Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Kessler vs. Froch: Can Carl’s heart overcome Mikkel’s talent?

By Sean McDaniel: On April 17th, World Boxing Council super middleweight champion Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KO’s) will be getting his long awaited wish by fighting Mikkel Kessler (42-2, 32 KO’) in their Super Six tournament fight in Denmark. Froch, 32, has wanted to get a fight with Kessler for a couple of years now, but had little luck in getting a fight until he decided to participate in the Super Six tournament.

In terms of skills, Froch doesn’t look to be in the same league as Kessler, as he’s much slower than and not nearly as smooth as the Danish fighter. Whereas Kessler tries to get out of the way of shots coming at him, Froch tends to walk through them so that he can get to his opponent that much faster.

Froch moves in straight lines and seems to take the shortest route to his targets that way. If this fight had taken place a year ago, it’s unlikely that anyone would be giving Froch a serious chance of beating Kessler. However, Kessler was recently beaten by Andre Ward in a 11 round technical decision loss on November 21st, in a fight that Kessler looked really poor in.

Some of that was caused by Kessler being cut up over both eyes by a series of head butts with Ward, but there’s no mistaking that Kessler was totally dominated by Ward. Kessler looked old in the fight, and nothing like his former self a couple of years ago when he fought Joe Calzaghe. The question is whether that was because of what Ward was doing or because Kessler had aged. It’s hard to tell, really, because Ward looked so sensational on that night, and Kessler just didn’t seem to have a clue how to adapt to Ward’s fighting style.

Froch typically attacks hard just like Ward, albeit without his blazing hand speed and his movement. Kessler won’t have a hard time guessing where Froch will be coming from because the British fighter will be coming straight at him trying to run him down like he does with most of his opponents. Kessler will no doubt be using lateral movement to escape from Froch’s attacks and counter him.

Froch just fought Andre Dirrell, a previously unbeaten American fighter in the Super Six tourney, and Carl had a huge dose of lateral movement in that fight. Kessler’s movement will likely seem like nothing compared to the movement that Dirrell was using on Froch, and I can imagine that Froch won’t have trouble catching up to Kessler.

However, Froch may not like what he gets when he does corner Kessler. Mikkel is the much more polished fighter, and quite capable of taking advantage of any mistakes that Froch makes during exchanges. Kessler will likely have little trouble landing counter shots and making Froch pay for anything that he lands.

On the flipside, Froch is also a good counter puncher who does well against a trapped or stationary opponent. If he can get Kessler to stay in one place for any length of time that would be to Froch’s favor. Kessler will have to keep hitting and moving if he wants to beat Froch. He can’t afford to stay in one place and let Froch land his heavy shots.

Dirrell showed how to beat Froch by hitting him, moving and then clinching him when he gets in close. That worked really well for Dirrell, because Froch was only able to punch at all when they were in a clinch. In between that, Froch was missing all night long and looking more than a little clumsy and slow of foot.

I think Kessler wins this fight if he can stay on the move for 12 rounds. But if he tries to stay in one place and fight it out, then Froch will wear him down with his heavy shots and beat him into submission. The crowd should be a big factor for Kessler.

 

[heyzel]

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Eddie Chambers = another easy win for the Ukrainian

By Chris Williams: IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KO’s) will be making a title defense against number #1 rated WBO challenger Eddie Chambers (35-1, 18 KO’s) on March 20th, at the ESPRIT arena, in Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Chambers, 27, is arguably the best heavyweight in American fight now, and is coming into the March 20th fight with Klitschko with a lot of confidence due to wins over top contenders Samuel Peter and Alexander Dimitrenko.

Chambers is fighting really well right now, especially after trimming off 15 pounds of baby fat for his last fight, a 12 round decision over the 6’7” Dimitrenko in July 2009. Unfortunately, Chambers looks to be way too small to compete against Wladimir, and this fight, which some boxing fans are excited about, will likely turn out to be just as much of a mismatch as many of Klitschko’s other fights during his career.

The problem that Chambers has is that he’s only 6’1” and weighs 208 pounds. He’s basically a slightly overweight cruiserweight competing at the heavyweight level. Some fighters can get away with doing this for awhile, but most of them fail miserably. The exception to that rule is Evander Holyfield, who stuck around at heavyweight and won multiple titles during his career. However, Holyfield had an excellent chin, good power and a high work rate during his prime.

Chambers, in contrast, is shorter, weaker than and not as busy offensively as Holyfield. Chambers doesn’t have the huge power like a David Haye, who recently moved up from the cruiserweight level with success. Chambers will have to use his speed to beat the much taller 6’6” 245 pound Klitschko. Making up that kind of height and weight difference won’t be easy for Chambers to do, of course.

Chambers, though, feels good about his chances because of his win over Dimitrenko, a Ukrainian like Wladimir who fights with a similar style. Dimitrenko doesn’t have the hand speed, power or the defensive ability that Wladimir possesses.

Dimitrenko fought the wrong kind of fight against Chambers, letting the American come inside and fight with him at close range. This worked in Chambers favor, because it nullified Dimitrenko’s height and reach. Chambers is saying that he’ll be able to get inside on Wladimir the same way he did with Dimitrenko, but that will be very hard for him to do. If Chambers does get inside, it will only be after having been hit with some heavy shots.

Chambers does have a good chin, so he might be able to take Wladimir’s huge left hooks and straight right hands without folding. But he’s going to have to make it count when he does get in close range, because it’s not easy to get near Wladimir repeatedly. Chambers will be stuck on the outside a lot against Wladimir, forced to eat his powerful jabs.

Chambers can’t afford to let Klitschko hit him with jabs for too long, because he’ll bust him up with those shots. On the outside, Chambers won’t have a prayer. Klitschko will be sporting a six inch reach advantage, which will allow him to dominate from the outside at will. On the inside, Wladimir is much more vulnerable because he doesn’t have an uppercut to use against smaller fighters when they crowd him.

You can look for Wladimir to grab Chambers each time the American gets close and stop him from getting much of anything off. If Chambers can’t stay in close to Wladimir with any consistency, then you can bet on this being an early night for Klitschko. Wladimir does well against short heavyweights like Chambers, and I can’t see this fight going well for fast Eddie.

 

[heyzel]

Mosley-Berto: Does Shane still have it?

By Jason Kim: 38-year-old WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KO’s) will be taking on World Boxing Council welterweight champion Andre Berto (25-0, 19 KO’s) in a unification bout later this month on January 30th, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mosley looked good in his last fight, a 9th round stoppage of then WBA welterweight champion Antonio Margarito in January 2009.

However, that was a year ago, against a slow fighter who reportedly had problems making weight for the fight. Berto, 26, is younger, faster and at the top of his game right now. This isn’t an opponent that Mosley is going to be able to out-quick or be able to use his hand speed advantage over to get a win. I think Mosley is going to show his age on January 30th, and look old all of a sudden in front of boxing fans.

Shane has fought only once a year for the past couple of years, because he’s been looking for one big fight that will give him a huge payday. Instead of staying busy and focusing on taking on the best possible opponent in his division, Mosley has lost out on multiple fights and paydays with his searching for the big fight. The fight against Berto isn’t going to be a huge payday for Mosley, but it will be a fight against the best possible opponent that he can get, short of landing a near impossible fight against fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

But I see the age factor suddenly rearing its ugly head against Berto in this fight. Mosley didn’t look good against Ricardo Mayorga two fights ago, struggling to beat him and coming up with a 12th round knockout to get the win in September 2008. I had Mayorga winning the fight at the time of the stoppage. Many boxing fans saw that fight and figured that Mosley would be destroyed by Margarito.

Margarito came into the fight after battling weight problems and had big problems with Mosley’s punch and grab technique he used all night long. It worked perfectly, shutting down Margarito’s offense completely to the point where he was barely able to get a shot off before being grabbed in a clinch by Mosley.

That kind of fighting style works for aging fighters well. However, that style doesn’t work against a fighter with blazing hand speed like Berto. He’ll be able to land flurries as Mosley comes reaching in trying to clinch. I think Mosley needs to stay away from clinching in this fight and focus on another strategy like jumping in and out.

I think Mosley may have lost something in the time away from boxing in the past year. I think he’s still an elite fighter, but I think he’s going to be slowed to the point where Berto will easily dominate him over 12 rounds. Berto is vulnerable, as he showed in his struggle to beat Luis Collazo last year in January.

However, Berto fought the wrong fight in that bout, wasting time trying to fight Collazo on the inside and clinching too much. Berto would have been better off had he stayed on the outside and used his fast combinations to control the fight. I think this is what Berto will do against Mosley, and in the process, he’s going to make Mosley look every bit of his 38 years.

