dou. For his part, Mayweather must see off his other conquest of 2007, Oscar de la Hoya, again before a Hatton match can be made a reality.
If these hurdles can be cleared, Maloney sees no problem selling out the 100,000 seat Wembley Stadium in London.
Kelly Pavlik, Gary Lockett Promise Brawl
My world title reign is going to be no different than my world title climb. I’m going to keep fighting the best men out there,” said Pavlik. “My last two victories over Jermain Taylor proved that I wasn’t just the world middleweight champion, but the best man in the game, pound for pound. I promised the fans I would be an active champion and that I wouldn’t duck anyone, and I intend to live up to that pledge. It wasn’t that long ago that I was the number one contender. I know the hunger Lockett has for my title. It’s back to the “factory” for me for heavy training. I will be 150% for this fight!”
“This fight has got all the ingredients for a good old-fashioned punch-up,” said Lockett. I know I’m going to be a massive underdog because, worldwide, I’m very, very unknown. But I’m a lot tougher than people think. I’ve got a good chin and I can pack a wallop myself. And I’ve got the best trainer in the business in Enzo Calzaghe. Pavlik is among the best pound-for-pound but he looks beatable. He's no Superman, he has plenty of flaws and we will put together an effective system to beat him.”
"Kelly Pavlik showed in his last fight he is on his road to becoming a superstar,” said Bob Arum, chairman of Top Rank. “But now Kelly faces a tough test against the No. 1 mandatory challenger, Gary Lockett, who has battled hard and has won 14 fights in a row. He has not lost a fight in over five years."
“Gary can punch and Pavlik doesn't have the best of defenses,” said Frank Warren, Lockett’s promoter. “But it's a great opportunity for Lockett. Now it's up to him to do the rest.”
"'Kelly Pavlik is one of the premier prizefighters in the sport today" said Kery Davis, Senior VP of Programming for HBO Sports. "It's great to present his first title defense live on our flagship series. Gary Lockett has the opportunity to show his heart and skill in challenging for the one of the most coveted titles in the sport."
“Caesars is very excited to welcome world champion Kelly Pavlik and his huge contigent of Youngstown, Ohio fans back to Atlantic City,” said Harrah's Entertainment Sports & Entertainment Consultant Ken Condon.
“We are looking forward to what is sure to be another fabulous night of championship boxing at Boardwalk Hall with these two great match-ups."
Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs), from Youngstown, Ohio, joins former lightweight champions Harry Arroyo and Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini as hometown world champions. Pavlik Ghost wrote a career year in 2007 against three of the best who boasted a combined record of 74-4-3 (55 KOs) when he faced them. The consensus “Fighter of the Year” for 2007, Pavlik knocked out Jose Luis Zertuche (19-3-2, 14 KOs) and Edison Miranda (28-1, 24 KOs), in world title elimination bouts, earning him the right to become Taylor’s mandatory challenger. His year-end finale, a seventh-round stoppage of the previously undefeated Taylor, to claim the world middleweight championship, was selected as the “Fight of the Year” by the Boxing Writers Association of America and extended Pavlik’s two-year victory by knockout streak to nine bouts. Pavlik defeated Taylor handily in their rematch last February to solidify his claim as one of boxing’s top pound for pound fighters.
Lockett (30-1, 21 KOs), from Cwmbran, Wales, is riding a six-year, 14-bout unbeaten streak. His only loss, a split-decision WBO Intercontinental junior middleweight title defense in 2002, was avenged one year later, via a 10-round super middleweight unanimous decision. Trained by BWAA “2007 Trainer of the Year,” Enzo Calzaghe, Lockett boasts dangerous punching power as 70% of his victims can attest to having lost to him by knockout. Lockett captured the World Boxing Union middleweight title in 2006, knocking out Gilbert Eastman in the first round, and successfully defended it twice, via a unanimous decision over Ryan Rhodes and a third-round knockout of Lee Blundell in 2006 and 2007, respectively. A teenage prodigy as an amateur, with a 90-8 record, Lockett captured 22 titles at the Welsh level or above, including four British junior crowns and the inaugural 1992 European Under-16 gold medal in Italy.
De Leon (34-1, 30 KOs), from Huntington Park, California, by way of Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, Mexico, is riding a three-year, 10-bout winning streak, including six defenses of the WBO junior featherweight title he has held since 2005.
