Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Prospect Chris Avalos Puts Unbeaten Record On The Line This Friday on SHOWTIME

harles has been given the OK to return to action following a five-month battle with stage IV bladder cancer. It was announced in August that Charles was taking a leave of absence from his duties at SHOWTIME because of his illness. The last fight he worked was on July 31, 2009.

In the co-feature at Tingley Auditorium in Albuquerque, N.M, local favorite Archie Ray Marquez (9-0, 7 KOs) of Albuquerque will risk his unblemished record against the vastly more experienced, former world title challenger Derrick Campos (20-7, 11 KOs) of Topeka, Kan., in an eight-round super featherweight bout.

The doubleheader is promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC.

Avalos, 20, who’ll be making his third appearance on ShoBox, was named by several publications in end-of-the-year stories as a Prospect to Watch in 2010. The 5-foot-7-inch youngster has maintained an extremely active schedule since turning pro on Feb. 1, 2008, fighting eight times that year and six times in 2009.

An aggressive fighter with solid two-fisted punching power, Avalos tends to get reckless on occasion and forgets to play defense, but it’s his all-out style that makes him that much more entertaining to watch.

In his last start, the Mike Criscio-managed stablemate of unbeaten two-time light heavyweight world champion Chad Dawson and junior middleweight contender Alfredo Angulo, registered a second-round TKO over Jose Pacheco on Dec. 4, 2009.

Three outings ago, on ShoBox, Avalos scored a thrilling fourth-round knockout over Giovanni Caro in a slugfest on Sept. 18, 2009, at Santa Ynez, Calif. Avalos registered a second-round TKO over Andre Wilson in his ShoBox debut on July 31, 2009, at Temecula, Calif.

“It’s really exciting to be in the main event on Shobox,” Avalos said. “It’s something that I’ve been looking forward to. Once I heard that, it was crazy. I do nothing but smile. Just watch me grow as I grow. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be here for a long time.”

Nieves is a 5-foot-6-inch, 29-year-old southpaw who turned pro on June 22, 2001. He went unbeaten in his initial 18 starts (16-0-2) and won 12 consecutive fights between October 2002 and November 2006. But he’s fought just three times since – twice in 2009 and once the year before.

In Nieves’ last outing on July 17, 2009, a fight with Felipe Almanza ended in a three-round technical draw. Nieves unanimously outpointed Jose Garcia Bernal across eight rounds on Jan. 14, 2009.

Marquez has also impressed boxing insiders, who have also tabbed him as One to Watch in 2010. He will be appearing in his hometown for the first time since he turned pro at the Tingley Auditorium on Jan. 12, 2007.

The 5-foot-6-inch, 21-year-old Marquez was born and raised in Albuquerque’s North Valley - the same neighborhood that produced world champions Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero.

“I grew up right between Johnny and Danny,” said Marquez, who won a six-round majority decision over Andres Ledesma in his last outing on Dec. 4, 2009.

Marquez is prepared for what likely will be the most dangerous assignment of his young career. "Campos is a durable fighter, but I'm ready,’’ Marquez said.

The 5-foot-5, 28-year-old Campos has won three of his last four, the defeat coming in his last start on a majority 10-round decision to Andrey Isaev on Nov. 7, 2009.

Campos once fought for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) 140-pound title, losing a decision to Dmitriy Salita on Nov. 8, 2008.

Nick Charles will call the action from ringside with Steve Farhood and Antonio Tarver serving as expert analysts. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

 

[heyzel]

Estrada disrespected by Adamek

PROVIDENCE (Jan. 25, 2010) – As he prepares for his February 6 showdown in Newark against former world light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek, 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada’s nose is out of place and it doesn’t have anything to do with sparring sessions gone wrong.

Estrada (15-2, 3 KOs) feels disrespected by Team Adamek but not, surprisingly, for Adamek looking past him to a reported April 24 fight against Chris Arreola, rather their apparent belief that Adamek (39-1, 27 KOs) has faster hands than Estrada, whose lightning-like hand speed for a 240-pound heavyweight has been his calling card..