 

[heyzel]

Maccarinelli wants his WBO title back – News

By Nate Anderson: Former World Boxing Organization cruiserweight champion Enzo Maccarinelli (30-4, 23 KO’s) wants to win his old WBO title back, according to news from Frankwarren.tv. However, for Maccarinelli, 29, to do that, he’ll have to beat the current WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck. That’s easier said than done. Maccarinelli has lost three out of his last fight fights, all three coming by knockout.

The wins have come against 2nd tier fighters Krisztian Jaksi and Matthew Ellis. An obstacle that might prevent Maccarinelli from getting a shot against the champion Huck is Maccarinelli low ranking in the WBO. As of now, Maccarinelli isn’t ranked in the top 15, and will have to pick up a win over a good opponent or an accumulation of wins to bring him back in the top 15.

More of an immediately concern is whether Maccarinelli’s punch resistance has decreased. He was badly knocked out by knockout artist David Haye in March 2008. That fight led to more losses, with Maccarinelli being stopped by Ola Afolabi in a 9th round stoppage in March 2009. Instead of taking it easy after the knockout to Afolabi and taking an extended rest, Maccarinelli took on the hard hitting Russian southpaw Denis Lebedev and ended up getting destroyed by the Russian in a 3rd round stoppage in July 2009.

Ideally, Maccarinelli, if he was determined to fight so soon after being stopped by Afolabi, he should have stuck to fighting softer opponents for awhile to let his brain recover from the two knockout losses to Haye and Afolabi. However, Maccarinelli, not one to take things easy, went back into the ring against the unbeaten – but untested – Lebedev and paid the price by being stopped.

Maccarinelli said in an article in the Swansea Evening Post, “There’s no doubt by old title is the one I want.”

In terms of offensive skills and power, Maccarinelli probably has the best tools in the entire cruiserweight division. He has the height, the power and punch assortment to mow down any fighter in the division. The problem with Maccarinelli is his ability to take shots after the losses to Haye, Afolabi and Lebedev.

Granted, each of those fighters have big power and it’s not surprising that they would be able to score a knockout with their kind of power, but it’s not a good sign that Maccarinelli is getting stopped repeatedly in a short period of time. He had been in with big punchers in the past, beating the likes of Wayne Braithwaite without showing any signs of having problems taking big shots.

The good news is that if Maccarinelli’s defense can be improved, he can likely still be a top fighter in the division. At 6’4”, Maccarinelli has the height and the reach to dominate from the outside. However, he has to change the way he fights for that to happen. Instead of using his reach and height, Maccarinelli tends to fight on the inside where he likes to throw hard body shots and uppercuts.

If he’s going to be successful in his comeback, Maccarinelli is going to need to learn how to use his jab, fight on the outside and use movement to keep from getting hit so often. He needs to pattern himself after the style of IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, who never fights on the inside.

 

[heyzel]

Destiny unfulfilled- The legacy of Roy Jones Jr.

By Klaas Mabetlela: Roy Jones Jr placing in the upper echelon of fistic arena will always be a subject of huge debate. Everyone agrees that he is an all-time great who mesmerized us when he wanted to. This was the boxer who went years not just fights without losing a round. He also owns wins against all-time greats like Bernard Hopkins, Mike McCallum, Virgil Hill and Felix Trinidad. For all his accomplishments, there is a lingering feeling that he did not fully achieve what his talents truly represented.

Jones was destined to challenge the likes of Ali, Armstrong and Robinson at the very top of the game, but when all is done and dusted, Roy will be viewed as a disappointment in that regard. No one denies that Jones Jr was one if not the most talented boxer ever to grace the ring. He defied all laws of sweet-science and created his own while ruling the ring like a general marshal.

I think he was the victim of his success. He was so devastatingly successful at his craft that he became too big for his own good and made succession of decisions fitting of a journeyman. The fact that he is still fitting at 40 is one of them. Roy became complacent, started to take some fights not as seriously as he should have, did not hone his decision-making abilities and failed to improve his boxing business skills. He also convinced himself that he was a talented rap artist. To him, an establishment became a real enemy and he always needed to prove that he was his own man. His PPV record is nothing to write about for the boxer who ruled boxing for 15 years and was voted as the boxer of the decade for the 90’s. In hindsight, Roy could have learned from Oscar De La Hoya on how to play and deal with an establishment.

Jones career-defining fight against James Toney turned into a forgettable yawn due to Toney’s conditioning and ill-preparedness. Jones can’t be blamed for that but he did nothing to salvage the situation by calling for the toughest opponents available. Playing basketball and fighting the same day may sound like an attention grabbing ploy, but it does nothing for an image of the boxer who was already accused of cherry-picking. The fight against the then long-time undefeated fellow titlist Dariusz Michalczewski never materialized and Roy was heavily criticized for years. A rematch with Bernard Hopkins also never saw the light despite the fact that Hopkins became one of the best right under Jones radar. The 2 met early in their careers when they were relatively green and a rematch then seemed natural.

After winning the heavyweight against the weakest titlist available in John Ruiz, Roy called the best and biggest heavyweight champ (Lennox Lewis) out and nobody believed him. He proved his detractors right by opting to go down in weight instead of remaining at heavyweight. He allowed his ego to outshine his business sense by falling into Antonio Tarver’s personal attacks and agreed to fight him without giving himself time to properly and naturally come down in weight. The rest, as the saying goes is history.

 

[heyzel]

Denis Boytsov: Is he a future heavyweight champ?

Paul McCreath - Ever since the end of Mike Tyson's better days boxing fans have been looking for a replacement champion who would bring the same kind of excitement to the heavyweight division as did Tyson. We have seen fine fighters like Lennox Lewis or Vitali and Wlad Klitschko come along who many would claim could have defeated Tyson even in his prime but few would claim that any of the three are or were as exciting to watch as Tyson. Some fans now have hopes that David Haye might become the man we have been looking for but questions still remain. Russian contender Alex Povetkin had a lot of early supporters but he has been more or less marking time lately, perhaps waiting for the Klitschkos to grow older. Recently we have seen the emergence of a new face in that of still another Russian fighter Denis Boytsov.

Denis is not a typical modern day heavyweight. He is not a giant like the Klitschkos and many others today. Denis is actually a bit on the small side standing 6 foot 1 and weighing in at around 215-220 pounds. While a smaller size can be a bit of a handicap when going up against fighters the size of the Klitschkos it is not always the case. You need only look at the earlier success of Tyson or Evander Holyfield to see that a smaller fighter with power and speed can handle the big guys at times. Boytsov weighs about the same as they did in their prime and he certainly has punching power.. His power and speed have often been compared to Mike Tyson's. He is also only 23 years old and already possesses a 26-0 record with 21 KOs. Most fighters don't turn pro these days until they are a bit older and he has already been a pro for about 5 years.

Denis began to shine at a very early age. He was no more than a kid when he won the World Cadet championship at 175 pounds in 2001. The next year he repeated as the champion this time at the heavyweight limit of 201 pounds. In 2004 he won the World Junior championship at superheavyweight. He finished his amateur career with 115 wins and only 15 defeats then turned pro that same year and began a streak of 13 straight wins all by KO. 9 of his first 10 fights ended in the first round and people were really beginning to notice this young power puncher. It is true that the competition was soft but that is nearly always the case these days. The first real test came in his 14th fight in July of 2006 when he was matched with the experienced Brazilian Edson Cesar Antonio who often fought at cruiser and came in with a record of 31-5-1 and actually outweighed Boytsov by 215 to 212 3/4 pounds. Antonio gave the young Russian all kinds of trouble when he didn't fold early and it became evident that Denis still had a few things to learn about the technical side of the game. Denis got the decision after 8 rounds.

Fortunately Denis did begin to learn those things that he was lacking and came back that September against the tough Ondrej Pala who was 11-1 and scored a 7th round KO. That win has looked better as time passed because Pala hasn't lost again since and is now rated a good prospect himself. The next year saw 3 more wins as Boytsov slipped off the radar a bit and concentrated on improving his skills. By 2008 he was ready to move up again and in April he was matched with the tough veteran American trial horse Robert Hawkins. Hawkins doesn't win a lot but is always a tough fight for anybody. He had defeated Dominick Guinn in his previous fight and would follow his bout with Boytsov by going 10 rounds with former champ Oleg Maskaev. He lasted the full 8 rounds with Denis as well but Boytsov won easily and proved that he was not just a crude slugger. He could win on points when he had to.

In February of 2009 Boytsov stopped Israel Garcia (19-2) in just 2 rounds then this past June Denis added his best win yet when he stopped fringe contender Taras Bidenko in 6 rounds. Bidenko was 26-2 going into the fight.In October it was Jason Gavern who went down in 7 and next up is a tune-up with Kevin Montiy on January 9. At this time Denis is rated #7 by The Ring and is in the top 5 of three of the alphabet groups. The other one has him at #12.