A 2000 Mexican Olympian and five-time national champion, De Leon, a natural southpaw, is known for his aggressive style, constant pressure, and strong punching power. His best world title victories have been over previously undefeated contenders Rey Bautista and Sod Looknongyabtoy, and two-division world champion Gerry Penalosa.
Lopez (21-0, 19 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, has held the WBO Latino junior featherweight title since 2006. A member of Puerto Rico’s 2004 Olympic team, Lopez has climbed to the top of the ratings in an incredibly short amount of time. To say he is on a tear is no understatement inasmuch as he hasn’t gone the distance since June 10, 2006, knocking out his last nine opponents while garnering rave reviews and comparisons to Puerto Rico’s finest world champions, including Miguel Cotto, Felix Trinidad and Wilfredo Gomez. A natural southpaw, like De Leon, Lopez’s arsenal features good punching power and an aggressive, pressuring style of
My world title reign is going to be no different than my world title climb. I’m going to keep fighting the best men out there,” said Pavlik. “My last two victories over Jermain Taylor proved that I wasn’t just the world middleweight champion, but the best man in the game, pound for pound. I promised the fans I would be an active champion and that I wouldn’t duck anyone, and I intend to live up to that pledge. It wasn’t that long ago that I was the number one contender. I know the hunger Lockett has for my title. It’s back to the “factory” for me for heavy training. I will be 150% for this fight!”
“This fight has got all the ingredients for a good old-fashioned punch-up,” said Lockett. I know I’m going to be a massive underdog because, worldwide, I’m very, very unknown. But I’m a lot tougher than people think. I’ve got a good chin and I can pack a wallop myself. And I’ve got the best trainer in the business in Enzo Calzaghe. Pavlik is among the best pound-for-pound but he looks beatable. He's no Superman, he has plenty of flaws and we will put together an effective system to beat him.”
"Kelly Pavlik showed in his last fight he is on his road to becoming a superstar,” said Bob Arum, chairman of Top Rank. “But now Kelly faces a tough test against the No. 1 mandatory challenger, Gary Lockett, who has battled hard and has won 14 fights in a row. He has not lost a fight in over five years."
“Gary can punch and Pavlik doesn't have the best of defenses,” said Frank Warren, Lockett’s promoter. “But it's a great opportunity for Lockett. Now it's up to him to do the rest.”
"'Kelly Pavlik is one of the premier prizefighters in the sport today" said Kery Davis, Senior VP of Programming for HBO Sports. "It's great to present his first title defense live on our flagship series. Gary Lockett has the opportunity to show his heart and skill in challenging for the one of the most coveted titles in the sport."
“Caesars is very excited to welcome world champion Kelly Pavlik and his huge contigent of Youngstown, Ohio fans back to Atlantic City,” said Harrah's Entertainment Sports & Entertainment Consultant Ken Condon.
“We are looking forward to what is sure to be another fabulous night of championship boxing at Boardwalk Hall with these two great match-ups."
Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs), from Youngstown, Ohio, joins former lightweight champions Harry Arroyo and Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini as hometown world champions. Pavlik Ghost wrote a career year in 2007 against three of the best who boasted a combined record of 74-4-3 (55 KOs) when he faced them. The consensus “Fighter of the Year” for 2007, Pavlik knocked out Jose Luis Zertuche (19-3-2, 14 KOs) and Edison Miranda (28-1, 24 KOs), in world title elimination bouts, earning him the right to become Taylor’s mandatory challenger. His year-end finale, a seventh-round stoppage of the previously undefeated Taylor, to claim the world middleweight championship, was selected as the “Fight of the Year” by the Boxing Writers Association of America and extended Pavlik’s two-year victory by knockout streak to nine bouts. Pavlik defeated Taylor handily in their rematch last February to solidify his claim as one of boxing’s top pound for pound fighters.
Lockett (30-1, 21 KOs), from Cwmbran, Wales, is riding a six-year, 14-bout unbeaten streak. His only loss, a split-decision WBO Intercontinental junior middleweight title defense in 2002, was avenged one year later, via a 10-round super middleweight unanimous decision. Trained by BWAA “2007 Trainer of the Year,” Enzo Calzaghe, Lockett boasts dangerous punching power as 70% of his victims can attest to having lost to him by knockout. Lockett captured the World Boxing Union middleweight title in 2006, knocking out Gilbert Eastman in the first round, and successfully defended it twice, via a unanimous decision over Ryan Rhodes and a third-round knockout of Lee Blundell in 2006 and 2007, respectively. A teenage prodigy as an amateur, with a 90-8 record, Lockett captured 22 titles at the Welsh level or above, including four British junior crowns and the inaugural 1992 European Under-16 gold medal in Italy.