“Looking past me towards Arreola doesn’t really bother me,” Estrada said. “I think it’s silly and they’ll hear about it after the fight. I never talk too much but I’m going to talk like never before after this fight. I hope they keep thinking about fighting somebody else. I’m keeping track of everything and got names of people to talk about after I beat Adamek. I’m going to shutdown his plans.

“I’m in the gym with sparring partners that are similar to him – tough, stand-up with decent hand speed. They made a big mistake offering me this fight and an even bigger mistake thinking he has faster hands than me. I’ve heard that they’ve brought in guys to work with who are big but don’t have fast hands. That makes me laugh. How, all of a sudden is he going to have faster hands than me? I am bigger, stronger, faster, quicker and younger than him. I’m just a better all-around fighter.”

Estrada also notes that he’s never been down and Adamek was floored twice as a light heavyweight. “I know he likes to pressure his opponents but how is he going to do that against a bigger guy like me,” Estrada rhetorically asked. “I’m a heavyweight, not a light heavyweight. I’ve never taken big hits like he has. They say he has a great chin, but so do I, and we know he has been hurt at least twice….by light heavyweights! They weren’t flash knockdowns, either. I’ve never been hurt in my whole career. I don’t see him changing his come forward, tough guy style at this stage. He was a good light heavyweight, good cruiserweight, but I’m a real heavyweight.”

Providence-native Estrada was one of the most highly decorated American amateur boxers ever, compiling an amazing 261-14 record in U.S. competition. He was the first boxer to win both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. Challenge three years (2001-2003) in a row.

During his 5-year pro career, the 29-year-old Estrada has beaten solid heavyweights such as Lance Whitaker, Zuri Lawrence, Derek Bryant, Charles Sufford and Robert Hawkins. Adamek’s lone win as a heavyweight, Estrada noted, was against an over-the-hill Andrew Golota.

“Jason has had his best training camp,” his promoter Jimmy Burchfield (Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc.) remarked. “He’s never been in better shape, mentally or physically. He’s going to surprise a lot of people February 6th. Not me, though; I’ve always believed in him and I know what he’s capable of doing.”

By fight night, Estrada will have trained a full eight weeks for “Heavy Artillery,” much longer than ever before, and “Big Six” doesn’t mind fighting in Adamek’s backyard. “Training camp has been smooth,” Jason explained. “I’ve never had this much time to prepare for a fight, maybe five weeks and a couple of days, at best. There’s been plenty of time to get over little physical problems suffered in camp, not like in the past when I’d go straight from doing very little to hard training. I’m much more comfortable than I’ve ever been because of this extended time in camp. Mentally, it really helps.

“This is a big fight for me. Beating Adamek should take me to where I thought I’d be by now in the heavyweight division. Fighting in front of all his Polish fans doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve never had a problem being the villain. His fans will have nothing to do with the fight. It’s just going to be me and him in the ring. I’m half Puerto Rican with a lot of family, friends and fans coming to the fight, especially from New Jersey and New York. I know there will be a lot more Polish fans there for him, but my Hispanic fans will be loud, too.”

 

[heyzel]

Khan: “Malignaggi is a big possibility”

By William Mackay: It’s still unclear who World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KO’s) will select for his next fight on April 17th. The WBA wants Khan to defend his title against WBA light welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana (27-1, 26 KO’s). However, Khan’s new promotional company Golden Boy Promotions, including his trainer Freddie Roach, prefers that Khan goes after a bigger name for his U.S. debut fight, someone like Paulie Malignaggi, Juan Diaz or Juan Manuel Marquez.

In an article with Manchester Evening News, Khan said “Malignaggi is a big possibility. That would be a big fight for me to break into the States.” Khan may be overestimating the popularity of Malignaggi, because a fight against him wouldn’t likely be close to being a “big fight” in the United States, if you ask me.