I am not suggesting that Boytsov is ready for either of the Klitschkos yet but he might make it interesting for David Haye who is more his size. He is being brought along slowly and carefully by Universum his German promoters. Nearly all his bouts have been in Germany. It is not likely that we will see Universum pushing for a title match until late 2011. By then Vitali Klitschko will be 40 years old and either retired or probably slowing down at the very least. Even Wlad will be around 35. Winning a world title belt should be a bit easier just about the time that Denis reaches his peak. The Klitschkos could even be gone by then. A lot of things can happen in two or three years but right now Denis Boytsov looks to me like the best bet to become an exciting world heavyweight champion who can re-invigorate the division.

 

[heyzel]

Team Huracan Speaks on ABC Compliance Decision

Melissa Hernandez: “I’m happy that the ABC has taken me off suspension. They took the time to really fish out what is, and what could be going on in an already fishy case I got involved with. I thank the ABC for lifting my suspension and letting me go back to what me and boxing fans all over world love to watch me do. I’m overjoyed to get my job back. Now that the Isleta Commission has been reprimanded, it wouldn't a surprise me that the paper work has been found. If it is ever found, then I should be only suspended from fighting on Isleta grounds..

Also, Lenny Fresquez should have his promoters license suspended for his lack of respect for the rules. I don’t have to fight Lenny word for word on the Internet for the fact I did nothing wrong. The Isleta Commission was wrong in many ways. I hope now everything gets looked at as a whole: the weight issue- Holly’s three times at the scale; there were not two outside judges like Lenny agreed with me verbally and the referee; Team Holm’s refusal to cut the hand wraps and the Isleta Commission not giving me the option to watch the wraps or tell Team Holm to rewrap. I’m also asking the question why if you’re calling a commission, why does a promoters line ring?. You don’t call NYSAC (New York State Athletic Commission) and Lou Dibella's office answers. I got to question THAT. I believe womyn’s boxing needs me. I’m not just a warrior while fighting inside the ring, but a warrior outside too. I’m making sure I’m going into a fair fight in an already deadly sport. I'm womyns boxing for standing up to bullies.

I can't stop thanking my lucky stars for the great team I have that pulled together for me, my manager Brian Cohen and adviser Belinda Laracuente. They really pulled it together the night of the fight and stood by me. I don't know of any team that would do that for a female fighter in the greed infested sport. Together we put the team in " Team Huracan". As for Holly Holm, I think she should womyn up and come out to fight me since in her Hollyhood they don't play fair.”

Brian Cohen: “What this whole soap opera boils down to is a lack of respect. A lack of respect for the athletes that put their life on the line every time they step in a boxing ring. A flagrant lack of respect for the rules that were set in place by the ABC. And a person who thinks money can buys justice. Well "Team Huracan" proved everyone wrong.

I have been involved with boxing all my life. I have been in evolved in every facet of the business. I am an active professional boxer, I have had an extensive amateur career, I have trained fighters, assisted in matchmaking, worked on cuts and promoted my own shows. The things that I saw go on in New Mexico on December 4 were beyond my belief. The damaging comments and lies that were printed by the media befuddled me. The media made Melissa Hernandez out to be someone who was trying to extort extra money out of the "promoter" . They portrayed her to be someone who was scared to fight, someone who was unreliable, someone who disappointed a lot of people. They were basically trying to destroy her character. If anyone out there has one iota of common sense they can go back and read all the quoted comments by Lenny Fresquez and he tells three different stories on how people tried to extort him. First he says he called her. Then he says he talked to me and I said "its nothing a little money can't fix". Then he said he talked to "Team Hernandez".

Melissa Hernandez is a three time champion. She is a two time Golden Glove champion. She runs from no one. Common sense would have to tell you that it must have been really out of place for our team to go to such extreme measures.

What boggles my mind is- where oh where is Holly Holm? When she didn't make weight Melissa gave her three chances to make it. As a courtesy to a fellow fighter couldn't she have just have easily cut her wraps? Has anyone even thought of that? Or is she such a puppet she only speaks when told to?

On a closing note, it amazes me what money can buy. A sub average (and that's me being nice) fighter being named fighter of the year. Does anyone realize she went 10 rounds with a girl who admitted to working out for two hours earlier in the day and was sitting in the stands? Fighter of the year? Fraud of the year! Unfortunately Melissa does not have the luxury of hiding by a promoter wallet. There is one thing that money can't buy Lenny or Holly and that's a clear conscience.”

Melissa Hernandez is looking forward to returning to the ring by the end of January, and making up for lost time. Her training never ceased during the suspension and she’s ready, willing and able to fight the best of the best, anytime, anywhere, including Holly Holm, anywhere but in the “Hollyhood”.

 

[heyzel]

Cuban boxing prospect Alexei Acosta heading to U.S.

CORK, Ireland (Jan. 5, 2010) – Photo by Brendan Galbraith / ESB - Unbeaten Cuban bantamweight Alexei “The Hurricane” Acosta, now fighting out of Ireland, will cross the Atlantic Ocean later this month to prepare for his United States pro debut in 2010.

The 21-year-old Acosta defected from Cuba in 2008 and signed a managerial contract with Cork, Ireland-based Gary Hyde, president of Nowhere To Hyde Promotions.

The thrilling, power-punching Acosta made his pro debut September 13, 2008, knocking out Krastan Krastanov in the second round of their fight in Cork. Fighting exclusively as a pro in Ireland and Great Britain, Acosta has stopped all nine of his opponents, the last this past November, via a second-round stoppage of Sean Hughes (15-9-1) on Belfast.

“I’ve always dreamed of becoming world champion as a professional,” 2006 Junior World champion Acosta explained in fluent English, “but that that was never going to be possible if I stayed in my native Cuba. The hardest thing for me was leaving my family behind in Cuba, especially my son, Michel. My dream is going to become a reality soon, when I go the United States and win the world title in six or seven more fights..”

Hyde has been involved in talks with some leading boxing promoters interested in signing his top fighter, 2-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux (4-0, 3 KOs), the multi-talented bantamweight who had an incredible 243-4 amateur record.

“They have all also expressed interest in signing Acosta,” Hyde noted. “I hope to have Alexei fighting alongside Guillermo because this will give him the best possible platform to shine. Alexei is very excited about fighting on the important U.S. circuit. Belfast’s Tony Dunlop coaches Alexei, who has punching power in both hands and hasn’t been extended more than three rounds in any of his nine pro fights.”

Hyde also manages two other Cuban boxers, heavyweight Mike “The Rebel” Perez (8-0, 6 KOs), winner of the World Junior Championships; and super middleweight Luis “El Leon” Garcia (5-0, 4 KOs), 2006 World Junior Championships winner, in addition to Irish super middleweight brothers J.J. “Slick” (2-0, 2 KOs) and Paddy McDonagh (2-0).

“My original plan was to bring my Cuban fighters to Ireland and, after they built-up respectable records, send them to the U.S. to win major titles. I picked three of the brightest young stars on the Cuban National Team, but I also needed one of the most decorated amateurs ever to go pro, ‘Rigo,’ as my key for fighting them all in the U.S. My plan was sidetracked for a while due to the Rigondeaux situation (Hyde recently won a legal judgment in Miami that validated his managerial contract with Rigondeaux). I am now putting it all back together with Acosta joining Rigondeaux (living in Los Angeles) in the U.S. I will be spending a lot more time in the United States, developing my team in 2010, and they should all be ready for global dominance by the end of this year.”

 

[heyzel]

ESPN Friday Night Fights Returns for 12th Season

ESPN Friday Night Fights will kick off the first of 29 boxing cards in 2010 on Friday, Jan. 8. In its 12th season, Friday Night Fights will feature a consistent high-definition telecast on ESPN2 in addition to complimentary coverage on ESPN Deportes and ESPN360.com. As in 2009, this year’s studio portion of the telecast will feature a rotating quartet of analysts. The four are Bernard Hopkins, ESPN.com columnist Dan Rafael, Bernardo Osuna and BJ Flores. Brian Kenny will primarily serve as host from the studio..

In the booth ringside, Joe Tessitore will host while Teddy Atlas will continue to offer his unique insight and perspective.

"We look forward to showcasing some entertaining matches in the 2010 season and are pleased to offer fans a number of ways to be able to enjoy Friday Night Fights content,” said Doug Loughrey, ESPN's boxing programming director.

The ESPN2 studio portion will focus on hot topics in the industry with the guest analysts offering their opinions. Hopkins added an entertaining element to FNF telecasts in 2009. The future Hall of Fame middleweight is best known for his 10-year reign as Middleweight World Champion, during which time he defended his title a record 20 times. He is the oldest man to have held the Middleweight Championship in professional boxing.