De Leon (34-1, 30 KOs), from Huntington Park, California, by way of Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua, Mexico, is riding a three-year, 10-bout winning streak, including six defenses of the WBO junior featherweight title he has held since 2005.
A 2000 Mexican Olympian and five-time national champion, De Leon, a natural southpaw, is known for his aggressive style, constant pressure, and strong punching power. His best world title victories have been over previously undefeated contenders Rey Bautista and Sod Looknongyabtoy, and two-division world champion Gerry Penalosa.
Lopez (21-0, 19 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, has held the WBO Latino junior featherweight title since 2006. A member of Puerto Rico’s 2004 Olympic team, Lopez has climbed to the top of the ratings in an incredibly short amount of time. To say he is on a tear is no understatement inasmuch as he hasn’t gone the distance since June 10, 2006, knocking out his last nine opponents while garnering rave reviews and comparisons to Puerto Rico’s finest world champions, including Miguel Cotto, Felix Trinidad and Wilfredo Gomez. A natural southpaw, like De Leon, Lopez’s arsenal features good punching power and an aggressive, pressuring style of
The Santa Cruz-Golden Boy Struggle
By Doug Fischer
It’s a good time to be a lightweight contender.
With two high-profile ‘Fight of the Year’ candidates having took place this month – Nate Campbell’s thrilling decision victory over Juan Diaz and Joel Casamayor’s dramatic 10th-round stoppage of Michael Katsidis – along with Manny Pacquiao’s lightweight debut scheduled to take place this summer, Juan Manuel Marquez’s imminent jump to 135 pounds, and with rapidly rising young talents like Amir Khan and Anthony Peterson, the lightweight division is quickly emerging as one of the sport’s glamour weight classes.
So why isn’t Rudy Hernandez – trainer and manager of top-10 lightweight contender Jose Armando Santa Cruz – happy?
Santa Cruz, who beat-up Casamayor for 12 rounds last November in a bout that everyone but two official judges thought he won easily, is 27 years old, at the peak of his physical powers, and is part of the Golden Boy Promotions stable of fighters, which includes recognized lightweight champ Casamayor, Marquez and Diaz. The L.A.-based company also has a working relationship with Katsidis.
However, since Hernandez took his lanky lightweight contender from Top Rank to Golden Boy Promotions last year, he has butted heads with the company’s executives starting with the weeks leading into the fight with Casamayor, who GBP signed shortly after signing Santa Cruz.
Before the Nov. 10th bout, which was on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley showdown in NYC, Hernandez felt that Golden Boy Promotions slighted his fighter by not including the shy swarmer in pre-fight media functions like open workouts and conference calls.
After the bout, which Casamayor won by a ridiculous split decision, Hernandez went from being merely disgruntled to totally disgusted.
“They’ve done nothing for my fighter,” Hernandez says. “He got screwed in New York and they don’t say a word about it.
“How can they cry robbery after the Marquez-Pacquiao rematch, a legitimately close fight, but not make a peep after the way Santa Cruz lost to Casamayor?
“I’ll tell you why, because Golden Boy Promotions are the biggest hypocrites in boxing. They claim to be on the side of the fighters, they say that they look out for the boxers unlike the older promoters, but then they play hardball with all their fighters not named De La Hoya or Hopkins or Mosley or Marquez.
“What really pisses me off is how they boast about all their sponsors and the record-breaking fights they promote but when they deal with the ‘little guys’ they act like they don’t have any money.”
Hernandez’s most recent beef is with Eric Gomez. He says Golden Boy Promotions’ matchmaker promised Santa Cruz a WBC lightweight title elimination bout (vs. Antonio Pitalua) on the undercard of Bernard Hopkins-Joe Calzaghe but then replaced it with a middleweight bout (David Lopez vs. Marco Antonio Rubio).
“Eric offered me the April 19th date for the Pitalua fight,” Hernandez recalled. “Rafael Mendoza, Pitalua’s co-manager, and I agreed to the terms last Tuesday, and I told Eric that we could do it, but last Thursday Eric called me up and told me that Mendoza no longer wanted the [April 19th] fight and he wanted to go to a purse bid. The reason he gave me was that I waited too long [to agree the terms] and pissed Pitalua’s people off.
“But I called Mendoza and he told me that he accepted the terms and that Gomez told him that we took too much time to agree and he had to replace it with Lopez-Rubio.