It might be a mildly interesting one to see for some boxing fans, because it matches two fighters that move a lot instead of two sluggers. However, if Khan takes a fight against Malignaggi, he could end up alienating fan, who might see Khan as avoiding the hard hitting Maidana. Khan has a reputation with some fans as having a weak chin.

This wasn’t helped by his 1st round knockout loss to Breidis Prescott in 2008. Khan has taken on exclusively light punchers since that loss. A fight against Maidana would have been Khan’s chance to prove that his loss to Prescott was a fluke, and that he can take a big shot from a big puncher without folding. If Khan chooses Malignaggi or the smaller Marquez and Diaz, it will still leave questions that need to be answered about Khan’s chin.

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer wants to put Maidana on the undercard of Khan’s next fight in an effort to build up a future fight with Khan instead of putting the two fighters together immediately. The theory here is to build up the names of both Khan and Maidana in the U.S. to create a bigger money fight in the future.

Maidana already has made a name for himself with boxing fans with his 6th round stoppage win over Victor Ortiz last year. Although Maidana can certainly stand to have more visibility in the U.S., but he would be getting exactly that if Khan would fight him. Instead, Khan would have a fight against Maidana or someone else, and Maidana would likely get an unknown opponent. I see this as benefiting Khan but not doing much for Maidana.

 

[heyzel]

Green-Ward: Why Allan should not be so confident

By Kirk Jackson: It’s no secret Allan Green is a confident fighter. Nothing wrong with confidence, as every athlete in their respective sport, or every person with whatever they do in life should be confident. It’s important to have self belief, and faith in your performance and abilities. But there is a thing as being over confident, cockiness, if you will. I believe super middleweight contender Allan Green suffers from this. Here is a fighter, at 30 years old and a 8 year professional, who has not really accomplished anything significant professionally.

In recent interviews, Green has gone from negatively critiquing proven fighters, some of which who happen to be champions such as Mikkel Kessler, while Allan, on the other hand, hasn’t had a major impact in his own division. While we all have the right to our opinion, and Mr. Green being a boxer at the highest professional level certaintly has the right to his, I find it amusing how he can criticize a fighter for their lack of technical skills when he has many holes in his game. I can’t honestly remember the last time I saw a fighter continuously look down at his feet during a fight, as he did against Rubin Williams. Im not sure if that was some kind of mental error or lack of focus, either way it is a strange habit.

Most of my qualms about Allan Green are in referance in regards to Green’s career professionally as a boxer. As an amatuer, Green has had a pretty good career.He is a 5-time Oklahoma State Champion, National Pal Silver Medalist, 4-time regional Golden Glove Champion, and the 2002 National Golden Gloves Light Heavyweight Champion.

Allan Green is not a bad fighter, but he has not proven himself to be an elite fighter. In the biggest fight of his career, Green came up short against middleweight and super middleweight contender Edison Miranda. Even though Allan did not get the victory, he displayed tremendous heart as he entered the fight with a colon infection.

Allan Green does have power in both hands and is a tall strong fighter. And he did look impressive in one of his last fights against Carlos de Leon Jr. when he stopped him in 2 rounds via tko. But then again, who is Carlos De Leon Jr.? Green also earned a recent unamimous decision against undefeated Tarvis Simms. But it should also be noted the 38 year old Simms was coming off a lay off, and took the fight agianst Green on 5 days notice. This fight wasn’t overly impressive for Green, as he struggled a little bit during the fight, especially when Simms fought out of the south paw stance.

Seeing recently as the proposed bout between Sakio Bika and Allan Green scheduled for February 5th, to determine who would be the new participant in the Super Six Tournament fell apart, some how miraculously, Allan has been blessed with the opportunity to be placed in the Super Six Tournament as the replacement for Jermain Taylor. So now Green has the opportunity he has been waiting for, and seems like he feels somewhat entitled to, when he takes on the newly crowned WBA Super Middleweight Champion Andre Ward on April 17th of this year in the Super Six Tourney.