Rafael began writing for ESPN.com in March 2005 after working for five years as the boxing writer for USA Today. Rafael will continue to cover boxing for ESPN.com in addition to his television role.

In line with Friday Night Fights’ continued focus on the U.S. Hispanic sports fan, the panel will include two accomplished Hispanic personalities: Former WBF Cruiserweight champion Flores, who is undefeated, will add cache as an active boxer.

Additionally, Osuna is one of the most respected boxing journalists to appear on Spanish-language television. His professional achievements include the prestigious Sam Taub Award for excellence in broadcast journalism presented by the Boxing Writer’s Association of America and three Emmy awards.

Friday Night Fights will air throughout the year on select Fridays, showcasing some of the best bouts in the industry, beginning at times ranging from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. ET.

The Jan. 8 season-opening fight, which will begin at 10 p.m. ET, will feature former junior middleweight titlist Roman Karmazin (39-3-1, 25 KOs) of Russia squaring off against Colombia's Dionisio Miranda (20-4-2, 18 KOs) in Glendale, Calif., in a middleweight title elimination bout. The winner will receive a mandatory title shot against Sebastian Sylvester of Germany.

Other fighters featured in the opening weeks of FNF include Jesse Brinkley (34-5, 22 KOs), formerly of "The Contender," on Jan. 29 and Guillermo Rigondeaux (3-0, 3 KOs), a two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist and top-notch prospect, on Feb. 5.

 

[heyzel]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: TIMOTHY BRADLEY

By G. Leon

GL: Is there any update on your next move, when can we expect to see you back in action? "We're talking about it right now, I'm not really sure when, but possibly in either April or May. I'm not sure who yet, there talking about Malignaggi, Marquez, or possibly Hatton, and then they're saying Amir Kahn. They haven't called me yet with a name, and where."

GL: It's being reported widely that they're almost finished finalizing a unification between Urango and Alexander. Who do you like in that fight, and does the winner of that fight with two belts tickle your fancy the most?

Timothy Bradley: I don't know. I favor Devon Alexander, no problem. I think he has too much speed, and too much skill for Urango. Urango, to me, is one dimensional. I think Devon is a better boxer, a better technician, I think he'll be able to dominate Urango. As far as fighting the winner, it's a possiblity. It depends on who I'm facing next. If I face Amir Khan, that would be huge. If I'm able to beat Amir Khan and face the winner of their fight, that alone would tell you who the real champ is. I'd possibly have four world titles, you'd be the undisputed champ at that weight.

GL: Does rounding up the belts mean something to you?

TB: It used to in the past, but right now, not really. It would be great, and it would be something to definitely have, but I'm just looking for the best fights out there. Marquez would be a great name to have on my resume, to be able to fight a guy like him, or Ricky Hatton, Malignaggi, I think would be a great fight. Just more of the bigger names. Belt holders, I don't know. It just depends, money talks.

GL: As a boxing fan yourself, what fight do you think the fans want to see the most?

TB: I think people would love to see that Amir Khan, I think that fight would be huge.

GL: If you had it your way, and you can't get Marquez or a Hall of Fame calibre name, is Khan the guy you want the most?

TB: Absolutely, Khan would definitely be the guy I want. He's made a name for himself, I feel like I'm making a lot of noise for myself as well. I think it would be a great fight, it would be a real good step up for him too.

GL: How does the fight play out?

TB: I don't know. I was checking him out the other day, he's pretty quick, he's quick handed, a good jab, good lateral movement, he likes to move around a lot, I see myself attacking mostly.

GL: Is Amir Khan a more dangerous fight, in your opinion, than Lamont Peterson?

TB: Yeah, I believe so, due to the fact that he's able to deal with styles, and he's fast. He's quick and he's got polish. Absolutely. I respect every opponent, all of their strengths, and that's pretty much what I talk about. I'm ready for Amir, or whoever they put in the ring with me. I just want to get a shot.

GL: If you get the fight with Amir, it's like what you said, you fight him, Alexander and Urango fight, and the winners of those two fight face each other, and then there's only one champion.

TB: Yeah, that's true, but are the sanctions going to allow it to happen? That's another thing. That's my biggest thing. I always wanted to unify all of the titles, that's why I fought Kendall Holt. Then when I got the title, I was forced to face the mandatory, and I was like why. Why can't I go fight another champion, when you've got world champions out there like Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather? Those guys never even faced a mandatory. They handpicked whoever they wanted to fight, I've never seen any of these guys have to fight a mandatory. I'm just like why is it different for myself, if I want to face a world champion what's so difficult about that? There should be one world champion in each weight class instead of four. If the sanctions allow it, I'm game I would love to do it. The money has got to be right. You've got to pay all of these fees for four belts.

GL: Any way you slice the four belts, if the sanctioning bodies cause those belts to go elsewhere, they become real paper championships. Now it's a situation where the division is wide open, and we just have guys who we consider to be the best, but the best haven't fought the best yet.

TB: Exactly, that's my point. Everybody is saying damn, with the competition you've faced, you are in everyone's eyes the #1 fighter at 140 pounds. That's great that they say that, but I haven't faced all of the best at 140. I've fought some top guys out there, but wait a little bit before you make that statement. Let's get in the ring with all the rest of the best, and beat them, then you can say he's the man at 140.

GL: Closing thoughts.

TB: I love all of my fans out there, keep believing in me, thank you very much, and God bless everybody. Happy New Year to everybody, including BoxingTalk.com

 

[heyzel]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: GLEN JOHNSON

By G. Leon

GL: You've got a fight coming up against Yusaf Mack on the 30th, on the Mosley-Berto undercard. Tell us how you feel about it, what you know about Mack, and what we can expect to see from you on fight night. "I feel good about it, I feel blessed to get this opportunity. I am very thankful and humbled by the opportunity to come back so quickly and fight in a meaningful fight. That's not common in my career. I'm a little taken back by it, very excited and looking forward to this fight. I know very little about Yusaf Mack, I think I saw one fight with him prior to me realizing I was fighting him."

"He fought at the Hard Rock while I was there, so I was able to see him fight against some guy, on the undercard, I believe, when Berto fought Urango. That was my experience with him. Now that I'm fighting him, I have some tapes, and watched them. He got knocked out twice, he won a couple of fights also. He seems to be a solid guy, with decent handspeed, a little bit of movement, he throws his punches a bit wide. We're looking forward to the fight. We're excited, and we believe we're going to go in there and do what we need to do."

GL: Do you consider Mack a world class contender?

GJ: Looking at the weight class, 175 pounds, I believe he's right in there. There's not a lot to choose from, once you finish with the old guys, and Chad Dawson. It's not a lot to choose from once you finish with the old guys and Chad Dawson. You talk about Hopkins, Glen Johnson, I guess Roy Jones might be out of it, and Antonio Tarver. The list gets very thin from there down.

GL: Were you dissapointed that Tarver has elected to move up in weight before breaking the tie with you and having a rubber match?

GJ: Tarver has to do what Tarver has to do. I'm dissapointed in a lot of things, Tarver moving up is the least of them. If you want to talk about dissapointment, that was losing my last fight. That's not something that I thought would happen. I was very excited about that fight, and I believed I had him handled. The guy didn't really get into to, he tried to run around me, and I couldn't catch up with him.

GL: He made you look like shit that night.

GJ: Exactly. Tarver moving up in weight is the least of my dissapointments right now.

GL: Is this fight with Mack going the distance?

GJ: I don't think so, I'm looking forward to somewhere within 5 rounds. I'm excited about the fight...

GL: (Interrupting) Somewhere within 5 rounds, that's what you said?

GJ: Somewhere within 5, yes.

GL: Closing thoughts.

GJ: Certainly I just want to say to the fans, that not the real Glen Johnson you saw last time. I myself am dissapointed, I know you're dissapointed. I'm going to come back and try to erase that situation.

 

[heyzel]

Will Haye ever fight the Klitschko brothers?

By Chris Williams: The more I think about it the more I see World Boxing Association heavyweight champion David Haye never fighting either of the Klitschko brothers. Why should he? All Haye has to do is name drop one or both of the Klitschko brothers’ names and he gets a ton of attention almost as if he’s actually fighting them. Haye doesn’t need the Klitschko brothers to do well financially. He’s got a fight coming up next with his mandatory challenger John Ruiz, which Haye should win without too many problems.

Next, Haye will almost surely opt for a rematch with former WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev for another easy payday. Haye should be able to win the Valuev as long as he doesn’t get clipped by one of Valuev’s big clubbing shots. You never can be too sure, though, because Haye’s chin isn’t the sturdiest and his stamina is questionable as well.