“That means we have to go to a purse bid now, which means Santa Cruz probably won’t fight until May at the earliest.”
True, and that’s unfortunate for Santa Cruz, who is in his prime and should be as active as possible. However, who’s at fault for the contender’s inactivity since last November is open to debate, according to Gomez.
“I really don’t know why Rudy is so angry with us,” Gomez said Wednesday afternoon. “We’ve given him every opportunity to keep his fighter active and to make good money and he’s made his own decisions.
“I know he was upset with the outcome of the Casamayor fight, and I can understand his anger, but for some reason he blamed us for it. After the fight he said ‘How can you guys allow this to happen!?’ But it had nothing to do with us. [Bad decisions] happen in boxing. It’s happened to the president of the company, Oscar De La Hoya. It’s not our fault.”
Gomez said Hernandez wanted a rematch with Casamayor, and he tried to deliver that request.
“The problem is, HBO and Showtime were not knocking down our door for that fight, and we needed them in order to pay the fighters their minimums,” he said. “The bottom line is that we didn’t have spots for the rematch, but we still wanted to work with Santa Cruz and get him a money fight that was also televised.
“HBO was high on Michael Katsidis and they were willing to do a Santa Cruz-Katsidis bout. Had Rudy agreed to this bout, it would have been the March 22nd ‘Boxing After Dark’ main event instead of Casamayor-Katsidis, but he didn’t take the fight.
“I still don’t understand his decision. It would have paid Santa Cruz THREE times his minimum purse for a title bout, it would have been on HBO and it would have been for an interim world title [the WBO]. I thought it was a winnable fight for Jose Armando, and I know it would have been a good TV fight with the way he and Katdisis fight. I told Rudy ‘If Jose wins the fight or is even in a good fight, you’ll get future dates on HBO’, but he said no, and his exact words to me were: ‘I’m not taking the fight because I’m loyal to the WBC. Mr. [Akihiko] Honda [of Teiken Promotions, which has foreign promotional ties to Santa Cruz] will work it out and Jose will get the mandatory position with the WBC if Casamayor doesn’t give him a rematch.
“I told him ‘Rudy, you’re dreaming; the WBC is not just going to make Jose the mandatory contender, I guarantee you that they’ll have him fight in at least one title-elimination bout to get that position. If you want to be loyal to the WBC, be sure that they’ll be loyal to you, because if you turn down the Katsidis fight we’ll offer it to Casamayor and HBO will accept that fight.
“Ultimately, that’s what happened. Rudy turned it down, Casamayor’s people took it, Casamayor won the fight and now he’s hot again.
“But I want to make it clear that Santa Cruz was HBO and Golden Boy’s first choice. Rudy missed out on a good payday and good exposure for his fighter.”
Hernandez admits that he turned down the Katsidis bout.
“They offered me Michael Katsidis, I’ll give them that,” he said. “But the way I saw it, Santa Cruz should have been the world lightweight champ after the Casamayor fight. I didn’t want him to fight for an interim belt, especially if it wasn’t the WBC belt. Why? Because it was the WBC that did the right thing and ordered an immediate rematch between Jose and Casamayor, not The Ring. [WBC president] Jose Sulaiman and Mr. Honda did the right thing with Santa Cruz.
“Jose, Mauricio [Sulaiman] and Honda tried to do what Golden Boy should have forced. Golden Boy should have capitalized on the sympathy the media had for Santa Cruz after the Casamayor fight. They could have capitalized on the outrage that the fans had after that fight, but they didn’t. Bob Arum would have capitalized on it. What happened when Miguel Huerta got robbed against Kid Diamond on Versus?”
Two months after Huerta got the dookie-end of the stick in an awful split-decision loss to Almazbek Raiymkulov (AKA Kid Diamond) last June, Top Rank had the grizzled Mexican vet back in the ring in another Versus-televised bout against Efren Hinojosa, fighting for the vacant NABF title that Raiymkulov had no business winning in June.
However, Gomez says he worked hard to make the WBC title eliminator between Santa Cruz and Pitalua.
By Doug Fischer
It’s a good time to be a lightweight contender.
With two high-profile ‘Fight of the Year’ candidates having took place this month – Nate Campbell’s thrilling decision victory over Juan Diaz and Joel Casamayor’s dramatic 10th-round stoppage of Michael Katsidis – along with Manny Pacquiao’s lightweight debut scheduled to take place this summer, Juan Manuel Marquez’s imminent jump to 135 pounds, and with rapidly rising young talents like Amir Khan and Anthony Peterson, the lightweight division is quickly emerging as one of the sport’s glamour weight classes.