One has to wonder, will Allan Green’s confidence proceed over his actual abilities and will he lose when he steps up to fight against the young champion? Will the inconsistency that has followed him his professional career continue to show on the biggest fight of his life? Or will he shut up all the critics and show he is as good as he advertises?

 

[heyzel]

The Real Loser from Last Weekend is Celestino Caballero

By Kirk Jackson: Two important fights took place in the featherweight division this past weekend. One fight, showcased the rising Puerto Rican star and Super Bantamweight Champion Juan Manuel Lopez, as he took his first step into the featherweight division and challenged the champion Steven Luevano, for the WBO Featherweight Title. Unlike Juanma’s last fight against Mtagwa which happened to be a life and death struggle, this fight was much easier for Lopez, as he pleased himself and most critics with his dominant performance en route to a 7th round tko victory over Luevano. With this victory, the unbeaten, newly crowned two division champ pushes his record to 28 – 0, with 25 of his wins coming by technical stoppage or knockout.

The other premier fight of the evening included rising Cuban Star and WBA interim Featherweight Champion Yuriorkis Gamboa, as he took on the tough challenger Rogers Mtagwa. This fight garnered some interest because in his previous fight, Rogers Mtagwa took Juan Manuel Lopez to the brink of defeat in a 12 round decision that went in Lopez’s favor. Rogers would not have similiar success as Gamboa made quick work of the Tanzanian challenger, stopping him in 2 rounds. Emerging victorious, Gamboa pushes his unbeaten mark to 17 – 0, 15 of his wins coming by way technical stoppage or knockout.

Now this obviously sets up a clash between these two young stars as they seem on a collision course to meet sometime in the near future. But there is one problem. There is a very deserving, and proud champion from Panama, Celestino Caballero, who now seems to be left out of the mix. Caballero the IBF and WBA Super Bantamweight Champion, has been waiting in the wing, scratching his palms, waiting for an opportunity to face Juan Manuel Lopez. Caballero has been very open in regards to expressing his desire to face Juanma Lopez. He has even mentioned taking a lessor cut in the money split, and is even willing to fight Lopez on his turf in Puerto Rico. But Apparently, Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions has other plans for their fighter Lopez.

Although many hardcore purists of boxing would love to see these two fighters clash in a super bantamweight championship classic, Arum eyes bigger paydays for Lopez and for himself, and would more than likely like to place Lopez against the more well known fighters in the higher divisions. Also, Caballero poses a threat to put a blemish on Juanma’s record, and Arum probably wants to advertise and get the most out of Lopez, and make the most money off him, before that blemish could potentially happen. Unfortunately for Caballero, he is an older fighter as he turns 34 this year. As every day passes by, his skills will depreciate and his time in the sport will shorten as well.

There is always the possibility of Caballero moving up to featherweight to challenge Lopez, as he probably can make a successful transition, granted he possesses the size and power to carry with him. But even with that said, more than likely, we will never see a fight between Juan Manuel Lopez and Celestino Caballero. Eventually Lopez may end up fighting Gamboa, which is surely to be an exciting fight to look forward to in the future, but as it remains, the champ from Panama is left out, probably feeling like the lose

 

[2-0-Sixx]

^^^Lopez is clearly ducking Celestino Caballero but Bob Arum said today he plans on having Gamboa fighting Celestino Caballero in the next few months...

Celestino Caballero is about 6 feet tall, Gamboa 5'5. That's a tough matchup for Gamboa.