However, Haye should be able to win that fight by moving continuously like he did last time out and not giving Valuev too many chances to corner him. Next, Haye would be looking at fighting Australian Kali Meehan or former WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev. Both of those fights should be winnable for Haye. I say ‘should’, because Meehan has good size, decent power and might blast Haye out if he attacks him hard at the start of the fight.

Chagaev is also dangerous. He had problems against 6’6” Wladimir Klitschko, but that was because Chagaev was giving away five to six inches in height to Wladimir. Against Haye, Chagaev would be essentially the same height as Haye and wouldn’t have problems taking his heavy shots. Chagaev has a great chin, and if he can weather an early storm by Haye, it’s reasonable to assume that he could land a hard enough shot to topple Haye over and knock him out.

Haye probably won’t stay in one place against him, and will likely adopt the same hit and run technique that he used in his fight with Valuev. Haye isn’t very light on his feet and looks kind of bulky and lethargic moving around, but he should be able to land enough pot shots against Chagaev to get a win. Once those guys are out of the way, the fights should get easier for Haye.

Haye can fight Kevin Johnson, who showed very little offense in losing to Vitali Klitschko recently or Russian Denis Boytsov, a fighter very similar to Chagaev in size and punching style. Haye can probably beat all these guys. This is why I think Haye won’t bother to fight the Klitschko brothers and will instead take the easy money by defending the WBA title for a number of years before retiring.

The more fights Haye wins, the more money he’ll make. He’ll be able to sell out huge stadiums in England where the fans will gladly scoop up tickets probably no matter who he fights. Haye doesn’t need the Klitschko brothers, and I think he’ll realize that soon enough and decide upon taking the easy route by avoiding the Klitschko brothers.

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather almost ends up in a brawl with rapper Rick Ross – News

By Peter Wells: Over the weekend unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. has reportedly clashed with rapper Rick Ross at Vanity night club in a show hosted by P.Diddy. I am a big hip-hop fan but have never listened to much Rick Ross, but this isn’t the first time the two have been in a near brawl. A few years ago after rapper and Floyd’s friend 50 Cent almost kicked off a fight with Rick Ross and this weekend the two camps were close to fighting again.

For Mayweather at this time he wouldn’t want to be caught doing anything like fighting outside the gym, but wasn’t to bothered about knowing what was at stake saying, “If you start trouble, I gotta finish it”. This was all said after pictures were taken of 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather with Rick Ross’s ex-girlfriend and his son.

Mayweather needs to really concentrate on getting the fight with Pacquiao done, and luckily P.Diddy got in between them before things got ugly. Unfortunately stars now don’t always get on whether they are two rappers competing to be better than the other or just big stars who have some trouble through some petit argument. Mayweather isn’t the one to cause these arguments he was the one who stepped in and stopped the ‘childish bullsh*t’ as Mayweather put it, and there isn’t any official sources to say what started it. Hopefully this doesn’t go any further as Floyd doesn’t want to be in court again especially at this time.

 

[heyzel]

Which two fighters will be eliminated from the Super Six tournament after group stage

By William Mackay: After the three group stages are completed with the Super Six tournament, four fighters with the best records will move forward to the semi finals while two of the fighters with the worst records will be eliminated. After group stage 1 of the Super Six tourney, Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch and Andre Ward have come out the winners while Andre Dirrell, Jermain Taylor and Mikkel Kessler have all lost their fights and picked up zero points in losing.

Abraham is currently in the lead with three points (he picked up an extra point with his knock out win over Taylor on October 17th. The other winners Ward and Froch both have two points each. In the next group 2 part of the competition, Dirrell takes on the tournament leader Abraham, Kessler fights Froch, and Taylor faces Ward. Below are the fights still remaining in the group 2 and group 3 stages of the Super Six tournament:

Group Stage 2

Jermain Taylor vs. Andre Ward
Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler
Andre Dirrell vs. Arthur Abraham

Group Stage 3

Jermain Taylor vs. Mikkel Kessler
Arthur Abraham vs. Carl Froch
Andre Ward vs. Andre Dirrell

Likely fighters to be eliminated:

Jermain Taylor – In looking at the current match ups, it’s not hard to envision Taylor losing his next two fights to Ward and Kessler, and possibly being one of the two fighters that wind up being eliminated from the tournament after the group stage competition is completed. Ward and Kessler would seem to be a bit too tough for Taylor at this point, given that Taylor has been knocked out in three of his last four bouts. If Taylor’s chin can hold up in those two fights, he may be able to make it close enough to earn a decision. However, he’ll have to fight much harder than he did in his fight against Abraham for that to happen. Taylor looked as if he was trying to pace himself in that fight to conserve energy so that he wouldn’t gas out again like he had in his 12th round knockout loss to Froch last April. If Taylor was pacing himself, it didn’t work because he was eventually stopped by Abraham anyway. Taylor has to fight hard enough so that he’s not losing rounds and falling behind in the fight against Ward and Kessler. Both of those fighters are excellent boxers and will likely beat Taylor either by decision or knockout. If Taylor loses his remaining two fights in the Super Six tournament, it would give him a record of 0-3.

Carl Froch – Although Froch is currently undefeated and won his first fight in the Super Six tournament against Dirrell, he won it by a controversial decision and didn’t look good in the fight. Many people feel that Froch fought poor enough to lose. However, he has two opponents ahead of him with Kessler coming up next in April, and then Abraham after that. Froch is a tough fighter, and I have no doubts he’ll be fighting his heart out against both of these opponents, but I can’t see him winning either of those fights. Abraham is arguably even more powerful that Froch, and a better defensive fighter. Froch’s style of slugging will make it easy for Abraham, who does well against opponents that come after him. Likewise, Kessler looks to be too skilled for Froch to handle and barring some kind of weird decision, it’s likely that Kessler will school Froch. If Froch loses both his next two fights, his record will be 1-2.

Andre Dirrell – Andre has great overall talent, with fast hands, good power, outstanding defensive ability and excellent size. However, what Dirrell is missing his aggression and a willingness to mix it up. His peck and run style of fighting may work in most of his fights, but against the top fighters in the Super Six tourney, he needs to bring more to the table than that. Dirrell fought passively in his 12 round decision loss to Froch on October 17th. A case can be made that Dirrell should have won the fight due to his cleaner landing shots and his better defense. However, Dirrell blew his chance by moving and clinching too much in the fight. Dirrell has a good chance of beating Abraham in his next fight in April, because he’s a lot quicker than Abraham and will likely be able to hit him enough to get a decision. The fight will be held in the United States, which further increases Dirrell’s chance of beating Abraham by decision. If the fight were to take place in Germany, it would likely take some very special from Dirrell to get a win over there. Never the less, I can see Dirrell beating Abraham next. However, I think Dirrell will have huge problems in his final fight of the group stage competition against Ward. I think Ward will be too tough for him and end up beating Dirrell by decision. That’s not because Ward has the better skills or the quicker hands. It’s just that Ward will be willing to take shots to throw his own, and will end up outworking Dirrell. If Dirrell loses his final fight, this will give him a record of 1-2, the exact same record as Froch. However, with Froch’s previous win over Dirrell, Froch will continue on in the tournament, while Dirrell ends up being eliminated.

 

[heyzel]

Khan talks Maidana, Mayweather, Malignaggi, More!

By Scott Gilfoid: In an interview at East Side Boxing’s On The Ropes, World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan said he’s looking to fight his mandatory challenger Marcos Maidana (27-1, 26 KO’s) in March. This is great news for boxing fans, because a lot people have been wondering whether Khan would choose to vacate his title rather than fighting the dangerous Maidana, who may be the hardest hitter in the light welterweight division.

Speaking about Maidana, Khan said “Maidana is my mandatory, and I am going to take that fight. I am very confident about that fight. I spoke to Freddie Roach [Amir’s trainer]. He’s also very confident about that fight. And we’ll start getting ready for that fight.”

Well, there it is. Khan is saying he wants to fight Maidana, so unless Khan changes his mind and decides to vacate, which I can see Khan easily doing, it looks like Khan is going to take that fight. Maidana hits really hard and it’s going to be interesting to see what Amir can do to try and outbox Maidana. Short of running all night long, I don’t know what Khan can do to stay upright against the big punching Maidana.

Khan is not going to be able to knock Maidana out in the 1st round like he did against his last opponent Dmitriy Salita. Khan will have an opponent that will be looking to take his head off with every punch. Roach is a great trainer, but there’s only so much a trainer can do to help out a fighter with a weak chin like Khan. Roach will probably be telling Khan to run like crazy, and that’s not a half bad idea, because if Khan tries to get brave, I can see Maidana parking his head into the 3rd row.