So why isn’t Rudy Hernandez – trainer and manager of top-10 lightweight contender Jose Armando Santa Cruz – happy?
Santa Cruz, who beat-up Casamayor for 12 rounds last November in a bout that everyone but two official judges thought he won easily, is 27 years old, at the peak of his physical powers, and is part of the Golden Boy Promotions stable of fighters, which includes recognized lightweight champ Casamayor, Marquez and Diaz. The L.A.-based company also has a working relationship with Katsidis.
However, since Hernandez took his lanky lightweight contender from Top Rank to Golden Boy Promotions last year, he has butted heads with the company’s executives starting with the weeks leading into the fight with Casamayor, who GBP signed shortly after signing Santa Cruz.
Before the Nov. 10th bout, which was on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley showdown in NYC, Hernandez felt that Golden Boy Promotions slighted his fighter by not including the shy swarmer in pre-fight media functions like open workouts and conference calls.
After the bout, which Casamayor won by a ridiculous split decision, Hernandez went from being merely disgruntled to totally disgusted.
“They’ve done nothing for my fighter,” Hernandez says. “He got screwed in New York and they don’t say a word about it.
“How can they cry robbery after the Marquez-Pacquiao rematch, a legitimately close fight, but not make a peep after the way Santa Cruz lost to Casamayor?
“I’ll tell you why, because Golden Boy Promotions are the biggest hypocrites in boxing. They claim to be on the side of the fighters, they say that they look out for the boxers unlike the older promoters, but then they play hardball with all their fighters not named De La Hoya or Hopkins or Mosley or Marquez.
“What really pisses me off is how they boast about all their sponsors and the record-breaking fights they promote but when they deal with the ‘little guys’ they act like they don’t have any money.”
Hernandez’s most recent beef is with Eric Gomez. He says Golden Boy Promotions’ matchmaker promised Santa Cruz a WBC lightweight title elimination bout (vs. Antonio Pitalua) on the undercard of Bernard Hopkins-Joe Calzaghe but then replaced it with a middleweight bout (David Lopez vs. Marco Antonio Rubio).
“Eric offered me the April 19th date for the Pitalua fight,” Hernandez recalled. “Rafael Mendoza, Pitalua’s co-manager, and I agreed to the terms last Tuesday, and I told Eric that we could do it, but last Thursday Eric called me up and told me that Mendoza no longer wanted the [April 19th] fight and he wanted to go to a purse bid. The reason he gave me was that I waited too long [to agree the terms] and pissed Pitalua’s people off.
“But I called Mendoza and he told me that he accepted the terms and that Gomez told him that we took too much time to agree and he had to replace it with Lopez-Rubio.
“That means we have to go to a purse bid now, which means Santa Cruz probably won’t fight until May at the earliest.”
True, and that’s unfortunate for Santa Cruz, who is in his prime and should be as active as possible. However, who’s at fault for the contender’s inactivity since last November is open to debate, according to Gomez.
“I really don’t know why Rudy is so angry with us,” Gomez said Wednesday afternoon. “We’ve given him every opportunity to keep his fighter active and to make good money and he’s made his own decisions.
“I know he was upset with the outcome of the Casamayor fight, and I can understand his anger, but for some reason he blamed us for it. After the fight he said ‘How can you guys allow this to happen!?’ But it had nothing to do with us. [Bad decisions] happen in boxing. It’s happened to the president of the company, Oscar De La Hoya. It’s not our fault.”
Gomez said Hernandez wanted a rematch with Casamayor, and he tried to deliver that request.
“The problem is, HBO and Showtime were not knocking down our door for that fight, and we needed them in order to pay the fighters their minimums,” he said. “The bottom line is that we didn’t have spots for the rematch, but we still wanted to work with Santa Cruz and get him a money fight that was also televised.
“HBO was high on Michael Katsidis and they were willing to do a Santa Cruz-Katsidis bout. Had Rudy agreed to this bout, it would have been the March 22nd ‘Boxing After Dark’ main event instead of Casamayor-Katsidis, but he didn’t take the fight.