Gamboa fights Mtagwa the guy who deserved to get a rematch with lopez, knocks his ass out, then he's going to fight the guy lopez has been ducking for over a year? lol

 

[heyzel]

I think arum is a little out of touch on this one

 

[2-0-Sixx]

I think he's protecting Lopez a little bit since getting hurt so badly by Mtagwa and since he thinks lopez is the next Tito Trinidad... He sees the potential dollar signs and doesn't want to ruin it.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Lopez has been fighting for 5 years and has fought 28 professional bouts. They need to step him up eventually and I don't think he has that much room for improvement. He will probably peak in 2 years and go down hill from there. He has beaten some very formidable opponents though. I just hope he continues to climb from here rather than take the safe route just because of the Mtagwa fight.

 

[Johnny Truelove]

i dont see lopez ever getting to the level of a tito or even cotto... hes safe at featherweight but if he ever tried moving up to bigger and better things he would end up getting that jaw broken... now gamboa on the other hand has so much natural talent skys the limit for that cubano.

 

[heyzel]

Holyfield vs Botha is Off; Evander Pulls Out Over Money

By Per Ake Persson

Evander Holyfield is off the planned showdown against WBFederation heavyweight champ Francois Botha. He is replaced by "Minnesota Ice", Joey Abell. The show is still set for Kampala, Uganda, but has been postponed again and will now go ahead February 27.

There is no official confirmation from promoter Eddie Bazira and his Stockholm, Sweden, based promotional outfit Baltic Pro Box but Ken Sanders, representing Holyfield, tells this reporter they waited for three months for the first payment, none came, and Holyfield is now tentatively scheduled to fight in the US on March 6 and April 24.

As for PPV from Uganda with Botha vs Abell, no it won´t happen - but as a matchup it´s not bad at all. Abell, a southpaw, can punch and Botha, with all his experience, is still tough.

 

[heyzel]

Haye-Ruiz in Manchester: David Plans To Cause Damage

By Mark Vester

WBA heavyweight champion David Haye is delighted with the set plan to defend his title on April 3 against mandatory John Ruiz at the MEN Arena in Manchester. Haye wants to put on a show for the British public. It's been several years since the heavyweight crown was defended on British soil. Haye wants to make a statement.

"It's been 10 years since the heavyweight championship has been fought in Britain and everyone knows I had to go to Germany to take the title away from Valuev. Now it's time to showcase my skills again in front of the great British public. And I'm delighted to have the fight at Manchester's MEN Arena. I've been there on many nights to watch Ricky Hatton, Joe Calzaghe, even Mike Tyson, and the atmosphere was always tremendous," Haye said.

Haye is not worried about Ruiz's difficult style. He watched several tapes and plans to batter the veteran as he comes inside. The British champion is aiming to become the first man since David Tua to knock Ruiz out.

"I'm looking forward to getting back to what I do best - throwing my trademark Hayemakers. Ruiz is a come-forward fighter so I aim to get at him, break him down, and take him out in good style," Haye said.

 

[heyzel]

Mikkel Kessler: "I Will Take Carl Froch's WBC Title"

Copenhagen - Mikkel Kessler presented his new gym to the media today when he hosted an open training session in Copenhagen. The Viking Warrior cannot wait to get back in the ring and become world champion again. The 30-year-old will meet WBC Champion Carl Froch in the second round of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, and Kessler is already looking forward to it. “I really had a bad night against Andre Ward, but I had a good rest, analysed everything with my team and now I am ready for Froch,” he said. “I have just started my preparation with my new coach Jimmy Montoya. Things have been going really well. We are training very hard here in Copenhagen and will move camp to Berlin next week. I feel very hungry without a world title and I will take the WBC belt from Froch.”

Jimmy Montoya has no doubts that Kessler will bounce back. “Mikkel has so much talent and he will show it against Froch,” Montoya said. “In this tournament the best are fighting the best and obviously Froch is a very strong fighter but Mikkel is better and he will beat him in front of his home fans in April.”

And promoter Kalle Sauerland added: “That was not the real Mikkel Kessler in the ring against Ward. But Jimmy Montoya has already started to bring back the real Viking Warrior. The clash with Froch will certainly be an exciting one and I am 100 percent sure that Mikkel will notch the first three points in the Super Six, especially with the support of his Danish fans.”