I wish I could say that I think Khan will win, but I can’t. I think Maidana is going to destroy Khan very early in this bout. As soon as Maidana connects with his first big shots, Khan is going to be wobbling around the ring on rubber legs. Maidana will then finish Khan off with a big right hand.

Khan thinks that he’s improved enough to beat a lot of fighters, and still thinks that his 1st round knockout loss to Breidis Prescott was a good thing. Khan hasn’t fought Prescott to try and avenge his defeat, and it looks like he probably never will at this point because Prescott has lost his last two fights.

Khan seems to have a great outlook about his knockout loss to Prescott, doing a good job of explaining away his defeat. “Any fighter that gets hit with one of those shots [one of the power shots that Prescott dropped Khan with], they would have been knocked out,” Khan says. Khan seems to forget that Prescott’s last two opponents have taken his best shots, including little Kevin Mitchell, and not been knocked out or hurt. “My body was cold. Imagine me fighting Prescott now. I think I’d give him [Prescott] a great boxing lesson and knock him out late in the fight.”

Yeah, I’d like to see that too. I wish Khan would fight Prescott again, but I don’t see it happening.

Khan thinks that WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley is the best fighter in the division, but thinks he’ll be ready to fight him in late 2010. “I think Timothy is a great fighter,” Khan says. “I think that fight [Khan vs. Bradley] can happen in late 2010. I need more experience. I think it would be a great fight for me…I think Timothy has the most dangerous style for me, but by the end of 2010, he’ll be perfect for me.”

I don’t know that Khan will be ready for Bradley by as early as late 2010, like Khan says. I see Timothy as being a couple of levels above Khan in talent. Khan needs to take one step at a time. He hasn’t fought anyone near the level of Bradley of yet. Khan’s last five fights have been against the following fighters: Prescott, Osin Fagan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Andriy Kotelnik and Salita. These are decent fighters, but come on; none of them are even close to being as good as Bradley. Khan needs scale down his ambition a little, and try to focus on just getting through his fight with Maidana without getting sparked out again.

Besides Bradley and Maidana, Khan is also interested in fighting Paulie Malignaggi and Nate Campbell, saying “Paulie Malignaggi is a great fight for me. He’s made for my style. I think I can outbox him and beat him. I’d love to fight Nate Campbell. He’s a fighter I would totally outbox. I’d love to fight him in the near future. Nate has a style that suits me.”

I agree with Khan about him being able to beat Malignaggi, but I’m less certain about Amir being able to beat Campbell. That fight is a toss-up for me. If Khan runs for 12 rounds, then I can see him getting though the fight and possibly winning it by a narrow decision. But if Khan stands in one place or tries to trade with Campbell, I can see Khan being knocked out again. Campbell may be getting up in there in age, but I think he’s still dangerous enough to stop Khan if he can connect with something big.

Looking into the future, Khan says “My dream fight is Mayweather, when I hit my peak, when I turn 24. In the next 18 months, a fight with Mayweather, with the right coaches, I think I can beat him.”

I don’t think so. I think Mayweather will dominate him badly, and I can’t see it being close at all. If Khan were to wait seven or eight years, when Mayweather is 40, then I think Khan would do well against Mayweather under those circumstances.

 

[heyzel]

Vanes: "Me, Pacquiao and Khan are HGH/Steroid Free"

By Ryan Burton

BoxingScene.com speaks to 2004 U.S Olympian Vanes "The Nightmare" Martirosyan (26-0) about his upcoming fight on January 16th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The fight kicks off Top Rank and Fox Sports Net's new 36 fight agreement for the coming year. The Glendale, California based fighter of Armenian descent, talks about stepping up in class to fight Kassim Ouma and also gives his thoughts on the Sergio Martinez vs. Paul Williams fight. As you may recall Martirosyan was on BoxingScene.coma while back calling out Martinez and the two exchanged a war of words. See what else this up and coming junior middleweight has to say in this exclusive interview.

BoxingScene.com: How is training going for Kassim Ouma, undoubtedly the biggest fight of your career thus far?

Vanes Martirosyan: Training is going great. I came into camp in good shape because I had just fought a week prior to starting camp (12-19 versus Willie Lee that ended via 3rd round TKO). We just went back to work on Monday and I felt great. We have a good team behind me. For this fight Freddy (Roach) and Alex (Ariza) are also with me. They have been with me since day one and I also have Roman Calatarian helping me. We are in great shape right now. My weight is good and we are good to go.

BoxingScene.com: Were you concerned at all about the lack of time to train for the fight?

Vanes Martirosyan: No because the last fight ended early. We are in good shape and I want to stay active. This is my year. It is good. I want to be one of the first guys to make noise in 2010. This is a good step up for me. Ouma is a good fighter. I respect him. This is a good time for me. When it comes to the fight I am going to take it to him and I know he is going to take it to me. We are both going to put on a good show for everyone.

BoxingScene.com: Ouma is a former champion and as you say is a step up. What made you and your team decide now was the time to step up in class for this fight?

Vanes Martirosyan: I have been asking for a step up for a while but I trust in my team and I trust in my manager Shelly (Finkel) and I trust in my promoter Bob Arum and of course my matchmaker Brad Goodman. They have all done a good job with me and I trust them. I wanted the big fight and they gave it to me so its my time to show the world what I can do.

BoxingScene.com: What are the differences training with Freddy Roach versus Ronnie Shields?

Vanes Martirosyan: With Freddy now he dedicates more time to me. It is more serious now because I am going to be fighting better opponents. Freddy is a great coach. The difference with Freddie is that he brings out the best in me. He is one of the best trainers out there and I am happy to have him on my team. Having him on your team just gives you more confidence. Ronnie Shields is a great trainer. I think that I belong with Freddy. My family is here and he lives here and he brings out the best in me. All respect to Ronnie Shields but I think Freddy is a better fit for me.

BoxingScene.com: What is it like being an up and comer like yourself training alongside champions like Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan?

Vanes Martirosyan: It definitely helps. Amir and I are friends. When Manny sees me he says hello. He always asks me when my fights are. It is great. They made it to the top. Amir and I were in the Olympics together in 2004 when he was representing England. It is a great experience being around champions, especially Manny, watching him train just makes you more hungry. I remember five years ago when I first started at Wild Card (Freddy Roach's gym) Manny was there training for the first Morales fight. From there to where he is now and see what Freddy can do is amazing. Freddy plus Alex Ariza made Manny so strong in the ring so we got the best team and I am really happy to be working with these guys. It is a blessing.

BoxingScene.com: What is your take on all the talk of Manny being on HGH or steroids when you and Amir also work with Alex Ariza? He said that Manny, Amir and you all take the same supplements.

Vanes Martirosyan: I think its kind of disrespectful to me and to Amir and Manny that they are telling us these things because we work really hard. I see the stuff that Alex gives me. Alex doesn't give me any of that stuff. It is all natural stuff. I have never failed any drug test and Amir hasn't either and I know Manny is never going to do it either. It is all the same stuff. It is just disrespectful to all of us because we wake up at 5am and Alex has all this crazy stuff planned for us. When we wake up in the morning we don't know what we are going to do. He either puts us in a cold pool and has some swim or do all this physical exercise and stuff. He gets creative with his work. It is very disrespectful for people to say that about Manny but at the end of the day when we step in the ring we take care of business. We never fail any drug test. The only thing we can do is win fights and pass all the drug tests they give us.

BoxingScene.com: What exactly are the supplements? Is it a drink you guys take?

Vanes Martirosyan: It is just a regular vitamin that Alex has made. It is regular stuff that you get at nutritional stores.

BoxingScene.com: So its just a vitamin pill?

Vanes Martirosyan: Yeah. It is just a regular vitamin.

BoxingScene.com: You have been vocal about wanting to fight Sergio Martinez. What did you think of his fight with Paul Williams?

Vanes Martirosyan: I think it was a great fight. Sergio did good. He showed a lot of heart. I think he exposed a lot of flaws in Paul Williams. Williams is a great fighter also and those are some guys I would like to fight later on down the road. I know people say its too soon for me and I need to move up in steps but as a fighter you don't think of stuff like that. I trust my team and I follow them. Whoever they put in front of me I take care of my business. I think it was a great fight and he is a great fighter. I think me and Sergio would be a great fight because we are both boxer punchers and it would be a really great fight for the people to see.

BoxingScene.com: How does it feel to be headlining a fight card in Vegas which is going to be the first fight under Top Rank and Fox Sports new agreement?

Vanes Martirosyan: It feels great. Top Rank is great at what they do and I am happy to be with them. I am looking to resign with them after my contract ends. I think it ends this year. I am looking to be with Top Rank because I think they are the best at what they do. I trust in my team and I love Top Rank. I know they can take me to the promise land after this.