“I still don’t understand his decision. It would have paid Santa Cruz THREE times his minimum purse for a title bout, it would have been on HBO and it would have been for an interim world title [the WBO]. I thought it was a winnable fight for Jose Armando, and I know it would have been a good TV fight with the way he and Katdisis fight. I told Rudy ‘If Jose wins the fight or is even in a good fight, you’ll get future dates on HBO’, but he said no, and his exact words to me were: ‘I’m not taking the fight because I’m loyal to the WBC. Mr. [Akihiko] Honda [of Teiken Promotions, which has foreign promotional ties to Santa Cruz] will work it out and Jose will get the mandatory position with the WBC if Casamayor doesn’t give him a rematch.
“I told him ‘Rudy, you’re dreaming; the WBC is not just going to make Jose the mandatory contender, I guarantee you that they’ll have him fight in at least one title-elimination bout to get that position. If you want to be loyal to the WBC, be sure that they’ll be loyal to you, because if you turn down the Katsidis fight we’ll offer it to Casamayor and HBO will accept that fight.
“Ultimately, that’s what happened. Rudy turned it down, Casamayor’s people took it, Casamayor won the fight and now he’s hot again.
“But I want to make it clear that Santa Cruz was HBO and Golden Boy’s first choice. Rudy missed out on a good payday and good exposure for his fighter.”
Hernandez admits that he turned down the Katsidis bout.
“They offered me Michael Katsidis, I’ll give them that,” he said. “But the way I saw it, Santa Cruz should have been the world lightweight champ after the Casamayor fight. I didn’t want him to fight for an interim belt, especially if it wasn’t the WBC belt. Why? Because it was the WBC that did the right thing and ordered an immediate rematch between Jose and Casamayor, not The Ring. [WBC president] Jose Sulaiman and Mr. Honda did the right thing with Santa Cruz.
“Jose, Mauricio [Sulaiman] and Honda tried to do what Golden Boy should have forced. Golden Boy should have capitalized on the sympathy the media had for Santa Cruz after the Casamayor fight. They could have capitalized on the outrage that the fans had after that fight, but they didn’t. Bob Arum would have capitalized on it. What happened when Miguel Huerta got robbed against Kid Diamond on Versus?”
Two months after Huerta got the dookie-end of the stick in an awful split-decision loss to Almazbek Raiymkulov (AKA Kid Diamond) last June, Top Rank had the grizzled Mexican vet back in the ring in another Versus-televised bout against Efren Hinojosa, fighting for the vacant NABF title that Raiymkulov had no business winning in June.
However, Gomez says he worked hard to make the WBC title eliminator between Santa Cruz and Pitalua.
Witter: "Forget Money, I'll Kick Hatton's Ass"
By Mark Vester
WBC junior welterweight champ Junior Witter is tired of chasing for a fight with his UK-rival Ricky Hatton. He is willing to fight Hatton for free, just to show fans that even for free - Hatton will advoid fighting him. Witter only wants his training expenses covered and people in his camp compensated, but he is willing to fight Hatton for no charge.
Hatton returns on May 24 against Juan Lazcano. Witter is probably going to defend his title against mandatory Timothy Bradley on May 10.
"Ricky's scared and he knows I'd whoop his arse. He's good but he knows I'm better. I'm a fighter and I want to prove I'm the best out there. He's had 101 excuses. He used to say I haven't got a title but I have a title," Witter told The Sun. "He says I'm not box office but I am box office — I'm the WBC champion. Now he's saying he doesn't want to give me a payday.
"All I need is my training expenses and I'll come round and kick his arse in front of everybody for free. My people have got to get paid, my training expenses have got to be paid but I'll do it for free. I can do that because I know I'm going to win."
By Mark Vester
WBC junior welterweight champ Junior Witter is tired of chasing for a fight with his UK-rival Ricky Hatton. He is willing to fight Hatton for free, just to show fans that even for free - Hatton will advoid fighting him. Witter only wants his training expenses covered and people in his camp compensated, but he is willing to fight Hatton for no charge.
Hatton returns on May 24 against Juan Lazcano. Witter is probably going to defend his title against mandatory Timothy Bradley on May 10.
"Ricky's scared and he knows I'd whoop his arse. He's good but he knows I'm better. I'm a fighter and I want to prove I'm the best out there. He's had 101 excuses. He used to say I haven't got a title but I have a title," Witter told The Sun. "He says I'm not box office but I am box office — I'm the WBC champion. Now he's saying he doesn't want to give me a payday.
"All I need is my training expenses and I'll come round and kick his arse in front of everybody for free. My people have got to get paid, my training expenses have got to be paid but I'll do it for free. I can do that because I know I'm going to win."