 

[heyzel]

Roach: "Mayweather Has Never Been The Bravest Guy"

By Mark Vester

Manny Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach doesn't think much about Floyd Mayweather Jr's selection of welterweight opponents over the last few years. Speaking with Gareth Davies of The Telegraph Sport, Roach said Mayweather lacks the courage to fight the toughest guys in his division and money is not enough to motivate him.

“He’s never been the bravest guy in the world. When [Antonio] Margarito was the toughest guy out there, Mayweather wouldn’t fight him. He was offered 8 million dollars a couple of times and he never fought him…never will. He picks and chooses his opponents. He picks the right guys, with the right styles," Roach said.

Roach would like to see Pacquiao fight Mayweather but he doesn't think the fight will happen any time soon. As long as Mayweather sticks to his demand for random drug tests on Pacquiao, the fight will never happen says Roach.

"There is so much controversy in getting a fight together between Mayweather and Pacquiao because they are trying to come up with all these ‘Mayweather Rules’. Either they were trying to get inside Manny’s head, or my head, or they really don’t want to fight us….period," Roach said.

 

[heyzel]

Margarito: "I'm The Only One Who Can Beat Pacquiao"

By Mark Vester

Former three time welterweight champion Antonio Margarito is training for his long awaited ring return on the March 13 pay-per-view undercard to Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium in Texas. Sitting on the sidelines for nearly a year, Margarito is expected to receive his boxing license in the next couple of days from the Texas Commission.

Margarito's promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, told BoxingScene.com last week that a Pacquiao-Margarito showdown is possible for the summer. Arum said Margarito will need to look very good against his comeback opponent Carson Jones, and Pacquiao has to do his part by beating Clottey.

The "Tijuana Tornado" is very motivated to return. His license was revoked last February after a plaster-like substance was discovered is his handwraps prior to the fight with Shane Mosley on January 24. Margarito really wants the opportunity to fight Pacquiao. He says styles make fights and believes his style will overwhelm Pacquiao.

"The truth is I feel very motivated to get back in a big event, with over 50,000 people in Texas, where a lot of those people will be of Mexican descent," said Margarito from his training camp in Tijuana to The Record. "I hope to earn that chance against Pacquiao to prove that I am the only one who can beat him."

In his last fight, Margarito was dominated and knocked out by Shane Mosley. He points to several reasons for the loss, including weight struggles and his body was still feeling the damage of his July 2008 war with Miguel Cotto.

"We complied with the rules of the Commission (California) and did not fight in Mexico as previously assumed. A year without punishment has helped me relax, because after that hard fight with Cotto, I made the mistake of grabbing someone just as hard or even harder in Mosley, and I was not 100% yet."

"I've been training, I just hope to get my license now and focus squarely on the fight that lies ahead. I am eager to return, it's time for the 'Tornado' to return."

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Barrios is in some serious trouble...



Former Champion Jorge Barrios on Trial For Murder

Jorge Rodrigo Barrios held the WBO Super Featherweight Championship 2005-2006. His most recent battle takes place inside of a courthouse some 250 miles away from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

He is alleged to have been involved in an auto accident where he lost control of his car and crashed into other vehicles on the road.

The accident, which occurred on Sunday, left a 20-year-old pregnant woman dead. Six other people involved were injured.

Barrios was reported to have left the scene immediately following the accident and then later turned himself in to the local authorities alongside his lawyer.

Barrios burst onto the international boxing scene back in 2003 when he came within seconds of beating then undefeated Acelino Freitas. His exciting style and colorful personality has made him a fan favorite in the ring.

The popular fighter with the nickname "La Hiena" is promoted by Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.

More to follow as it develops.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/332990-former-champion-jorge-barrios-on-trial-for-murder

 

[Johnny Truelove]

Margarito's biggest supporter? His opponent

There are a lot of people utterly disgusted by the likelihood of Antonio Margarito being granted a boxing license by Texas regulators, a situation I outlined in a blog last week.