BoxingScene.com: What boxers did you look up to when you were growing up?

Vanes Martirosyan: Growing up we always looked at Muhammed Ali. I really liked De la Hoya and I watched him a lot. I watched Mayweather and Trinidad as well. I would see how the country would follow them. When I was younger I would always want to make people happy. Watching these guys make their whole country proud, they are heroes, like gladiators and I wanted to be just like that.

BoxingScene.com: Do you have a prediction for your fight on January 16th?

Vanes Martirosyan: I think that if I box my way and listen to the corner I can stop Ouma. I know a lot of great fighters have faced him and no one has stopped him so it would be a great thing for me if I stop him. I think I am capable of doing that. I am not looking for any knockout or anything like that. I am just going to go out there and do what I do best, box him and listen to my corner. We have a really good game plan. We have A, B and C game plans. All I have to do is listen to Freddy. We work hard and fight easy.

BoxingScene.com: Do you have a message for the fans?

Vanes Martirosyan: For the fans that know me thank you very much for supporting me. For those that don't know me I guess after January 16th you will know me. It is time to get to know The Nightmare because I am here and this year I am going to make a lot of noise so remember my name.

 

[heyzel]

Miguel Cotto, Evangelista Reunited at Cotto Sr. Wake

By Mark Vester

The tragic death of Miguel Cotto Sr. has reunited Miguel Cotto Jr. and his uncle/former trainer Evangelista Cotto. Family and close friends paid their respects to Cotto Sr. at a service held in Cañaboncito, located in Caguas, Puerto Rico. Cotto Sr., 55-years-old, passed away on Sunday after suffering a heart attack while driving.

Last year Cotto Jr. and Evangelista had a major falling out after an argument over the training camp location for the Joshua Clottey title defence. Evangelista wanted the camp to stay in Puerto Rico and Cotto Jr. wanted to hold camp in Florida. Words were exchanged and then a violent brawl broke out after Cotto Jr. fired Evangelista as trainer. Cotto Sr. was present and had to break it up with the assistance of others at the gym. The punches continued on the street and Evangelista threw a concrete block through the window of Cotto Jr.'s new car. Evangelista would take a trip to the hospital with injuries.

Evangelista later filed a $7 million dollar lawsuit against Cotto Jr. for breach of contract and for injuries from their brawl. Cotto Sr. took the side of his son. Evangelista had not spoken to his brother of in several months.

According to El Nuevo Dia, Cotto Jr. and Evangelista finally made their peace. The two were side by side at the Military send-off to Cotto Sr. Witnesses told the paper that Cotto Jr. was seen with his arm around Evangelista as they walked inside the home of the late Cotto Sr.

 

[heyzel]

Paul Smith: ‘Dodson Can’t Make it To The Well Anymore!’

By Terence Dooley

Paul Smith came of age in October when out-muscling and out-brawling Tony Quigley in their bruising British super-middleweight title fight at Liverpool’s ECHO Arena. Quigley was the reigning champion, he had grabbed the title by hammering Tony Dodson to defeat in the final round of their fight-of-the-year candidate and Tony, like Smith, is a died-in-the-wool Liverpudlian. Fireworks were expected, and predicted by both men, only for the fight, while interesting, to disappoint.

Smith, though, baulked when asked if the fight had been a letdown, claiming that the outcome was all-important to him. “No, I won the British title so a win is all that matters in a fight of that magnitude,” he declared.

“It is not a world title but to me it [the British title] means so much and there was a lot more at stake as it was a local derby, with local pressure and pride at stake – I came out on top and now I’ve got the local bragging rights.”

Smith also confirmed that he had half-expected a tough night’s work. “I trained for twelve hard rounds and that showed in the final rounds. I believe I did the better work in the gym and on the night. I knew it would be hard either way, whether I caught him on the chin or not, so we prepared for a tough fight,” he said.

“Quigley was saying he had done the twelve rounds and I hadn’t, but I’d done them in the gym and knew it would no problem. I knew I’d got it in the tank and that showed. Knowing you can do it and doing it are two different things though.”

Smith was cut early in the contest and there were a lot of clinches, this made for an engrossing, if bitty, battle. Smith accepts that some of the blame must lie on his shoulders.

“Yeah, it [the holding] wasn’t all him,” he admitted. “It was down to me as well, it was one of those were the styles don’t gel and it makes it a really hard fight. I thought deep down that it was going to be a good fight – I wouldn’t have given out a load of pre-fight bullshit about it being a war if I didn’t think it was going to be.

“I didn’t think it was going to be that type of a scrappy fight. I thought it would be more one-sided in my favour but it wasn’t and I have to give him a lot of credit for that. He did some grappling and was strong but a win is a win, and I won’t take anything away from him.”

Still, there is nothing quite like winning a British belt in your own backyard, though Smith believes that he would have been equally fired-up had the contest taken place down south. He said: “If I won the British title down in Dover I wouldn’t have minded, it is all about getting that Lonsdale belt around your waist, but it was good to get it in front of my own crowd and at that particular arena.”

Now, though, for the tricky maiden defence, another local derby to boot, this time against former title holder Tony Dodson. Smith, however, revealed that he plumped for the Dodson fight to shut Tony up and give the expectant Liverpool fans a KO to savour.

“I chose Dodson,” roared Smith. “He’s mouthed off here and there about deserving this and deserving that, he doesn’t deserve anything because he was knocked out by Quigley in his last fight. It doesn’t matter if he was ahead or not but he keeps saying Quigley got lucky. It is not a case of being lucky, you throw your shots and Quigley knocked him out fair and square.

“Quigley didn’t just drop and hurt him when he was tired in the last round, he dropped him earlier in the fight, beat him up for the first two rounds and came back strong to knock him out. I’ve heard all sorts from Dodson – if talking was the aim of the game Dodson would be a world champion and a millionaire, but he’s not. Dodson says I’m only a middleweight but I beat the light-middleweight [in Quigley] who knocked him out.”

Dodson believes that the first shot Quigley floored him with was a borderline blow to the back of the head. Smith laughed this claim off. “He still went down,” said Smith with a shrug.

“Whether it is on the back or the side of the head it still put him down. The side of your head is stronger, if it hit him on the chin it still would have put him down and that is where I’ll be hitting him. Dodson has got no punch resistance left and keeps going on about he’s been in wars and that I’ve not been in wars, well if that is the main factor, and it is a war, I can go to the well and he hasn’t got a well left to go to.”

Quigley-Smith was marked by some pre-fight verbal scuffles, the kind that fighters usually cook up in order to bring out the fans; however, Smith is not one for putting on an act and denied that there had been some stage-management in the verbal jousts with Quigley and Dodson.

“That claim doesn’t bother me in the slightest,” he said. “I’ve never put an act on. People ask me if I was doing it for ticket sales but I don’t play that game. I’m myself in the press conferences and I couldn’t put an act on for people. If he carries on mouthing off then there will be fireworks because I’m not going to let him do that and to tell his lies to himself. He reckons he’ll be bringing all the fans but they were there for Quigley in their fight and for me in my fight with Quigley. I just hope it is a great fight, and he won’t be able to talk too much after the night.”

A British belt brings with it closer scrutiny and Smith accepts that there will be comments made about him on the Boxing forums, although a visitor to these sites the boxer believes that you cannot take the criticism too seriously.

“You’ve got to expect it,” stated Smith. “It goes back to days when people knew who all the champions were. Knowledgeable fans and the public know who the British title holders are and you’ve got to perform as a champion, that is why I’ve picked Dodson, he’ll come to fight and I do well against kids who come to fight.

“You’ve got to shrug them [online comments] off. They used to bother me but about eight years ago I stopped going on them [forums]. Jamie Carragher told me that you’ll end up fighting everyone and it happened to him on a Talk Sport forum, where it all kicked off.

“You do see some people mouthing off and you think, ‘I know you and I know you don’t know anything about boxing’ or you’ve never had a fight, never took a bit of leather to the face, and you sit there and think you can slag fighters off.

“On the other hand there are a lot of knowledgeable people out there, they pay their money for their tickets and have a right to speak up, and those forums are the perfect place to do it. I go on forums myself to see what people are saying about other fighters so you’re going to see a little bit of criticism about yourself and have to take the rough with the smooth.”

One criticism is that Smith has had a long, long build-up in his career thus far, though to be fair his appearance on The Contender TV show placed a lot of expectation on his shoulders.

“How old is Dodson, maybe two years older than me, he’s only one more fight than me and so many wars, some bad, hard fights and bad knockouts,” said Smith when addressing these claims. “I’ve had 29 fights, I’m 27 and I’ve not had those hard fights. Quigley was hard but I’ve not had a fight where I needed to go the place where Macklin and Jamie Moore went. I’ve got plenty in the tank; any marks on my face were caused by head clashes.”