Carson Jones isn't one of them.

If Margarito, who was punished last year by the California State Athletic Commission for attempting to wear loaded gloves for his fight with Shane Mosley in Los Angeles, gets his license, Top Rank will match him with Jones in a 10-rounder at 155 pounds. It will be a high-profile fight co-featured on the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey HBO PPV card at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

I think that most who read my work regularly know I'm one of the people appalled by the idea of Margarito getting a Texas license without even having to go before the California commission, which rightfully revoked his license at a disciplinary hearing last February.

However, there are two sides to every story, and Jones is one of the few people who wholeheartedly endorses the idea of Margarito being allowed to fight.

Can you blame him?

It would be the biggest fight and payday of his career. Jones (24-7-1, 15 KOs) is a 23-year-old from Oklahoma City trying to make a living in a tough, tough sport. Nobody looks at Jones and sees a future world champion -- just a hard-working fighter trying to do the best he can and looking to take advantage of a big opportunity against Margarito.

In his last fight, Jones did open a few eyes. In December, he scored a third-round knockout against previously unbeaten and wholly untested Tyrone Brunson in the main event of a "ShoBox" card on Showtime.

A fight against Margarito would dwarf that bout.

"If Margarito is not allowed to fight, that takes food off of my table and robs me of a chance to show the world that I am the real deal and hurts me far more than it does Antonio Margarito. I wish people would stop trying to prevent this fight from happening. This is a dream fight for me and something I have worked all my life for to have an opportunity to do," said Jones, who is going to go through with an already scheduled rematch against Eloy Suarez on Thursday night to prepare for the Margarito fight.

"The public needs to let me handle the punishing of Antonio Margarito, because that is exactly what I will do if he is allowed to fight me on March 13. I ask all the people who want this fight stopped to just support me on March 13 when I pull off my second upset in a row."

Jones, who has already signed a contract for the fight in anticipation of Margarito being licensed, said he has no concern about him trying to cheat again. Besides, you can bet the house that the wrapping of Margarito's hands for that fight will be the most scrutinized in history.

"I think he has learned his lesson, and I am not concerned at all about him trying to do any of the things that he has been accused of doing in the past," Jones said. "This is supposed to be his comeback fight. It will be his retirement fight also. Trust me."

 

[naner12]

^^^Lopez is clearly ducking Celestino Caballero but Bob Arum said today he plans on having Gamboa fighting Celestino Caballero in the next few months...

Celestino Caballero is about 6 feet tall, Gamboa 5'5. That's a tough matchup for Gamboa.

Gamboa fights Mtagwa the guy who deserved to get a rematch with lopez, knocks his ass out, then he's going to fight the guy lopez has been ducking for over a year? lol

I don't mind Lopez fighting the guys he's been fighting. He took out PDL in about two seconds, beat a very durable and highly technical (but old) Penalosa and just moved up in weight and crushed Luevano a consistent and competent champion. If he fights someone like Concepcion is his next bout it's not too big of a deal .. it's not like he's fighting bums .. Concepcion is as legit as it gets.

.. as long as they keep winning Arum will match them up. I think he sees superstar potential in both of them and thinks he might be wasting a potential "superfight" if he throws them together right this weekend.

.. and I think Caballero has a real chance of stinging Gamboa. This is the fight where we see what Gamboa is truly made of IMO.

 

[heyzel]

Oscar De La Hoya is Disgusted With Margarito's Comeback

By Robert Morales

Oscar De La Hoya on Tuesday played host to a news conference promoting the Feb. 25 junior welterweight fight between Victor Ortiz and Hector Alatorre at Club Nokia at L.A. Live.

One of the issues that popped up as De La Hoya held court afterward was the idea that Antonio Margarito is going to try and get licensed in Texas so he can fight Carson Jones on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey welterweight title fight March 13 at Cowboys Stadium.