Smith parted company with Billy Graham in the wake of Ricky Hatton’s split with promoter Frank Warren, although hurt by the move Smith believes that he his decision has been vindicated.

“I was badly disappointed when I split with Billy,” he revealed. “We went to Vegas a week after they [Hatton and Warren] split up and I was asking Ricky what the story was, if maybe they’d work something out with Frank. I didn’t want to leave Billy but didn’t want to leave Frank and think it worked out well in the end. I couldn’t ask for more on a personal and business level. Frank’s done right by me and I’ve just signed new contracts with him.

“I had nearly a year out because of Billy Graham and Frank Warren’s problems so, technically, I’m not too far behind other fighters. Darren Barker turned pro before me and he’s only just won his British title. I know he’s had some Commonwealth fights in the meantime but I think Frank’s brought me on right.”

He added: “I’m not a big head and I’m not putting expectations on me. There is talk of me fighting for a world title and I’m trying to play it down, as I don’t want to be saying, ‘I am going to become a world champion and do this and that’. If it comes I’ll take it with both hands and feel I have the beating of [WBO boss Paul] Stieglitz, but I’m taking baby steps, I want to defend this title a few times, see what happens with Brian Magee and maybe fight him for the European title. I’d love to do things the traditional way but if the world title shot comes I certainly won’t say no.

“I’m not looking ahead of this fight. I’ve done that before, I was looking at a middleweight title fight and slipped up against [Steven] Bendall. Although I won the fight in my opinion there shouldn’t have been that doubt. It is all ‘shoulda, woulda, coulda’ and I’m not looking at the past.”

Dodson has his own ideas; the 29-year-old thinks that Smith is there for the taking and that he will reclaim his former title. Paul believes that Dodson is delusional and that these delusions will be shattered on the 12th of March.

“He keeps going on about smashing Carl Froch for two rounds. I think he must be talking about a different fight to the one I’d seen, as I was two rows from ringside and watched him get hammered,” argued Smith.

“In my opinion he spewed it, he went down on his knee and sat out the count. You don’t sit there until ten if you’ve gone down from a body shot; you get onto your feet and go out on your feet. You have a bit of balls and a bit of pride. You can’t call yourself the ‘Warrior’ and sit it out on your knee for ten seconds.”

A world title win brings with it even greater scrutiny, Smith would be subject to almost daily speculation should he join the ranks of British world title holders, for now, though, he is happy to go about his business in relative obscurity.

“I’d rather not be known and have a million quid in the bank,” he revealed. “I want the titles but I also want the money and to pay my mortgage off. Quigley is out the way and Dodson is next. The average fan in Liverpool might not know things have changed and might believe Dodson’s talk that he’s the best in Liverpool - I have to change that.”

The fans will be hoping that Smith-Dodson goes a few rounds and catches fire, as we love our British title battles, Smith is no different. “I watch me mates”, he said when discussing his favourite boxers, “the likes of Macklin, Moore and Ryan Rhodes. It was a pleasure watching them knock shite out off each other but it was terrible that there had to be a loser.

“I watch most of the lads on the British scene but don’t watch too much on the world scene. Watching too much boxing bores me. I’m not an anorak who sits there studying fights. I love watching Cotto but I don’t try to fight like him, I like watching Mayweather but there is no point copying in him, as you couldn’t be him in a month of Sunday’s.

Finally, Smith comes into the ring to the Deacon Blue song Real Gone Kid, eschewing the tuneless dance ‘tunes’ used by most boxers, what was the thinking behind this song, and nickname, choice?

“My dad was in bodybuilding competitions years ago and that was the music he used to use,” he answered. “I was boxing at an amateur match in Canada and had the CD with me and that’s the music they used. It creates a great atmosphere and was a great song at the time. It isn’t massively known but is well known in Liverpool.

“They were asking me for a nickname to put on the poster before the 2002 Commonwealth games and I picked ‘Real Gone Kid’, and it has stuck. It is original; there are around 800 ‘Hitmans’ and 800 ‘Warriors’ but only one ‘Real Gone Kid’. Apparently it means ‘one of the lads’.”

Smith then gave his final take on the Dodson dust-up; he was reluctant to make a bold prediction but believes that the fight speaks for itself. “I won’t put my foot in it so I’ll say it will be a good fight while it lasts,” he said.

“He won’t out-box me, he won’t out-punch me and he won’t beat me. I’m here now 14 weeks out preparing for it and I’ve got the added confidence of being the champion, so the belt is going nowhere. Tony has never won this belt from a champion, he won the vacant British belt against Jamie Hearn, and I’m not Jamie Hearn.

 

[heyzel]

Edwin Valero: "DeMarco, I Only Talk With My Fists"

By Mark Vester

WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero is back in training camp. He started back in camp on January 2, getting ready for his mandatory defense against interim-champion Antonio DeMarco on February 6 in Monterrey, Mexico. Valero just fought on December 19, stopping Hector Velazquez of Mexico.

Valero is waiting for confirmation on the exact date on when he and his team will travel to Mexico for their final stage of training camp. He plans to arrive a few days before the fight. Valero refused to engage DeMarco's recent comments, where the interim-champ blasted Valero and said the fight "was personal" for him. Valero, 26 wins with 26 knockouts, said his fists will do the talking in the ring.

"I just go out there and do my job. I won't discuss what will happen in the ring. I only talk with my fists," Valero said.

 

[heyzel]

Amir Khan Willing To Fight Maidana, Malignaggi, Campbell

By T.K. Stewart

WBA super lightweight titlist Amir Khan says his mid-2009 move to 140-pounds has made all of the difference in the world compared to life as a 135-pound lightweight.

At 140, Khan feels unbeatable and much stronger and he has thrown down the gauntlet to anybody in the red-hot super lightweight division that wants to step up and attempt to take his title belt - including Marcos Maidana, Paulie Malignaggi, Breidis Prescott and Nate Campbell.

“I am a very dedicated fighter,” Khan said in a telephone interview from England on Tuesday. “But the thing is, I have to kill myself to make 135. I used to walk into the ring and I could tell I wasn’t right. I used to suffer, my legs were weak and I just didn’t feel right. At 140, I can still eat, I can drink lots of water. I really think 140 is the perfect weight for me and I can make the weight relatively easy.”

Khan has a full roster of candidates at 140 pounds to choose from and he claims he is willing to fight any of them - including interim WBA titlist Marcos Maidana, Paulie Malignaggi or Nate Campbell.

“I will fight them all,” says Khan. “I believe I could outbox Paulie Malignaggi. He’s made for my style and I could outbox him. As far as Maidana goes, he is my mandatory fight, but I’m not sure what he is doing. Freddie Roach said we would take that fight. Nate Campbell is another fighter where I could outbox him. I feel his is totally made for my style.”

Khan admits he is relatively new to the super lightweight division and he recognizes that the man to beat at 140 is WBO belt holder Timothy Bradley.

“Yes, I think he is probably at his peak as a fighter right now,” said Khan. “He is the number one guy in the division, I feel. But down the line I think I would be ready for him, too. Maybe not right now. I am only twenty-three and I just moved up to light welterweight and Timothy Bradley is very experienced at this weight. But I think if I get a few more fights under my belt and some more experience at this weight, that I would be ready to fight him, maybe by the end of 2010.”

In looking ahead to the future, Khan says his desire is to unify the belts at 140 and make his name known in the United States.

“I’ll tell you what,” Khan said. “When I am in England, everywhere I go, not just Bolton, everyone knows my name. That’s what I want here in America, too. I want to be like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather - the best fighters in the world.”

Trained by Freddie Roach, who also trains Pacquiao, Khan has had several opportunities in the recent past to spar with the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter.

“Our sparring is like real fights,” said Khan. “Neither one of us backs up and the people that watch it have been quite entertained. That has helped me so much and it gave me a lot of confidence, especially after I was knocked out against Breidis Prescott. Manny throws shots that you don’t see and he is so fast. So if you can hold your own against him, that really helps your confidence and it helped me an awful lot.”

Khan also brought up the name of Breidis Prescott, who starched him in one round in Sept. 2008. “I would love to get a rematch with him now. I think I could beat him, knock him out late. He caught me clean the first time and I just couldn’t recover. But I’ll say that if he had caught anybody at that weight, with those same punches, they would have been knocked out, too. But I learn from my mistakes, I am a much better fighter now.”

Khan feels that he should be back in the ring by March or April. He does not know whether the fight will be in the U.S. or the United Kingdom. He is now a promotional free agent and he says talks are ongoing with promoters and that he should have a better idea of who and where he will fight within the next few weeks.