"I'm disgusted," De La Hoya said to BoxingScene.com. "The fact that they're going over California ... to get a license, I'm very disgusted by it."

De La Hoya said he recently watched the HBO documetary about the beating Billy Collins Jr. suffered at the hands of Luis Resto in June 1983. Resto and his trainer, Panama Lewis, went to prison after it was discovered padding had been removed from Resto's gloves. Lewis has since been banned from boxing in the United States. Resto, born in Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx, was never able to regain his license to fight.

His career ruined, Collins died nine months later when he drove his car into a culvert.

"... When you're messing with somebody's life in that ring, you should be banned for life. That's my opinion," said De La Hoya, who, initially Tuesday, said he did not think Margarito should be allowed to fight again.

Margarito was found to have plaster-like inserts in his hand wraps prior to his ninth-round technical knockout loss to "Sugar" Shane Mosley in January 2009 in Los Angeles. Margarito claimed he did not know the inserts were in his wraps.

Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, had their licenses revoked by the California State Athletic Commission last February 10.

Margarito is allowed to re-apply for his license in California a year after it was revoked.

But since Margarito's no-no occurred in California, De La Hoya said it is the state where Margarito should initially try to again get his license to fight, not Texas or anywhere else.

De La Hoya also suggested Margarito had to know his wraps had been tampered with. He said a fighter would know even if there was just some extra tape on his knuckles. It was in Margarito's knuckle pads that the plaster inserts were discovered.

De La Hoya did say that he would have less difficulty with Margarito coming back to fight if he would just admit he knew his wraps were loaded.

"If Margarito just comes out clean and says, 'Look, I did this, I'm sorry,' then that's a different story," De La Hoya said. "He's admitting it and that's fine. But admit it.

 

[heyzel]

So What Now For Evander Holyfield?

by James Slater - It has been reported in a number of places how the Evander Holyfield-Frans Botha fight is now off. At first the WBF heavyweight title fight that, in truth, no-one really wanted to see, was set for January 16th of this year, then the bout set for The Nelson Mandela Stadium in Uganda was pushed back to late February. Now, the fight is off for good - Botha, according to BoxRec, will now fight Joey Abell at the same venue, on Feb. 27th..

But what does this mean for the legendary "Real Deal," the man who won the heavyweight championship an unprecedented four times? Is it even possible the 47-year-old has come to his senses and is looking to retire? We'd all like to think Holyfield, who has nothing at all left to prove, has decided to call it a day and that this is the reason the fight with Botha is not now happening; but deep down we all know it's unlikely.

Reportedly, Evander balked at the rescheduled Botha fight due to a money issue, not because he was slowly realising how his health and reputation are far more important to him than bottom-of-the-barrel type fights like the one that will not now happen. But what are Holyfield's options if he IS looking for another fight, one with a better deal?

Sure, the former cruiserweight king has spoken of wanting to become the undisputed heavyweight champion one more time before finally retiring, but no way will Holyfield be able to walk from the snuffed out Botha clash straight into a fight with either of the Klitschko brothers or David Haye. So what will the 42-10-2(27) relic do now instead?

Maybe, through no decision of his own, Holyfield will slowly fade away from the sport. Perhaps, due to his inability to get any fights to his liking, Evander will be forced to fight no longer, and without any official announcement he will have walked away for good. This is the best scenario that could happen, really - with Holyfield suffering no hurt, either physically or reputation-wise, from fighting junk fights or, worse, from being mangled by a top contender.

Holyfield's money problems have been well documented, but his need of cash in no way makes it okay for him to risk being hurt in the ring; nothing makes permanent disability a risk worth taking. Surely Evander could find another way to make money?

With no fight is sight for him at present, it could well be that the better-than-expected showing he gave the last time he fought - against then WBA ruler Nikolai Valuev - was the final ring appearance of the only man to have reigned as a world champion in three consecutive decades.

Sit at home and wait for the inevitable call to be inducted in The Hall of Fame, Evander!